Chapter 19: Mixed Blood

Cael Horais Sirius POV

“Are you the Hero Cael?” a middle-aged woman asked as she looked at me.

“Yes, I’m Cael,” I replied, meeting her blue eyes.

“I’m Amber. I’ll be the one who will adjust your and your family’s attire for the upcoming banquet,” Amber stated.

She then began taking my measurements.

At first, I thought it would be simple. My mom usually made my clothes back in the village, and whenever she needed to make something new for me, she would usually just measure my height and the width of my torso.

Amber, however, was completely different.

She measured my shoulders, arms, chest, waist, legs, and even the length of my torso. 

She made me raise my arms, lower them, turn around, stand straight, and remain completely still while she carefully recorded every measurement.

It was a grueling twenty minutes of standing still.

By the time she finally finished, I felt like I had been turned into a mannequin.

“We’re done, Hero Cael,” Amber said.

I immediately lowered my arms and slouched my upper body slightly, relieved that I could finally move again.

“Your height is a lot taller than other kids your age,” Amber commented.

I simply smiled.

Of course it is.

My physical body was already at eleven years old, even though I was still technically ten.

There was no way I could explain that to her, though.

Amber then moved toward Talya, who was next in line to have her measurements taken for her dress.

“Having your body measured for attire is a pain, right, Hero Cael?” Sir Faust said softly as he stood nearby.

“You should get used to it, though, since your body is still growing,” Sir Faust added.

I gave him an annoyed look.

Easy for him to say.

“The banquet will be held two days from now,” Sir Faust stated.

“Gavis will teach you and Talya the basic noble courtesy today and tomorrow,” Sir Faust suddenly said.

“A lot of nobles will attend the banquet, including some nobles from the Empire. I suggest that you take Gavis’ lessons seriously, Hero Cael,” Sir Faust continued.

“Why? Don’t they know I used to be an Outsider?” I asked.

“That’s precisely why you need to look and act more like a noble so they can easily accept you,” Sir Faust replied.

“Remember, Hero Cael, first impressions will last in their memory, especially since this is one of the few rare occasions when they can interact with you,” Sir Faust added.

“Is it for appearances, then? Is that the main reason you gave me that letter?” I asked, pointing toward the letter I had received the night before I met King Louis.

“I was hoping you would act a bit more restrained back then, but it did leave an impression on everyone there,” Sir Faust said.

“That you’re powerful and that you won’t hesitate to kill anyone who harms your loved ones,” Sir Faust added.

“Is that a good thing? It sounds pretty bad,” I said.

“Well, at least everyone who was there will not try to harm the people you care about, knowing the consequences,” Sir Faust stated.

I couldn't exactly argue with that.

People tended to be careful around someone they believed could kill them.

“Anyway, Hero Cael, the banquet is being held to formally accept you as the new Hero of Cygnus. At least try to show that you are, at the very least, not the Kingdom’s enemy,” Sir Faust continued.

“You know I won’t go that far unless someone forcefully pushes me there,” I warned.

“I know you hate us nobles, but at the very least, believe that there are a few of us who really care about the people, whether they’re inside the walls or outside,” Sir Faust said.

“Hate would be a stretch. I just really can’t comprehend how nobles see the value of other people’s lives,” I said.

I had seen enough during my time outside the walls to know that the lives of common people were often treated as though they were worth less than those of nobles.

“But don’t worry. I’ll be on my best behavior as long as no one taunts me. It’s a celebration for me, so at the very least, I expect that my family and I will be respected,” I said.

“Fair enough, but what if someone taunts you or your family? As I’ve said, some nobles will come from the Empire and even from other kingdoms,” Sir Faust asked.

I thought about it for a moment.

“Well, I could just play my ten-year-old card and beat the life out of that person,” I replied.

Sir Faust immediately put his hand over his face.

I couldn't help but smile.

“Well, I guess I’ll just stay near your family so that it won’t happen. You’re my guest, after all,” Sir Faust said.

“Still, I want you and Talya to learn basic courtesy with Gavis,” Sir Faust added.

“You think someone will mock me that day?” I asked.

“Definitely. I don’t think a noble would do it, but a guard or servant from the Kingdom of Fawaris might,” Sir Faust answered.

“The Elves, huh?” I said.

“Worrying about what idiots would do will just waste our time, Sir Faust,” I added.

“You’re right, Hero Cael. Just remember, if anything happens, I’m on your side,” Faust said.

“I really hope so, Sir Faust,” I replied.

I then headed toward Talya, who was almost finished with her measurements.

As soon as Amber finished adjusting Talya’s measurements, she prepared to leave.

Once the noble tailor was gone, Gavis immediately began our noble courtesy lesson.

From how to properly stand and walk to how we should introduce ourselves and greet others, Gavis strictly instructed us on almost every little detail.

“Hero Cael, you should seriously learn this since this will be a common thing for you,” Gavis said.

“You too, Miss Talya, if you plan on staying beside Hero Cael,” Gavis added.

“I didn’t know you were this strict, Gavis,” I said.

“I just don’t want you two to be humiliated during the banquet,” Gavis answered.

“Thanks. I’ll do my best to remember everything that you’re teaching us,” I said.

Still, I couldn’t believe that a servant knew so much about noble courtesy.

Is it because of his age? I thought.

“I used to teach Sir Faust all this courtesy when he was just little,” Gavis suddenly said, almost as though he knew exactly what I was thinking.

“So that’s why he suggested you teach us,” I said.

“Indeed.”

Gavis adjusted his posture before continuing.

“He loved playing around and going out of town as a child. He usually neglected the lessons from his teachers.”

“But it changed when he met Maria. He tried his best to learn noble courtesy. He even seriously studied swordsmanship and magic to impress her,” Gavis added.

“I get him. Of course, you want to look great to someone you like,” I said.

“Hmm... Is that the reason why you didn’t show yourself a few weeks after your tenth birthday?” Talya suddenly asked as she looked at me.

I pretended not to hear her.

“I’m asking you, Cael!” Talya said.

“Well, I felt lame not having a special ability even after I turned ten,” I said.

“What do you mean by that, Hero Cael?” Gavis asked.

“I only got my ability when the demonkind invaded,” I replied.

“Is it okay to say that?” Fragarach suddenly said telepathically.

So you were listening.

“You’ve been quiet for a while. I thought you went somewhere,” I said.

“I’m not interested in courtesy and noble stuff. It’s stiff and dumb,” Fragarach said.

“I kinda agree with that,” I replied.

“So why do you give information like that to a mere servant? You know that he will definitely inform his master about it,” Fragarach asked.

“It’s not a big deal,” I said.

“It’s a big deal, Cael. Not having your special ability before or on the day of your tenth birthday means that you’re mixed blood.”

I immediately became more serious.

“What do you mean, Fragarach?” I asked.

“You either have a third to a tenth of the blood of an Elf, a Dwarf, a Demihuman, or even a demon,” Fragarach said.

“Ah! That sounds really bad,” I said.

I looked toward Gavis.

“I’m surprised you knew something like that,” I said.

“Because Vesper has elven bloodlines running through him,” Fragarach explained.

“Is that common knowledge?” I asked.

“No. Vesper tried to hide it to avoid discrimination against mixed bloods,” Fragarach said.

“So it’s Vesper’s fault why I have mixed blood,” I stated.

“I’m not sure. A thousand years would definitely thin it to almost nothing,” Fragarach stated.

“That means the other blood race running in your veins was recently introduced into your bloodline,” Fragarach added.

Before I could say anything else, Gavis gave me a serious look.

“You should never tell that to anyone, Hero Cael,” Gavis warned.

“You too, Miss Talya,” Gavis added.

“The Empire and the Kingdom of Fawaris think of mixed bloods as an abomination, a being close to that of demonkind,” Gavis continued.

I glanced at Talya.

She looked just as surprised as I was.

“It’s our little secret, then,” I said.

“I promise not even Master Faust will learn this,” Gavis said.

“Gavis, can I ask you something?” I asked.

“Of course.”

“Is there another way to know if someone has mixed blood?” I asked curiously.

“There is, when you’re subjected to a Royal Decree using the King’s sword or the staff of the Holy Maiden,” Gavis said.

“Because it only works on humans with less than 10 percent mixed blood,” Gavis added.

“But I think they won’t use it against you since the Hero most of the time has immunity for those kinds of things,” Gavis added.

“What does the Royal Decree do anyway?” I asked.

“It forces someone to obey the King’s or the Holy Maiden’s command against the person’s will,” Gavis said.

“That sounds nasty,” I said.

It sounded less like a command and more like forcing someone’s body to obey.

I then looked at Gavis.

“You are mixed blood, aren’t you, Gavis?” I asked.

Gavis remained silent for a moment before answering.

“Yes, I am two-thirds human and one-third Dwarf,” Gavis answered.

I stared at him.

“I’m surprised you managed to not get caught for so long,” I said.

“Well, they did use it on me once, but I just pretended to attack Sir Faust, and they believed me,” Gavis said.

“That’s why I’m not informing my Master, since he can’t lie if it’s used on him,” Gavis said.

I stared at him for a moment.

So that was why Gavis had been so serious about keeping my secret.

He wasn't merely warning me because of some distant possibility.

He understood exactly what could happen because he had experienced it himself.

I glanced at Talya.

She remained quiet, listening carefully to everything Gavis had said.

For the first time since arriving at Faust’s mansion, the noble courtesy lesson no longer felt like the most important thing we had to learn.

There was something much more important that we had to keep hidden.