Conversation

"I envy you, Erk. It seems so long ago that I was in the position that you find yourself in. You're young, your intelligent, you're talented, you have your entire future ahead of you... and you have several prospects for a wife. At your age, the only thing I could think of was studying, but I made sure to try and steer you toward something different, and now I see that I have done well."

Pent spoke to the young mage as they sat near a roaring fire in a pair of rather comfortable chairs in his personal study. It was a long time from when he found the child, so small and poor, but with amazing potential. He had taken Erk from near the streets with no future to near noble status with the promise of taking his own position as the Mage General in a few years time.

"I... I'm not sure if I want to settle down right away, Lord Pent... I still have much to do, much to see, much to learn. Would not a wife be very time demanding?"

The boy spoke, but he already knew the answer. Pent, as good a man as he was wasn't known for being the most... supporting husband. Many times has he locked himself in his library for weeks without leaving, having his meals brought in instead of eating with his wife, Louise.

"For a short period, yes... but then, you'll come to enjoy that time. Afterwards, the two of you will slip into a routine, like myself and Louise. Though, I fear that I may be a bad role model; I give Louise such little time these days. If there's anything I can tell you, Erk... it's that you shouldn't let your work consume you, as it has with me. I fear that I'm too old to change, but you still have hope."

Pent spoke, then took a sip of tea. It had cooled a bit, and while it was still good, it wasn't the best it could be. But for now, he thinks, it will do. Erk, on the other hand touches not his tea, he was never much of a tea person. He pondered over what his teacher had said, wondering if it be a lie or not. After all, they had spent so many months away from this place, away from the library, traveling. Pent seemed to not be effected as much.

Erk had to wonder if his teacher was ignoring Louise on purpose. If he were, what could that mean?

"Tell me, who do you favor more, Erk? There's the young Priscilla, she is of noble blood, and thus your union would serve to strengthen both houses. There's the young Nino, the very nature of who her family was would bring great honor and your offspring would surely be blessed with great talent, intelligence and potential. Last, but not least is Serra, who..."

Pent fell silent for a moment, to ponder over what Serra could offer, while Erk kept on praying that his teacher could find nothing good in the girl.

"... Well, she has a great zeal for life, hers is a life filled with much energy, many interesting things to say and know. Things would not be boring with her, I can assure you. That... and you can very well assume her virginity is in-tact."

Erk looked over at his teacher, as if asking something...

"I'm not saying that you should doubt the other two on their claims of purity, mind you. I simply mean that if any of them is to be a virgin, it would be Serra, due to her vows and time spent in a convent with nothing but women.