With a monumental effort—mostly because he had fully embraced a sedentary lifestyle—Locke managed to reach the summit of Mount Slabhraítine. Of course, in the end, Rufos had to carry him, but that was a detail nobody needed to dwell on.
Locke bid the duo farewell before entering the mouth of the devil. Literally.
"Think he's gonna die, Bruto?"
"Probably."
Locke began his descent, but having completely misunderstood the pair's explanation of the "right" path, he naturally took the most difficult one.
"Whose brilliant idea was it to live in a place like this?" he thought, forced back into the role of a mountain climber—a skill he hadn't used in years.
The path wound deeper until he reached a massive hall. However, he had descended much too far; Adeux's home was actually about five kilometers back up.
"Well, this must be it."
Locke looked left and right. In the distance, he spotted several silhouettes in one of the tunnels and hurried toward them.
"Hey, you there! Could I get some directions?" he shouted. "I'm looking for some Elfallins!"
What he didn't realize was that the "silhouettes" belonged to a Giant Aurorian Centipede. Once he noticed, he wasn't particularly worried; for Locke, this was child's play. But he let his guard down for the other problem.
"Looks like I'll have to show off some of my magnificent magical prowess."
He began to gloat at the centipede, failing to notice the movement in the other tunnels which, ironically, were crawling with the same species. Only when the skittering reached a roar did the "Great Treasure Hunter" finally notice them. He should have felt alive, considering how much he'd complained about the lack of excitement in teaching.
"Hey, what gives, Narrator? You didn't need to throw my own words back at me."
Oh, yes I need...
We were about to contemplate the grand magical abilities of the sublime Locke Roswel—at least, that's what I wanted to report. In reality, faster than a deadbeat dad running out for a pack of cigarettes, Locke bolted. Behind him, at least thirty centipedes gave chase.
Due to the noise, Locke failed to notice the stalactites above beginning to crack. To make matters worse, while sprinting, Locke recited the Thunderwave spell. The blast eliminated a large portion of the creatures, but it also sent dozens of stalactites plummeting toward his head.
"Again! Whose brilliant idea was it to live in a place like this?!"
A long time passed, and Locke emerged—exhausted, broken, sweaty, filthy, stinking, battered, and tattered...
"Alright, enough! They get it, you don't have to go that far..."
Again, yes I do...
Finally, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel—literally the lamps of Adeux's Elfallin community. He had completed the first part of his mission. Now, he just had to convince Elara to let Adeux enroll.
Director Abigail had given Locke the right to tutor several prodigies, but he had to get them to accept the proposal first. If he failed, his dream of escaping his routine would vanish. However, Locke already had a "genius" plan to achieve his goal.
Locke asked some locals for directions and found Elara's house. He had a plan he classified as "brilliant" to win her trust, which he would pair with the pretext of an "opportunity" at the renowned Academy of Magic for her son.
But while he thought it was brilliant, the reality was...
"Based on what I've gathered from these ancient, weathered documents... we are actually eleventh cousins. Our common ancestor was the great mage Dangolf, our ninth-great-grandfather. He had a masterly command of Void Magic and vanished suddenly without a trace..."
Yes. Creating a crazy family tree by forging documents and inventing ancestors—that was his genius plan.
"I don't know," Elara said, looking skeptical. "Even if we are related, trusting my son to someone I just met is... a bit much."
"Of course, of course! I know it sounds complex, but I guarantee that being at Wissenia is the best thing for him. It's a school where most of the students come from the most respected families in the world. It would be an incredible boost for his future."
"I'm still not sure... five years without seeing him is a hard pill to swallow."
"I understand, but stay calm. There are vacations twice a year where he can come home. And, not to get your hopes up, but if he passes his year, the academy grants the right to bring family members to live with you on the island."
"It's a great offer. But you must know that as Elfallins, people might look at us strangely because of our lineage curse. How will you handle that? We might share an ancestor, but you said you are half-Dark Elf and half-human, so you don't suffer from it. What will you do for my son, and for us if we go?"
At that moment, Locke realized she was leaning toward yes. The only hurdle left was her son's safety. He had to make one final, decisive move.
"Listen, on the island, we see people of all races. I believe those who fear you here are humans who don't understand magic or the world. That isn't the case on the island. People respect each other there. With a magic as potent as his, I'm sure he'll make many friends. And if anything bad should happen... you can trust me to handle it."
Locke expanded his mana throughout the room. To demonstrate his power, he cast the rare Gravity Magic, causing everything in the room—regardless of weight—to begin floating. It worked. The expression on the woman's face was one of total shock, but also admiration.
"I may not look it, but I've been through a lot across Elmund. I've seen many places and people, and I promise you: there is no place where he will be better treated than there." Locke finished, letting everything drift back to its original place.
"Fine... I'll call him. Depending on his answer, I'll let him go. But on one condition..."
"A magical contract? Fine by me. There's already one in the enrollment papers, but I'll sign a separate one if needed."
By showing such confidence, Locke made her feel at ease. In that moment, he proved the old saying: "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."
"I'm listening it..."
After a few minutes, Elara returned with her son, Adeux. His face was still a bit puffy—not surprising, since he'd been sleeping since he fainted.
"Mister Locke, could you show him?"
Locke used Gravity Magic again to impress the boy. It worked; Adeux's eyes sparkled. Magic was the coolest thing in the world to him.
After the presentation, they sat at the table and Locke explained the school's finer points, the security Wissenia offered, and the guarantee of a prestigious career after graduation.
But even with all that on the table, one thing kept Adeux troubled. The thought of his family made the spark in his eyes fade, replaced by anguish.
"I... I think it would be a very good thing for me," he said, looking at his mother. "But my family needs me. On days when my mother has to work and my father is away, I'm the one who looks after my siblings..."
"No need to worry about that," Locke said, pulling a pouch from his bag. "Here is a 'Grant for Low-Income Families' to help during the first three months the student is away. It will help your mother relax and work less, focusing on things she can do from home. And you can still help her; the island where the school is located has plenty of opportunities to make money. You'll earn enough to help them, whether through part-time jobs or low-level commissions given to first-year students. Besides, by the second year, you earn the right to bring your family there."
In reality, that grant didn't exist. Locke, perhaps actually moved by the family's plight, decided to fork over 75 gold coins of his own to help them stay afloat until the boy could send word.
"REALLY???"
Adeux's face lit up with pure desire to go. His only doubt was whether his mother would allow it. He looked at her, waiting for the answer she was already preparing.
"It's okay, you can go, Dedê." Her calm expression suddenly shifted into "Bossy Mom" mode. "But don't you dare forget to write every week! Remember to brush your teeth, tidy your clothes, and..."
The list Elara gave him was immense. The boy almost reconsidered the whole thing after so many demands.
After a few minutes of packing, they were ready to leave. His siblings tried to hide it, but the sadness in their eyes was obvious. Adeux consoled them, saying they would see each other soon. After saying goodbye to his mother, Adeux and Locke headed toward the teleportation circle.
"Mister Locke, where are we going now?"
"To the border of Drackoon and Stärwind. We have a cousin waiting for us there."
"Oh, right. Is he your second or third cousin? I ask because of the age difference between us, since he's probably my age."
"Actually, he's my twelfth cousin, which makes him your thirteenth cousin."
"Right... twelfth for you, thirteenth for me... Wait. He's my cousin too? Wait... You're my cousin?!"
At that point, Locke had to stop for half an hour to unfurl a stack of "documents" all the way to the ground, just to explain the massive legal loophole he had rigged to make them "relatives."