#18
Finding comfort in Aeongi’s embrace, Noah listened to the conversation between Raymond and Lucas.
They were saying that since the academy had opened its doors to omegas, the enrollment rate of omegas had been steadily increasing. It was nice to spend time playing with Aeongi in this mountain village. A life without worries or discomfort, but considering the education Noah was currently receiving from his tutor, the future seemed daunting.
Because Noah was still young, the lessons focused mainly on basic knowledge and etiquette, but what Noah would learn when he grew a bit older was already decided.
It wasn’t things like territory management or accounting. The content was primarily related to how to efficiently assist a lord. Things like hosting parties. Education for supporting a husband as an omega or as a woman. That’s exactly how it could be described.
But if he went to the academy, he could receive the same education as others. For the future he dreamed of, it would be much more beneficial than learning table-setting methods with a tutor at home.
For now, Noah’s goal was to find a way to live independently without being hung up on marriage. The Austen region was still cold and bleak, and he hadn’t grown very attached to it yet, but operating it himself rather than handing it over to an alpha or beta male was one of the options he was considering.
He didn’t want to go through the motions of “thump-clap-clap, thump-clap-clap, two steps to the left, one full turn, one step back” when he turned nineteen. If by then he had completed his studies sufficiently to lead the territory and demonstrated his abilities, his future would be a bit brighter.
From the content of the conversation between Lucas and Raymond, it could be inferred that Loren was worried about him, but Lucas was thinking positively about sending him to the academy.
“Does Aeongi want to go to school too?”
Since the topic had soon changed from the academy, which one could only enter at the age of eight anyway, Noah whispered in the ear of Aeongi, who was lying down without moving.
At that moment, Aeongi’s ear fluttered, and as the soft ear brushed against Noah’s face, which had been pressed against it, Noah laughed loudly and tried to move away from Aeongi.
But Aeongi’s front paw moved faster, and the reception room was filled with Noah’s laughter as Noah kept trying to escape from Aeongi, and Aeongi kept catching him.
And then Noah saw numerous water droplets floating in the air. Following Raymond’s small gestures, soap bubble-like water droplets danced through the air, and the droplets reflecting the sunlight looked more beautiful than ever.
Noah, who had just escaped from Aeongi’s embrace, reached out toward the water droplets. When they first met, Raymond had also played with him using water droplets. And the moment Noah saw Raymond’s slightly smiling face, his ears turned red instantly.
If he went to the academy, he could see Raymond!
From the current conversation between Lucas and Raymond, it seemed that Raymond wanted to stay at the academy, separate from becoming the Tower Master. There was also mention that he had been offered a position as a researcher at the Magic Tower and a professor of magic.
Any academy student, regardless of their magical power, could take magic classes. That meant he could legally admire Raymond’s face as much as he wanted during magic classes.
After being momentarily lost in Raymond’s beauty, Noah happily enjoyed the abundant scenes playing in his mind before suddenly coming to his senses.
“Daddy, can I go to the academy?”
“Noah, do you know what the academy is for?”
“For studying.”
“That’s right. Does Noah like studying?”
Who in this world likes studying? That’s not a sensible question to ask, Noah almost shouted with a serious face, covering his mouth with both hands. Sometimes his true feelings would pop out like this.
And although it wasn’t true at all, he answered by nodding his head.
“It might be too limiting to just have him receive home education comfortably, since our Noah is quite smart.”
At Lucas’s words, Noah looked away for no reason. He wasn’t smart at all. Of course, compared to his peers, he was insanely smart, but that was just a byproduct created by the special circumstance of his regression.
It was obvious that by the time he turned twelve, all his knowledge would be exhausted.
“Aeongi come too.”
Although it was clearly impossible, Noah boldly blurted out something that could be wrapped in a child’s innocence. As he said this, he placed his hand on Aeongi’s head.
“He can come together.”
Noah’s eyes widened at Raymond’s words, not Lucas’s. And Aeongi, who had been lying down like a log except for when he moved a little during their chase game with Noah, suddenly raised his head.
“But Aeongi is big.”
Aeongi and Noah used a king-sized bed, as they couldn’t fit comfortably on a double bed. To say they shared it was an exaggeration; Aeongi would lie down filling the entire king-sized bed, and Noah would sleep in the small gap in his embrace.
“Aeongi can become smaller.”
Noah’s gaze changed dramatically as he watched Raymond, who answered so simply while slightly moving his hand. Oh, so there’s such a method. Well, Raymond is a magician, so maybe he can shrink large things?
“If Aeongi gets small, I can’t ride him.”
He was a surprisingly useful means of transportation. Moreover, if he got tired while playing, he could just flop down on his broad back and fall asleep. Although a smaller Aeongi would be cute too, Noah looked at Aeongi, who was shaking his head, unable to let go of the current Aeongi.
At times like this, it really seemed like Aeongi understood words. He would make direct eye contact and nod or shake his head.
“Then, how about he becomes smaller and larger whenever you want?”
“Are animals allowed to come to the academy?”
Apart from Aeongi’s size, whether animals could come along was the most fundamental issue.
“Of course.”
Raymond approached, lowered himself, and whispered while making eye contact with Noah.
And at the same time, Noah raised one hand high and shouted in a brave voice:
“Daddy! I want to go! Aeongi says he’ll go too!”
It was a moment of swift decision-making where Aeongi’s opinion didn’t matter even as much as an ant’s butthole.
* * *
“You look very comfortable and happy.”
Aeongi, who was sitting blankly, immersed in deep self-loathing, didn’t even turn his head at the words from beside him. It was none other than Raymond. So he must have recognized him from the start.
Recalling Raymond, who had hesitated the moment their eyes met, Aeongi just fixed his gaze on the distant mountains.
“If you want to quit being the Tower Master, come back and officially hand it over, then go about your business. Do you know how much work has piled up at the Magic Tower? Come tonight, check and sign the backlogged documents.”
Aeongi’s ear moved sluggishly, like a cow’s tail swatting an annoying fly. It was full of meaning: don’t pretend to know me and get lost quickly.
There was no reason for Raymond, a student at the academy, to come all the way to this remote mountainous area. Raymond’s sudden appearance at a completely unexpected moment was enough to surprise Aeongi.
Who would have thought Lucas would make a request to the Magic Tower? But it also didn’t make sense for the future Tower Master to leave the Magic Tower to deliver it. Well, there was probably nothing more nonsensical than what he was doing here right now, so he could only laugh hollowly.
I should have gone to the forest when Noah was insisting on something ridiculous this morning. The Heidel Mountains in Austen were famous for being dangerous places, with rugged terrain and known as the “forest of beasts.” Thanks to that, it was a place that preserved its pristine nature untouched by human hands.
It was a truly good place for someone tired of people, and he had been staying there after accidentally settling down while wandering around for a walk. Although it seemed like troublesome things would happen, the problem was that he had stayed because Noah, who was chattering as if trying to persuade him, was cute.
He had pretended not to know immediately, thinking that was the case, but it was just annoying that Raymond was speaking to him in a situation where it was just the two of them.
“Ah! You can make him smaller and bigger, right? Noah is cute, isn’t he? Just before, he cried saying he wouldn’t go to the academy unless they could go together. While you’re at it, come to the academy and help with some work. I feel like I’m going to die from overwork at this rate. Please save me.”
Raymond’s voice, which had been sweet, kind, and gentle, whispering to Noah as if he had eaten cotton candy, was now utterly blunt.
Next to Aeongi, who was looking at the distant mountains with an expression of having prepared to pull a sled and then given up everything, Raymond stood with his arms crossed, also looking at the mountains that Aeongi was staring at.
A disciple shouldn’t dare use such words to a master, but Aeongi had nothing to say in response right now. He hadn’t wanted to be the Tower Master; it was something he had been pushed into somehow. That’s right, it was a job he had said he wouldn’t do from the beginning.
Although he often left his position, he had never been absent this long before. He had intended to return soon, but being by Noah’s side, it was quite enjoyable to watch the child grow. As a result, it was natural that work had piled up for Raymond, who was designated as the next Tower Master.
And while Raymond’s words about dying from overwork might be a bit exaggerated, the Magic Tower was indeed that busy.
“I’ll assume you’ll come once this week to organize the documents and then leave. If you don’t resolve this, I’m going to enjoy a vacation here from next week too. Noah really likes me, you know?”
A low growling sound, full of displeasure, the likes of which Noah had never heard before, flowed from Aeongi’s mouth.
“Aeongi~ Brother Remona!”
The one-sided conversation ended with Noah’s clear voice. Noah, who had been playing with popping water droplets in the reception room just before, unconsciously called Raymond “brother,” and despite the fourteen-year age difference, Raymond calmly responded to that call.
As the adults’ conversation lengthened, Noah, who had been playing inside for a while, grew restless, wanting to go out and play. Raymond, who was about to finish the conversation and return, was inadvertently dragged out by Noah’s single phrase: “Brother come play with us too.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
