Despite being a commoner, everything Isabella spoke about was very enlightening to Felix. He learned that his father, Duke Nicholas Xavier Armstrong of the noble Armstrong Lineage, was one of the Agrona Kingdoms 3 bastions serving under the King, His Majesty Evander Zacharias Agrona the 3rd. As a general in the kingdom’s army, Duke Armstrong was proclaimed to be a mighty warrior in battle, and tavern bards would sing of how he would fearlessly slaughter grey orcs by the dozens with his trusty battle axe, infamously known as ‘bone reaver’, whenever he went out to patrol the borderlands. Felix was shocked by the revelation that monsters of fantasy existed in this world, along with other races such as elves, dwarves, and beast-men to name a few. Isabella admitted that she had never met any members of these other races, but it was public knowledge that they existed and had nations of their own.

Felix assumed that if these other races shared any of the racial benefits of their fantastical counterparts, then humanity must have one or two tricks up its’ sleeve to avoid complete submission. His assumption was confirmed by the ‘fairy-tales’ that Isabella would read to Felix whenever he wasn’t sleeping, eating or sh*tting. He discovered that humans had been granted by the Realm the ability to harness a type of energy, called mana. Isabella had no good explanation for these energy sources aside from them being mystical, letting people fly in the air, fight an ogre bare-handed or even call down lightning and thunder.

Having read his fair share of web novels in his past life, Felix was excited by the prospect of using mana. Becoming proficient in its use seemed like the best means of protecting himself and the people he cared about in this new world. However, he was worried as he’d never seen Isabella, or any other servant, wield this mystical power before. A part of him understood that this sort of power would be rare, and anyone with it at their disposal wouldn’t be content with a mere servant’s job, but his insecurity reared its’ ugly head once again, telling him that he was doomed to keep losing what was precious to him.

Felix scrunched up his adorable face and mentally kicked that nasty thought away, nobody knew what the future held for him, and he had a new life now which wouldn’t be dictated by his previous ailment. Felix didn’t know if and when he would be able to use mana, but he intended to get as strong as he possibly could so that he could at least give his all in protecting himself and the people that he cared about. Felix remembered on one occasion how Isabella told him that his father was a reputable mage in the kingdom, and this filled him with the hope that he could potentially inherit that power. Receiving that power by genetic inheritance seemed the most logical possibility in his opinion, but he was not well-versed in the topic and couldn’t say for certain.

Lastly, Felix learned from Isabella that he was born in the fortress city of Lutz in the Armstrong duchy. Isabella wistfully admitted that she had never been outside of the duchy in her life, but she had learned from travelers that Lutz was in the distant northwest of the Agrona kingdom. Duke Armstrong and the kingdom’s army would regularly patrol the borderlands between the fortress and the Frozen Plains, thinning out the incessantly breeding grey orcs and frost goblins who shared a sickening desire for human flesh and blood, protecting the Kingdom from lurking predators in true heroic fashion.

Felix felt there was more to consider regarding the army’s deployment in this region than simple monsters, or maybe he was just underestimating their threat. Maybe it had something to do with the people in the Frozen Plains, from whom he had learned that his ‘mother’ had hailed. He happily accepted Isabella’s wishes for him to grow up to be a strong hero, however, as he was tired of being bedridden and felt like fighting might offer the best opportunity to stay healthy in this world, or cut his life short in the process, who knows? In this fashion, Felix slowly learned more about his new world whilst allowing himself to be healed by Isabella’s meticulous care. He gradually grew from liquid to finger foods, from laying to crawling, and from crying to…

*

Felix slowly woke up from his nap, looking outside of his window to find that the gloomy skies from earlier had cleared up, and the sun had already completed its’ descent for the day. At some point, he had fallen asleep on the journey back inside without even knowing, ‘stupid infantile body’. A soft afterglow had settled in the room, basking Isabella’s peaceful face in a golden glow as she worked on her sewing by the window, while humming her favourite folk tune.

Taiyou’s glow was slowly receding, as the twin moons Lunae and Celeste prepared to make their appearance for the night, but Isabella still made out half-open blue irises staring at her from the corner of her eye. She chuckled at Felix’s bedraggled appearance, saying “Gosh I should’ve woken you up after we came back inside, how are you going to get any sleep tonight? Well, hopefully, a warm glass of milk and a nice story will do the trick.” Felix was slightly embarrassed at the fact that he enjoyed this idea, but Isabella could hardly see the embarrassment behind his innocent smile. Felix was very grateful for everything his caretaker had done for him and decided to thank her the best way he knew how.

“Ma-ma”.