As I left my room I bumped into Reynolds, Arthur's father. Knowing his future I slipped a few shadows for him. As he told me that he wanted to talk to me I followed him to a garden.
"It seems like you and Arthur are very close," He said
"Yes we've spent four years together," I said
"Jin-Woo what do you think of Arthur," He asked me
"Sometimes he could be frighteningly mature, childish sometimes, while other times unreadable" I answered
"Thank you for looking out for him while We were separated I am forever grateful to you" He said tears began forming
"No worries it was fun being around him," I said as I patted his back
I returned to my room, and then went to the void to do training with my Ash, and Sylvia. As I noticed the sun rising, I quickly got out of the void and wanted to wake Art up I manifested a cold water ball on top of his face and dropped it. Art jumped up because of the cold and made Sylvie fly because of his sudden movements. I managed to catch Sylvie, but Arthur had his revenge by splashing my face with water, or at least he tried as I dodged the water before it was able to hit me, and appeared beside Arthur.
"Get up the sun's already up I can't even imagine you going to school with sleep problems like this," I said as I handed him a towel
"You're no different from Tess I'm going to die of a heart attack if you keep doing this," He said
"Whatever," I said as I exited the room with Sylvie on my shoulder
Arthur POV
After Jin-Woo so kindly woke me up I took a shower, changed my clothes, and got out of my room. After I got closer to the dining room I'm met with a pleasant smell of bacon as I entered the kitchen. Inside, I spotted Tabitha and my mother cooking something as they chatted. Lilia was sitting down at the table already, her legs swinging, obviously waiting for breakfast. As Jin-Woo was playing around with Sylvie like a doll, while dad was sitting on the table reading a newspaper while drinking coffee.
"Good morning Mom, Ma'am, Lilia!" I announced.
"G'morning!" "Kyu!" Both Ellie and Sylvie echo.
"Ah! Jin-Woo managed to wake you up! I remembered having the hardest time waking you up even when you were a baby, Art. I swear you slept like a log." My mother chuckled as she placed some eggs into a large plate.
"Mom you don't wanna know how that psychotic bastard woke me up," I thought to myself
Breakfast was great. Mother mentioned that usually the maids are the ones to cook but she wanted to cook today for me. It had been too long since I had my mother's cooking and I now realized how dearly I had missed it. I made sure to give some of the meat to Sylvie who didn't hesitate to gobble whatever entered her mouth, including my finger. Eventually, Ellie and Lilia both wanted to try feeding her so I told them to go ahead. Needless to say, Sylvie warmed up to both of them a bit more after being fed by them.
"The carriage is waiting out front so just leave the dishes in the sink and let's head out!" announced Tabitha.
We then went shopping together in Xyrus, as we stopped by a few food stalls.
"It's a shame Jin-Woo didn't come here there would be so many clothes that would suit him," Tabitha said as my mother nodded
"Did he know this would happen?" I thought
We eventually shopped till it was late, and thankfully we decided to return home. I ended up with ten different sets of clothes, half from Mother and the other half from Tabitha. Both Mother and I tried to stop Tabitha from buying me anything but she scolded us, playfully saying, "Just think of it as an investment. Besides, I've always wanted a son," while winking.
"Woman + Shopping was never a good combination in either world I've lived in," I thought
Eventually, we arrived back home, my physical and mental strength was depleted by the time my father came back home soon after.
"How was your day, Son?" He chuckled, taking a seat next to me on the dining table.
"I never thought shopping could be so utterly tiring," I groaned.
As if hearing my complaints, Vincent and Tabitha sat down across from us.
"HAHA! I heard you got beat up by a bunch of women today, Arthur!" Vincent exclaimed.
I just feebly nod while Tabitha smirked at looked at Mother, "The little prodigy of yours isn't as big of a deal as I thought he was." Lilia and Ellie giggled at this.
"I will admit that a woman's endurance can not be matched when they're out shopping." I just wryly refuted.
My father and Vincent laughed harder at this and nodded their head in agreement.
The sound of a doorbell followed by a couple of knocks gets everyone's attention.
"Ah! Looks like she's here!" Vincent perked up.
The look on everyone else's face told me that Vincent was the only one who knew what was going on.
Vincent came back, leading an elderly woman into the dining room.
"Rey, Alice, Arthur, I know you guys said that you want to put off school for later but I just couldn't hold it in. Everyone. Meet Cynthia Goodsky! She's the Director of Xyrus Academy."
Noticing the slight twinge of annoyance on my face, Vincent immediately said, "Don't worry, I didn't bring her here to make you go to school right away. I just wanted her to meet you."
The Director gave me a smile that I couldn't quite understand the meaning of and held out her hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Arthur."
But after that, her face wore an expression of shock when I turned my head I saw Jin-Woo passing by to the kitchen.
"It seems like he does know Director Cynthia," I said
"He's spoken of me?" She asked
"Yesterday when uncle Vincent wanted to invite you he told us he knew you" I replied
"It seems like you have a one of a kind brother Arthur," She said
"It seems so," I said with a sigh
"Nice to finally meet you, Arthur," She said holding her hand out.
What was I supposed to do in this situation? Was I supposed to shake it or is someone of power like her expecting me to kiss her hand or something?
I just went with the safe route and shook her hand.
"Err... Nice to meet you too, Director."
The Director seemed a little taken aback by my introduction.
"Arthur! You're being rude! I'm so sorry for my son, Director Goodsky. He just returned home and is ignorant about formal customs." My mother pushed my head down with her hand while bowing herself, getting on one knee.
When meeting someone of high standing, it was customary to get on one knee and shake the hand, while bowing.
How stupid.
"Kukuku, no it is quite all right. No offense taken at all. And please, Arthur, call me Cynthia." She let out a polite laugh with her free hand covering her mouth.
"I'm sorry to intrude on you at such a late time but unfortunately, the only free time I could make was after my meeting tonight. I hope you don't mind," she explained, looking at my parents.
"Nonono, we're thankful that you'd be willing to take the time out just to visit our son." My father was the one to speak this time.
By the amount of formality, I had started wondering if this granny could compare to Grandpa Virion.
"However, Vincent is a good friend and has contributed greatly to Xyrus Academy. So when he had excitedly come up to me about a prodigy that is living in his home, I couldn't help but get excited as well. I must say that my curiosity got the best of me. Do you mind leading me to an open space so I can see a demonstration?" She continued, her gaze fixed at me in an assessing manner.
"Can I at least eat din...Ouch!" My mother slapped me in the butt before I could finish my sentence.
"Of course! Please follow us, Director Cynthia." My mother ushers me, leading Director Cynthia while the rest followed.
My dinner...
Sylvie, who had been hiding underneath the dinner table from the unfamiliar human, trotted behind me, causing Director Cynthia to raise an eyebrow.
"Oh my... What a lovely mana beast. I assume it is your contracted beast, Arthur?" she asked me inquisitively while kneeling to get a closer view of Sylvie.
"Yeah, she hatched a few months ago. Her name is Sylvie," I simply responded, my mother's hand still grabbing onto the back of my shirt to keep me from escaping.
"I have to say, while it is common for nobles to buy beasts to contract, I have never seen a mana beast like yours."
Shrugging my shoulders, I explained, "I'm not exactly sure what she is either. Her mother seemed to be some sort of scaled wolf-like creature. She was already gravely wounded when I stumbled into her nest. She was protecting her egg."
She reached to pet Sylvie but she scampered away and climbed on top of my head.
"Sorry, she's a bit shy around strangers."
"I see. Well enough about her. Let us see if what Vincent said wasn't just an exaggeration. He didn't tell me much except that you're an augmenter, saying the rest would be a surprise." She let out a wry smile, making Vincent blush.
We had arrived at the backyard and everyone took seats, giving us enough space, Sylvie struggling to escape the grasp of my little sister, whom I entrusted her with.
"You're not going to use your wand?" I started stretching.
"It isn't very fair of me to be using a weapon when you are empty-handed as well, right?" She gave me a wink.
She made a solid point.
Before starting I saw Jin-Woo coming outside with uncle Vincent, as uncle Vincent pointed towards me and the director I knew what he wanted Jin-Woo to do. As he came towards us Director Cynthia gave Jin-Woo a slight bow and said "It's good to see you again Jin-Woo"
"Likewise" He replied giving her a slight bow
As Jin-Woo stood between me and the director he then started to manifest his mana barrier making the director surprised. As Jin-Woo finished he gave us a nod, and we took a stance to start the fight.
(A/N: The same thing happened. Do tell me if you guys like me cutting out scenes or not)
"A-Arthur... You know how to use earth and wind attribute spells as well?"
"What do you mean, 'as well?" Director Cynthia interrupted, her composed look turning into a look of confusion.
My mother continued for my baffled father.
"H-he, my son, we thought he was a fire elemental. He's a deviant as well that can use lightning magic!"
I could hear Director Cynthia's breath turn short, and for the first time, her expression of someone truly in shock.
"S-surely you jest... you mean to say that he is capable of controlling three elements?"
"Four. I can control all four," I cut in. Everyone was going to find out anyway. This wasn't something that I could, nor wanted to hide.
"Earth and wind are my weakest elements. I'm a lot more adept at controlling fire and water. I also happen to be deviants in both those elements, although I had just begun training in them." I got up to my feet, shaking off my dizziness from the previous attack. I wasn't expecting a sound user so I didn't bother enhancing my ears. The director was quite cruel, though. If my body hadn't gone through assimilation, my hearing would have been quite damaged.
No one responded to what I had just said, the only sound nearby being the clichéd chirps of crickets. It was understandable that they'd be this surprised, but I was getting tired of the shocked expressions.
The noble figure that controlled the most prominent school in the continent, stumbled forward, barely making it to a chair. Then, unexpectedly, she began laughing. She started with a low chuckle, but that soon escalated into a wild laugh of what seemed to me like sheer joy.
Finally, turning back to me, she said, "Arthur, If I may repeat, you are a quadra elemental capable of controlling two higher elements, correct?"
I'm also a Dragon Tamer, but that's about it. I wonder how they would react if I told them that.
"Correct," I immediately answered, not bothering to elaborate.
"You can tell her about the dragon part if you want to, she's a trustworthy woman with no ulterior motives," Jin-Woo said mentally
"I'm still too weak" I replied
"You literally have me, Ash, and Sylvia a literal diety" He replied back
I was hesitant at first but if I could raise my value more maybe she'll also invest more in me, so I decided to tell them all.
"I'm also a Dragon Tamer," I said
Everyone's face suddenly widened at my words, until
"Arthur it's a good joke but please refrain from making jokes like that in front of a director of a prestigious school," My mother said
"Now what do I do," I asked Jin-Woo
"Activate your will that's obvious" Sylvia butted in
I inhaled the air as I slowly activated my first will, as runes began appearing under my eyes, and I began to freeze time. Everyone gasped at the sight in front of them, but as I wasn't strong enough I deactivated my will, and nearly fall if Jin-Woo didn't catch me.
"I hope that's enough proof" I managed to say
"Yes, that is enough proof because stopping time seems like something only dragons could do. But when you said that does that mean that" She said as she turned her head towards Sylvie
"Yes she is a dragon" I replied
Everyone unable to contain their shock just screamed in unison. As I was slowly losing consciousness. I heard Jin-Woo say
"Can all of you back up a little"
After they backed out a black, and purple figure appeared from his shadow, as Jin-Woo placed me on the grass gently he turned to the black, and purple figure, and nodded at it. The figure held out a book as it floated, and opened green mana particles were slowly showing. As it started to heal me, I felt my energy slowly returning to me as I slowly got my body up.
"Thank you" I said
"Your welcome" The figure said which made everyone also shocked
"You can return now" Jin-Woo said as the shadow bowed, and sunk under my shadow
"I told you didn't I. I have a capable healer for you" He said as he patted my head
"What was that" Cynthia asked
"My ability" Jin-Woo simply answer
"I hope that all of you could keep all of this a secret for now" I said
Everyone nodded in unison. Director Goodsky. There's a reason I didn't hide my capabilities today."
Picking up on the seriousness in my voice, she nodded in understanding. "I had a hunch that you weren't just brazenly showing off your skills, Arthur. You seemed too sharp for that."
Agreeing with her, I responded, "There are only a few benefits I can gain from attending your school. One is learning how to utilize my Lightning and Ice elements. However, that is something I can learn on my own with due time. No. The main reason I would attend your academy, if I chose to at all, is for protection. Right now, I'm not strong enough to protect everyone. However, you hold a position of power and influence that can provide safety for my family and I, at least until I can gain the strength to protect them myself."
"Arthur! You're being rude to Director Goodsky! How can you..."
"No, it's fine Alice, and it seems like formalities are not needed when people have a direct connection with Jin-Woo." Immediately after she said this, the director mumbled a soft chant before speaking again.
"Arthur, I believe you hold the ability to make changes in this world. For that, if you're willing to attend Xyrus Academy and become a rightful citizen that will do anything to protect his land, then I will abide by any criteria you set." Director Goodsky's voice was clear and determined.
"Very well, I will learn what I feel is valuable from the classes your school offers and train my powers. As long as you give me the tools and freedom to do so, as well as keep my loved ones safe, then I will consider you as an important benefactor," I promised.
Director Goodsky's lips curve up into a smile as we shook hands. At this, I'm suddenly able to hear the voices of everyone else again. Looking at the director, she gave me a wink.
By the confused looks of everyone around us, I could only assume that what Director Goodsky had done was make everyone else unable to hear our voices.
Clarifying for everyone who couldn't hear, I said aloud, "I will abide by our agreement when I enroll in your academy."
"Oh? Were you not planning on enrolling into my Academy anytime soon?" The Director as well as every other adult had looks of puzzlement on their faces.
"I don't plan on entering Xyrus Academy until I would be of a normal age to attend. No. I've decided to enter your academy on my twelfth birthday, very average age for one to enter your Academy. I assume that will not be a problem?" I tilted my head.
"Goodness! That's in a little over three years. Arthur, do you have any plans on what to do until then?" I figured Director Goodsky wouldn't be so accepting of prolonging my education for over three years.
I turned to face my parents again since it was up to them to allow me or not.
I looked up at the night sky, stars shining. Unlike my old world, the lack of bright lights truly made the star-glittered night beautiful. Turning my gaze back to where my family was, I answer.
"I'd like to become an adventurer." As those words left me everyone was shocked.
"No! Absolutely no way! Arthur! Do you know how dangerous it is to become an Adventurer? You've just gotten back after we all thought you were dead and now you're saying you want to go get yourself killed out there? No way! Absolutely not."
My mother was on the verge of tears while she said this. She had never been good at controlling her emotions. Eleanor was beside her, clutching onto her leg. As Jin-Woo left the room not wanting to be a part of this.
"Damned traitor," I thought
"Hey that is a family matter I have no saying or right in it" He retorted
Director Goodsky had left the manor after my announcement. I could tell she still wanted to ask me a lot of questions but we excused ourselves to have a family talk. We were currently inside my parent's room with my mother standing up in front of me, forbidding me to even think about doing anything remotely dangerous.
"No! Absolutely no way! Arthur! Do you know how dangerous it is to become an Adventurer? You've just gotten back after we all thought you were dead and now you're saying you want to go get yourself killed out there? No way! Absolutely not."
My mother was on the verge of tears while she said this. She had never been good at controlling her emotions. Eleanor was beside her, clutching onto her leg. As Jin-Woo left the room not wanting to be a part of this.
"Damned traitor," I thought
"Hey that is a family matter I have no saying or right in it" He retorted
Director Goodsky had left the manor after my announcement. I could tell she still wanted to ask me a lot of questions but we excused ourselves to have a family talk. We were currently inside my parent's room with my mother standing up in front of me, forbidding me to even think about doing anything remotely dangerous.
After being silent the whole time, my father finally spoke up. "Honey, let's hear Arthur out at least. I'm not saying I agree to him becoming an adventurer but don't you think we should at least listen to what he has to say?"
"How can you still say that after what happened that day!" my mother yelled, breaking down into a fit of sobs.
I looked to my father for answers, curious about what she was talking about, but he simply shook his head and comforted my mother.
"Help me" I pleaded
"Your the one who brought this upon yourself," Sylvia said
"I couldn't agree more," Ash said
"At least they still care about you," Jin-Woo said
It seemed like a good hour before she had calmed down enough for us to speak again.
I grabbed my mother's hands. "Mom. I wasn't planning on leaving tomorrow. I was looking forward to spending a few months at home with you guys."
She was still silent, but her face softened a little at that and I just gave her a warm smile, Sylvie followed suit and began licking her hand.
"What I meant by becoming an adventurer was so that I can get some experience. After being in the Elf Kingdom for three years, I missed a lot about what I should know about this world of ours. I just thought that becoming an adventurer would be the best way to gain some practical experience," I urged, not letting go of Mother's hands.
"I understand where you're coming from, Arthur. Although I was a bit older, I was also itching to get some real-life experience in fighting as soon as I awakened as a mage," he reminisced. "But your mother is also right in that it is dangerous and unpredictable."
"I would rather be worried for the monsters you'll meet," Sylvia said
My mother nodded her head vigorously at this.
I stayed silent for a little bit as I pondered.
"Dad. Mom. What if I were to have some sort of guard or supervisor with me including Jin-Woo? Would that make you feel a bit more at ease with this whole idea?"
I heard everyone in my mental link laugh as they heard my suggestion.
"Who are they going to hire?" Ash said struggling to contain his laugh
"We are gods residing in the boy's mind," Sylvia said
Meanwhile, Jin-Woo was surprisingly quiet about this. But before I could ask
"Hmm... You know, that's not a bad idea." I could almost see the gears in my father's headwind as he began thinking of potential candidates.
"B-but... I still won't be able to see you for three years!" My mother began to protest again.
Shaking my head, I say to her. "Mom, I'm not going to go on long trips or go on dangerous missions to faraway places. I'll try to come back every few months, maybe even more frequently than that, depending on what I do."
"I'm betting he's going to go on dangerous missions," Sylvia said
"Agreed" Ash said
"Bruder, are you leaving?" My sister had an expression as if she had just been told that Santa didn't exist.
I started to panic. "Nono Ellie I'm staying here. You'll be seeing your brother a lot from now on, okay?"
Ash scoffed at my words. Soon after I cursed at him
"At least you are not the one dealing with this," I said
Both my mother and father had told Eleanor a lot of stories about me and how strong and smart I was. One of Ellie's favorite bedtime stories was how I saved Mother from a bunch of bad guys on top of a cliff and that I got hurt so it'll take me some time to come back home. Eventually, I had become some sort of hero to my sister.
I look back at my mother. Her face was considerably more at ease after talking about this. I guess she had just assumed the worst-case scenario and thought I wanted to slay the world's strongest evil at the age of eight or something.
"Why did you want to be an Adventurer before even going to school anyways? Wasn't it usually the opposite?" my mother softly muttered.
"Dad's reason was a part of it; I want to test my skills out in real-life situations. Also, Mom, I want to at least try to fit in with everyone when I go to school. It would be a lot harder to fit in if I began school at the age of eight. I don't think I'll be able to make many friends with such a big age difference."
"Your soul is old" Ash scoffed
As I heard Sylvia giggle at his words
"Sometimes I feel tortured having a lot of voices in my head being able to laugh at me," I said
It was a very pitiful excuse, but, for once, my mother gave me a look of understanding. I guess it was a mother's worst nightmare for her child to become a loner.
It wasn't a complete lie because I said it thinking of Sylvia's dying wish. She had wanted me to enjoy life and have a life not just of training. This was a promise that I planned on keeping no matter what.
"Besides, I'm going to be here for a couple of months anyway. Who knows, maybe you'll get sick of me by then and throw me out before I even get the chance to leave," I winked at my mother.
That earned me a thump on the head but she chuckled as well. "You! You're just like your father at times like these.
"You should smack you, child, more often ma'am if you're going to beat sense into him," Ash said
"Shut up would ya," I said
The next day was a Sunday, leaving my father with the day off. Both the Leywin and Helstea families were dining together for breakfast. "So did you guys settle on what to do about Arthur?" Vincent asked, half chewing on his omelet.
Tabitha shook her head; "I swear. Sometimes, I have such a hard time believing you're a noble with your horrible dining habits, dear."
"Kukuku, don't worry. At least your husband's better than mine. Remember that one dinner party where Rey spit out his food from laughing so hard? I had to use Ellie as an excuse to leave the table because I was so embarrassed," My mother just sighed.
"Cough! Anyways! Yes, after talking about it yesterday night, we agreed to let him become an adventurer under some conditions, Vince." My father just lightly blushed as he tried to switch back the topic.
"Oh? What conditions?" responded the curious Tabitha as she was cutting the omelet into smaller pieces for Lilia.
"He's not going to become an adventurer until after his birthday, which is in three months. We also decided on having a guard with him on his missions. Besides that, I feel like he'll be smart enough to manage the rest on his own. Of course, the last condition is that he'll be visiting as often as possible," my father explained, working on the rest of his roast beef.
"Do you have anyone in mind for who his guard is going to be? Heck, is there even a guard that is capable of guarding him? I feel like Arthur would be the one protecting the guard!" He just chuckled at the ridiculousness of an eight-year-old protecting a grown, veteran adventurer.
"Agreed," Sylvia said
"Well we could always seal Arthur's core to a certain degree," Ash said
My mother answered him, looking at my father, "We haven't thought of a person that fits the criteria. Rey and I thought we could use one of the Helstea Auction guards, but we couldn't come up with anyone."
"Can I have more omelets please?" My sister chimed in with her fork raised in the air.
"I got it!" My father stood up from his sudden revelation, making me almost choke on the piece of meat that was in my mouth.
"The Twin Horns will be coming back from an expedition in a dungeon soon. I received a letter from the Adventurer Guild Hall that says they should be back within two months! It's perfect! Why did it take so long for me to think of this? We can just have one of the Twin Horns look after you. Arthur! You still remember them right?" My father's eyes shined in excitement.
"Hey! That's not a bad idea!" My mother said from the kitchen, her voice implying the rarity in my father having a good idea.
Handing a piece of meat to Sylvie who was perched on my lap with her front two paws on the table, I responded too. "Of course, I remember them. That sounds like a great idea Dad. Do they know I'm back?"
"No, unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to send a mail to them yet. I was planning on doing that today." My father sat back down, scratching his head.
Vincent chimed in on the conversation after finishing off his breakfast.
"Arthur, you said to Director Cynthia yesterday about not showing your powers to anyone until you enroll into Xyrus Academy, right? How were you planning on doing that while you're an Adventurer?"
"Ah yes. I've been meaning to get to that," I said while picking up a strawberry with my fork. "I planned on keeping my identity hidden as an adventurer. I've read that there were many members of the Adventurer's Guild that went by aliases, not revealing their identities to the public." Unfortunately, since there was no way of masking the appearance of Sylvie, I would just have to do a good job of hiding her. Thankfully, she was small enough to fit inside a cloak if the pocket was big enough.
"Mmm... I see." Both Vincent and Tabitha nodded at this.
With that, breakfast ended and we all separated.
Father went to the Guild Hall to send a letter to his old party members while my mother and Tabitha went shopping, taking Ellie and Lilia along with them. They asked me to come as well but I politely declined the offer to endure the suffering they call a pastime event.
I washed up and headed towards the right-wing of the manor, where Vincent's office was. I and Vincent then made an agreement where he would get me a few stuff in exchange for me helping Lilia awaken as a mage Where's Jin-Woo" I asked after I went out of the room
"He's doing some stuff" Ash replied but I could feel the uncertainty in his voice
"I just hope that he quickly return because part of my bargain was him coming with me," I said