The Joyful Russell Family

"Brother, Sister." Colin seriously called out to Smith, who was about to go upstairs, and Linda, who had bent down to clear the plates.

Linda and Smith's hearts both skipped a beat. They rarely saw such a serious expression on Colin's face.

"What is it? Did something happen?" Smith silently sat back down, while Linda quickly set down the plates and asked with concern.

"I have an announcement to make." A smile gradually appeared on Colin's face, and he repeated to Linda and Smith the same explanation he had given Bill.

"Ah!!!!!" After hearing it, Linda fell silent for a moment before letting out a high-pitched scream. Before Colin could escape, she threw her arms around him and kissed his cheeks three times fiercely. She was so overjoyed that she did not know how to express her feelings.

"Colin, our little Colin."

The Russell family's parents had died early, and they had no relatives in Will City. The three siblings had depended on one another for survival. Linda had always hoped to restore the Russell family and let her family live the dignified life of nobles.

At the very least, they should have a villa with stables, a butler, a coachman, and several servants. She had started working very early and had wanted to support Smith's enrollment at Will Knight Academy, but she could not manage it alone. It was only after Smith began working as well that the two of them were able to send Colin to Will Knight Academy.

Although the Russell family bloodline had become very distant, and Colin's grades at school had always been poor, she and Smith had still been full of hope that Colin could restore the Russell family.

But she had never imagined that her Colin, her little Colin, would become the apprentice of a great and wise mage.

The so-called extraordinary individuals were divided into categories. Strictly speaking, basic pharmacists were not extraordinary individuals. Extraordinary individuals were knights and mages.

Leaving strength aside, the former were common while the latter were rare. Things were valuable because they were scarce. Naturally, mages held a higher status than knights, and many mages also worked part-time as pharmacists and Rune Masters.

Ordinary people without spiritual power or magic could only make basic potions. Those advanced potions could only be made by mages, because most mages were very wealthy.

Not long ago, the war in the eastern Empire had caused a shortage of pharmacists. Smith had greatly envied pharmacists, but now their family had suddenly gained a Magic Apprentice.

It was like a thunderclap from the heavens—Colin had made his dazzling entrance.

Linda held Colin and kissed him again and again until his face was covered in bright lipstick. Yet he did not dare resist, because after her initial joy, Linda suddenly burst into tears. Her tears fell like a string of pearls, landing on Colin's face.

"This is wonderful, Colin." Linda smiled through her tears.

"This is wonderful." Smith sat to the side with slightly reddened eyes. Moisture gathered in them, but stubbornly refused to fall.

Colin looked up at Linda's tears, feeling both sad and happy. Not only did he not resist, he wrapped his arms around Linda in return, kissed her cheek, and whispered in her ear, "Sister. I will work twice as hard. Not only will I restore the Russell family, I will become a great noble. I'll let you and Brother live in a castle and make you a princess."

"I believe in you, Colin." Linda broke into a brilliant smile and fiercely kissed Colin several more times.

"If Linda becomes a princess, wouldn't that make me a prince?" Smith discreetly wiped at his eyes, pinched his chin, and teased.

"Hahaha. How could that be? Mages aren't omnipotent either. Don't set your sights too high, Colin. Focus on learning magic first, and talk about the rest after you've grown stronger." After saying that, Smith could not help but laugh himself.

"Yes, Colin. This opportunity is once in a lifetime. You must work hard and not set your sights too high." Linda also became serious. She patted Colin's cheeks with both hands, then kneaded them again as she spoke.

Colin finally could not stand it any longer and struggled out of Linda's embrace. He rubbed his face and complained, "Don't knead my face."

"I'll knead it if I want to." Linda giggled, chased after him, and continued kneading Colin's cheeks.

After a round of laughter and horseplay, the three Russell siblings sat down again. Linda said seriously to Colin, "Where does that wise mage live? To thank him for accepting you as his apprentice, I want to prepare a gift and pay him a visit myself."

Colin was startled, shaking his head like a rattle drum. "Sister, my teacher is a person with a cleanliness obsession. He doesn't like meeting strangers. He only told me to go to his place every Saturday and Sunday to study magic. The rest of the time, I attend classes at the academy as usual."

Are you kidding me? Where am I supposed to find an old mage for you to visit?

"I see." Linda nodded thoughtfully. Rumor had it that many mages had strange quirks. Thinking of that, Linda became a little nervous.

"Colin. You may study magic, but don't learn those strange quirks. I heard that many mages die alone because of them. You mustn't. In the future, you obediently get married and have lots of adorable babies—my nieces and nephews."

Linda reached out again to knead Colin's cheeks.

"I understand, Sister. I'll definitely give you lots of nieces and nephews." Colin slapped away Linda's mischievous hands, then fled upstairs as though escaping for his life.

Linda revealed a satisfied smile. Then she looked at the plates on the table, picked them up full of energy, and went to the kitchen to wash them.

"What a happy day." Listening to Linda hum a cheerful song in the kitchen, Smith showed a faint smile, then walked upstairs with light steps.

"What a pleasant day." After Colin entered his bedroom, he first took out a towel and wiped away the lipstick Linda had left on his face. Then, despite being covered in smelly sweat, he lay down on his bed and stared blankly at the old ceiling, a slight smile on his lips.

The flies at school had been cleaned up, and Linda and Smith were happy too. Next, he just needed to proceed step by step: make potions, collect energy, increase his strength, and let Linda and Smith live in a castle. Perfect.

After a while, Colin went downstairs to take a cold bath. He changed into clean pajamas and lay down. Only after it was late at night and Linda and Smith were asleep did he draw the curtains and begin making Basic Strength Potions again.

After that, everything went according to Colin's plan. He attended school from Monday to Friday. To avoid arousing suspicion, Colin went out every Saturday and Sunday to visit his nonexistent "teacher," and brewed Basic Strength Potions at night.

Time flew by, and more than a month passed in an instant.

On July 1st, someone from George Magic Shop arrived as promised.