VIP Chapter 221: Iaar in Yamik (1)
“Hmm… you… you’re saying there’s something strange about Shuna Polol entering the school?”
Iaar’s expression shifted to surprise as she looked at Peflan, the captain of the White Castle, while warming herself by the hearth.
She had traveled for about five days with Peflan, finally arriving in Yamik City, where she had received Will’s letter. These five days were mostly spent traveling, with no significant work to speak of.
However…
Iaar asked, glancing at the White Castle team, who were gathered around the fire, chatting and drinking. Peflan and her team were quite different from Iaar’s initial impression. She had initially thought that Peflan, as a rescue team specially hired by the Adventurer’s Guild, would be rather overbearing, much like her attitude when Iaar first entered the tavern. Iaar had expected the team members to be treated like subordinates. She also imagined the White Castle, as a strictly disciplined organization formed by the Adventurer’s Guild, to be a team lacking in camaraderie…
But… that wasn’t the case?
Over the past few days, the White Castle members had shown her a lot of care. Even though she was initially just brought along as a lead, they shared plenty of delicious food and… drinks with her. She had also joined them for these fireside chats. It made Iaar wonder if her Young Master might also want to form a similar adventuring team. A team where everyone could be like good friends, sitting around, chatting, and drinking—at least that was the vibe before the Young Master was taken away by Shuna.
But…
The Young Master seemed to rarely discuss his plans for the adventuring team’s “future.” He, who loved planning so much, why was that?
Moreover…
Peflan didn’t seem like a particularly wary person. As she spoke, she began discussing Shuna’s background—
“Yes, you should know the meaning of the surname Polol in the Entak Empire, right?”
“This…”
Iaar took out a small notebook from her maid’s pocket, titled, “Important Things My Young Master Said.”
“Iaar remembers the Young Master mentioning it, probably on this page.”
She quickly flipped through the pages, each one filled with writing, the edges slightly yellowed from frequent flipping.
“It’s alright, it’s not an exam. It’s okay if you can’t recall it.”
Peflan was startled by Iaar’s earnestness. Iaar’s behavior this way wasn’t unusual during the journey. Besides constantly talking about her “Young Master,” she would proudly exclaim, “My Young Master taught me this!” whenever a topic arose. Surprisingly, the Young Master had indeed taught this beastkin maid a great deal of substantial knowledge.
“Found it. It’s a surname the Young Master mentioned in a letter to the Princess three years ago.”
“You even record the dates…”
Peflan secretly glanced at the notebook. It was meticulously dated with the year, month, and day, though she didn’t read it aloud.
“It’s a common naming convention from a public adoption agency. This adoption agency was founded by a noble with the surname Polol. Their family had fallen into decline, so the agency was handed over to private merchants to manage. They adopted a large number of children, mostly orphans from Dungeon adventures… essentially a large orphanage. So, is there any problem with having that surname?”
“There really isn’t any problem. In fact, you’ve explained it so completely that I hadn’t thought that much about it before meeting the child.”
Peflan flicked the ash from her hand gracefully with the firelight, lighting a cigarette.
“Boss! Stop smoking.”
“You said you’d quit. You never actually put it down, did you?”
Those nearby started teasingly protesting—this was the kind of adventuring team Iaar perceived, one without clear hierarchical distinctions.
“Stop it, stop it. I’m just telling a story here. Without a cigarette while telling a story, doesn’t it lack a certain convincing charm?”
“Iaar remembers that Shuna, who took the Young Master away, also has this surname.”
“Yes. Then you should have guessed, with the well-known ‘orphan surname,’ she is naturally an ‘orphan.’”
“Mm. That makes sense.”
Iaar nodded, seemingly accepting the seemingly dark humor logic quite naturally.
“Then, guess why she would be at Entak Second Academy—it’s renowned for its combat specializations, and it’s not easy for just anyone to get in.”
Iaar tilted her head.
What is this? Is this some kind of test?!
Why is she suddenly being asked to guess?! It’s just like… like the Young Master’s pop quizzes in class!
“You… you look a bit pale. Are you alright?”
“Boss, this maid is quite interesting. Maids probably don’t get to go to school often, do they? But her expression is just like a student being suddenly called on by the teacher during class.”
“Ia… Iaar was taught by the Young Master’s private tutor, so… I haven’t completely not gone to school.”
“Alright, be mindful of your jokes. She’s taking it seriously. Don’t tease her with our standards.”
Peflan crossed her arms, pushing back an archer from the White Castle who had raised his hand.
“My apologies. Here, have this skewer of meat, little wolf.”
Seeing the captain’s expression turning sour, he quickly offered the skewer of meat he had been roasting for a long time.
Iaar began to ponder how Will would think and answer this question. He would probably approach it from the perspective of family relationships and politics. That was the Young Master’s way of thinking. It was probably along the lines of “behind every outcome, there should be supporting forces and their objectives”… as he often said.
“Iaar’s answer! Shuna… could she be a talented child scouted by a major family, and has therefore been adopted, allowing her to enter Entak Second Academy?”
“Wow!”
“You got it!”
“That’s a great answer!”
“Iaar… I just answered based on what the Young Master taught!”
“That answer is indeed correct. Entak Second Academy has a slightly lower admission threshold than the First Academy, which is directly controlled by the Royal Family, making it easy to place people there. It’s common for the orphans of adventurers to possess talent in combat, and they are often taken in as fighters.”
“Oh! That’s great, Iaar got it right!”
Iaar’s wolf tail happily swept the ground.
“However, for Shuna, that’s not the case.”
“Huh?”
“She wasn’t scouted or adopted by any faction. She has been that ‘orphan’ from beginning to end. Even after being out there for so many years, she hasn’t been recruited by any group—despite her being incredibly strong. You’ve sensed the problem in that, haven’t you?”
“!!!”
Upon hearing this, Iaar became anxious. Her previously wagging tail slowed down bit by bit.
“After she helped us escape, I had someone investigate. After all, she’s a ‘student of Entak Second Academy’ who seemed to appear out of nowhere. Then, I discovered something even stranger…”
Peflan gazed into the firelight, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“She has no prior ‘life’ from her first thirteen years.”
“?!”
