<Chapter 11>

Laren pointed behind him with his finger. Naias, clinging tightly and hiding, jumped in protest and shook her head vigorously. Come on, let’s get ready together. Though they were originally the same gender, the issue was that his body was currently that of a boy.

“N-no. I can wash myself!”

Whispering her resistance, Laren fell into brief contemplation. It would be too much for this child to wash thoroughly on her own and even don the mini dress the maids were holding. Laren scooped Naias up and transferred her into the arms of one maid.

“Nooo! Reeennn!”

“See you later, Naias.”

With a refreshed expression, he bid Naias farewell. Two maids carried the squirming Naias out of the bedroom. The remaining maids arranged the clothes so Laren could prepare himself alone.

“Then, please call us when you’re ready. Just ring this bell here.”

The maids bowed politely and left the bedroom. The clothes they’d left were a satin white shirt, a thin black ribbon, and black dress pants—basic attire, but they looked quite expensive. The tattered clothes he’d been wearing had met their end upon escaping the slave traders. A smile spread across Laren’s face as he gazed at the garments.

‘If I sell them later, they might fetch a bit of money? We’re short on funds anyway.’

Her Helian’s uncle, Lan Helian, treated the saviors to a bountiful meal. Laren felt a duty to stuff his stomach with the food he hadn’t eaten the previous night and devoured it all. The more mana one used, the hungrier one became. Truly.

“Re, Ren…”

“What?”

Unable to believe that so much food could fit inside him, Lan Helian and Her Helian forgot their decorum and watched Laren’s eating portions in fascination. Of course, Naias was no exception.

He knew he ate a lot, but it didn’t seem worthy of such astonishment. This amount was appropriate to replenish his activity level and mana expenditure. Just in case, he glanced down at the spoon he’d been using, but his table manners were impeccable.

The final vanilla pudding and strawberry cake were utterly divine. With tears in his eyes, Laren polished them off thoroughly before following Her Helian’s guidance into the drawing room.

“…How can so much food fit inside you? I’m utterly astonished.”

“It’s a rule that the more mana you expend, the hungrier you get.”

“Oh my, that’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

Laren let out a soft chuckle at Her Helian’s genuinely surprised expression, her eyes wide and round. It’s true, I swear.

‘Come to think of it… this is my first teatime with a peer young lady.’

Since he hadn’t gone through his debutante. Let alone having close noble acquaintances, did he even have friends to begin with? Regardless, Laren savored a sip of milk tea to commemorate the occasion. Though his boyish appearance nagged at him a bit.

“And so, my uncle said he’d help with returning everyone who was captured with us to their homes.”

Her Helian’s safe return. This fact alone spurred Lan Helian to take the lead in ensuring the people’s safe journeys home. Relieved that a lingering concern had been resolved, Laren smiled with evident ease.

“I’m grateful. I’ll have to go thank him properly later.”

Unable to reveal his true identity, Laren had vaguely passed himself off as a commoner. Even so, Her Helian still addressed him with full formality, her speech naturally laced with decorum. Naias, sipping her milk tea, rubbed her satin shirt.

“Ren, you look cool dressed like that.”

“Yeah? I think so too.”

“You can’t wear those ripped weird clothes anymore from now on, okay?”

“Uh… They weren’t originally ripped, you know.”

Facing the mirror fully dressed, Laren felt quite satisfied. Clothes make the man, as they say—every time he looked in the mirror, it felt less like seeing himself and more like encountering a handsome young boy.

‘It’s kind of pleasing to the eye. Maybe I should make money with my looks.’

“Um… Lord Ren, where were you headed?”

“I was on my way to Reditern when I was kidnapped.”

The silver lining was that the place they’d been taken after the kidnapping wasn’t far from Reditern but right in the adjacent city of Teperon. At his response, Her Helian’s expression brightened in a peculiar way. Just then, the drawing room door burst open roughly, and a figure tumbled in with a clamor.

“Her! My dear Her!”

“Father!”

‘Father… Viscount Helian?’

Dark circles hung heavily and ashen beneath Viscount Helian’s eyes. He’d searched desperately, even publishing his daughter’s portrait in the imperial newspapers, but there had been no trace. Days without proper sleep—then suddenly, word arrived that his daughter was in Teperon.

Her Helian had maintained a stoic facade throughout, but upon seeing her father’s face, she burst into tears. Not wanting to intrude on the touching father-daughter reunion, Laren took Naias and slipped out of the drawing room.

“If I had a dad, would he be that happy too?”

As they walked hand in hand down the corridor, Naias asked calmly. He couldn’t understand why the young girl’s question stirred a surge of emotion in him.

Was it the notion of a father? A face he suddenly missed flashed unbidden in his mind, and Laren tightened his grip on the hand he held.

* * *

The Helian Viscountcy was a family of some renown in the region, with their main estate in Reditern. Viscount Helian proposed that since Reditern was Laren’s destination, they travel together so he could host and treat him properly.

Laren readily accepted, thrilled at the prospect of a comfortable journey to Reditern. Who would refuse lavish meals and cozy lodgings?

‘Ah, how can anything be this cute?’

In the carriage heading to Reditern, Laren gazed down at Naias, asleep with her head on his lap. Her soft snoring was utterly adorable.

The next day, after a full day’s travel, they arrived at the Helian Viscount’s estate, which was larger than expected. Fatigued from the long carriage ride, Laren carried the soundly sleeping Naias on his back and walked down the corridor adorned with flowerpots.

“You can use this bedroom here.”

Even after arriving at the viscountcy, Her Helian took charge of the guiding. The young lady, enduring tasks that could have been delegated to servants, smiled brightly without a hint of annoyance. As the bedroom door opened, revealing the interior, Laren’s mouth fell open, unable to close at the sight.

‘What is this?’

The antique carpet, the room adorned with various crafted ornaments—it was a scale reserved for royal-grade guests among the guest rooms. Shock rippled through his blue eyes, and Her Helian’s soft voice reached him.

“This is hardly repayment for what you did for me.”

‘The cushions are totally A-grade.’

With a sly smile, Laren carefully laid Naias on the bed. Her Helian, who had been watching his back, hesitated before speaking.

“Lord Ren, may I ask why you’re heading to Reditern?”

“Hmm, I’m planning to enroll at the Reditern Municipal Academy.”

The Reditern Municipal Academy. At his answer, Her Helian’s pupils widened in surprise before she nodded as if it made sense.

“With your magical prowess, it’s certainly… But…”

Herr Helian trailed off awkwardly, her words lingering in the air. Why is she acting like that? It’s making me uneasy. As Laren blinked her blue eyes several times, a flush of red spread across Herr Helian’s face.

“I heard that admission for commoners is a bit difficult….”

“What?!”

A look of dismay settled over Laren’s shocked expression. From what she knew, the academy was one that, by imperial law, imposed no restrictions based on social status. Could it be that such barriers existed implicitly after all?

Laren had come here with nothing but confidence that she could easily pass the entrance exam, but now, faced with this unexpected wall, her vision blurred with despair. Having hidden her true identity, she couldn’t very well claim to be a noble.

At this rate, forget confirming the existence of the cursed one—she might end up revealing her identity in the worst possible way, making her social debut not at a ball but at the academy itself. If that happened, her mother might just storm in and tear the whole place down.

“Status….”

“It, it might not be accurate information, so I’ll ask my father about it.”

Seeing those blue eyes waver so precariously, Herr Helian grew flustered in turn and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. She left with words urging Laren to rest comfortably today, but there was no way Laren could rest easy. Should she devise a plan for this unforeseen situation? Exhausted from the long carriage journey, however, Laren buried her face in the cushion and fell asleep the moment she did.

* * *

Herr Helian found it utterly impossible to adjust to Ren’s enormous appetite. How on earth did so much food fit into such a small frame for a man?

Stunned, Herr Helian stared at him with eyes wide as if beholding some wondrous creature. Laren, who had been biting into a piece of whole wheat bread, subtly averted her gaze.

‘It’s embarrassing when you stare at me eating like that.’

Naias, seemingly accustomed to it by now, calmly finished his own portion of the meal. At first, Laren had avoided the maids who served during meals, but seeing her gradually adapt brought a secret sense of relief.

After the harmonious morning breakfast, Viscount Helian summoned Laren on the pretext of personal business. Guided to the drawing room, Laren arrived to find the viscount welcoming her with a delighted expression.

“Come in.”

“I greet you, Viscount.”

“That’s enough with the formalities. It’s modest here, but I hope you’ve been able to rest comfortably nonetheless.”

“Not at all; I’m at a loss with such lavish hospitality.”

At her gesture of waving it off, Viscount Helian let out a hearty laugh. His short-cropped orange hair caught Laren’s eye.

“Hmm…. I hear you plan to enroll in the Reditern Municipal Academy.”

“Yes, though it’s become a bit more complicated.”

The enrollment issue resurfaced, sending a sharp twinge through her head. The law explicitly stated that commoners could enroll, yet in practice, they only accepted noble offspring—wasn’t that outright fraud?

Lately, it seemed like all she did was rack her brains over problems, and she longed for even a single day where she could lounge around without a care, rolling in bed. The time spent savoring the chef’s milk tea and handmade cookies felt so desperately precious now. As her thoughts spiraled, adding insult to injury, she remembered the bag containing her funds and those handmade cookies had been stolen.

‘Should I go back to Teferon and wring that slave trader’s neck first? The building shook, but it probably didn’t collapse.’

“Sir Ren, may I ask you a few questions?”

“Please do.”

Laren, who had been fuming at the thought of the slave trader, responded politely to Viscount Helian’s inquiry. Stroking his chin, the viscount’s eyes gleamed sharply, as if probing.

“What about your parents?”

“My father has passed away, so it’s just my mother and me.”

“I see…. Does your family have a trade?”

“It’s not exactly a family business, but my mother oversees harbor affairs.”

“You mean distribution? That must make for quite a prosperous household.”

“Haha, I’ve grown up comfortably, yes.”

There were no lies in that. Duke Mercantia had departed the world early, and it was true that the duchess primarily handled the harbor operations. It was merely explained in concise terms. Seeming pleased with Laren’s responses, Viscount Helian nodded repeatedly in approval.

“Hmm, hmm. I hear your magical abilities are exceptional. Could you tell me what level you’ve reached?”

Viscount Helian had shown astonishment upon learning that Ren was a mage. In the current continent, magic was regarded as the most challenging discipline, so it was exceedingly rare for a commoner to wield it freely.

Moreover, it required innate talent to back it up; even understanding magical formulas was a far cry from actually manifesting them. Laren had invested most of her time in magical practice.

Thanks to sitting and wrestling with formulas, her stamina had deteriorated to the point where she could barely lift a sword properly. The greatest drawback for mages, who excelled in long-range combat, was their abysmal physical endurance compared to other professions.

“I’m at the early stages of the fourth circle.”

“The fourth circle?!”

Viscount Helian’s pupils dilated at this level beyond his imagination. Reaching the fourth circle in one’s early twenties was considered exceptionally high in the world at large.

Anything higher would draw unnecessary attention, so Laren had compromised at a moderate level. Claiming too low might cast doubt on her escape from the slave caravan.

“Impressive. I expected around the third circle, given your talent. What prompts you to seek enrollment at the Reditern Municipal Academy?”

“Studying alone leaves many gaps. I wish to acquire systematic and solid knowledge.”

‘What studying? I’m going to lift a curse.’

Her pragmatic response and the thoughts harbored within were polar opposites. Unaware of this, Viscount Helian continued to express his admiration.

‘Hoo, an ambitious one. I’m liking him more and more.’