"...and once again, I apologize, but without approval from the elders or head, this is the best accommodation we can provide for you on such short notice."

  "It's fine," I waved off his apology. "Although...Elo-, ahem, I mean, the young lady mentioned that such hospitality was contingent on me contributing in some manner?"

  "Ah, yes, of course. Given the sudden nature of your arrival, however, I feel it prudent you only concern yourself with resting for the time being. Any talk of compensation can wait till I receive word from -"

  "The elders or the head."

  "Precisely," he smiled at me. "Unfortunately, duty calls, but until your status is finalized, for the time being, you are a guest here, not a recruit. As such, the grounds are free for you to explore, though I would ask that you refrain from making any disturbance, and from leaving the city should your presence be required. Additionally, the formation by your bedside will summon a member of staff should you need assistance."

  "Thank you Lorring."

  "Of course." With that, the old elf inclined his head toward me before flying away to see to the rest of his duties.

  As I looked around at the luxurious room that had been deemed 'substandard' by the head of the household's chief of staff, I couldn't help but think about how perspectives could be skewed by environments. From the elven ship to the palatial estate and the gilded furnishings in my 'subpar' room, everything so far had surpassed my expectations. Not only was I allowed to stay in the head's estate as a guest rather than in the guards' barracks, any talk of compensation seemed to be deferred until Lord Aschel or his house's elders had their say.

  And of course, to make matters more complicated, his house's elders weren't the same elders who essentially ran the country, even though the same word 'elder' was used to describe two different positions, and -

  Calm down. I took a deep breath and wiped away my burgeoning rant like wiping crumbs off a table, and chose to focus on my conditions again.

  The room itself had everything I could want, including a private bathroom, a formation to control the temperature, and an actual essence-gathering formation that increased the available essence in the room. Granted, it was only enough to double the natural concentration, but that in itself was a huge step up from what I was used to. Although, now that I was thinking about it...was the essence that concentrated in the dragons' land or not? Little details about the place were beginning to fade from my mind like a dream, and I suspected it was yet another defensive measure that had been imposed on me.

  Given that Elovere was basically a noble, I wasn't surprised when the ship landed directly within their estate, but it was a shocker to see that their estate was atop a floating island.

  An actual floating island.

  I hadn't been able to see it from any other perspective, but it was supposedly hovering above the tallest tree in the region, which itself was host to most of the population of its surrounding city. When Elovere told me her father was lord of some isles, I simply assumed she meant they were regular islands at sea, not these massive land fortresses that hovered a good mile above the skyscraping tree.

  I had to wait for approval from the higher-ups, but once I got it, a lot of things were headed my way. Learning elvish, which I honestly wasn't stoked about but apparently needed, a decent stipend, more magically-oriented training that I needed for my new affinities, and most importantly the unlocking of my spatial affinity. If my elemental affinities were compared to seeds, then the spatial affinity was a seed embryo that lacked...something. The affinities I had manifested were all on the same level as my natural ones, which suggested that my spatial affinity would be high as well...if the elves here were capable of following through on Elovere's pledge to help me properly use it, that is.

  I began pulling in essence, taking advantage of the room's improved concentration, and lost track of time in the simple action of breathing in the pure energy. I could feel my core and my heart involved in the process, and the improvement before I had created my core was noticeable, but I eventually let go of the thought and fell into the repetitive cycle of inhaling and exhaling, feeling the essence slowly yet steadily follow the path of my breathing. I was pulled from the practice by a gentle yet insistent knocking at the door, which I realized I had neglected to close. As I opened my eyes, a slender elf dressed in skin-tight camouflage stood at the threshold of the room, waiting for me.

  "Forgive me for the disruption, but the twelfth young lady and the madam have invited you to breakfast."

  "Thank you," I nodded to him. "Would you mind waiting a few minutes while I freshen up? I'd rather be shown where the dining room is than have to stumble around lost for hours."

  "Of course."

  I stretched for a minute and realized that I had meditated throughout the night without any adverse effects. Perhaps I was finally seeing the results of integrating my body and core together? Regardless, I hurried to clean myself up, taking a quick five minute bath and changing into clean clothes before following the servant to the dining room, doing my best to stifle the awe I felt at the sheer opulence I saw in the various hallways of the Aschel estate.

  The dining room was just as exquisite as the rest of the...manor? Villa? Whatever it was called, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that its overall aesthetic was an almost overwhelming display of wealth. A long table dominated the majority of the room, and I could make out two young ladies chatting at the far end of the table, one of whom turned towards me right as I entered the room.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "Tseiner, inform the kitchen to start bringing out dishes. Our guest must be hungry."

  "Yes, my lady." The elven servant who'd escorted me walked through another door, leaving me in the presence of two nearly identical women, one of which was Elovere and the other was presumably her mother, though it was unsettling that I couldn't tell the difference, even though one had already spoken. The only clue I had to go off of was that they were wearing differently colored outfits.

  "Well, come sit, we don't bite," the one I took to be Elovere's mother said. I took the seat across from her, though my mind was turning towards what elven cuisine was like rather than observing any etiquette. Besides, even if my human etiquette was applicable here, I doubted that anything bad would happen so long as I wasn't overtly attempting to insult anyone.

  "Good morning, ladies," I inclined my head towards them.

  "Good morning, Rhaaj."

  "And a good morning to you, young man."

  Well, that was one mystery solved. The one on the left was Elovere, and the one on the right was her mother.

  "Forgive me, but I wasn't told your name, madam."

  "Hmmm....." She was tapping her finger against her cheek, neither answering me nor providing a reason for her silence.

  "Mother?"

  Sighing, the madam turned to her daughter. "Dear, I know you said to treat him like a friend -"

  Wait, what?! I barely know her! Why would she say something like that?

  " - and until a decision has been made, I can't give my approval. Even still, I think you know my stance on this." She turned to me with an vacuous smile that seemed off, given how expressive Elovere's face usually was. "Young man, I can tell you have your own goals and motives, which is fine and perhaps even necessary, but I have my doubts that they are good for my daughter. I hope you can appreciate my position. After all, a mother worries for her children."

  I didn't particularly care that I wouldn't receive an endorsement from her to be Elovere's friend. If anything, I was annoyed that I still didn't know her name. My motive for being here was the spatial affinity. Anything else was tangential.

  I did my best to imitate the empty smile she wore. "I don't mind one bit, but, just for my own edification....my being human has nothing to do with it, does it?"

  The madam's smile never changed, yet it went from empty to threatening in the blink of an eye. "Young man, please do me the courtesy of not assuming the worst about me, or that I would forbid my daughter from associating with someone based on something as inherent as race. We are not dragons."

  Heh, the irony.

  I was saved from having to explain myself by the arrival of breakfast, and the minor spat was forgotten as I gorged myself on the delicious foods being served. The lord's opulent taste evidently extended to his palate as well, as I couldn't find a single dish that was objectionable. Even the breaded locusts, while visually off-putting, were sweet enough to make me disregard their appearance.

  The two ladies excused themselves after eating, and I was spared from having to interact with Elovere's mother anymore. With the aid of one of the staff, I was escorted to the library, though she remained by my side. Ostensibly, it was to provide me with any assistance, but I couldn't help the sneaking suspicion that the madam may have played a part in my new 'attendant'.

  I chose to focus on the library and its disappointingly small collection of works. Well, there were plenty of elven tomes, but I couldn't quite read them yet, and the small collection of scrolls written by humans or beastkin were random items that seemed to have no value beyond their age. After all, who cared that a lunar eclipse happened several centuries ago, or that two lizards of different species managed to breed? How did that have any relevance today?

  After exiting the library, I decided that my time would be better spent working out lest I get rusty, so after asking my attendant to lead me to the training grounds, I was once more escorted through the labyrinth of hallways and passages that was the estate, and ended up at an empty field with weapon racks on one side, and a small viewing platform on the other.

  "Are you serious?" I muttered under my breath. Even the training weapons here were of a high quality. I grabbed a sword and shield, swinging them to get a feel for their weight before running laps around the field, carrying both of them as I did so. After running a few laps, I did some bodyweight exercises before taking up the weapons again, this time going through the basic forms I recalled from the academy. Slashes and thrusts were done repeatedly, always with my shield held high. Shield bashing was difficult to practice without an opponent, but I could at least perform the motions. Once I started to get tired, I looked around and asked the attendant, who'd been watching from the side all this time, "Do you mind sparring with me?"

  "Not at all," he replied, walking towards the weapon rack before pausing. "Are there any weapons you wish to train against specifically?"

  "No, nothing like that. I'd rather just have a partner than a stationary dummy." With that said, he took up two daggers and stood across from me.

  "On your mark."

  I set my stance and looked at him. "Ready...go!"

  He was much faster than I was, and the edge of my shield barely managed to stop his slashes, dull thwacking sounds resounding throughout the field as wood met wood. Each of my strikes was expertly parried or deflected, and I felt the points where his blades got through my defense sting more than it should.

  An enchantment, maybe? Well, it's softer than a vorander bite, that's for sure.

  I kept my eye on his shoulders, watching for that tension that betrayed movement, and responded as swiftly as I could, interposing my shield between the strikes I saw coming. Unfortunately, those were few and far in between. It was somehow an unspoken rule that neither of us would use spells, so I had no method for distracting my opponent or shooting projectiles at them, splitting their focus. If this were a real fight, I'd have more options, but as it was, I was far too reliant on my magic to win fights, a glaring weakness that I'd have to correct sooner rather than later.

  As we continued to trade blows, I was able to repel the incoming attacks more frequently, but even doing so accomplished nothing but turning the fight into a battle of attrition, one that I would lose thanks to what I suspected was inferior endurance and stamina. Once I was far enough back, I called an end to the spar and fell to my knee, gasping for breath. In contrast, my partner was just as relaxed as before the fight, even if I could see sweat beginning to stain his clothes before he magicked it away.

  In between gasps I asked him, "What's your name?"

  "Tseiner."

  "Right, Tseiner. When it comes to the people on the estate, where would you rank yourself in terms of strength?"

  He finally smiled, the first display of emotion I had seen from him since my arrival. "Do you honestly think the lord would employ weaklings to protect his family and home?"

  "...you make a good point."

  We waited there for a while before he perked up. "I've just been informed that lunch is about to be served."

  I rose to my feet at the mention of the delicious food before my motivation was slightly dulled. I'd need to shower again, wouldn't I? And I'd have to play polite with Elovere's mom again, which dampened my enthusiasm even more. Regardless, I made my way to my room as quickly as I could.

  The food was just that good.