Interlude: Rietz’s Postscript
About a week has passed since I, Rietz Muses, entered the service of House Louvent through what I can only describe as a series of miracles.
Malkans like me are scorned and despised no matter where we go. I don’t even want to think back on everything I’ve gone through as a result of society’s contempt for people like me. That didn’t entirely change after I began my life in the Louvent estate, to be fair, but the fact that I’m consistently well-fed and clothed makes my new lifestyle feel downright heavenly.
I’m only able to live in such comparative comfort thanks to Ars and his decision to make me one of his retainers. I swore to pay him back with a lifetime of service, and each morning, I quietly reaffirm that oath to myself.
“Rietz?” says Ars one morning. “I’ll be going into town today to scout for talent, and I’d like you to accompany me as my guard!”
Ars, the boy I consider my benefactor, is a mere four years old. He looks the part, as well, with childish features and big, round eyes that are, frankly, downright adorable. The elevated manner in which he speaks betrays an unusual level of thought and sophistication for a boy of his age, though, and he conducts himself with an astonishingly stately bearing.
It’s like a grown adult is lurking within his childlike shell, so I can hardly believe he’s really a child at all. I have to wonder just how in the world he’d been raised to turn out this way, and whether the process can be replicated.
“Understood,” I reply. “I would be happy to accompany you.”
The thought of turning down his request doesn’t even cross my mind.
The two of us set out for the village, which is just a short walk away. The locals look upon me in a less-than-kind manner, as always, but with Ars by my side, nobody dares to openly harass me. I’m used to being glared at, so I don’t pay them any mind in particular as we stroll through town. Eventually, Ars chooses a place by the side of the road to stop, and carefully watches the people as they pass by.
“Umm, Master Ars? I understand that we’re here to look for talented individuals…but do you intend to do so by simply, well, looking?” I ask. I had assumed we would be seeking out people with an interest in serving the nobility, then giving them some sort of test. Literally just watching people come and go strikes me as a strange way to go about this.
“I can tell what a person’s talents are just by looking at them,” Ars replies.
“You can…huh?
Just by looking at them? Is that even possible? I suppose he did discern my talent with a sword at a glance, so maybe it is?
Not only had Ars never seen me wield a blade at the time he declared I had a talent for them, he hadn’t even seen me hold one.
If he’s telling the truth, though, and possesses a truly astonishing ability, then I can only imagine how incredible his achievements will be in the long term. We live in a world where the vast majority of people’s futures are decided for them the moment they’re born, so there could be vast numbers of talented individuals stuck in jobs that don’t suit them, just waiting to be discovered.
“Oh, that man has a seventy in Intelligence!” Ars exclaims as a young man walks past us. “I thought I’d already checked all the men─I must have missed him somehow.”
“What in the world does that mean?” I ask, perplexed.
“To put it simply, it means that there’s a high likelihood that he’s smart. I’m going to talk to him!”
This time there isn’t a doubt in my mind: judging how smart somebody is at a glance is, quite frankly, impossible. Ars, however, really does run over to speak with the man, and as I listen to their discussion, I realize that he really is quite sharp. Certainly more intelligent than your average passerby, as far as I can judge.
Ars invites him to become one of House Louvent’s retainers, but the man shoots the offer down without a second thought. Apparently, he isn’t interested in serving anyone other than himself.
“Well, that’s just how it goes sometimes,” says Ars with a shrug. “On to the next candidate!”
He doesn’t seem especially perturbed by the man’s refusal, and immediately moves on with his search.
Ars calls out to several people over the course of the day, and each time, they prove that his judgment is on the mark. Eventually, I realize I may well have entered the service of a truly incredible person.
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