Padraic and I finally made it back to my house. We didn’t even make it to the front door before Cerila came skipping out to greet us. Her mood has done a full 180 in just an hour and a half.

She signed.

We both signed good morning and I went to walk inside but Cerila stopped me,

She asked me concern evident on her face.

Well, I do feel a little off today but I’m chalking that up to the wild ride I just went on at the Whitehelm residence.

I signed back.

Apparently, that was a wrong answer as Cerila puffed her cheeks out and began pouting. What’s with everyone today? Must be something in the air.

“Are you starting where we left off yesterday, oh wonderful teacher?” Padraic asked me.

I signed to him. “You really need to keep up on your Sign Language,” I scolded him slightly.

Padraic signed while flapping his hand like a bird.

Padraic has taken to math quickly. Even though he and Cerila were around the same in mathematics before I started teaching them, now that isn’t the case. Padraic has even begun to take his first steps into multiplication and division, which for someone in this world was a big deal. Most people could only count with their fingers or utilize the most basic concepts of arithmetic, let alone do it correctly.

Padraic is far beyond this. He can add and subtract large numbers easily and consistently with almost no mistakes. And it probably won’t be long for his division and multiplication to reach similar levels. Eventually, I don’t know what else to teach him in regards to math. I have no idea how far mathematics has reached in this world and I don’t want to be the Elf that discovers Pythagorean theorem or physics. Heh, but the Shadowheart theorem sounds pretty cool. Sounds more like an ancient spell than a math theorem.

I’ve gone to great lengths to make sure nobody can fault me for knowing this much math. I had Grandpa spend 3 long agonizing months “teaching” me math after all. Normally the old man has a very hands-off approach to teaching, so I feel a tinge of regret for making him sit through those lessons with me. But it has paid off, now nobody questions my math skills.

And as for my other student, well let’s just say, math isn’t her strong suit. But what she lacks in the mathematics department she more than makes up for in the language arts. Not only did Cerila learn Sign Language far faster than anyone, but she also quickly rose to my level in Elvish as well. I’m legitimately running out of things to teach her in regards to languages. Perhaps I’ll just have to switch gears and have her focus on math. Padraic is currently struggling in the finer points of Elvish so I can just have him focus on that for a bit, he also needs more practice in Sign Language as well.

My overall goal for teaching these two is to have them be completely fluent in Elvish and Sign Language to the point they could both teach someone. I also want them to achieve perfect execution over arithmetic. If these two could get to that level… I estimate it would probably place them in the top 10% in this world. This kind of knowledge tends to be reserved for only the rich and powerful, so getting a bunch of country bumpkins to that level would be unheard of.

I went upstairs to gather my material. Sadly, since paper is a luxury and parchment is expensive I’ve had to use what’s at hand as efficiently as possible. I’ve spent a lot of silver that I’ve made off hunting on parchment and ink. I nabbed everything including both my books and headed downstairs to my friends.

Mom has still continued to work and isn’t home till nearly dinner time, I guess she has just decided to trust that Cerila and I wouldn’t burn the house down. Dad is here when he isn’t out hunting with his team but right now I think he is out and about.

I slapped down the material for today’s lessons on the dinner table. I handed Cerila a brown sack and Padraic some sheets of parchment and a few books I borrowed from Grandpa. The sack contained various blocks for counting and even some fake coins I made out of earth magic. However, my greatest accomplishment was recreating an Abacus!

An Abacus is one of Earth’s oldest counting tools and this world actually has a similar version that the High Elves created. The High Elf version was very fancy and was well crafted. Unfortunately, it was also extremely expensive, it cost nearly 3 gold coins at the market. So I opted to create my own using earth magic. I’m still unfamiliar with the economy of this world and haven’t had time to delve into it yet but that is next up on my list for sure. But I do know that 3 gold coins are a ridiculous amount for a piece of wood with sliding discs on it.

As for the parchment, well I’ve done my best to write down as much as possible in regards to Sign Language and Elvish. Also for writing you kinda need to be able to actually write, so a lot of the parchment was just for writing. Padraic is still learning how to control his mana so we can’t use Cerila’s tablet as often as I would like. Also, the tablet doesn’t keep words on it for very long so it makes practicing difficult, it’s a shame since the tablet would be perfect for teaching languages.

I sent Padraic on his way to read some of the spare books in Elvish and write down what he still didn’t know. Padraic can speak Elvish just fine but his grammar and syntax still need improvement. As for Cerila, I’ve started her on some run-of-the-mill math problems. Dedicating parchment to math has been a tough decision but my Abacus it’s made this so much easier. Now I can just write down a list of problems on a piece of parchment and have her use the Abacus. And I can work out problems for her on the tablet if need be.

My friends both gave me groans of complaint but thankfully they were well aware that these skills were invaluable and they needed to learn them. However, this motivation would only last for about two hours in which they would both begin to fidget and eventually complain till we went to go eat lunch. But honestly, teaching them nearly every day for 2-4 hours a day was more than I could ever ask for. I am the weird one. After all, they are just kids.

In order to warm up the Human language part of my brain, I think I'll dive into my monster guide first then try the history book. I feel confident in my reading skills for the Human language but I’m still struggling with grammar. Grandpa says I sound like a gutter rat when I speak it so I still must have a ways to go. I’ve completely halted my attempts to learn the Beastmen language as I seriously lack material or a teacher. I had hoped Cerila knew it but she was never taught the language. Alright, let’s do this.

I opened the book and flipped to a random page and decided to start from there. Ironic.

I must have subconsciously chosen this page at random. After I recovered from nearly dying to this beast I went straight to this book to know more about it. I just happened to have turned to the page for Shadowlings, the monster that nearly sent me to an early grave. But it was also the same monster that made me realize my current situation and reflect on the new life I had been given. Now let’s see,

Shadowlings are dog-like monsters found in the jungles in the nation of Syn'nari. Their name derives from their inky black appearance. The inky black skin makes eliminating a Shadowling during the night difficult, it is recommended to hunt Shadowlings during the day. It is also recommended to engage Shadowlings at a distance. Shadowlings are fast, mobile, and strong, excelling at close and medium ranges. They also have the ability to launch poisonous spines from their backs, the poison is slow acting and requires an antidote in order to save anyone who is inflicted. Shadowlings rate at a threat level of 30, with large packs ranging from 40 to even 50.

Ah yes, threat levels. Dangerous things which include monsters and sometimes even people are rated using a threat level scale that ranges from 1-300. A monster rated at a threat level of 1 is weak enough to be fought by a child with a pointy stick and lose. Anything above 20 is considered a threat to adults, so in theory, a Shadowling could kill a lone adult more often than not. On a threat scale of 50 monsters are a threat to a group of adults. So a pack of Shadowlings could kill or seriously injure a group of armed adults.

An entity at a 100 threat scale is a danger to a village or town. It’s not often that a single monster ranks at a 100 threat scale, most monsters in populated areas tend to be under 100. It’s not till you start going to remote areas of the world or in dungeons do monsters start reaching higher threat scales.

For example, at 150 threat scale are wyrms. Wyrms are a distance relative to dragons, wyrms lack a higher intelligence than dragons and can’t use dragon breath. However, they are just as big and just as dangerous. Wyrms tend to be found deep in caves or high up in mountains, they are also known to be attracted to dungeons as well. 150 threat scale is considered to be extremely dangerous. Groups of highly skilled combatants are normally sent out to handle these threats.

At 200 threat scale monsters are threats to entire cities, one noticeable member of the 200 club is leviathans. They are the massive monsters that dwell in the sea, although leviathans rarely attack cities they are still considered a massive threat. With the presence of leviathans, this entire world’s naval commerce has been delegated to a single race. The Dagins are a fish-like race that resides in this world’s oceans. They are the only race who can traverse the sea safely, so all trade and transportation across the oceans are facilitated through the Dagins. With the monopoly on sea trade, the Dagins have a staunch stance on neutrality, as long as you have the funds, the Dagins will move anything across the sea.

Once you pass the 200 threat scale things get a little murky. At 250 are adult dragons and they are said to be threats to entire countries. It takes entire armies to mobilize against an adult dragon. Dragons have a high amount of intelligence but are still considered to be monsters. Thankfully dragons hold a peaceful attitude towards the world and rarely cause trouble. And that’s all due to the Dragon Emperors who are at a threat scale of 300. The Dragon Emperors are said to be the strongest entities on the planet, that with their combined powers they could annihilate everything if they so desired. However, after the rise of Talgan, the Dragon Emperors now act as pseudo guardians for the world, vowing to never let a threat like Emperor Talgan exist again. It was also said that Emperor Talgan ranked around 290.

Alright, that’s enough of that. Time for some history. Man, I am getting really tired today.

Or so I thought, Cerila began grumbling and had become unfocused and antsy.

I asked.

She cut me off before I could finish,

Cerila puffed her cheeks out again and was begging me with her eyes. She’s gotten really good at this over the last few months, this look absolutely crushes my mother’s resistance to anything. Although it made her seem silly in my eyes I still had no reason to say no to her. I had been trying to find something else she might like to learn so this could possibly fit the bill.

She gave me a smile and got up to sit down next to me. Now, how am I going to do this? I should just use the tablet and translate using that. Should be way easier and faster than signing everything. Okay, let’s dive into Deguzman’s Brief History of Illyricum.

I opened the book and much like the other one it was very high quality. The book was also handwritten which probably took ages. And just like the other book, it claimed to be a 1 of 1. Why would this Deguzman author go through all this effort to just write a single copy of his book? The monster guide was highly informative and even if it was priced high it would still probably sell. The accurate illustrations alone would probably be worth the gold. Meh, no point in trying to understand. Not like I’ll ever meet this person.

I started reading and translating my way through the first chapter. I was just adding to the challenge since I was reading in the human language, mentally translating it to Elvish, and then writing it down in Elvish on the tablet. But I guess this would only help me learn faster. Cerila of course didn’t help me much as she was close to me that I could feel her breath on my neck. Which was making the hair on my neck stand on edge, distracting me. I let out an internal scream and looked to see how Padraic was doing. And of course, he was just grinning at me.

Padraic asked me.

I just glared at him and created a small pebble out of earth magic and sent it spiraling towards his head. The pebble connected and made a nice meaty slap as it impacted Padraic’s forehead, eliciting a very unmanly yelp out of him.

“What did you do that for! I WAS JUST ASKING YOU A QUESTION, MAN!” Padraic yelled while rubbing his forehead tenderly.

“You know exactly why. Besides it’s break time, I can’t focus anymore,” I groaned. Cerila just giggled at Padraic’s plight and we all made our way outside.

I will read that damn history book tomorrow if it’s the last damn thing I do.

I only managed to read the first chapter and it was just an introduction and had only a bit of new information for me. The only thing I learned was the name of 3 more city-states which were Ostela, Whieland, and Sandervile. And together they formed a confederacy of city-states. Humans make up a vast majority of the population in the city-states. All 3 countries were prone to skirmishes with each other, and apparently, they were just as likely to help each other as they were to backstab each other.

They repealed anyone who threatened them from the outside, but they attempted to undermine each other at every turn. What a weird relationship amongst nations. But apparently, it’s worked out for them. They’ve never lost their capitals a single time in over 1000 years, they haven’t even lost land to foreign nations. They just trade land amongst each other in small yearly border skirmishes.

But that was all I could read in a short time. I was lost in my thoughts when Padraic grabbed my attention with a rock to my chest,

Padraic demanded.

We have been arm-wrestling the last few days and I beat him again yesterday so he is a little sour now. Although Padraic is bigger and stronger than me, mana enhancement sure is a great equalizer.

I replied.

Cerila bonked Padraic over the head and scowled at him.

“Ouch… I’m sorry alright, geez,” Padraic groaned while rubbing his head.

Compared to Cerila’s strength, Padraic and I were mere children. I guess Beastmen are just naturally stronger and that’s not even taking into account her mana body enhancement. Cerila’s mana enhancement at this point was far better than both of ours. She has been training her mana control day in and day out while using her tablet. Not only that she just seems to be naturally better at it than us.

I had created a small stone wall to lay against and a makeshift cover to block out the sun using earth magic. Cerila came over to where I was lounging around and took a knee in front of me. I tilted my head at her in confusion but instead of answering any of my questions she just cupped my head in her hands. I tried to resist but she had a death grip on the sides of my head and had no intention of releasing me. She closed her eyes and forced our foreheads together. What the hell is going on?

After a few moments, she released me and signed,

Huh? How did she… wait did she check my temperature? I tried using my hands but I couldn’t tell the difference. Could she really tell that I’m sick just by doing that? Honestly, I probably am getting sick. I’ve felt off ever since I finished my duel with Dad. I’m unnaturally tired and unmotivated today. Cerila must have taken my internal thoughts as confusion. Her face flushed a bright red all the way up to the tips of her ears and signed quickly,

She explained hastily.

I replied.

So that’s where she got it from. I remember my mom just used the back of her hand to check if I had a fever. But she was right, the sooner Grandpa healed me the better. Common illnesses are practically eradicated in this world, colds and flu are nothing more than a nuisance. The last time I was sick Grandpa came over, had me down some awful tasting medicine, and healed me just a bit. I was better in 24 hours. The most basic of medicine in this world can crush pathogens, then all you have to do is toss a bit of healing magic to help recover.

But on the flip side, dangerous or obscure diseases are incredibly dangerous. Any diseases that are genetic are permanent as magic can only seem to cure illnesses you acquire after birth. I remember reading one of Grandpa’s medical journals on a young human boy who had a disease that sounded an awful lot like hemophilia. The boy didn’t live for very long of course. It seems magic might be hindering the understanding of genetic diseases. People probably blame these things on gods or curses or something.

—-

Together the 3 of us started walking towards Grandpa’s office. However, I was not having a good time. And these 2 wonder why I wake up so early in the morning, it’s so I don’t have to be outside in this god-forsaken humidity and heat.

The sun is baking me into an Elf pie while I’m sweating profusely. Compacted by the fact I have a damn fever I might actually drop dead at this point. This is awful, I should have stayed home.

“Here, hop on my back, Kal. You look like you are about to die, man,” Padraic offered.

Normally I wouldn’t agree to this, but I genuinely feel like death right now.

“Thanks,” I groaned while hopping on my friend’s back.

“No point in having you pass out in the street,” Padraic said.

We continued to walk and I began to think about this morning again,

“Hey, I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to make you mad,” I apologized.

“Honestly, I’m not mad about it. I know you were just being you. You didn’t understand something so you asked about it. You just like learning is all.”

“Mmm true,” I responded.

I wiped my sweaty forehead on the back of Padraic’s shirt making him yelp,

“What are you doing! I take it back, I freaking hate you, you gloomy Dark Elf bastard. Don’t wipe your sweaty forehead on my back!”

I just tightened my grip around him, “Nah.”

“You’re actually losing it, huh? Just hang on, we are almost there.”

The rest of the walk was uneventful, I think. My fever is much worse now and if I thought I was having a bad time before, I’m really not having a good time right now.

I honestly don’t even remember making it inside. I know Grandpa is here right now but I have no idea what he is saying. Suddenly someone was attempting to force-feed me from a bottle. I figured it was the medicine and downed the thick slimy substance.

So fucking disgusting, reminds me of that damn gel in the bio-sculptor. Bad memories and a bad taste. At least this stuff is going to put me to sleep.

Not long after drinking the medicine, I felt the familiar warmth of Grandpa’s healing magic in my chest. My consciousness began to fog over and I didn’t even bother fighting as I passed out.