Summoner’s Ascent – A Power Leveling Isekai Litrpg - Chapter 8 (Patreon)

"My lady, we have arrived,"

Queen Sera Leviathan looked away from the carriage window she was idly looking from while allowing her mind to wander.

She stood up from where she sat on the expensive, soft polyester of her carriage and opened the door.

She found a small set of portable stairs as soon as she did and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Her chauffeur and guard for the trip, one of her guard captains, Sebastian, an older man with short, near brown hair peppered with gray showing his age, was bent in a deep bow at the side waiting for her to exit.

Typically if she was on real official business she'd have a full guard detail and be in her own personal royal carriage, but that would just draw too much attention that she wasn't interested in if she could avoid it.

She was just here for a quick visit to one of the local city orphanages she provided funding for to check and see how the children were doing. She didn't need to announce such a thing to the entire city, even if it did increase their opinions of her, it would be just…tacky.

"Thank you Sebastian, you may wait here until I'm finished," she waved her hand towards him lightly as she walked down the stairs, the high heels she was wearing clicking audibly with each step.

The man's head snapped up and she saw a protest forming on his lips, before he ultimately held his tongue, "As you say my lady," he agreed, bowing his head once more.

Sera resisted the urge to roll her eyes again and sigh.

But it was a near thing.

While it was nice her men and subjects respected her, it was rather aggravating to have them be so demure, submissive.

Though it was quite ironic that she found her guard corps formed from commoners that were much weaker in general more reliable than the noble blooded ones.

Because she didn't discriminate and gave even commoners the chance to serve her, they were much more grateful and fanatical than the nobles and went above and beyond when it came to her orders, they respected her that much.

If she told Sebastian to kill himself right now, he would without a second thought. She liked their loyalty and respect, but that was honestly far too much for her taste, she didn't give her people chances for something like that.

'Hmm, actually,' she stroked her chin with soft, pale fingers. It had been a while since she'd checked on Sebastian's strength, over a year now if she was correct.

She looked at the man and her blue eyes glowed with a golden light with a mere thought.

Name: Sebastian

Level: 27

Class: -

Blessing: -

Affinity: -

MP: 2130/2130

Strength: 63

Endurance: 62

Durability: 62

Agility: 62

Status Points: 0

Skills:

Swordsmanship

Block

Magic Blade

Her scan skill was ever so useful. It allowed her to see the very status' plates of others with just a mere glance. A very powerful and expensive skill she picked up long ago in her younger years.

…Multiple average lifetimes ago.

Sera ruthlessly crushed that thought before she made herself depressed and admired Sebastian's status plate, 'He's grown a full level since I last checked, not bad at all,' she mentally praised him.

There was a reason why he was one of her highest ranked guards after all. Despite being a commoner he was stronger than a lot of nobles and his level was vastly higher than most as well.

And to think he was only in his eighties, eighty six now if she recalled. Her own level was forty five, which she'd been stuck at for over ten years.

…She was sadly not a young lady anymore despite her looks. She was well over…ugh…three hundred years old.

It hurt to even think such a thing.

Oh how she longed for her younger more exciting years when she wasn't sitting her rather shapely and gorgeous posterior on the throne as queen.

Perhaps when her cute little son grew up he'd be able to take the throne from her and she'd be able to have a more fun lifestyle once again?

Maybe become an adventurer again, those were fun days.

'If only,' Sera sighed, before dispelling her skill and making her way towards the orphanage.

As soon as she stepped through the open gates of the once church she was greeted to the sight of the head of the orphanage, alongside one of the sisters and dozens of children waiting for her, bowing their heads.

She resisted the urge to grimace at seeing children being so formal. Children should be having fun and playing, taking advantage of the short time they had before reality truly settled in and they became adults and found themselves with little time to enjoy life.

"Your grace, welcome to our orphanage," Father Henry greeted her, an older gentleman with completely gray hair.

Though younger than Sebastian by over a decade, he looked much older. That was simply because Father Henry had never once leveled up in his life.

It was funny, she remembered this man as a young lad with stars in his eyes decades ago when she first met him at this current church before it became what it was now.

"Please, raise your heads, let us not stand on ceremony," Sera stated formally.

"Yes your grace," they all declared as one. Something surely practiced, since even the children chimed in, albeit clumsily.

As they raised their heads, Sera took the time to look over the children, checking how they looked and dressed, their body language and eyes and even their status' briefly with her skill.

It was merely a few seconds, but already she found herself nodding, pleased, "Alright children, no need to all tense since I am here, feel free to go play while I speak with Father Henry and…" Sera trailed off slightly before giving a glance at the sister she did not recognise, "Sister..?"

The sister jumped in place, eyes going wide, "Ah, um, I'm Sister Maria your grace!" she sputtered out.

A rather skittish shy one it seemed.

"Yes, while I speak with Father Henry and Sister Maria," she inclined her head kindly.

And as children were want to do, they rushed off to play at her bidding. Sera watched them go for a moment with a smile, taking them in.

The children of this kingdom were its most precious resource and future after all, they had to be guarded diligently and raised up properly.

As her father had told her when she was but a young lass herself, the people were what kept the kingdom working, without them it would just be a gathering of buildings.

While the children were playing, Sera had the orphanage staff who were ready to greet her lead her to a sitting room.

Well, she just let them decide where. She'd honestly have preferred the garden, if she remembered despite its small size it was a beautiful and relaxing little place.

She did get a near little chuckle of amusement as Sister Maria gawked at the dress she was wearing. It was a shear thing, with thin straps and a rather large plunging neckline that left much of her abundant cleavage on display.

Not really her first choice as far as clothing went, but it was a gift from the duke house her former husband belonged to and apparently very expensive, so she had to wear it sometimes if only to make it seem like she wasn't snubbing them.

She'd much rather wear a pair of comfortable shorts and a jacket, maybe with a set of long boots if she needed to go out. Much easier to move in.

Alas that was apparently not fitting apparel for a Queen.

Not these heels she had to concentrate not to stumble in and a dress where one misstep could have her breasts bouncing out.

So while it might have been a little inappropriate, it was better used for meeting with those who wouldn't care about it as much or be led astray…too much.

'Well, he's still a man at his core,' she held back the urge to giggle when she caught Father Henry glancing at her cleavage, before snapping his head away almost immediately as if burned.

When they reached the sitting room, they got right down to business. With her experience, she only needed a glance to confirm how the children were doing and beyond that the only thing needed to be talked about beyond that, was if the current funding was sufficient.

"…While it isn't quite possible to splurge on the children and get them all they desire, we can get them some toys here and there and there is no trouble of us failing to have enough to cloth and feed them," Father Henry summed up his report on the facilities finances half an hour later.

With her shapely legs crossed over one another and reclining in an armchair they had specifically dragged into the meeting space for her, Sera lifted the cup of tea she had been provided by Sister Maria and took a sip.

"I see," the queen nodded lightly, lowering her now near empty cup, "So you're doing well then,"

"Yes your grace, all thanks to your kindness," Father Henry quickly nodded.

Well, personally she wouldn't call it well. Only managing to get children a few toys here and there for them was truly a pity. And it seemed to be a common recurring thing she was told by each of the orphanages she had visited so far over the last week.

She would have to see about having the funding for the orphanages increased at least a little bit. Though there was no doubt some of the nobles in her court would ham and haw about the kingdom's budget.

As if most of them couldn't literally take baths in gold coins. Some of them even in platinum coins.

'Well my business is done here I suppose,' she mused. She wished she could interact more with the children, but it wouldn't be proper to do so with how many of them were around, not to mention Sister Maria and Father Henry.

Wait…if she remembered correctly-

"Before we finish up, may I ask you a question?" she directed her words towards Father Henry.

"Anything your grace," he was quick to reply, head nodding so vigorously she was slightly afraid he'd damage his neck.

"I was wondering, there are currently twenty eight children that stay at this orphanage correct?" she asked.

"Yes, you are correct, your grace," Father Henry confirmed.

Your grace this, your grace that, 'Honestly, I'm beginning to wonder if people even remember my name,' she once again resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

Because it was improper of royalty.

Being royalty was such a pain, she always had to wear these silly facade's.

"Alright, then why is it I remember only twenty seven children came to greet me with you?" Sera asked, raising an eyebrow, "Did something happen to them?"

Father Henry visibly grimaced while Sister Maria flinched.

Their reactions were very telling, her other eyebrow rose up to join the first.

"Something you don't want to tell me about?" she narrowed her eyes lightly and prompted, "Speak freely."

"…It is not that there is anything wrong with him your grace," Father Henry's shoulders slumped, "Faeran is just a bit of a problem child."

"Oh?" Sera hummed with interest.

"H-he's not a bad child or anything like that your grace," Sister Maria hurriedly came to the boy, Faeran's defense, "He's just a little odd compared to the other children."

She gestured for them to continue and Father Henry continued for her, "To be exact…he was a brilliant child. He was talking before he was five months old and walking before a year had passed," he explained, "By three he'd already read all the books we have in our possession and by five…it felt like I was talking to someone even more intelligent and educated than myself and most others I know."

That…was interesting. A true child prodigy then? She wondered if he had gained a blessing or a class upon birth? Or perhaps he was just naturally brilliant?

"Beyond that…he has an odd obsession with lifting heavy objects he made himself and other things we simply can't understand," Father Henry added, "And I'm told recently that he has even begun to fish in one of the nearby lakes and sell his catches at the local market each day."

Remarkable, that a child of that age had already become self-sufficient. Though, she couldn't quite understand from the man's words what the child was truly up to.

Was he perhaps trying to earn a skill of some sorts?

"He sounds like an interesting child," Sera smiled lightly, "But that still doesn't explain why he wasn't there."

It wasn't that she was angry or anything, she was just wanting to make sure all the children were being well taken care of.

"…We did tell him about your coming, your grace and he told us he would be there to greet you alongside the other children," Sister Maria twiddled her fingers together nervously and shifted her eyes to look away from her gaze, "But he didn't bother it seems. He's a rather focused boy, though on what I'm not sure and often forgets about things like this, and even rarely interacts with the other children."

From her words, she could deduce this child, Faeran had some sort of goal in mind he was vehemently pursuing despite his age.

She couldn't deny her interest was piqued.

"So where is Faeran now?" Sera asked them.