I was woken up by my little sister, who was crying. I stood up and picked her up.
"Are you hungry, Daeri?"
*Daeri cries.*
I guess I need to buy some milk for you. But does any milk work for a baby? I'm starting to realize just how dire our situation is right now. Before my thoughts could take over, I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to see who it was and wondered if Uncle Lucas had left the house.
*Door opens.*
Standing there was a young lady, probably the same age as my mother.
"Hello there, are you Sir Daemon?"
I hesitated. "Uh... yes. Do I know you?"
She just smiled. "No, I was sent by Monsieur Lucas."
Uncle Lucas sent her? But why?
"May I know why, if you don't mind?"
"Yes, of course. My name is Fioness Volde. I'm from the servant guild, and I'm here to take care of you and your little sister." She smiled again.
Did I hear that wrong? Did Uncle Lucas actually send a servant to babysit us?
- Notice: Your ears are in full working condition, so what you heard is perfectly accurate. -
Why do you take everything so literally? I know my ears are fine.
- Understood. I don't understand why you are asking yourself that if you already know the answer. You are a funny one. -
I just sighed. I wasn't sure if she was making fun of me or trying to educate me.
Ms. Fioness seemed confused as she tilted her head, looking at me. "Did I offend you, Sir Daemon? I'm so sorry if I did! I didn't mean to." She seemed to panic.
"No, I'm just thinking about some things," I said, forcing a smile. "Come in."
"Thank you."
We walked into the dining room, and suddenly, we heard Daeri's cries.
"Is that Ms. Daeri?" she asked curiously. I just nodded.
"Can you get Ms. Daeri for me?" she asked while smiling.
I was confused. Why would I give her my sister? Then she spoke again, "Did Monsieur Lucas tell you? He hired me to take care of you both, including nursing all of Ms. Daeri's needs."
I didn't know that. Uncle Lucas didn't mention it yesterday. I walked to our room and found my sister on the bed, still crying. I gently picked her up and headed back to the dining table, where I handed my crying sister to Ms. Fioness.
"There, there, Ms. Daeriiii," she cooed, and my sister stopped crying.
"Um, Sir Daemon, could you give us a little privacy?"
My mind froze, unsure of how to respond.
- Notice: She means she intends to nurse your sister by feeding her milk directly, or what we call breastfeeding in motherly terms. -
Is that what she meant? I panicked. "Ah, yes, of course. I'm sorry..."
I was about to leave the dining room when I realized it might be uncomfortable for her to nurse Daeri here. I offered my room instead.
"If you'd like, you can go to my room. It might be more comfortable there," I said.
She smiled, looking relieved. "Thank you, Sir Daemon. I appreciate it."
Hearing the formalities made me uncomfortable.
"Drop the formalities, Ms. Fioness. I'm not used to them," I said.
She tilted her head again. "I cannot do that, sire, as I am just a humble servant of yours..."
I felt a bit irritated. "Fine. You can call me anything, just not 'Sir.'"
She smiled a little and got up to move to my room. Before leaving, she said, "Got it, young master."
I shook my head as she left and noticed something on the dining table. It was a letter addressed to me from Uncle Lucas. I opened it.
The letter contained information about Ms. Fioness, some pocket money he had left for me, and details about his departure for trade work at the merchants' guild. He also mentioned there was an adventurer's guild nearby and suggested I check it out.
A smile spread across my face. This was the start of my hunt.
- Notice: Correction—'our' hunt. -
Yes, I know.
After saying goodbye to Daeri and Ms. Fioness, I headed straight for the adventurer's guild. Uncle Lucas had told me where it was, and though I was a little nervous, I knew I could manage as long as I had Arya to guide me.
"You can do it, Daemon. Just focus on your goal," I whispered to myself as I approached the door.
Before I could open it, someone from the inside pushed it open, causing me to lose my balance and faceplant on the ground.
*Bursting laughter filled the room.*
"Kid, that's one hell of an entrance! Haha!" an old-looking man with a sword and shield on his back called out.
"This isn't the clown guild, boy. Why are you doing tricks on the floor? Haha!"
Everyone joined in with their mockery. I didn't mind it too much.
"Stop it, all of you! Is that how you treat guests and potential guild members? You're pathetic," a voice snapped.
I turned to see who had spoken while brushing the dust off my clothes.
It was a girl, and she didn't even glance my way. She was reading a piece of paper, but then she looked up, stared at me intensely, and looked away.
In the blink of an eye, the entire guild fell silent, and everyone returned to their business.
The girl stood up and motioned with her eyes for me to follow her.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"To help you register at the guild. What else? Or are you here to dance?"
I felt mocked, even more than when I tripped earlier. What was with this girl? She helped me without being asked, yet acted so bluntly. I sighed and followed her.
If I had to guess, she was probably my age or maybe one or two years older.
**- Notice: Your guess is correct. She is 17 years old. However, I suggest utilizing your skills to check basic information about people rather than guessing. -**
Oh, right. My bad.
**- Sigh. -**
Did Arya just sigh? Never mind.
We reached the guild's front desk, but it was empty. The girl entered the desk area, and that's when I realized she was the receptionist.
"I'm Lera. Welcome to the adventurer's guild. Please fill this out so we can proceed with your registration."
I filled out the form and handed it back to her.
"Thank you. Now, let's move on to the next stage of registration: the class opener."
"Okay, got it."
She smiled a little. I couldn't figure this girl out. Why was she smiling now? She was a little strange but kind.
"May I call you Daemon?" she asked, eagerly waiting for my response.
I didn't want to ruin my relationship with the guild. "Do as you please," I replied.
She smiled again, but this time, her smile was warm.