Reading Lessons - Monthly Omake

An omake that depicts a comfortable little scene, in which Riveria and Siegfried have some reading lessons together. This omake was commissioned by all of my wonderful patrons over on Patreon, I am very thankful for their support!

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“This… says Lothric.” You murmured, your eyes tracing the symbols written in the paper in front of you. “I would assume it says Lorian next to it, given that this paper is about the Twin Princes.” Far from using those words as an excuse for laziness, your eyes kept tracing over the word to familiarize yourself with the alphabet.

It was a far more graceful thing than the one you’d seen used in Lothric… the Land, that is. Instead of being the rough hodgepodge that you recognized that script to be, the one used in Paradise flowed together and interconnected perfectly with each other, free of the effects of a thousand years’ worth of degeneration.

“Try to make fewer assumptions, if you don’t want any unpleasant surprises.” Came the dry voice of your current teacher between the sounds of shuffling paper and a politely stifled yawn. “I hear they make an ass out of you and me.”

A surprised bark of laughter burst out of you as your head whirled around to face the Elven Royal, who’d just said something you would certainly never expect to hear of someone of her station… Who seemed to know what you were thinking perfectly!

“Hmm?” She hummed, raising an eyebrow as she gave you a wholly unimpressed look. “Didn’t expect that out of me, did you?” You barely held yourself back from wincing, unable to help yourself imagining that you were currently staring down a chest that may or may not be a Mimic trap…

Something you would definitely not be mentioning to Riveria… even as you made to give a rather innocent suggestion. “Maybe we should retire for the night, Lady Riveria.” You’d discovered from experience with Riveria herself, that lack of sleep for the inhabitants of Paradise was often debilitating, doubly so you imagined, for one such as---

“Maybe you should stop thinking of me as some pampered royal, Sir Siegfried.” Now came a voice as dry as the ashen wastelands you’d faced the Slave Knight in, and you knew for sure you’d triggered that Mimic. “It’s true that titles such as that tend to draw certain expectations, but I separated myself from that life when I became a part of the Loki Familia.”

“My apologies.” You immediately bowed your head, unwilling to upset the one who’d been helping you so. “I misspoke.”

“I assign no blame.” She said with a faint smile, arranging the papers in front of her onto a neat pile, before sliding them over to you. “How can I? When your only ‘crime’ is that you were unaware of my preferences.”

You grabbed the offering of peace for what it was, nodding in thanks as your eyes slid over the first paper, nodding in satisfaction as you immediately recognized more than a few of the symbols arranged before you. The rest you were able to complete and learn by virtue of knowing what the words were.

“I will endeavor to learn them, alongside your lessons.” You said respectfully, for Riveria was someone who certainly deserved it… not only by virtue of her station -not as a Princess, but as a Captain of the Familia-, but also with the miraculous deeds she seemed capable of performing.

“That is the intention of this exercise.” She said, amused. “Learning more about each other, alongside learning more about the respective qualities of our worlds.” You couldn’t help but wince at the way her tone shifted at the last part.

“I can’t help but think your half is practically… herculean, when compared to mine.” Were it up to you, you would certainly not be plaguing anyone’s minds with memories of Lothric and the horrors it held, but the Dungeon had robbed you of that luxury in more than one sense of the word.

The look that she gave you stopped those thoughts before you could even properly delve into them. “We will not be having that conversation over guilt, again.” She said, and that was the end of that. “That would be more exhausting than having to do all of this paperwork late into the night.” You opened your mouth to say- “No apologizing either.”

You closed your mouth.

Before chuckling, and going back to reading… and a few more minutes passed by in silence. With you reinforcing your hold over the language of Paradise, while Riveria went over the information that you provided her, making sure there were no mistakes in her writing whose origin lay entirely in her.

“Truth be told, I am surprised at the deference you show.” She said, after a few moments, making you blink at the suddenness of it. “You are a powerful warrior whose experience far outstrips everyone in this Familia, the years you’ve been alive only surpassed by the Gods.” Her gaze fell back on the papers. “The enemies you faced by yourself perhaps surpassing the Three Great Quests, which utterly destroyed two of our strongest Familias.”

…

When you failed to respond immediately, Riveria simply continued. “Yet you bow your head and give service, touting yourself as a Knight while not even demanding the privileges many in your position would think are natural.”

“I think… that is a difference in opinion.” You murmured. “Is getting to dwell in Paradise not enough of an honor, more than what my kind could dream of?”

“...” Riveria was silent for a moment, before she sighed. “I suppose that is to be expected, but… I would reconsider those words, Siegfried.” She said, “A man like you should not be content to merely dwell, for in doing so, you condemn yourself to not experience this place you call paradise to its fullest extent.”

You had no answer that you could give to that, so the two of you lapsed back into silence… Riveria content with having given you something to think about, while you…

…You wondered how you could even do what she asked of you.