Paul

I stood in the shadows, watching Rudy and Ghislaine fight.

The battle went quickly. It was over in barely two minutes.

But only when I watched from the sidelines did I realize just how much of a genius my son was...

Seeing Ghislaine seem to get a little carried away as she charged down at Rudy from the air, I moved first, knocked Rudy unconscious, and stopped her.

Holding the fainted Rudy in my arms, I smiled and asked, "So? What do you think of my son?"

Ghislaine crouched down first and smashed her frozen hand against the ground.

Only after shaking off the remaining shards of ice did she answer.

"He's strong. Hard to imagine he's only seven."

"Right? Sometimes I even wonder if he's really mine."

"As a magician, he has an almost freakish battle instinct. Of all the magicians I've ambushed, he was the most troublesome. How is his swordsmanship?"

"He doesn't have the same talent for swordsmanship as he does for magic."

"Is that so? What a shame."

Ghislaine seemed to have taken quite a liking to Rudy. If Rudy had driven her into a corner with a sword, she probably would have gotten so excited that she'd have carried my son off on the spot.

"All right. Take him away."

"You're not going to wait until he wakes up and explain it to him?"

"I can't outtalk him. But I left a letter. Rudy will understand once he reads it."

"Does Zenith know you made this choice?"

"I'll let her know tonight. If she found out now, she'd definitely strangle me."

"Heh. I really don't know what she saw in you back then. I'm leaving."

Ghislaine slung the unconscious Rudy over her shoulder and headed toward the carriage.

She had barely taken two steps when an earthen wall suddenly appeared in front of her.

"Stop... Where are you taking Rudy?"

I turned to look. It was the girl named Sylphie.

So she could cast without incantations too?

Ghislaine looked at me, apparently not planning to answer herself.

"Uh... Rudy is going to work as a private tutor..."

I didn't know how to explain it properly either, so I could only fob her off like that.

But the girl, unlike her usual timid self, spoke with fierce momentum.

"Then why did you knock him unconscious?"

"Uh... This was a test..."

"Did Rudy agree to it?!"

While I was still thinking about what to say, the girl had already launched magic at Ghislaine.

"What a pain!"

Ghislaine clicked her tongue and leapt aside, dodging it.

"Paul, hurry up and explain it to her!"

"I know!"

I quickly rushed over and grabbed the girl by the back of her collar.

"Mr. Paul... why are you doing this..." Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, and she gave up struggling.

Why?

The reason, huh...

Faced with this little girl who was only a few years old, and who anyone could tell at a glance liked my son, was I really supposed to say it was because "that bastard Philip got word about Rudy from who-knows-where and wanted a marriage alliance"?

It was true. I really hated all that noble garbage... But...

[Think carefully about the peaceful life you have now. If the other nobles learn about your son, will you still be able to live so comfortably?]

That was right... Rudy was a true genius.

A child who had become a Water Saint-Rank magician at only five years old, and who also had noble blood running through his veins.

Those two things alone were enough to drive the nobles mad. In this world, even magicians who could reach Advanced level were few and far between, yet he had reached Water Saint-Rank at five... and now he was probably even higher.

[He's only coming to my house as a private tutor. I won't force your son to do anything. I simply don't want your son to be snatched up by some other noble and turned into their weapon. If, after three years, he has no desire to marry Eris, I'll let him come back. I only want those nobles to know your son is serving me. That way, they won't bother you or your family. It benefits both of us.]

That was right... Philip was right.

This was the best choice...

"Write Rudy a letter."

I said that to Sylphie, then turned and went back inside the house.

"Paul, you're not lying to me, are you?"

"I'm telling the truth..."

Zenith slapped me across the face.

She was crying again. I had lost count of how many times I had made her cry.

"Didn't you leave in the first place because you hated the way nobles did things...? So why, after all this time, are you letting Rudy enter that circle?"

"He's only going to be a tutor for three years. It'll make those nobles think Rudy is working for Philip, and then they won't come bother us later..."

"Just for that... you sent Rudy into a place completely unfamiliar to him?! He's only seven years old! Paul!"

As if Norn and Aisha sensed the change in the house, they both started crying.

I held the sobbing Zenith in my arms, while praying in my heart that my sensible son wouldn't hate me for this.