By Zephyria 
Asdel dipped his quill pen into the ink, laying out stationery on the drawing-room table.
He knew that black ink dripped with every movement of the child’s hand, but there was no adult to chase after and scold him.
Asdel, who had become interested in writing starting with sending me letters, was now satisfying his desire for writing by transcribing fairy tale books, as he had nowhere else to send letters recently.
Evan Servel, with his generous heart, lent him a few fairy tale books he remembered from his childhood.
I seemed to be the only one bothered by the small, round ink stains left on the fairy tale books.
Evan, now eight years old, sat with a composed demeanor, helping Asdel turn pages or reading unfamiliar words in a clear voice, acting quite like a host welcoming a guest.
Asdel was still young, but I thought Evan would be a suitable match given their similar age, and watched them with a pleased expression when Michael tugged at my sleeve to get my attention.
“Brother, what does this say? What does it mean?”
“Here? It reads ‘eternal slumber.’ It means eternal sleep.”
“Read the next part too.”
“The fact that the gods have entered eternal slumber does not mean the death of gods. Nor do people believe that gods can die. Modern wizards and theologians consider many things that were once called gods to be the workings of physical phenomena…”
I wondered if Michael was already old enough to read theological texts and checked the title of the book.
Did the Nine Gods Exist? It was a thick book with a conspicuously large question mark.
I felt a pang of worry, wondering if my having learned to read and speak early, before Michael and Asdel, had put a burden on the children.
I stroked Michael’s head as he whined, not understanding why I wasn’t reading more, and pondered for a moment.
Before I entered the Academy, I would have gladly let Michael read more difficult books and encouraged Asdel to walk more gracefully, praising them greatly.
However, I now knew that it was right for young children to behave like children.
“Michael. To you… is this book interesting?”
“Huh?”
Michael, who had been clinging to my thigh trying to climb up, stopped with a look of surprise.
Though I had asked out of genuine concern, Michael suddenly put on a composed expression, placed a hand on the book, and let out a snort.
“Of course. I’m always curious about why this world came to be.”
“Big Brother reads theological texts every day.”
“Is that so?”
Asdel, who had been transcribing letters onto paper over there, chimed in with a clear voice.
Whether it was thanks to Michael’s constant chatter or simply because he was born intelligent, Asdel had learned to speak faster than children his age. His manner of speaking was neat and bold.
“You said Big Brother only read fairy tales with knights every day. Little Brother reads books with gods and fairies every day. About sleeping, fighting, running away, and being sad.”
“Then what about you, Asdel?”
“I… like ones with dragons.”
The face of my newly made friend naturally came to mind.
I nodded, thinking of borrowing the precious book Benjamin Claudian had. It was enough if I hadn’t had a bad influence on the children.
It was the moment I held Michael in my arms and opened the book again.
“Don’t indulge Little Brother too much. Little Brother is all grown up now.”
“What?”
“You’re seven years old, yet you act like ‘Hyeong, Hyeong-ah’ in front of Big Brother. But in front of me, you act like a big brother.”
Asdel said in a teasing voice, and Michael let out an indignant sound, trying to suppress it.
I could only see the crown of his head and his ears, but seeing how red his ears had turned, I could guess his expression.
When I looked up, Evan was first seen with his head buried in his elbow, trying to suppress his laughter.
Asdel, with a prim expression, dipped his quill pen into the ink again.
The shape of his writing was crooked, but it had clearly taken on the form of writing compared to a few months ago.
I recalled the child’s words about practicing diligently because he was frustrated that he was the only one who couldn’t write properly.
The memory of holding Michael and going to see Asdel on the day he was born was still vivid.
It wasn’t just because Asdel was a girl that I spent more time with Michael.
It was because Michael, who had gained a younger sibling, had been very anxious about losing the affection of his relatives and had been complaining.
While I took care of Michael, Asdel had grown up well with the love of our parents.
Hearing the child speak so articulately for the first time, I tried hard not to laugh out loud, feeling nothing but surprise and delight.
Watching a child grow was always a wonder.
If you looked away for just a moment, they would suddenly grow like bamboo shoots after rain and do something surprising.
“Still, Michael does act like an older brother.”
“I’m the one who plays with Little Brother.”
“No! Don’t believe Asdel. If you keep doing that…”
“You won’t play with me? Then I’ll play with Evan Oppa.”
Instead of intervening in the children’s bickering, I opened the book.
Even though I had heard three times that Michael was reading this book for the second time thanks to Asdel, and that he was just being spoiled and pretending, I didn’t stop.
If the child was being spoiled by me, I wanted to indulge that spoiled behavior.
“…It is considered that if the gods were beings with personalities, much like present-day humanity, creating the world with just nine would have been an arduous task. According to the writings of Gano Paquin, a renowned wizard and physicist, in his book The Birth of the First God…”
The vitality emanating from the children’s chattering voices was immense.
Outside, light green leaves rustled and filtered the sunlight pouring into the drawing-room, tinting it with a blue hue. It was then that I knew I would never forget this scene for the rest of my life.
My chest swelled with a proud fullness. It was a lovely scene.
❖ ❖ ❖
I idled away half of July without regret.
It was possible because the end was scheduled. The Cervelle siblings and I had arranged to return directly to the Academy from the villa.
They said we should leave early to have enough time to take care of various preparations before the semester began, so I decided to follow the advice of those with experience.
It took a full week’s ride south from the capital, where Shierun Academy was located, to reach the Ernhardt territory.
About halfway between the capital and the Ernhardt territory, we traveled east for another four days by carriage to reach the Cervelle villa.
While the distance meant we could clearly reach the Academy in a week, the Sierran Empire was so vast and enormous that travel time always had to be allocated generously.
My younger siblings, who hadn’t known this beforehand, were beside themselves with frustration.
Evan Servel, who had experienced his older brother and sister’s vacations a few times, showed a composed demeanor despite pouting, but my brother, Mikael Ernhardt, shed tears like falling raindrops and clung tightly to my sleeve, refusing to let go.
“It’s still July, why are we leaving already? You promised to play with me a lot.”
“Didn’t we play together yesterday and the day before?”
“No, we didn’t play a lot. There’s still a week left. No, just five days, no, three days. Please? Just one more day.”
His plea was so heart-wrenching and endearing.
I desperately wanted to sit down right there, holding the child’s hand, but I knew that only indulging him wasn’t the right path.
Furthermore, I didn’t want to be so immersed in this sweet respite that I became unable to do anything.
To protect this child, my parents, and everyone I held dear within a stronger fence, I tried to speak with a firmer voice.
“Baby.”
“I’m not a baby.”
“That’s right. Our Mikael isn’t a baby anymore, so why are you throwing such a tantrum?”
“…I am a baby.”
Mikael, who had changed his mind so quickly, burrowed into my embrace.
I lifted the sobbing child and nuzzled my cheek against his temple.
I had grown accustomed to the passage of time, so the separation of a few months didn’t feel too significant, but thinking of how much the child would grow in that time made me feel regretful.
As I gently stroked the child’s back, my voice softened, melting like cream on a cake.
“I’ll go quickly and come back to see you quickly. Or, it would be nice if Mikael could come to see me in the middle, like last time… Being together every day is good, but then we wouldn’t be able to study because we’d be too busy playing, right?”
“I’m a baby, so I won’t study.”
“Mikael.”
I knew the child was complaining with words he didn’t mean. I pressed my forehead against his. Pulling back slightly, I met his gaze.
As I looked at him gently, he mumbled, “It’s a lie,” and buried his forehead against my shoulder again.
It was difficult to pull him away again, knowing he was trying to prolong the moment of farewell in any way possible.
A soft sigh was heard, and when I looked up, Asdel Ernhardt, who was only five years old, stood looking at me with her small hands on her hips.
Her face, framed by pink hair braided into a single strand like a cloud, was full of composure.
“I’ll take care of Little Brother. Big Brother, don’t worry and study hard.”
“Uh, uh.”
“No! I’m going to the Academy too.”
“Oh, honestly! Are you going to act like a child all the time?”
Asdel grabbed Mikael’s collar and pulled him forcefully.
No matter how composed she acted, Asdel, being only five years old, couldn’t fully support Mikael’s weight, so as I tried to break up their squabble, I struggled to safely set the child down.
Beside us, Mother chuckled and whispered into Father’s ear.
“Looking at them like this, doesn’t Asdel resemble Mikael?”
“Where would that blood go? To me, she resembles you.”
“I wasn’t that smart.”
“Well…”
She said I resembled her.
After setting Mikael down, I also hugged Asdel, who was looking up at me with her neat face, tightly before letting her go.
I was very curious about what thoughts were swirling in that tiny head.
Fortunately, no one was displeased even though we had significantly exceeded our scheduled departure time due to coaxing Mikael, who had finally shown tears.
The road to the Academy wasn’t arduous, and having a simple escort meant there wasn’t much to prepare, which also helped.
The remaining people were scheduled to spend more time at the House Cervelle villa before returning.
They told me to send letters to House Ernhardt, as I would return to the territory within a month even after all the preparations, and I agreed.