Chapter 4: Adoption

I was following sister Jane to the town. She wanted to buy some bread because we had extra money and she thought it will be good to spend the money on food. I tagged along with her because I was the only one that behaved well outside the orphanage.

The town wasn't that big and the only building that looked fancy and big was the mayor's. It wasn't hard to guess where all of the taxes ended up in. I've seen the Mayor before. He had that innocent kind face up front but his sweet promises were the total opposite of his actions. A corrupt noble.

The market was busy as usual. There were several merchants put up their tents by the streets. Those that a little well off compared to the rest. The other merchants, they were selling their goods in their bags while walking around the market, looking for buyers. To put a tent at the market, they needed some kind of permit from the Mayor. That permit came with a ridiculous amount of fee. So, not everyone could afford it. It was messed up.

"What kind of bread do you want, Owens?" Sister Jane asked me. I was holding on to her sleeve as we walked.

"I-i don't k-know." I replied with a shy smile. It didn't even matter anyway. All the bread they sell was basically the same. Still, it touched my heart when sister Jane still asked me despite that. She was just so considerate.

"Hm, how about I buy you a big one?"

"Y-you d-don't ha-have to sister Jane.. Sm-small br-bread is fine." I shook my head slowly.

"It's fine, Owens. You need to eat more. You need to grow taller."

I was probably the shortest boy of my age. Even the kids that were younger than me at the orphanage already taller than me. It was a little frustrating but I knew why I was smaller. It was my own doing anyway. Changing my stats and ever so often came with a price after all.

We arrived at the bakery. It was just a small hut, ran by kind old couples. They immediately recognised sister Jane. They probably were friends during their youth. They chatted casually and I was left alone to browse through the displayed breads on the table. As I was walking sideway, my eyes were only focused on the breads.

"Ah!" I echoed when I bumped into someone. I looked up at the man. "S-sorry, s-sir."

"Oh, it's fine kid. No need to be afraid." Despite his face with big scar, he could produce such gentel smile on his lips. He was muscular and the way he dressed, I could tell that he was not a commoner. A noble.

"Y-yes.. S-sorry again." I lowered my head and ran back to sister Jane and hid behind her.

"Forgive the child, good sir. He can be clumsy sometimes." Sister Jane said calmly.

"Oh, it's okay. No one's at fault." He spoke kindly.

Class: Knight

Mana: 90

Stamina: 122

Strength: 120

Dexterity: 197

Endurance: 100

Agility: 98

Intelligence: 47

Luck: 36

Passive Skills:

Aura: Level 2

I read his stats because that was one of my passive skill as an Enhancer. I was able to see others' stats. This man was actually strong. If the stats went over 3 digits, that already crazy strong. He was no joke. Why would someone as strong as he was came to this small town?

"Are you from the orphanage, sister?" He asked.

"Yes. I'm sister Jane, and this is Owens, one of the orphan there." Sister Jane introduced politely.

"My name is Kyle Rode, A second commander Knight from the capital." He wasn't ordinary person after all. Such a high ranking Knight. "I want to pay a visit to the orphanage."

"Oh, you're always welcome to visit, sir." Sister Jane brightened up. I had a bad feeling about this though.

We bought the breads first and then we walked together toward the orphanage. I stuck my sister Jane's side because she walked slow. That knight however was kind enough to match our pace. Hm, that still didn't remove my bad feelings about him.

The shabby looking building came into view 30 minutes later. There was no fund to renovate it. So, it looked like something from the ancient time. Holes on the roof were only patched using old woods and some of the windows were broken and covered with curtains. It was depressing to look at.

"Is.. Is this the orphanage?" The knight asked, astonished. Well, it must have been quite a shock to see such terrible orphanage.

"Yes, sir Kyle." Sister Jane answered with a tight smile. "Our financial situation is harsh lately. Please, this way."

We followed her inside. As soon as we were in, I took the breads from her and ran to the dining hall. The other sisters greeted me and took over the breads so that they could distribute it among the children.

"Who's with sister Jane?" Sister Ana asked. They probably saw us from the window.

"H-he is a k-Knight fr-from the c-capital." I answered. They gasped.

"Why is he here?"

"I d-don't kn-know.." I shook my head and left to find a seat at the long table. Pip finally came out from my pocket, yawning casually. He only ever came out when it was time to eat. It squeaked at me, rubbing his head on my arm.

"F-finally a-awake, sleepy h-head." I mused, poking his head. "C-can you e-eat bread?"

He jumped happily. He ate almost anything I gave him. It was weird. He didn't even get sick from eating stale food. I wonder if there was something he couldn't eat. He didn't show any sign of magical ability though. Even his stats were regular. He must've be the common lizard. Well, One thing for sure, he understood human speech really well. I guessed, he was a little special.

The bread was okay. All of the children were happy to get to eat something. So, it was good. I left the hall and went to the backyard. Pip jumped out of my hand and started running around the bushes, looking for bugs. He was always full of energy.

I sat down on the ground, crossing my legs and relaxed. There was a spell that I recently learned. It was elevation. The instruction was simple, just chant the spell and concentrate on the object. The execution was the hardest. No matter how high my mana was, if I couldn't do it properly, it was a failed. I couldn't even move a small peeble in front of me.

After learning magic on my own, I found out my biggest weakness. I couldn't control my magic that well. My mana flow was always erratic. From the magic book, it was crucial to be able to control the mana. I had to be precise on how much magic I should use for a spell and I needed to visualise it vividly. I didn't understand how to do that. There was a limit of self-learning after all.

Pip suddenly chirped loudly and I heard rustling in the bushes. It messed up my concentration. I turned to look. There was something chasing him from behind. Pip immediately found me and climbed on to safety.

"Woah!" I hastily stood up when I realised what kind of animal that was chasing him. A vicious looking rabbit with sharp teeth was growling at me. I never thought that I would see such scary looking rabbit.

Class: Fang Rabbit

Its other stats were pretty decent. Compared to the other animals, this one was strong. It even had poison fangs too. So, animal could evolve like this huh? I thought it only applied on humans or other powerful creatures. The red eyes glared at me, hissing menacingly.

"You're going to be a good practice for me." I grinned.

The rabbit jumped at me, drawing out its long claws. My eyes widened in shock. I didn't expect it. I moved sideway to avoid it. Pip was already hiding in my pocket. What a coward. The scary rabbit wasn't giving up though. It chased after me. I really didn't want to leave any scratch on me. Explaining it to the sisters would be hell. They probably forbid me to go out next time. So, I would avoid getting hurt.

I ducked in time and I increased my speed to grab its back. It growled angrily at me and squirmed violently. I looked over its stats again. Well, time to test my other unique skill. My hand glowed for a second and the rabbit changed its appearance. It wasn't that big anymore but became a normal looking rabbit.

Class: White Rabbit

I put it down slowly on the ground. It was harmless and cute looking after I lowered its class. What a cheating power. I could freely changed their stats until they low enough to change class into a lower tier. Realising its powerlessness, it scampered away and disappeared into the bushes.

"Do you see that Pip? Aren't you amazed?" I boasted. Pip perked up from my pocket giving me a gleeful squeak and sparkling eyes. "Yes, your master is amazing!"

~~

The spoon dropped from my grasp and it landed on the floor with a thud. My eyes widened in shock as I stared at sister Jane. She was grinning brightly at me. I didn't know what to say in this situation. It was too sudden and I didn't expect this to happen.

"Owens? Are you okay?" She queried, concerned to see my probably pale face.

"How can he not be? He's probably so happy that he can't talk right now!" Father Alfred said gleefully.

"You'll be picked up tomorrow morning. You should pack up tonight." She told me.

"I.. I d-don't w-want to g-go." I uttered.

"What? This is once in a lifetime opportunity, Owens. You have to go." Father Alfred spoke as he squished my shoulder comfortingly. I knew he meant well but he didn't understand. I never wanted to get adopted.

"It's okay, Owens. You can always visit this place if you miss us." Sister Jane told me, smiling warmly.

"I.. I don't w-want to leave.." I looked down on my lap, twiddling with my fingers meekly. There was this childish part of me that wanted to cling on sister Jane and I'd hate to leave this place. Although, not the best place to live in, it had been so peaceful here and sister Jane was like my own family.

"Owens, you're a smart kid. You know that you can't stay here forever. You're destined to be somewhere else. Grow up well and be a good man, okay?" sister Jane patted my head like she always did to comfort me. It made my heart ache. I didn't want to leave. Tears were threatening to fall. I didn't care about my dignity as an adult. I felt sad and I wanted to cry. My body was still a kid after all. I'd get to cry!

"Oh Owens..it's okay." Sister Jane stood up and went over to my side to embrace me in her warm arms. I buried my face on her clothes and continued crying. "Don't be sad.. It'll be fine. I promise you."

When I stopped crying, I was brought to my room that I shared with 10 other children. Sister Jane helped me to pack my personal belongings. There weren't much. Several pairs of clothes, my worned out diary that I practiced writting with, and a pair of mitten that sister Jane knit for me on my 9th birthday.

"I'm sure you'll love your new home, Owens. I heard Lord Feene is a loving person." She told me.

"The lo-lord that a-abandoned th-this place?" I asked.

"I'm sure it's not his intention. We don't know the whole story, Owens." She frowned at me. She was just too kind sometimes. She tucked me to bed and ruffled my hair playfully. "Sleep well, dear. Wake up early tomorrow to get ready for your carriage."

"Goodnight, sister Jane." I wished.

"Goodnight, Owens." She smiled at me before turning to leave the room.

That left me staring blankly at the ceiling in the dark. Lord Feene was actually the count that responsible to look after this town. This small town was actually under his fief. He was probably a decent noble but the Mayor of this town which he entrusted to manage everything was a greedy jerk. I didn't think this through enough.

Owens Feene. That was my full name. It got me wondering for a while where my last name came from. The novel didn't specified that Owens was adopted. He just showed at the academy during his first encounter with Aeros. Agh, I was stupid. I should've not been so narrow minded. I knew I would eventually ended up in the academy, I thought that the Magic Union came back to fetch me. I should've also guessed that I would be adopted into a count family!

Still, I knew why I was adopted. It was because I was a freaking Enhancer. The only one in this entire kingdom at that! If I was adopted into the count's family, it was just the same thing as bringing honour to the Feene's name. I was going to bring glory to their family as I joined the hero's party to defeat the demon lord as stated in the prophecy. Would I die the same way like in the novel? Was running away an option at this situation? Where would I go, though?