Levris was heading towards the southern border of the city, where an elevated spot offered a beautiful view of the surrounding forests. However, this place wasn't popular among the builders. It was rumored that minor earthquakes occasionally occurred here, especially if a wealthy person attempted to build a house, which is why only a couple of leaning houses stood in the area.
"So, I'll be looking after the old man in this house. I was hoping for a more creative task," Levris said with a glum mood. As she approached the house, a low voice called out to her.
"Ho-ho, now that's what I call a beauty," greeted a man at the door. Though he looked quite old, he didn't really match his age. He was tall, with many wrinkles on his face, but his muscular body didn't correspond to his age. Moreover, his hair and long beard remained dark chestnut in color despite the years.
"Are you old man Grivor?" Levris hesitated; she wasn't entirely convinced that he was the oldest resident of the village. This man seemed quite lively.
"Well, technically I am, but you don't have to call me 'old man,'" he replied.
"Did the mayor get it right? Looking at you, it's hard to believe you need a caretaker," Levris tilted her head thoughtfully.
"I don't necessarily need someone to look after me all day. It's just that, due to my temperament, I've quarreled with most of the townsfolk, and I simply want someone to chat with in my old age. I have money left from my adventurous youth, so I'll cover all the expenses," he explained.
"Alright then, what would I be doing?"
"Just cooking, cleaning, and entertaining me with conversation to brighten my last days."
"Huh?" Levris couldn't believe her ears. The old man was talking as if he were about to die. "But you look so healthy. Where do thoughts of death come from?"
"If you had lived as long as I have, you'd also start feeling the approach of death. I may not be sick, but I doubt I have more than a couple of years left. Well, what can I say? I'm Grivor, the old man who outlived all the gossips in this town. And you, young lady?"
"My name is Levris, I'm a teacher at the Academy."
"Hmm, I thought only students would come. Though the older girls also have their charm."
"Uh, yeah," Levris awkwardly took a step back.
"Don't worry, my dear. At my age, I'm only interested in girls for their aesthetic appeal. So, what's your specialty? Judging by your appearance, I'd say you're a sorceress."
"Yes, you're right. I graduated from the Academy last year and now I teach earth magic to the students."
"Interesting. I thought earth mages were a dying breed. There used to be many more of them, and their magic was incomparable to what's considered earth magic nowadays."
"You talk as if you knew them personally," Levris was increasingly drawn into the conversation with the old man.
"More than you can imagine. I told you, my youth was full of adventures. If you want, I can tell you a couple of stories, if you, hm... for instance, show me your magic."
"Oh, I didn't even bring my staff. But I'd be interested to hear your stories."
"Pfah, what's with the youth nowadays. Why do you need a staff if you're an earth mage? Any stick is a part of the earth and can transmit your will to it," the old man said, heading towards the back of the house.
"But how can you do that? There are strict rules for crafting staffs. They need the right shape, a crystal, and many other things."
"Come on, don't be afraid. At your age, I was already interested in girls purely from an aesthetic standpoint. So, what are you by profession? From the looks of it, I'd say you're a sorceress."
"Yes, you're right. I graduated from the Academy last year and now I teach earth magic to the students."
"Interesting. I thought earth mages were a dying breed. There used to be many more of them, and their magic was incomparable to what's considered earth magic nowadays."
"You talk as if you knew them personally," Levris was increasingly drawn into the conversation with the old man.
"More than you can imagine. I told you, my youth was full of adventures. If you want, I can tell you a couple of stories, if you, hm... for instance, show me your magic."
"Oh, I didn't even bring my staff. But I'd be interested to hear your stories."
"Pfah, what's with the youth nowadays. Why do you need a staff if you're an earth mage? Any stick is a part of the earth and can transmit your will to it," the old man said, heading towards the back of the house.
"But how can you do that? There are strict
Grivor picked up a long stick from the backyard, slightly curved but quite lengthy.
"All this talk about crystals and proper forms is utter nonsense. They are only needed by those who lack a direct connection with their element. Water, fire, and lightning mages might need a staff, but earth and air mages are always in contact with their element. It's foolish to separate oneself from nature, thinking you're someone special. We all came from the earth, and to the earth, we shall return."
The old man extended the stick towards Levris.
"Are you sure it can be done this way? I was always taught to perform spells following certain rules."
"Nonsense. You're an earth mage; you should be guided by freedom and imagination alone. Just envision the shape of the spell and send your commands into the earth. If you can establish a connection with it, you won't need any staffs."
"Well, alright, I'll try, though I'm not sure if I can do it."
Levris took the stick and placed it on the ground in front of her.
"Hmm, I'm not even sure what to show him. With my level of magic, anything I create will seem like child's play. Well, let's start by making a couple of chairs for us to sit on."
Levris envisioned the form of simple stone seats with armrests and a backrest. Such chairs might last until the first rain, but they were the simplest thing she could create. She concentrated her mana in the ground around her, but nothing happened. After a couple of minutes, the earth began to tremble and crack slightly, but she couldn't manage to create the chairs.
"Just a bit more."
Levris directed even more magic into the ground, and the first block emerged from the earth. However, it was merely sharp protrusions that no one could sit on. Even such a simple spell seemed to elude her.
"Well, as I said, you need a proper staff. This won't work," the teacher sighed in defeat.
"Ah, the youth these days, you're so foolish. Before you cast a spell, you need to learn about the earth you're commanding. Even your hale friend asked about the rock's composition first."
"Wait, you saw Grain? We arrived in the city only this morning, and I haven't met with him yet," Levris was surprised; the old man couldn't possibly have met Grain already.
"No, I haven't seen him, but I observed you walking towards the city on the road. From the way the boy was dressed, I could tell he's also an earth mage. By the way, you should tell your dragoness not to fly over the city like that; it only causes panic."
"I-I'm sorry. Ragni didn't do it on purpose. Wait, what were you saying about the rock's composition?"
"Everyone needs to learn. Try sweeping away the top layer of the earth as much as you can," Grivor made a kicking motion, sending some soil flying.
"Alright," Levris swept the ground with her staff, and the top layer of soil rose by about ten centimeters and fell aside. But the old man gestured for her to continue. After two more attempts, the earth stopped obeying her commands.
"See? That's where my strength ends."
"Look closer," Grivor sat down and wiped the remnants of soil from a large stone slab. "We are at the foot of an extinct volcano, and this place is a massive granite slab rising to the surface. Naturally, you won't be able to move it because the earth here is united from this cliff to the base of the mountain. That's why the graveyard is located here, precisely where the slab goes deep underground, allowing for deep graves."
"So, my powers are useless here?"
"Don't talk nonsense! An earth mage can control all types of earth, regardless of their size. If you can't move the entire slab, you need to learn to divide it into parts. An earth mage can manipulate not only the whole layer but each particle individually. Tune into the connection with the earth and try to sever the connections between the particles. That way, you'll be able to separate individual blocks from the larger slab."
Levris sat down on an exposed granite slab, closed her eyes, and concentrated, listening to the earth as she tried to disrupt its integrity. After ten minutes, small cracks appeared in the granite, and soon, tiny stones detached from the rock and rose into the air.
"Well, there you have it. And you said you couldn't do anything without a staff. Perhaps this is what I'll do in my old age – train you while there's still time."
"I'll be glad to learn from you."
"How happy I am that a married couple will be looking after the children. It will bring a family atmosphere and homely comfort to the class," a slightly plump middle-aged woman guided two students through a small building housing a daycare.
"Um, thank you. We're also delighted to work together," Leira felt embarrassed. "But it's so strange; I've never heard of daycares before. What is it?"
"Well, it was the mayor's idea. We're a trading city, so many women work here, and there's no one to look after the children. So, we created a place where kids can spend time until they grow old enough for school."
"Hmm, quite practical. It seems your mayor has many good ideas," Algo addressed the woman enthusiastically. "In our city, women hardly worked, but that was mostly because the main work was in the mines. Your mayor has thought of everything, even taking care of the children."
"Yes, he's a good man, and it's not his only idea. I would be happy if he became our new feudal lord, but unfortunately, he's not of noble birth."
"Mm, I understand you."
"Algo?" Leira wanted to object, but couldn't find the words.
"Don't be upset; even if the mayor is not the ruler of our lands, it doesn't mean he can't make our lives better."
The group approached a closed door, and from behind it came a soft rustling.
"Here we are, your group of 4-5-year-olds. Their teacher wanted to go on vacation with her husband but couldn't leave her students. So, she was thrilled when she heard you were coming."
The woman opened the door, and the couple entered the room. Inside were many small children, around twenty of them. It was evident that before the students arrived, the children had been playing energetically, as scattered toys lay all over the floor. However, they quickly gathered and arranged themselves as soon as they heard footsteps outside the door.
"Remember that we have lunch at noon, followed by quiet time. The rest of the time, you're free to choose activities for the children," the woman said, and with that, the door closed behind the couple, leaving them alone with uncertainty.
"Um, hello," Algo's voice trembled noticeably. "My name is Algo, and this is Leira. We'll be your caregivers for the next two weeks."
An awkward silence filled the air as the children curiously examined the newcomers.
"Mmmm, Algo, I'm scared... What should we do?" Leira timidly hid behind the swordsman.
And suddenly, the children burst into questions.
"Are you from the Academy?"
"Are you wizards?"
"Or warriors?"
"Do you have a sword?"
"Huh?" Algo was a little taken aback, but he managed to respond, "Yes, I have a sword; I left it with the mayor."
"Can you show it to us?"
"Can you cut a doll in one swing?" a little boy extended a wooden doll towards Algo.
"Wow, that's my doll!" a girl next to him burst into tears.
"Can you beat a troll? How about a dragon?"
The boys quickly surrounded Algo and bombarded him with endless questions, while the girls began to gather around Leira.
"Such beautiful hair," unnoticed by the enchantress, one of them climbed onto a chair behind her and started playing with her golden locks.
"And the dress is so soft," another girl started wrapping herself in the noblewoman's gown while trying to pull her hair away from the little hands clutching at it.
"Hey, let go of my hair!!" Leira tried to break free from their grip, lost her balance, and fell to the ground. "Algo, help me!!"
"Liri!" Algo shouted, but his words didn't reach her as the boys kept pressing him with their questions, gradually cornering him.
The laborious weekdays of the couple had just begun.
"Why did you choose to come with me?" Algo asked.
"Don't flatter yourself; I was simply interested in the blacksmith's profession."
We were heading to a modest blacksmith's shop in a small town, accompanied by one of the empire's top engineers.
"I thought you were an en... something, whatever that means. Why would you want to work in a simple blacksmith's shop? If you had chosen to work as a teacher in a school, you could have learned more about our people."
"My job is to create technical innovations, and to invent things that an ordinary person would never think of. I wanted to see how far your technological advancements have come, so I decided to go."
"As always, you think of the advantages that could be used against us in a war?"
"Well, I wouldn't count on that. Your main strength is magic; I doubt you'd use gunpowder even if you had already developed it."
"Gun... what?"
"Forget it. It's beyond your meager knowledge."
"Well, you're not so bad after all. I thought that upon seeing our airship, the ignorant Verans would fall to their knees and beg for mercy."
I assessed the sight of the airship and the reaction of the common people. It was probably the main reason why the Imperial forces easily captured all the students.
"You're probably not far from the truth, but I think that something was man-made, which is why I wasn't overly frightened by its appearance."
"Ha!" For the first time, Aileen laughed at one of my remarks. "You can consider that my opinion of you has improved a bit."
"So, do you consider me your comrade now?"
"Mmm, nooo. You can consider that you evolved from an annoying bug to a noble reptile."
"I'm just overjoyed." What a lovely girl, damn it.