Eric contemplated what to request.

  There were two; one was now his curiosity about Mana Wielders, and another was his desire to borrow books from the town’s library.

  Eric originally disliked educational books, but he needed to figure out a few things related to this world. Sadly, the school books didn’t contain any useful information. He had only managed to learn that this was the Silvia Kingdom, the king’s name was Basil Silvia, and the queen was Illiana Silvia.

  Eric’s eyes flashed as he contemplated how to seize both opportunities with his current chance.

  He coughed and asked cutely, "Before I ask what I want, I’ve always been curious about so-called ‘Mana Wielders.’ I hope you can teach me how to become a Mage or a Warrior, and also tell me everything related to that."

  All Eric knew was that Mana Wielders were of two types: Mages and Warriors, separated by ‘Ranks.’ He now also knew that Bella Noll was a Mana Wielder, so he was certain she was very knowledgeable on the subject.

  Bella Noll was shocked by Eric’s shamelessness. He was trying to grab both cakes with a single deal!

  She shook her head with a smile and answered plainly, "No!"

  Eric was crestfallen. "Why? I wish to become a Mana Wielder, but I know nothing about it. Couldn’t you at least tell me something?"

  Seeing Eric’s disappointment, Bella Noll softened. She cleared her throat and spoke gently, "Truthfully, I don’t want you to become a Mana Wielder. It’s a path of relentless struggle, pain, and hardship. I’d rather you stay in this town and live peacefully. Before I die, I’ll give you everything I own." She owned more than the orphanage, including several shops within the town that generated wealth for running it.

  The only advantage of Mana Wielders was their longer lifespans and health, but progression remained limited without hard work. Another fact was that she couldn’t estimate Eric’s talent—he was either grade 0 or above grade 3. If he was grade 0, attempting anything without an elixir would be outright depressing.

  Glancing at Eric’s even more defeated, almost lifeless eyes, Bella Noll didn’t know whether to laugh or not.

  "Eric, rushing isn’t always good. The training you’re doing here at the orphanage is enough—it will help you in the long run. Be patient. When you’re older, I’ll tell you about Mana Wielders," she said with a gentle smile.

  Bella Noll planned to teach Eric when he reached 14 or 15 years of age. At that age, he would be much more mature and could choose whether to leave town. If he did, he’d also be safer, as he’d be an adult, at least other humans wouldn’t dismiss him as a mere child.

  Eric saw the goodwill in Bella Noll’s eyes, so he could only nod reluctantly. Though he wanted to become a Mana Wielder, he could wait.

  He would surely leave Ringwood Town in the future to adventure, as he had in his past life. But for now, he was still just a kid, even if he looked overgrown compared to the other town’s children.

  Eric decided to make the best use of his time, training seriously to be better prepared before leaving town someday.

  "I understand. For taking care of those two crying babies, help me get a permit to borrow books from the town’s library."

  Bella Noll wasn’t surprised by Eric’s request. She calmly nodded, "Alright, but as you perhaps already know, only adults can borrow books from the library. Thus, I’ll have Hannah accompany you. Take whichever book you fancy."

  Eric agreed. He was already aware of those rules. It was to guarantee that people were mature enough not to damage any of the books, as many of them probably didn’t have copies within the town. If those books were damaged, it wouldn’t be as simple as paying a hefty price for compensation. To replace them, people needed to travel to the nearest city—Batley City. It was the only city nearby, and it was very far from this town. There were also various dangers along the way.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Can you now tell me about those two girls? They look like abandoned princesses. Did their kingdom get destroyed?"

  Bella Noll laughed at Eric’s innocent guess, though that was what most townspeople would assume upon observing them. It was because they didn’t understand the cruelty of the world.

  She shook her head and stared at Eric with sudden seriousness. "Eric, you see... in the wider world, powerful families are often not kind."

  She paused briefly, ensuring Eric’s attention, then continued, "Many have impossibly high expectations for their children and disciples. If they fail to meet them, they are cast aside. Sometimes, their fate is far worse. As for those girls, though I don’t know everything, from what I gathered, they fell short of their family’s standards and were discarded."

  "As for why they came this far... that’s still a mystery. Of course, they didn’t arrive alone—a powerful Mana Wielder brought them."

  Ringwood Town was too isolated, near the southernmost edge of the Humancrown Continent. No Mana Wielder would come here without reason. Bella Noll suspected the red-haired woman was Master Rank, but why she had traveled so far was a puzzle.

  "That powerful Mana Wielder probably felt this place was good enough, so she paid me to take care of those two girls and then left promptly."

  Eric listened silently. He was a bit speechless at how a top family could simply discard their children for being useless, while here was this old woman, still mourning her only child and her husband’s death.

  'I guess there are all sorts of people in the world, each with their own way of doing things', Eric thought, shaking his head internally.

  "I understand. They’ll probably stay here forever. I can entertain them to some extent, but don’t expect me to waste my training time playing house with them!"

  Eric made his point clear. He could talk with the girls, maybe even guide or help them in certain situations, but he wouldn’t waste his time and energy on them.

  “Right, what is talent?” he asked with curiosity. He finally had an opportunity to ask questions beyond normal things.

  Bella Noll thought a little and answered, as it was a very basic thing, “Spiritual Talents, or just talent, is rarely focused on, except while taking disciples or something like that.”

  "Spiritual Talent can be judged using some artifacts, but with experience, one can still approximately gauge others'. Talent ranges from grade 1 to 4, though higher grades exist. They are rarely seen, so I am not very knowledgeable about them. In fact, as I mentioned previously, people in this world rarely focus on others' talent, as that cannot be used to judge one’s capability or strength."

  "Grade 1 is the lowest, and probably only through extreme hard work and luck may one become a Mana Wielder, though the chances are still very low. Most of the townsfolk in Ringwood Town are at this grade. Grades 2 and 3 have higher chances; most people in the world usually have these two grades. I may as well warn you—don’t judge a person's strength by these grades. Even lower grades can become much stronger than higher grades if they work hard enough."

  "Grade 4s are quite rare, and they have a chance to have an 'inborn ability.' Although it is called 'inborn,' it only awakens after they become a Mana Wielder."

  Eric’s eyes lit up. "Do I have extremely high talent?" He was expecting his talent to be at least grade 99.

  Bella Noll glanced at Eric with pity and wondered whether to break the news to him or not.

  After hesitating for a while, she decided it was better to be truthful. "If my guess isn’t wrong, then you and both the girls outside are the same—Grade 0!"

  Eric nearly slipped out of his chair again.

  'Where the hell did this Grade 0 come from?!'

  Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Perhaps it was the peak of all talent?

  He stared at Bella Noll with expectation.

  Bella Noll’s mouth twitched as she looked at Eric’s expectant eyes. She decided to be honest. "Grade 0 are those who are hopeless to become Mana Wielders."

  Eric’s expression crumbled.

  He turned to gaze outside the open window, deep melancholy in his eyes.

  He wondered if he jumped out of it, could he successfully die? After all, it was only the second floor; he needed to adjust his position so his head hit a stone or something.

  Bella Noll laughed at Eric’s depressed face, then shook her head. "Don’t worry, I can also be wrong. Perhaps your talent is higher and I can’t judge. But both the girls outside are probably hopeless."

  She thought a little and suggested, "Eric, talents aside, you shouldn’t underestimate those girls. Later, try training with them; perhaps they can surprise you."

  Eric tilted his head in confusion, but he didn’t dwell on it. He nodded casually and asked with slight impatience, "When can I start with the library?"

  He was indeed a bit impatient, as most of his day was free except for training. Instead of wasting time, he would prefer to read useful books about the world. Even storybooks would do.

  Bella Noll nodded slightly and raised her voice. "Hannah, come inside."