Chapter 2 - A Maids Dilemma

My name is Scarlett Tranelis and I am a maid in the service of Slyhost household. I was hired for my combat ability and because the head of the Slyhost family was very generous. I am half-human and half-dark elf. Because of this, I face discrimination from all others around me. The reason is that the Dark Elves are known as a race of criminals that specialize in espionage and are known for their strength in magic. Even though I don't resemble a Dark Elf at first glance I still feature a darker skin tone than most of my peers and I also have slightly pointed ears.

I was hired to work for the Slyhosts a couple of months before the birth of their firstborn child. At first, I had trouble fitting in with the other maids as most of them looked down on me. But thanks to the Head Maid I was able to prove my worth to the other maids. She didn't show me any discrimination and she treated me like she would treat all the other maids; she even gave me opportunities to improve. The Head Maids name is Eleanor Taylor, she has short blonde hair and is a very pious individual following the Holy Ephrit Church. Thanks to Eleanor's recommendation I was even allowed to help deliver the Slyhosts firstborn. At first, I was pretty nervous but it honestly wasn't too difficult, especially because Eleanor specialized in healing magic.

Although it was very concerning to me that the baby didn't cry when he was born. It was during those moments that I started remembering the tales about the Otherworlders, it was then that I began to discreetly search the baby's body for any markings. That's when I noticed the Heroes Crest imprinted on the baby's back. It was small and hard to see if you weren't paying attention, it was right between his shoulder blades. I had the realization that this baby was an Otherworlder. Otherworlders are said to individuals of great power that are born into Carthya from other realities. They are often recognized by having an engraving somewhere on their skin, this engraving often resembles one of the types of Dragons that inhabit Carthya and can be spotted somewhere on the baby's body when they are born. The type of dragon engraved on the Otherworlders body foretells what the Otherworlder will excel in. Because of this they are often discriminated against and hated on the angel continent; this is because one of these Otherworlders now known as Carthyas First Hero banished Ephrit to the realm known as heaven twelve thousand years ago. Because of this, devout followers of the Holy Ephrit Church hate and shun the Otherworlds and in worst cases, some fanatic individuals even sacrifice their newborn in the name of Ephrit. I and most in the Slyhost household don't follow the Holy Ephrit Church, as I am a follower of the Church of the Otherworlders.

Since I noticed this crest I quickly cast an illusion spell using my knowledge in voiceless incantations to cover it up. It would be bad if anyone noticed it, especially Eleanor. Even though the Slyhosts don't follow the Holy Ephrit Church it would be bad if word got out that they gave birth to an Otherworlder. After finishing my spell, I then passed him to his mother where he was then named Sebastian. I promised to myself that day that I would protect Sebastian at all costs. That was the reason I requested to be Sebastian's personal maid.

2 Years Later

It's been two years since I've vowed my loyalty to Sebastian and I was finally able to become Sebastian's personal maid after constant requesting. After being his Maid for a couple of months I noticed how mature he was for his age and how fluent he was in the Human-Tongue, honestly, it shocked me. I heard that Otherworlders were supposed to be advanced but it's unheard of for them to learn the language this quickly. It also surprised me that the only thing he wanted for his second birthday was access to the castle's private library. At first, I was quite skeptical that he was able to read but that was soon blown out of the water. The first books I saw him pull out were books based on Architecture and recent inventions. From what I can guess he's probably trying to learn the most about this world that he can. It really struck me to my core. I never thought I would see a two-year-old so focused on learning. I knew I had to keep his little adventures a secret, if anyone were to find out they would start getting suspicious.

While I'm thinking of ways to hide the Young Master's search knowledge I am waiting for him outside of his room while he is getting ready. He then opens the door and I greet him with a smile.

"Good morning young master, did you want to go to the library today?"

"What did I tell you about calling me, Young Master! And yes could you please accompany me," he grumbles.

"As you wish young master," I say with a maidly bow.

I just find it so adorable when he gets flustered, it's one of the reasons I call him young master. He then starts walking to the library while I follow slowly behind him. After about a minute or so of walking I notice him start to slow his pace, he then comes to a stop and looks at me.

"Is there something you need young master?"

"Um… yes, actually would you be able to keep a secret from my parents for me?"

At first, I was concerned, I thought he had realized what he was.

"Of course, what would you like to tell me?"

I bend down to get closer to his face so that he could tell me more discretely.

"I want to start practicing magic, but I wanted to keep it a secret from my parents. Could you do that for me?"

I started giggling because he did it in such a hilarious tone. I guess he trying to make himself sound more appealing.

"Of course, I can keep this a secret but how do you plan on learning magic in the first place. You know it's a very difficult art to learn and master right?"

"I plan on using a book from the library that teaches basic magic it's the only book we have that teaches magic. I found it in the library the other day; would it be okay if you checked it out for me so I don't damage the library while practicing."

I then start trying to hold in my laughter because I was getting serious for no reason. I just need a little time to gather my thoughts.

"Ok I will get it for you, just don't damage it okay, and meet me in the courtyard."

I told him to meet me in the courtyard because that area is a wide-open space and is usually deserted in the mornings, so even if he was somehow able to start using magic already he won't damage anything there. I then walk off to go check out the book the young master wanted.

Sebastian

As I watch Scarlett turn a corner I turn on my heels and start making my way towards the courtyard. This castle is honestly pretty big I've gotten lost in it many times, if it weren't for all the recognizable paintings and occasional labels I would never be able to find my way around this labyrinth. Although I do find my walks around the castle to be quite fun, it really does remind me that I'm in a completely different world, it's honestly pretty cool to be able to start over. I do miss my old friends and family but was content with how my old life ended. I died saving one of my closest friends and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

After about a 5 minute walk I find myself in the deserted courtyard of the Slyhost castle. It really is a beautiful view. It has a garden with a little river running through it with a stone fountain featuring two dragons spitting water out of their mouths. It's not my first time coming here since I've been here with my mother and father, but still every time I come here it awes me. While I'm admiring the view, I spot Scarlett walking down the hallway at a brisk pace. She got here pretty fast, but then again I can't walk that fast with this toddler body of mine. Scarlett then makes her way to me and hands me the book.

"Is this the book you were looking for Young Master?"

I grab the book and almost fall forward because of how heavy it is. The book is huge and is as least as thick as one of those old phone books. The cover has a Staff with stone or gem in it with flames behind the staff and it had in bold the name of the book; The Beginners Guide to Learning Magic.

"Yes, this looks like the book I saw. Thank you again."

"You are very welcome Young Master and if you need anything else please let me know."

I then set the book down and open to the first page.

#

The first few pages of this book go into depth on how magic works in Carthya. It seems that there are cells in the body known as Mana Cells and these cells are what give the body the ability to use magic. Apparently, they already know what cells are in this world, maybe this world is more advanced than I originally thought. It then goes onto say that an incantation is used to activate these Mana Cells hence creating magic; apparently, you can gain more of these Mana Cells the more you use magic, but your body starts producing them less and less when you have an abundance of them. According to the book every creature born in Carthya is born with Mana Cells and the more Mana Cells you have the more spells you can cast; the last thing this section states is that if you're not using your magic regularly your Mana Cells will begin to die off as your body doesn't see a need for them.

A couple pages in and I finally reach a table of contents sort of area. Each section goes into a different school of magic. There are 13 Schools and they are Water, Fire, Earth, Air, Healing, Purification, Abjuration, Summoning, Necromancy, Illusion, Enchantment, Enhancement, and Universal Magic. Apparently, each school of magic has its own dominions but I'm not going to go into that until I start learning that school of magic. There are so many schools of magic, I have no idea which one I should focus on. The book recommends starting off with water or earth because it's easier to visualize, I guess I'll start there, but I guess I should read what each school does, some are self-explanatory but I'll read about them all just in case.

The first school of magic the book goes into is Water. The book says that the school of water focuses on water manipulation and conjuring; pretty self-explanatory. It states the same for earth, fire, and air. After the basic four, there is Healing magic, The book says that the Healing school of magic focuses on healing the mind and body. Next is Purification; the book says this school focuses on the purification of entities, things like illnesses, curses, undead, and for ordinary purposes like cleaning. It seems very useful to know this kind of magic, apparently, there are Undead in this world, I'll have to look into what other kinds of monsters or supernatural beings are roaming this world.

Next is Abjuration and to be honest this one is definitely a school I want to get into. This school focuses on the dispelling or cancelation of another user's magic. I know sounds pretty broken right; the book says this is one of the hardest schools to learn and is more for advanced magic users. The next two are very similar in how they work, summoning magic and Necromancy. Summoning magic focuses on summoning a familiar or a beast to help a user. This school of magic is most reliable if the user has a pact with the creature or familiar they are trying to summon. If a user summons a familiar or beast without a pact the beast/familiar could attack the user. Note to self, form a pact before summoning anything. Necromancy is like the darker version of summoning magic and doesn't require a pact, This School of magic is mostly used on the Devil continent and is seen as a forbidden School for the Angel Continent. This school focuses on summoning and controlling the dead. The book doesn't go into much detail about Necromancy as it barely mentions what it is and from what I can see there are no spells for it in this book.

The school of Illusion magic focuses on the manipulation of the body's mind and senses. Enchantment magic focuses on enchanting objects or in simpler terms improve or make special. The next school looks pretty useful it's called Enhancement magic; this School of magic focuses on enhancements of the body and mind. The last school is pretty broad but it basically is a school that classifies unique magic. In other words, magic that does not fall into any category includes forbidden, forgotten, occult Rituals, and magic that is cast from more than one school of magic.

Jeez, all of that was a mouthful, but I guess it's essential to understand how everything works. Alright, I guess I'll start with learning some basic water spells just so I can get a grasp of everything then I will move up from there.