Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: First Steps Towards a Dream (7)
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Shirone chatted with Rian in his room. It was now noon, after he had been summoned in the morning and made to kneel. It felt as though too many things had happened in less than half a day.
“Hahaha, did you see my family's faces earlier? It was so satisfying.”
“By the way, Rian, are you really okay with this? I'm talking about that knight's oath. I can't help but feel you did something reckless because of me.”
Rian's playful expression turned serious. As immature as Rian was, he understood the weight of a knight's oath.
“Shirone, I didn't take the oath just because we're friends. You're different from my brother. You have a power that draws people in. I've entrusted my life to someone like that.”
Shirone could feel Rian's sincerity. But as always, he hated sappy moments.
“Haha! That's a lot of pressure. But if you're going to protect me, you'll have to get several times better than you are now.”
“Ugh! Don't hit me where it hurts. I know. Anyway, I was amazed by your guts. You said everything you needed to say in front of my whole family, and you even subdued them. Weren't you scared?”
“Hehe, there's a special secret to it.”
Shirone explained the idea of jumping off a cliff. He was sure this story would help Rian with his swordsmanship.
But after listening for a while, the first thing Rian said was this:
“Jumping off a cliff? Why would you do that? Are you an idiot?”
“An i-idiot?”
To be called an idiot by Rian. Being called ugly by an orc wouldn't have been this shocking.
“No, listen. I'm not saying you should actually jump off a cliff, but to imagine it. You're not dead until you hit the bottom, right? It means you shouldn't worry about the future and just focus on the present, and then you'll see a solution.”
“Either way, you die if you jump. Think about it. You jump, you die.”
“Ugh, forget it! What I'm saying is, if you can't jump off the cliff, you can't do anything in the end, you idiot!”
“What, is that what you meant? Then I can jump anytime.”
“Huh?”
“For example, if jumping off a cliff could save you, I would do it in a heartbeat. That's the duty of a friend and a knight.”
Shirone blinked. It was completely different from what he had meant, but Rian's words had a point. No, perhaps that was precisely Rian's way of thinking.
‘We really are complete opposites. It's rare to meet someone so different.’
As he was thinking this, someone entered the room. Shirone's face suddenly flushed red. Reina was peeking her head in and waving.
“Hi. The atmosphere in the black-haired camp is no joke, so I've evacuated to the allied base.”
“Get out. We men are talking.”
At Rian's order to leave, Shirone frantically waved his hands.
“What's wrong, Rian? Your sister helped us so much this time.”
“Hey, you don't know her. This witch is definitely…”
Rian, who was about to habitually spew insults, looked at Shirone, seemed to think of something, and shut his mouth. Shirone and Reina. Reina and Shirone. The two names went back and forth in his mind.
The friendly Reina trotted over like a cat and sat down between the boys.
“Anyway, Rian, that was cool. Everything just leading up to a knight's oath. I really can't win against you.”
“Somehow, that sounds like you're teasing me.”
“Hehe, you caught me?”
“Argh, I oughta! What's your real reason for coming here? You came to make fun of me, didn't you?”
“Hey now! Who do you take your big sister for? Believe it or not, I've come after doing a fine job as a spy. There's some serious talk going on in the other camp.”
“What could possibly be more serious at this point?”
“Actually, Dad was wondering what it would have been like if he'd sent you along with Rai this time.”
This was the first Rian had heard of it. Besides, even the genius Rai wasn't guaranteed to become a certified knight, so why would he be going to the royal palace?
“What are you talking about? To let me go on a field trip?”
“No. To enroll you in the Kaizen Sword Academy. You know it, right? The biggest sword academy in the Tormia Kingdom. I heard they've produced a whopping ten certified first-class swordsmen in 200 years.”
“What? How can they decide something like that without even consulting me? Besides, I can finally hang out with Shirone all I want, so why would I go to some academy? What about Master Kite?”
“The master's contract ended yesterday. So he went back to his hometown this morning. He said he already said his goodbyes, didn't you hear?”
Rian looked back at the sword his master had given him with a shocked expression. It was because of that sword that his knight's oath was able to carry some weight.
‘Master.’
He had been strict, but he cared for Rian more than anyone. The reason he had readily terminated the contract must have been his hope for his student to grow even more.
“But this is so sudden. What about Shirone?”
“No, that's what came up this time. They're thinking about enrolling both you and Shirone in the sword academy together. You said it yesterday, didn't you? That Shirone is a better swordsman than you?”
“Well, yeah, but Shirone isn't going to a sword academy. He has something else he wants to do. Hmm, actually, I was thinking about it too. Since it's come to this, why don't you ask Grandpa for a favor, Sis?”
“Huh? Something else he wants to do?”
Reina looked over, but Shirone couldn't say a word. Honestly, he couldn't understand what they were talking about. Enrolling him in a sword academy? A commoner like him? Whether such a method even existed was one question, but why they would go to such lengths was another.
But if one understood the mindset of the nobility, it was only natural. Right now, no one in the Ogent family thought Shirone shouldn't be taught something.
Since the youngest son had decided to become Shirone's sword, Shirone's growth was essential to enhance the family's honor.
When Shirone didn't answer, Rian spoke up for him.
“Shirone is going to be a mage. He's not interested in swordsmanship.”
Reina was startled.
“What? A mage? Then you lost a sword fight to an aspiring mage? You're pathetic.”
“Shut up! I know! But Shirone's a genius! If he learned swordsmanship, he'd be way more successful than Rai.”
“Oh! He's that good?”
“N-No, I'm not. How could I…”
As Reina stared at him in admiration, Shirone couldn't find a place to look and lowered his head.
Rian was displeased with Shirone acting like that. How could any woman in the world be attracted to him when he was so timid? Rian thought that using the panty operation one more time was the only breakthrough.
“Alright. Anyway, I'll suggest it. But there will probably be a condition that you have to enter the sword academy, too. Dad is the type to thoroughly exploit a weakness.”
“Tch! Whatever. I'll think about it.”
Rian knew his father's personality all too well. In any case, if it was for Shirone, he was more than willing to enroll in the sword academy.
Come to think of it, he needed it for himself, too. He had lost a sword fight to an aspiring mage. At this rate, he wouldn't be Shirone's sword, but Shirone's burden.
A knock on the door interrupted the three's conversation. The head butler opened the door with a tense expression.
“Young Master Shirone's family has just arrived. They are to be escorted to the mansion, but the head of the family has ordered me to guide you if you wish to greet them.”
“Oh! Shirone's parents? What do you want to do, Shirone?”
There was no need to even ask. Shirone's eyes were already fixed on the mansion's unseen main gate. He was so eager to run out that he was fidgeting in his seat.
“Hehe. Go bring them, Shirone. We'll be waiting in the living room. Please guide Shirone.”
“Understood, my lady.”
Shirone followed the butler out of the mansion.
Shirone was displeased by how the butler's attitude, who had been calling him 'hey, you!' just yesterday, had changed in an instant. He looked anxious, as if worried Shirone might trip over a stone.
“Um, you can just act as you normally do. It's not like I've become a noble or anything.”
“Not at all! How could I be so rude to the one who is to be the young master's lord! Please do not say such things. My head will roll.”
Having once had to risk his life for a single book, Shirone understood that feeling better than anyone. But for that very reason, he didn't want to receive this kind of treatment.
“Even if you make a mistake, I'll never tell anyone, so please don't act like this.”
The butler nodded repeatedly, his expression filled with emotion. A commoner becoming the master of a noble. To the butlers, Shirone was like a hero from a myth.
In any case, Shirone paid it no more mind. No, he couldn't pay it any mind. Because at the end of the grand straight path that symbolized Ogent, a carriage had arrived.
He could see two people getting out. In that moment, Shirone's vision blurred.
His parents, whom he hadn't seen in a year and a half, were there. As the memories of walking on eggshells and spending sleepless nights in the library flashed before his eyes like a panorama, tears of sorrow streamed down his face.
His legs moved, following the surge of emotion. Without even hearing the butler's shouting, Shirone ran towards the mansion's iron gate.
“Mom! Dad!”
Alpheas Magic Academy (1)
Shirone led his parents to the reception room. Because they had all cried their eyes out from the main gate, the three of them had puffy eyes as they walked down the hallway.
It would take time to compose their emotions. Whether it was out of Klumpf's consideration or because the meeting was running long, Shirone was able to have a long, heartfelt reunion in the reception room.
“Let me see, my son. Your face has gotten so thin since I last saw you. You've suffered. You've really suffered.”
Tears welled up in Vincent's eyes again. Although Shirone's complexion was better than before, from a parent's perspective, it just looked like he hadn't been eating or sleeping well.
“I haven't suffered at all. I had so much fun reading books. Have you been well, Father?”
“Of course! I've been eating and living well. Just look at your mother, she's gained weight. She got so pretty, you almost had a younger sibling. Hahaha!”
“Dear, what are you saying in front of our son.”
Shirone gave a sad smile. His parents, whom he met for the first time in a year and a half, were much thinner than before.
He couldn't be sure, but he doubted they could stomach their food properly while worrying about their child day after day. The thought made Shirone's heart ache all over again.
Vincent suddenly grew curious. At first, he had been so anxious his heart felt like it would explode, thinking something had happened to his son, but seeing Shirone's relaxed demeanor, it didn't seem like anything bad had occurred.
“So, why did you call for us? If your work is done, you could have just come straight home. Don't tell me those people are keeping you from leaving?”
“No, it's not like that. It's just that a good opportunity has come up.”
“Huh? A good opportunity?”
Shirone began to recount the story of what had happened. He had already organized the outline in his head, so the words flowed smoothly. But for the one listening, the story was utterly dumbfounding.
Vincent's expression gradually filled with shock. To be honest, at some point, he stopped hearing Shirone's voice. He had no idea what his son was talking about.
He became friends with the youngest son of the Ogent family? And that friend swore a knight's oath to him? On top of that, the family accepted it and allowed them to be friends?
Each time the story broke through another wall of common sense, it felt like thunder was crashing—*bang, bang, bang*—inside his head. When the story finally ended, Vincent silently scratched his head.
He knew his son was a smart and thoughtful child. But even so, this made no sense. Could something be wrong with his son's mind? Had the torment he suffered here driven him to delusions of grandeur?
“Shirone, tell me the truth. This father can do anything for you. What on earth happened to you? Who did this to you?”
“It's the truth, Father. Why would I tell such a lie?”
“Right! You're not a child who lies. So tell me. Who tormented you? Who made your life miserable!”
Vincent was genuinely enraged. He had heard countless stories of commoners who got entangled with noble families and came out half-crippled.
Even Shirone had to admit it was a ridiculous story. But he couldn't think of a better way to convince him than to tell the truth.
As he was awkwardly racking his brain, at a loss for what to do, the reception room door opened, and the direct family members of the Ogent household walked in.