Warm Daily Interactions

"Ugh, ahhh!!!"

The next day, Isaac roared as he twisted about in bed. After giving himself a shake, he slowly crawled out of bed and let out an enormous yawn.

"Squeak squeak~"

"Morning."

Though he had no idea what Rat Rat was saying, Isaac reflexively replied anyway. Just as he was about to head for his desk out of habit, he suddenly slapped his forehead, used a Magic Spell to tidy himself up, and then walked out of the laboratory.

His father was back, so he could no longer follow his old routine of starting his research the moment he woke up. He needed to have breakfast first.

And he had to strictly observe noble etiquette too...

At that thought, Isaac could not help sighing. This was the worst thing about coming home...

And he could not simply skip it, either...

Gaia was a High-level Knight. Catching a rookie like him who had only just become a wizard—wouldn't that be as easy as taking candy from a baby?

So rather than wait for his old man to make a move, it was better to have some sense himself.

"Squeak squeak?" Rat Rat, utterly bewildered, was picked up by Hamon and placed on Isaac's shoulder.

"Come on. Time to eat."

Still as bewildered as ever, Rat Rat gave no response.

Seeing that vacant little expression, Hamon could only sigh. What a waste... He had studied all night for nothing!

Though he had only been studying the first page the whole time...

Under the guards' astonished gazes, Isaac rode the Pumpkin Carriage to a small castle behind the fortress. This was where Isaac and the others lived, and he had a room here as well.

Every year, once autumn and winter arrived, he would be brought here to live. Before, however, he had never been allowed outside the castle.

Although he had now branched off from the family, that room had still been kept for him and had not been removed. After all, they were at least a top-tier Viscount family soon to become a Count family; they were not so poor as to lack even a room for him.

However, Isaac had not come this time to stay in that room. It was not because he minded anything; mainly, going back and forth between the castle and the Mage Tower every day was simply too troublesome and wasted his research time.

After arriving at the castle, Isaac slowed his pace and timed things carefully. By the time he reached the dining room, everyone had just taken their seats. He was the last to arrive.

Just like before.

Sitting down at the table, Isaac raised his brows slightly at the breakfast before him. Compared to his own shabby breakfast, this one was far more lavish—a pile of roasted meat and exquisite pastries!

The exquisite pastries were for him and Eldest Sister, while the roasted meat was for Father, Eldest Brother, and Second Brother. They were knights, with powerful digestive abilities, so it did not matter if they ate something greasy for breakfast. Moreover, their energy demands were tremendous. Unlike wizards, who made extremely efficient use of magic power, most of the energy their bodies required came from food.

Thus, the greatest expense in raising a knight did not come from the Knight Secret Medicine used for training. If one was not pursuing advancement, they could go without that stuff. A knight's greatest expense was food!

Not only did they need huge quantities, but the quality had to be high as well. Ordinary food simply could not satisfy them; it had to be specially prepared, high-energy Demonic Beast flesh.

Not drinking medicine merely meant little or no improvement, but if they did not eat enough, at best their strength would regress; at worst, they might even starve to death!

Noble wizards, on the other hand, were different. Their physical constitutions could only be considered average compared to knights', and they could extract nourishment from magic power, so they merely needed to maintain ordinary meals. They could even go without eating altogether.

Thus, Isaac and Eldest Sister's breakfast consisted only of light, exquisite pastries.

They truly were exquisite, with little animal patterns on them.

Rat Rat watched as Isaac swallowed a small cake bearing its own likeness in a single bite, and its mung-bean-sized eyes instantly went round!

He ate it!

He actually just ate it!

Without the slightest hesitation!

"Hisss-ha~~~"

Seeing Rat Rat trembling in shock on Isaac's shoulder, Hamon poked out from behind Isaac's head. It pointed one finger at Rat Rat, its palm splitting open as it gave a hoarse, mocking laugh.

Isaac smiled faintly, tapped Rat Rat on the head with a finger, then handed it a piece of cheese.

One stamped with a rat-head pattern.

Clutching the cheese and staring at its own likeness on it, Rat Rat opened its mouth several times. In the end, it gritted its teeth, but still could not resist that tempting smell. Closing its eyes, it took a bite!

"Squeak~"

Then it let out a blissful squeak~

"Hiss!"

Hamon was unhappy at once. It floated before Isaac and discontentedly opened the enormous bloody maw stretching across its palm.

Isaac shook his head helplessly, pulled over a plate of roasted meat from Second Brother, and dumped it directly inside.

Watching Isaac interact with Demon Claw and Rat, Gaia and his children were utterly dumbfounded. Their eyes told them it was horrifying, yet their hearts somehow sensed a trace of warmth...

Third Brother is quite different from when you became a wizard, isn't he?

Obviously! I'm an Arcanist! A Truth Wizard who believes in truth—not one of those freaks from the Legendary Wizard crowd! Cheryl rolled her eyes at Caesar's meaningful glance.

Gaia's mouth twitched as well. He was now somewhat worried about Isaac's mental state...

As for Second Brother Remington...

He was seated right beside Isaac, watching Isaac interact with Demon Claw and Rat from point-blank range. Every scrap of reason had already fallen out of him, and he merely sat there in a daze...

Normally, Isaac bringing pets to the dining table and reaching out to snatch other people's food would definitely have earned him a scolding from Gaia—perhaps even a small punishment. But the pets, coupled with the gentle smile on Isaac's face, were simply too surreal. By the time Isaac bowed and left the dining hall, Gaia and the others only slowly came back to their senses...

"Father... from now on... let's set up a separate dining hall for Third Brother... for everyone's sake..." Caesar said helplessly as he looked at the terrified servants. Some of the more timid ones had already rolled their eyes back; they were only still standing through sheer professional discipline.

Gaia fell silent for a moment. He glanced at the servants' horror-stricken faces, especially those who had already lost consciousness. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he quietly nodded, making a decision that went against the ancestral teachings...

There was no choice but to go against them!

Couldn't he see that even those maids and butlers with special statuses had been scared half to death?

Given enough time, they might grow used to it—but they might also end up like Isaac, developing all sorts of strange changes in their minds...

"...No wonder the Grand Princess wanted to move out on her own... Legendary Wizards... are truly terrifying~"

"Will the Grand Princess also become... surreal like Third Brother?" Remington asked after coming back to himself, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"The Grand Princess is also a Legendary Wizard, so naturally, Legendary Wizards are not quite right in the head. Mad Wizards are simply even less normal. Unfortunately, as far as I know, that Grand Princess is, like our Third Brother, a Mad Wizard." Cheryl shrugged helplessly.

At that, the corner of Remington's mouth twitched again. What immense fortune they had... to share a country with that crouching dragon and fledgling phoenix...

Was it still too late to run away?