NIMBUS AND THE KNIGHTS OF CENFERUM

Chapter 2

The Wandering Gentleman...

On his way as the alleys became narrower, he reflected. He remembered what happened that day, "what if the other ships don't return? It would take months or even years to build new ones, and soon another expedition might not happen," it was worrisome; perhaps he couldn't become a crew member of those ships as soon as he had planned.

Lost in his thoughts, Nimbus arrived at a large house with walls whitewashed, faded by time, imposing and old. Its windows had rotting wood in some parts, and several makeshift repairs had been done, including by himself. The walls were cracked, providing a haven for insects. Despite being large, strong, and well-built, the house was falling apart due to lack of maintenance. After all, Mrs. Zeliudes was very poor and had to spend a significant portion of her meager income on expensive medicines. Yet, despite this, she managed well with the extra money she earned from knitting, and she never forced Nimbus to work, even when he had insisted several times; according to her, he should study and become a Doctor. Now he had turned down that opportunity.

Entering the living room, he saw Mrs. Zeliudes talking to a man with harsh features, shoulder-length hair, and a thick beard covering his entire face. Many white strands stood out from his head and beard, revealing that the man was quite old, but not as elderly as Mrs. Zeliudes, who was an elderly woman with great difficulty even walking. Another thing caught his attention: the man had a large scar on his face that extended from his forehead, jumping over the eye, reaching halfway down his cheek. He wore leather pants and a white silk shirt, and on top of all that, he wore a heavy, worn-out red leather overcoat with several roughly sewn cuts. However, what caught the boy's attention the most was that the man carried not just one, but two swords strapped to his waist, side by side, on a wide leather belt. One was completely wrapped, and the other showed a worn wooden handle, not very tall, like Nimbus, but much heavier and more muscular than one would expect from an average man of Cenferum. Judging by his face, he was around fifty, but his physical build was that of a much younger man.

— Is it him? — the man asked.

— Yes, it is,— Mrs. Zeliudes replied.

— Not what I imagined,— he spoke again. — He's short for his age and a bit chubby.

— But he's very intelligent, and what he lacks in size, he makes up for in ingenuity. Only God knows how many problems he caused me with these crazy ideas he always has, — Mrs. Zeliudes retorted.

— I bet he's not very fast either, — the man measured him up and down. — But okay! He'll have to do. — He took a small bag of coins from his coat pocket, shook the pouch a few times to feel the weight, and handed it to Mrs. Zeliudes.

"Is she selling me? It can't be! Am I such a bad son?" he thought.

When he thought about turning his back and running away, he realized it was too late; the man was already walking towards him. When he approached, he came very close, held his chin, and examined inside his mouth, then looked at each of Nimbus's eyes. He tapped his shoulders and arms a few times.

— You still have all your teeth inside your mouth; that's good. It's not just fat on these bones; you're quite strong for your age. And those reddish-brown eyes of yours, it seems you descend from the continent of the empire's capital, Victórius. Your relative isn't distant, but you're not pure-blood either. Perhaps your father or mother is from there. But don't get too excited; judging by the story your guardian told me, most likely your mother is a foreign prostitute living around here, as there are many in the local brothels.

Nimbus looked at Mrs. Zeliudes, who watched anxiously during the assessment. However, he didn't know what to say and was very confused about what was happening. What's the story about Mrs. Zeliudes telling where he came from? She herself had advised him not to reveal that he wasn't her legitimate son. However, one fact disturbed him even more.