Vito hesitated for a moment. Although Ruger and Layden had openly explained their circumstances, and accepting seemed like a good choice for him, he still found himself wavering.
Ruger watched Vito as the Golden Key planted inside him slowly absorbed and devoured the worries coming from beside him. The fellow's expression seemed to say that he did not want to add a smaller misfortune to the two men's already terrible situation, even though they themselves did not mind.
"It certainly is a tempting offer." Vito looked at the two men beside the campfire. "I imagine your apprenticeships must have been fairly pleasant. You either grew up in very comfortable surroundings or had a good mentor. Ordinary Wizard Apprentices aren't so eager to help others, you know, even with a minor problem."
Ruger froze for a moment.
"It was pretty good, yes. I even got fresh bugs without any seasoning. They wriggled from side to side. And there were handmade shorts, too. My best friend even gave me a big piece of hide-the biggest one," he said.
Layden lowered his head and poked at the campfire, his eyes fixed on the flickering flames.
"Kindness that survives in a dark, harsh environment is true kindness," Layden said quietly. "And many mentors appreciate that sort of kindness, because in their eyes, it isn't kindness at all, but a steadfast heart. The heart of someone strong, someone who remains unchanged amid deceit and treachery, who cannot easily be swayed..."
Layden's words made Vito's eyes light up.
Ruger did not quite agree. He agreed wholeheartedly with the latter part, but as for the former, good and evil were difficult to distinguish in the first place. A deed was a deed; there was no need to distinguish what constituted true goodness. In his view, Layden was