Chapter 97: Bitter Truth

An hour later, Vinia got up and drank some water, then looked at Rewen. "Do you understand?"

"You can teach well." Rewen answered while going through the book.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere. Do you think your brain can handle more than this? I can teach you as long as I want but can you keep feeding off information? I don't want to make my jaw tired." 

"What are you talking about? I'm just getting started."

From there on, a full-blown study session commenced.

The next topic was - Soils. In the kingdom, there are four kinds of soils - Light, Hard, Sticky and Wet Soils. The entire Capital only has Hard Soil whereas the Pirilia Range only has Light Soil. The Commoners' district has all the four kinds of soils.

[A/N: I'm stopping it here coz I think it would be filler-ish. What are your thoughts about it? Should I add more geographical features to it?]

***

Three hours later.

Rewen got out of the room. His mind was still energetic but the same couldn't be the same for Vinia. After speaking non-stop for over four hours, she couldn't maintain her manner of speaking and managed to spit out saliva every once in a while. Recalling the scene from earlier, a smile emerged on his face. 'Can't deny that she isn't cute.'

"That's quite a creepy smile you got there." Sam's voice sounded. "What are you thinking about?"

Rewen shook his head. "I was just thinking that her throat has become quite sore."

"Huh!?" Sam yelped in shock.

Seeing his shock, Rewen instantly figured out what he said was extremely misleading. "That's not it. Don't let your imaginations run-"

"Bastard! I'll remember this betrayal." Sam's face was extremely grave as if his dear friend had committed a war crime. 

"What betrayal?" Rewen was quite amused by him.

"When we were kids, remember how you told that you would marry me when we grow up-"

"Stop! Stop! I didn't!" Black lines covered his forehead as he hurriedly rebuked his friend.

"Of course, you don't remember. Now that you got a beauty by your side, you completely forgot about me."

"I swear, Sam. Another word about this and I'll beat the crap out of you." Seeing that verbal arguments aren't working, he resorted to violence. According to Rewen, everything else can not work but not violence.

Sam scurried off.

***

[1500 EXP gained!]

"You have gained a 'Tier 2 Middle-Silver Ranked Unnamed Sword!"

---

Stage: Rank 2 Upper Grade (3887/8000)

Proficiency: 53.834%

Expertise: Spear

Best Product: Rank 2 Unnamed Sword

---

Keeping the Sword he created among his collections, he exited the basement.

'Although I had said I want to rest, I want to level up quickly. I'm sure there are quests available when I go to the market but do I really want to waste a day without working up my muscles?' A while later, he sighed. "Not my fault. My gamer instincts are not letting me rest."

Without telling anyone, he went to the market.

"Good day, Sir. Do you need any help?"

"Sorry but I'm enough to manage the grocery."

"What about you, Merchant? Did some bandits steal your items?"

"I have two guards with me."

"What about you, young lady? Are you in need of a classy man?"

"My daughter is only ten. I suggest you move away or I will not hesitate to call the City Guards."

"Hm? Why are you crying, little boy? Are you lost? I can take you to your home."

"Mom, this Big Brother is acting creepy."

"You seem like a wizard? Are you in search of an apprentice? I could fit the box."

"Disappear within ten meters from my range lest you want an incurable curse to descend upon you."

Rewen wasted the entire afternoon going from person to person in the hot sun to find a quest. 

Dejected, he returned home and went to his room.

Then, he slept.

In the evening, he woke up and went to the nearby forest to practice [Variant Fireball].

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

…

..

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Active Skills: Variant Fireball Lvl. 2 [20/40]

---

He wasn't in that much of a hurry to raise the skill. He was plenty satisfied so he went back home. "What am I even doing?" He felt a bit weird and at the same time, also felt a bit weird for feeling a bit weird. For the past few days, he got used to eventful things that he even felt uncomfortable when he was leading a normal life.

After returning, he met with Vinia and studied with her. 

Later that night, he visited his mother's room.

*Knock*

"Come in."

"Oh, it's you." Mrs. Klofar seemed a little disappointed when she saw the person entering.

'Does she even recognise me as her son anymore?' Rewen wasn't sure what kind of face he should make. "Are you still knitting?" He tried to strike up a conversation.

"What does it look like?" Mrs. Klofar showed him a piece of cloth she was knitting. Her voice was annoyed.

"What happened?" Rewen straight-forwardly asked.

"What do you mean by that? Everything's normal." Mrs. Klofar answered, still knitting.

"Then why are you behaving this way?"

Mrs. Klofar stopped knitting, then raised her head to look at him seriously. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Do I still have to babysit you all day? Rewen, you aren't a boy. You have become a man. I can't look after you like I used to. You have your own life. Enjoy your life the way you want to."

"I want to enjoy life my way but you didn't let me do so. You forced me into marriage. What did you plan to accomplish?" Rewen couldn't understand what his mother was trying to clearly say.

Mrs. Klofar's eyes went from easy-going to indifferent to cold. "Yes. Give me grandkids and then, you can do whatever you like. I won't hold you back. You want to become a [Knight], go ahead. You want to adventure, go ahead. Even if you want to die, I won't stop you. However, before that. Give me a grandson." Her voice was flat and neutral.

Rewen dumbly looked at the figure that painstakingly brought him up and didn't know how to respond for a while. "What are you saying?" He wanted to believe that everything he heard was a mistake.

However, reality was often disappointing.

"Could you not understand simple language?"

"Did you come from a rich family?" Rewen abruptly asked.

Mrs. Klofar's eyes squinted. She hadn't expected to get asked such a random question. "I am. What of it? Do you not remember me telling you stories about your Uncle?"

"Why did you marry Father?"

"He was the only option left." 

Rewen's eyes seemed to have figured out everything. "I see. Sorry to disturb." He got up and went back to his room with heavy footsteps.

When he reached the bed, he let his upper body fall. His eyes didn't have much life in it. 'Maybe it's all just a big scheme and everything I'm thinking of is what she wants me to think.' He tried to imbue some hope within himself but ultimately failed. 

'Which means that the succession to the House of Lenvin is about to begin, huh. If it only wasn't for my red hair… no, that's not the right train of thoughts. Do I not have self-respect?'

Mrs. Klofar was from the Capital. Although he didn't know why she had come here, he was quite confident that she had fled from the Capital and married his father. When he was a kid, he used to hear heroic stories about his Uncle who was a Count. 

At the age of seven, he met that Legendary Uncle of his and was quite fascinated by his demeanor. 

[He is a bright kid. Unfortunately, he has the red hair which I don't know whom he inherited from. It's a silly tradition but like this, I can't prove to the Elders that he isn't half-blooded.]

Those lines from his Uncle struck with him till now. Maybe it was because it was too impactful but he clearly remembered the day his Uncle said those words to his mother.

'Mother is dark-haired and Father also had dark hair. Mine's red. Vinia's golden. So why exactly did Mother think it's a good idea to pair me up with Vinia? Obviously, it's because I am a special case. I'm a result of genetic mutation. Mother should know about this and is desperately better for the so-called 'grandson' to have normal features.'

As much as it sounds ridiculous and doesn't make sense, Rewen was quite certain about his hypothesis. 'It's not that I overlooked the "good" memories I shared with Mother but it is what it is. I can't outright deny that she doesn't like me as a son. In fact, this also might be some sort of protection towards me.'

Even so, he realized that he can't look at his mother the same way he did yesterday. "I want to think that I'm overthinking. Hopefully, my brain will refresh itself when I wake up." With an exhausted mind, he drifted off to sleep.