I Mean It

"Ability? Change?"

Severus was a smart child too. He had not noticed the subtle shift in Manus's wording, but he had caught the key points: ability and change.

"Study hard. Improve your abilities—your ability to earn money, your abilities as a wizard... Only then will you have the ability to change your family in the future, to make it prosperous and happy."

Seeing Severus's half-comprehending yet clearly attentive expression, Manus gave him an innocent smile.

"And before then... if you are willing to trust us, try relying on us a little more."

"Huh?"

"When Uncle and Aunt argue, when they neglect you but you do not dare remind them, when the atmosphere at home becomes so oppressive that you can barely breathe..."

Manus sighed. Severus's appearance at breakfast had convinced him that Severus had not even gotten a bite to eat at home.

Boys did eat more during their growth years, but a four-year-old boy could not possibly eat one breakfast at home and then another full meal at their house, no matter how polite he was or how badly he wanted to finish it.

He would throw up.

"When that happens, come to my house, just like you did today. Only, you can come more often. You do not need to feel burdened by it."

"Eh?"

"Do not rush to deny it, Severus. Do not feel embarrassed about it. This is not your fault, and it is not something you can change right now. Only by growing up healthier and happier will you gain the ability to change your home. It is nothing to be ashamed of."

At that, Manus's smile turned slightly mischievous again.

"Besides... consider it as doing me a favor."

"Huh? Doing you a favor?"

Still unable to process what Manus had said earlier, Severus's eyes were filled with obvious confusion.

"You may not have put it into words, but you have noticed it, right? Uncle and Aunt restrain themselves a lot more when they are in front of my parents."

Family shame should not be aired in public. That was practically universal in any world—or even within a sect, an organization, or a nation—as long as that world possessed the concepts of dignity and morality.

Even if the Snape couple already knew they could not truly hide their problems, it was still the same. At the very least, they had to preserve their outward dignity.

"Likewise, when you are at my house, my parents also restrain themselves and show a more perfect, gentler side."

Severus nodded as if he had suddenly understood. It really did seem that way, which was why he had always envied Manus in that regard...

So Manus's parents deliberately hid some of their flaws in front of him, just as his own parents did in front of Manus's parents?

It made sense. Did he not do the same whenever he came to Manus's house?

"So, for my sake, come to my house and see me more often."

After hearing Manus's words, Severus nodded. Then he abruptly realized that this was actually just an excuse Manus had made so he would not feel embarrassed about coming over... Yet it made perfect sense.

"Manu—Severus—Eileen is here to take Severus home!"

Aivina's voice came from downstairs.

Severus jumped. He had just climbed down from his chair when Manus grabbed his hand.

"Severus, you are my only friend in four years. I sincerely hope that you can live a better life, rather than becoming part of the suffering you are enduring. Do not take what I said just now as kindness born of pity, all right?"

Severus's pupils trembled, and he nodded. Aivina called again from downstairs, accompanied by Eileen's voice.

"Severus—what are you doing?"

"Ah, I'm coming, Mum—"

Severus hurriedly opened the door and ran downstairs, with Manus following close behind.

"Sorry, Aunt Eileen. Severus and I were putting away the wizard chess. He wanted to help me finish collecting the pieces before leaving."

Those words immediately turned the anger on Eileen's face into a smile.

"Oh, good child, what is there to apologize for?"

Severus had clearly rarely seen his mother smile so brightly, and he froze for a moment before Eileen tugged him.

"Silly child, what are you standing there for? Come here, it is time to go home. In weather this cold... Manus, Severus will come play with you another day."

"All right, goodbye, Aunt Eileen~"

Manus winked at Severus, who looked back at him, then flicked his eyes toward his own parents.

The meaning was: See? I told you parents could put on a whole different face in front of outsiders!

Of course, a little skill in the art of conversation was needed as well.

Standing in the doorway and watching the two figures disappear into the dense wind and snow, Aivina sighed. Then she realized that Manus beside her had sighed at the same time.

She glanced at Manus in surprise, saw the emotion in his eyes, and helplessly shook her head with a smile.

Of course. How could Eileen's family situation be something Manus would fail to notice just because they did not mention it in front of him?

"Do not think too much about it. It is another family's business."

Aivina rubbed Manus's head as she reminded him.

"Okay, Mum."

Manus nodded. He had already said what needed to be said. Whether Severus accepted it afterward was Severus's own question, and Manus naturally would not say any more.

But was it really only another family's business?

If his goal was merely to live his own family's life well, then that was indeed true. Yet based on the information Manus had encountered so far, the spellcasters of this world seemed somewhat... lacking in ambition?

That even included the information his father, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, had relayed.

Of course, the department where Griffin King worked dealt with foreign affairs. It was obviously not a department ambitious spellcasters would choose to join. Perhaps it was simply the environment that made all the wizards he encountered seem like that.

Manus himself would certainly not be satisfied with such a life. Though he liked a peaceful life, peace did not mean lacking ambition.

There were too many things he wanted to do in the future, too complex for one person to handle every aspect alone. He needed servants and assistants so he could use his time, energy, and resources more efficiently.

Servants could be replaced by constructs, controlled by an intelligent central system. That was how Manus had done things in his mage tower before crossing over.

But assistants were different. The role of an assistant demanded sufficiently high standards of subjective judgment and ability. An intelligent central system could not do that job; only spellcasters could.

Before crossing over, Manus had always borrowed his junior brothers and sisters from his teacher as assistants. It also gave them the opportunity to receive extra instruction and improve faster.

After crossing over, Severus was clearly an excellent candidate. A friendship built from childhood would allow Manus and him to establish a solid foundation of trust.

There was no need to worry about ability either. Manus could completely train Severus from the ground up.

This involved another of Severus's strengths: he was mature enough. Manus could begin cultivating his abilities right away, without first having to lecture him for a long time and persuade him to study.

"Severus, I sincerely hope that you can become a great mage who walks beside me, rather than fading into the crowd and repeating the tragedy of your mother... Do not disappoint me."