-----
"Moving to the capital? Well yeah, Blake is planning to do it and bring us with him." Said Eric. "We already talked this before, we are all saving money ourselves."
"Eh?! Really?" Asked Ellergest. "I suppose that's incredible… You kids are way more organized!"
"Yeah, simply dreaming about becoming something we want won't do, we have to work hard each day to slowly reach that goal, Head Priest!" Said Chris.
"Blake taught us how to save money, and he also help us at earning it!" Said Erika.
"Well… Yeah." I sighed.
I've mostly taught them to hunt animals and sell the materials. Animals unlike monsters or demons give little EXP to none, but their meat and pelt can be sold for a decent pricing. I've also let the three of them work as healers for the clients I have around the entire village, doing healing for any payment the people could give to them. Even Chris who is the worst healer can help an injured grandma. They also use special spells to enhance the soil and the growing crops of other families, receiving a big of their harvest and sometimes even money from them.
They don't have near as enough money as I do, but they're slowly building a capital. I know that Erika's father has a small fortune saved up, and Eric's family can easily afford living in the capital by now based in how much money they have earned and saved working as apothecaries. The only one I am worried about is Chris, whose parents are as poor as mine if not poorer. He will begin to proactively hunt bigger game to earn more money though. His father should be healed by now so he will accompany him.
"You kids are pretty well grounded despite talking so much about your dreams, I am impressed." Seth said with a smile.
"Well, of course. I won't allow these three to simply spout nonsense without doing anything themselves. One of the biggest thing that people like us at the bottom must do is work hard, harder than anybody. Each day we must work to grow stronger and earn money, without resting! I've engrained this deep inside of their skulls so they know very well what to do. They're not mere children, they're serious about what they said. And for us, becoming an adventurer is not a dream, it is a goal we are slowly approaching."
My words left everybody speechless for a bit. Perhaps I overdid myself speaking like an adult, but now everyone was quite used to how I am. Nonetheless, it slightly left a long-standing impression, something I actually dislike doing. I better not talk so big for the upcoming future.
"W-Well, you're certainly well taught by your family." Sighed Ellergest. "Nonetheless, I would like to still extend my hand and help you kids… I have a big proposal for all of you, which I've been thinking for a while."
"Proposal?" I wondered.
"Now that I've seen how talented are your friends, I might as well include them… Yeah, you know that in the capital there are several Guilds, right?" Asked Ellergest.
"Yes, there is the Adventurer Guild, but there is also the Magician's Guild, the Chef Guild, the Merchant Guild, and there is a small Mercenary Guild too." I said while nodding.
"Well, all these Guilds are mostly owned by nobility at this point, even the most humble of owners was given a nobility title they bought using their money and investments." Said Ellergest. "Long time ago, they decided that nourishing the children's talents was something that needed to be prioritized, and each Guild opened a School of their branches, teaching children that wanted to become one day such professions."
"Ooh! So there's a Magician's School?" Wondered Erika.
"Yes, but aside from these schools, there is an even more prestigious place, the place where only incredibly talented youth or nobility attends, a place founded by a group of nobles that wanted their children to be taught privately, it is named the Academy Westford, and it not teaches children magic, but it also teaches them fighting techniques that suits their style and bodies, basic knowledge, history, mathematics, alchemy, magic theory, and even dungeon exploration and monster biology!" Ellergest said. "I had already planned bringing Elizabeth and Erdrich here, but I want you four to join as well, Blake and your friends!"
"Eeeeeeh?!"
Erika, Eric, and Chris reacted in shock, being invited to an academy where only nobility or incredibly talented commoners went was something that seemed like one in a million chance to happen. I had guessed he would invite us to some sort of school, but I never thought the most prestigious academy of them all. The best thing is that these academies, which I've already studied before, seem to not be simple and stupid schools with stupid children bullying one another. It is a prestigious place where they teach several things unique to this world which I've been slowly discovering.
Things such as the study of spirits, their origins, how to create new spirits through special spirit creation rituals, how to enhance and evolve spirits, how to learn Spirit Techniques, and all of that. There is even more too, such as allowing groups of students to explore small dungeons owned by the academy and nobles. Such dungeons which I've hoped to explore for so long, filled with monsters and EXP! Since the moment I knew that the dungeons were being owned by nobles that didn't allowed anybody to enter due to its precious resources, I felt frustrated.
But now, this might be the opportunity to grow stronger by exploring them, if I become a student of this academy, I will be able to explore them, gain more EXP, and also collect more Spirit Orbs of various types and qualities. Although I would absolutely hate to be surrounded by annoying children, I am willing to bear with it if I can gain such wonderful benefits.
"And that's not all, after passing the complete education, you can directly receive Adventurer Licenses, Merchant Licenses, and more directly, without the hassle!"
That sold it for me.
-----