Elwyn kept pace with Professor Ezekiel, who was heading toward the main street of the small town, that is, the opposite route the young boy had taken upon arriving on the isnd.

  — Where are we going?

  — To the inn.

  — And then?

  Ezekiel did not answer, or rather completely ignored the young boy and his question, and continued walking down the main street to reach the desired establishment.

  “The intoxicated schor”

  — Judging by the name, it looks more like a tavern than an inn, remarked Elwyn.

  — It does both, replied Ezekiel with irritation.

  The inn in question is a two-story stone building. The ground floor serves as a tavern and the upper floor is entirely composed of rooms. Its main entrance features a set of double wooden doors, whose frame and that of the windows covering the fa?ade are adorned with carvings. Just above the entrance is the name of the sign and a panel depicting an open book with a mug set at its center.

  “Not very original, they just repced the tower with a mug…“

  Without further ceremony, Ezekiel opened the door and entered the inn, immediately followed by the young boy, who did not want to put him in a worse mood than he already was by taking his time.

  Once inside the inn, the heavy atmosphere that had accompanied the two arrivals was immediately swept away by a much more joyful and lively one. Around them were tables filled with individuals of various races and genders who were talking, drinking, joking, and eating, all while forgetting the various troubles of the day.

  Ezekiel immediately made his way to the back of the room, which looked much calmer. Suddenly, he stopped in front of a group of somewhat tipsy individuals, who were taking turns trying to lift the bottom of the short green dress of the young and voluptuous waitress.

  — You there! Don’t disgrace your uniform! And above all, don’t disgrace me, you bunch of complete idiots! thundered Ezekiel in anger.

  The atmosphere in the inn immediately fell, and the individuals concerned by this reprimand turned toward the man, who had just ruined their little game, looking at him with a certain terror on their faces and in their eyes.

  Yes, they had just recognized that angry person.

  Even when utterly drunk, any student of Agnos Academy could recognize the owner of that sepulchral and icy tone, that of Professor Ezekiel when angry.

  Large drops of sweat began to bead, in very great quantity, over the entire bodies of each student caught red-handed by a professor.

  Ezekiel’s angry gaze turned to each of them. There were four, two humans, a dwarf, and a gnome.

  It was, moreover, the tter who had just tried to lift the bottom of the dress right under his nose. He was less than a meter tall and had disheveled autumn-orange hair. His face was simir to that of a human, but his mouth and eyes were rger, which is typical of gnomes.

  All four were wearing a white shirt and gray trousers and on the back of their chair was a dark mauve shirt with golden trims and buttons, as well as a striped mauve tie.

  — You immature idiots, what have you been taught in the st three years, huh?! You are now in your final year and this year, you are supposed to become adults; enough of this kind of nonsense! added him in a murderous tone.

  The trembling eyes of the four individuals were fixed on the ground and they flinched in fear at each raise of Ezekiel’s voice.

  Once the sermon was finished, a long, awkward silence settled for several long seconds for the four students, who had remained frozen like statues all that time.

  Seeing that his reprimand had done its job, Ezekiel sighed to release the remainder of his anger and disappointment.

  — Now, you will apologize to that young woman, then you will pay for your drinks, and afterwards, you disappear from my sight, understood? he concluded a bit more calmly, but with a tone still as firm.

  They all nodded without a word and went to apologize together to the waitress, who was strangely sympathetic toward them, before paying for their drinks and leaving the inn in deathly silence.

  Elwyn, who had silently witnessed the entire scene, simply observed this sermon and moved aside to let the four individuals pass toward the exit.

  Once this event was over, Ezekiel resumed his route and settled at the back of the room, followed by the young boy.

  After that, the various discussions resumed in full swing throughout the room, as if nothing had happened.

  Once they were seated around the table, face-to-face with Ezekiel at the back of the wall, the waitress approached them.

  She had long hair as bck as ink and eyes slightly golden-green. Her voluptuous and alluring curves were concealed under a very short green dress and a white apron.

  When her sublime gaze met that of Ezekiel, the young woman’s face showed a displeased expression.

  — You didn’t have to go that far with them, you aberration of nature.

  Ezekiel then looked at the waitress with a highly irritated air.

  — And you, you filthy lowlife seductress, you shouldn’t have shortened your dress once again.

  — And here we go again, could be heard in chorus from the other end of the room.

  — Well, what? You don’t like my dress? asked her, spinning around quickly, which lifted the hem of her dress and revealed for a fraction of a second her bck ce panties.

  — Certainly not! Especially if it’s to lure my students into your trap, you depraved creature.

  — I’m not depraved! I’m just… in need of affection, she replied indignantly and with almost a tear in her eye.

  — Tss… Stop that, will you, you’re going to make me cry.

  Elwyn, who was watching this not-so-friendly exchange, though not as hostile as it seemed, looked with a certain interest and curiosity at the voluptuous young woman, and she noticed him.

  — So, my cutie, are you already interested in women your age? Or is it just me who has an effect on you? she asked, with a certain sensuality and an alluring look.

  Since the young boy is still insensitive to seduction and has no carnal desire, he did not understand the meaning of the waitress’s questions and maintained a detached air to these unduly forward advances. However, he took advantage of her attention to directly ask her a question that had been nagging him since he had been able to observe her more closely.

  — I’m sorry to trouble you with this intrusive question, but I was wondering, to what species do you belong?

  The waitress was then surprised by Elwyn’s insight and composure toward her, for no normal man can be so insensitive to her charms.

  The young woman then turned to Ezekiel, who did not seem at all surprised by the question or the young boy's attitude, and with a slight nod, asked him what she should do in this unexpected situation.

  — She’s a demon. Well, to be more precise, she’s a succubus who has taken on an almost human appearance to blend into society, simply replied Ezekiel.

  This answer perfectly satisfied Elwyn, as it expined the reason for the disproportionate measurements and the intoxicating beauty of the waitress, compared to the human biological standards inscribed in his knowledge of the Domain of Life.

  — But… but… it’s not right to reveal people’s secrets like that. You’d like me to tell everyone that you’re a dhampir, she murmured quietly, so as not to be overheard by the nearby table.

  Ezekiel shot a quick icy look at the succubus, who stiffened for a fraction of a second, before slowly turning her head toward the young boy, who had clearly heard her compint.

  — Professor, what is a dhampir? then asked Elwyn quietly, with the same sparkle in his eyes as that of a biologist discovering a new species to study.

  Ezekiel did not answer and fixed his eyes, full of interest, on the young boy for several long seconds, then sighed in resignation, for he knew very well that nothing could divert an Entity’s curiosity regarding everything reted to its Domain.

  Ezekiel then decided to give the young boy something to satisfy his curiosity, or not.

  — You’ll have to do the research yourself once we’re at the Academy.

  This answer obviously did not satisfy Elwyn, but the tter had just obtained a means to do so. He then decided not to insist, as he suspected that Ezekiel was not the type to speak unless he wanted to.

  — Lilsha, we need two daily specials, a water for the little one and a mead for me, demanded Ezekiel, in order to close all the topics of conversation that were starting to annoy him.

  — Is that all?

  — No, we also need two rooms for tonight.

  — Very well, I’ll get that for you right away.

  And the waitress went off toward the kitchen to pce the order and attend to the other customers.

  — Are we going to sleep here tonight? asked Elwyn.

  — Indeed, and tomorrow morning, we will go to collect your uniform and your brooch in the building you visited earlier, and then we will go to the Academy.

  — Alright.

  About ten minutes ter, the waitress returned to bring them their order and they ate quietly in a deathly silence, which did not seem to bother them much.

  Once his meal was finished, Elwyn then made a very small remark toward Ezekiel.

  — Professor, you’re not much of a talker, are you?

  Ezekiel then raised an eyebrow and looked at the young boy with a displeased air.

  — Do you have a problem? then asked Elwyn.

  Ezekiel did not answer and simply finished his pte, then quietly drank his mug of mead.

  — Professor? Why are you not answering?

  Once he set his mug on the table, his piercing and cold gaze turned toward Elwyn’s.

  — Listen to me well, kid, right now, you have two problems that have followed you since your adoption: your ignorance and your weakness. You still ignore many things about the world around you and its inhabitants. And above all, you ignore the weight of the responsibilities that rest on your shoulders, whether you like it or not, since your parents, and especially your mother, are no longer here. Moreover, your impotence makes me very tempted to tear you to pieces on the spot to erase that damned fixed expression on your face, while you are nothing more than a simple little gnat a little more gifted than the average for your age.

  This truth that Ezekiel unched at Elwyn’s face surprised the tter, for he felt for the first time a certain animosity coming from someone, and in this case, that of a professor, toward him. However, the young boy did not falter and charged at the embittered professor with a hardened look.

  — Professor, unfortunately for both of us, since my adoption and until a year ago, I was under the influence of a memory lock that blocked the part concerning my powers and my Entity knowledge. So, if you have a problem regarding my abilities and skills, address it instead to the Deity responsible for my “weakness”, replied the young nephilim.

  Seeing that Elwyn was also stubborn, he let it go and simply clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

  — Tsss, you’d better not waste my time, kid.

  — I have no intention of doing so. So, teach me, professor.

  The waitress, who had discreetly moved closer to them, but not enough to hear everything and be noticed, eventually reached their table and noticed a duel of gazes, with no one seeming able to come out as the winner. This sight greatly impressed her, for it seemed impossible for a mere child to stand up to that mule-headed Ezekiel and his heartless, killer gaze.

  — Are... are you finished? she asked hesitantly.

  The two gazes then broke, and the tension slowly subsided.

  — Yes, we are finished, replied Ezekiel.

  — Very well, in that case, I’ll clear your table.

  The waitress quickly cleared their table, before immediately returning.

  — Would you like anything else?

  — No, thank you. However, you can show him his room, I’ve had enough, he said as he got up from his chair to go out for some air.

  — Always so kind… added the waitress quietly, once Ezekiel passed through the entrance door.

  — He’s always like that, I mean, he’s always so unpleasant and in a bad mood with people, or is it just me who has that effect on him? then asked Elwyn to the waitress, who was still gazing at the entrance with a lost look.

  — … A few years ago, he was… different… He had less anger… and disgust. But… since the disappearance of the Deity of Life, he has… changed… It must be said that her disappearance shook everyone around here. She was so kind… and very frightening too…

  The waitress then turned her gaze toward her interlocutor, who seemed more than attentive to her words, then shook her head frantically.

  — But what am I saying to a kid, really… Come on, I’ll show you your room.

  Elwyn then gathered his belongings and followed the waitress heading toward the stairs, located to the right of their table and right in the center of the wall, and went to the floor of the rooms.

  Once upstairs, they walked along the corridor and passed several numbered room doors until they reached number ten, the st one.

  — Here we are. This is your room, and know that the other idiot is right opposite, well, if he comes back… Anyway, there’s everything you need to wash and sleep. There’s even a little desk for working, well, given your age, you don’t need it yet, she finished in a rather teasing tone.

  Elwyn did not comment on the end of that sentence and simply thanked the waitress politely for her assistance and let her leave quietly to resume her duties, after receiving his room key.

  The young boy then entered his room and took a quick look around. There was a single bed on the right, a small desk and a chair in the middle, a wooden screen on which a towel was pced, hiding a small bathtub with magical engravings on the left. On the ceiling was a small, simple chandelier equipped with a small sphere, simir to that of the exterior mpposts with a magical engraving; it was lit and provided a certain warmth and good brightness in this tiny, minimalist room.

  Elwyn then decided to put down his belongings and inspected a small note posted in the middle of the desk. It simply provided the different formus for the magical engravings of the bathtub and the chandelier.

  “How do people who cannot read manage? … They must undoubtedly have the instructions orally first… Why didn’t she tell me anything? Perhaps it was her distraction…”

  Once all this information was recorded, the young boy was finally free to move and decided, after a very short reflection, to lock himself in the room and settle into the desk chair. He then took out of his bag a small bnk book and his writing tools.

  Finally, Elwyn could take the time to review his journey, his days, his encounters, and the interesting events that had occurred and been recounted since he left his home.

  For him, this note-taking was important, as it allowed him to work on his writing, his memory, and to have things to tell in his letter to his adoptive family.

  He worked on it for several hours, before quietly going to bed in the middle of the night.

  Dear Mother-Ophélia, dear Father-Volden, and dear Le?na,

  It has now been five days since I left home, and it seems so far away now. I have seen many things on the road, including orchards, fields of grain, and pastures stretching as far as the eye can see. The world is truly vast, and there is much to see and discover.

  I spent an evening in the city of Reina, and it was not as good as I had thought. The city is rge and there are many people, certainly, but it is not as livable as the vilge. At first, I felt cramped, and it improved as I got closer to its center. It is quite dark with all these houses, and it is not very clean either.

  The next afternoon, I arrived at Estal, a sort of port town smaller than Reina, but much more welcoming and pleasant to live in. And for the first time, I was able to see the sea. It is so vast, so blue, and also very cold. One should return during a warmer season to enjoy it.

  Then, I took a boat to reach Agnos. It was quite dizzying trying to imagine the surface of the sea and also noticing that there was no more nd in sight. It is truly disorienting. The sailors must have a lot of courage to do this job.

  At the moment I write this letter, I have arrived at Agnos. I met a professor from the academy, Professor Ezekiel.

  Mother-Ophélia, did you know this professor?

  In any case, he is not very kind nor very talkative. I only know that he knew my parents.

  We then settled in an inn for the night, and I was able to meet a rather strange waitress, who seemed to know Professor Ezekiel well. It is said that he was kinder before the disappearance of the Deity of Life. I wonder why. How well did he know my parents?

  Anyway, this is my first message to you. I hope you are well and that everything is going well in the vilge. Take care, and see you soon.

  Elwyn