As soon as Cecilia went downstairs, Marya ran to hug her.
"You were so awesome, Miss!!! That was beautiful!!!"
Cecilia gently stroked the little girl's hair, patting her head.
"Hehe. I am, right? But you were pretty awesome as well."
"Thank you so much for your help, Cecilia. Marya was telling everyone how you saved Margarete's and little Cecilia's lives. We will all be forever in debt to you."
Cecilia blushed and tried to tone down the importance of what she's done.
"No, no. That was nothing, really…"
"Saying that it was nothing only highlights how incredible you are. It makes me think if all those stories about the age of players were true after all. I always felt like they were exaggerations."
"Well, I don't know what stories you've heard, but people back then were truly powerful. The players really used to do very impressive stuff. What I did pales in comparison."
Sensing the conversation veering into dangerous territory, Cecilia tried to frame herself as not-a-player from the get-go. She didn't know what the feelings about those players were, so she tried to go on the safer side.
Gertrude squinted her eyes, then looked at Marya and smiled.
"You know, Marya always wanted to become a person who heals the others. She looks up to the players a lot and has even gone to the meetings of a fandom."
"Mom!"
"What? Am I not telling the truth?"
"Yes, but… I didn't just go to the meetings. I AM a fangirl of Ariel the Silver Healer!"
Cecilia tilted her head as she heard that convo, not quite understanding. The words were familiar, as was the name, but the context they were being used in made it all very weird.
She knew about Ariel, the 'Silver Healer.' He was a priest of the god of beauty and had the charisma to match.
The player behind him was a very outgoing and extroverted person, and he used the social stats and skills, along with the game's 'Followers' mechanic, to have a legion of NPC followers.
Gertrude saw the confusion in Cecilia's face and questioned.
"There weren't fandoms back then, Miss Cecilia?"
"I'm not sure… There was the word, but I don't understand what it means in this context."
"Oh, I see. Were there churches and temples back then?"
Marya was looking at the two, a bit astonished. She wasn't present when Cecilia disclosed her age, so this was complete news for her.
"Yes, we had several religions, with their pantheons…"
"Fandoms are like that. But they worship the players instead of the gods."
"WHAT?"
"Well, you see, the gods disappeared when the Closing of the Servers happened, along with the players. But they say that the gods always brought strife and problems with them, and the players were always the ones to solve those problems."
((It makes sense… the gods were the GMs creating quests and challenges, as well as all those high-risk events, and the players were the heroes…))
"I see… so people blamed it all on the gods?"
"Yes. Not everyone, as some churches are still around. But the people who hope the players will return to the world congregate in fandoms instead."
((People who hope the players will return… like me? Am I the Second Coming of some fanatic religion? No way… I hope not. Just imagine how cringe it would be if I have my own fandom.))
As Cecilia cringed inside, Marya voiced her thoughts.
"Is Cecilia from the age of the players? Ooooooh, that's why she's so powerful! Hey, Miss, are you a player?"
(('Nani'?))
"Me, a player? Hehe… no, of course not! Hehehe. Me, a player…"
That answer was enough to convince the child, but Gertrude wouldn't be so easily fooled. Yet, she let the matter drop. She isn't a fangirl herself, and she isn't the kind of person who would pry into her client's life. Even more so when said client was so helpful.
In any case, Cecilia decided to steer the conversation away from the dangerous topic.
"Marya, you did something awesome earlier, heating that water and making an instant infusion of that herb. Are you able to use magic?"
"Yes… it's something my…" She staggered a bit and looked at Gertrude, who smiled and nodded. "It's something my other mother taught me. It's called a technique."
Cecilia looked at Gertrude inquisitively.
"Yeah, Marya's mother was an elf woman who arrived in this village fifteen years ago. We don't know much about her, for she was severely wounded back then. We couldn't save her, but I took Marya in. She's been my daughter ever since."
"I see… So she taught you techniques? Did she tell you about stats and skills?"
"Yes! I can open my stats screen and see them!"
"Do you mind if I see them?"
"You can? I've never heard of that!"
"It's a technique as well. Appraisal."
[Name: Marya Thalorien
Race: Half-Elf
Character Level: 49
Jobs: Floracrafter (37), Healer (12),
Nation: Drakestadt
HP: 210/210
SP: 120/120
MP: 280/320
Attributes
Skills
Techniques
Status]
((Whoa… a Floracrafter level 37! Very good for a child… especially when comparing with the adults I've seen so far… Let's check the skills and techniques.))
[Skills:
Mana Manipulation (45)
Herbalism (35)
Medicine (14)
Healing Magic (3)]
[Techniques:
Infusion
Minor Potion Crafting (Healing)
Minor Potion Crafting (Antidote)
Herbal Feeling]
[Attributes:
Strength: 8
Dexterity: 14
Vigor: 11
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 20
Charisma: 18
Secondary Attributes]
While she was at it, she checked the attributes, just in case. Overall, it would be the stats of a player who had just created the account and was in the first few hours of the game.
((But she isn't a player. Nor an NPC. She's a real person living in a real world. As a child, that is amazing. But though she has good skills, the quantity of unlocked techniques is too small.))
"Your stats are pretty good, Marya. You've been doing a very good job. Did you keep leveling up since you started living here?"
"Yes… but the forest is too dangerous, so I can't go pick herbs anymore. Without herbs, I can't make potions…"
"You have a little bit of healing magic skill and good mana manipulation, but no healing magic technique. Do you want to learn one?"
Marya's eyes widened, and she almost jumped hearing that.
"Of course! I want, yes, I want!!!"
"Hehehe. Gertrude, can I take her to my room for a bit?"
"Yes, yes… Go on."
Gertrude was smiling from ear to ear, seeing her little girl so excited. She often had to comfort her when she was crying for not being able to cast healing magic.
:::
In the room, Cecilia checked that nobody was able to see what would transpire there and closed the curtains, blocking the view from the outside.
"Marya, I need you to promise to never tell anyone about what I'm going to do right now. Can you promise it?"
"Yes. I promise."
"Good. Then wait for a moment."
Cecilia opened the game UI and started fiddling with it until she found the menu with the special powers she was granted.
She had the game-breaking ability of creating scrolls that would allow anyone to learn a technique, even if they didn't have the prerequisites. So it was in a hidden menu, locked with a password.
She activated it, then selected the most general healing spell she used earlier, and crafted the scroll.
The advantage of the spell is that its power scaled directly from the person's healing-related skills and job levels, which meant it was usable from early to late game. And unlocking it with the scroll allowed for the user to cast it without a patron deity.
"Here. Read this scroll."
She handed the scroll to Marya, who was staring at it in awe.
The girl took the scroll, opened it, and looked at the writing. It was in a script and language that she had never seen before, but, somehow, she understood everything.
The letters in the parchment began to shine, and then the parchment itself disintegrated in the air, forming a luminescent dust that settled into Marya's body.
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them, bewildered.
"I know it! I know the spell! Thank you so much, Miss Cecilia!!! Aaaaaaaaa!"
She hugged Cecilia with tears spilling down. She felt like this was the happiest moment in her entire life.
:::
After they went back down the stairs, Gertrude saw the look of happiness in Marya's face, so she didn't even need to ask. Instead, she took the coin that Cecilia had handed her before and gave it back.
"I couldn't ask you to pay for anything, Miss Cecilia. You've helped us all so much that we wouldn't be able to pay for it even if we worked for the rest of our lives. Please, take your coin back, and you will always be able to rest here without charge."
Cecilia wanted to refuse, but the gaze in Gertrude's eyes left no room for it, so she took the coin, awkwardly.
"Okay… I'll be going to the capital now. But I promise I'll come back soon. Marya, be a good girl and take care of your mom, okay?"
"Okay, Miss. Please, come back quickly. I want to learn more from you!"
"Of course! And don't slack off just because you learned a new technique. When I come back, I want to see that those stats have grown."
Petting Marya one last time, Cecilia said her goodbyes and left.