#19
Raymond, who had come outside first while Loren and Elisa meticulously dressed Noah to prevent him from catching a cold in the harsh weather, was able to have a quiet conversation with the Tower Master who had briefly left the Magic Tower. However, this situation was not comfortable at all for either Aeongi or Raymond.
Who would want to ride a sled pulled by the Tower Master transformed into an animal?
While Noah was a bit late coming out due to being fully armed, Aeongi, who had been forced to come out, harnessed the sled without complaint. He couldn’t run away to the mountains now saying he wouldn’t do it, and Noah had been eager to ride a sled since morning.
He could have ridden a sled pulled by horses or dogs, but this was the price for not being able to ignore Noah, who was fluttering around in front of him with his large, clear eyes blinking. For Noah, pulling a sled once wasn’t a big deal, but why did he have to carry Raymond too?
“Aeongi! Let’s go!”
Neither Aeongi running down the snow-covered mountain path nor Raymond, who had been dragged along because Noah insisted they must ride together, could smile properly in this bitter situation.
On the other hand, Noah was extremely excited.
His favorite animal, Aeongi, was running very refreshingly through the rough mountain path. In a situation more thrilling and fun than a roller coaster, Noah’s mouth opened wide like a washbasin.
Moreover, worried that Noah might be thrown out if the sled shook unstably on the rough mountain path, Raymond was holding Noah tightly on his lap.
“Kyaaaang~”
Noah’s clear voice, enjoying this moment more happily than anyone else on behalf of the two troubled people, echoed through the quiet mountains.
A long sigh escaped from Aeongi’s mouth as he ran around the mountains until Noah’s joyful cheers, which made even the listeners excited, gradually died down and he fell asleep exhausted in Raymond’s arms.
It was something that had gone wrong from the very first button.
He should have threatened him from the beginning when he was wandering the forest alone to make him go home… After bringing him to Lucas, whether he grabbed his tail and cried and made a fuss or not, he should have just turned around and gone back to the forest.
He could have left everyone behind and disappeared like this, but Aeongi’s feet were steadily heading toward the castle. Noah’s peaceful breathing circled around his ears.
“…Should we get off now?”
Raymond spoke cautiously, showing he had some sense, but Aeongi just walked silently. It wasn’t just anyone, but Aeongi and Raymond who had accompanied Noah, and the knights had also been running around the snow-covered mountains with them under the pretext of training.
Taking this opportunity to deal with the beasts that had come down to the lower areas was beneficial for everyone. But how to express this bitterness? Though he could feel Raymond’s restlessness, Aeongi just walked toward the castle.
Raymond, what are you planning to do by getting off now?
What if Noah, left alone on the sled chair, rolled and fell off? Of course, if magic were used, such a thing wouldn’t happen. But Noah liked sleeping while feeling body warmth in someone’s arms.
It often happened that he would sleep peacefully snuggled close beside him, then thrash about severely and roll to other places, or hit or kick him with his small fists or legs. Anyway, if any part of his body was touching even a little, he would sleep peacefully with gentle breathing.
But if he got up and left his side even briefly, Noah would squirm and sit up. Without being able to open his eyes properly, rubbing one eye with one hand while groping the bed with the other hand to find him. When he saw that sight, he would quickly go to his side and lie down, then Noah would burrow into his arms as if asking what had happened and fall deeply asleep again.
And he was supposed to let such a Noah sleep alone on a shaking sled chair? There was no need to say it in words.
When they arrived at the castle trudging along, Elisa, who had come out to greet them, lifted the sleeping Noah from Raymond’s arms.
“It must be hard playing with the young master, right?”
“Not at all.”
“Aeongi, you worked hard playing today too. Go wash your paws, tonight’s dinner is your favorite veal.”
Raymond, who had stayed because Noah asked him to play but now had to return to the Magic Tower, tried to politely greet His Grace and leave. His original purpose was to appropriately make an impression on Lucas, the Grand Duke of the North, while delivering the item he had commissioned.
As a bonus, he also got to see cute Noah.
But he never expected to end up having dinner too.
“Try this.”
Noah, sitting right next to him, was clumsily trying to move meat from his own plate to Raymond’s plate but was dropping it. Aeongi was lying down without even touching the meat, and Noah, who had dropped meat on the table while trying to show kindness, was being strictly disciplined by Loren.
After Noah dropped the meat while trying to give Raymond more to make a good impression on him, he lowered his gaze and pouted his lips. It’s because he’s young, because he’s young.
Though he had grown a lot, he was still only five years old and still clumsy with using forks and knives. Give me chopsticks instead! I’m so good at picking up beans.
Though they had spent half a day together, Raymond was still a kind and warm person. He had to ask him not to put up a barrier in front of him because he was worried Noah might be cold in the chilly wind.
The cold, harsh wind brushing against his face, the rough shaking with no real sense of stability. Wasn’t that what you rode roller coasters to feel?
Only after telling the worried Raymond several times that he didn’t want it could he fully experience that thrill.
After playing excitedly and falling asleep in Raymond’s warm and comfortable embrace, when he woke up and found Raymond still at the castle, he had a hard time containing his inner joy. While riding the snow sled, he also learned that Raymond hadn’t promised any special future to anyone yet, and that he had definitely decided to remain at the Magic Tower.
He had one more reason why he absolutely had to enter the academy.
Since he knew Raymond would return to the Magic Tower through a portal after dinner, he tried to show a better side of himself… But while pouting from the injustice of being scolded by Loren, Aeongi, who didn’t look to be in a good mood, came into Noah’s sight.
It was Aeongi’s favorite veal. Though he ate raw meat well, he seemed to prefer cooked meat, so they had even grilled it for easy eating. With his head turned away from the meat, Aeongi even had his eyes closed.
“Aeongi.”
When he whispered in a voice so small that others couldn’t hear, Aeongi’s ears moved slightly. When he glanced around, everyone was busy having conversations and not paying attention to him, so he picked up a potato cutlet with his hand and lowered it.
Even when he conveyed the meaning that he would gently wave it for him, Aeongi still didn’t move. Worried about Aeongi, Noah went under the table.
“Are you sick?”
He had wanted to ride the snow sled. There were many dogs that could pull sleds, but seeing the strong and faster Aeongi naturally drew his attention there. And Aeongi didn’t seem to dislike it that much either.
Even when he petted his head and asked, Aeongi didn’t show much reaction. When he touched his head, nose, and fidgeted with his lips, Aeongi reluctantly opened his mouth, so he put in the potato cutlet he was holding.
Why didn’t he think of it then – did his brain really become younger when he got younger? He had naturally thought Aeongi would be with him and do everything together. Aeongi wasn’t trained as a sled dog and had been freely roaming through the forest as he pleased. He had insisted, and suddenly the knights surrounded Aeongi and tied ropes to pull the sled.
And after that, he had been running around the mountains. He understood completely why Aeongi looked depressed and listless.
“I’m sorry.”
Noah spread both arms wide and hugged Aeongi’s head, apologizing with sincerity. Whether he knew his feelings or not, Aeongi just stayed still.
“Oh, about Aeongi changing size…”
Noah’s eyes widened as he was apologizing to Aeongi. It was because Aeongi had become the topic of conversation among the adults he had been listening to half-heartedly.
“I would feel a bit more at ease if he went with Aeongi. But whether we really need to send him to the academy…”
“Just because he’s an omega doesn’t mean we have to keep him locked up. Moreover, Noah prefers playing outside rather than playing inside the house. He’s also brighter than other children. If there were no opportunity, it couldn’t be helped, but there’s no reason to crush an opportunity that exists.”
“Still, I… Raymond, is it really okay to bring pets to the academy?”
“One per student. I’ve seen dogs, cats, and small birds that can be cared for inside personal dormitories, but…”
“So Raymond would use magic to change the size…”
“But that doesn’t include Aeongi’s thoughts.”
“Maybe… he’ll like it?”
The conversation among the three didn’t seem likely to end easily. At Loren’s last comment that Aeongi’s thoughts weren’t included, Raymond answered quietly as if mumbling.
If Noah entered the academy, it seemed like his master would inevitably have to enter too. So whether they made new rules or changed existing ones, they had to find a way to bring Aeongi to the academy.
“It’s not like Aeongi can grow or shrink in size by himself, and Noah is an ordinary child who can’t sense mana, so how would that be possible?”
Lucas and Loren, who rarely narrowed their differences, clashed like this over every little thing when it came to Noah.
“Get smaller?”
In the situation where the pleasant dinner time had become uncomfortable, Raymond, who received the attention of both Lucas and Loren, spoke whatever came to mind. As Loren said, he could change Aeongi’s size using magic as much as he wanted.
Setting aside that he couldn’t arbitrarily cast magic on his master, as Loren said, for Noah, who couldn’t even sense mana, to use such magic, they would have to create something using magic stones again.
“Wow!”
Just as Raymond finished the words “get smaller,” Noah’s voice interjected into their conversation.
“Mom! Aeongi got smaller!”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
