After briefly discussing their plans, the children decided not to delay and hurried toward the guest hut where Selin was currently staying.
Having spent several days here, the elf found the slow rhythm of village life surprisingly refreshing. Although she loved Yggdrasil with all her heart and considered it the most beautiful continent, sometimes it was worth changing one's surroundings to look at one's everyday life from a different angle.
Because of that, she decided to remain here a little longer.
Despite feeling ashamed of her failure to heal him, Selin proved thick-skinned enough to ignore that feeling.
She had done everything she could and had given it her full effort. No one could blame her for the outcome. Grey's case truly had been far too complex and unique. Besides, Selin wanted to help the elders search for an alternative method of treatment.
Her experience, knowledge, and mastery of Life magic differed greatly from the outdated approaches used by the local residents. Perhaps her opinion could play some role in the future.
Every day Selin met with Aunt Albedo and Grandma Cornelia. After returning home, she wanted to relax and devote herself to her favorite pastime, painting. However, just as the girl laid out all her tools and was ready to pick up the brush, someone knocked on the door of the hut.
Selin jumped in fright. Usually no one disturbed her without a pressing reason.
'When did I become so careless that I failed to notice someone approaching my home?' she thought, rising to greet the visitors.
When she suddenly peeked outside the door, she saw no one and froze in confusion.
She looked around, thinking someone was playing a prank on her, but when she lowered her gaze, she noticed two children waiting at the doorstep.
"Grey? Grace? What are you doing here?" Selin asked, surprised by the unexpected visit.
"Tia Selin, don't you want to see us?" Grace asked in response.
"Of course not! I'm glad you came. To be honest, I thought you were angry with me because I couldn't heal Grey."
"Aunt Selin, please be assured, we don't blame you for anything. We know you did everything possible. We're very grateful to you. We just got a little caught up in things and forgot to come visit," Grey assured her, awkwardly scratching the tip of his nose.
"Ahem, umu. Forgive us, Auntie. We didn't mean to offend you," Grace echoed.
"It's alright. I'm glad you're no longer so downhearted. In any case, maybe you'll tell me why you came?" the elf asked, unwilling to dwell on the subject.
"Ah, right. Aunt Selin, could you help us with our lessons? Everyone in the village is busy and doesn't want to help," Grace said, putting on the most adorable little face she could manage.
This request came as a great surprise to Selin. She had personally seen how deeply the villagers loved and cared for the twins. It would have been strange if they had refused to help them with their lessons.
However, despite her confusion, Selin was sincerely pleased by their request.
From her perspective, the twins were showing their trust in her, even after she had destroyed their hopes with her own hands. Although Selin understood that she was not to blame for what had happened, deep down she still felt that she had let them down.
Fortunately, the elf knew nothing about the twins' true motives, for whom she had become their last hope.
In high spirits, Selin invited them inside the house.
It was a guest house where any visitors to the village could stay for a while. Although guests rarely came, the elders were occasionally visited by old acquaintances. Not wanting to inconvenience anyone, the villagers had set up a small, versatile hut where two people could stay comfortably. Fortunately, construction was hardly a burden for people as strong as they were.
At the moment, the guest house was filled with various paintings of the forest, all created by Selin during her stay here.
Although the children felt the paintings lacked any real story, they liked how realistically she had captured the different landscapes. The impenetrable green jungles of Yggdrasil contrasted sharply with the violet thickets of Nightingale.
It created a very atmospheric impression.
Looking around, Grace asked,
"Aunt Selin, do you have a painting of the Tree of Life? I've always dreamed of seeing it with my own eyes, but I'd be happy just to see a picture."
"Little Grace, although I could paint the Tree of Life from memory, I would never be able to convey its grandeur and vastness. The Tree of Life is sacred. It sustains life across all of Eridania. How could a mere Sky-dweller like me possibly capture all its beauty? Even a god would not be capable of that..." Selin replied with enthusiasm.
"Do you think I could see it if I came to Yggdrasil?" Grace continued to ask, her curiosity still unsatisfied.
"Hehehe, only if the elders of the elven tribe consider you worthy. You must understand that the Tree of Life is a sacred site, not a tourist attraction where anyone may simply walk in."
"I'm sure they will, but Aunt Selin, let's return to the lessons. There isn't much time left before sunset," Grey noted, interrupting the ladies' discussion.
"Alright." / "Umu." the girls nodded in response.
Soon they began actively questioning the elf about every problem that had remained unanswered. Although Selin was quite surprised by how complex the material being taught to children at such a young age was, she was highly educated and could help the twins with all their difficulties.
An hour later, the homework was finished.
After thanking the elf, the children happily ran back home.
After overcoming so many trials, they were exhausted both emotionally and physically. All they wanted at that moment was to lie down in a soft bed and fall into sleep.
The next day they had a lesson with the Blind Man.
This time they had prepared much better and were ready to surprise the old man.
As always, the lesson went very smoothly and energetically. Although Blind Grandpa could not see, Grey and Grace could sense approval and praise in his clouded eyes. It seemed they had handled their homework remarkably well.
When the lesson came to an end, the Blind Man suddenly addressed them.
"Grey, Grace, don't you want to ask me anything?"
After hesitating for a moment and whispering to each other, the children decided to speak honestly. They had already realized that they would not be able to defeat the old man at his own game, especially since their trump card would soon be leaving the village.
"Grandpa, why are you interfering with the tasks that you yourself assigned to us?" Grace asked in a slightly offended tone.
"Yes, you told us to research the topic. That's exactly what we did. Why did you persuade the villagers to put obstacles in our way?" Grey added.
"Hehehe, my little friends, why do you think the information we share with you during lessons is so important?" the old man asked in return.
"It will help us survive even if we end up alone," Grey replied, knowing that his sister disliked questions.
"That's right. Information is the foundation of the development of any society. Awareness allows you to make the most correct decisions in any situation, to assess risks, and to judge opportunities. As I have already told you, knowledge is power. And any power has its price.
Although your task right now is to absorb as much knowledge as possible, you must not forget that information is a priceless resource that we provide to you, and such a resource must be valued."
"We understand, Grandpa. But you yourself said that our task is to absorb as much as possible! How can we absorb more if it becomes so difficult for us to obtain answers to our questions?" Grey asked, still confused.
"My dear boy, more does not always mean better. What we gain through hard effort, we value far more than what we receive for free. That is simply how people are made. You must not grow accustomed to receiving everything on a silver platter.
I want you to learn how to obtain information on your own, to distinguish truth from lies, to think critically and unconventionally. Tell me honestly, who was the first to notice the problem?"
"I was." / "Grace," the twins answered honestly.
"Not surprising. Grey, you always work very hard during lessons and have learned far more than your sister. Why do you think she was the one who noticed the problem first and even came up with a way to solve it?" the old man asked. He was completely certain that everything had happened exactly that way, as if he had personally been there.
"I don't know," the boy answered honestly.
"In trying to memorize everything possible from our teachings, you became too focused to stop and look around you. Your thoughts lost their creativity, and your gaze lost its attentiveness.
Grace, on the other hand, always remains free and true to herself. She is not bound by rules or conventions, she learns everything through her own experience and is not afraid to question our teachings. On the other hand, your sister lacks the attention to properly study information, even if all the information were lying right in front of her," the old man tried to explain.
"Then what are we supposed to do, old man? You don't like that Grey is so focused, but you also don't approve of my approach to studying. What do you want from us in the end?" Grace complained, still offended by the blind grandpa's manipulations.
"Hahaha, little Grace, I am not trying to scold you. I am pointing out your weaknesses so that you understand what you should pay attention to. Everything is important in moderation. Great achievements require balance.
Remember, information can be different: false, incomplete, outdated. Once you are out in the world, you must be extremely discerning so you do not stray from your path.
How about a small game? If you succeed, I promise I will persuade your mother and Konstantin and Konstancia to take you to one of the cities of Nightingale."
"Really?" the twins asked in unison.
"Of course. Have I ever deceived you?" the blind grandpa replied.
The twins thought for a moment but could not recall a single precedent. The blind grandpa had always been especially honest with them. He might keep silent or change the subject, but he had never lied.
"Alright, what's the game?" Grace got straight to the point, barely able to contain her impatience.
"The game is simple. This time you will have only one question that you must investigate. I will not tell the villagers what the question is, but they will know about your research and will try to find out what exactly you want to learn before our next lesson.
Their task is to interfere with your investigation. They may give you false information or try to avoid answering if they suspect you are doing your homework.
If by next month you manage to gather enough reliable information on our topic, then I will arrange things so that you can set out on a journey," the old man explained the rules.
"Easy." / "Umu," Grey and Grace replied.
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