Chapter 89
Flange Orphanage, City: Three Prongs Fork, Republic of Shantu, Continent: Barat, the Year 2030, Planet: Grimoire
Resilience was the theme of the day. It appeared to Grifton when he thought of how many mishaps and sabotage attempts, he and his cousins narrowly escaped throughout the following hours. The competition lasted well into the evening and only halted when serious injuries occurred because everyone was too tired to concentrate. If Grifton didn't know better, he'd think this was a mini crash course and training camp. That was only if his suspicions were correct.
Marlayne found Grifton perched in a small alcove where he had a fire merrily burning and crackling with a pot bubbling. "Can I join you?" Her eyes gleamed green in the light.
Grifton nodded absently. "Sure thing, I know Amberlyn and Calico will come this way shortly." He'd chosen this area to rest and make his own food.
After all they'd gone through, Grifton didn't trust any other foods made. In this case, he chose to create his own food. "I know this is a chance to sample foreign food, but I'm too suspicious and paranoid right now." He really focused on Marlayne when she snorted. "Oh, you too?"
Marlayne nodded. "Yeah, seeing what has happened so far has taught me not to trust anything right now." She shook her head. "Not only that but having witnessed and heard things that happened to you in the past."
Oh, right, the testimonials from Abel and half the security and healing details definitely proved to them that Grifton's tales weren't bullshit and had been a shock to him. Some of what they told his cousins, Grifton, didn't even remember happening. "Yeah, I didn't even remember having experienced a few of those tales." His admission obviously shocked Marlayne.
"Wow, so you did have blackout periods when those injuries were that bad, huh?" Marlayne exhaled. "I think we've all had those experiences at different times too."
Grifton nodded. "I have a few suspicions about what this event is designed for." He wasn't sure if he should wait to tell her until the others arrived.
"Hmm," Marlayne scrutinized him. "Let's hold off on discussing this event until Calico and Amberlyn join us." Her suggestion confirmed that he wasn't the only one who found this situation somewhat unusual.
Grifton nodded and shrugged when he caught her glance at the pots and pans surrounding the fire. "You can use whatever you want," he offered. "I had a feeling that you three might want to make food other than what is available."
Sighs of relief alerted Grifton to Calico and Amberlyn's arrival. Much to his surprise, a few familiar faces appeared at the corners of the relatively spacious alcove. "Yes, you can come in, too." He was amused to find that Denby and his team had snuck in somehow. "They're the team that took me on for working in the orchards." They were also his mentors when it came to dealing with everyday issues.
Denby offered a hand to the three cousins. "Nice to meet you. I'm Denby, the team manager. I took in that rascal when no one else would touch him." He shrugged when the cousins looked at him, baffled.
Grifton cleared his throat. "That was as early as I was three years old," He confirmed. "Though I already looked around five years of age back then."
"Oh," Amberlyn shook Denby's hand. "Thanks for taking care of him all this time."
Marlayne also shook his hand, as did Calico. "We're relieved to find that he has a few allies in the Orphanage after not knowing what he went through all this time." They looked ashamed.
"we'd wanted to help him before now but were prevented by the merchant groups we'd interned with," Marlayne explained.
Denby nodded. "Yes, I heard about the misfortune that befell you three in who you were apprenticed to for that work." He grunted. "I've heard that all the foundlings apprenticed to those three merchants will be reassigned to Lamberton's merchant corporation."
The news appeared to please the cousins, and Grifton was heartened to hear that, too, though he was surprised at Denby's wording.
Denby noticed their surprise and sighed. "Oh, if you're wondering why I used the term apprenticed rather than interned," he shrugged when relating what else he'd heard. "It is because I heard that no one was getting paid." His eyebrows rose slightly when the trio winced in frustration and anger.
Denby finished, "I also heard that you were forced to use allowances gained from other sources to pay for materials used." He shook his head in disgust. "I believe that after this event, you'll receive the monies denied you during the last few years."
The cousins looked surprised. "That's good if it actually happens," Calico admitted. "I was becoming frustrated and hopeless."
When Marlayne and Amberlyn grimaced but nodded in wordless agreement, Grifton frowned on hearing that. "I hadn't known about that part." He would've helped out his cousin with supplies if he'd known.
Denby shrugged. "From what I heard, your cousins wound up wearing the items you made as ordinary clothing you designed. They infused the clothing with mana and discovered the extra enchantments placed on them. As a result, they sold whatever they had on hand that wasn't covered in enchantments and used the money from those sales to purchase the materials they needed." His eyes glinted. "So, I think you allowed them to save money and earn profits by removing shoddy products." Denby stared at the cousins, who grinned. "I'm, correct?"
Calico nodded. "Exactly as you suspected."
Marlayne smirked. "Let's just say that when we did sell those pieces of clothing..." She paused to taste something she'd put in a nearby kettle.
Amberlyn took off where Marlayne ended. "We added a warning that they were resale items and weren't enchanted at all."
In other words, they weren't going to claim those shoddy products as something they'd made. Grifton was amused. "I'm glad that you aren't my enemies."
Denby and his team laughed good-naturedly. "I think the same is being said about you now, Grifton." Denby teased him.
Grifton and his cousins merely grinned. "We were wondering what this competition was about," Grifton admitted.
"Oh, do tell?" Denby looked at him in consternation.
Grifton shrugged, not sure how to word his concerns.
Calico spoke up. "We're wondering if this event was designed to weed out the unsuitable individuals who would otherwise die out in the open."
Marlayne sighed. "From what I can tell, only the successful competitors who survived this competition had a shot at surviving the real world." She shrugged uncomfortably.
"If we're right," Amberlyn surmised, "Later, they would endure harsher training in the military or internships in the merchant or artisan sectors." Her eyes held shadows. "If that is true, then Calico, Marlayne, and I have already gone through that type of training."
Grifton glanced at them with concern. Hmm, he'd hoped he was wrong about those suspicions.
Denby was silent, and then he sighed. "You're all correct about what this is doing." He nodded to confirm their suspicions. "This is but a small taste of what is to come."
Grifton had been right to be worried. He was frustrated and shook his head. "So, when will we be expected to begin the mandatory training?" Knowing it sooner rather than later would prepare him for a tougher future than he'd seen thus far.
Denby glanced at him with an uneasy expression. "The harshest training will begin when you go through military boot camp. That will be mandatory from the age of eighteen through thirty. That doesn't exclude anyone, no matter the gender." He emphasized. "Four months of each year will be devoted to training, the rest of the year, providing there aren't any wars or conflicts on the borders." Denby rolled his eyes. "Your life will be completely normal." He shook his head. "I'm just glad that they'll watch for anyone attempting illegal conscription."
Yikes, Grifton hadn't even considered that a possibility. he and his cousins exchanged worried glances, and they all lapsed into subdued silence. Now, they all had something to worry about.
"Well, the stew is done." Grifton sniffed the air and returned his attention to the item he'd been idly stirring. "Pull out the benches." He smiled at his team. "There's enough for at least three servings each."
Denby's eyes lit upon hearing that. "You make some of the best stew." He murmured with anticipation.
Even Marlayne, Amberlyn, and Calico were pleased enough with the taste to take advantage of the extra servings. They also made enough of their offerings to satisfy their enormous appetites.
They chose to camp out in that alcove. Much to the cousins' surprise, Denby and his team insisted on remaining outside. "We'll provide extra security."
Oh, so that's the reason why they'd been allowed to enter the arena. Now, Grifton understood why they carried weapons other than the usual implements meant for working in the orchards. It was quite a relief for Grifton to know that someone he could trust, other than his cousins, was watching their backs. "We'll still set up other alarms that won't hurt anyone, other than those who express ill-intent, approaching this area." He stated, much to his cousins' relief.
Denby nodded and glanced at the cousins. "If you have any traps you wish to set up as well, go ahead. We won't mind a bit." His reassurance made them relax and take him up on that offer.