#9
“Ah! This must be what the young master is talking about. How do you know about this?”
Noah’s eyes widened as he watched the merchant stand up, clapping his hands and pulling something out from the pile of toys. It looked similar to a kickboard, but without wheels. Since this was a snowy region, it seemed like they had created a standing sled rather than a sitting one.
But thinking about it further, standing on a sled was truly dangerous, so Noah shook his head. If he fell while standing on that thing, it wouldn’t end with just a broken bone.
“This is a brand new product. I didn’t mention it because it seemed too dangerous for the young master, but regarding this item…”
Noah was drinking his juice without much expectation as the merchant began explaining the product to Loren. He blinked his large eyes, looking back and forth between the man and the object beside him.
If the explanation was correct, that’s a hoverboard!
It could float about 5cm above the ground using magic.
What use were bumpy wheels? The merchant continued to explain that it used magic to detect the ground, hovering 5cm above any surface, and that movement and stopping were controlled by buttons on the handle.
There was no need to push with your feet or run.
The mana stone inside could something-something about cumulative travel distance. Ultimately, it was a consumable item, so the mana stone needed to be replaced regularly, the merchant explained as he gently lifted Noah, whose mouth released a cheer.
With both feet on the board and hands gripping the handle, Noah’s face displayed the brightest smile ever.
“If you press this left button, it stops, and if you press the right button, it starts. For safety, it can’t exceed a certain speed, and if there’s an obstacle within 5m, it automatically adjusts speed and…”
“…Uwaaaang!”
Just as the merchant said, the moment Noah pressed the right button, he was lying flat on the floor. His head, back, and bottom hurt. It felt like stars were twinkling on the ceiling.
“Noah!”
“Young master!”
This situation feels familiar.
After the regression, I fell forward and got a nosebleed the first day I met Mom and Dad. Noah, whose hands weren’t strong enough to grip the handle, had fallen backward as the hoverboard moved forward after pressing the start button.
Feeling Loren’s embrace and her gentle hand stroking the back of his aching head, Noah cried loudly without restraint. He hated this small body. Really hated it.
Not being able to properly hold the hoverboard handle and tumbling backward so ungracefully—how embarrassing could it get?
“We won’t be buying this one.”
Noah’s loud crying stopped abruptly.
Mother, what are you saying? This is more necessary for me than those useless bundles of fairy tales, that strange thing that supposedly helps with writing practice, or those blocks that stick and detach easily like they have magnets inside.
“Ahem… the young master is still young… perhaps when he’s a bit older…”
“No. Something so dangerous isn’t necessary for our Noah.”
“No!”
Noah shouted urgently at Loren’s firm words.
“Are you feeling better now?”
Noah met Loren’s gaze as she wiped his tear-stained face.
“I want that.”
And he pointed to the hoverboard still floating in the air.
“Noah, that’s too dangerous. You just hit your head, remember?”
“That!”
“No. Let’s see what else they have?”
“That!”
Seeing Loren’s frown, Noah realized his insistence wouldn’t work this time. Of course, no parent in the world would easily buy something after watching their child fall flat and hit their head right in front of them.
“Dad!”
While Noah was pondering how to overcome this obstacle, he turned around at the clear voice of a child. A boy riding a hoverboard was entering the reception room.
“James, didn’t Dad tell you to play outside?”
Ignoring the merchant’s words, Noah stared blankly at the boy who was skillfully riding the hoverboard.
Was that bright blue hair color really possible?
He knew that people here had diverse hair and eye colors, but he had never seen such a beautiful blue before.
It was a sky-tinted blue. And his bright blue eyes, just as vibrant, captured Noah’s attention.
How is it that everyone he meets lately is so handsome and full of character? The future looked incredibly bright for this child with pale white skin that perfectly complemented the vivid blue.
If he navigated the dreaded puberty well, he would likely capture everyone’s attention in a different way than Raymond.
“Hello.”
Whether because he was the merchant’s son or because he had received good home education, James got off the hoverboard and formally greeted Loren first.
“Big brother!”
Having said aloud what he had only been thinking, Noah reached out toward James as he approached.
Seeing that James wasn’t readily coming to him, Noah approached him directly and took his hand.
“Play with me!”
Of course, he deliberately didn’t say “on the hoverboard,” which was what he really wanted. And Loren, perhaps pleased that Noah’s attention had shifted from the hoverboard to the newly arrived older boy, readily allowed them to leave the reception room.
And then…
“Kyaaaaaang~”
Noah’s cheerful laughter filled the long, wide corridor of the second floor of Schwein Castle. Just moments ago, he had been in Loren’s arms, crying and pleading, “Mom, that one. Please buy that one,” but now he was riding the hoverboard to his heart’s content.
“Big brother! Go faster!!”
Noah, firmly gripping the waist of James, the merchant’s son who had entered the reception room earlier, shouted loudly.
Ten-year-old James had found himself suddenly having to carry a small child who ran to him shouting “Me too! Me too!” on the back of his hoverboard. Coming up to the second floor instead of the busier first floor seemed questionable, but he had no choice.
How could he refuse when the son of the Grand Duke of the North wanted something?
Moreover, James, who had no siblings, had at some point thought it would be nice to have such an adorable younger brother.
This was the fate of someone who had eagerly followed his father’s announcement about going to the northern region. Thanks to that, he had enjoyed seeing the snow-covered mountains and touching snow he had only seen in books, but James’s expression, as he made his tenth round trip down the long corridor, was more excited than ever.
It would be better to zip around on the snow outside, but the outdoors would be too cold for the small and delicate Noah, and he would certainly be scared if they went too fast.
“Noah, shall we stop now?”
Having ridden for quite a while, James carefully suggested they stop.
“No!”
Seeing Noah shake his head stubbornly with a firm expression, James stopped at the end of the corridor, got off the hoverboard, and bent his knees to meet Noah’s eye level.
“Is riding this fun?”
“Yes.”
As soon as James got off the hoverboard, Noah quickly walked forward and reached for the handle adjusted to James’s height.
“You can’t ride alone. It’s too dangerous.”
“No.”
Noah said firmly, his green eyes sparkling. Even though he knew James was removing the helmet he was wearing, Noah stretched his arms up as far as he could, grabbed the handle, and made a “vroom~” sound with his mouth.
It’s even more fun trying it himself. For safety reasons, it couldn’t go faster than a light jog for an adult, but for Noah’s current standards, it was incredibly fast.
Now he wouldn’t have to walk down the long corridor panting, or sit down to rest when he got tired. He wouldn’t need to ask passing employees or knights to carry him when he got exhausted from walking.
How can I convince them to buy this for me?
He remembered how Loren had firmly refused even when they were coming out to ride the hoverboard with James, wearing a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads. Crying, smiling prettily, and acting cute had no effect on Loren.
“Then, would you like to try riding alone to the reception room?”
Noah’s thin, curly hair was floating with static electricity after putting on and taking off the helmet, which was the smallest size but still big for him. James stroked his hair a few times and then put the helmet back on, saying exactly what Noah wanted to hear.
“Yes! Yes! James, you’re the best.”
James lowered the handle to match Noah’s height and held one side of it, slowly pulling the hoverboard.
“Daddy!!”
Excitedly, Noah stomped one foot on the hoverboard and called for Lucas with all his might.
Lucas, who had been talking with the financial manager in his second-floor study, had been unable to concentrate due to Noah’s voice that had been audible for some time.
In this situation, Noah’s loud call was enough to make Lucas, who had been sitting, jump to his feet.
“Grand Duke, let’s continue our conversation after you’ve gone to see the young master.”
Since Lucas’s mind was already elsewhere, the financial manager gathered the documents they had been reviewing, knowing his words wouldn’t reach Lucas’s ears. And before he had fully collected the spread papers, he smiled contentedly at Lucas’s empty seat, as Lucas had already disappeared.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
