After talking with my senior, I set out to my training area and felt the presence of numerous people just a few meters from me. They are most likely keeping their distance away thinking that I will not be able to detect them, they are wrong. I can sense them perfectly fine. I got used to the stares a few days after coming here and so I continued on with my training thinking; 'They will eventually leave if I don't show any interest in them, right?' That's what I thought, and I'm gravely mistaken.
I underestimated their tenacity. The days continued with them watching over me as I trained. I thought I would not get bothered by their presence, and I was wrong. Not only that they persisted, their numbers have also increased making the estate too overcrowded.
Because of this, my senior had to put everything in order. Only allowing a single person from every noble house inside the estate to control the number of people and prevent overcrowding in the estate that started to hinder the attendants to do their work. The visits by the daughters of noble houses are so frequent that he has to erect a building for the nobles to stay in during their visit.
My senior had gone through a lot of problems dealing with the nobles trying to convince him to marry me off to their daughters. Some gave him offers that a person would find hard to resist, but my senior respected my decision and declined their offer.
Because of the constant refusal from our side, the nobles visiting the estate gradually lessened until there were only a handful of them left.
"Do you really do this everyday?"
That soft voice rang in my ears, it was Merin, she is one of the nobles who was with Demi that day. After that test back in the city hall, they were the first ones to visit the estate and introduced themselves. Although I clearly stated that I have no intentions of getting married, they still visited the estate to observe me.
"Yes. Although I'm not obligated to train like this everyday, having done this for a long time has become a habit, it has become a big part of my life." I told her.
I may not be able to see her expression, I know that she is quite curious. I just finished my training and I sweat so I bow and head to the well where I usually bathe. Before I managed to take a few steps away, I sensed something coming towards me.
Thanks to the noises around me, I am able to imagine what was being thrown at me and I caught it with minimal effort.
"Wow~ so it was not a fluke, after all," Demi said as I turned to her direction. She jumped up and down as if something good happened and just tilted her head.
"Please don't do that again," I told her.
But instead of answering back, she walked towards me and touched my arms.
"Your muscles are really toned down. It sometimes makes me think if you are really around our age." She said, caressing my arm and my back.
I stepped away from her, I was not used to getting touched like that. It is as if she was feeling me. It is then that Allura chimed in, explaining things like she usually does.
"That's the result of years of hard work, I know it too well since I have seen people work to the bone in carrying our goods for years and they had toned down muscles. Just not to Jakob's level. That is an undeniable fact." She told her.
"Well, if Allura says so then I guess I can't refute. It's just that it feels so unnatural." Demi added.
I agree with her on that note. Her suspicions are warranted, but I can't disclose the fact that I was locked away inside a dungeon for 23 years. Who knows what would happen if I told them that.
"Maybe Jakob is hiding something."
Demi closed in on me and grabbed my shoulder, clenching on my shoulders tightly as if she wasn't trying to let me get away.
"....."
"What does it matter if he is hiding something from us? It's not like we are in a position where we can ask about the truth, am I right? Everyone has something they don't want people to know about. That is a line that we shouldn't cross."
Another one from their group cuts in. It is Aira. She would always voice her opinion with authority and pride. She gives me the feeling that she hates me for some reason, but it is thanks to her and Allura that I'm able to enjoy a somewhat peaceful training everyday. Whether she hates me or not is something that I can ask her later. For now, I will just have to rely on her for keeping the nobles in line.
"I know that. You don't have to tell me. Now that I think about it, Jakob. You're always stuck inside this estate all day, don't you get bored? Why don't you go out and eat with us for a change?" Demi suggested.
I don't really understand what's going on in her mind. Although she has a point about staying cooped up inside the estate, it's not like I don't go out. I do that. It's just that ever since the test, I was not able to move freely like I used to. Whenever I go out, people would flock over me and I lose my sense of freedom when being surrounded by so many people.
"I go out all the time to get a breather. It's just that we don't bump into each other for obvious reasons." I told her.
I bowed my head and then went to the well to wash myself. I no longer sense their presence as I did so.
Later that night, my senior called me to his study. Arnod told me it was about important matters that I should at least be aware of. Curious as to what 'these' matters are, I went to his office earlier than he requested.
"I told Arnod to call you here at 8, are you curious as to what I want to discuss about?"
"Of course, senior. It must be all about the last big incident, right? The safety of the people are at stake and there is a threat of a noble aiding the monsters. That much is a great threat for you to call me for a discussion." I told him.
The smell of the tea emanated throughout the room and not long after, my senior handed me a cup.
"It's going to be a long discussion, so I prepared some tea." He told me as he went back after handing me the cup. "That's only part of what I want to talk to you about. My main objective is 'What do you plan to do from now on?'"
I was about to take a sip from the cup when I heard him speak those words. And so I asked the most obvious question.
"What do you mean by those words, senior?"
"You know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about what you plan to do with your life from now on? Surely you don't plan to stay like this forever, am I right?"
This kind of question is not something that my senior could come up with on the spot. Something must have happened for him to ask such a thing.
"Is there something wrong with what I'm doing? Or do you know something?" I asked, putting the cup down.
"Jakob, the truth is…..I asked someone to look up your town recently and I got a result that was out of my expectation."
That word was enough to shake me as the horrible memories of the place where I was born came flooding in. For my senior to even bring up my place of birth, and considering the tone of his voice, something terrible must have happened.
"My town? What happened? Surely my people have already forgotten about me after making me a sacrifice to save their own. They must be living we-"
"No, Jakob. Your hometown ceased to exist 10 years ago. That was the report I got from the investigation. After you were disposed of, the town did flourish but not for long. You see, that place is now deserted and no one else wanted to live there after a dungeon break happened. Most of the people living in that town perished at the hands of the monsters that came out of the dungeon. It took a while for people to notice the town and its people's decimation. By the time investigators arrived there, the bodies were already rotten. None survived."
My heart sank after hearing those words. Although they were the ones who tried to get rid of me, I bear them no ill-will. After all, my kind is despised and I understand it too well. It just infuriates me how they died like that in the hands of monsters when they should be thriving after they killed me and my entire family. For unknown reasons, I feel betrayed.
I reached out to my cup and unintentionally spilled my tea. I find it hard to control my hand. I'm shaking. All this time, I was hoping that they would at least prosper and thrive. Then what was the death of my entire family for? I clenched my fist and grit my teeth in anger.
I can feel the heat bottling up inside me, warming my entire body up. I can feel the rage building up inside. This is the first time I felt so furious. I could not even remember the last time I felt something like this. No- I do remember, it was the time our master died protecting me. It was a long time ago and having to experience such emotion again somewhat feels fresh to me.
"Is that so? I thought my people would have turned their life around after what happened to me and my family. I guess I was wrong to assume that." I told my senior.
"That's why I want you to tell me what you plan on doing from now on. This is the biggest thing that's weighing on my mind ever since I got the report. Jakob, you have lost a big part of your life. Being stuck inside that dungeon alone is already a large part of your life taken away."
Senior walked towards me and grabbed my shoulder, clenching it firmly while trying to be gentle.
"I know you don't want to be in a relationship right now. It's your decision and I respect that, but we don't know what the future holds. The incident is evidence of that. Times are changing and you will never know when you will get the time to start your own family."
Senior's tone seemed shaken. It was the kind of tone I only heard when he learned that our master had passed away. I do feel like I missed a big part of my life after being trapped inside that dungeon, but that doesn't mean it was wasted. Although I haven't told my senior the entirety of my stay inside the dungeon, I can't say that it was all for nothing.
"Does it bother you, senior?" I asked.
"Yes. It bothers me alot. We are only two decades apart or more, and in a couple of years I'm going to be a grandfather. If you haven't been trapped inside that dungeon, you would already have a family. And to me, that is a great loss." He said as he went and returned to his seat.
My senior's worry is warranted. I also want to experience what usually men my age experience. Because of the dark times back in my day, being happy was a luxury that I could not afford. And enjoying my life like everyone else was out of the question as I constantly spent my days hiding inside our house.
'The longing I had for that kind of experience, that kind of life, will I be able to enjoy it this time? Now that the times have changed, when people like me are not discriminated against and hunted?'
These are questions that came to mind the moment my senior brought up that topic. After that, we only talked about minor things. His worry about my life is the only serious thing that we talked about during our discussion. When we were done discussing things, he walked me out of his study room with a heavy heart.
"Please think about what I told you, Jakob. While I do respect your decision for turning down those nobles, I do want what's the best for you. Whatever your answer is, I will support you all the way. This will be the first time I will be imposing on you, I hope you think about it carefully."
I nodded my head and he patted my back gently. I saw it as a sign to leave, and after just a few steps, he called out to me.
"Jakob, you may not know this but my wife will be returning a week from now on. She will be ecstatic to meet you at last. Just please bear with her, she is a bit different."
Eh? I thought my senior was a widower but it turns out his wife is still alive? I guess this is what happens when I do not ask about his family.
"Thanks for letting me know, senior. Now that you said it, is your child a girl or a boy?" I asked as I turned to him.
"I have a daughter who is already the same age as you. Right now she is learning at the academy, and my wife, your sister-in-law accompanied her after returning here from a break."
"I hope I get to meet them soon. Knowing you, my senior's family must be like you."
I heard him let out a trouble chuckle. It bothered me, but I did not think anything about it and excused myself. My senior, even though his schedule is already packed to the brim, he still gives time to talk to me that it troubles me. He is clearly overworking himself right now and I don't want to add up to his troubles.
First off, I wanted to clear my head first and so I sneaked out of the estate to take my nightly stroll. And as soon as I jumped off the high wall surrounding the entire estate, the sweet cold night breeze swept my face, and I felt refreshed.
Without a doubt, this is one of the things that calms me down. My troubled heart after hearing my senior's words about my people nearly made me lose my composure. It's something that doesn't happen frequently. While minding my own business, I felt a presence close by. I stomp my foot on the ground to create a sound, but before I could detect their exact location, that presence disappeared.
That person knows what I do to detect and sense my surroundings. Was someone stalking me?
I don't know the answer for sure. They can stare at me from far away and I have no way of knowing that, but there is one thing I'm sure of. That person must have been one of the nobles that kept visiting the manor these days. I let out a sigh and turned back, canceling my nightly walk. I have already walked quite a distance away from the estate so I can just treat this night as a short walk instead.