01.05 - As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I`ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Fail in the World

One week before my fourteenth birthday, I accompanied Alfred on to the center of the capital city of Lichtheim, ‘Lichthafen’.

The town was built next to a river, on the shores of an inland freshwater lake.

The harbour was filled to the brim with ships, but not only those of the regular variety.

My first time witnessing what could have well been a renaissance age vessel ascending into the sky was a psychedelic experience. I did not trust my eyes as the first one left for the heavens. But, as with everything, I had gotten used to it over the years and stopped even watching after the first couple dozen. The human sense of ‘normal’ is quite malleable after all.

Another sight that had become normal were giant piloted armors. They were called Standard Knights and operated by the military. I couldn’t believe it at first, but if wooden ships were traveling between planets, giant magical mecha didn’t seem that extraordinary in comparison.

Then again, I did not even blink when I encountered Tia… Or did I? Many of my older memories had begun to fade… like they would have for a normal child?

But dragons were one thing. Tales of magical galleons leaving for Jupiter were not part of the common folklore where I was from, nor any other part of the planet, as far as I knew.

But enough of my sightseeing.

The reason for the excursion was another entirely.

There was an Evaluation Ceremony, held in the city hall once a year, to gauge the potential of those who recently passed their fourteenth birthday, and it just so happened to take place two weeks from now.

Even my ‘mother’ had ordered a ceremonial dress for the occasion.

My ‘father’ would not be present, but going by Alfred’s words, he ordered to be informed of the aftermath.

From what I had heard about him, my 'father’ appeared to be… a petty man.

Thinking himself a rebel, a fighter against the powers that be… despite being the richest, most powerful man in this whole kingdom.

Born the son of the last Elden Lord, he apparently called himself a master sorcerer, despite being incapable of summoning even a tiny flame, and let his servants take the heat in every monster encounter during his field exercises.

Despite, or probably more because of it, he graduated and slowly but surely took over his father’s position.

Don’t even get me started on his love life. If my mother saw only half of him in me, I could kind of sympathise with her attitude. At least toward me. The way she treated Dawn was inexcusable.

Apparently, my progenitor craved recognition and the love of the masses. Seeing the homeless and dispossessed lingering within the town, he probably could have bought himself their eternal gratitude while only using a fraction of his fortune, but alas.

That at least was the impression I had gathered from the gossip within the last ten years or so. I doubt anyone would have told any of it to my face, but spying on and feigning disinterest towards the conversations of adults was a perk I could still employ.

As for the little trip itself, this was a potential treasure hunt, to say the least.

At least given my other C Tier blessing, besides ‘Monkey See, Monkey Do’:

//========= Jack of All Trades - C Tier ===========

Unlock any priorly encountered Classes you know the details of. Lose 25% total exp on each Class unlock. Leveling up Classes Unlocked in such a way requires 3 times the regular amount of points.

//========================================

Using ‘Know Your Enemy’ on that many potential targets in quick succession was a bit of a gamble, but could lay the foundations for future success.

Given that they did not seem to know about Levels, Experience Points, and so on, there was a very good chance of the Evaluation Ceremony being Class or Skill based.

Plus, it was a great opportunity to get an idea of the capabilities of the average citizens and to collect potential future Skills and Classes to unlock.

I was already down to Level 7, why should I stop now?

If the Evaluation Ceremony was Level based, I had already dug my own grave. Might as well bet on the opposite and keep shoveling!

By the time we had left the tailor’s shop and were on our way back home, I had almost exhausted all of my Energy using ‘Know Your Enemy’ in mass.

Yet the results were worth it, or at least I thought so at the time.

To sum up my observations:

The average adult seemed to have a level between 5 and 25, leaning towards the lower end.

Most of the beggars did not significantly deviate from those numbers.

As for adventurers, mercenaries, or whatever they were called here, the lowest Level amongst them was 17, most of them were in the low to mid 30s.

The highest Level I saw was a mountain of a man, wielding something that seemed like more of a lump of metal than a sword, who clocked in on Level 42. He was missing an arm, wore an eye patch, and carried himself in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

Fitting for someone, who, going by Level alone, could probably take on Tia in a one-on-one fight.

The Class and Skill harvest of our little trip was something else entirely.

But I still had to acquire some points to actually unlock and level up any of them.

It was so overwhelming, I probably would not even remember a quarter of it.

Luckily, ‘Know Your Enemy’ came with a memory database.

//============= Class Library ================

…

Dragon

Void Wing

Abyss Lord

Shapeshifter

…

Envoy

…

Swordsman

Blademaster

Spellblade

…

Merchant

Trader

…

Butler

Scribe

…

Architect

Carpenter

…

Farmer

Botanist

Beekeeper

Rancher

…

Provisioner

Tinker

…

Miner

Blacksmith

Goldsmith

…

Arcanist

Chronomancer

Geomancer

Hydromancer

Pyromancer

Cryomancer

Electromancer

Aeromancer

Floramancer

…

Alchemist

…

Herbalist

Mycologist

Botanist

Forager

…

Cleric

…

//========================================

Suffice to say, all this came at a price.

My current Level was now reduced to 3.