Aric was expecting some kind of grand answers, but then he remembered that the children born in poverty didn't have any kind of grand ambitions. Those who had them would first get out of poverty, and only then could they have the mental strength to go forward and give themselves a wonderful life.
"Do you know how to read and write?" Aric asked.
"Uh.. My father taught me how to read and write and also numbers." Alden was embarrassed but also proud of it. Children his age were never taught much, and most of them didn't even know how to read and write; only the rich ones were taught privately.
"Bring your sister when I tell you to. I will tutor you and your sister," Aric said. In his previous life, he always wanted to teach some young kids. He never got the opportunity to do so, but here he might be able to fulfill some of his fantasies. In his previous life, he never had any grand plans.
He wanted to live a stable life. This time, he had thrown those thoughts out the window, but that didn't mean he wouldn't slow down. This was his time to slow down and even help these children. It was probably because a small part of Aric felt bad for killing so many people. They might have deserved death, but that didn't mean it was 100% alright to be the one who swung the sword or, in this case, pulled the trigger.
Giving back to society was his penance.
Alden was flabbergasted when Aric said that. An Acolyte actually wanted to teach him? But why? He had never received anything in life for free, so he felt like Aric must have other motivations. Aric could see his thoughts and thus said,
"It's not free. Every day, you will have to take care of the home and cleanliness. And sometimes I might ask you for food, which of course I will pay for. You can move in with your sister if you want or not, and you will only receive 1 silver coin per month. I will be here for a maximum of two years if everything goes right and maybe less if I get opportunities out of the city, which frankly has a very high chance of happening," Aric said.
Alden's mind was overloading at this point. This person was going to teach him, provide food, and give him security, and in return, he would even be paid for this. What the hell kind of deal was this? Aric, meanwhile, didn't think it was such a big deal. He had seen maids working at his home, and they were paid.
And thus, in his mind, Alden was getting a good deal. Alden wanted to refuse but realized that refusing an Acolyte would be an insult. He readily agreed to this new arrangement. Aric didn't bother Alden anymore and went to his home after bolting the door, while Alden decided to just sleep on the couch.
While lying on the couch, he decided to show his appreciation to Aric by moving in with his sister. She would have a good shelter and not shiver in the cold outside. This was a big home, and his sister could even help him.
Alden dozed off to sleep on the couch with a small smile on his face.
---
Aric returned the next morning and showed up at the tavern right on time. Aric didn't have to wait long when the manager introduced him to the individuals he needed to be the bell boy for. As Aric expected, they were the same names Alden had spoken of before.
"The manager said that you are a new bell boy. Do you understand the rules?" Roderic asked, looking at Aric with skeptical eyes. He had never seen such a healthy boy working as a bell boy before. One could easily see that Aric seemed a bit well-off for a bell boy.
He had heard many times that children like Aric would be sent to be bell boys from rich families. They did so in order to put their children into shape and understand the harsh world. Though it was a very rare occurrence, it did happen. Roderic wasn't happy about this, since it meant he needed to be very careful with this child.
He couldn't just treat him like the other kid a few days ago, though he never showed it on his face. Lyria and Elowen both seemed happy.
"Yes sir, I have read the rules. My name is Aric, and I have experience in jungle survival. I have even saved myself from a magical boar before. You don't have to worry. I will follow your instructions," Aric replied with glee in his voice, showing the best poker face he could gather.
"Strange accent you got there. I am Roderic, the warrior and the leader of the group. This is Lyria, our markswoman, and she is the water mage Elowen. Our mission this time is to kill the Eclipsian Hyenas," Roderic said while introducing everyone. Aric seemed excited about being the bell boy, and the more he acted like that, the more he could see that the three individuals started treating him like an overexcited kid.
Play the sheep.
Aric gave them a goofy smile and thus, without further wasting time, they left for the forest. The path toward the forest wasn't filled with any adventure. Aric had seen this kind of forest before and thus wasn't awed by the variety of colors. But he did get to see Lyria at her prime. She was able to kill two wild magical hares with two arrows alone.
"Our food," Lyria said while handing him the dead bodies of Aric. Aric promptly put them inside the rucksack-like bag that he was carrying. Aric He followed them for like 2 hours before they finally arrived at the place where they had confronted the hyenas. Lyria climbed up a nearby tall tree to survey the terrain while the other took a hidden position where their back was against a giant tree.
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Read 14 chapters ahead on my p@treon.com/thelightedghost