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Episode 6
Riley (2)
[… … .]
Knock knock. Knock knock.
On a high-quality round wooden table.
The candles flickering in the wind were leaving faint shadows on my cover.
The crimson flame and cozy lingering scent of the incense created a cozy atmosphere inside the dormitory room.
I let out a faint exclamation of admiration as I looked at the sight.
[ha…….]
beautiful.
It’s so beautiful.
Everything was just fresh.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that it felt like being born again.
The feeling of stepping out of the bookshelf where I had been for 300 years was new, almost wondrous.
A dusty bookshelf.
I can’t tell you how hard it was for me to be stuck in that sticky, unpleasant place for so many years.
The sweetness of freedom, achieved after endless patience, was sweeter than anything else.
And it was all thanks to that girl named Riley.
Swish─.
I looked at Riley, who was hanging her robe on the hanger.
Although I had a brief conversation with her on the way back to my dorm from the library, I still had a mountain of questions I wanted to ask her.
As someone who didn’t know Riley’s personality, temperament, or background, I needed to learn a little bit about it.
For that reason, conversation is essential.
First, to get the point across, I threw out a topic.
[There are five beds in the room, but you’re the only person there?]
“Because it’s vacation.”
She shrugged and continued.
“All the other roommates left Letemis’s Island and went back to their main home.”
[Really? But why didn’t you come down?]
“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t have a family name.”
[… … .]
Riley’s reply when she returned was short.
But the meanings implied in that answer were truly countless.
Even commoners had a surname, or family name.
Moreover, it was a common family name that even odd-job workers in ordinary households had.
Since ancient times, those without a family name were either slaves who were not even treated as human beings, or poor people who could not afford to continue their genealogy.
And although it was a very rare occurrence, there were also cases where a fallen nobleman abandoned his family name in order to hide his background.
There were many other cases, but they all had one thing in common.
It means that among people without a family name, there is no one who does not have a story.
[Can you elaborate a little more?]
“All right.”
Although it was a short period of less than 20 years, this was a story about one girl’s life.
I had a feeling tonight was going to be a little long.
* * *
“It’s been like that since I was born.”
The girl had no family since she was born.
The home that everyone took for granted felt like a distant dream to her.
The only place she can call home is the building of the thieves’ guild she belongs to.
“I don’t really know how I ended up in the Thieves’ Guild.”
[… … .]
“Once I was old enough to be able to tell right from wrong, I found myself as a member of a thieves’ guild.”
Could it be that they brought in an orphan who was abandoned in the midst of war?
Or maybe they kidnapped an ordinary child from an ordinary home?
Or maybe he bought a child for cheap from a slave trader?
One of the executives said that the guild had taken her in cheaply from an orphanage, as she was a war orphan… … .
Is this really true?
I don’t know.
The girl couldn’t tell anything.
All she can do is make pointless guesses.
No matter what, one thing remained unchanged.
Whatever the girl’s past was, she was now just a member of the Thieves’ Guild.
[So you lived your childhood as a thief?]
“Yes.”
She nodded and continued speaking.
“I had many important roles in the guild. I was able to do things that adult men couldn’t do.”
The build was small and frail.
That’s why I was less efficient than other guild members in most tasks.
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Instead, she could have a huge advantage in special circumstances.
For example, entering a narrow passage that an adult male cannot enter.
Or, you can enter certain facilities without arousing any suspicion from others.
In this way, the girl was used as an important tool by the thieves’ guild despite her young age.
[equipment?]
“Yes. A tool. Literally.”
equipment.
The girl was nothing more or less than that to the Thieves Guild.
“I didn’t even have a name. My guild members all just called me Tool #2.”
[No. 2… … .]
“Yes. The one who came in first was number 1. I was number 2. Number 1 was a boy in a similar situation to me.”
[… … How were the two treated?]
“Didn’t I just tell you? We were literally just tools.”
The guild members did not see the young girl as a person.
To them, the girl was just another tool to help them make money.
In order to increase the efficiency of such tools, guild members did not hesitate to teach their colleagues secret techniques that they did not even know about.
How to pick a lock using a lockpick.
How to steal valuables from people’s pockets using pickpocketing.
How to hide from people’s sight through stealth, etc…
The guild made sure she had her meals on time and gave her plenty of free time.
Even after a certain age, the girl was paid a reasonable wage for each task she completed.
That’s how the tool’s efficiency increases.
That way, the guild can also achieve more results.
The girl actually didn’t feel satisfied with her life like that.
But that doesn’t mean I was particularly dissatisfied with this lifestyle.
Just go with the flow.
The girl lived each day following the orders given by the guild.
“But… … . I don’t know if you know, but the Thieves’ Guild is definitely not a good place.”
However, the Thieves Guild was a group of people who were truly rotten to the core.
So, not every day that the girl experienced went smoothly.
“Suddenly, at some point, guys in heat started showing up.”
[… … .]
As time passed and the girl grew up, the way people looked at her began to change little by little.
From tools to one person.
And from one person to one woman.
Gradually, more and more people in the guild began to look at her with sinister eyes.
Eventually, one day, a guild member even attacked her in the middle of the night.
[So what did you do?]
“I killed him as an example so that he would never dare to try again.”
[… … .]
The girl was not an easy opponent to just sit back and take.
She was cunning.
Sometimes it was vicious.
And at other times it was very bold.
Most of the guild members were people who had lived in the sun, but had to join the Thieves’ Guild due to unavoidable circumstances.
But the girl was different.
She was someone who grew up in this shady place since birth.
A life of comfort, warmth of home, and happiness of peace, which are taken for granted by others.
The girl has never even had them, let alone enjoyed them.
Her life in the Thieves’ Guild was her whole life, and it was also the self she had formed while living.
So, no matter how different their physiques were, the fundamental class of the girl and the average guild member was different.
It was only natural that all of the people who attempted to rape the girl ended up dead.
“But no matter how many of them you deal with, they don’t seem to learn. Another one comes and attacks. And the next day, another one comes.”
[so?]
“What else could I do? I just escaped from the guild.”
Of course, escaping wouldn’t have been as easy as it sounds.
According to common sense, the only way to leave the Thieves’ Guild was through death.
I’m sure you’ve been on the brink of life and death several times.
Seeing Riley come this far alive in the midst of all this, I began to feel once again how lucky and talented this girl was.
[Okay, well. I kind of understand now.]
How she managed to avoid the guards’ sight.
How she managed to avoid detection by magical devices.
And how she was able to unlock the library’s main door without difficulty.
Now everyone understood.
but…….
If you have been taught the secret techniques of the Thieves Guild, then these things should not be difficult.
[Then it’s obvious. You’ll meet a high-ranking wizard or higher by chance on the street. The wizard will recognize your talent and recommend you to the academy to enroll you. Right?]
“Yes.”
It wasn’t a common occurrence.
After all, the primary purpose of Rethemis was to be an educational institution for the children of nobles.
In that sense, it could be said that the case of Riley, who had no family name and no origin, entering this school was somewhat unusual.
[Still, it’s not like it’s completely unprecedented.]
Three or four people per group.
Letemis used to accept special admission students from non-noble families upon recommendation from high-ranking officials.
And of course, other noble children did not look kindly on these special admission students.
There were several reasons for this… … .
The biggest reason, of course, was the barrier of social status.
At the Academy Rethemis, under the imperial family, many noble children who had not yet developed their egos attended.
Among them, there were some who had a particularly strong sense of superiority, and they were uncomfortable with the fact that they were attending the academy with commoners, so they would harass the special admission students.
Of course, even in the dimension of Retemis, there are various ways to prevent this kind of harassment.
For example, within the academy, all cadets’ statuses are unified.
Or, students who take the lead in bullying by abusing their status may be given particularly harsh punishment.
In addition to this, through other policies, etc.
But what… … .
As you can see, this isn’t very effective.
Since it was an organization under the imperial family in the first place, Letemis was not completely free from the clutches of the nobles.
[… … .]
Actually, I was a little worried about this part.
If Riley was being bullied because she was a special admission student, there was a good chance that she would be in trouble in the future.
Even if the bullying was mild, it didn’t seem like it would have a positive effect on Riley’s magic training.
I was concerned about this, so I asked a question.
[Is there any bullying within the academy?]
“Bullying?”
Riley thought deeply for a moment and then answered.
“There was a little bit of it in the beginning.”
[How is it now?]
“It’s okay. There are no more bullies.”
[okay?]
Riley nodded in response to my question and continued.
“Yes. A friend of mine named Michael from the Bailerk family helped me. He also warned the people who were harassing me.”
[aha.]
“After that, the bullying naturally disappeared and I got along well with the other students.”
Well, that’s good.
Even though most nobles had a sense of being chosen, this did not mean that all nobles did so.
There were some true nobles who ignored the privileges given to them and made the stable life of the people their first priority.
Children who grew up under true nobles, as they say, generally had good personalities.
It seemed to me that Michael Bylerk was that kind of guy in the current situation.
hmm.
By the way, the Bailerk family… … .
Was there such a place among the noble families of the empire?
I don’t know.
It could be a new family that emerged while I was stuck in the library for 300 years.
anyway.
The important thing was that there were no more cadets to harass her.
This also meant that in the future, there would be no external factors that would interfere with her training in magic.
good night.
It’s really good.
Compared to previous episodes, this was an optimal environment.
Of course, there may have been minor restrictions on practicing magic due to the academy’s rules…
Even taking that into account, life at the academy still had great merit.
The only flaw in the smooth academy life was that it was a bit boring from my perspective… … .
Well, whatever.
No matter how boring and predictable life at the Academy is, isn’t it more fun than sitting in a dusty bookshelf for 300 years?
Of course not.
Complaining in this situation would be like doing something truly blessed.
[Okay. Okay, I understand. Then let’s get along well from now on. I will definitely raise you to be a great wizard who will go down in history.]
“I will also work hard. Please take care of me in the future… … .”
It was that very moment.
Boom bang! Boom bang bang bang!
[… … ?]
“… … ?”
“Hey! Aren’t you going to open the door?”
A sharp scream is heard from outside the door.
[uh?]
When I heard that, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment and asked Riley a question.
[what?]
“yes?”
[I heard that all the roommates went back to their parents’ house because it’s vacation? What’s wrong with him… ]
“Hey! Hey you crazy bitch! Hurry up and open the door. Do you know where I slept because of you? Open the door now!”
Boom bang!
[… … Hey, who’s that guy?]
“Umm… … .”
“Hey! Open the door! Why on earth is the door locked again! Aaaah! Aaaah! That little bastard!”
[… … .]
I watched the door being pounded like crazy and waited for Riley’s answer.
Then Riley opened her mouth in a cautious voice.
“Actually, it was a lie.”
[what?]
“My roommates didn’t go down to their parents’ house. The reason they weren’t in their dorm room was because I locked the door.”
[… … ?]
What the heck is this… … .
No, wait a minute.
Even so, do you really have to swear that much?
Even while cursing at me and calling me a commoner?
Anyone can see that this is bullying?
[Are you… … being bullied?]
“yes.”
[I said no just now.]
“It was a lie.”
What the heck… … .
[Then, could it be that your friend Michael helped you and the kids who were bullying you disappeared?]
“Oh. That story?”
Riley smiled for a moment and continued.
“I don’t have any friends like that.”
[… … ?]
“That was a lie. Michael Bailerk was just my imaginary friend.”
[what?]
I responded because I was dumbfounded.
[Why on earth would you tell such a lie?]
“Hmm.”
Riley swallowed for a moment and then answered right away.
“Didn’t you tease me with your imaginary disciple, Master? It seemed fun, so I tried it too.”
[… … .]
“Honestly, it would be unfair if it happened to me.”
Wow, no.
This kid is really a piece of shit.
