Ping, Torpa, and Raul had all gotten into the Orcus Workshop because of the connections Ping’s family had. Though all three of them were Synergists, they weren’t at all qualified to be a part of the esteemed Orcus Workshop. Karg had initially let them join only because he didn’t want to deal with insulting a bunch of petty nobles, but—
“I’ll say it as many times as I have to. Oscar, you’re going to be the next generation’s Orcus, so—”
“Gramps.” Oscar’s voice was quiet but firm.
Karg sighed, realizing Oscar still hadn’t changed his mind. Inheriting the name of Orcus meant becoming the leader of the Orcus Workshop.
It was tradition that the current Orcus would pass down his or her title once they found someone who surpassed them in ability.
The fact that Karg wanted Oscar to be the next Orcus meant he accepted Oscar was a more skilled Synergist than him.
“You’re already a better craftsman than me. Hell, you left me in the dust years ago. Your skills are on a completely different level.”
“......” Oscar wasn’t sure how to reply to that. After all, everything Karg had said was true.
“When I first met you at the Moorin orphanage, I knew you were special. The toys you made for the other kids were far better than some of the best work my workshop’s put out... To be honest, I couldn’t believe it at first.”
Oscar had been dumped in front of the Moorin Orphanage when he was a baby. Though there had been no large-scale wars in the past few decades, small border skirmishes happened on almost a daily basis. The political instability within the human kingdoms exacerbated the problem further. The constant fighting had left the land full of orphans, and many new orphanages had popped up to care for them.
It had reached the point where the country wasn’t able to fund them all anymore. Karg had already become the head of the Orcus Workshop when the orphanages started appearing. He’d been a friend of Moorin, so when he’d heard her orphanage was struggling, he decided to help fund it.
The day he’d met Oscar had been like any other. He’d gone to drop off some money at the orphanage and see how Moorin and her kids were doing.
When he’d looked around the orphanage, he’d noticed there were a lot more toys than there had been before.
He’d asked Moorin if she’d gotten another sponsor, and got an answer that he wasn’t expecting.
Oscar, who’d just turned ten at the time, had been the one to make all those toys.
Karg had assumed Moorin had found a rich sponsor, so he was shocked to learn that the toys had actually been transmuted by a young boy. The toys were of such masterwork quality that he had been certain she must have bought them.
The building blocks fit together seamlessly. The dolls were so accurately crafted that Karg almost mistook them for real children. The toy swords were perfectly balanced. Even the fake dishes he’d made for the girls to play house with were good enough to cook with.
All of those works of art were created by a ten-year-old boy. Karg couldn’t believe it. He brought Oscar over and asked him to do a live demonstration. When Oscar had crafted one of those toys right in front of him, Karg had had no choice but to accept reality. At ten years old, he had already been as skilled as the country’s finest Synergists.
When Karg had asked where Oscar had learned his Synergist skills from, this was what he had said:
“When I saw you fix that pot the last time you came, I thought I might be able to do it too, so I just tried.”
Karg had remembered that incident. He had indeed come by a month prior to fix a broken pot. And thinking back on it, Oscar had been watching with keen interest.
Karg froze. He felt a sudden chill, as if someone had just slipped an ice cube down his back.
After watching him transmute just once, he’d mastered it himself? And in just one month? He’d reached the level of a master craftsman through trial and error? If that was true, then how much better could he get given proper instruction? Karg was both excited and terrified at the prospect.
He decided then and there... that he would make Oscar into the next Orcus.
After tutoring him personally for three years, Karg admitted him into the Orcus Workshop.
“It’s been a long time since you first joined the workshop. By all rights, you should have inherited the name of Orcus years ago. But you know, Oscar, I don’t want to force you. I stopped you last time when you said you wanted to quit doing Synergist work, but if you still think this isn’t for you, you’re welcome to leave. Believe it or not, I don’t want to make you suffer.”
“I’m... really grateful to you, Gramps. I know the other craftsmen don’t like me, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I’ve already accepted it. Working here isn’t that bad, really.”
“But still...”
Karg grimaced, but Oscar kept going.
“I like being a Synergist. I get to help everyone in the city with my work, and I can send money back to the orphanage, too... What more could I ask for?”
“Why, Oscar? Why do you hide how talented you really are? If they knew, they’d agree that even the title of Orcus doesn’t do your abilities justice. Is it that you don’t like making weapons? Or what, you don’t think you’re fit to be a leader? It’s probably both, actually. Still, you know, Oscar, don’t underestimate me. I can tell there’s another reason you don’t want to take the title. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“......” Oscar just smiled his usual smile. The smile that said “I’m not going to argue, so just say what you want.”
“I know this might be a bit presumptuous of me, but... I think of you as my own son. I just want you to come into your own and show people what you truly are. But I guess that’s not what you want, is it?”
Oscar had known Karg for a long time, so he understood Karg’s feelings.
Oscar would never admit it to him, but he’d started calling Karg “Gramps” instead of “Karg-san” because he thought of Karg as his real father too.
Honestly, Oscar was happy that Karg had such high expectations for him.
It pained him that he couldn’t tell Karg the real reason why he hid his talents.
But even so—
“Gramps... You said my skills were on a completely different level, but that’s not true.”
“There’s no need to act humble with me. I know how good you really—”
“They’re not on a different level... They’re completely abnormal.”
“......” Karg fell silent. Oscar’s choice of words had given Karg an inkling of the real reason why Oscar hid his abilities.
He’d never seen Oscar look like this before. He had a dark expression on his face and was looking off into the distance. It was as if he was gazing into the future that awaited him were he to reveal his skills.
Karg knew too, it wouldn’t be as wonderful as he’d described. He didn’t know what he should say, but he knew he had to do something. But before he could, Oscar continued.