Chapter 2
Seeking Help
Several days passed since his birthday and life was smooth, but it started to get boring for Lakshman as he wanted to do something different other than study all day. He expressed his boredom to Mariana and the maid was easily understanding as she felt her young master was cooped up in the house for too long. She took it upon herself to request Indra and Lakshmi about taking him out.
“You’re right, actually,” said Lakshmi with an apologetic look on her face. “I’ve been meaning to take him out for some kind of walk or maybe a visit to the town, but I’ve been busy at work and kept forgetting.”
“Well, we could start now,” said Indra bracingly as he shoved the negativity aside with ease. “I’ll bring him along on one of my missions so he gets a taste for adventure!”
His wife raised an eyebrow at him and said, “No! Let him experience the normal life before taking him off on your adventures!”
“Why? I’m sure he’ll like it,” replied Indra, but his wife firmly disagreed by shaking her head at him.
“No, I think we should have him learn about the things around him before he starts to delve into the unknown,” she said, a firm look plastered on her face.
Her husband's face showed his discontent, which Lakshmi did not give much thought to. So, she walked over to where her son was studying, curious about his opinion on the matter.
“Lucky, do you want to come to town with me on my next working day?” She asked, and he looked up at her in surprise. She smiled at him and said, “You could see a lot of new things, meet new people and hopefully make friends there!”
Lakshman instantly brightened up, grinning at the thought of being able to meet new friends and discover the world
around him. So, two days later, it was the start of the week and he got ready to follow his mother to work. He was so excited that he had quickly completed all the tasks that his father and Mariana had him do while she was getting ready.
“Okay. Let’s go,” said Lakshmi, entering the living room and his son became excited.
“Right!” He said, and he followed after his mother while Mariana watched from behind.
As the two left through the door and it closed shut, Indra appeared next to the maid and said unhappily, “I really wanted to take him with me on an adventure. I’m sure he would’ve liked it a lot!”
“It’s okay, master. You can take him with you later,” she replied, reassuringly and he nodded silently.
***
Lakshman felt excitement pumping through his body as he walked with his mother side-by-side on the road towards the town. During his trip to town, he came across several strangers that were dressed in farmer’s clothing and they greeted his mother cheerfully, which she returned with a smile.
This occurred on several occasions and caused him to look up at his mother and ask, “Mom, are you famous around here or something? Everyone’s been greeting you since we left our house.”
She chuckled and said, “Not really famous, but they know me because I healed a lot of them when they were injured or gotten sick. So, it’s natural for them to greet me on a daily basis since I come and go here.”
“Wow,” said Lakshman with awe as he was impressed by his mother. He became curious at the method they used for the healing and he asked, “Do you use magic for that?”
She nodded her head and said, “Yes. It’s much easier and simpler to use than the traditional method of wrapping them up with bandages, or giving them different potions when they get sick.”
Lakshman blinked in surprise and asked, “You can heal sickness with magic? I thought you needed to drink potions to get better.”
“That’s true for those who don’t possess any magic skills, but for those who know Advanced Ranked Healing Spells, it’s like eating cake and you get healed pretty quickly,” she explained patiently to her son.
“Wow,” he said slowly in an awed voice before he said, “I wish I could learn magic.”
His words caused his mother to form a grim expression on her face and she said, “Sadly, your dad won’t let you get taught in magic.”
“Eh? Why?” he asked in shock.
“He thinks magic is slow and weak, which can easily be beaten by the sword. Sure. He is partially right, but I only think he’s doing that because he ever only met a few that were extremely powerful and because, well,” she paused for a moment and looked around before she said in a low voice, “because of his own failure in the past.”
Lakshman was shocked by this piece of information and he asked, “Dad tried magic and failed?”
Lakshmi nodded her head at him and said, “Yes, but this happened before I met your dad and he was agonised by it and I think that’s what’s driving him to not let you learn magic because he fears you might turn out like him.”
He blinked in surprise as he said, “That’s really strange. I recently studied about magic and it sounded so easy to learn and master and dad’s so strong with the sword! How could he not learn magic when he’s so skilled with his weapon?”
“It is, but you need to be qualified for it and by being qualified, I mean that you need to have plenty of Magic Capacity to master it,” stated his mother with a sad look on her face.
“That sucks,” replied her son while looking gloomily at the ground. “Dad must’ve felt terrible.”
Lakshmi nodded and said, “He did eventually move on, but it left a negative impact on him and the thought of you possibly learning magic caused him to remember those feelings. He doesn't want you to suffer the same as he did.”
Lakshman looked gloomily around and said slowly, “I feel sorry for dad, but I wish I could learn magic. It sounded so interesting and cool to use these techniques and whatever else you could do with magic.”
His mother looked at him and seeing how sad he looked, she smiled and lowered her hand to gently pet him on the head. Surprised, he looked up at her and saw that she was looking pretty cheerful.
“Don’t worry. Mariana and I will teach you magic even if it means doing it behind his back,” she said brightly. When he looked worriedly at her, she understood the reason and said, “It’s okay. What your dad doesn’t know won’t hurt him and besides, I’m sure he’ll be really pleased to see you use magic.”
He stared at his mother for a moment in silence before smiling a little as he said, “Okay. I still don’t like the thought of doing it behind dad’s back, but if it’ll make him happy, I’ll do it.”
His mother smiled and said, “Good boy and don’t worry. You’re not lying to him; you’re just hiding the truth so it doesn’t hurt him. It’s better than cheating him by saying you’re doing one thing and doing something else.”
Lakshman nodded in understanding and a smile appeared on his face as they reached a divide in the road. One went towards the left and one went towards the right and the two paths were diverting away from each other. He looked to the right and thought he could see a forest in that direction and he understood he should take the left to head towards the town.
Still, he was curious about the forest and he asked, “Mom, what’s in the forest over there?”
Lakshmi looked in the direction he was gesturing at and noticed the forest, which made her smile and explain, “Oh. It seems that Cantia Beast Clan of the Beast Race live deep in the forest along with the Water Spirits.”
Her son instantly became excited on the word ‘spirit’ and he tugged her clothes while asking eagerly, “Mom! Can we visit the forest instead? Please? I want to see the spirits!”
His mother smiled and said, “Not today, Lucky, but when I’m not on duty, we can visit the forest. Okay?”
“Yay!” Lakshman said, cheerfully like the kid he was for a seven-year-old, and his mother smiled as they took the left path and headed towards the town.
***
It took them half-an-hour before reaching the town on foot and when they entered it, Lakshman was awestruck by the amazing sight. There were people everywhere, walking along the street, chatting with other companions or just walking alone quickly to reach their destination. As Lakshman and his mother walked along the street, he saw some food stalls alongside the street and shops selling different items like clothes, armours, accessories, and much more.
“The town is so big!” he exclaimed excitedly as he did a 360 turn around.
“Not really,” said Lakshmi with a smile on her face. “This town is only average in size compared to the neighbouring towns.”
“Wow! That’s amazing!” he exclaimed excitedly with a grinning face.
As they walked, she looked at how happy her son was and thought, “I'm happy he’s enjoying himself, but why did I never think of bringing him out like this? I mean, I took him to visit the doctor several times when he became seriously ill, but was that enough? Did that really expose him to the outside world much? Doesn’t that mean I’m a bad parent? Maybe so, but I and Indra are always busy at work and never got the time to spend with him except during the weekends.”
She sighed regretfully and Lakshman hearing his mother’s sigh, looked up and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Oh. Just the thought of working instead of being with you makes me feel sad,” she said by thinking quickly on the spot.
“That’s okay, mom. Your patients are important as well, so help them out! I’ll just look around and not go far from where you are,” he said and gave her a thumbs-up, which caused her to chuckle.
“Oh, some part of you reminds me so much of your dad,” she said and he laughed cheerfully.
It took them a few minutes to walk through the crowded street before they reached the hospital that Lakshmi worked in. Lakshman followed his mother in mother into the hospital and was amazed to see very few people inside, which made the large space seep deserted.
“Wow. Your hospital’s big, but where’re all the patients, mum?” he asked curiously while looking around.
“I wonder…” Lakshmi said, slowly staring around the deserted hospital with a surprised look on her face. “It’s usually packed in here with a lot of patients coming in daily for injuries, sickness or something as simple as a stomach ache.”
At that moment, they heard a male voice from nearby saying, “Lakshmi! Over here!”
The two of them turned in the direction the voice came from and saw a man wearing a white coat while a large thin rod was worn around his neck. Lakshman became quiet, and he got behind his mother before following her quickly to reach him.
“Hey! How are you today?” the man asked her with a smile on his face.
“I’m good,” she replied and returned the smile. She indicated her son and said, “This is my son, Lakshman.”
The man finally noticed Lakshman standing next to his mother as he stared curiously at the man. The man smiled and said, “Wow. First time seeing your son.” He knelt down and asked him, “How are you, kid?”
Lakshman smiled and said, “I’m fine, sir. How about you?”
The man was surprised and replied, “I’m quite good!” As Lakshman smiled, the man rose to his feet and said to Lakshmi, “Your son has good manners.”
“He’s my son after all,” she said, and he laughed in agreement.
At that moment, a kid came out from behind the door the doctor was standing to block the way. Lakshmi was momentarily surprised to see the kid before smiling as she recognised who it was.
“Hey, Stuart!” she greeted him cheerfully.
“Oh! Hello Mrs. Chand! How are you today?” the kid called Stuart asked with a grin on his face.
“I’m good,” she replied and his smile widened. She turned to Lakshman and indicated Stuart as she said, “This is the doctor’s son, Stuart Mardak.”
“Oh,” said Lakshman and he stared pleasantly at the kid in front of him, who seemed to be his age.
Stuart, realising the kid in front of him was the son of Lakshmi, he walked towards him and held his hand out as he introduced himself.
“Hi! I’m Stuart Mardak! Call me Stuart!”
Lakshman extended his own hand out and shook his firmly as he said, “Nice to meet you, Stuart. I’m Lakshman Chand, but call me Lucky!”
Stuart was puzzled by his introduced and he asked, “Lucky? Why?”
“It’s the nickname my parents gave me,” replied Lakshman with a smile.
Stuart stared at him in surprise before chuckling as he said, “That’s funny, but I like it!”
He gave a thumbs-up gesture at him as he liked the nickname, which made Lakshman grin happily. This was the first meeting for the boys and they would eventually become each other’s best friend.
Lakhmi smiled before she turned to the doctor and asked, “By the way, why is the hospital so low on people today? Was today an off day or something that I didn’t know about?”
The doctor shook his head and said, “No. It’s just that an hour ago, this lady arrived in here and offered her services to earn some money. She was from the Manjuvad Demon Clan,” he explained and Lakshmi widened her eyes in surprise, “and it was pretty cramped in here, so we okayed her help. We were amazed that she instantly used Healing Aura to heal everyone and in the joy of being healed, they gave her the amount she requested from them.”
“That’s amazing,” said Lakshmi in awe and he nodded in agreement.
“Yes, but I’m amazed she was able to use a Saint Ranked Healing Magic,” the doctor said with an impressed look on his face. “Thanks to her, our work was cut short and only a few showed up now, making me want a holiday.” He sighed and said, “Sadly, I’ll never get the chance since patients will just keep coming.”
Lakshmi nodded her head in understanding as she thought about what he just told her as she thought, “She managed to use a Saint Ranked Magic spell, which means she could probably use that spell? Maybe. There’s no harm seeing if she could use it or not and if she could? It’ll give me an opportunity to get Lucky to learn magic. Yes! I have to meet her! Now!”
With a course of action in mind, she looked at the doctor and asked, “Where did she go?”
He blinked in surprise to see her looking seriously at him as he replied, “She gave most of the money to us and kept the minimal to last her a few days without working. Well, she did say she’s going to stay in town for a few days to search for other work.”
“Okay,” said Lakshmi and she turned around and began to walk away before she said, “Come, Lucky.”
“Ah. See you later, Stuart!” Lakshman said as he bid both Stuart and doctor goodbye to follow after his father.
Stuart waved back at him as his father blinked after Lakshmi’s departure to asked in a confused voice, “What was that about?”
***
“Where are we going, mom?” Lakshman asked, as they headed towards the exit of the hospital.
“To wherever that lady is,” replied Lakshmi, and she looked to either side, trying to figure out where the Manjuvad Demon Clan woman might have gone. “This way,” she finally said, deciding to search the closest in inn in her opinion.
It took them a few minutes before they reached the inn and walking in made Lakshman open his mouth in surprise. He had never seen such a large place filled with tables and chairs that had people sitting there with their food on tables and drinks in hands. There was also a lot of noise that caused him to wince as his mother walked through the tables to the large counter.
His mother looked at the man working behind it and asked casually, “Have you seen a woman that recently visited here? Someone from the Manjuvad Demon Clan?”
She knew it was being a little specific as the bar tender would know if anyone strange appeared, but she wanted to make it clear to him whom she was after. It looked like he understood her intentions as he silently gestured towards the right side of the bar and she turned to notice a single woman sitting there.
The woman had long blue hair that almost touched the floor as it rested behind the chair she sat on. She had a mug of water in front of her and she had her eyes closed as if she was deep in thought. Meanwhile, the people around her were throwing covert looks at her as they were suspicious of her.
“Thank you,” said Lakshmi, and she quickly walked over to her with her son following after her.
The people around noticed her going past them and they turned to look in their direction as she walked over to her table and stood firmly on the opposite side. There was a moment of silence as all eyes rested on them until, finally, the woman opened her eyes to look up at Lakshmi. The Manjuvad Demon Clan woman had diamond shaped eyes that were blue and had a slight shine to them.
“Do you want something with me?” she asked, curiously with half-open eyes.
Lakshmi smiled and replied, “Yes. May I have a seat?”
The woman nodded and gestured at the two empty chairs in front of her, which Lakshmi took gracefully. As Lakshman pulled back the chair and sat down on it, the woman momentarily stared at him before turning her attention back to Lakshmi.
“Hi. I came from the hospital that you’ve graciously helped a while ago,” said Lakshmi and a light of recognition appeared in the woman’s eyes. Lakshmi indicated at herself and at her son as she said, “My name is Lakshmi Chand and this is my son, Lakshman.”
“Hello,” greeted Lakshman and the woman glanced at the both of them in silence.
“Sumara. Sumara Manjuvad,” replied the woman as she introduced herself to them. She sat up straighter in her chair and asked, “So, can I help you with something?”
“Perhaps you can,” replied Lakshmi in a smooth voice with a soft smile on her face.
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