Shielded by Seals [Chapter 9] (Patreon)

ToC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/132353583

Argyle walked down the stairs soon after the woman with the emerald spider left. He frowned at the open door and then looked at me. “Who was it?”

The reaction of the visitors left me uneasy. I decided to take a gamble and answer him, to try and understand why everyone seemed so unwilling to investigate his crimes; if I understood Father’s position, I could work around it. I cleared my throat, but spoke with as much baby speak as possible. “Old woman. She ‘ad a green spider shirt.”

“The Fang Family? And they saw you?” For a second, Argyle grew alarmed. He showed his teeth. “If they dare target my son-”

He paused. He looked at me and spoke, almost apologetic. “...You are still a parasite. She just left? I wonder… Anyway, I’ll handle it. You play here.”

Argyle went up the stairs.

My eyes bulged. Your son speaks to you for the first time and you hurry away!?I didn’t expect you to coo and bring out a video recorder, but this- tch.

…to remain sane, I poured all those emotions into improving.

Your Skill Clean has reached a new Proficiency! Apprentice-> Usable. Effect of Clean greatly increases. Cleans effects linger for a longer period of time. The Mana efficiency of Clean slightly increases. Your Mana Pool deepens.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +10%.

For increasing Skill Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +4%.

At the front windows, I looked out at the snowy wonderland right outside the manor. My eyes narrowed as I considered the methods available to me. Every moment not plotting was irresponsible.

Yet in the end, I released a sigh. No easy solution presented itself. All of my grinding opportunities had become cumbersome. Yet in the process of pushing Clean to Usable, I confirmed that the Proficiency boost for Feats could combat the diminishing returns, somewhat. Which meant…

“A single option remains to me.” I moved to the tall windows of the kitchen, standing on the table, my hands folded behind my back. I felt trepidation in my heart and could only sigh. “This… is karma.”

I would need to face my irresponsible past, head on.

A part of me was unwilling, but I suppressed that. I clambered down off the kitchen table and proceeded down the hallway toward a shadowy doorway tucked halfway down the hall. Instantly, my nose wrinkled.

The secondary disposal site… Even now, its insidious influence spreads… I breathed as shallowly as I could manage as I approached and considered the door.

At my current age, I could (almost) always react to my bowel movements and waddle down to the privy, but remnants of my previous slip-ups have been allowed to fester. The stench worsened the longer I stood there. The site of this trial was an unassuming door. My hand trembled slightly as I grip the knob and open it. 

Instantly, my face twisted into a scowl. The smell has a physical presence that forced me back half a step; then I struck back. Mana poured out of me as I activated Clean, over and over again. My hands glowed with the Skill activation. I was a hero with a single blade, carving my way toward atonement.

My whole body tingled as I mobilized more Mana in a short time than I had ever before. It exploded out of me, pouring out to extinguish this travesty. Yet soon the swings of my ‘sword’ slowed. A human had limits; I fell to my knees. Just as all that remained was a hollow nausea, Mana Hungry exploded in my chest, pushing a huge chunk of Mana to refill my stores… but that Mana, too, vanished in the face of the cloying rot of the room before me.

Perhaps the smell had been diminished, but in terms of slaying the foe-

I felt my body growing sleepy, but I forced myself to move down the hallway before I collapsed. I barely managed to squeeze my blanket into a pillow before I fell face-first into the ground. In the next instant, I snored.

When I woke, my stomach gurgled. Even at this distance, the open door allowed too much of the stench into the wide and empty manor. And due to Argyle’s prolific servant murder, none of the windows were open. 

I need to finish this quickly… otherwise, it will spread… I thought. Then my expression soured further. Yet would I need to suffer like this if Argyle had been any sort of father?!

This karma is not mine alone!

For my next round, I started at the edges of the room. The stains, the buzzing flies, these were magically eradicated by the Cleans. Then came concerted attacks on the ancillary mound of used diapers. For a while, it felt like it would never end. Time and time again, my Mana Pool would empty, and I would almost collapse in front of the smell. I could only crawl away, begging for divine intervention. Yet after a nap, grit returned and I threw myself back into the breach.

As night fell, I received the notification I was waiting for.

Clean has been used to get rid of a portion of a huge mess. Proficiency +15%. Due to Genius, Proficiency +3%.

I panted. 18% of a Proficiency Tier, all in one go. The sides of the room had been cleansed through concentrated effort. All that remained was that central pillar of diapers. For now, the signs of its corrosive influence had been lifted. Yet I knew that if I didn’t continue the process, those ancillary messes would seep-

I paused. “Should I just let it seep back out and farm Proficiency…?”

On the one hand, I was slightly tempted. Pushing Clean higher had obvious benefits. Yet on the other hand… I did some quick mental calculations. Over the same time, had I been focused just on Emit Mana, I would have gained a similar amount of Proficiency. Maybe a little more, because the activation and settling of Clean took a bit longer, and I had to waddle away from the room before I fell asleep.

“Probably shouldn’t farm,” I finally muttered. “After all… location Alpha still pollutes the air… An entire wing of the manor rendered uninhabitable…”

I went to bed, slept for a while, and woke up with determination. My Clean’s bombarded the side of the diaper pillar. I could feel my Mana flowing out at a fast pace, trying to cleanse all of the accumulated filth. The diapers became fluffier as the soiledness evaporated under my touch. Yet the central area persisted, despite my best efforts.

I could feel myself growing stubborn and listless. I stared at the mess with cruelty in my eyes. Even as I knew I probably looked very much like the biological father for this body… I couldn’t help myself. I refused to give up until this vanished.

After three nights of only Clean and sleep-

Clean has been used to get rid of a dangerous mess. Proficiency +42%. Due to Genius, Proficiency +3%.

“Eh? Almost half a Proficiency Tier? Just like that?” I blinked at the room. I rubbed my chin. I had second thoughts. “Maybe eliminating the mess completely was a mistake. And if this is 45%… the Alpha dumping ground…”

I moved away from the side hallway and proceeded to the kitchen. My previous food breaks had been short, so my stomach released a powerful rumble. To my surprise, Argyle sat in the kitchen, looking blankly at the wall.

Even now, I froze at his presence. I still couldn’t forget his hand carving out that kind woman’s neck.

When he saw me, he shrugged. From the way he faced, I couldn’t tell the color of his irises. His voice rumbled in the room. “It’s impossible, little one. We can never… your crime is permanent. I just can’t…”

His gaze fell down to his fingers. One by one, they tightened together, forming a fist. I could see the tendons along his jaw flex.. “Doesn’t it make you want to tear it all down? Why does reality always bar our path forward…?”

I looked at Argyle. The helplessness wafting off of him… I knew it intimately. Despite the fact he was the primary source of danger in this life, I shifted and sat on the bench next to him. This might be a fantasy world, but it was still true that life does not go the way that you wanted it to.

After all, even I… The lingering bitterness remained from my last life. I released a small breath and then peeked at Argyle. Due to a plethora of reasons, I had remained isolated. Was I doing the same thing here, in this world? Rather than considering Argyle a problem to be overcome, should I have looked at him as a person? A wounded, grieving man who needed a friend?

Before I could second-guess myself, I reached out and patted his back. “If you can’t do it in a day, take a thousand.”

Argyle straightened and looked at me. I flinched under his gaze and ducked my head. Yet in the end, he chuckled and patted me on the head. “Heh, you little monster. Your talent comes from your mother, but your stubbornness comes from me. Haah… I suppose you might be right. Change is slow, but it does exist.”

I felt a flutter in my stomach. Had reaching out… worked? Perhaps rather than escaping, I just need to nudge his grief toward more healthy outlets…

He finished making me some food; I had moved up to solids. Probably earlier than was normal, but as an adult aware of the limits of this small form, I was very careful to chew the food I ate.

After he wandered back up to his study, I plotted my growth. I felt excited by the prospect of the ‘rehabilitate Argyle’ plan, but I would feel better if I also had some capability to rely upon.

A part of me considered going directly and beginning an attack on the Alpha dumping ground… but the secondary dumping area was constructed the way it was exactly because I had learned my lesson from my carelessness in the first area. You practically had to wade through soiled diapers as soon as you entered that room. That wing of the manor was still a no-go zone, due to its influence.

For now… I decided I would push Emit Mana to the next Proficiency and then review my options.

So the grinding resumed. But the next change came from a Trait.

Your Trait Mana Hungry has reached a new Proficiency! Beginner II-> Beginner III. The amount of restored Mana has increased.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Child, the Role Child has gained Proficiency! +10%.

For increasing Trait Proficiency while a Genius, the Role Genius has gained Proficiency! +4%.

I grinned, showing a mouth full of baby teeth. The increase in Mana recovered meant nothing for the grinding of the Skills, but the extra Mana that would evaporate would greatly increase the grinding efficiency of Mana Adjusted Physique.

But only a week later-

I came down from the upstairs (I had been exploring the rooms for rugs or blankets to drag down to my chosen sleep area), to find Argyle waiting for me. He had a steaming cake in his hands. His eyes were surprisingly clear. He squatted down next to me. “Hullo, little parasite. It is that day. Now that you can speak, I should explain some of the wonders of the world to you. Those that aren’t blocked.”

I blinked up at ‘father’. His eyes were bright and bloody. This version of Argyle… if anything, his enthusiasm disturbed me somewhat. Rehabilitate this man? Yet I followed him and sat with him at the table. Even if it seemed unlikely, wasn't this behavior very different from his usual reactions? It was proof that reaching out had a positive effect.

He passed me a fork. Immediately, I twitched; these hadn’t been used in a long time and were covered in dust. I cast Clean on the fork and then dug into the treat.

My twitching grew worse. Argyle… wasn’t a good baker.

He took a bite too and winced. “Well, shit.” He looked at me and forced a smile. “Guess I shouldn’t have killed those servants, huh? Haha…”

I stared at him. I wasn’t sure if I should admire or fear this attempt at humor.

He rubbed the back of his neck. “About that. Make sure you don’t mention the matter to anyone who comes to the house. They… well, they won’t be able to do anything to me, but they will take you and your mother away. And that-”

Suddenly, the viciousness returned to his gaze. His smile was cruel. “That I will not allow.”

I took another bite of cake, unsure of what to do with this awkward situation. After chewing once or twice, I spat it back out onto the plate.

Argyle coughed to clear his throat. “Anyway, Leveling. You will turn two tonight and your Level will grow to 3. You’ll receive a few options for Skills from the Prime Lords. You might be tempted by certain powerful-sounding Skills, but let me tell you, it is much better to choose smaller, weaker Skills. Now that you are following in my footsteps… heh. At your age, it’s better to focus on increasing your Proficiency Tiers as fast as possible.”

“Because of the Score?” I asked.

Argyle nodded. “Yes, exactly. There are other influences, but the more Tiers you gain during the year, the higher the Score you create. And the Score accumulates, year to year. Heh, if you want to become a powerful Chosen like your father, you’ll need to tempt a Prime with a high Score. One high enough to compensate for…”

He trailed off and frowned.

“What’s a Prime?” I asked.

Argyle blinked and looked at me. “...it is difficult to say. There are some… limitations. All I can tell you is that you have the possibility of entering into a transaction with them in the future, and the main currency you will bring to that transaction is your Score.”

I frowned. You are barely telling me anything at all! Well, it’s not like I wouldn’t grind Proficiency anyway.

Almost on cue, a notification popped up in front of me.

You have reached the age of 2! Due to Child-Mode protections, your Level naturally grows to 3!

Your Mana Pool deepens!

As an Extra Bonus, Proficiency of your Role Child has grown by 20%.

Grading your Level 2 experience… This year’s Score has reached: C, D!

Accumulated Score: C. Consolidating…

New Score: C+, D

Due to Child-Mode, you have received the opportunity to learn a new Skill. Due to C+ Score, the quality of the Skill options increases! Please select one option from the following Skills:

Ritualism

Silk Shot

Electric Pulse

(???)- If none of the above options are to your liking, you may select a random basic Skill. Warning, your accumulated Score will not be taken into account for the random Skill.