“Alright, that will be all for today. Class dismissed, you can all go home now!” the teacher announced as she left the room.

The children in the classroom cheered and hastily picked up their bags, eager to go play outside and spend time with their friends. Among them was Brogen, who was holding his test paper with a large smile on his face.

“Hehe, I got forty-four out of fifty in Science! I can't wait to brag to Tin-Tin later,” Brogen muttered to himself.

When he exited his classroom, Tin-Tin was already waiting outside, holding her own test paper. The ragged little girl was nowhere to be found. Instead, Tin-Tin had transformed into a cute girl wearing her school uniform, her long hair tied into a ponytail. The other young boys in the hallway were staring at Tin-Tin with dreamy eyes, but the girl's icy look stopped them from even thinking of approaching her.

Brogen approached Tin-Tin and brandished his test paper with an arrogant smile.

“Heh, I got forty-four in Science,” he said immediately after he got Tin-Tin's attention.

The girl simply looked at him with condescension in her eyes. When Brogen saw this, he started to have a bad feeling.

“Forty-four? That's great!” Tin-Tin said with so much sarcasm Brogen could feel it dripping off her words. “I guess it's a given that you'll get a high score after studying so hard for it right? Good for you, Brogen. I got a perfect score by the way.”

Tin-Tin watched with an amused smile as the pride on Brogen's face disappeared and was replaced with an indignant look.

“Y-You don't have to rub it in my face! Plus, you're only in fourth grade, so your test is much easier! And I was the one that taught you!”

“I didn't even say anything, Brogen, why are you being so defensive?” Tin-Tin asked with a mischievous expression. “Could it be that you're insecure because I got a higher score than you?”

“T-That's… Ugh, you know what, never mind. Congrats on getting a perfect score, Tin-Tin,” Brogen muttered.

Tin-Tin beamed as Brogen praised her. Her previous arrogant expression softened when she saw Brogen's defeated face. She took hold of his hand and pulled him along. “Since I got a perfect score, we'll celebrate! Let's go have ice cream, my treat.”

“Really?! Okay! I'm not denying free food,” Brogen said, his spirits lifted. “You better not charge me in the future for this.”

Tin-Tin just gave him a grin. The two went to the ice cream van that always lingered outside the school, not letting go of each other's hands as they walked along.

●●●

“Thank you for your patronage, please come again,” Liz said to her latest customer, a mother who just bought a cute stuffed toy for her daughter.

Liz looked at the wall clock hanging behind her and saw that only three minutes were left in her shift. She sat down on one of the chairs behind the counter and gave a tired sigh. Before she could even enjoy her brief respite, the door behind the counter that led to the back of the stall opened as Maly entered while munching on a cookie.

“Hey, Liz. Your shift's almost done?” she asked with garbled words as she chewed.

“Don't talk with your mouth full, Maly,” Liz replied as she stood up and patted Maly on the head. “Yeah, my shift's almost done. This is also my last job for the day.”

“I'm not a little girl anymore!” Maly complained as Liz patted her head, although she made no move to stop it. “Why do you have to work so many jobs at the same time anyway? Can't you just work at least two jobs at a time? It's not like the capital's gonna disappear.”

Liz was hired by Maly's father, Hayes, to work on their small stall in the town plaza. This was one of Liz's several jobs that she worked every day to earn enough money for her future journey to the capital to apply for a scholarship in one of the big academies.

“I won't stay young forever, Maly. The journey to the capital is very expensive, and if I only work two low-paying jobs, it would take me at least a decade to make enough money for the journey to the capital.”

“Didn't you tell me that you were already working since you were twelve?” Maly asked. “Then doesn't that mean that you only need four more years of working to earn the money for the journey?”

Liz gave a bitter smile to Maly. Although Liz did start working when she was twelve, that was at her former village when her parents were still alive. But when monsters attacked and destroyed her village, Liz was orphaned and was forced to use the meager amount of funds she earned to reach the town of Erfeld. The money she had left when she arrived in Erfeld was used to pay for her lodgings until she luckily found work at a general store.

“The money I earned back then was very small, Maly. I was just a kid, so my work was easier than most adults, but that also meant my pay was smaller.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Maly muttered. “Well, that doesn't mean you should keep on abusing your body like this, though! You can't work if you're sick, so you might as well take some days off.”

“Alright, alright, you win,” Liz said with a tired smile.

Liz heard another customer approaching the stall, so she put on her business smile back on her face. “Welcome to the Matson Toy Store, how may I— wait, Brogen?!”

“Brogen?!” Maly also exclaimed, crumbs of cookies flying off from her mouth.

The customer, Brogen, gave the two girls a sheepish smile and moved to the side to dodge Maly's projectiles. “Hey, what's up? Long time no see, right? Haha…”

“We should be the ones asking ‘what's up!’ Is it true that you and Aunt Helen got sick?!” Maly shouted while wiping crumbs off her lips.

“Well, not really… sorry Maly, but I'm not allowed to say,” Brogen said with a sad smile.

Maly and Liz looked disappointed for a second, but nodded in understanding. Liz herself had some personal secrets she kept from her friends, so she could empathize with Brogen.

“So, what brings you here today, Brogen? Don't tell me you wanted to buy some toys?” Liz asked.

“Remember when I was practicing how to sew last month? Well, Mom and I decided to open our own clothing shop.”

“Wait, you also wanted to be a merchant? We could be partners in the future, Brogen!” Maly exclaimed excitedly, then blushed when she realized that her words could be misunderstood. “I meant business partners.”

“We're not even sure yet if our business is gonna become successful, but if it does, then let's be partners, Maly,” Brogen replied sincerely.

Liz chuckled at Maly, who was fidgeting in place after hearing Brogen's words.

“Anyway, Mom wanted to give you girls some free dresses since you're my friends. Think of it as a gift,” Brogen said.

“Are you sure you want to give away free stuff even though your business hasn't even taken off yet?” Maly asked, a merchant-in-training who was already developing a sharp mind when it came to business.

“It would probably be a huge loss in the beginning, but I think it would be a good form of advertising,” Brogen answered.

“‘Advertising?’ What's that?” Maly asked. She didn't know what the word meant, but her instincts as a merchant were telling her it could be a huge game-changer in the world of business.

“Er, you don't know what advertising is? It's like, um, you display your product in front of many people and when they see that your product is of good quality, they'll want to buy it,” Brogen said, struggling to explain the meaning of the word.

“Everybody already does that, right?” Maly asked with a confused expression on her face. “All the merchants in the town plaza display their goods to passersby to attract buyers.”

“Well, that's one form of advertising,” Brogen answered. “But I could also advertise our products if you girls wear the clothes we will give you in public. If people see the good quality of our clothes, then they'll want to know where you got it, right?”

Maly looked doubtful for a second, then her eyes suddenly widened as she realized the countless possibilities if Brogen was telling the truth. “Brogen, that's a good idea! Oh! Oh! You can even put symbols unique to your store so people could easily recognize your products!”

“Oh, you mean a logo? Yeah, that would also be a good idea,” Brogen said with a nod of his head.

“‘Low-gow?’ I didn't know those symbols were called like that, but daddy said only blacksmiths and artisans use it on their tools and weapons that they sell. I don't know why other merchants don't use ‘low-gows’ too.”

“I have no idea about that either,” Brogen said. “Anyway, I'm gonna have to take both your measurements so your dresses would be a perfect fit.”

“Alright,” Liz said, going around the counter to where Brogen was. She couldn't leave her station during work hours, but her shift just ended a minute ago.

Brogen proceeded to take the measurements of both girls quickly with a measuring tape he brought and recorded it on a piece of paper. Liz and Maly wondered if it was okay for a boy to take a girl's measurements, but they just shrugged since Brogen was still a kid anyway.

When Brogen was almost done taking the measurements, Liz saw a familiar person pass by the front of the stall. The man was pushing a cart filled with various crops and sacks of grain, probably to sell it to the market. The man, Garin, stopped to stare at Brogen, who was busily taking measurements.

“Oi, oi, is that you, Brogen?!” Garin exclaimed.

Brogen jumped a bit at Garin's shout, then sheepishly waved his hand at his farmer friend.

“Where have you been?! You just disappeared on us without even saying anything!”

“Yeah, about that…”

Brogen told the same thing he said to his other friends, that he couldn't tell the reason. Garin still looked unsatisfied, but he chose to just keep his mouth shut. “Anyway, what are you doing anyway? Why are your hands all over two cute girls?”

Maly blushed while Liz gave Garin a withering look.

“I was taking their measurements since I'll be giving away free clothes as gifts. Mom and I are going to start a clothing shop soon.”

“Oh, how about me? Don't I get a free winter coat or something?” Garin asked.

“I'll also take your measurements right after I finish with Liz and Maly, but it will only be a shirt, not a coat. Winter is almost done anyway, so you'll get to wear it as soon as the weather turns warmer.”

“Alright!”

“…Don't you have some errands to do or something?” Brogen asked, staring at the cart that Garin was pushing moments earlier.

“Don't worry, the crops won't spoil easily in the cold,” Garin answered nonchalantly.

“How are you guys harvesting crops anyway if it's winter?” Maly asked.

“Those crops I have with me right now were harvested before winter. We don't sell everything we have at once, we keep some produce in cold storage and sell them during winter when prices are higher,” Garin answered.

After Brogen took his friend's measurements, he bid them goodbye and rushed back to the chapel to fetch Helen, eager to start making the first products of his business.

●●●

Mom and I stood in the main room of our house. The mess from the incident several weeks ago was still there. Piles of fabrics and garments were scattered across the room, holes dotted one part of the floor, and a thin layer of dust coated the entire house. Seeing the state of our homemade me remember what happened here, but before I could dwell on those memories, Mom took my hand and held it in hers.

“Brings back bad memories, huh?” Mom suddenly said beside me. “But the past is in the past now, okay, sweetie?”

“I-I don't think I could ever forget what happened here in the past, Mom…”

“It's alright, Brogen,” Mom said as she sat down beside me, her eyes level with mine. “When something bad happens, it's often impossible to forget it. Every time you try to forget the bad memories, it will come back to haunt you every day, making you feel the pain all over again.”

I looked into Mom's steady eyes. Her gaze was calm but strong, as if she could take on the world without even flinching. I wished I could be as strong as Mom and have the same kind of willpower she had.

“But the thing is, they never go away. No matter how far you try to run to escape it, the horrors of the past will always catch up to you.”

Mom's voice quivered, and that's when I realized that her calm look was just a facade. Behind the stoicism that Mom showed to the world was a scared and frail woman who struggled under the burdens of the past. Like me, Mom was afraid.

“Mom…”

“The only thing you could do, sweetie, is to acknowledge it,” Mom said, her face showing an expression of resolve. “Accept it, face it, acknowledge the pain that happened in the past and make it your own. And then…”

Mom's gaze turned absent for several seconds, as if she was remembering my second Awakening— no, she was remembering something farther in the past, a memory that resurfaced during my second Awakening, the reason why she reacted as she did. Then her focus returned, her face expressing defiance.

“And then you use the pain to make yourself stronger,” Mom continued. “The pain will hurt you, bring you down, and maybe even try to kill you. But if you get past it, then that pain becomes your strength. It will make you stronger so that life's hardships would be at least just a bit less hard.”

Mom stood up and patted my head. “So remember what happened here and let the pain make you stronger, okay?”

I nodded seriously. Before Mom could go and start cleaning up the house, I asked her a question that I had been meaning to ask ever since my second Awakening.

“Mom? Did something happen to you in the past…?” I asked hesitantly.

Mom looked conflicted for a moment, as if she couldn't decide whether telling me would be a good thing or not. Then she looked at me with a sad smile. “I'll tell you when you're older, sweetie.”

I was a bit disappointed with Mom's answer, but I understood if she wanted to keep it to herself. I had a disturbing conjecture as to what Mom experienced in the past, but… There's no way, right?

I cleared my mind from any more unpleasant thoughts and decided to help Mom with the cleanup. She'll tell me when I grow up, so I should just respect her choice and wait.

I activated my Authority to clean up all the scattered fabrics and worked with Mom to bring our house back to its normal condition.

●●●

“There, everything is back to normal,” I said, looking at the now clean and organized main room with a smile. “Well, maybe except for the holes on the ground over there, but that can be fixed next time.”

“Well done, sweetie. I'm gonna go make us some sandwiches, Mother Betha gave us some bread and cheese when we left the chapel,” Mom said as she went out the backdoor to prepare the food.

I went over to the box full of the hemp fabric we bought for two silvers and took inventory of the fabrics left. During my second Awakening, the fabrics I manipulated during my loss of control ended up getting torn and unusable. I guess it couldn't be helped since I just used the soft fabrics to literally pierce the hard wooden floor. Unfortunately, this meant I had less fabric to work with. According to the new instincts I got after my second Awakening, I barely had enough just to finish the free clothes that I promised to my friends. Damn, looks like we have to buy another batch of fabrics.

Personally, I didn't want to give away clothes for free to my friends, but Mom wouldn't budge on her decision to give them gifts. She said it was an ‘apology’ for disappearing on them for weeks and then not even bothering to tell them the reason why. I guess it makes sense since they were worried for us and yet we were keeping our mouths shut about it. The nuns even lied to them to keep them in the dark. Now that I think of it this way, I'm pretty lucky they weren't angry, huh?

I had no idea if Mom still had any money left to buy another batch of fabrics, but if she doesn't, then I'm gonna go find a job somewhere in town that accepts children. Although I'm just a child right now, I have experience in administrative jobs, plus I'm a college graduate. Mother Betha even taught us how to read and write, so I was sure that there were plenty of opportunities that I could take, although it would be challenging to convince recruiters about my capabilities given that I was just a kid. Anyway, it's time to get started on making my first batch of clothes.

I took a deep breath, my fingers trembling a bit. Although I was using my fabric sense all the time now, I was still a bit reserved about using my Authority to control fabrics, but I knew I could never stay fearful of the power that would probably stay forever with me until the day I die. Even though I wanted to just be a normal kid without special powers, I had no choice but to make myself stronger even further. I already resolved a long time ago that I would protect Mom, and if people ever found out that I was an Ascendant, I would gladly use this power to keep the both of us safe. Although it's pretty ironic that the first thing that hurt Mom was my own power…

I shook my head to remove the nasty thoughts from my head and proceeded to use my Authority once again after weeks of abstaining from it.

The moment I activated my Authority, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. If using my Authority before my second Awakening required my full concentration, now it felt like moving a limb I was born with. Using my power now was instinctual. Just like moving a part of my own body, I no longer had to concentrate too much whenever I wanted to use my Authority.

With my mouth still open in shock, I manipulated the fabrics in front of me and made them fly out of the box. As I made them fly around me in circles, my jaw continued to drop lower and lower. Not only is the mana cost reduced dramatically, but my mana pool has also expanded several times over?!

I didn't notice it until now, but my mana pool was freaking huge compared to before my second Awakening. I have no idea if it's the same with other people, but I could instinctually tell how much mana I have in my body. I had no idea if it had a legitimate name around here, but I call it my ‘mana level instinct.’

Back when I used to train my Authority every day, I used this ‘mana level instinct’ as an indicator to know if I was about to run out of mana, but this instinct was vague. It only told me the amount of mana I had in terms of percentage, like how it would tell me I had fifty percent mana left if I used up half of my maximum mana, but it never told me the exact amount of mana I had in numbers. The ‘feeling’ that my mana level instinct would tell me if I had a full pond's worth of mana would practically feel the same if I had a full lake's worth of mana.

I hadn't used a single drop of mana during the time that I was abstaining from my Authority, but now that I used some of my mana, I could tell that my maximum capacity was significantly larger compared to before. Holy shit. With this amount of mana, I could use my Authority for hours.

Not only that, but my previously precise control had improved even further. I summoned a square piece of fabric in front of me and used my Authority to morph its shape. After a few seconds, it now had the shape of Mom's head minus the hair. The smooth outline of her jaw, her thin lips, her round eyes, and the beautiful shape of her nose were all captured perfectly. It was like a mannequin's head made of hollow cloth, the details so precise that if I could change the color of the fabric, the only thing that would give away that the head was fake was the texture of the cloth and the fact that it was bald and detached from a body.

“Snacks are ready, sweetie,” Mom called out as she entered from the backdoor.

“Look, Mom, this is you when you're bald.”

“…Brogen, what gave you the idea of making a replica of my bald head?”

“I was just testing my Authority,” I said with a chuckle. “Mother Betha said that the incident last time was called an Awakening, and it resulted in my power getting far stronger than before.”

“Wow, congratulations sweetie!” Mom said as she patted my head.

“Now I'm gonna see how long it would take me to make a simple shirt. I wasn't able to time myself last time because of… you know… but we'll find out this time!”

“That's very nice, sweetie, but eat your sandwiches first.”

After a short meal, I immediately got started on making my first clothing. Unlike last time, I no longer bothered making an outline of the shirt from paper. With my improved Authority, I instinctively knew where and how to cut the fabric such that it would become a perfect fit. I didn't even have to use scissors since my power was now more than strong enough to make the fabric cut itself.

“Alright, I'm gonna start with Garin's shirt first.”

Before I started, I glanced at Mom, who was watching me work. She gave me a bright smile and a thumbs up. A part of my mind feared that she would leave the room because of what happened last time, but I was greatly relieved that Mom wasn't scared, or if she was, she showed no signs of it.

I didn't bother making threadtacles this time since I didn't have enough spools of thread to make them. I initially made threadtacles to hold the fabric as I worked on it, but I realized I could just use my Authority to keep the fabric itself stay still in midair. It used less mana and concentration compared to creating several appendages made of thread that I had to manipulate. Why did I even make threadtacles in the first place? Definitely not because it looked way cooler…

With all the materials ready, I started. I didn't bother to use needles anymore since my Authority now used significantly less mana than before. Forcing the threads through the fabric without needles still used a fair bit of mana, but I was confident that I could keep doing it for long periods without running out of juice.

The fabrics floating in front of me looked alive as they were cut into the main body and two smaller sleeves. Unlike mundane tailors who could only use a single needle at a time, I manipulated several threads at once and started sewing at multiple locations at the same time. The concentration needed for this would have been great before my second Awakening, but now it was merely a bit challenging.

As I worked on the shirt, I started feeling a sense of satisfaction deep inside me, but the feeling never turned violent like last time. The sensation was soothing, like drinking hot chocolate in front of a warm fire while sitting on a recliner on a cold winter night.

After a short while, the shirt was finished. I looked at the clock and saw that it only took me approximately a minute to finish the shirt. Now that's a world record.

“Look, Mom! I finished a shirt in a minute!” I showed Mom my work and saw that she had a proud smile on her face.

“That's impressive, sweetie!” Mom exclaimed as she clapped excitedly. “Do you need to rest? It must have exhausted your mana.”

“No, I'm alright. It almost didn't even make a dent in my mana pool! I still have about more than ninety-five percent of my mana remaining.”

“Alright, if you say so. But don't overdo it, okay?”

“Yes, Mom.”

I picked up the hemp shirt with my own hands to conserve mana and inspected it. Although it was made of cheap materials, the shirt actually turned out impressive.

It was a short-sleeved brownish-colored shirt with a round collar. I fashioned the shirt, or maybe I should call it a t-shirt, based on the modern models back on Earth, so unlike the usual shirts here, it had no drawstrings on the collar and its length only reached a bit just below the waist. Since it was made of hemp, it was a bit hard and rough, but it would soften after several washes. How do I even know these small facts…

It turns out my Authority also gave me instinctual knowledge about fabrics.

I tried wearing the shirt and retrieved a small mirror that I borrowed from Sister Tillie. I made sure to be extremely careful with it since mirrors were apparently extremely expensive. I propped it up on the table and stepped back to look at myself, then chuckled at what I saw. A black-haired little kid stared back at me wearing an extremely large shirt, the short sleeves reaching all the way to his elbows and the bottom hem reaching his knees. I look ridiculous.

I suddenly realized that this was the first time I ever saw myself in a clear mirror like this ever since I reincarnated. I did see my reflection in mirrors made of shiny sheets of metal, but they didn't exactly show a clear picture of my face. Mirrors made of glass like the one Sister Tillie lent me were extremely expensive and I could only wonder how she got one.

I took a good look at my face and felt nostalgic. What I saw was the very same face I had when I was ten years old in my previous life, the same nose, the same eyes, the same mouth. Although I already knew that I had the very same appearance I had when I reincarnated, this was the first time I saw a clear picture of myself again and I wondered whether it was a coincidence that Mom and I looked alike. Another mystery about reincarnation, I guess.

I shifted my focus back to the shirt. The size was extremely large for me, but for Garin, it was a perfect fit. When I took my friends' measurements, it was actually just for show since my Authority could immediately discern other people's measurements. Their waist, hips, arm length, legs, shoulders, neck, and bust size. The reason I still took their measurements with a tape was to ensure they didn't become suspicious about me knowing their exact measurements. Liz would definitely give me the stink eye if she found out I knew her bust size out of nowhere.

My second Awakening also granted me the ability to strengthen the threads and fabrics I use permanently. It wasn't to the extent of being as hard as steel, but depending on the material, the durability of the threads I wielded increased dramatically, so I was confident that Garin's shirt, which was made of tough hemp, would last longer than normal clothes even if it was exposed to the elements when he worked on their farm.

“With that, Garin's shirt is now complete! On to the next!”

In less than three minutes, I made two more shirts for Terric and Ralf. I had no idea how long it took to make hand-sewn clothes normally, but I was pretty sure that I was faster than anybody else in this world. With this, I will be able to supply our entire clothing store within a day and we're gonna make money like crazy! I am literally a human sewing machine!

“That's enough work for today, sweetie,” Mom said with a strained smile, pulling me out of my delusions. “Leave the dresses for Maly and Liz to me, you go rest now.”

“I still have more than eighty percent of my mana remaining, but okay…”

Mom must have been worried that I wouldn't give her a chance to make the gifts for my two lady friends herself. I wanted to make the dresses for the girls too, but Mom said she'd be the one who would make it, so I'll leave her be. I didn't know how to make dresses yet anyway, so I still have to study about it first. My Authority gave me instincts to help me make clothing, but it never gave me a complete guide on how to make clothing that I hadn't experienced making yet. It only told me how to make each stitch more durable, how to make the shirt look more appealing, the best type of stitch to use, and other small details to make my work better overall, so even if I tried to make a dress now without prior knowledge, I would have to undergo several trials and errors until I fully understand how to make one.

Since I had nothing else to do, I followed Mom's advice and rested. Although I wasn't actually tired or anything, I decided to use this opportunity to measure the rate at which my mana regenerated.

I sat on the couch and focused on my mana level instinct while listening to Mom grumble about having her work stolen from her as she prepared to do the dresses.

●●●

A day after making the shirts, Mom and I were on our way to the chapel. I found out yesterday that my mana regenerated about one percent every minute. I had no idea if that was quick or not, but that meant it would take me an hour and forty minutes to fully regenerate my mana pool.

“That man's pants are about to rip right where his butt is. I hope nobody sees it. Wow, that old lady's scarf is made of high-quality wool. I wonder if she bought it here in Erfeld, I want to work on high-quality materials someday. Er, someone just tripped on the next street, I hope they're alright…”

I was using my fabric sense to pass the time. My fabric sense was giving me so much information yet my mind wasn't hurting ever since my Authority powered up. The fact that its range was about a hundred meters around me meant that it covered quite a large area. It did have a drawback that I could only focus on a few specific targets at a time. Unless I had multiple brains, I couldn't split my consciousness into several parallel thought processes that could process all of the information being gathered by my fabric sense.

“You don't have to say it out loud, sweetie,” Mom said beside me. “Somebody might hear you.”

We were going to the chapel early in the day since Mom would work there, and this was also the first day she would work again after being absent for two weeks because of my second Awakening. I was coming along to meet the two nuns again, but this time, I had a whole other purpose besides helping Mom with her work. Today was the first day that Mother Betha would teach me magic and I was excited. The last time I felt this excited was the time when I learned I had a special power called an Authority, although that didn't age so well…

“I know you're very excited, but always remember to keep safety in mind at all times, okay?” Mom said with a worried face. She must have remembered that one time I tried to perform magic by myself and gave myself burns. Yeah, I could understand why she would worry, I would worry about me, too.

“It's fine, Mom, Mother Betha will supervise me. Plus, I'm not going to play around with magic.”

Mom gave me a blank stare.

“I mean, not anymore,” I grumbled.

As the chapel came within the range of my fabric sense, I felt the familiar clothes of Mother Betha, the nuns, and Liz.

“Looks like Liz is in the chapel today,” I said to Mom as we arrived.

“Good morning, Sister Tillie,” I greeted as we entered through the chapel doors, trying to make my voice sound nonchalant. I already knew Sister Tillie was by the door because of my fabric sense. “I guess it's been a long time since we last saw each other, huh?”

“Tillie!”

In contrast, Mom dashed forward and embraced the shocked nun. Sister Tillie had a funny look on her face as she tried to comprehend what was happening. I wish I had a camera so I could capture the funny way Sister Tillie's eyes and nostrils widened when she was genuinely surprised. Sister Lina would have laughed her heart out.

“Helen! Oh, I missed you!” Sister Tillie said as she returned the embrace. “What happened? Where have you been?”

“Oh, about that… Sorry, Tillie, Mother Betha said we can't tell you.”

“That's unfortunate, but as long as you're fine, I don't need to know what happened,” Sister Tillie said as she finally exited Mom's arms.

Wait, did she just accept the fact that we weren't telling her the reason why she couldn't see us for two weeks?

Before I could further ponder on her weird behavior, Sister Tillie turned her attention on me and also gave me a big hug.

“Brogen! I'm so happy that you're also alright. If anything happens, don't hesitate to call on me, okay?” Sister Tillie said as she crushed me in her embrace.

“A-Alright, I get it, but you're crushing me…” I said as my ribs felt like they were about to crack.

Thankfully, Sister Tillie let me go before her demonic strength could shatter my bones. At that moment, I felt Sister Lina's clothes in the kitchen dash towards us quickly. When she arrived in the nave, she ran towards Mom.

“Helly!”

The savage nun leaped and tackled Mom on the floor, both women landing on the ground with a loud thud.

“Ow! Lina, calm down!”

“I missed you so much, Helly!”

Sister Lina was hugging Mom fiercely and kissing her face over and over.

“I get it, Lina, I missed you too, so stop slobbering all over me!”

“I don't slobber! That's called a maiden's kiss!”

“Kiss?! Your drool just went into my mouth and it tasted like sour bread!”

“Oopsie, I forgot to wash my mouth this morning,” Sister Lina said with a ‘hee-hee.’

When they calmed down and brought back some decency into the situation, Sister Lina turned to me and also gave me a hug. “I missed you too, Brogen. If you ever need any help, know that you can come to me anytime, alright?”

“Yeah, I understand,” I answered, getting a bit weirded out by their behavior. Is it just me, or are they being more understanding than usual? The Sister Lina I know would keep pestering us until she got an answer as to why we disappeared for two weeks, but she didn't do that.

Mom talked with them for a few more minutes before the nuns went back to work.

“It's so nice to talk with Tillie and Linny again,” Mom said beside me.

“Yeah, I missed them too, although isn't it weird that they easily accepted the fact that we couldn't tell them why we disappeared for a long time?”

“Maybe Mother Betha already told them it was a secret and warned them off?” Mom reasoned, although she had a pondering expression on her face. “Well, the important thing is that everything's back to normal. Are you going to go meet Mother Betha now?”

“I'll go greet Liz first before going to Mother Betha,” I answered.

“Alright, have fun on your magic lessons, sweetie,” Mom said before going to the chapel's garden.

I headed to the chapel's small library on the second floor where Liz was and knocked on the door before I entered.

The library was basically just a small room with a few shelves of books pushed against the wall and large windows to let the light in. A table and some chairs were set up in the middle of the room to provide visitors with a place to read peacefully, and Liz was seated on one of the chairs with a large book opened in front of her, looking up at me as I entered the room.

“Mornin', Liz. This is the first time I saw you in the library this early in the morning.”

“Good morning, Brogen. This is the first time I saw you in the library, period,” Liz replied with a smile.

I chuckled in response. Although I learned how to read and write a long time ago, I didn't bother going to the library to read books. I never really had the time (I was lazy) and reading books consumed too much of it.

“Yeah, I never really had enough free time to spend hours reading in the library,” I said with a shrug as I sat down in front of Liz.

Liz raised an eyebrow at me. “You have the time to fool around with Terric and Garin on most days but you don't have the time to read.”

“Time spent with friends is more valuable than time spent reading books written by biased authors,” I said calmly, hoping that I looked like a wise man as I stared at the book laid open in front of Liz. It was entitled ‘The Savagery of the Tribal People of Janggu by Stewart Lonzo Keating.’ I haven't read it yet, but from the title alone, it already reeks of racial supremacy.

Liz noticed my stare and sighed. “I know that this book is pretty trash, even from the title alone, but not all books are like this.”

“Yeah, I agree with that,” I replied. “But why are you even reading that book in the first place if you already know that the author is prejudiced and biased?”

“All authors are biased, Brogen, and this book just happened to be more prejudiced than most. But it doesn't mean that everything written here is false. Most lies are just distorted versions of the truth to make them more believable, and it's up to the readers to search for what is true.”

“Well, you do have a point,” I muttered.

“You should take advantage of this library now, Brogen. Books are pretty expensive, and I bet the total value of the books inside this room is worth hundreds of gold.”

“Seriously?!” I exclaimed with wide eyes. “And Mother Betha just lets anybody enter freely?”

“Yeah, I also don't know how Mother Betha could entrust these valuable books to be perused by the public, or how she even got this many books in the first place…” Liz muttered. “Mother Betha is pretty weird in that regard, so don't expect the other chapels of the Holy Mother Church to have libraries like this one.”

Now that I think about it, books were one of the only few sources of information in Thera. With the absence of the Internet, each book that contained rare or valuable information was literally worth its weight in gold. I think I better start allocating some time to reading. Maybe there's something here that could help with my Authority.

“Well, I'll make sure to spend some time to read here in the future if this is such a rare chance,” I said, much to Liz's satisfaction.

“That's good, Brogen. You'll never regret spending some of your time reading. When you grow up, some of the information hidden in these books could help you tremendously,” Liz said with a smile. “I usually come here in the evenings, but Maly made me reduce the number of jobs I work in the day, so I now have free time in the mornings. If you want a reading companion, then I'll always be here from morning until noon.”

“Alright, I'll keep that in mind,” I replied. I was a bit surprised by her invitation, but what surprised me even more was that Liz talked much more than usual. I was always used to her being more concise and reserved when it came to conversations, but it looked like talking about books made her much more sociable.

“By the way, why did you come here to the library today? You said you don't read books that much,” Liz asked.

“Oh, right! I came here to tell you that Mother Betha is going to teach me magic!” I said excitedly.

Liz's eyes widened as she stood up from her chair quickly, leaning over the table to stare at me with a desperate look. Woah, calm down there, woman!

“Are you sure?! Did she tell you directly that she was going to teach you?!” Liz asked loudly.

“Y-Yeah, she did, but—”

“Impossible!” Liz exclaimed.

“Calm down for a moment, Liz! First of all, why would it be impossible? And second, why are you so shocked?”

Liz looked conflicted for a moment, then spoke, much more quietly than before. “I asked Mother Betha to teach me magic too a long time ago, but she refused.”

“Wait, you passed the magic aptitude test?” I asked curiously.

“No,” Liz asked with a sad look on her face. “But when I saw my parents get eaten by monsters right in front of me when I was a kid, I guess it led to my potential as a mage suddenly increasing.”

O-Okay, that got dark real quick. Damn it, this is the second time I asked Liz a question and made her remember something unpleasant.

“I-I'm sorry for making you remember it,” I said weakly.

“It's alright,” Liz said with a sad smile. “It's a common story anyway. There are a lot of people who awaken their potential when they experience a traumatic event. Scholars try to study the reason for that phenomenon, although they haven't found anything yet.”

I felt myself shiver when Liz mentioned the word ‘Awaken,’ but I pretended that nothing happened.

“But we're getting away from the subject,” Liz said as she narrowed her eyes at me. “Why did Mother Betha decide to teach you magic when she refused to teach me?”

“I-I have no idea, haha…”

Liz gave me an unhappy look and seized my arm with a steel grip as she pulled me along to the door.

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“This is unfair, so we're going to Mother Betha and I'm going to ask her— no, compel her to teach me too.”

“I-I don't think Mother Betha is someone you ‘compel,’ Liz…”

Liz ignored me as she pulled me along to Mother Betha's office at the end of the corridor.

●●●

Mother Betha stared at us from behind her office desk, her hands clasped together as she looked at me with a frown. I averted my eyes, trying not to meet the pastor's reprimanding gaze.

Liz had just finished ‘compelling’ Mother Betha to teach her magic, but in reality, she just meekly requested the pastor to also include her in my magic lessons. Liz looked fierce and determined when we stepped inside Mother Betha's office, but when the old woman focused her fierce gaze on my friend, Liz lost her fervor and turned submissive.

Mother Betha closed her eyes and sighed. “I didn't expect you to share the fact that I'm going to teach you magic to your friends, Brogen.”

“Er, you didn't say anything about keeping it a secret though…” I muttered.

“Well, I guess I am also at fault for not mentioning it,” Mother Betha said. “Alright, I will allow Liz to join in the magic lessons on the condition that the both of you keep this a secret.”

“Yes, Mother, I promise to keep the magic lessons a secret,” Liz said excitedly.

“Alright, I'll keep it secret,” I said. “Good thing I haven't told anybody else yet except for Mom.”

“I'll tell Helen myself not to tell anybody else that I'm teaching the both of you,” Mother Betha said.

“Why do you want to keep this secret anyways?” I asked the pastor. “Does it have something to do about licensed mages being the only ones who are allowed to teach magic?”

“You're right that only licensed mages are allowed to teach magic, but that's not my reason at all. That rule is rarely followed in the first place anyway, and I'm a licensed mage myself. All healers of the Holy Mother Church are licensed mages,” Mother Betha said.

“Wait a minute, you had a license all this time?!” I asked incredulously. When I asked Mother Betha to teach me magic four years ago, she refused me because she said only licensed mages were allowed to teach. Obviously, I assumed she wasn't licensed.

“I never said I didn't have a license,” Mother Betha said with a chuckle as I grumbled.

Now that I think about it, Mother Betha wouldn't be able to practice her healing magic in this town unless she was a licensed mage in the first place. If she didn't have a license, she would have been reported long ago to whatever agency was governing over mages. Although I don't think the common people would ever report a pastor of the Holy Mother Church who cured them of sickness and injuries for free.

“Anyway, I wanted to keep the magic lessons secret in the first place because if people found out that I've been teaching magic to new students, the both of you would be considered as my apprentices,” Mother Betha explained. “Mages have to report any apprentices they have to the Mage's Guild. If I reported the both of you to the Guild as my apprentices, they will be creating records of you two in their register.” Mother Betha gave a knowing glance in my direction.

“What's wrong about being recorded as apprentices?” Liz asked with a confused face.

Liz's confusion was understandable in her case. There wasn't really anything wrong about the Mage's Guild having records of her in their registers. In fact, it could even be an advantage since she would have an easier time if she wanted to join the Guild.

But for me who had a pretty big secret to hide, having records of me in the Mage's Guild was the same as telling the kingdom all my personal details like my name and appearance. If I was outed as an Ascendant someday, tracking me down would be significantly easier if they knew my personal details, and I wasn't the only one at risk. They would find out about the people who were close to me and use them as hostages. I can't believe I almost doomed myself because of being careless with my words. I was lucky this time since Liz was the only one I told about my magic lessons.

I was starting to realize that I haven't really been trying to be more careful with what I say. Because of my previous life on Earth, I had been used to being able to speak out my real thoughts without having to worry about my life getting risked. I'm gonna have to be careful with everything I say from now on.

“Although the Mage's Guild displays itself as an organization that embodies the unity of magic practitioners, in reality, it is anything but that,” Mother Betha said with a grimace. “The internal politics of the Mage's Guild is pretty famous for being viler than that of the noble's political games. Mages would betray and sabotage their fellow mages if it means advancing their own agenda, and the worst part about it is that the mages themselves don't directly take action themselves. Instead, they use their apprentices as their agents.”

“So if we became your apprentices, we would get involved with the Guild's politics,” Liz said in realization.

“That's right,” Mother Betha confirmed. “I made a few people unhappy in my younger days, and if they learned that I took in apprentices, they wouldn't hesitate to drag the both of you in their twisted games.”

“Why do people even join the Mage's Guild in the first place if it's such a pain in the neck?” I asked. If the Mage's Guild was that bad of an organization, I would have expected it to have disbanded long ago.

“Practitioners of magic who don't register with the Guild are branded as rogue mages and hunted down,” Mother Betha answered. “Although the Mage's Guild is a chaotic organization, hunting rogue mages is the one thing it is good at. Hunting rogue mages was the main reason the Mage's Guild was established in the first place, after all.”

“Seriously? Don't we have any freedom to decide whether we decide to join an organization or not?” I asked.

“The kingdom couldn't afford mages capable of mass destruction to roam around the land without supervision,” the pastor answered. “The same goes for augmenters. They have their own separate organization called the Augmenter's Association that monitors augmenters across the kingdom.”

I guess the Mage's Guild did have a good reason for their actions. This was the first time I heard about augmenters, but I was sure it was the name for powerful warriors like Terric's dad who could strengthen their bodies with mana.

“Wait, then if we learn magic from you without declaring ourselves as your apprentices, then doesn't that mean we're going to be rogue mages ourselves?” I asked nervously.

I expected Mother Betha to assure us that there was a specific set of criteria before a magic practitioner was declared a rogue, but Mother Betha only gave us a shit-eating grin. “Then does that mean you don't want to learn magic anymore?”

I sometimes wonder if Mother Betha was a pastor or somebody who tempted people to break the law.

I paused for a moment to think. What have I got to lose if I became a rogue mage? I wouldn't be able to publicly declare myself as a magic practitioner, so it would defeat the purpose of learning magic as a cover for my Authority. I would be doomed if I was discovered using magic or my Authority either way, so learning magic now would be pointless. But it was only pointless if using magic as a cover for my Authority was my sole goal. I also intended to use magic as another way to defend myself and Mom if the time ever came that we needed to run.

And technically, I was already wanted by the kingdom anyway. The fact that I was an Ascendant hiding my power was already a crime in this place, so adding another secret like being a rogue mage wasn't going to make things worse. In fact, I had nothing else to lose even if I became a rogue mage.

“I still want to learn magic from you, Mother,” I answered.

“Alright,” Mother Betha said with a satisfied nod. “Then how about you, Liz? What is your decision?”

I took a glance at Liz and saw her face scrunched up in contemplation. Unlike me who had nothing else to lose, she would be taking more risks from being a rogue mage if she could just register with the Mage's Guild through normal procedures by being an apprentice, although she would have to find a willing mage first that would take her in.

After a few more moments of contemplation, Liz looked up with determined eyes. “I would also like to learn magic from you, Mother, even if I am branded a rogue.”

“What made you reach that decision, girl?” Mother Betha asked seriously.

I was curious too as to why Liz still wanted to learn magic this way. I always knew Liz to be a calm and rational person, so seeing her taking unnecessary risks was confusing.

“I think my chances of becoming a successful mage would be higher by learning magic from you, Mother Betha, compared to going to the academies in the capital,” Liz answered.

Mother Betha looked surprised for a moment. “So if I agree and teach you magic in secret, then you will no longer pursue your dream of going to the capital and learning magic from the academies?”

Wait, the ‘academies’ that Liz was referring to all this time were magic schools?!

I had been friends with Liz for several years already, and she had shared with our group that she intended to go to the capital someday and study in the academies there. But when she shared that fact, I always thought that the ‘academies’ she was referring to were like the top universities back on Earth that taught advanced education, not magic.

“I still intend to go to the academies in the future, Mother. That way, I will have a legitimate reason why I am capable of casting magic,” Liz answered.

“A wise choice,” Mother Betha said with approval. “Teaching you the basics now would definitely help you pass the entrance exams, although it might put you into intense scrutiny by the other students if they learn that you're a commoner.”

Hearing the word ‘commoner’ reminded me that nobles existed and that they were higher up in the social hierarchy. Although the word ‘noble’ means having excellent morals and ideals, I bet the nobles here were anything but that.

“It will be extremely hard studying in the academies as a commoner,” Mother Betha said. “How about learning magic in the Holy Mother Church instead? I assure you that you will not be discriminated against and that you will not even need to pay a single copper for the lessons.”

“Thank you for the offer, Mother, but I have no intention of becoming a healer in the future,” Liz replied with a wry smile.

“Well, at least I tried…” Mother Betha grumbled. “With everything cleared up, let's get the both of you started in your paths as future rogue mages.”

“That doesn't sound very nice at all,” I muttered.

Mother Betha just chuckled at my words. “But before that, both of you will have to do a magic aptitude test first.”

Mother Betha explained to us that people underwent several magic aptitude tests throughout their lives to know whether their potential as mages suddenly increased. The more mana a person had in the beginning, the more potential they had, and the more potential they had, the easier it was for them to ‘feel’ their mana and the faster they could increase their mana pool.

The pastor also explained that magic aptitude tests were done as soon as a baby was born so that if they ever had the minimum potential to become a mage, they could start their training as soon as possible.

After finishing her explanations, she brought us to another room in the chapel where the magic aptitude device was. It was apparently called a ‘Mana Analyzer.’ But unlike the Mana Analyzer that Mother Betha used on me back when I first took a magic aptitude test, the device she showed us was bigger and contained more buttons and lights.

Placed on the table was a square device that measured about one foot on all sides. Its black surface gleamed under the light of the magic lantern in the room and the numerous gemstones of varying colors attached to their sockets shone with luster. I spotted a wire with the familiar stethoscope-like chest piece attached to its end, but that wasn't the only implement attached to the Mana Analyzer. There was also what looked like a helmet and a belt that was worn on the waist. Like the stethoscope-like chest piece, both were connected to the Mana Analyzer with a wire.

“Behold,” Mother Betha said as she gestured to the Mana Analyzer with a flourish. “A Heavy-duty Mana Analyzer, one of the latest models of Mana Analyzers capable of measuring mana up to the Sixth Circle of Magic.”

The pastor looked extremely proud of her device, but I didn't really have any idea what I'm supposed to be impressed about. If I was familiar with magical jargon, then perhaps I may have the same amazed expression as Liz beside me, but unfortunately, I wasn't.

“So, what makes this ‘heavy-duty’ device different from the usual?” I asked, feigning interest as to not hurt Mother Betha's feelings.

“Unlike the cheaper Mana Analyzers, this device,” Mother Betha slapped its top, “is capable of measuring not only your mana pool, but also your magical affinities, mana density, Level of Augmentation, and the status of your mana reservoirs.”

“How did you get a heavy-duty Mana Analyzer, Mother?” Liz asked with wide eyes. “From what I read, only the military and big branches of the Mage's Guild are capable of buying and using this expensive device.”

“Hehe, I have my ways, little one,” Mother Betha said with a sinister chuckle.

“I bet you got it through illegal means,” I said bluntly.

“One shouldn't pry into a lady's secrets, Brogen,” the pastor answered with a mischievous smile.

Mother Betha gestured for us to come closer and explained the process. To use the device, the person to be analyzed would have to wear the helmet and belt apparatus and place the chest piece on their heart. The function of the three apparatus was to measure the amount of mana flowing through the three mana reservoirs in a person's body, located in the brain, heart, and bladder. The device could also examine the reservoirs' status whether they functioned normally.

After measuring the mana levels, the device would then determine a person's magic affinity based on their mana's certain properties, like an affinity to fire or water. Mother Betha tried to explain how the magic affinities were determined, but I couldn't understand all the magical mumbo-jumbo.

If the person was an augmenter, the device could also measure the current Level of Augmentation of their bodies by analyzing their mana channels.

Lastly, the Mana Analyzer would determine our mana's density. According to the pastor, denser mana creates more powerful magic and contains more energy than less dense mana. As an example, mana with a density value of 2 contains twice the amount of energy compared to mana with a density value of 1. Mother Betha added that a mage's mana density increases as they train and become stronger.

“With all that said, let's start your magic aptitude tests,” Mother Betha said. The amount of excitement in her voice was worrying me. I feel like a test subject being examined by a mad scientist.

“Who wants to go first?”

Liz looked at me with hopeful eyes.

“Fine, you can go first, Liz.”

“Thank you very much, Brogen,” Liz replied excitedly. My former image of Liz being a reserved and aloof woman was gone. But it's fine with me, I don't want to be the first one using something that the old hag is so excited about.

Liz stood beside the Mana Analyzer and equipped the apparatus on her body, holding the chest piece over her heart. With a nod, Mother Betha pressed one of the many buttons on the device and turned on the Mana Analyzer. The device began to emit a low hum.

A series of small light bulbs glowed green on the device, showing that everything was functioning properly. On one corner of the Mana Analyzer was a set of six little transparent gems labeled from ‘1’ to ‘6.’ As the device analyzed Liz, the gems labeled 1 and 2 lit up, and a small screen located beside the series of gems displayed the number ‘1.’

There were many other gems and little light bulbs flashing green on the device, but I didn't know what they were for, so I just waited for Mother Betha to announce the results.

When the hum of the Mana Analyzer finally abated, a small sheet of paper came out one of its sides like a document coming out of a printer. Mother Betha retrieved it and looked it over. Liz and I tried to take a peek, but Mother Betha shooed me away, allowing only Liz to see the results.

“Magic aptitude tests are considered personal information. Don't look,” Mother Betha said.

“But you're looking at Liz's personal information,” I complained.

“I will be acting as her teacher in magic from now on, so I need to know the details pertaining to her magic, brat.”

“Fine…” I grumbled.

“Read it here, Liz. It is very important to keep this information secret,” Mother Betha said seriously. “Unless you trust them or they swore an Oath of Secrecy like me, never share this information to anybody else.”

“I understand,” Liz said before taking the sheet of paper.

Before I could ask Liz if I could see her results, Mother Betha beckoned me over to the Mana Analyzer. “It's your turn. Wear the apparatus like Liz did and stay still.”

I followed her instructions and prepped myself for the magic aptitude test. Unlike the first time I took the magic aptitude test, I wasn't nervous this time. I already knew I had a relatively large mana pool because of training my Authority for years, so I was confident that I at least had enough mana to cast the weakest type of spell. The only thing I felt was excitement for what would come out of my results. I wonder what kind of affinity I have? I think a fire-affinity would be pretty cool. I could throw fireballs around and make things explode! Oh, wait. I could set all my fabrics on fire if that was my affinity…

The hum of the Mana Analyzer jerked me from my thoughts and started its analysis. Looks like I'll find out soon.

The set of six little gems I saw earlier lit up again, but unlike in Liz's situation, four of the gems lit up and the number ‘1.6’ was displayed on the small screen beside the set of gems. Other lights blinked and flashed over the Mana Analyzer, but nothing seemed to be out of place, although I heard Mother Betha groan beside me. Liz was also watching with interest, her results still clutched in her hand.

After a few more seconds, the Mana Analyzer quieted and printed out my results. Mother Betha examined it first, eliciting a grimace from the old woman, before passing it on to me. I didn't even bother removing the helmet and belt apparatus, too excited to see my results.

I looked at the piece of paper.

  Magic Level: Fourth Circle
  Affinities: Life, Wild
  Level of Augmentation: None
  Brain reservoir: Normal
  Heart reservoir: Normal
  Bladder reservoir: Normal
  Mana: 5,067
  Mana density: 1.6