When Roy came back to the watermill that evening, he placed the warm meat skewer at the storehouse’s doorstep and knocked on the door before going back into the living room. Roy mentioned Vivien to Hank and Mana, and the couple held Vivien in the same regard as Tross did. He then tried to ask why their daughter hadn’t been sent to the House of Cardell to receive an education.

Toya was a young girl, and being differently abled placed her in the minority. The House of Cardell might’ve taken her in, so Roy didn’t understand why she hadn’t been sent there. The couple told him they couldn’t afford the fees, and they didn’t think Toya was much of a learner.

Ah, so they’re really that kind of scum. Roy spoke no further on the matter and hastily finished his dinner. When he went back to his room, he saw a rare guest waiting for him.

The oil lamp on the wall illuminated her petite figure. She was standing at the doorstep, her hunched back facing him, her shoulders lopsided. She was carefully wiping a handful of blueberries before placing them on the barrel outside. The girl heaved a sigh of relief once she was done, and she turned to go back to the storehouse. But then she saw Roy.

Toya was stupefied, her happy smile frozen. She stared down nervously, and she trembled —  but she didn’t run.

“Don’t worry, Toya. I mean you no harm.” Roy attempted to put on his best smile, and he stayed ten feet away instead of going up to her. “I just want to say thank you for the fruits. They’re delicious.”

“You…” Toya kept silent for a few moments, then she took a deep breath, resolving herself. “Y-You aren’t scared of me?” she stuttered. Toya’s voice was silvery and childlike, but also nervous.

“Why do you ask?” Roy stared into her eyes. “I don’t think you’re any different from any other girl.”

Toya forgot to breathe for a moment, and her heart skipped a beat. Nobody had ever told her that. Not even her father. She’d longed for someone to say she was just an ordinary girl instead of a freak, and tears welled up when her wish was finally fulfilled. 

Roy continued. “Those uneducated rascals do nothing but spread mischief and misery, whereas you’re already taking care of the livestock, poultry, garden, and fields. You’re self-sufficient. Toya, you’re a remarkable girl.” Roy smiled almost too enthusiastically. “I think a proper introduction is in order. I’m Roy, and I’m about the same age as you. My dad’s a peasant in Lower Posada, and it’s only been a short while since I came to Aldersberg. Toya, since you returned my gifts with your own over the last few days, then that makes us friends.”

“Friends?” Toya thought friends were things she could never get. She used to have friends when she was younger, but once her back started getting hunched, her friends avoided her like the plague. She couldn’t even remember their faces. All she could remember was how everyone looked when they were cursing her.

She wouldn’t even dream about having friends. Toya started spacing out, looking as if she was at a loss. But then she started easing up and letting her guard down.

“Why don’t we find someplace else to chat? Don’t worry. It’s just a normal conversation —  something along the lines of what you had for lunch.” 

Roy looked around them. The moon had shone on the vacant land he practiced on every night. Ripples spread across the pond as the night breeze blew across it, the moon’s silvery light shrouding it.

***

Roy heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the girl sitting on his left. He’d thought she would have run away. He’d never come into contact with a sensitive girl like her, and he was worried he might strike a nerve. This is a step in the right direction.

Toya obviously wasn’t used to the situation. She was staring down, her fingers interlocked. She didn’t look at the boy beside her, nor did she look at her reflection in the pond, worried she might see a monster staring back at her. 

“Relax, Toya. Hey, have you ever seen a magic trick before?”

“No. And what’s a magic trick?” she asked carefully.

“It’s a trick. You know how tricks work, don’t you? I can show you one. Look closely.” Toya was surprised that Roy was being so imperious, and she looked at him reflexively. “Don’t blink now.” Roy extended his right hand, showed her his palm, then the back of his hand. Then he rolled his wrist once, twice, and thrice…

Toya counted silently, and then her jaw dropped slightly, her eyes widening in shock as a beautiful card appeared out of thin air into Roy’s palm. The card featured a redhead in a red dress. She radiated the beauty of a blazing flame, an air of mystery surrounding her.

Roy rotated his wrist again, and a few turns later, the card disappeared into thin air.

“H-how did you do it, Roy?” Toya’s attention had been grabbed. It was a basic trick, but she’d never left Aldersberg since the day she was born, much less seen a trick. “Where did you hide the card?”

“A magician never reveals his secret. Take a guess,” Roy said. Toya held her chin, letting her hair tumble down as she immersed herself in her thoughts, forgetting her unease and fear.

And then Roy came to sit one foot away from her, interrupting her thoughts. Toya froze, cold sweat pouring down a face that had all its color drained. Her heart thumped in her chest, but not from diffidence. Rather, it was from fear and anxiety. Her long years of being abused made her fearful of those who approached her. She’d think they were there to torture, curse, or abuse her.

“Sorry for scaring you.” Roy gave her an apologetic look, and he showed her his palms before moving backward until Toya regained a bit of composure. “I was just trying to take the card.” He pointed at her white apron. “Believe it or not, Toya, that card is lying in your pocket right now.”

Toya searched her pocket with hesitancy, then she pulled out a card — the same one Roy had shown her. It was a shame she was illiterate. She didn’t know the name of the lady on the card, but she fell into a trance looking at the lifelike, beautiful, sexy woman, a hint of envy gleaming in her eyes.

“Interesting, don’t you think?” Roy asked. “You may take the card.”

“Why?” Toya was perplexed. She was already surprised Roy would give her herbs and food. “I can’t take this. It must have cost a lot.”

“It’s just an ordinary Gwent card,” Roy answered honestly. “Most innkeepers sell them. You can give me some fruits tomorrow if you think this is too expensive a gift.”

Toya held the card, looking reluctant. A long while later, she said, “Fine then.” She kept the card in her pocket carefully. “Who’s the lady?”

“Sabrina Glevissig. A sorceress in Ard Carraigh, Kaedwen’s capital city.”

“A sorceress?”

“You’ll understand that in time, trust me. Let’s talk about something else.” Roy sat beside her, and this time, Toya didn’t start seizing. She swung her legs like Roy was doing, perhaps to ease herself.

Two young passengers boarded the moon in the lake.

“What do you do around the mill?” Roy asked.

“I have to feed the pigs, clean the place, and de-weed the fields. And that’s on top of what you’d mentioned before*.”

PR/N: About her already taking care of the livestock, poultry, garden, and fields.

Roy sighed. “So young, to be bearing so many burdens.” Most girls her age would either be married or helping out their families, but none were having it as hard as her. “Do you have any hobbies? Painting, singing, dancing, or Gwent?”

“I don’t know how Gwent is played, so singing, probably? But I don’t really do it. Mana always scolds me. Says my singing is as bad as the roosters who crow every morning. Everyone laughs at me too.”

“Don’t listen to them. Your voice is perfect for singing,” Roy said, praising from the bottom of his heart. “You could have sung in theaters if you went to any other city. It’s quite late now, but if we have time, may I have the honor of hearing you sing?”

***

They talked about their lives. Roy was mostly doing the talking and asking, while Toya listened quietly, interjecting at times. Her answers were short and slow, but Roy managed to glean some useful information.

She hadn’t been born a hunchback. The symptoms had started eight years ago, and they’d worsened. Her mother had died five years ago because she’d worried too much about Toya, and then her stepmother — the fat, harsh Mana — had come. Since then, Toya’s life was nothing but endless labor, and her own father started becoming distant.

***

Roy could feel the fear and helplessness in her answers, while Toya noticed that Roy’s eyes were devoid of her father’s disappointment and disdain, as well as her stepmother’s hatred. They didn’t contain any of the discrimination the children and residents had against her either. Instead, they were filled with patience and understanding. She felt something she hadn’t in a long time — respect.

That was the first time Toya had the desire to tell someone everything since her mother’s demise, but that night was not the night for it. The moon climbed higher, and it’d been an hour since they’d started talking. 

“Do you really… Do you really want to be my friend, Roy?” She dusted her dress off and stood, the shining moon illuminating her hunched back and lopsided shoulders clearly.

“You got one thing wrong.” Roy smiled. “We are already friends.”

“Can I talk to you tomorrow too?”

“Of course. As long as I come back here, you’re welcome to talk.”

Toya heaved a sigh of relief and limped back to the ramshackle storehouse. Roy saw her off.

‘Toya

Gender: Female

Age: Thirteen years and ten months

Status: Civilian

HP: 30 ↓ (Mana corruption)*

Mana: 120 ↑ (Mana corruption)

Strength: 3

Dexterity: 4

Constitution: 3 ↓ (Mana corruption)

Perception: 6

Will: 6

Charisma: 4

Spirit: 12 ↑ (Mana corruption)

Skill:

Source (Passive): Has awakened the power to sense chaos energy. Now a magic-sensitive human. Loved by the elements of earth, fire, water, and air. Absorbs mana automatically at all times. Can control mana and release spells after receiving professional and systematic training, performing feats most people couldn’t.’

PR/N: Her stats are affected by the mana corruption, hence the arrows. The mana corruption increases her mana and spirit, but decreases her HP and constitution.

***

Roy was reminded of what Letho had told him during the meditation lesson. If a magic-sensitive human were to awaken —  but not be sent to a school for sorcerers to undergo training and tame the elemental energy within them —  they would go insane from the rampaging mana. Worse, they might be transformed into a misshapen monster because of the uncontrollable mana.

Obviously, Toya, the daughter of Hank, was one of the unlucky ones. She was given the gift of magic, but didn’t know how to rein it in. Her misshapen body was, without a doubt, the effect of the uncontrollable mana within her. She would die much earlier than most if left untreated. 

Roy had helped her out of sympathy in the beginning, but now, he started coming up with a plan after he’d found out what Toya was. He might not have had the disposition of a sorcerer, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t befriend a future sorceress. It was an investment of sorts for him. Can’t be a witcher without a few spellweaving friends.