Leo jolted awake to a noise from outside.
It was dawn.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.”
Cassia was bringing in a new water bucket, while the water cart that had been parked in front of the store creaked away.
“You’re up early.”
Though dawn was breaking, the surroundings were still shrouded in darkness.
“I apologize, but I'm going to wash up now. You don't have to leave, but would you mind stepping inside?”
“Sure.”
He could hear the sound of Cassia washing up outside.
She seemed to have a penchant for cleanliness, taking her time with her ablutions.
Lena was still sound asleep.
Not wanting to wake her up, Leo gently stroked her hair and stepped outside.
“I'm going out for a bit.”
“Okay.”
“When Lena wakes up, could you tell her I’m out looking for work?”
“Sure.”
“...Thank you.”
Leo set out to find a tutor. Orville was a bustling city with many tutors, most of whom ran their own academies and took in students.
Since there was no free public education like in his world, anyone who wanted to study had to pay tuition.
However, tutors within the city walls mostly taught children of nobles and wealthy merchants, so their fees were likely exorbitant.
‘A tutor outside the city walls would probably be more affordable.’
Before heading out, Leo first made his way to the marketplace. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving the daggers in Lena’s room, but he couldn’t very well pass through the city gates with them on display.
Not knowing where else to stash them, he went to the siblings’ old lodgings near the market. However, upon arrival, he found a group of people tearing the place down.
‘So it really was only good for a day.’
If they hadn’t left at the crack of dawn in the previous scenario, they would have been at the mercy of the landlord.
Dying at the hands of an angry landlord… A shiver ran down his spine. Entrusting Lena to Cassia’s care was the right choice.
Leo hid the daggers behind a nearby trash can and bought himself a new set of clothes from a shop near the south gate.
He doubted a beggar would be granted free passage through the city gates, and he couldn't very well search for a tutor dressed in rags.
Finally, he reached the marketplace near the south gate and began his search.
“Excuse me, are there any tutors around here?”
“Tutors? I don’t have any kids, so I wouldn’t know.”
“If you go that way…”
He met with several tutors, but most were immediately dismissed.
‘That one’s too young.’
All the tutors he encountered were men. Leo was looking for someone who wouldn’t exploit Lena’s beauty, preferably an older, more trustworthy individual. Teaching ability was secondary.
He finally found a tutor who appeared to be in his sixties.
After much persuasion, he convinced the elderly tutor, who claimed he was too old to travel far for private lessons, to accompany him. Upon arriving at the shoe store and seeing Lena for himself, the tutor nodded in understanding.
“What a lovely young lady. I see why you insisted on an old man like me.”
He then put Leo’s mind at ease.
“Rest assured, I won’t breathe a word about her to anyone. I’ll come by twice a week to give her lessons.”
Leo gladly paid for the books and tuition.
Most of his {Starting Funds} went towards the books, but at least he wouldn’t have to worry about Lena’s education for a while.
Even Cassia, who usually remained indifferent to everything, seemed intrigued by the tutor’s arrival and hovered nearby.
“You’re a good brother.”
She seemed impressed by his decision to hire a tutor for Lena.
“I’ll be back later.”
“Did you find work?”
“Perhaps.”
Leaving Lena, who was marveling at the books, Leo stepped outside once more.
It was time to hear the Family’s answer.
* * *
“Wait here.”
As Leo arrived at the carriage rental shop, daggers in hand, the young man from before hurried inside and returned with a thug.
“What the…? I thought you were all bark and no bite, but you’re just a twig.”
It wasn’t the same thug from yesterday.
“Come with me.”
The thug led Leo past the rows of neatly parked carriages and into a small building.
The interior was surprisingly clean but sparsely furnished, with a faint smell of manure lingering in the air.
“Boss, I brought the guy from yesterday.”
“Get in here.”
Inside the room, a man sat behind a desk.
He was bald, his head as smooth and lumpy as a muscle, but contrary to his appearance, he seemed to possess a sharp mind, as evidenced by the stack of documents on his desk. He sized Leo up with a grimace.
“I’d heard about you. You’re even smaller than I expected.”
“...”
“Well, welcome aboard. If you took out three thugs looking like that, you must be quite skilled.”
“My skills are nothing special.”
“We’ll see about that.”
He grinned, revealing a chipped tooth. The scar that ran across his jaw twitched menacingly.
“Daggers are your weapon of choice?”
“I’m more proficient with a two-handed sword.”
“Oh my. You must be the son of some noble knight.”
“...”
“Come on, then. Let’s see what you’re made of.”
He picked up a lantern and led Leo to the stables. The horses stirred and turned their heads at the approaching light, while the thugs lounging on piles of hay scrambled to their feet.
“Knew I’d find you slacking off here.”
“Apologies, boss!”
The thugs bowed their heads in unison.
“Save it. I’m not here to punish you. We have a newbie. Let’s see… Daol, you spar with him. Someone get two wooden swords. And one two-hander.”
“Yes, boss!”
Soon, a two-handed wooden sword was thrust into Leo’s hands.
Daol, a mountain of a man, stood opposite him, armed with a single sword and a shield.
The stable was relatively well-lit by several lanterns hanging from the pillars, and the floor was slightly damp, the straw crunching softly underfoot.
“Go all out. Don’t hold back.”
The boss settled down on a haystack, a few thugs eagerly crowding around to watch, blocking any escape route.
If Leo lost, he wouldn't be leaving this place unscathed.
Daol, the hulking thug, looked down at him with an intimidating smirk.
He was twice Leo’s height and easily three times his weight.
Some might have called it a David-and-Goliath situation.
Leo agreed.
David would win this one.