Being a Part
'Mervin, this is the sorcerer.'
Said Shayla as she gestured for Wind to walk in.
Mervin nodded and said
'You may leave, Lady Shayla.'
Shayla placed the letter on Mervin's table and left while chuckling,
'Lady, he said...'
'Welcome, Mr. Wind. I hope you were not inconvenienced by anything during your short stay within our estate.'
Wind stared at the ogre's head while answering,
'No, I haven't.'
'Tell me, Mr. Wind, why have you applied to be the guard of one of our family members?'
'My master told me to do so.'
'I take it you are referring to Rising Blade?'
'Yes.'
'I see you're interested in the ogre's head. Have you ever faced one?'
'A couple.'
'Oh, you're experienced in fighting monsters as well?'
'Yes.'
'That is good. What other types of monsters have you faced before?'
'Birds, rabbits, and snakes.'
'Were you instructed to face them by your master?'
'He tasked me to survive in the forest.'
Mervin got annoyed by the short answers.
'May you elaborate on that task?'
'He told me to go to a forest, survive, and come back.'
'Then, what about the type of attacks you can do? What can you tell me about it?'
'I can defeat the enemies.'
'What do you achieve by defeating them?'
Wind stopped looking at the ogre and stared at Mervin for the first time since he entered.
'Survival. What else?'
Mervin nodded.
'Yes, of course. How stupid of me. Then, how about when facing humans? Do you also feel the same?'
'As far as I know, I lived. That was the task.'
'You've killed humans too?'
'Some would consider them to be that.'
'Interesting choice of words. Then, how about the smile you showed after defeating Gerald?'
'A smile?'
'The other guards said you were smiling after defeating Gerald.'
'I'm not following. Master told me to have more expressions. My face usually stays the same.'
'Were they imagining it, then?'
'How can I know? They saw, not me.'
Mervin started to laugh.
'Then, how about hiring you as one of my guards? I want to train with you.'
'Yes, I can be your guard. But I can't help with training.'
'Oh? Pray tell, what do you mean by that?'
'It will be troublesome.'
'I won't hire you if you're not going to help with my training.'
'Fine. I'll do it once a week.'
Mervin started to chuckle, understanding what Melissa meant about him wanting the job.
'Then, let's do this: you'll be hired as my dear sister's guard, but you'll train with me once a week.'
'Fine.'
'I hope during our training, you can speak more to give me pointers?'
'Don't expect much.'
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The next day, Wind was wearing leather armor with a tattered box insignia on it, sitting with closed eyes next to Gerald in the infirmary, with Melissa who just came in standing in front of them.
'Welcome, team! Today, we are joined by a new member: the sorcerer, Wind!'
She started clapping, but there was no response from the other two. Gerald didn't know how to deal with this guy who had come here two hours ago, sat down, and closed his eyes, while the lady he served burst in as if nothing unusual was happening.
'What a weak response. Gerald, show our new team member a thunderous clap!'
'Lady, I'd be clapping blood by then. The cuts left by him are small, but they can reopen with excessive movement.'
'What! How boring. We've got a strong sorcerer to join my convoy. Where's the enthusiasm?'
'Maybe if he defeats Kayla, we can say we have a strong member. Defeating me, even though it pains me, makes him pass the standard. There's a reason your brother assigned me to you, Lady...'
Melissa's cheerfulness transformed into a stern expression, and she said,
'Don't ever look down on yourself.'
Then, she returned to her prior demeanor.
'Well, then, how about we go eat? And by "we," I mean me and Wind will get food in the food court, while you'll get your food brought to you by the maids.'
Gerald nodded, relieved to exit this awkward situation. However, Wind's eyes were still closed...