The first few years of my life were relatively uneventful.
In the beginning I did nothing besides being an infant. I ate, I slept, and I shit my pants. In my dreams I relived the life of Jeremy Florescu. In the beginning the dreams were incoherent. I saw how he failed, failed, failed and failed. The hardships he had to endure to survive.
When I was awake I watched how Aktun Rafal tortured Hilda with his perversion. It was impossible to sleep at those times. He came like clockwork every 10 days.
As the time span that I was awake grew longer Hilda started to tell me stories. It started with harmless tales. It was interesting. In my first life I had no one that told me tales so I wasn't able to compare them but I listened attentively to what Hilda told me. The stories about great mages, valiant heroes and evil villains came later. Their Legends and Myths are nothing for kids.
But what I heard gave me a general Idea about the world I was living in.
The city I grew up in was Grendora. The Academy that is established inside the City is mandatory for everyone who has a magic affinity. Every year long caravans of people ride through the Kingdom and bring every child at the age of 14 that has a magical affinity into the City, to attend the Academy.
For the inhabitants of the City and the nobles that refuse to travel with the caravans the Academy held a recruitment day every year. 3 weeks before the new school year started.
Besides the Mage Class there was also a Class for those that had no Magic affinity, The Knight Class. Everyone could enter the Knight Class. Most people in the knight class are nobles, the rest were orphans or commoners with hopes and dreams.
Normally those without magic affinity take over the jobs of their father. Afterall not everyone can become a knight. A Kingdom needs artisans, craftsmen and merchants.
One of the older girls in the orphanage had a minor affinity for light magic. She was especially talented when it came to healing magic. Her Name was Lina, she was 17 years old and one of the girls that were relatively close to Hilda. I would even say that they were friends.
The orphanage only allowed people to stay until they were 18 years old after that they had to leave. She also had a plan for that. She had found a lover. A to-be paladin from the Temple of the Sun god. I do not need to explain how lucky Lina was to get the opportunity to marry a paladin.
Unfortunately her luck was too great and she attracted the attention of a young noble. This young man was blinded by her beauty and wanted to possess her. In an act of absolute conceit he ordered his men to capture her so that he could enjoy her company.
The problem was that he had missed one detail. Aktun Rafal owned the orphanage, and he doesn't like it when someone messes with him. In his eyes everyone inside the orphanage was his property.
The people that were sent out to capture Lina never made it to the orphanage to serve their intended purpose.
Technically they all arrived at the orphanage. The way they arrived wasn't the way their leader had wished to.
One after another Aktun Rafal brought them to Hilda making them confess all their crimes in front of her in hope of mercy. That never came and only served Aktun Rafals as sadistic entertainment.
Unfortunately neither Aktun Rafal nor Hilda intended to spare them at all. By the time the young noble himself was led into the orphanage Hilda knew almost everything about the plan.
Terrified and desperate, the young noble confessed all his sins to Hilda.
It was the first time Hilda didn't apologize to the person she killed and served Aktun Rafal.
She ended his life with the words: "You are scum, and you deserve what is happening to you."
These words made Aktun Rafal happy and he promised Hilda a reward for this.
It wasn't strange to see Hilda being terrified of the promised reward, after everything that happened to her due to Aktun Rafal it would have been more concerning if she hadn't been terrified.
Truth be told his actions have been unnecessary. Her lover / Fiance and to-be Paladin Marius would have uprooted the Noble Family the second he had been confronted with their misdeeds. Marius was 21 years old and was already halfway through with his training as Paladin. He was one of the talented Paladins and his future was so bright that he could have chosen any woman that he wanted. For an orphan girl to meet such a husband was a fate most wouldn't even dream of.
If he had found out the whole Temple would have declared divine punishment onto the noble house. Which in a sense made them get away easily you might think. You are mistaken.
Somehow Aktun Rafal made this into a public affair between the Nobles and the mage Hunters. I read the official report about this matter, but I will keep it simple.
Having the confessions of several guards and the family's young master, Rafal committed them under Hilda's name. What followed was an elaborated analysis of their confession that was mixed with other intel that the mage hunter had gathered.
In the end the Noble house was found guilty of high-treason against the crown and a lot more. Which resulted in their complete and thoughtful elimination. They killed everyone that was blood-related to the accused noble up to the 5th generation.
The downfall of this noble house exposed some other minor noble houses that were defining the law and order of the Kingdom. In the end Hilda got a thank you letter from the City lord for her hard work and the promise that her reward will be ready once she became an official adult at 18.
A separate letter contained a list of everyone she had saved. The list was long and at least 5 orphans between 16-18 had been listed on the first page. Lina's and Hilda's own names were at the top and according to the list they already had been sold before they were even captured.
After Hilda informed Lina with the written evidence of her supposed end Lina fell on her knees and swore that should Hilda ever need her she will do everything in her power to help and support her.
Having such a favor in her sleeve Hilda was set for life. The wife of a Paladin was an influential figure. The Divine Temples and their Paladins are not the kind of people you can anger. Not even as King or even Emperor, at least not on Paschol, it was unwise at best.
On the day of Lina's 18th birthday, Marius came to the orphanage to take her away as his bride. According to ancient and religious traditions, he handed a pouch of money over to the old caretaker that ran this place.
In this world, a husband has to pay the Father for the right to take over his responsibilities as his daughter's protector. Traditionally he pays 10% of his yearly income to show his Father-in-law that he makes enough money to support his family.
Don't get this wrong. It is important. The husband pays for the responsibility. If you ever go to pick up your bride without paying the traditional price I will haunt you. And if you ever mistreat your wife…
This all happened before I learned to speak the new language. 6 months after my awakening I was finally able to walk which made me feel invincible. At the same time it gave me the feeling that I was growing too slow. My mother was happy to see me crawl and walk. She was always behind me smiling while I explored the orphanage.
It was at this time that I had dreams about Jeremys intensive physical training exercises. Having the wisdom of ignorance I started to train these intensive exercises while no one was able to see me.
Let me spread my enlightenment. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE!
I tried, I failed and I suffered for it. As Infant you do not have the necessary control over your body to achieve something like that.
That didn't mean that I yielded to the incompetence of my body.
It took me years until I was able to make the easiest form.
Having reached such a road block I started to concentrate on communication. It took me another 3 months to produce "Mama," embarrassingly slow for my taste. It nearly caused Hilda to faint the first time I said it to her. It made her Happy and it made me happy.
10 months after my awakening Aktun Rafal made his first unexpected visit. Hilda was just playing with me as the door opened, giving Hilda the shock of a lifetime. Aktun Rafal stood in front of her, fully geared in the red and black uniform of the mage hunter.