#30
Noah’s whole body shivered as he recalled how, before his transmigration, his mother, who had shown no interest in him, had sent him to a marine corps experience training camp for some unknown reason. He remembered the instructors wearing red caps, blowing whistles, and shouting, “Jump in place 20 times. Skip the final chant.”
Despite everyone clearly saying to skip the final chant, there were always some who would shout “twenty,” so what was supposed to be 20 jumps in place actually turned into over 100. Was that the end? No. That was just the beginning.
They were ordered to carry large logs from one shoulder to another as a group, and jumping while standing wasn’t enough—they had to jump while sitting too. Anyway, without exaggerating even a little, he had been tormented by them until he was on the verge of collapsing from nausea and dizziness.
Above all, Noah, who had always played in the training grounds, knew very well the intensity of training the knights at Schwein Castle underwent. Even those already at the highest level always trained to the extreme. This was because even a slight negligence could put not only themselves but the entire knighthood in danger during an expedition. That’s why they trained as if it were the real thing.
While they could say they did so because their lives were at stake, Noah felt dizzy at the thought of training for children who were just starting and still growing. They would be endlessly disciplined to stand at the top, and the stamina of teenagers who were said to be able to chew through iron was always beyond imagination.
He was supposed to train with those who had clear goals and honed themselves?
Living long and comfortably rather than suffering is my motto. Let’s all get along, moderately so. Huh? So, I like living by compromising. Therefore, Lucas’s decision seems quite wrong.
“Do you really think you can do well?”
No, I can’t. Noah, who had just exclaimed that he could do it well, couldn’t bring himself to answer the dean’s question. He wanted to grab the hem of his pants and shout, “Please change Lucas’s mind.”
“The young master will do well.”
No, no. Why are you answering for me?
Noah’s eyes were filled with resentment as he looked at Elisa, who was patting his head and answering the dean’s question without knowing his true feelings.
“For today, let’s meet with the professor in charge, check the academic schedule, and get assigned to a dormitory. Noah is still young, so we can work out the department issues gradually.”
After leaving the dean’s office, where he had been sitting awkwardly as the dean wrapped up the situation with roundabout words, Noah almost screamed when he saw the person standing in front of the office. To prevent the sound from bursting out without his permission, Noah quickly covered his mouth with both hands.
“Hello, little one. I should call you Student Noah now.”
Raymond! Raymond is my professor in charge!
As Raymond bent his upper body to meet Noah’s eye level and spoke with a voice as soft and warm as if he had eaten hundreds of cotton candies, Noah quickly nodded.
You look more impressive every time I see you. His face, even more handsome than before, and his black hair with a blue tint that flowed down with his movements, shining brightly, felt like a scene from a movie.
“H-hello.”
Noah, who had been covering his mouth with both hands, slowly lowered them and quickly bowed his head in greeting. If they had met elsewhere, he would have called him “hyung,” but this was the academy, he was a professor, and Noah was a student.
“I can see why the dean was worried.”
Raymond received the file Elisa was holding while stroking Noah’s fluffy hair, which was like a chestnut. He would look through it carefully when he had time, but for now, he opened the file, looked at the first page, and let out a slight laugh of disbelief.
“You don’t need to worry too much.”
After quickly skimming through the file and closing it, Raymond slightly nodded at Elisa’s gesturing as soon as their eyes met.
As expected. Lucas had no intention whatsoever of raising Noah to be a knight.
Lucas, of all people, would know. It made no sense for Noah, who was thin and weak from the bone and had poorer motor skills than others, to grow up to be a knight. Even if becoming a knight was Noah’s goal and he worked desperately, it was obvious that his skills would not exceed the average level.
Moreover, Lucas wanted Noah to study management-related subjects. He didn’t know what kind of partner Noah would meet in the distant future, but he thought it would be good for Noah to learn about territory management. If his partner were skilled in territory management, Noah could assist him, and if his partner excelled in other areas, Noah could run the territory.
On the other hand, Loren wanted Noah to learn various things.
The couple, showing differences in their educational views, couldn’t easily find a compromise, and when they occasionally asked Noah what he wanted to learn, the bright Noah only said he wanted to go to the academy.
Additionally, the academy had set ages for enrollment and graduation, but other aspects were highly autonomous. Within the age range of eight to eighteen, enrollment and graduation were possible at any time.
While some students spent almost ten years at the academy, enrolling at eight and studying a wide range of subjects until eighteen, it was also common for others to study only the necessary subjects for just one or two years.
Loren and Lucas had agreed to send Noah to the academy to give him many experiences and to satisfy the curious child who wanted to know about the world, but they couldn’t determine more specific details.
The fact that they suddenly sent Noah, who hadn’t even passed his seventh birthday, to the academy when the semester had already begun implied many things.
And the knight department, which they hadn’t even considered…
Aware that he had exchanged silent looks with Elisa, Raymond had to clench his molars to prevent laughter from bursting out as he saw Noah with his head bowed, tapping the floor with his small toes.
It was clear that Noah knew which department he would be attending. But what was written on the document now wasn’t important at all. The younger the age of enrollment at the academy, the more likely they were not to specify a department.
Of course, if they had exceptional abilities in areas like knighthood or magic and had clear goals, they might specify from the beginning. But for most, it was common to learn various things at the academy and then find what suited them and study it in depth.
I wonder what kind of trouble our little one has caused to suddenly come here.
Lucas had delegated many academic-related aspects to him. He was the one who would choose which classes Noah would take from this semester. It was also at his discretion to change the designated department to “undecided” next semester.
“Noah, shall we go to my research office now to check what you’ll be studying this semester? By then, the dormitory where you’ll stay will be ready.”
Raymond took Noah’s small hand. Then Noah, with a sullen expression, looked up at him.
Who told you to cause trouble? I’m glad to see you earlier, though.
He could easily find out what trouble Noah had caused by asking Elisa. But the kind of trouble this little master would cause was predictable.
“Where did you go this time?”
Walking toward his research office while holding Noah’s hand, Raymond whispered softly. It was quiet enough that Elisa, who was following behind, couldn’t hear.
“The forest.”
“Why?”
“…Sigh. Even if I tell you, you won’t understand.”
A long sigh escaped from Noah’s mouth as he answered in a voice as small as Raymond’s.
Noah pouted his lips as he walked down the long corridor of the academy, holding Raymond’s hand. He absolutely couldn’t say that he had gone looking for a mana stone mine, come back empty-handed, rolled down a cliff, and then been sent here almost like being chased out. He didn’t want to give Raymond the impression that he was a troublemaker.
Honestly, it wasn’t that he couldn’t speak about it, but the moment the world learned that there was a mana stone mine in that area and a diamond ore the size of his two fists, the Heidel Mountains would surely be filled with people risking their lives to find them.
Finding the mana stone mine could make one a wealthy person who commanded the empire, and even if one found only the diamond ore instead of the mana stone mine, one could live comfortably for a lifetime without excessive spending.
The academy was a place he really wanted to go to. He wanted to learn many things, and it was a place he had to come to for what he was planning. But he hadn’t expected to come in this way.
It wasn’t the department he wanted, and having to use his body crazily instead of his head—if it weren’t for Raymond holding his hand tightly as they walked, Noah would have been making plans to escape the academy right now.
Raymond’s hand holding his was truly large, warm, and soft. Normally, he would have been fully enjoying this, but now Noah’s mind was more complicated than ever.
He had to quickly grasp the situation that was unfolding differently from his expectations and make new plans accordingly. Above all, he couldn’t stop thinking about the diamond ore he had left in the Heidel Mountains. How much money would that sell for…
He couldn’t tell anyone that such an expensive thing was lying alone in the mountains, and he couldn’t even tell Aeongi, who somewhat understood speech, to go pick it up.
“Would you like to have some warm cocoa when we get there?”
Not even noticing that Raymond, who should be speaking comfortably to him, was using formal language, Noah nodded weakly. Should he be grateful that he could at least see Raymond in a day filled with hard training?
“Meow~”
Noah, who had been trudging along, stopped for a moment at the small sound of Aeongi rubbing against his leg. And when Noah grabbed one of his front paws, Aeongi was suddenly forced to stand on his hind legs.
Ignoring the gazes of Raymond and Elisa who were staring at him for suddenly stopping, Noah continued walking, and Aeongi, whose front paw had been grabbed, had to walk on two legs like a human.
‘I’m going to train, so Aeongi, you should train with me too.’
It was a moment when Noah’s unwarranted spite, which he couldn’t show to anyone else, was directed at Aeongi.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
