The next month was doing a few actions on repeat, practicing Tracking, going to prison, working out, reading books, and visiting Kasa. I managed to sense my soul after a few weeks and moved onto the next step, circulation of the soul essence in my soul. Tracking specified that this specific form of circulation prevented large amounts of soul essence from escaping when performing the third step of Tracking. I think Tracking also said this circulation could be used for other soul techniques, but I burned Torus's notes a few days after I got them, I was a little scared of carrying notes about a soul technique in my room. I wrote down the main parts of each step of the three steps in Tracking in 3 separate books in my room just in case I needed to refer to them. I planned to burn these pages after I finished the third step of Tracking so no one knows I have a soul technique.

I've been going to the prison daily with fruits, I'm glad the Pendle family is wealthy because the number of fruits I've used in the past couple of months could feed a few families. However, I no longer exchange fruits for information, I simply give the fruits to the prisoners equally. I felt my time in the prison was less enjoyable when I traded fruits because the prisoners were more focused on speaking to me to get fruits than speaking to me to have a conversation. The effects of giving away fruits were better than I expected, more people spoke to me, and they continued to tell me random tidbits of knowledge. Somber and a few other things have taken it upon themselves to teach me some dagger techniques by substituting the dagger with a pen. They said my dexterity made me a natural thief, but I knew that the dexterity I displayed was because I was successful in sensing my soul.

The tips I got on my physique from the prisoners were useful, I felt myself getting stronger at a faster rate than before. My goal with training my physique was just to be in shape, even if I was the strongest person in this world, I'd get crushed by any random martial artist or wizard.

I continued to read books when I was bored but I read books for enjoyment, not knowledge.

For the past week, I've no longer visited Kasa, I just felt bored visiting her shed. At first, I tried to entertain her by bringing books I thought she would be interested in. I brought some books on history, on magicians, and some on romance (I thought girls enjoyed these novels), but she ignored all of them. Next, I tried to introduce her to tic-tac-toe, thinking she'd enjoy a simple strategy game. She simply ignored the game and focused on reading magic books. When I saw she ignored tic-tac-toe, I seriously wondered if people in this world matured faster than I thought, no child in my previous life could resist a game of tic-tac-toe. I could've tried reading books in her room, but why would I read in that cramped shed when I can read in my room or the Pendle library instead. Although she had magic books in her room, something the Pendle library didn't have, reading those just made me bitter. I decided to give up on increasing Kasa's emotional attachment to me for now.

Although I could've probably tried harder, I didn't want to. I already treated this nine-year-old better than I've treated myself these past few years, if she doesn't care then why should I do more. I'll just try the food strategy with some of my other siblings later and see what happens. I'll still occasionally visit her to give her some fruits, I do feel pity for her living conditions.

As I walked out of my room and was about to close my door, I was greeted with a shocking; with black hair that fell to her shoulders, and grey eyes that stared at me, coupled with a small nose and red lips, I recognized this person, it was Kasa.

"Why haven't you visited my room in the past week?"

"I've been busy the past week, plus the number of fruits I gave you should've been more than enough for a week."

"... Then where are you going with those fruits right now?"

"The prison."

I've never seen someone's face contort with anger this quickly in my life here. Not even when my parents found out I was talentless.

(Kasa POV)

1 Week Ago

'Having a friend is great.' I thought to myself. It's been so long since I've had someone sitting next to me and talking to me. Ever since my mother died, everyone ignores me. Even if they do talk to me, all they do is call insult my mother by calling her a "whore" and calling me a "bastard". I don't care when they insult me, but I hate when they insult my mother, all she did was make one mistake.

But Rorik is different, he never insults my mother and he gives me food. Despite everyone treating me like I'm a disgusting animal, he treats me even better than a regular person, he treats me like a friend. If only he was a magician, then we could spend the whole day talking about spells.

I want to talk to him more, but I feel like I forgot how to have a conversation, it's been 4 years since I've had one. I feel a little bad for ignoring him when he tries to talk to me, but it's okay, I've been practicing and soon I'll be able to have a real conversation with him! These days I've been happier to see Rorik than see his fruits.

Speaking about his fruits, he brought me a lot today, enough to last me two weeks! I should tell him to stop giving me fruits for a few days otherwise I won't be able to finish them all.

6 Days Ago

"How strange, he didn't visit today, I guess I have more time to focus on magic. I'm a little sad but it's okay, I'll see him tomorrow after all."

5 Days Ago

"He didn't come again, I wonder why? I'm sure he's just sick or something, there's no way he wouldn't come if he could come after all."

4 Days Ago

"I'm not sure why, but the fruits don't taste as good as they usually do..."

3 Days Ago

"Rorik must be sick, otherwise he would've visited me by now. I'm so bored without his visits, I guess I can look at the stuff he gave me."

"Haha, he sure is dumb, this game he made is so easy, even a baby could tell it's always a draw if both people do everything right, I guess I can check out some of the books he got me."

The history books are long and boring, and the magician books are almost as long as the history books but have almost nothing about magic in them. At least the other books he gave me are a little interesting.

People in these books get tricked a little too easily though, like how could George listens to Lisa instead of Celina for choosing a present for the Queen, it almost got him killed! At least George and Celina end up happy in the end, while Lisa ends up dying."

I've noticed that all of the shorter books he gave me talked about love. My mother used to talk about love as well, she told me that there were no mistakes in love, and it was the best emotion anyone could feel. I wonder when I will feel it.

'I'm sure Rorik will come tomorrow, I'll just focus on studying the light spell Haste for now.'

2 Days Ago

"... He still hasn't visited, how sick is he? Is he close to dying?" I want to go out and visit him but going outside is scary. When I'm inside my house no one is mean to me, but when I'm outside everyone is mean. Rorik is the only person who was nice to me. Without him, I'm a little lonely.

1 Day Ago

"I just realized that Rorik is as hated as I am, what if they don't send anyone to cure him. I'll focus on fully mastering the light spell Elementary Cure today and visit him tomorrow, I bet he'll be really glad when someone cures him."

"I think I remember him saying he lived in the southern corner of the house, I think I know where that is."

Today

The outside wasn't as scary as I imagined, I didn't meet my siblings and the servants didn't do anything to me. I should've gone outside to look for Rorik a lot earlier.

Finding Rorik's room was easier than I thought, I just had to cast Elementary Detection and check every room where detection magic detected on presence. I noticed it earlier, but Elementary Detection detection doesn't work on Rorik because he doesn't have mana or ki, while it works on everyone else in this household because they do.

As I neared the last room that I didn't check, I saw the door opening. I guess the healer was coming out of the room, I'll wait for him to leave before I visit it. But it wasn't the healer who was outside, it was Rorik.

I was happy because I thought he recovered, but something was strange. As far as I know, if someone without much mana gets cured with healing magic, they show signs of tiredness for a few days. But Rorik didn't seem tired at all, are the aftereffects of healing magic gone already. If they were already gone, then he wasn't very sick at all, why hasn't he visited me. I decided to ask him directly.

"Why haven't you visited my room in the past week."

I was lonely when you didn't come.

"I've been busy the past week, plus the number of fruits I gave you should've been more than enough for a week."

What an obvious lie, what would someone like him be busy with for a week? The fruits weren't the point, I wanted to know why you didn't visit me.

"... Then where are you going with those fruits right now?"

I bet he's going there instead of visiting me.

"The prison."

...

...

Instead of visiting me, he's visiting prisoners. He'd rather go spend time with scum instead of time with me. Why I thought we were friends. This was the angriest I've been in the past 2 years.

'Calm down, calm down, there has to be more to the story than this.'

That's right, we were great friends, I couldn't think of a single reason why he spends time with prisoners instead of me unless...

He was tricked.

That's right, Rorik isn't very smart, it would be easy for those people to trick Rorik. They must've been like Lisa, treating him well and complimenting him, only to eat his fruits. I needed to open his eyes to the truth. I opened my hand towards him.

"Come with me."

I'll show you the truth.

"..."

Why is he hesitating, I bet those prisoners threatened him to never visit me again, that's why he isn't following me. If they threatened him to make him listen, all I have to do is threaten him to make him listen. I cast Elementary Fireball and glare at him.

I knew it, they must've threatened him, a few seconds after I cast my spell he grabbed my hand. He is too simple for his good.

I need to take better care of him, otherwise, he'll be tricked by those prisoners again.

I'll show him what a good friend I can be.