VI

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Arc VI Chapter 4

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24^th Ignis Lunar 753 AAC

“Ahhh ...” Hartman leaned back in his chair, granting his poor, old back a brief respite from the arduous realities of administrative work and the horrors of bureaucracy. Serving as a guild instructor was an honour, an onerous honour times, but an honour nevertheless, one that he gladly accepted in his late days. It was the duty of the elder to guide, to instruct, to educate, to nurture the younger generations. The young deserved their wisdom. Such was the duty and responsibility of the old ...

Nevertheless, he was an adventurer ... A fighter ... A swordsman by heart and mind ... And not a glorified clerk ... Spears, pole arms, swords, bows, armours, shields. Training, practice, exercises, drills, sweat. Such washis world. And not this world of paper and office work, but not that he had much of a choice. In the end, someone had to write the reports and file the paperwork. At least, it was all for a good cause.

Hartman opened his fatigued eyes, returning to reality, only to be confronted with a sea of names and files, each of them an aspiring adventurer on their own. “Ebner ...”

More than a month had passed since the latest batch of students had been inducted. The youngsters were now under his guidance, with already some visible progress to show for it. They had noticeably improved from completely useless and green behind the ears to less useless and somewhat less green behind the ears.  Some more. Some less. Some of them proved to be promising. Some of them, less so. And others were lost cases altogether, although it was probably still too early to judge them when most of the brats had been wielding a sword for scarcely a month, without prior training whatsoever. It showed. The majority had to be taught from the ground up, which was only to be expected. It was the reason why their courses existed, to begin with.

Glancing up from his work, Hartman eyed Erika from across his desk, his colleague and teacher in academic matters. “How is the boy doing in class? He is quite the rash and energetic lad. I hope that he hasn’t been giving you any trouble, Erika?” 

Erika giggled, waving her arms. “Oh, no, no ... Not at all. Ebner is an eager and diligent student. He has been paying attention and following my teachings, not that he needs them. He already knows how to read. He knows how to write. His writing could admittedly need some polishing here and there, but by and large, his reading and writing skills are more than adequate for an adventurer. Judging by his level, he must have enjoyed some sort of prior education.” 

“I see.  Hardly surprising, I guess.” Hartman viewed his file. “The boy is the youngest son of a carpenter. His family owns a workshop. They probably had some silver to spare for a modest education. Either through the church, or a school.”  

“Probably”, Erika nodded in agreement. “... And how is he faring in training?”

“Well, ...” Hartman's face hardened. “Let's say, his fighting skills are ... improveable, to put things mildly. The boy is a fine lad. He is stubborn. He is tenacious. The only problem is his footwork. It's atrocious, and his weapon skills, barely existent. He comes from a family of artisans, and it shows.” Not everyone was fortunate enough to be born into a family of the sword, into a family of adventurers.

“What are we going to do?” Erika asked.

Hartman stared at his name on the sheet of paper before him, deliberating. “Nothing. He lags behind when it comes to fighting skills, but he has been steadily improving. And that is what counts. It will take a few months, most likely until next year, but we should get him where we need him before spring. In any case, it's too early for him to graduate.”

Erika nodded, concurring, “Sounds reasonable.”

“Excellent, Ebner done. Time for the next. Whom do we have now?” Hartman grabbed another file. Who was the lucky child this time?

A mere glance sufficed to elicit a grin from Hartman's motionless lips. It was her, their little domestic doll lover. “Edelgart ... Lambert's little girl ... I guess, she must be special.” 

The girl was fortunate, indeed. Fourteen years old. Born in Freyburg. An orphan. No parents. Background unknown. No prior connection. Not only did Lambert and his party take her in, but he also threw his full weight behind her without a second thought. He even talked Wolfgang into accepting her, which was hardly surprising. Of course, the guild master would never refuse his former disciple and student.

Hartman glanced sidewards. “How are the girl and her doll doing, Erika? Have they been studying diligently?”

Edelgart. Her mere name sufficed to summon a warm smile. Erika clapped her hands together, nodding vigorously. “Oh, yes. Very much so. Edelgart is a good girl. Always diligent and studious. Always so attentive. Her sparkling eyes. Her fluffy cheeks. Isn't she a cute one?”

“...” Hartman furrowed an eyebrow, unable to escape the impression that some favouritism might be at work here. “I take that to mean that she can read and write?”

“Well, not initially. She clearly struggled, but her progress ever since has been nothing short of astonishing.” Erika beamed. “Her learning speed is simply extraordinary. Her reading and writing skills have been improving astronomically with each passing week, quickly overtaking most in the class. In short, Edelgart has been the perfect student so far. I am very proud of her.” The pride in her voice was tangible.

“I see”, Hartman concluded. Lambert and his party must have helped her in some way or form.

“Anyway, how has she been doing in training? I hope you don't treat her too roughly, Hartman. Edelgart is a good girl”, Erika gave him a challenging stare, as if she was suspecting him of committing heinous crimes.

Hartman merely chuckled in response to her sudden protectiveness. As it turned out, the girl had taken Erika's heart by storm. “Oh, don't worry. Erika, I treat her well. Trust me, I am not hazing her or anything like that, if you think so. Not that she would need it. The girl might be fooling around most of the day, but we both know that she is a feisty one. We both saw her fight, Erika. That fight against Ludolf ... The way she moved. They way she baited him. They way she wielded her sword. The girl definitely knows how to fight. Not to mention, I am quite sure that she was using aura during the fight.”

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