He got up and ran towards town, bawling. At least that was better than the keep. Sasi would have been in the hottest of waters if her mother had learned she had not only left the keep without supervision, but she’d also gotten Culin’s sleeve torn and hit him.

“Culin! Come back!”

The [Lady] chased after her brother, wishing she had a proper Skill to capture him, or mend his clothing, or do…something. All she had was [Area of Sproutlings] and [Healthy Growth]. She had received [Area of Sproutlings], which could instantly turn a 6-foot patch of freshly-planted seeds into new shoots once every four days, when she’d gotten her [Lady] class last year.

[Healthy Growth] she’d had since she was small. The Skill wasn’t even hers, not really. She had gotten the Skill from her mother. Sasi raced after Culin; she was tall for her age, and fleet of foot. Also—far more coordinated than even other nine year-olds.

Lady Risel had possessed the [Gift of the Progenitor] Skill—she had given Sasi [Healthy Growth]. So Sasi had grown like a weed, and might even be as fast and smart as her father and mother combined.

Skills like that were rare outside of noble classes, and it was still somewhat rare for a [Lady] or [Lord] to have Skills that passed down their bloodlines. For instance, Culin hadn’t gotten a Skill like that when he received his [Lord] class.

Even so, he was fast on his feet and Sasi saw him barrel into town ahead of her. He’d run out of steam before her; she wasn’t even winded from the downhill run. She jogged into town after him, already planning on how to cheer him up and get his sleeve repaired—perhaps with a little favor from a kindly

[Sewer] who wouldn’t ask too many questions. At least it was something to do, even if the main problem was that the two were miserably bored.

In Menorome, there had been things to do all day. Watch [Mages] practicing spells, or adventurers, even Gold-rank adventurers coming back from slaying monsters, listening to tales of other kingdoms or even other continents from people gossiping, play with children who wouldn’t be stiff around them…

As Sasi caught up with the panting Culin, the two saw a small group of people unloading a wagon from one of the villages. It was loaded with produce, and the two paused a moment to watch. They were hoping it was something special—like Veil Tomatos, or some of the rarer delicacies Afiele’s fields could produce. Nightshades of all abundance could be grown in Afiele, as well as Ashwheat and so on.

“Don’t get too close, Culin.”

Sasi warned her brother. He glowered at her, but didn’t interfere; they’d make the people bow and someone might ask where Meltain was.