[Eden]
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead! There’s no way I’m letting you be late for today!”
Rays of amber beamed into my eyes the second I opened my eyes. Do I really have to get up this early?
“Ughh… I’m awake! I’m awake!”
It was barely 5 a.m., and Mother’s already waking me up. I couldn’t blame her, though. It was supposed to be my big day, after all.
I headed to the bathroom to groom myself. With each step I took, the wooden floorboards creaked. Our small orphanage was no grandeur building, obviously, and probably closer to that of a cottage, but it’d held out long enough for as long as I remembered.
I got dressed for the day, and was ready to head downstairs. But before that, I took a quick peek at my siblings’ room.
“Aw, no goodbyes for me?” I kept it soft to avoid disrupting any of them from their sleep, but a small voice answered me.
“Eden… good.. luck.. be.. care…ful…”
Heh, she’s still half asleep yet awake enough to respond. You never cease to amaze me, Emilia. Emilia was the second oldest child here, and probably the only one old enough for me to actually converse with. Everyone else was significantly younger than me, except for her who’s only 2 years younger.
“Eden! You’re running late!” Mother called out from downstairs.
“Coming!” I was sure I was early, but what the hell.
I headed downstairs and went to the kitchen, where Mother Rosa was waiting for me, having prepared my breakfast. She was the caretaker of the orphanage, and our foster mother. She used to be a nun at the local church, and was still active in church regularly.
“I could’ve made breakfast myself, you know? I’m old enough to handle myself, so you won’t have to break your bones.” I gave her a little tease.
“Gee! Hadn’t anyone told you not to call a lady old? I’m only in my fifties, thank you very much. Preparing some breakfast won’t burden me in any way. Now, now, hurry up and eat or you’ll run late.”
“Yeah, suuure. I’m at least an hour early.”
“Well, just to be on the safe side. You don’t want to be late for your big day, do you?”
I smiled in defeat, then sat down and quickly ate my soup. Our orphanage was hardly self-sufficient, so potato stew for breakfast was all we could manage.
Whelp, not that I’m complaining.
After the brief meal, I cleaned my face and readied myself for the short journey to the city.
“Alright, I’ll be on my way now. Take care, Mother!”
“Be careful! Make sure to keep an eye out on your surroundings!”
Mother kept voicing her worries even as I left, but as I walked further and further away from the orphanage, her voice grew fainter and fainter until it could no longer be heard. A little further down the path, a horse carriage was waiting for me, along with a few other villagers. I assumed most of them had business in the city.
Beneath her sweet smile, I knew Mother didn’t want me to take this job. Still, I had a duty to do what I could for the orphanage. On that note, I jumped in the carriage heading to Vanadir.
Vanadir was as bustling as ever. Being the largest city in all of Magnolia, as well as its capital, it’s unsurprising that the city was full of activity. Hence, an equally intense security was needed. There were guards patrolling every now and then, and the city entrance even had a post where we had to be baggage-checked before entry was granted.
The orphanage was in a village two hours away by carriage from Vanadir. In that sense, it was still somewhat close, yet far enough that we rarely visited the city if there wasn’t anything of importance. Today, however, was different. It was my long-awaited first day of work.
There were no formal restrictions on age for working. However, the Raid Association only allows workers aged fifteen or above to participate. I supposed that this was to minimize the risk of losing lives.
I looked around as I strolled through the city. Houses and buildings lined up the brick lanes, with the occasional shops, markets, taverns, and other facilities. People of all sizes and ages, from the different cities and villages of the kingdom, gathered all around to do their own activities. Wandering around, I noticed a few children playing around the rocky streets, as carefree as ever.
If only…
I quickly pushed the thought aside. There was no point in delving deeper. As the saying goes, play the cards you’re dealt.
Soon enough, I reached the Raid Association Hall. Although it wasn’t as large or prestigious as the Royal Castles, it was still significantly larger than most of the buildings around the city. I momentarily wondered if the Raid Association was connected even more deeply with the Royal Family than I thought. It was supposed to be an independent association, after all.
As soon as I stepped inside, I could see large, muscular figures gathering around in the center of the wooden hall, which was filled with tables and chairs, yet spacious enough that the scene wasn’t at all crowded. Each of them is seemingly a strong fighter, carrying their own armor, weapons and other utilities. They were all none other than the Raid Association raiders.
But that wasn’t the world where I belonged.
I walked into the right side of the hall, where a different group of people gathered. These people were a lot older than I was. Despite the age difference, I could tell that there was something we had in common, and that was the fact that we were all weak. None of them had a great physique, nor proper equipment to face the enemies that lie in the depths. Judging from their appearances, I assumed that none of them could wield magic. Just like me. Having said that, we would play important roles in the raid, as scavengers.
I walked up to the better-suited man who seemed like he was in charge of administration, and showed my identification.
He gave me a judgemental look before proceeding to read out my identification. “Eden, age… fifteen. You’re here for the scavenger role?” I nodded my head in response.
“Well then, ready up. You can get your tools in the backroom. The raid will commence in half an hour, so do hurry.” As instructed, I made my way to the storage room and grabbed a large backpack filled with tools to harvest mana crystals. They usually consisted of pickaxes, torches, shovels, ropes, and those sorts.
A slight and brief worry came over my head as I grabbed a pickaxe, but I shrugged it off. Sure, this line of work was dangerous, but I had to remember what I came here for. To help mother, Emilia and the rest of the orphanage.
I took my backpack and went out of the backroom. Immediately, the lack of noise was discernible. Huh, it’s oddly silent now-
It was then when I saw the scene in front of me unfold. Rows of knights entered the hall, surrounding the two prominent figures inside the formation. Everyone was fixated at the scene unfolding in front of them. My heart started racing from the awe-striking event happening at the entrance. I knew that the association was affiliated with the Royal Palace, but still…. To think that my first raid would be with two royalties.
Allen and Alex. The second and third prince of Magnolia.
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