The Great Noble's Illegitimate Son
That night, Natasha was lounging on the sofa when Lin's report made her jolt upright.
"Wh-what? Juno did what...... cough!"
She had just shoveled an enormous scoop of strawberry ice cream into her mouth when the news hit, sending her into a fit of choking.
Lin, standing nearby, rushed over in alarm. "Tower Master. Are you all right?"
"Cough! I-I'm fine." Natasha thumped her chest, forced the ice cream down with a gulp, then wiped her mouth with the tissue Lin offered. After catching her breath, she asked again. "Say that once more. What exactly did Juno do?"
"He got into a fight with the vice president of the Apprentice Mage Association in the library. Though calling it a fight is generous—he beat the vice president one-sidedly. The vice president was......"
Everything coming out of Lin's mouth sounded impossible. The more Natasha heard, the wider her eyes grew, until they resembled the plump strawberries that had topped her ice cream.
"The vice president of the Apprentice Mage Association—that would be the third son of the Escaide family, wouldn't it? The infamous troublemaker. Sibil, was it?"
"Yes."
"I'd heard his achievements lagged behind the other apprentices, but even so, years of training and real combat experience don't just vanish. By raw skill alone, he should have been far ahead of Juno. And yet Juno turned him into pulp? I can't even picture it."
"I find it hard to believe as well. When I went to fetch Apprentice Juno from the library, Lord Sibil was being carried away covered in blood, while Apprentice Juno didn't have a single scratch. Witnesses at the scene said Lord Sibil couldn't even resist before he was taken down in an instant."
Natasha froze with her spoon still raised, mouth hanging open. The fact that Juno had turned the library upside down right after arriving at the tower was already shocking, but the details were even more staggering. For a moment, she even forgot she had been eating ice cream.
By every bit of common sense she possessed, this was impossible. Juno was nothing more than a fledgling mage who had only just shed his ordinary shell and stepped into the world of magic. He had grasped the concept of magic, yes, but he still didn't know how to wield it. Naturally, he shouldn't have any idea how to actually cast spells or translate his will into magical action that affected the physical world.
The last time she had seen him, just hours ago, he had been exactly that kind of child.
So how in the world was this possible?
He didn't even trade blows. He just beat the other boy one-sidedly?
How was she supposed to make sense of this? Natasha pressed the spoon vertically against her pursed lips and tilted her head, brows furrowed—the habit she fell into whenever she was deep in thought.
"But I've never taught Juno how to use magic."
"Perhaps you taught him and simply forgot? You do tend to be forgetful, after all."
"Hm? My memory is excellent. Where would you find someone with a memory as good as mine?"
"You can't even remember how many strawberries you just ate. No wonder the Vice Tower Master teases you about being absent-minded."
Lin let out a quiet sigh and shook his head. Natasha glanced down at the half-eaten ice cream. It had been covered in strawberries, but she'd devoured it so enthusiastically that only the cream remained. Huh. Now that she thought about it, how many had there been? One at first, then the one next to it, then the one next to that...... Whatever.
"What does it matter how many strawberries there were? The point is, I definitely didn't teach him. I swear it on my four hundred and thirty-two years of life."
"There's really no need to wager your entire life on it."
"You don't believe me, that's why."
"At least you remember your exact age. It's fortunate your memory works for that."
"See? I told you my memory is good."
At Lin's remark, Natasha puffed out her chest with a dignified expression, clearly pleased by the praise. Hmm. But why did she feel strangely annoyed?
"In any case, if what you say is true, then Apprentice Juno must have figured out how to use magic on his own."
Natasha nodded vigorously in agreement. She had reached the same conclusion. He had done it by himself, spontaneously. Without anyone's help, without lessons, without practice. Without effort, without even needing to try. Skipping every intermediate step and achieving it in one go. Effortlessly. Just like magic.
"Exactly. There's no other explanation."
She had known he was talented, but to flip the entire tower upside down with magic the moment he arrived......
"Layer manipulation range, form, force magnitude, direction, control method, will connection, spatial perception. To activate magic, all of these elements must be calculated and combined at high speed. Juno processed complex calculations instantly, derived the result on his own, and executed it. Without error. Perfectly."
Natasha tapped her temple lightly with the spoon.
"Proof that his magic brain is extraordinary."
Every profession required its own kind of mind. A chef needed a chef's brain. A sculptor needed a sculptor's brain. A musician needed a musician's brain. Just as people said a child gifted at mathematical calculation had a "math head," what a mage required was, naturally, a magic head—the magical intelligence every mage dreamed of possessing.
Juno had been born with exactly that.
"I suspected he was special since you personally brought him here, but he exceeded even my expectations."
"Want to hear something even more surprising?"
Natasha's curiosity piqued. She wondered what face Lin would make when he heard what she was about to say.
"Juno has been learning magic for less than a day. He only began his apprenticeship today."
"......!"
A visible ripple passed across Lin's usually cold and stoic face. His eyebrows shot up. His cheeks twitched. The corners of his eyes fluttered. His lips parted slightly. To anyone else, the changes would have seemed minuscule, but Natasha, who knew him better than anyone, saw them clearly. Even that much was an intense reaction. He was genuinely shocked enough to lose control of his expression. If he had rabbit ears like a beastkin, they would have shot straight up.
"Even the captain of the Blue Wolf Knights, who doesn't so much as blink at most things, looks quite surprised. What a shame to see such an expression all by myself."
The Vice Tower Master was missing out on this entertaining sight. How disappointing. Watching a startled Lin was a rare spectacle. His personality was so blunt that whenever he showed such a strong reaction, it was genuinely fun to observe as a third party.
"......I thought it had been at least a month. This is absurd. How could a complete beginner who only started learning the basics today......"
"As you know, perceiving space requires the aid of water. The sensation is similar to being submerged."
"......"
"So I was planning to take him to the pond and dunk him in the water. But would you believe he succeeded at 'spatial perception' on his very first attempt?"
Lin's startled expression deepened even further. It was understandable— even Lin, who had been praised inside and outside his family as a prodigious magic swordsman since childhood, had needed several days of training before achieving spatial perception.
"Juno is a genius. A one-of-a-kind genius the likes of which has never existed before and never will again."
Natasha still hadn't forgotten the moment she had been shocked by Juno's monstrous learning speed. The thrill that had stirred her heart when she witnessed the boy's magical talent.
"At that time, I saw in Juno a gift that surpasses even my own. So I made up my mind. I would take him as my direct disciple, no matter what."
In other words, among everyone in the Heavenly Moon Tower—including Lin—there was no one whose talent could compare to Juno's.
Lin gave a small nod, then returned to his usual sharp gaze.
"However, Apprentice Juno's talent will do more than just bruise the Escaide family's pride. Even if Lord Sibil is treated poorly at home, he is still the third son of the Escaide family. For the sake of their honor, they won't stay silent."
The Escaide ducal house. Rulers of the eastern lands, masters of combat magic, a prestigious magical lineage.
"Moreover, since they are a family that worships battle, they despise any fight that isn't a formal duel. They could use the fact that this wasn't a regulated duel as grounds for an official protest."
"What's there to worry about?"
Natasha snorted. "If they complain, treat it like nonsense. If they demand compensation, just don't pay. If they challenge him to a duel, it'll be good experience for Juno. There's no problem at all."
"......It must be nice to be so simple."
"Wow, creepy."
"What do you mean?"
"My parents used to say the exact same thing when I was young."
How could someone make the same face and say the same words as her parents, who had died hundreds of years ago? It was terrifying when she thought about it.
Leaving Lin, who let out a quiet sigh, behind, Natasha casually scooped up more ice cream and took a big bite.
* * *
The next day, I slept in late for the first time in this life. Because I'd had to prepare Altrong's breakfast every dawn, I'd never once enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in that everyone else seemed to have tried. There was no one to wake me, no need to cook. Free from pressure, I slept as long as I wanted and woke up to find it was already ten o'clock.
It's nice waking up at a leisurely pace. This is what living like a person feels like.
And that wasn't all. A luxurious bed and furniture. A spacious room. Most importantly, hot water that gushed out endlessly! No more hauling water with a bucket! No more slaving over a boiling cauldron! I could really feel how much my quality of life had changed.
Excited by the endless hot water, I took a double morning shower, got dressed, and headed straight for the dining hall.
Following the signs, I arrived at a restaurant-style cafeteria.
It's crowded.
The place was packed with people who had come for brunch, just like me. Apparently this was the peak hour. No matter how you looked at it, mages were still people—without magic, they couldn't survive, but without food, they couldn't survive either.
The food smells incredible. Looks delicious.
I joined the line to get my food when, for some reason, eyes from all directions started turning toward me. The atmosphere in the room quickly grew noisy—loud enough to drown out the background music.
"Isn't that the guy?"
"The apprentice who beat up Sibil in the library?"
"The Tower Master's disciple?"
"I heard the Tower Master personally brought him back yesterday."
The rumor had spread overnight. Mages fighting wasn't exactly rare, so why was everyone making such a fuss?
I received my "Today's Brunch Set" and sat down at an empty table. The moment I started eating, my eyes widened. It tasted even better than I'd expected. As expected of the greatest magic tower—they only hired top-tier chefs. The food really was on the level of a high-class hotel. Of course, in my previous life I'd never been to a luxury hotel because of my financial situation. It just felt that way.
"I heard he's a noble."
"Not just any noble. A great noble, apparently."
"They say he's the illegitimate son of a great noble house."
"Look at him. He looks like a young master who grew up pampered without ever getting his hands dirty."
Whispers. I hadn't been trying to listen, but the murmurs reaching my ears painted a very strange picture of the situation.
"Think about it. He didn't just humiliate some ordinary noble—he publicly shamed the third son of the Escaide family, one of the Five Great Houses. Where else would that kind of nerve come from?"
"Because he's a noble himself, obviously."
"Right. You couldn't pull something like that off without some serious backing."
"The noble air is practically dripping off him. It's written all over his face. 'Noble bloodline.'"
Illegitimate son of a great noble house. Descendant of a high-ranking noble family. Blood of someone important.
What the hell are they talking about?
Words could get distorted as they passed from mouth to mouth, but this was way off. People had gotten something completely wrong.
Far from never getting my hands dirty, I worked myself to death. What......
Even a passing dog would laugh at this. Altrong would probably be rolling on the floor laughing too. A former beggar brat with noble airs? Who would've thought that beating up someone who picked a fight would turn into this ridiculous rumor?
Still, since everyone had collectively misunderstood and was treating it as fact, I didn't see the need to step in and correct them. They could think whatever they wanted. Honestly, I wasn't the type to care about baseless rumors. Even in my past life, I hadn't paid attention to celebrity gossip or major social issues unless they involved something I actually liked.
Whether people stared or not, I focused on my meal. It would be disrespectful to the chef not to enjoy such delicious food—that was my philosophy.
. . .
"That was great~."
After offering my thanks to the nameless chef in the air, I left the dining hall. I didn't forget to check the dinner menu on my way out. I decided to take a walk to help with digestion and explore a bit. As I headed toward the garden, a neatly dressed elderly man approached me.
"Pardon me. Would you happen to be the apprentice mage, Juno?"
His tone was polite. Even standing still, he exuded refinement. He perfectly matched the image of the word "gentleman." He had been watching me from a distance, as if confirming my identity.
"I am. And you are?"
"I am Hyde, the head butler of the Escaide family. The person I serve wishes to meet with you, Lord Juno. I understand you may be busy, but would you spare a moment?"
Someone from the Escaide family wanted to see me? Why? More importantly—
"The person you serve......"
Even though I'd lived in a rural village, I knew the basic hierarchy of noble households. The master of the head butler. There could only be one person sitting at the very top.
"Yes. The head of the Escaide family wishes to see you, Lord Juno."