[First-person POV: Eden]
"Hmm, hmm",
Humming, I moved around the kitchen, gathering utensils and ingredients for breakfast. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air, intertwining with the gentle scent of the flowers.
The kitchen window was opened as the morning light came inside. And the view of the river Yamda can be clearly seen.
"Are you sure you want to cook for all of us?" As I was chopping down the fruits, my mother's voice brought my attention towards her, who was leaning against the wall with a coffee mug in her hand.
"How is the coffee?" Instead of answering her question, I asked my own.
"It's pretty good," she replied as she took small sips of coffee that I had prepared for her.
"Then let me also take care of the breakfast; you will love it," I replied with a smile while taking out eggs from the shelf to fry.
"Hah, why did you grow up so fast?" she grumbled as she sighed in nostalgia.
For her, it was like a blink, and the little boy she knew once was gone forever.
At her words, I just smiled, bringing my focus back to cooking. It's been a week since my mother woke up from the curse, and just like what happened in the game, she decided to leave the Morton Dukedom, but this time I was with her.
She was also going to move to another continent, but I stopped her. I returned here because I wanted to patch up all the loose ties I had here. I can't run away from them again, and neither do I plan to.
My mother was clearly not happy with my decision, but after talking things out, we decided to stay on Eve's continent until I wanted to. However, there was an unusual condition—I had to be her sleeping pillow every night until the academy's entrance day.
'What a weird request,' I thought to myself.
I also bought a new house that is just on the edge of the capital city from where the main river Yamda is situated, and I had already had an eye on this house for a long time, like since I was a child.
I had already planned to buy this house, so I just bought it, and it will also come in handy later on. and with all the treasure I had collected on my journey, it was easy for me.
"You are trying to take my job away, young master." As I was busy cooking my meal, another voice caught my attention.
"And why are you even here?" I asked as I looked at Sarah, who was standing at the kitchen door, "Aren't you the head maid of the Morton family?"
"I am my lady's maid," Sarah replied as she looked at my mom. "Wherever she goes, I will go."
"Don't listen to her; she just wants to laze around. A smaller house means less work, and that's why she's here," my mom replied with a frown as she glared at Sarah.
"How is this a small house?" Sarah rebuked, and I nodded at her words. The house was big enough for at least ten people to live here.
"Anyway, how did you get so much money to buy this?" my mother asked, avoiding Sarah's question.
"I saved them." I stir-fried some meat, and I replied, avoiding eye contact.
"And why did you even buy a house that is in such a remote place?" Sarah asked as she moved towards the window to look at the river outside.
"Yeah, what if someone tried to kidnap us?" my mother replied with a chuckle, sipping down her coffee.
"I doubt that," I mumbled, glancing at my mom.
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Name: Stephanie Frialna Thorja
Affiliation: ???
Mage Path: Ascension Level 5
Mana points: 4350/5000
Knight Path: locked
Danger Level: Give up; you can't win against your mother.
======================
'Why is every woman around me all such a monster?', I grumbled in my thoughts as I looked at her stats. The game never hinted at my mother's strength, leaving me in utter confusion when I first saw it.
I have so many questions I want to ask, but no one gives me the answers. I have tried to ask her multiple times about her family or the curse that was placed on her to get something useful, but she remained tight-lipped, only responding with 'the time is not right.'
"Set the table, Sarah," I said as I completed the breakfast.
"Yes."
We quickly arranged the table and placed the breakfast as we started eating.
"Eden," my mother's voice, caught my attention away from my breakfast.
"Yes?",
"Are you sure you want to go there?"
"Yes",
"They will not treat you nicely, especially with the rumo–,"
"I know, Mom, don't worry; I will be fine."
"But what if they don't accept you in the academy?"
"They will, mom; they can't go against their own rules."
"Hah, fine, just contact me if something happens."
"Okay," I replied, finishing the fruit juice and moving towards my room.
I understand why she is so concerned about me. Whoever is targeting her can also target me, putting my life in constant danger, but I can't do much about it, nor can I hide all the time.
Arriving at my room, I moved towards the shower as I tried to recall every detail about the first day of the game.
"Saving Emily was the first quest of the game," I mumbled, recalling the quest. If everything goes as planned in the game, then the hero will have his first fight just before the entrance in the academy, which will make him stand out.
"I need to be ready for today," I mumbled as I twisted the shower nob, making the cold water flow onto my body. "It's going to be a long day."
.......
.......
......
"It looks good on you," my mom said as she looked at me in the academy uniform. Sarah, me, and my mother stood outside the house for my departure to the academy.
"Yeah," I replied, looking down on my uniform.
It's a three-piece suit that perfectly complements my stature.
The white inner shirt served as the canvas, its pristine hue contrasting sharply against the darker layers. It peeked through the gaps in the ensemble.
The red middle layer added a touch of boldness to the attire.
And the outer layer, in deep black, provided a sense of authority as it highlighted my figure without sacrificing comfort.
"Why don't you just cut your hair?" My mom grumbled, placing her hands on my hair.
"It looks good this way," I rebuked swiftly, moving away from her reach.
"Where are you running?" she said with a grin as she firmly warpped her hand on my face, placing it on my bossom.
"Be safe," she whispered in my ears as she placed a kiss on my cheek before letting me go.
"Have a good first day, young master," Sarah said with a small bow, and I nodded in response.
"Bye," I waved my hand as I moved away from them and walked on the streets until I was outside of their view.
{Space warp}
Activating the 'Star Sense', I formed a connection with the farthest space node in the air as the space around me disoriented, and in just an instant, I arrived three hundred meters away from my previous spot.
And as I was in the air, I quickly started falling down, but I swiftly connected with another space node moving in the air, and with a few more wraps, I arrived on the branch of a giant tree, and in front of it was a building that had an orphanage signboard placed at the top.
"Looks like I am a little late," I mumbled as I looked at the conflict that was going on in front of the orphanage. A lady was having an argument with three thug-like people, and a girl my age was standing right beside her in an academy uniform.
"Something you want to say, Edda," I mumbled, calling out my system, as I was pretty sure another quest would be generated here after all the opening scenes in the First Game that were happening in front of me.
======================
Quest Initiated]
Quest Title: Help Emily Michel
Quest Type: Side Quest
Quest Level: B-Class
Rewards for Success:
5,000 Experience Points (XP)
Friendship with the Main Heroine Emily Michel
Friendship with the Hero
Penalties for Failure:
Change in the main story.
Displeasure of the hero.
Time Limit: 30:00
=======================
"I knew it," I grinned as I looked at the system screen. During the last two years, I have done many experiments with the system, and the one thing that sticks out is that it wants me to help the main cast in any way possible.
"Hey Edda," I said, as I wanted to confirm something.
[Yes?], she replied.
"The hero, he is at his weakest right now, is that correct?" I asked as I noticed two more individuals arriving at the scene, one girl and one boy, who both were wearing the same academy uniform as me.
[Yes]
"Is that so?" I replied as I took out a fancy-looking bow from my inventory. The bow, which can cause a war because of its value,
"Let's see if I can kill that bastrad or not".