Family Dinner

I nodded as my father called out to me. He was like that – regal, elegant personality of his almost deceived you of sarcastic tone in his voice. He could convince you to do anything he wanted and you wouldn't even realize why you are doing it. I guess you needed that if you were a noble, ruling over a vast land and petty lords. Though he also was named Sword of the North, which is not just an empty title. Every noble in the region having an estate larger than two lands could participate in this ritual like competition. Where they fought in a tournament like setting and the winner was selected as the sword of the region. New sword would be chosen only when the old one dies, so you could not challenge a lord afterwards for the title.

Which meant he was an excellent swordmaster. With his calculating nature he was almost a model noble in this era. Mother was a daughter of Trisk house which were also amazing merchants by profession. It was a little problematic because tristia was not part of the west nation treaty. I had heard that they met in the royal academy of pridefall, and had a relationship then they married with some difficulties. She was a typical mother just 10x shrewd and 100x manipulative. A lady indeed ! She once convinced me to eat a broccoli type green vegetable saying that it was magic forest's secret plant and it let's user fly for 2 minutes in air if the user speaks only the truth that day. I ate all of it and was all day confused as to what was the lie I had said. She is definitely evil !!

Everyone was eating silently when Zhira the problem child said,

" I couldn't find you all morning Neff. Where were you playing !?? "

Here it comes, let me eat in peace will you? I am not a nuclear source of unlimited energy like you.

" Neff ! Don't make faces at your sister." Father chipped in.

" Yeah ! your face will become like that forever you know…." Mother started some new bullshit.

No. I don't know and I am never trusting anything coming out of your mouth again in my life.

" Library… " I only said one word. I always speak one-two words or simple sentences.

" What's so fun in the library? it's so dusty and all those books creep me out " Zhira said.

" It's not that bad a place. Many books have amazing stories of heroes. " Ruhak was what you would call a typical sucker for heroic stories.

" But she can't even read !! " Zhira said the word read like it was some gruesome disease.

I guess it was time for some explanation so I said,

" pictures "

" ohh you like pictures Neff? " asked grandma she was the most chill and harmless to talk to. So I nodded.

" Maybe she has acquired my exquisite artistic taste. " mother said with a face full of superiority and starry eyes. Like I had never seen her doglike horse painting hanging in her room.

" Of course " said father. I was not sure whether it was sarcastic or just acknowledgement of someone speaking.

" Father, when can we see her skills ? " asked Zhira with unrivaled enthusiasm.

Woah what was that ? that never came up before. I have to show it to someone ? I guess they were my family so sooner or later they would know.

" It's still early, maybe after half a year later " answered grandma instead of father.

" What..happens to me " I could not find the word for will. I was still lacking in my pronunciation and vocabulary too. I had to read books with my notes.

" Oh my ! it's nothing scary. Friend of father's will just look at your stats screen and translate it for us. and we will have a little gathering of friends at night. " said my mother.

" Everyone would be surprised after looking at her eyes !! " Said Ruhak sounding a little concerned. I guess he had some bad experiences here. And yeah I just learned the other day when a maid asked whether I could see clearly or not. I was so confused then after some time I realized that I had two different colored eyes, one red and one blue. What was it called again some heterochromia…. or something. But red eyes hmm ! that may look a bit scary to people I guess. I don't know if vampires exist in this world or not.

" It's fine ! eyes do not represent anything that we know so it's gonna be okay. " said father.

Ohhh he is trying to comfort everyone, almost everyone had confusing and bad expressions after looking at me so I knew it was something important to people. There were some hereditary magic in noble houses. Like Infractio house in Zemarin region, In which all their family member had red hair showing their great affinity with fire. And weird people from Purisrar who never left their island were all born with dark element affinity. People had all sorts of hair i had heard but i had only seen natural colored hairs yet that was on earth. Eyes were less distinctive. There was no known house that had any distinct type of eyes.

" Can't you take a quick peek at it father and tell us what it is? " Zhira said like I had no say in the matter.

" It's bad manners to look at someone's skill before the revealing ceremony. " said father with a stern face.

Yeah, tell them father. It's everyone's dream to surprise people with their awesome technique. And announce cool attacks with cool names !! Don't ruin people's dreams… !!

" Neff eat those pile of carrots that you have stacked on the side of your dish." mother said.

Sheesh nothing is hidden from her witch eyes. I picked one up and pretended to eat it. And asked father something I really wanted to know but I was afraid that it would seem odd to people, me asking such questions at such a young age. But I think I could be considered old enough to have curiosity about such things to my family. So I asked.

" Father, how can people level up? "

Everyone simultaneously stopped eating and looked at me like I had asked how to kill people and hide bodies. After a while father was the first to recover then everyone else imitated him.

" You know what levels are ? " father asked.

" Power ?? " I gave as vague of an answer as possible to sound like a kid. I did not expect them to have this kind of reaction. Isn't it pretty normal for people to level up ? every being had a stats screen I think even animals and high level monsters.

" Hm yes something like that you level up when all your stats are maxed except magicules." Father explained. Looks like he bought my kid play.

" how to …" I tried to ask. But grandma beat me to it.

" When you defeat a similar level or greater opponents or monsters you level up."

" Whoa granny I didn't know you could level up by defeating people!…. but I beat all those guys in training everyday why don't I level up? They must have a greater level right?" Zhira said as she opened her stats window for proof.

" Only if you challenge people for duels in a heavenly way then you can gain levels. You can only do that after gaining 7 levels. And also the opponent loses the level." father explained.

" Ughh….that's why I keep asking you all to let me go defeat some monsters !! " Zhira bellowed. I also agreed they wouldn't let us go out of the palace. Only Ruhak was allowed, and even he went with an entourage of at least 4 guards. I mean I get it. It's dangerous but that's exactly why we need to level up as soon as possible right??

" You can go when you are 8 years old. " Father repeated the same answer they had told us over and over. Zhira was 7 I think.

I was getting more answers than I could have found in books so I risked it and asked another question.

" How do you know what rank your skill is ? " I wanted to ask someone this so I was practicing phrasing it. I knew exactly how to say it.

Father, mother and granny looked at me. I guess kids didn't know about ranks. Did I step on a landmine ?

But then father said..

" it's written in your translation copy of stats reveal. "

Hmm but there is no information about skill rank in the stats screen. Did they use some special meaning to measure skills in the ceremony ?? but then I heard my father say….

" Neff, you will start study classes from tomorrow. "