Chapter 98: Strange Encounter

"So, how was class?" I asked Killian.

The two had been quite beaten after today. Must've been a tough schedule.

"Tough, as always…" He answered. "But it was fun as usual!"

"Yeah! Especially mana class!"

"Don't remind me…" Killian murmured.

"What happened in mana class?" I asked, curious and concerned.

"Killian couldn't focus! He was having trouble exerting mana," Kiara answered.

He looked down in shame as his face turned a soft hue of red. It was obvious he was more of a hand-to-hand fighter than a mage. Yet, Vincent insisted on having him take magic classes alongside his speciality.

The two held onto my hands as we walked through the crowded streets of the capital, trying to not lose each other as we made it to the palace.

In the crowds, I noticed someone familiar walking the other way. They wore a priest's robe and looked awfully familiar.

"Can you two go on your own from here?" I stopped and asked them. "Just continue going straight,"

"You got it," Killian said confidently.

He was old enough to walk the streets on his own, I was confident that he could take care of his sister.

"Right, head your own way then," I told him before letting go of their hands.

I lost them in the crowds as I turned left and tried to catch up to the familiar man. He was long gone but his outfit stood out more than the rest.

There was something I was meaning to ask. The priest must be Sven.

He was walking the route towards the cathedral. Must've gone out for a walk after a long day.

I crossed the road and finally caught up. He was clear of any crowds too. Lucky for me.

"Priest! Priest!" I called him. "Wait for me!"

The young priest turned around, looking puzzled and surprised.

"S-Sir Felix!" He gasped. "What a surprise!"

He stopped for me to catch up to him. His clothes were striking, especially the amulet that he wore around his neck. It dangled below his chest, made of gold with a ruby in the middle.

"I'm glad I found you," I said while catching my breath.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Not at all," I reassured. "There was something in my mind lately,"

"Come to the cathedral with me," He smiled at me. "We can talk there,"

"Good idea,"

He began to walk away while I followed behind. I realised by then that he was quite short. It was obvious he was young but to be this short as well?

The cathedral was not far away either. The tall and thin gable roofs were visible from the other end of the city. It always amazes people to see such creations of architecture.

We spoke no words till we reached the cathedral. As we walked down the pathway, my eyes caught the sight of the burial ground to my right. The infamous weeping willow blossomed in a bright green colour and the two gravestones below were sparkling.

An elegant door stood before us. Two guards noticed us and pushed it open. The hinges creaked as it widened inwards towards the cathedral.

"It's quite empty today. Would you like to talk in the hall or do you wish for more privacy?" Sven asked as we walked in.

"Here is fine, I suppose,"

The atmosphere… I couldn't remember the last time I entered the cathedral. Only natural light shined through the clerestory windows. They were coloured in a chaotic array, trying to express some sort of uniqueness.

Tall and mighty pillars went up to the roof to keep support. Made of marble and kept clean, as they should be.

"Speak your mind, Sir Felix," The priest stopped at the altar and arranged a few artifacts.

"I wanted to learn about the possibility of… other life," I asked, straight to the point.

"Other life?" He seemed confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The possibility of other races,"

"Hmm, let me think…" He said as he looked up. "As far as I remember, there were no mentions of it from any of the old tales,"

"Not even from the primordial codex?" I raised a brow. "There were no mentions of any other race?"

"Not at all," He turned around with two silver goblets. "There were no mentions of other races,"

"What about the evolution of the races?"

"There is a mention of evolution," He said while holding one of the goblets forward.

It was filled with wine. I grasped it with both my hands and looked down at it. Red wine must've been aged for at least ten years.

"Us humans were once much bigger creatures," He began to explain. "Our average height right now is nothing compared to what we used to be. We used to be larger than trees,"

"What happened that made us grow smaller then?" I asked before taking a small sip.

"Evolution happened. We were once thought to be large because we had to pick food from trees," He paused to take a sip.

"After we learnt to farm, it was not necessary anymore to grab fruits from trees. Slowly we began to decrease in size. This was the beginning of our race,"

"What about the others?" Dark elves? Forest elves?"

"They were creatures that came after us,"

"How come?"

"God made them for balance. Forest elves are known for natural beauty, dark elves are known for their tough bodies and beasts are known to symbolise the treaty between humans and animals,"

Sven was diving deep into the history of the world. The more I listened to him, the more I began to be enticed by his story.

There were still so many questions, yet I couldn't make them into proper sentences. There were just too many.

"How did the beast folks come?" I finally asked after a long pause.

"At first they were like us humans. We call them primates. Primates and humans could… for lack of better words, mate together and create offsprings. Thus came the first beast folks,"

"That's… interesting," I tried to make the situation less awkward. "Then how did beast folks such as wolves and bears come to be?"

"Biology between humans and animals became more and more complex as time went on," He sighed. "The half human half primates could mate with other creatures. Slowly but surely, it grew to be more than just creatures that closely resemble us, humans,"

"History is quite messed up…"

"That is why we have beast folks such as wolves who can go feral, embracing their other side and becoming something that is not human,"

"I see," I chuckled softly. "I think a question has been answered then,"

"I'm glad to assist you in any way!" He smiled and finished his wine.

"Though there is something that's bothering me still,"

"Speak and I will try to answer to the best of my ability,"

"What is the possibility of another world, besides the continent of Morroin,"

"I… cannot answer that with confidence," His face turned worrisome.

A small smirk broke from my lips seeing the young priest become nervous. He must be hiding something behind his priest's robes and amulet.

KATHLYN'S POV

The day was going as lazily as the rest of the days. After receiving the letter, I was filled with anxiety for the next day. I couldn't think straight. But Artorius' words kept me from breaking down.

So far only two dozen customers have come in. I stood at the counter while looking at my ledger. Sales seem to be average, as usual.

Nothing has changed for the past few weeks, until now. The increase in tourists arriving should bring in more customers. But I doubt anyone will be interested in a florist store.

As I bent down and propped my head on my hand, The bell on the door rang as it opened. I panicked and stood back up, holding my proper posture.

"Welcome! Please take your time to browse the store!" I greeted the customer before looking at them.

My eyes shot towards the door to see who the customer was. Perhaps a customer I've seen before or someone new.

"Um… I'm actually here for work," The potential customer spoke softly.

I looked at who it was. Her hair was dashing and beautiful. As green as the forest and straighter than an arrow. But her clothes were… stained and spotted with dirt. Obviously, it should be white but looked much darker, nearly grey.

"Work? That's quite surprising!" I said, concerned and curious.

I walked around the counter to see her at a closer distance. She must have had a tough week. Her face was doll-like and innocent but her clothes spoke another story. Just who is she?

As I walked towards her, she looked down and avoided eye contact. It made her look much smaller than me even though we should be similar in height.

"I-I can help keep the store clean for a few golds. I can also water the plants every day," She muttered while grabbing onto her arm and stroking it.

"How much do you wish to be paid?" I asked her, hoping to be more specific.

"Even five gold coins a week would do…"

Was she trying to be humble or is she that desperate?

"T-that's too low!" I exclaimed. "There's no way I'm paying that low!"

"W-well, what about seven per week?"

"Hold on, let's start over," I shake my head and sigh. "I haven't even learned your name yet.

"Oh, forgive me," She raised her head. "I haven't introduced myself.

She looked up for once and made eye contact. Her face, though it was doll-like, had dirt and grime. As if she hadn't washed for days. Speaking of which, I didn't notice an unpleasant scent from her at first.

Seeing her condition, I could conclude what kind of life she had led. I could use some extra hands nowadays.

"So, tell me your name and we can start," I smiled at her to reassure her.

"Serenity, that's what I go by anyways,"

"No surnames?"

"Mother never called me anything other than Serenity. She used to call me her serenity,"

That… took a dark turn.

"Ah... I see…" I whispered. "Well, Serenity. Do you have any special talents that can help me?"

"I don't have any,"

"Is there anything you are specifically bad at?"

"I haven't found any weakness yet,"

"Great! But first, I need to prepare you for work,"

I grabbed her hand and pulled her away. She wouldn't do any good in such clothes. I'll have to clean her up.

She followed me without hesitation. I let go of her arm and motion her to follow behind me.

"Consider yourself hired," I told her. "Do you have a place to live?"

"No, not yet," She whispered. "I've begged for a few coins, I stayed in an inn for some time,"

"I have an extra room, perhaps you can stay with me then,"

I opened the wardrobe where I kept all my dresses, moving away and smiling back at her.

"Pick any dress from here. You can't be working with those clothes,"

Not even a smile from her. She stared at the dresses blankly before slowly pointing at the dress in the middle.

"That one," She said, sounding unsure.

She was pointing at a simple white chemise. It would be much better than her current one, but it wouldn't look right.

"Pick a kirtle," I urged her. "A simple white chemise won't be enough,"

Her eyes stayed as dreary as ever. Not lighting up even though I've given her an opportunity she cannot miss.

She stared at my closet again, examining the kirtles I folded the day before. Her eyes darted around which pile to pick from.

"That one," She pointed. "The brown one,"

"Great!" I exclaimed with contentment. "Take a bath and get dressed, we have work to do today!"

Without a word exchanged, she slowly walked out of the room, dragging her feet across the floor. I took the clothes out and started folding them for her.

The bath was already set. Before she came, I was thinking of going myself. But there was nothing I could do now.

She has no home nor does she have money. She must've had a rough upbringing. But I'm glad she reached out to me for help.

Her body was scarily skinny. She must've not eaten anything in days, nor drank anything either.

I finished folding the clothes and kept them neatly on the bed, hoping she would come and find them. Before she gets out, I should cook her something.