The Apprentice System
For Milka, the hidden passage was a safe sleeping space that had taken her so long to find.
It was too much hardship for someone so young.
It was clear that Eric’s governing was doing well.
However, there would always be people who spilled between the cracks and didn’t benefit from his welfare policies.
And Milka was one of them.
“Eric. I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Milka here. Her guardian has died, and her house was taken away.”
“…What.”
“She was sleeping in this passage. And so she won’t have anywhere to sleep once it is close up.”
After saying this, Milka grabbed Eric’s hands.
“Uncle Eric! Please! Please don’t block the entrance.”
“Well, wait there, Milka. Leave this to me.”
“Fine.”
Milka meekly pulled back.
“This is what I’ve been thinking…Eric?”
“U-uncle…”
I was trying to move the conversation forward, but Eric was in a bit of a shock.
No one had ever called him uncle before.
Well, I couldn’t imagine many people addressing the king like that, so it was no wonder.
“Eric, are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. What?”
“About Milka. Could you make her an apprentice?”
Eric had 2,000 apprentices training in the palace.
They were second and third sons of poor nobles, children of knights who died in battle, and children who had been orphaned.
As Milka had been orphaned as well, she had the qualifications to become an apprentice.
“I do not mind at all.”
“Ah, really? Isn’t that wonderful, Milka?”
“But, Locke.”
“Hm?”
“Why don’t you make her your apprentice? Most nobles have several apprentices under their roof.”
“What about Goran?”
“Goran has three of them. But they are currently traveling with his wife.”
“Is that right.”
I didn’t know that. I guess I would be able to meet them once Goran’s wife returned.
“By the way, officially, Luchila is your apprentice.”
“Re-really?”
“Yes. In the documents. There were a lot of procedures when passing on the house. That’s when it was written.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Cluck.”
Luchila and Gerberga were unaware.
“Are you okay with being my apprentice, Luchila?”
“It is an honor!”
“Cluck!”
“That’s fine then…”
Eric continued to explain.
“You don’t seem to understand the system of apprenticeship for nobles, Locke. Apprentices are like your own children, only they have no right to the inheritance.”
“Is that so…”
I thought of apprentices as people who live, study and work under a master of a certain craft.
But I guess they were kind of like children of that master as well.
I decided to ask Milka directly.
That would probably be the best.
“Milka. Who would you rather apprentice under, Eric or me?”
“What? Apprentice?”
“I wouldn’t advise it, but you are, of course, free to choose neither and live on the streets… But the passage must be closed.”
“What happens if I become an apprentice?”
“You will help with work around the house. Whether you choose Eric or me, you will live in a house and have food to eat.”
“That would be nice…but what kind of work is it?”
Eric answered this question. He spoke very kindly.
“All kinds of work. Most train to be chamberlains or knights.”
“As for me… Cleaning, I guess.”
I said, and Milka’s eyes lit up.
“I don’t know what a chamberlain is, but I can clean!”
“You can?”
“When my grandfather was still alive, I cleaned the house and chimneys for our neighbors!”
“That’s good to know. Alright. You can come to my house.”
I said, and Milka laughed happily.
But then she quickly looked uncertain.
“But, are you sure?”
“I don’t mind. But your first job won’t be cleaning, but helping me reinforce this passage.”
“Leave it to me!”
When we finished talking about this, a voice came from the bedroom.
“Husband, what are you doing over there?”
It was Refi, Eric’s wife.
Our voices must have woken her up.
“D-damn it. Locke, hide.”
“Huh? Why? I’d like to meet her again.”
“No, right now… She is almost naked.”
“Oh, right.”
In that case, it wouldn’t be much of a greeting.
And so we quickly retreated into the passage.
“Well then, Eric. It’s late. I’ll just seal up the hole here and return home. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
After that, I quickly sealed the hole with rocks and created a wall.
At the same time, I could hear Eric’s voice.
“Refi, why have you dressed like that again? You were sick recently. You will catch a cold.”
“I should be asking you questions. What happened all of a sudden? You were away for so long…”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just, uh…”
“I thought I heard voices talking…”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t think I was hearing things. Are they guests? I would like to meet them.”
“Even if there were guests, you can’t greet them like that.”
“…But why?”
“Why…”
Now that I think about it, Refi was always a little oblivious about the way she dressed.
Even if she didn’t mind, others would.
It was often said that people of great virtue are not ashamed of being naked.
Perhaps Refi was like that as well.
In any case, Luchila must have been visualizing the scene behind the wall, because his face was bright red.
It was not a very good thing to be listening to Eric and Refi’s conversation here.
And so I cast a spell of protection on the wall and began to walk away.
“I’m going to go and block the sewers now.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Leave it me.”
And so we moved towards the hole that led to the sewers.