#29
“…”
Loren’s elegant embroidered slippers caught his eye, but Noah didn’t dare to lift his head. If only he had discovered a magic stone mine… No, if he had at least kept that diamond ore…
Would an outdoor ban be imposed? Would the increasingly boring lesson time with the tutor be extended?
Surely Lucas wouldn’t spank him again like last time? He wasn’t three anymore but seven years old.
As Noah was contemplating possible punishments, he flinched and hunched his shoulders at the sound of Loren’s long sigh. Please just yell and scold me. This is scarier.
It was like the calm before a storm.
“Noah.”
“Sniff… hmm… ye-es…”
Though tears weren’t actually coming, Noah deliberately sniffled, knowing that as a child, he needed to show that he was scared and acknowledged his wrongdoing. How long would he have to keep doing this? Since he needed to cry, he pinched his thigh.
“I talked with your father and…”
Aren’t you going to tell me to stand up?
Loren sat in the chair Noah had been sitting in until moments ago. Still keeping his head down, Noah watched her indoor slippers disappear under the hem of her skirt. You talked with Lucas, so what? What happened? Don’t keep me in suspense, tell me quickly!
“I should have protected you more despite your restless running around. I know you’re an intelligent and clever child, but…”
Usually, a long preface meant something big was about to happen. What could require such a lengthy introduction?
“I just finished talking with the Academy’s principal. After discussing it thoroughly with you, we were planning to send you there next semester after spending your birthday together at Schwein Castle, but.”
Loren’s previously calm voice trembled unstably. Her words gradually faded and broke at intervals, but Noah’s eyes widened as he understood what she was saying. Tears that he had forcibly extracted by pinching his thigh dropped onto his pants.
“How can I send this baby there alone? He’ll miss his mother’s embrace, and what would he do by himself? Your father… an child who gets scared and cries even when we try to scold him just a little… how…”
Wow! Amazing. Awesome.
I cause trouble and they send me to the Academy a whole semester early, when I’ve been wanting to go? That’s completely wonderful!
Unlike Loren who was shedding tears steeped in sadness, a deep smile spread across Noah’s face as he kept his head down.
“My Noah, what shall we do… I can’t even go with you.”
Noah came down from the chair as if collapsing and hugged Loren back as she embraced him. Then he patted her back with his small hand.
What do you mean, what shall we do? I’ll do fine by myself! Life is meant to be lived alone anyway. I’ll just push forward without hesitation.
“Mom… sob… Mom…”
While matching the mood by crying along, Noah comforted Loren. Occasionally he might miss Loren and the people here, but it wasn’t like there were no vacations, and though he would be living in a dormitory, he had heard that weekend outings were allowed.
“…The preparations are complete.”
Noah, who had been hugging Loren for a long time, turned his head to look at Elisa when he heard her hesitant voice. What preparations were suddenly completed?
“No, Elisa. This doesn’t seem right. I need to talk to the Duke again.”
Uh… what’s happening right now?
When Noah came to his senses, he was sitting opposite Elisa in a swaying carriage. He hadn’t even seen Lucas’s face, and trunks stacked higher than his height occupied one side of the carriage.
‘Young master, you should say goodbye to your mother.’
At Elisa’s words as she held his hand tightly, Noah looked at Loren who was dabbing her tears with a handkerchief.
‘Um… Mom.’
‘Yes. Listen well to Elisa, and Raymond will be there too. I’ll persuade your father well and come see you soon.’
‘Mom, don’t cry.’
‘Mom’s not crying.’
As the same words were repeated, Elisa ended their heartrending farewell and took Noah to the Warp.
He had no idea what state of mind he was in when he boarded the Warp. He stared blankly at Elisa as she explained that they would stay at a house in the capital tonight and officially enter the Academy tomorrow morning.
“…You’ll be able to do well. Though it’s been three weeks since the semester started, it’s still a time when changes can be made.”
Indeed. Lucas’s decision was to drive Noah out of the house—Noah, who continuously worried and troubled the fragile Loren.
We went to hot springs together, played ball together, and studied together in the study every night… I guess I hadn’t completely won Lucas over yet.
Rather than striving to make Lucas completely on his side, he should focus on building connections at the Academy.
Noah absently stared outside the carriage as the red sunset fell, stroking the soft fur of Aeongi who was curled up on his lap.
* * *
I never thought I’d experience something like this again in my life.
Noah gave an awkward smile toward the middle-aged man who was staring intently at him. Noah’s life, which had been leisurely, languid, and repetitive, requiring him to always seek new things, had been spinning rapidly and chaotically since yesterday.
Yesterday morning’s adventurous journey to find a magic stone mine led from discovering a diamond ore to getting excited and falling off a cliff. After a brief encounter with the angel he had missed, the person Noah saw was Loren. After regaining consciousness, he properly washed and had a simple meal.
Then, while waiting in Lucas’s study, Loren suddenly started crying, and while comforting her, he held Elisa’s hand and boarded the Warp.
From the Warp station, they took a carriage to the house in the capital, slept there, and woke up in the morning. Anyway, Noah was now sitting in the Academy principal’s office. And Aeongi, who had been dragged around with him, was sleeping soundly on Noah’s lap, probably from exhaustion.
How can you sleep in this situation, how?
After staring at his face for a long time, the principal quickly looked over his body and then shifted his gaze back to the paper in his hand. Noah needlessly pulled Aeongi’s tail, who was sleeping well.
“I did speak with the Duke yesterday, but this department is…”
“It’s the Duke’s wish.”
As the principal trailed off, Elisa nodded firmly with a resolute expression. It seemed that some kind of conversation between his parents and Elisa had already been concluded without his knowledge.
“Huh… but still…”
The principal, whose long white beard reminded Noah of the great wizard from a movie he used to like, let out a low sigh. As the principal adjusted his sliding glasses and continued to alternately look at his face and the paper, Noah let out a small sigh.
“Um… I can do anything well!”
After almost 15 minutes of the principal sighing and Elisa sitting straight with a serene smile, Noah clenched both fists and spoke first. Wasn’t everything already discussed with Lucas? That’s why they came, so what was the problem that prevented a definitive answer?
“Can you really do it? Though the Academy is open to everyone… you’re only 7 years old. And moreover…”
It seemed this was the first time a seven-year-old like Noah had come to the Academy, which typically admitted students from eight years old. Seven or eight years old, what’s the big deal about a few months’ difference?
As the principal stroked his long beard, Noah could easily infer that his trailing words were related to his Omega nature without even hearing them.
“I have Elisa and Aeongi too.”
Noah held up Aeongi, who still had no intention of waking up, with both hands and made an innocent expression. He kept his eyes as round as possible, blinking while waiting for the principal to make up his mind.
“Even so… a place that even older children find difficult… I’ll talk with your parents again, but for now, it would be best to start the enrollment process.”
Noah, who had used his ultimate charm to get what he wanted by looking as cute and pretty as possible, cleared his throat and smiled as prettily as possible at the principal who had given the answer he wanted.
But which department did Lucas apply for that the principal is so concerned? Did he put me in the Magic Department despite feeling no mana from me? I’d like to know where I’m going too.
Noah stretched his short neck and leaned toward the principal. If Loren had seen this, she would have sternly disciplined him for being rude, but both the thoughtful principal and Elisa, who was drinking tea, didn’t notice his behavior.
After confirming the top line that read “Enrollment Application,” Noah quickly moved his eyes to find the part he was curious about.
[Department Applied For: Knight Department]
Did I see wrong? Noah tilted his head and strained his eyes to check that part again. And when he confirmed that the letters hadn’t changed and that he had read correctly, his small mouth fell open.
Magic Department, Business Department, Arts Department, Science Department, Medical Department, Divine Department. Anyway, the Academy had numerous departments.
But of all those many places, “Knight”…
Are you trying to raise your Omega son as a knight? If Loren knew, I don’t think she would have stayed quiet. This wasn’t agreed upon with Loren, was it?
Or is this like, “Let’s teach this son who wanders around and doesn’t listen a lesson”?
Noah, whose pupils shook as he sat up straight, tapped Aeongi who still had no intention of waking up. It can’t be, Lucas might send me here in anger, but if it were really Loren, there’s no way…
“Noah.”
“Yes. Yes?”
I did go to the training ground every day. Because there was nothing else to do, and to grow up healthy, I followed the knights to run a bit, and even learned from Tom how to wield a blunt weapon.
But Noah’s dream had nothing to do with being a knight. While he enjoyed moving his body through favorite sports, the thought of pushing to the limit and training his body was horrifying even just to imagine.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
