Chapter 4: I have a little sister and I love her very much.

I couldn’t sleep yesterday. I was too nervous about the talent examination today. Looking around the dining hall I can see many others also have bags under their bloodshot eyes.

I’m pretty sure I look just as horrible.

Well almost everyone.

“Good morning sister Rei.” Lily greeted me before sitting as per usual in front of me. The morning sunshine comes through the window behind her giving her a holy look; her angelic smile, unblemished porcelain white skin, and deep blue eyes you can see yourself reflected on really makes you want to believe she is a fallen angel rather than human.

“Morning, Lily” I greet back a little delayed.

“Sister Rei didn’t sleep properly yesterday night, did yuu? Don’t be so nervouz, what’z going to happen will happen. Worrying about it will not change anything. Besidez Lily believes sister Rei will have good traits.”

She says while looking at me with a carefree smile. As if the talent test wasn’t even a serious matter to her.

Also those are not words you would expect from someone younger than me. While her words still contain the cute lisp, the content isn’t anything a normal 5 year old girl would say.

Lily has always been special. Everyone knows it.

Though it has always been her physical appearance that everyone is focused on, what’s underneath that is what makes her truly unique.

She joined the orphanage while she was still a milk-sucking baby, 2 years before me. Her silver hair and blue eyes should have given her away as nobility, but apparently she was found in the forest while the sisters went there for herb collection.

Nobody abandons a baby in a forest where it could get attacked, especially a perfectly healthy and cute one like Lily.

The head sister treats her like her own daughter. Lily calls her mom and sleeps in her room instead of the dormitory hall like the rest of us.

She is cute and seems to be getting cuter the older she becomes. In fact she is better looking than me, an elf!

Everyone treats her as special. She gets special treatment from both the sisters and senior kids.

All this should have made her spoiled rotten, but she still remains kind and gentle. Seeing her smile seems to melt away all the fatigue and her small acts of kindness like bringing you a glass of water when you are tired from sweeping the floor makes her all the more endearing.

Seeing me lost in thought, Lily breaks a small piece of sweet on her plate (a privilege her mom grants her) and shoved it in my mouth.

“Mou, sister Rei alwayz worry too much. Some sweet will make you energized again. Hehe.”

“…Sorry for making you worry Lily”

That was when the head sister came into the room and announced-

“The official from the capital has come with the appraisal stone. All of you have 30 minutes to finish breakfast and assemble at the village plaza. Wear your best cloths.”

We shoved down the rest of the food before hurrying to our rooms to change.

 

In the village plaza there was a crowd of people gathered around a small stage. Near the stage are a group of children aged between 5 to 10 years old chattering among themselves nervously.

Among the children is an elf with pale face looking around unable to keep herself calm. Me.

It’s going to start and I still pretty scared out of wits here.

Goddess of light Aaris, please help and guide me, please let me possess traits that would help me become an archer and achieve my dreams.

As if in response to my prayers, a pair of small hands covers mine. It was Lily, she was wearing a blue and white dress you wouldn’t expect on an orphan, with frills and flowers and small gold outlines here and there it is undoubtedly expensive. A courtesy of village tailor, saying a cute child her deserves only the best dress, though I’m pretty sure he was just using her cuteness as means to advertise his products!

How shameless!

Though I must admit Lily does look cuter today.

“Don’t worry sister Rei, Lily is with you.” Lily says without paying any heeds to the loving looks directed at her and envious glares directed at me.

Lily can be a bit air headed at times. It’s probably for the best considering the affect she has on her surroundings. There was a time when she saw the slave dealer abusing his slave for collapsing due to exhaustion and looked at him with disgust, something very rare for her before saying, “Treat others how wish to be treated yourself.”

A single moral from the stories the head sister reads for us at night and it changed the life of the slave dealer. Quite literally.

Over the years Lily had become not only the orphanage’s favorite but also the village mascot.

Her words were heard by someone standing nearby and the fact that Lily despises the slave dealer and people who treated their slaves harshly spread like wildfire.

The villagers’ treatment of the slave dealer went from normal or favorable to cold and heartless.

After his reputation went down the drain, his business also soon fell. He lost everything without even knowing why.

Pretty scary how much power a popular person can wield, right?

She did end up causing the villagers treatment of slaves to better.

Imagine that power in someone other than our pure hearted Lily.

It would be the world’s end.

“Everyone line up according to your age, youngest first.” The head sister who was helping the smooth procession of the program commanded.

She is obviously favoring Lily as she would be the youngest among us, but the adults are nodding with warm smiles on their faces. I can agree with them as they are the most excited to see Lily’s status. Anyone with eyes and half a brain can see that Lily’s status won’t be normal.

But why can’t you see that you are raising the hurdle for the rest of us!

After everyone took positions Lily walked up to the dais unperturbed by the gazes. I always find that part of her amazing, if I was the focus of this many people I would have been shivering and unable to move due to anxiety and stage fright.

She smiled lovingly at the head sister before putting her hand on Appraisal stone and the Projector stone displayed her status for all to see.

Name:	Lilith	Race:	Human	Age:	5
Class:	None	Level:	1	Current  Status:	Healthy
Titles:
Physical Stats:	Strength:	1	Agility:	1
	Dexterity:	1	Endurance:	1
	Intelligence:	1	Wisdom:	1
	Perception:	1	Charisma:	1
Skills:	Sprint Lv 3	Sneak Lv 3	Throwing Lv 2	Hide Lv 2	Herbology  Lv 1
	Climbing Lv 1
Special skills:
Resistances:
Traits:	Enhanced Intelligence	Enhanced Agility	Enhanced Charisma

 

She has Skills from playing around…Hm?

Her sprint is higher than mine!? As expected from a genius.

And her traits are three. This should have sent the whole village into frenzy as having 3 traits would make her a genius among geniuses. But no one is shocked, except for the official from the capital. Everyone here expected something like this.

 They started applauding.

Embarrassed by the sudden applause Lily flies into the embrace of the head sister with a red face.

Ah, an embarrassed Lily is cute too.

One of her traits is Enhanced Charisma, it explains why everyone can’t help themselves from loving Lily.

Enhanced charisma has more often caused more problems for women than not. But with her other two traits she should have no problems protecting herself.

More than that; one of the reasons I want to become the best ranger is so as to protect Lily!

The talent exam proceeds without hitch till it reaches my turn. I climb on to trying my best to appear calm and head to the Appraisal stone. Lily smiles at me encouragingly standing beside the head sister. I raise my hand to touch the stone.

Name:	Reina Woods	Race:	Elf	Age:	6
Class:	None	Level:	1	Current  Status:	Healthy
Titles:
Physical Stats:	Strength:	1	Agility:	1
	Dexterity:	1	Endurance:	1
	Intelligence:	1	Wisdom:	1
	Perception:	1	Charisma:	1
Skills:	Sprint Lv 2	Sneak Lv 2	Throwing Lv 2	Hide Lv 2	Climbing Lv 2
Special skills:	Eagle eyes Lv 1
Resistances:
Traits:	Enhanced Dexterity	Enhanced Agility

 

…Wut?

2 traits and a special skill?

2 FUCKING TRAITS AND A SPECIAL SKILL?!

I raise my hand and keep it back just to be sure. Its not changing?

The audience is shocked into silence since no one expected anything from me really. Not even me.

“Sister Rei, I told you so! Congratulations!”

Lily started clapping, which started spreading to others until everyone was clapping. But my eyes were glued to Lily still smiling, happy for me.

Doesn’t this mean I finally have a chance to make my ambitions true? That I am worthy to stand beside Lily without anyone complaining?

Tears started flowing as I ran and hugged the only person who believed in me.

She hugged me back while asking

“Sister Rei, are you happy?”

“Hmm!”

I could only nod and hug her even closer as she pats my back. Sometimes it’s hard to know which one of us is the older sister.

After my shocking revelation and embarrassing display, the examination continued with 2-3 single trait possessors coming up till it reached Edward, the most popular boy in the village. Of course he is nowhere near as popular everyone’s favorite daughter Lily.

Name:	Edward	Race:	Human	Age:	7
Class:	None	Level:	1	Current  Status:	Healthy
Titles:
Physical Stats:	Strength:	1	Agility:	1
	Dexterity:	1	Endurance:	1
	Intelligence:	1	Wisdom:	1
	Perception:	1	Charisma:	1
Skills:	Sprint Lv 3	Sneak Lv 2	Throwing Lv 2	Hide Lv 2	Climbing Lv 1
	Sword arts Lv 1
Special skills:	Blessings of Fire
Resistances:
Traits:	Enhanced Strength	Enhanced Agility

 

This was also kinda expected as he already displayed better physical abilities compared to normal kids and had bright red hair and eyes together with his hot headed wannabe heroic character which seemed to be screaming ‘I’m on FIRE!!!’ .

But he is dangerous. Like all boys he has a crush on Lily and my instincts as older sister is screaming to keep him away. This would give him an opportunity to get close to her and from the look in his eyes he would never let this golden chance to get close to Lily pass.

Hehehe, challenge accepted. You need to get through me to get Lily you perverted bastard! I’ll make you regret looking at Lily with those filthy eyes!

A round of applause and some time latter we, the ‘three budding talents’ gather before the City official for a debriefing.