#31
Noah was walking alongside Raymond, matching his pace while staring at the floor engraved with the academy’s emblem. When Raymond slightly tightened his grip on his hand, Noah looked up. As their eyes met, a smile naturally bloomed on his face.
Right. Instead of rolling around in the training field every day, I’ll find comfort in looking at this handsome Raymond’s face. When I become an adult, I’ll have a strong body capable of doing anything, rather than one without any muscle that could be blown away by the wind.
Trying to accept the situation more positively, Noah firmly gripped Raymond’s hand in return.
“…I’m worried,” Raymond murmured as their eyes met.
Noah tilted his head. What are you worried about? Don’t worry about me. I survived that suffocating, chicken coop-like education system in South Korea where everyone was crammed together and force-fed the same information.
“If any problems arise, promise you’ll come to me right away. Understand?”
I’ll come to you every day even if there are no problems, so don’t worry.
Noah hid his true thoughts and just smiled brightly, trying to reassure Raymond.
As they walked side by side, Noah let go of Aeongi’s paw that he had been holding tightly and raised his arm upward.
When they first met, Raymond was a truly beautiful seventeen-year-old boy. He wasn’t particularly tall, and he had a slender frame with narrow shoulders.
Stretching his arm upward, Noah’s fingertips barely reached Raymond’s solar plexus. Weren’t magicians usually cooped up in towers all day reciting formulas?
The current Raymond looked more like a knight than a magician.
So like… someone who uses both magic and swords—a magic swordsman?
“Raymond.”
Noah glanced back slightly, saw Aeongi and Elisa walking a bit behind them, and called him in a small voice.
“Yes?”
“Do you use a sword too?”
“I do use a sword, but what I prefer are blunt weapons.”
When their eyes met, Raymond winked and whispered softly just as Noah had done.
Noah blinked rapidly upon hearing this. Raymond, who seemed like he would elegantly wield a long sword, swinging blunt weapons like Tom? No, more importantly, you’re a magician. Isn’t it stranger that you use weapons at all?
“So, my baby, how about having your first training session with me?”
This is clearly a school. He’s a professor and I’m just a student, yet he still calls me “baby” and speaks formally to me, Noah thought as he looked up at Raymond with clear eyes.
More importantly, training with Raymond?
“Anything is possible if that’s what you want, baby.”
His deep blue eyes sparkled, and when their gazes met, Raymond whispered in a sweet voice with a wink, causing Noah to gulp down the saliva pooling in his mouth.
“Yes!”
Forgetting that they had been whispering quietly until now, Noah raised his free hand high and shouted loudly.
I can see Raymond sweating? Then I definitely have to do it.
* * *
“Young master, you need to wake up.”
Noah turned over, tossing and turning at Elisa’s gentle whisper as she brushed his bangs aside. Let me sleep a little longer. I had trouble falling asleep last night.
While grumbling to himself and trying to pull the blanket over his head, Noah’s movement suddenly stopped.
“You have History class at 10 o’clock, so you need to get up now.”
History class. Unfamiliar smell. Unfamiliar touch.
Noah’s eyes snapped open, and after confirming this wasn’t home, he abruptly sat up. Aeongi, who had been sleeping right next to Noah, finally woke up too, stretching his small body with a yawn, eyes not yet fully open.
Raymond had created the most efficient class schedule possible for Noah. Considering his young age, it was only 2-3 hours per day, four days a week from Monday to Thursday. He said to rest comfortably on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. With one subject in the morning and one in the afternoon, Noah’s total class time this semester was 11 hours per week.
When Raymond gave him the schedule listing basic subjects like Linguistics, History, and Mathematics that all new students take, Noah had trouble falling asleep the previous night. Coming here to do that insufferable studying again.
He had wanted to come to the academy, but once the schedule came out and his life of servitude began, he felt both stifled and overwhelmed.
While rolling around at Schwein Castle, imagining attending the academy, he had thought, “I can even get a scholarship, no big deal,” but now that it was reality, his first thought was just hoping not to get expelled.
“Dressed like this, you really look like a student.”
Look like a student? I am a student.
Led by Elisa’s hand, Noah had his face washed and his teeth brushing inspected. After Elisa slightly tamed his curly hair that became more fluffy the more it was brushed by dampening it with water, she stepped back, looked at Noah, and smiled brightly with obvious pride.
If she had a mobile phone, she would have definitely taken pictures and made a video call with Loren.
Ah, I really feel like a kindergartener.
The dark navy blue uniform was fine. But why shorts? And seeing his lower body in white tights that came down below the knees paired with dress shoes, Noah took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily.
Should I be grateful there are no suspenders at least?
Should I be happy there’s no bow tie or necktie?
Oh, and no hat either.
Like his first day of elementary school in childhood, Noah tightly held Elisa’s hand as they headed to the classroom. Even though he didn’t need to go with her—yesterday he had toured the classrooms he would be using with Raymond.
His classes weren’t far from the dormitory, and perhaps for the benefit of younger students, all of Noah’s classes were held in one building. He said he could find his way alone, but Elisa just smiled at him and answered by picking up his history textbook for him.
In any case, after being led by her hand into the classroom and seated in the very front row, Noah clenched both fists on the desk and stared straight ahead.
‘Huh? What’s a baby doing here?’
‘Looks like he’s taking this class?’
‘When did the semester start… Oh, maybe he came with an older brother or sister?’
‘But he’s really cute.’
‘Should I ask his name?’
Though he could feel the gazes of the students entering the classroom falling on him at least once and hear their murmuring, Noah stubbornly kept looking forward.
If you’re that curious, come talk to me first.
Though Noah usually lived by his own rules and did whatever he wanted, he was still human and occasionally—very occasionally—felt shy. It had been a long time since he’d been to school, and seeing the swarm of children his age brought an inexplicable fear.
“So you’re Noah.”
And when the professor who entered the classroom immediately smiled at him and gave him candy, Noah felt with his entire body that his academy life was getting seriously twisted from the start.
“Noah, would you come out and introduce yourself?”
Can’t we just skip the introduction and move on vaguely? This doesn’t seem right.
Noah walked forward awkwardly and had to face numerous pairs of eyes looking at him, not hiding expressions that said they were dying of curiosity about him.
“Hello.”
After raising one hand awkwardly and greeting them, Noah had to hear various “Nice to meet you, I’m ○○” from all around.
After that awkward exchange of greetings, the history class passed in the blink of an eye. Since most students were around the same age and new to the academy, though it was called a history class, it felt more like listening to Greek and Roman mythology from childhood.
They said dragons fought and created ravines and seas, but how could anyone really believe that?
After history class ended, Noah didn’t immediately get up but began reviewing what they had just covered. So this is why they say not to study ahead.
Tragedy up close, comedy from afar… In Noah’s view, all these seemingly ridiculous stories lined up were as entertaining as reading a fairy tale, especially since he knew nothing about them. It was also a way to avoid getting swept away by the students who rushed out as soon as class ended.
“Noah!!”
As Noah was skimming through the pages, he flinched and hunched his shoulders at the loud voice calling his name just as he was about to close the book.
“Noah Schwein!”
Not satisfied with just once, the voice called out his full name, and Noah stopped closing the book and slowly turned his head.
“Ah! I couldn’t believe the news that you were attending the academy, but…”
Seeing a male student approaching with fluttering brown hair, Noah quickly tried to recall everyone he had met so far. Given the red eyes, he must be related to the imperial family. After noticing the light freckles on the bridge of his nose and under his eyes, Noah hurriedly closed his book and stood up.
“Our Noah, why have you grown so much? Still pretty though.”
When they first met, he at least asked for permission out of courtesy, even to a stranger. But the second time meeting Matthew, before Noah could even greet him, Matthew lifted him up in his arms and started chattering away.
Noah wanted to say his name properly—Matthew—and ask to be put down. After all, he was the First Prince. No matter how much the academy preached equality, the underlying reality couldn’t be ignored. It’s not like they were living only for today without thinking about tomorrow. No matter how equal the space was supposed to be, who would dare fight with a prince, pulling his hair?
But Matthew, who had picked him up without permission, was about to bring his mouth to Noah’s without asking. So Noah instinctively turned his head to avoid those lips, but the timing was terribly off.
Though their lips didn’t exactly touch, Matthew’s lips brushed somewhere near the edge of Noah’s lips, and simultaneously, a peculiar word escaped from Noah’s mouth.
“Ma…ttphew…” (spitting sound)
“Matthew!”
Fortunately, Noah’s irreverent utterance was drowned out by another voice calling Matthew’s name.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
