Published at 16th of February 2024 2:23 pm

Chapter 2.29 Life Waits For None

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The urchin gang leaders brought twenty young children instead of the requested ten. The youngest had seen two summers at most, while the oldest proudly held up eight or nine fingers when Nox asked them about their age. Beyond the noticed rashes, they had a variety of other ailments, and Nox tended to them all.

Kishan and Aisha assisted. Only the former of the pair displayed any displeasure or disgust. He treated their patients coldly and employed a rough touch. More than one little one sprinted back to their teenage chaperones, sobbing or holding back tears once done.

Meanwhile, Aisha displayed incredible patience and delicateness when dealing with the little ones. She distracted them with treats, little anecdotes, or jokes. Her patients appeared to enjoy her company, and she often had to usher them away to start on the next person in line. Nox couldn’t help but feel impressed and felt her work in the cosmetics workshop was wasted. Once things stabilized, he planned on reexamining the brewing schedules and plans. He believed Aisha would perform well working on medical brews.

It took them a little over two hours to get through all twenty children. Nox gave the only two willing teenage chaperones checkups, too. The girl in the pair was surprised to learn of her pregnancy and broke down in tears. Nox didn’t know how to react and was glad when Aisha took over for him and comforted the girl. She stayed behind while the remaining chaperones departed with the little ones.

“She can stay the night if you think it necessary,” Nox told Aisha after taking her aside. “The girl is your responsibility, though. Keep her out of the workshops and all storerooms.”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied before ushering the girl away for a bath and warm meal.

It felt good to help, but Nox worried he’d taken on too big a responsibility. He needed to ensure multiple gangs didn’t attempt to take advantage of his generosity. There would likely be more pregnant teenagers among them. Nox didn’t want to turn them away but also wondered how much he wanted and was expected to do.

Before heading upstairs, Nox and Kishan took inventory, and he crosschecked the records with the day’s sales. The numbers hadn’t noticeably dipped yet, leaving him to wonder whether his concerns were unfounded. Everyone expected alchemists and arcane researchers to work with dangerous products and entities. As long as the people with deep pockets continued purchasing his product, Nox didn’t care what people thought of him. His primary concerns involved the business’ reputation and not his.

When Nox finished work and ascended the stairs to the first floor, he was surprised to find Aria and Aisha doting on the pregnant teenager together. The noblewoman pulled away from the pair when she saw Nox and approached him smiling. When she hugged him, Nox didn’t essentially feel a romantic draw but a comfortable warmth. Carnal hunger soon followed as Aria’s scent filled his nostrils.

“What are you still doing here?” Nox asked after they retreated to the top floor.

“It looked like you were having a hard day,” she replied. “I thought you might want some company to end it.”

“Don’t you have classes in the morning?”

“I wasn’t going to spend two nights in a row with you!” Aria feigned offense. “Although, if I did, we could eat an early breakfast, and then you could put me on a carriage back to campus by the eighth bell. I’m sure I can squeeze in a hot bath before my first class of the day. Should we eat dinner?”

“Lets.” He craned his head through the doorway into the lounge. A comfortable silence hung over the floor. “Is no one else here?”

“Alexander and Caitlin had dinner plans with their grandmother.” Aria paused, delicate eyebrows furrowing. “Or was it grand aunt?” She shrugged. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. Pudge ended up spending all day here, playing with the cats and drinking with Lillin. They went out an hour ago looking for a tavern with loud music. I told them their chances were slim since it was Seventhday evening, but I don’t think they cared.”

Nox chuckled. “They don’t. Only the mead matters to them. They’ll prioritize a place with a decent roast over music.”

Jenny Tanner had finished her work on the second floor, giving the couple privacy. It was Leanna Tanner’s day off, and as a result, they had to prepare their own meal. Aria volunteered, displaying better cooking skills than expected.

“You’re different from what I expected,” Nox commented, watching her work.

“In what way?” She asked.

Nox hesitated. He had made an error and spoken without thinking. “I’m afraid I can’t explain my thoughts accurately without talking about Annabelle. Would that be an issue?”

“Oh my. Are we going to make a comparison?” Aria appeared amused, but her eyes narrowed. “Tread carefully—actually, no. Don’t hold back. Just note that I might not want to spend the night anymore if I don’t like what I hear.”

“It’s nothing bad. Honestly, I’ve only been with hunters, mages, and aether-warriors in training before, and your air is different. Annabelle knew how to get along with people, but now that I look back, it’s clear that she only interacted with individuals of her rank or service staff before. She was nice and put a lot of effort into not letting her house name affect her behavior. Spending time with me, my friends and living like us almost came across as an act of rebellion. The same is not true for you. You’re a lot more natural at this.” Nox nodded at her, butchering a whole chicken. Leanna had feathered and cleaned the bird before storing it in the kitchen’s enchanted cold box. “It’s nice that you don’t mind getting your hands dirty either.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I can’t believe I’m about to have to defend your former lover.” Aria sighed. “But it's not Annabelle’s fault. In fact, this will be the case for most noblewomen. They’re kept in an isolated bubble of only their peers, learning nothing but their house’s trade, economics, politics, magic, and whatever else they need to survive as a member of the nobility.

“Things are different in my father’s barony. Regardless of gender, we’re taught to help in the orchards and kitchens from an early age. I grew up playing with the stable boys and kitchen maids. I grew up getting my hands dirty instead of just focusing on the courtly ways. The barony is so isolated I barely had any peers of the same rank. You’ll find more houses like ours further north or along the Imperium’s border, but they’re few and far between.”

“Things probably wouldn’t be too different for me if I weren’t removed from the Mercer Palace,” Nox commented. “My aunt insisted on a more humble upbringing.”

Much to Nox’s relief, they moved on from the topic not long after. His comparison included their physical features, and even though Aria came out on top, he doubted the conversation would’ve ended pleasantly. Years of combat training had made Annabelle’s body hard and muscled. It was the same for almost all of Nox’s previous partners. Aria had a softer body in comparison. He enjoyed how fat in all of the correct places gave her an almost hourglass shape. Nox felt a pang of guilt for even thinking about the difference but soon forgot about it as he got to know Aria in a more one-on-one setting that didn’t involve sex.

Things weren’t as urgent and romantic as with Annabelle—perhaps it was too soon for that. Instead, comfortable felt like the best descriptor for what Nox felt. Nox and Aria’s situation was like a frank, platonic relationship that had a high chance of ending with a roll in the hay. It wasn’t the goal of the interaction, but a nice bonus at the end of the evening.

The following morning, Nox and Aria had breakfast at Seventh Bell before parting ways. They made plans to meet and spend time together outside of balls, soirees, and social events. She hadn’t felt a romantic draw yet either, but she still enjoyed her time with him. Nox didn’t know whether their relationship counted as one of convenience and convinced himself not to give it much thought.

Advanced Dungeon Combat excited Nox not just because it allowed him to test his growing power against live opponents but also because he got to witness two schools of magic that intrigued him. Summoners and warlocks intrigued Nox because of how walking such paths could help him overcome his natural range limitations. His small mana zone would still limit the size, and often the power of most summoned companions, but anything that improved his chances was a bonus. For now, relying on Ratra’s Bow and his companions would have to do.

If Nox thought about it, technically, he was also a warlock. Lillin wasn’t as powerful an entity as most pact partners, but he enjoyed moderate benefits. Growth bursts for completing contracted tasks appeared common for most warlocks. They almost always gained physical or arcane benefits whenever their patron grew in strength. Nox also benefited from a mild empathic link to Lillin, which appeared to gain power or weaken almost at random.

As he sat against Ygg’s trunk regenerating mana, he watched Alexander and Joey double-teaming their opponent. They lacked teamwork and communication but still made for an effective duo. The squirrels distracted, tripped, and annoyed the wolf-centaur while Joey looked for openings.

Djinn Fire appeared more powerful and versatile than Joey initially articulated. Initially, he only turned it into frostfire and attempted locking down Professor Wolfheart’s summon with tripping hazards and ice cages. At one point, he tried encasing the head in an ice block, but the creature inhaled the magic and then sprayed the surrounding squirrels in frost-lightning breath, destroying all but the electric-charged and largest specimens.

An odd phenomenon caught Nox’s eye as the wolf-centaur cornered Joey. It raised its one-handed hammer high above its head, and lightning surrounded the weapon as the summoned beast prepared for a swing. The obviously panicked warlock unleashed raw djinn fire while his floating spear head shot at the creature’s face.

The kite shield successfully blocked the glass projectile. Meanwhile, the djinn fire washed over the lightning-bathed hammer. The two magics combined and transformed. The orange djinn fire adopted an electric blue hue and crackled with energy. The arcane mass then transformed into a mass of spearheads bathed in lightning. They mirrored their glass counterpart’s movements, attacking the wolf-centaur simultaneously.

It took Joey a moment to recover and retreat. His expression betrayed his surprise. Nox guessed the warlock hadn’t expected the reaction either. Initially, basic Djinn Fire came across as arcane fire that reacted to available essences. The physical manifestations proved Nox’s hypothesis false. The spearheads didn’t dematerialize. Instead, some remained embedded in the wolf centaur’s face, while the rest fell to the ground and remained even after the spar ended.

“I’m sorry,” Joey said as he and Alexander joined Nox by the tree trunk. “I was a novice less than a month ago.”

“And you suddenly have the power of a journeyman mage.” Nox placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “We get it. You don’t need to apologize. Alexander and I are both discovering and developing unexplored areas of magic.”

“That’s right. I’m developing the weakest summons into potent combat assistants.” Alexander petted the squirrels piling into his lap. “Meanwhile, Nox is an arcane pioneer. As far as we can tell, magic like this doesn’t exist. He is working with and creating the unknown. Have you found any decent journals or textbooks discussing Djinn Fire?”

Joey sighed. “The only recounts are from the perspective of people on the receiving end. It sounds random and chaotic.” He lowered his volume as he continued. “My patron isn’t always helpful either. He’s given me power and expects me to figure out its uses. It's a lot of trial and error.”

“I suppose that’s the benefit of auditing the advanced class,” Nox said. “You get to learn with people like us. Do you have a delving party yet?”

No.” Joey shook his head. “I’ve been rotating through a lot of groups.” He appeared embarrassed as he continued. “I think Kri—Professor Kris wants me to join yours eventually.”

Nox and Alexander smiled as they exchanged a quick glance. “We guessed as much. The party will happily welcome you once you make it to our rank. You’ve got great combat instinct, and you’ve improved more since the last Thirday than most make over an entire month.”

The trio sat in silence for several minutes as they circulated their mana and focused on recovery. It was Joey who broke the silence. “I heard about what you’re doing with the street kids. It’s nice.”

“How?” Nox raised an eyebrow. “Are people already talking about it?”

“You forget I was one of them until Professor Kris’ sponsorship.” Joey chuckled.

An unexpected presence joined the group before they could contain their conversation. It was Harin, the leader of the third party in Advanced Dungeon Combat. He and his party spent over a hundred gold at Allen’s counter on the Sixth Day passed.

“Nox Ratra. Can we talk?”

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