episode_0009

“Teacher?”

The teacher, who was in shock for a moment, later covered his mouth with his hand and started making a fuss.

“Can you believe it? My disciple is getting married~ It seems like it was just yesterday that I met Risir, but now he’s already a groom~”

“Oh, right. Was that so? I felt so special towards Risir that I forgot for a moment. What is it?”

“Really? It was only yesterday that I met you, Master? I thought it had been 10 years?”

“Look at this~ Lisirdo says the same thing.”

“Oh my. Is that so, Rishir?”

“Unfortunately, I already have a partner… ”

“That’s how the story goes.”

Hmm. It was a political marriage.

It’s Dintal.

The teacher was lost in thought as he listed keywords related to political marriage.

“Rishir?”

“Yes, Master.”

“What does my disciple think?”

“A son-in-law? Well, I don’t think I have much of a choice in the family business as an illegitimate child. It’s quite awkward on its own.”

“Oh my. Do you have a child in mind? Who? Who? Are you not human? Are you tall for a woman? Do you have silver hair? Are you an intellectual woman? Do you live in a dark forest and avoid the sun, which is the enemy of skin, so your skin is fair? Not to brag, but do you have a rather attractive body?”

I resumed my story, calming down the advancing master.

“Not exactly, but, he’s a son-in-law. He’s a son-in-law, but in reality, he’s like a cow that’s being sold. So what I’m worried about is, if he lives in such an uncomfortable place where he was born, how uncomfortable will it be if he goes to another region with the label of an illegitimate child? Yes. Something like that.”

“Hmm~ Well, since he is my son-in-law, I won’t be able to harass him openly, but as Rishir said, he will experience his own set of hardships.”

“And above all, I. was planning on leaving this place soon.”

“What’s going on?”

“I wonder if he was planning to start a new life by throwing away his illegitimate child. After all, the illegitimate child build has a clear high point.”

“… ”

“… ”

The teacher and Mr. Duran looked at me with curious faces.

It’s a book, but anyway.

“I thought about it from the beginning, but my disciple is really special, isn’t he?”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. People in situations like Risir are usually quite obsessed with things like that.”

“Oh, Mr. Duran. I didn’t know about it, but thank you for adding that. By the way, is it that rare for an illegitimate child to escape his or her family?”

The master stroked my hair.

“Isn’t being an illegitimate child really just a piece of paper away from being a noble? Can you put your family name forward or not?”

“That’s right.”

“Usually their goal is to get their family to allow it.”

Me too.

To be exact, my past self.

In the past, I was a guy who lived with only one thought in mind: to get my father’s recognition.

“Even if you are allowed to, you have to metaphorically reveal that you are an illegitimate child, but that is not the case. Ignoring an illegitimate child that is acknowledged by the family is in fact a challenge to that family. In other words, an illegitimate child that only members of the same family can ignore – in effect, you become a formal noble.”

The teacher who was speaking shook his head.

“I don’t know if I should say this in front of my disciples, but I don’t know. Is it worth pursuing it to that extent? That noble name? Even if it’s just a formality?”

Now I think the same as my teacher.

On the contrary, my past self-

Then Mr. Duran intervened.

“…Yeah. I see. I was reckless. ”

Duran’s words did not completely represent my past thoughts.

But it did represent me to some extent.

I thought.

Even if I were an illegitimate child, if I were allowed to use the family name, everything would be okay.

It’s a bit extreme, but you have to understand.

Because adult prejudice and discrimination have enough power to turn an ignorant child into a monster dominated by an inferiority complex.

“My disciple? Did I make a mistake?”

As I was lost in thought, the teacher carefully observed me.

“Ah. No. What the teacher said. What Mr. Duran said. I think they all make sense.”

“My disciple. How can you be so generous?”

The teacher continued speaking while patting my head.

“Back to the main topic. I support Lisir.”

“Are you talking about leaving the family?”

“Yeah. Diltan isn’t a good place to hone the unique color values that Risir possesses. The same goes for Heyern.”

“Then where would be suitable?”

“They say there is no limit to learning. However, it is also true that there is no better place to broaden your horizons than the Zodiac.”

“Then I will follow your words, Master.”

“Oh my. Is it really that easy to decide?”

“I believe in the wisdom of the Master.”

“Oh my, oh my, oh my. Does my disciple spend the whole day thinking about how to speak nicely?”

Tsudadadadada!

The hand of the teacher stroking my head became more intense.

Has the magic class already started?

The attribute is fire?

It’s hot though.

“But Master. Is the place you have to go when you finish Heyern’s business also the Imperial City?”

“No. I might stop by the Zodiac for a bit, but not right now. There are a lot of places to stop by.”

“When you’re done with all your work?”

“Maybe I should go back to where I came from? The forest. There’s still some unfinished business there.”

“Then should I follow you, Master?”

“That would be so good~”

“Hey, Duran. I know you say that, too. I was just joking.”

The teacher met my eyes and spoke.

“Rishir, you should live Rishir’s life, right? You don’t have to follow me just because I’m your teacher.”

“… That’s a good point, but is that something someone who takes in a disciple and then abandons him a week later would say?”

“Hot~”

The teacher made a noise and slowly walked away from me.

“Don’t worry though? Our week will feel like a year, right?”

“Oh my~ The book has acknowledged my literary talents~”

“Wow~ One week feels like a year~”

No matter how much I think about it, I feel like I chose the wrong teacher.

***

After leaving the library and walking for about 20 minutes, we arrived at a residential area.

“Arrival.”

The Master entered the house as naturally as if it were his own home.

“Oh, Master. You live in Heyern? I guess you come here often?”

“Of course.”

“Duran~”

“…Master?”

“Are you disappointed? That the Master is a worthless adult who doesn’t even have a house in the city?”

“No.”

“Thank goodness.”

“I was disappointed in the empty house because it was owned by a worthless person.”

“No~”

Still, I followed the teacher into the living room of the house without saying a word.

Our teacher is not a great person who is surprised by each and every one of these things and is not fit to point them out.

“Rishir? Take this.”

The Master placed a silver bead on my palm.

“Would you like to move that silver ball, thinking it’s your hand?”

“Okay.”

“For the next week, we’re going to focus on moving that silver ball. What is that silver ball? Well, let me start by telling you what this training is all about. As I said, we only have one week to-”

“Teacher?”

“-No, so- Huh? My disciple.”

“Does this kid usually float in the air like this?”

“That’s right. That’s our ultimate goal. That silver ball in the air-…Huh?”

“Huh?”

The three of us shouted at the same time.

Books aren’t people, but whatever.

“…?”

The Master gently tapped the silver bead that floated over my hand, very gently.

“Teacher?”

The teacher muttered in a daze.

“I guess I need to reorganize the curriculum~?”

In a somewhat heated voice.

***

It was a wonderful surprise.

Learning magic was a task that required tremendous physical strength.

“Ugh. I’m dying.”

My muscles themselves were flailing, but my entire body was clearly screaming. Even my soul.

How are you guys having a hard time?

I have a hard time with 3D.

It’s so hard that I’ve fallen three times.

It’s been three days since the teacher’s magic class started.

After finishing my training, I staggered back to the Bendel mansion.

The teacher emphasized the importance of rest, saying that magic is not something that can be achieved by simply spending time.

Thanks to that, the sky is still blue and clear even though training is over. Is it just about lunchtime?

It would be perfect if I took a deep breath, woke up, and read the book that the teacher wrote for me.

That was the way back to the Home Sweet Home annex.

Less noise!

A sound of someone jumping up from a chair was heard from somewhere.

“Miss, just a moment-”

An urgent voice of dissuasion.

“Rishir-nim!!!”

A clear, dismissive voice.

Thud. I thought a baby bird had flown by and landed on me.

I felt just that much weight behind my back.

And then the delicate, slender arms that reach out in front of me and hug my body.

When I looked back, a girl in pure white was hugging me.

“I missed you!!!”

The girl raised her head and looked at me with her clear eyes.

“Ah…!”

I recognized her right away.

‘Who are you?’

I figured out that it was our first meeting.

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[I resisted]

[Resistance Target: Mental Interference]

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