After an intense week learning how to dance, the madam who was paid to teach us her knowledge left the house and was very impressed with my performance, she recommend me to keep practicing and I’ll try my best to do it, but maybe not for the reasons she expects, she wants me to be the most beautiful dancer among the nobles in parties and I want to advance in my movements to apply them in my combat or maybe in a magical ritual, but that would be in the far future.
Today I want to convince the teachers in charge of the academic studies to let me quit their lessons, they cannot teach me more about mathematics and literature after all, I’m on my way to their lessons in the library after today’s training.
The moment I open the doors of the library and push them to come inside, I notice that all eyes are on me again, the boys don’t want me near them in these kind of circumstances either.
I examine everyone in the room while walking until I reach a chair so I can sit down, in here are only the boys older than fifteen years old, maybe that’s why they don’t want me in here, to be teach the same things a little girl is learning, or maybe it’s just for the cursed child title.
Even if Liam and Mateo are talented children with the sword, it’s not the same with their academics studies, they are stuck with the same boring lessons a noble child their age should be learning.
The teacher doesn’t take long to arrive with us, this one is a man with black hair and brown eyes, he isn’t handsome but neither looks ugly, just an average appearance.
“Hello professor Frederic.” All of us greet the man the moment he’s close enough.
“Good evening students, I hope you are ready to continue our lessons.”
“Excuse me professor, Can I speak with you for a moment?” I tell him before he can start with his class. I don’t want to be in here more time than necessary.
“If this is about you quitting the lessons again that won’t be possible, I already told you that apart from math and literature that you already are an expert, I need you to be knowledgeable in other topics like history and geography.”
He seems tired that I bring once again my request about stop coming to the lessons, and certainly this isn’t my first time making this request, I didn’t know all the information related to certain topics and that was the reason he has denied it but for the past years I’ve been really busy learning all sorts of things from this library, I was living in another continent in my other life after all. Even if in my past life I was a genius and knew all kind of information, I concentrated to learn about the Umbrathal continent, and we are in the Aetheris continent, each continent has its own history, culture and power dynamics.
“I know that professor, and if I wasn’t confident that I can demonstrate it to you, I didn’t bring it up.”
“You said that the last time, and the time before that.”
“Give me another chance, please.” I make a small reverence with my head so he can allow it.
“Tsk!” I hear some boys click their tongues in disapproval of my actions, they see it as a submission to someone who isn’t even noble really embarrassing to watch.
“What do the rest of the children of the Viscount think?” He asks for the opinions of them and that’s a surprise because he never did that before.
“I think it’s a waste of our precious time, everyone here needs to take other lessons apart of the training, and she’s not the only one who matters.” Michael one of the sons of the first wife is the first to find fault at what I’m trying to do.
“She just wants to feel superior to everyone else as always.” Seeing how Michael the clear leader of all the children of the Viscount is against me everyone follows him. All I can think of them is that they are bunch of losers without the capacity to think for themselves.
“You know, if I’m exempt to take academic lessons you don’t need to see at me anymore when you take them.” I know that if I decide to confront them directly I don’t stand a chance but if I try to take advantage from what the thing they desire it’s another story, and what they most desire is to get rid of me.
“On the other hand we should give her a chance.”
“Yes, Michael is right as always.”
“It is the fairest thing to do.”
As expected, they fall for the trap really easy, I must say the Viscount is really worried to have a good lineage under him, but he takes more importance to the training for the test, when it should be balance, a good brain need to be accompanied by a good muscle. The only reason I’m not interested in this lessons is that I don’t gain any knowledge from them, what I’ve been learning is from the books in the library. If I didn’t know anything like a normal kid, I’ll spend a lot of time and effort in this kind of lessons.
“Since all of you have decided to accept her request then you should be the ones who put her to the test. The nine of you should decide in a question each and if she answerers everything correctly then she can stop coming here, but you should do the most difficult question that you can think of, this won’t count if you don’t take it seriously.”
“I take it, they can do it.” I accept in the moment without a doubt.
“Understood, Michael you can go first.” The professor gives his instruction.
“Yes professor.” He looks into the air for a few seconds probably trying to think of a good question. “Draw the map of the continent.”
With this I don’t know if he wants me out of here or not, this isn’t an easy quest to follow, especially for an eight year old, either way the only thing left for me it’s to follow through.
“Do you want me to draw every city, town in the continent or what are you expecting from me?”
“Let’s start easy and give you the task to draw the danger zones of the continent.”
If he only wants that information it’s not that complicated to do. I ask for some materials from the professor and start drawing.
“Here it is, I draw the four danger zones we have in the continent, Eldrenweyn Grove, Vyrethorn Wilds, Sylphmar Glade and Duskbriar Hollow.”
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Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
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I notice how the nine of them flinch the moment I mention the last danger zone, and I know that it’s because that’s where they plan to ditch us, our survival depends on how deep they let us in, if they plan to leave us in the middle of it, I know that it’s a certain death for everyone so I assume that they are just planning on the periphery of the forest, but even then it continues to be a peril zone.
“With that you have passed the first question, good job Michael, an excellent question indeed.”
“Thank you professor.”
I don’t even understand why he’s congratulating him instead of me, but at this point in life I don’t care anymore of this kind of ridiculous situations.
“You can go next with your question Orton.”
“Then I will ask why we call them danger zones and what it’s in there.”
“That’s easy to answer, the danger zones were named that way to ensure that the people are careful with them and they take seriously the risk that they represent.”
“You need to explain them if you want me to count the question in your favor.”
“I know professor, the Eldrenwyn Grove is an ancient forest teeming with ethereal lights and whispering spirits, where time flows strangely, when people come inside they can come outside like a child or like an old person, they retain all of their stats with their level and that’s reason why dying people often use that place in hopes to regain their youth, but people forget that everything in this universe has an equilibrium, if you take something that isn’t yours you need to put something back, and the price to obtain their youth is their sanity, nobody has been able to leave unscathed from there.”
“What about the Vyrethorn Wilds?”
“That place is dark, with untamed woodland, people say that it is cursed, the trees bleed red sap that is extremely poisonous and shadows move on their own, even if it’s risky to enter, guards from the kingdom that it’s in charge to look after that area of the continent have said how some cults get into the place to perform ancient rituals or in search for ancient ruins of forgotten powers.”
“Do you really believe in that?”
“There’s been a lot of evidence through the years and it has been documented, we have some information about them in this library for example and I imagine that there’s a lot of information we don’t know.”
“Very well, then tell me please about Sylphmar Glade?”
“Some people called it heaven in earth, and that’s because it’s a mystical fairy sanctuary, filled with bioluminescent flora and floating isles suspended by unknown magic.”
“If it sounds so wonderful then why we considered it a danger zone?”
“That’s because of the fairies, even if they are smaller than a dwarf and physically they are weak, it’s entirely different with magic, fairies are even more talented with magic that even the elven race, apart from that they have the ability to walk through dimensions, no one really knows how many they are or if they have specials forces or different weaponry in the dimension they have access to.”
“What do you think about that? Can we take that place from them with their possessions?”
“A true ruler can see the many opportunities that specific area represent, but for more than the kingdoms have tried to take it from them, they have always failed.”
“What do the rest of you think? I know that I told you that this test it’s for Dalia, but I’m interested on your thought in this matter.”
“As nobles it’s our responsibility to increase the opportunities of our people.”
Michael is the first to voice his opinion and even if there’s some truth in his words, reality is more complicated than just fancy words.
“Do you think it’s a good idea to invade those lands?” The professor asks an important question that even if we don’t have real power yet, everyone in this room apart from the professor has the chance to access a position with a lot of political power and with that can shape the future for the common people.
“I think it’s for the best.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“There’s a lot we can obtain from that.”
Apparently everyone is giving the reason to Michael again.
“That would be a stupid idea.” I don’t doubt to give my personal opinion.
“And why do you think that Miss Dalia?” The professor says it with a smile already expecting something like this would happen.
“I already mention my reason but no one in here listen, the kingdoms already tried to invade those lands, if every time they have lost to the fairies it’s for a reason, and it’s not been once or twice, it’s been multiple times, sadly people in power don’t realize the importance of history, those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”
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“Excellent point Miss Dalia.” The professor seems happy by my answers and for once he congratulate me, instead of trying to curry favor with the boys, especially Michael. I can see how upset the boys are, they shouldn’t like to lose to a little girl.
“Thank you professor.”
“That only leaves you the last danger zone, please explain it.”
“The Duskbriar Hollow is a twilight forest where the air shimmers with silver mist, home to creatures that only emerge under the moon’s glow, and I think it’s the place we should focus our studies.”
“And why is that?”
“Because that’s the place where the trial of the family takes place, local people call it the Davenport tomb, even if a lot of individuals in this house considered it disrespectful to us, I think it’s a necessity for us to admit how we could potentially meet our ends in there.”
With my words I can see that the boys start frowning thinking about the future, but there’s something we cannot ignore just because it makes us uncomfortable.
“Very well, let’s continue.”
I prepare myself for the next questions.
