Super Righteous Player
Chapter 1032 - 90 Isaac’s Childhood

Chapter 1032: Chapter 90 Isaac’s Childhood

The man’s fate naturally needs no elaboration.

Amidst the sneering laughter and jeers, after being beaten to a pulp, they strung him up behind the horse and dragged him back—all the while, he let out screams like a tenor in agony.

It’s likely he wouldn’t make it back alive.

Even if he could be dragged back to the gambling den’s doorstep, chances were he would only have a breath left in him.

The pool of blood on the ground would naturally go unattended. This seemed to indicate, tangentially, the origin of the bloodiness here.

And Annan and Isaac simply walked down the street—on their way to the Yawen Temple.

Annan couldn’t help but ask, "Have you seen someone like that before?"

He always felt that Isaac’s reaction was a bit strange.

It seemed less like the indifference of an onlooker and more like the feeling of watching someone who had wronged oneself get their comeuppance.

But clearly, Isaac couldn’t have known that middle-aged man.

Because Isaac had been a "relic of the past" for over a hundred years by now.

He was also from the Flamell family, a pedigree that was quite impressive; he shouldn’t have anything to do with gambling dens at all.

"No, it reminded me of something else."

Isaac shook his head slightly, seemingly lost in reminiscence.

As he moved, the geometric metal ornaments on his person jingled, sounding like wind chimes.

And Annan just turned his head to look at Isaac, saying nothing in response.

After a while, Isaac slowly spoke up, "Do you know, Your Majesty... Dennisiowa is probably the only place in the world where ’slavery’ still exists.

"When I was little, I was... almost sold off as a slave."

"... Aren’t you a Flamell?"

This surprised Annan greatly.

Regardless, as a half-elf descendant with elven blood, hailing from the clan controlling the Jade Tower, the Flamells should... not presumably be sold at a gambling den.

"It’s precisely because I’m a Flamell."

Isaac sighed, "I don’t know if this record still exists... My father died very early. He had passed away before I was born, and his name was also Isaac—or rather, my name is Isaac because my mother named me after my father.

"It’s said that I look very much like my father, with green eyes—a proof of elven blood. And my hair color I inherited from my mother.

"My mother couldn’t read, and she managed to raise me till I was three or four because my father’s brother kept sending us money. By the time I was three or four, she remarried her childhood sweetheart... naturally, her last name was no longer Flamell.

"That in itself wasn’t a problem. But my uncle came in person, claiming that Flamell was a noble surname. It must not be profaned or allowed to spread—since my mother and stepfather didn’t have formal jobs, they didn’t dare to defy my uncle.

"So, this strange situation arose: my last name was different from my mother’s and ’father’s.’

"My stepfather clearly wasn’t happy about this. He soon had new children with my mother... that is, my two younger brothers and a sister. Their last names were the same, but I was the outsider."

Isaac said calmly, "Of course, because my uncle, whom I can’t even remember what he looks like, used to send a very large sum of money every month... So my mother and stepfather still do not have any formal jobs.

"However, they also knew that money would become insufficient if left unspent. Thus, they borrowed some money and leased a small farm, primarily to grow orange trees.

"In Dennisiowa, this was considered a venture only those with some money could engage in, and it was more akin to being a merchant—not a fruit farmer, but a fruit merchant. It would take only about twelve years to pay off the borrowed money completely. And oranges have always been a very popular fruit, never having to worry about a market for them.

"The turning point came in the year of my thirteenth birthday... My uncle, who had been sending money punctually every month, died."

As Isaac spoke, the same indifferent smile appeared on his face, "Of course, they only found out about this a few months later. Initially, the money just didn’t arrive at the scheduled time.

"My stepfather wrote to inquire, but didn’t receive a reply immediately. He cursed at me, as he had taken out a large loan, requiring a portion to be repaid every month, and our family never saved any money.

"At that time, I wasn’t studying at the Wizard’s Tower; instead, I was studying mathematics at the Dennisiowa Theological Academy. My academic performance was outstanding, always ranking first in my year. If nothing unexpected had happened, I suppose I would have become a mathematician."

"...Mathematics?"

Annan lifted his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing this: "You studied mathematics?"

At first, he had just assumed it was a mere coincidence in name.

But listening to Isaac’s narrative, Annan realized... this might not just be a simple case of sharing the same name.

"Yes."

Isaac nodded and continued to explain in detail. "I started studying at the Dennisiowa Theological Academy when I was eight. The school was operated by the Yawen Church, and graduating from it meant securing a job at the church without conditions, with a monthly salary of at least one banknote. So even though the tuition was rather expensive... if one could get in, they were sure to make the effort to squeeze in."

"Aren’t church schools free of charge?"

Annan was somewhat surprised.

He remembered that in Noah, church schools were open to everyone—the entrance exams were just difficult.

Isaac shook his head, "Only church schools in Noah are free of charge... except for your Winter Principality."

—Because Winter had no church schools.

Annan knew what Isaac intended to say.

Isaac just sighed, reminiscing as he spoke softly, "I remember that the church schools in Noah had their tuition paid for by the church. As long as you could pass the entrance exam and adhere to the school’s rules and regulations, you could attend and board for free, and even receive a food stipend.

"But at the Dennisiowa Theological Academy, it wasn’t so easy to get in—the Yawen Academy. Without noble blood, you needed a recommendation from a priest proving you were a ’clever and obedient’ child. In a sense, it was actually a school for the nobility.

"When we joined the school at seven or eight years of age, we were tested for our aptitude in the Divine Arts of Yawen, determining our capabilities and dividing us into different departments. However, this aptitude assessment form was not shown directly to the students.

"In the academy, the art department held the highest status... the entrance examination for it was most stringent. Aside from artistic talent, a certain level of foundational knowledge was required, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to keep up with the coursework after enrolling. Noble students lacking artistic ability could only enroll in other majors.

"Even so, in the mathematics department, we had to practice the most basic choir singing, painting, and handicrafts. We had to make our own rulers and compasses, and I still remember my final exam at the age of twelve, when we had to imitate and copy architectural drawings of a clock tower. You heard that right, Your Majesty. We also had to learn sculpture and architecture... dealing with structural equations at the age of eleven or twelve.

"Of course, if your grades were good enough, you could still receive a scholarship. I was always the best in my year of study, and I spoke clearly and sang well—an excellent bonus point. I was selected to join the Choir Group of our department, which earned me a sponsorship.

"In my second year of enrollment, I used the scholarship to offset eighty percent of the tuition; by my third year, I had not only earned back all of my tuition fee but even had a surplus of five or six Gold Coins—half of this money was secretly stashed away by me to buy some books and such; the rest was taken away by my stepfather.

"Shortly after my thirteenth birthday came the opening day of the school year. Because my uncle had not sent any money, my tuition, my scholarship... all were taken away by him."

Isaac spoke calmly, as if narrating someone else’s story: "And so, I was forced to drop out."