"Who's there?! Come out and show yourself!"
Emerging from the bushes, a young disheveled boy appears, rubbing the top of his head. "Please don't hurt me…."
A little boy? What's a kid like him doing out here?
[Would you like to use Appraisal?]
[Yes or No]
"What is this?" Mary whispers to herself as she stares at the screen in front of her.
"Do you happen to have food, Saintess?" the little boy asks, playing with his hands without looking up at Mary.
"Saintess?" Mary tries to look down at her, but the screen in front of her follows along with her gaze.
Ah… that's right… I'm dressed like this…. I guess it wouldn't hurt to learn the skills the God of Creation gave me.
Mary taps on yes. The screen closes and reopens after a few seconds.
[Jacob]
[Age: 6 years old]
[Occupation: Orphan]
[Magical Aptitude: ]
[ Water: NONE ]
[ Fire: NONE ]
[ Earth: E ]
[ Wind: F ]
[Skills: NONE]
[StatsLevel ]
[STR (Strength) 150 ]
[END (Endurance) 500 ]
[DEX (Dexterity) 200 ]
[COMBAT 250 ]
Oi… why is his combat level higher than mine?...
Mary glances at the child again. "I'm not a saintess despite how I look," she comments, beckoning the child closer.
The little boy waddles a little closer but then stops midway. "You're not going to hurt me… are you?"
"Why would I want to hurt a child?" Mary asks as she shakes her head. "Come here."
The little boy approaches Mary hesitantly. Once he is right next to Mary, he slowly looks up to match Mary's eyes. His crystal blue eyes sparkle like the lake next to her despite his dirty appearance.
"What's your name?" Mary questions as to not reveal her knowledge.
"Jacob," the boy whispers.
"I'm Marisabel, but you can call me Mary," she comments, holding out her hand.
With his muddy hand, he reaches out and places it on top of hers. "Mary."
"That's right," she assures with a warm smile.
As soon as the two words slip through her lips, a light glow covers the boy. The bruises on his arms begin to disappear. The cuts on his legs close together. The once scared child begins to smile as if a weight lifts off of him.
Wha… what did I just do?...
[Congratulations!]
[You have unlocked a skill!]
[Service with a Smile]
[Allies within 10 meters gain:]
[- +20% recovery speed]
[- +15% morale]
[- Fear resistance]
[Triggers automatically when she speaks calmly]
He's really going at it with this, isn't He?
"Jacob, do you have a home?" Mary asks as she watches the child stare at himself in confusion.
"Are you really not a saintess?!"
Mary giggles, shaking her head. "No, I'm not. I'm just an unfortunate person brought to this world."
Jacob tilts his head, confused about what the woman told him. "I don't think you're unfortunate. Someone as pretty as you is most likely blessed by the heavens."
I guess that's one way of saying that.
"You sure are a sweet talker, Jacob. I should just keep you all to myself if you keep flattering me like that."
"Can you?"
"Huh?"
Mary gazes at the child who fiddles with his fingers. His saddened expression only solidifies what Mary already found out through her Appraisal Skill.
"Do you think I can stay with you?" asks the child whose eyes well with tears. "I don't have anywhere to go. They keep saying I'm a bastard child. Everyone hates me in town."
With every word, his throat threatens to close more and more as the tears begin to fall from his face.
Mary wipes the child's face and pulls him onto her lap. She hugs him tightly as if to hide his tears from the world.
"I don't have anything to my name. I have no money, no home, and no fame. I just have the clothes on my back and the skills I was brought with. Would you still think the same way knowing this information about me?"
"I don't care," Jacob mumbles from inside Mary's arms. "You are the first person to show me any sort of kindness ever since my mommy died on my fourth summer. I would rather die than go back into town without you."
"I'm not good at being a mother, but if you're okay with me, I'll do my best to take care of you."
Jacob raises his head and stares into Mary's eyes which catches her off guard. "Mary!"
"Y-yes, Jacob?"
"Can I be your child?"
"Ch-child, huh?" Mary pats the top of Jacob's head. With each pat, the dust blows off revealing his blonde hair. "I wasn't really expecting to take in a child on my first day, but I guess it's a start."
"What?"
With a small sigh, Mary stands up and picks up Jacob with her. "Jacob, do you have a last name?"
Surprised by the sudden movement, Jacob widens his eyes while catching his breath. "No, I don't have one due to being a child with no father."
"Then, you'll take mine."
"You have a last name, Mary?!"
"De la Cruz. It means 'Of the cross' in my country." Mary adjusts Jacob so that she can get a good look at his face. "Your name will now be Jacob de la Cruz. Welcome to my family, mi hijo."
"Me…hoe..?"
"Mi hijo. It means 'my son' in my country's language because you are now my son. I'll be sure to protect you like my own, care for you with everything I got, and make sure to never disappoint you."
Jacob's eyes redden with tears but not of sadness. The great smile on his face tells otherwise. The glimmer in his eyes behind the wall of water shines brighter than any sparkle in the lake.
"Mary! No… Momma!"
Mary lifts up her new acquired son up into the sky. Laughter fills her lungs as she spins around with Jacob. She runs into the lake and dunks the child into the water. "First things first, though. No child of mine will be dirty. You need to take a bath!"
"Wait!" Jacob chuckles from the ticklish sensation of Mary rubbing his ears to get the dirt behind them. "That tickles!"
Raising his shirt, the new mother removes her child's clothes. "It's going to tickle a lot more!" she jokingly threatens as she scrubs the boy's body with his shirt.
Slowly but surely, the dirt melts off of his body revealing his freshly healed skin. His blonde hair becomes more prominent as it shines like the golden sun.
"Let's see… I have magic right, so I should be able to dry you off," Mary mutters under breath. "What happens if I just imagine it? Something like a hair blowdryer."
Closing her eyes, the woman holds out her hands towards her soaking wet child. Imagine it… Imagine it…
A few seconds later a soft warm breeze blows from Mary's hands and envelops her son. The dripping clothes begin to take their proper shape. Jacob's hair fluffs up as the water dries off. It's almost as if a whole new person is in front of her.
"Momma! You know how to use magic?!" Jacob asks as he spins around enjoying his freshened up appearance.
"More or less," she awkwardly replies, scratching the back of her head. "But still, you look like a fine young man now. This is how my son should look from now on. You can still get dirty when you play, just remember to clean up. Understand?"
"Yeah!" Jacob skips over to Mary and throws his arms around her neck for a hug to which she hugs back. "Thank you, Momma!"
"Anything for my child; however…"
Mary swipes her finger up and opens up her inventory. She scans over to the top and sees a small pouch. Was this here before? Tapping on the small pouch, a small message pops up:
[For the budding family]
[Will you accept this?]
[Yes or No]
I guess I should thank the God of Creation…
With a quick tap, Mary accepts the gift, and the small pouch appears in her hand. She opens it up to reveal a bunch of silver coins.
"Jacob, it appears that the heavens decided to bless us with some money. Do you happen to know how much this is?"
Turning his head, Jacob's jaw drops as he lays his eyes on that pouch of coins. "That's almost enough to stay half a year in a decent inn! Where did you get this?!"
Mary lifts a finger to her lips and smiles. "That's a secret. Let's just say the heavens seem to look after me kindly."
"Are you sure you aren't a saintess, Momma? Maybe even an angel?"
Standing up, Mary holds out her hand to her son as she looks over her shoulder. "If I'm an angel, then you can be my little cherub that plays his harp next to me."
"You say some weird things, Momma," Jacob comments as he runs up and holds Mary's hand.
"Can you show me the way to town, Jacob? I'm not familiar with the area, so I don't know my way," Mary asks after giggling at her son's comment.
Jacob points his finger in a general direction. "If we keep walking this way, we should be able to make it to town before it gets dark."
Just as Jacob finishes talking, his stomach starts growling.
"Food was the first thing you did say to me when you saw me," Mary recounts, looking around the forest. Spotting some fruit in nearby trees, she calls for the wind to pick some and bring it to her. "Here, eat this while we walk. I'll treat you to a huge dinner when we make it to town."
Taking a large bite into the orange fruit, Jacob simply stares up at his mom as they start their journey into town.