Chapter 247 – Sorcerer or Mage
“I want to buy three complete outfits for each of them. It shouldn’t be gaudy or unnecessarily eye-catching. Just some good quality clothes for everyday life.”
“Yes, sir.”
The woman turned toward the rest of the female employees.
“You heard him! Get to work!”
One employee came to each of the siblings to escort them toward the available clothes in the shop.
“I’m staying together with Orun.”
“Yes, miss.”
Erin and Orun were still holding hands since the older sister feared releasing him at any time. She was no different from a mother watching over her offspring. Once they were gone, the first woman, who was probably some sort of manager here, or maybe the owner, focused back on me. She stared at me from top to bottom, and I could see she wasn’t pleased with how I looked.
“Sir, what about you?”
“No need.”
“May I give you some suggestions to improve your appearance?”
This made me sigh.
“Do you think I wear these clothes because I lack money?”
“No. However, it’s important to wear clothes corresponding to your stature, sir. Let me help you with that.”
“You’re wrong. This sort of thing only applies to superficial folks who can’t see anything other than outside appearance. The really powerful ones can’t care less about something like this.”
This was something I had seen many times back in my world. Many transcendents liked going around while clothed barely better than tramps. And yet, no one ever dared to say anything about it. Real power indeed transcended physical appearance. Coupled with the fact that it was possible to hide one’s rank with enough effort, it was simply dumb to judge others by how they looked.
The woman wasn’t stupid enough not to understand I lightly insulted her. Her expression clouded again as she bit her lips in frustration. Eventually, she just left me with a snort to go manage the children’s outfits.
Once the initial rags were discarded and proper garments were put on the kids, the employees became a lot more enthusiastic. They kept putting new clothes on them before showing their changed look to me. The little ones felt awkward in the outfits they weren’t used to wearing but soon acclimated to the change. Children were known to be very adaptable in new situations. Erin was being a bit rebellious as usual, though.
“No dress!”
“What about this?”
“No skirt either! Give me those instead!”
“But, miss, those are for men.”
“That’s fine.”
I could hear her protests from where I was waiting. My role was simple. I just needed to act my best, adapting my words to each recipient.
“You look cool, Aren.”
“Beautiful, Erin.”
“Wow, Orun! You’re the cutest in the world!”
“Very manly, Aren.”
“You’re pretty, Erin.”
“Orun! Come and hug me, you adorable thing!”
And of course, my reactions ended up annoying Erin, who exploded after some time.
“Stop praising us no matter what we wear! You’re just too lazy to give a decent opinion, aren’t you?”
“Oh? You noticed?”
“Argh! And why are you praising Orun so much more than us?”
“Because he’s cute, not like you two.”
Her face was now all red as she trembled while clenching her fists. What a fiery character.
The children chose three sets of garments they liked, including underwear, and wore one set directly. The price was high, as expected. The total came out to be almost two golds, enough for a normal person to live for half a season.
As we walked on the streets, no one looked at the children weirdly anymore, which put them at ease.
“See? You’re now normal children, no different from any other. It just took a few hours, and you’re ready for your new life.”
“Thank you for the clothes, Tila.”
“Thank you!”
“Uselessly expensive stuff.”
Aren and Orun shared my enthusiasm a lot more than Erin, who was still pulling on her outfit from time to time. Back at the inn, even the owner was impressed by how much the kids had changed in such a short amount of time. He didn’t express anything but his look of approval said it all.
Once we were in their room, I gave each of them ten silvers.
“What’s that money for?”
“Emergency funds in case anything happens. Anyway, we’re done for today. You three should rest for now. I’ll come back tomorrow. Eat well, play well, and sleep well.”
Aren was the one to speak first.
“What are we doing tomorrow?”
“We're going to find two teachers for you. One for normal topics, one for magic.”
It was in times like these that I regretted the outer world didn’t have schools.
“Speaking of which, do you all want to become sorcerers? It’s not too late to change your mind now. I can find someone to teach you how to rank up as a mage. It shouldn’t be too hard since you’re all fire affinity.”
Erin nodded resolutely.
“Yes. I want to become a sorceress.”
Aren hesitated, though.
“I… I think I want to try becoming a mage.”
“Ren?”
His answer startled his older sister.
“Sorry, Rin. I couldn’t tell you because we had no other choice, but I’ve always wanted to be a mage, just like dad.”
Erin’s eyes shook.
“Ah… It’s fine. That’s good. You should do whatever you want.”
Aren smiled at the better answer than expected, while I focused on the last member in the room.
“What about you, Orun? Do you want to become a sorcerer or a mage?”
He lifted his hand cutely and shouted.
“I don’t know!”
“He’s too young to learn about magic, mister.”
I shook my head.
“Call me Tila. And no, he’s not. Orun, you’re four, right? It’s not uncommon for children to start learning from five years old.”
“Really? Five years old?”
“That’s right.”
“But he’s still one year too young.”
”Yes, but that’s not a big deal. No matter what, he’ll be at rank 0 for a few years, so he can always switch if he changes his mind. And most importantly, this way he can stay together with you two. I also want him to learn mundane topics together with you.”
“Together… Yes, that’s fine.”
I was starting to understand the kids better. Erin was fierce but easily swayed when topics related to her brothers were discussed, especially when they concerned Orun. Aren was slowly distancing himself from his sister’s influence to try to find his unique path in the world. As for Orun, despite being very easily distracted, I could see he was listening to everything we were saying. Since he would train from a young age, his potential would be even greater than his two older siblings.
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