By Zephyria 
It was the child I had been thinking about often anyway.
Edwin Kiadris was the youngest son of Duke Kiadris. He was also a 5th Circle Mage.
The memory of him accepting the boy’s provocation when he first came to the academy and having a very enjoyable sparring session, along with the boy’s surprisingly polite apology, remained as good memories.
Come to think of it, we had agreed to make time for another sparring session later. I had wanted to make time before he graduated, but I was too busy, which was a shame. In any case, it had been a long time since I had seen him. I greeted him warmly.
“Hello, Senior Kiadris.”
“You.”
“Yes?”
“Are you well? Because I am not.”
What was this sudden provocation? I was taken aback, momentarily stunned.
The sulking boy glared at me fiercely, not sparing a glance for Bill Brown, who stood beside me. I nudged Bill forward first.
“Go on inside.”
“…Uh, hyungnim. But…”
“It’s fine, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
No matter how much Edwin glared, he couldn’t scare me. Even as I walked away, Bill, who kept looking back, waved his hand to send him further away, and I approached Edwin.
Standing tall like an incense burner on a ritual table, puffing out his breath, I thought to myself that he was dressed impeccably again today.
“I don’t know what the matter is, but it would be best to talk inside.”
“Show me the way.”
His gesture to summon me was outrageous, but since age was a privilege at the academy, I conceded and led him to my room. I planned to have him sit in the reception room and listen to his story carefully.
As soon as I closed the door, the boy grumbled.
“Weren’t you trying to become friends with wizards?”
“…What? Yes.”
“Then why haven’t you visited even once?”
Ah.
I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh.
I ran a hand over my face and offered him a seat. Edwin walked with his elbows and knees tensed, showing his displeasure with his whole body. If there hadn’t been a carpet, his heavy footsteps would have echoed.
Despite his delicate appearance, I had a hard time holding back my laughter as I watched the boy collapse onto the sofa, making it sink deeply. His habit of walking with his legs stiff when angry seemed unchanged.
Honestly, these boys were all skilled at throwing tantrums.
“I was a bit busy during the semester.”
“No, no matter how busy!”
“Were you waiting?”
“No! Not at all!”
Seeing Edwin’s face, which answered so sharply, I swallowed another laugh. But as he noticed me laughing, he pouted again and pressed his lips together. I quickly got up to heat water to make tea.
I offered him a light green tea, meant for peace and calm, and apologized. It wasn’t my fault, but I had to appease him for now.
“I’m sorry.”
“Of course, you should be sorry!”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer. As I laughed out loud, Edwin, perhaps feeling embarrassed, tilted his teacup with a formal posture and took a sip.
To appease the angry Edwin, I took out my academy notebook. The notebook, which I had used since the beginning of my first year, was well-worn, its corners frayed, but there was no problem examining its contents.
I took out the timetables from the last and the semester before last and showed them to Edwin.
“I took quite a few classes, so I really didn’t have much free time. Truly.”
“…You…”
“Please, tell me.”
“…No, how did you live like this? Do you even sleep?”
After huffing so fiercely, was he worried about me? He was a kind soul deep down.
“Yes. I slept well and ate well. However, besides eating and sleeping, I was studying for exams.”
“…Right, so the classes must overlap.”
The child flipped through my notebook diligently and pointed to a professor’s name.
“Alan Lager, The Growth and Understanding of Magical Creatures. Every Friday from 2 PM to 6 PM, for four hours. Sign up. There will be a spot for you.”
“…Yes?”
“Isn’t that exactly the kind of class you’d like? You’re crazy about magic. I’ll give you credits before I graduate, so sign up.”
“Hmm.”
Did Edwin babble like this last year too? I couldn’t quite remember. I thought he was more prim, and I wrote down the course name and professor’s name in my notebook.
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Don’t just keep it in mind, sign up.”
“Yes.”
When I smiled again, he demanded another cup of tea, so I indulged the child’s whim.
Edwin sighed and stopped talking. He closed his mouth like a clam shell. I idly watched his hazy purple hair scatter over his shoulder.
Unable to bear the silence, I asked about his well-being first.
“How have you been?”
“…I reached 6th Circle.”
Not knowing how significant that was, I remained silent, but he furrowed his brow and added an explanation.
“I’m a Sword Master now.”
“Ah. Congratulations.”
That meant he had reached the Transcendent Peak realm. Easier said than done, reaching Transcendent Peak before twenty. It was an unbelievable speed. Not only I, but even the people of the Central Plains and the Five Dragons and Three Peaks were not that remarkable. I felt a sense of pride, wondering how hard this child Edwin had worked all last year.
“Shall we spar again?”
“You won’t be able to keep up now.”
“My skills have improved a bit too.”
“How much?”
“Well…”
In my past life, I had reached the lowest rung of the Transcendent Peak realm. In Sierren’s words, I had attained the realm of a Sword Master. Therefore, the gap between First-rate, Peak, and Transcendent Peak was not a matter of realization for me now.
I was simply too young to fully display the realm I had already achieved. If my bones and muscles continued to grow and my internal energy increased as it was, I would be called a Sword Master.
As I remained silent, lost in thought, the boy let out a sigh and changed the subject.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been well.”
“…So, how, exactly?”
“Hmm… I’ve been taking classes.”
He looked frustrated, knowing I lacked eloquence, so I laughed again. He told me not to laugh, and I agreed, but I could clearly see him smiling slightly. Suddenly curious, I asked.
“Were you perhaps waiting for me at the academy’s main gate…?”
“Why? Is that not allowed?”
“No, I just wondered why you didn’t give me a heads-up beforehand.”
“How?”
Thinking about it, he had no way to give me a heads-up. How would he know where I would be during the break?
After thinking for a moment, I replied that I didn’t know. The boy crossed his legs, sat in a defiant posture, and irritably tucked his hair behind his ear. Even when angry, his gesture was quite graceful.
“I thought you were trying to scare me for no reason.”
“Scare me for what?”
“I thought you were trying to scare me, so I sent the child ahead.”
“The child? Who… Ah, the big one next to you?”
I nodded, and the boy snorted.
“He looked ten years older than you.”
“We are only a year apart.”
“…”
“Why?”
“No, it’s nothing. Anyway, it’s fine. That’s what I came to say.”
I noticed Edwin couldn’t meet my gaze. He seemed embarrassed. To soothe the child, I spoke in a gentle voice.
“Thank you for looking out for me.”
“It’s nothing.”
Watching Edwin, who was still grumbling but had lost some of his steam, I felt a sense of joy.
Every time I saw him, Moyong Amu-gae overlapped in my mind; it was something I couldn’t help. I missed him, found him amusing, and felt pity for him…
Thanks to that, our conversation was comfortable.
Although he had been grumbling at first, when I asked about his magic realm, he explained it with various elaborations so that I could understand.
I was greatly impressed to learn now that when he used a Restraint Spell instead of a shield during our previous sparring session, it was something he had devised on the spot.
I followed the child to the entrance of the second-year dormitory to see him off, even though he told me not to bother.
And there, standing still, I saw another child, startled. Rubel Anti Searon, that pitiful and lovely boy, looked back and forth between me and Edwin with a pale face.
This child had clearly come to see me as well.
There was no need for further explanation. Edwin bowed politely to Rubel and left. Since Rubel remained silent after accepting the greeting, I took his wrist and pulled him along.
“Let’s go inside.”
These children had really decided to visit me today. I thought to myself.
I had promised to match schedules with Shayden after the break, but who knew when I would be able to find that rascal Shayden.
I served Rubel the same tea I had given Edwin. Rubel, who had thoughtfully brought something for me, presented a bag of cookies, which delighted me.
Unlike Edwin, who spoke sharply and irritably, sitting with Rubel, who spoke in a soft, gentle voice, made me feel weary.
Rubel also had a list of classes he wanted to take, just like me. It was Professor Steven McCliffe’s “Monster and Philosophy” class. I liked Professor Steven, and I remembered liking his class content and exam methods quite a bit.
However, since the class was held on Mondays and Wednesdays, we promised to consider the days and let each other know.
❖ ❖ ❖
Library small meeting room. As I exchanged brief greetings with familiar faces, Shayden, who had arrived earlier, scattered the course syllabi and let out a hollow laugh.
“The popular guy is here?”
“What are you talking about?”
“They say you met the Kiadris Young Master and the Crown Prince alternately as soon as you arrived at the academy.”
Had that already become a rumor? I was flabbergasted.
When I asked where he heard the story, I was told that Bill Brown, that rascal, had rushed to Shayden in a panic and reported it.
Indeed, he must have been surprised. I thought I should appease the child during the next intermediate swordsmanship class, which we would take together.
As I chuckled, Jenny offered me a seat, and I sat down. It was my turn to choose a suitable course from the twenty syllabi laid out before me.
We chose the classes we needed to take while chatting about various things. When Marienne said she wanted to take Ray Gibson’s class again, I gruffly told her to take it alone, which made us laugh heartily.