Chapter 15

chapter 15

If the fact that he has great magical potential is acknowledged, then nobody will dismiss him like Mrs. Lauren in the future.

It wouldn’t be because of Irena’s power or influence, but because they would truly see Raynard differently.

“Now I understand why there are no records of red eyes.”

Dave muttered, flipping the book to see if that was the end of what they sought for. Irena nodded in agreement. She has been wondering why there were no records so far, and now the question has been answered.

“They deliberately removed the records.” (Irena)

“It seems to me that the Beatus served as the spiritual proprietor that supported the Denique Kingdom for a long time, so it would not have been good for the Empire.”

It’s very common in history books. The history that has been constantly passed down were normally written from the standpoint of the winners, and in Irena’s continent, it’s the Genosean Empire.

The Empire, which had repeatedly gone to war to expand their territory, would have thoroughly crushed their descendants of their conquered territories to prevent them from making efforts to regain their homecountry.

If the Beatus truly had been the spiritual proprietor of the Kingdom of Denique, as the records have stated, it would’ve been clear why records of the Kingdom of Denique had been completely erased— its to prevent the Beatus from ever knowing.

It made it hard to decipher the book perfectly. It would be almost impossible to examine the contents of an ancient book, rather than to search for a compilation based on the facts Irena knows in advance.

‘Maybe because the maliciously rumor of them being cursed is spreading, making them seem like an evil enemy.

Irena stood up, rubbing her shoulders after she had spent nearly two weeks reading. Meanwhile, Dave opened the book again and wrote something down on a parchment.

“Dave, what are you doing?”

“It’s an interesting tale. I’m going to do a little more research about it, and I think it’s a good idea to include when we submit a letter of recommendation to the academy.”

“Yes, that too.”

Irena left Dave’s lab, thinking that adding that information would help Raynard’s admission in the Academy. I brought a book with the stories about the Beatus to Dave.

‘Then how in the world did Marquis De Flon know about this?’

Irena was hurriedly walking down the hallway, wanting to be even a second earlier to deliver the great news to Raynard.

No matter how much he calls himself a wizard, how did he know the story that was stuck in the corner of this ancient book?

‘How would he know?’

Irena shook her head at the thought she had heard for a moment. She can’t remember what had passed in the novel. Besides that, not like she can ask Marquis De Flon directly.

It’s just a waste of time to keep asking questions that won’t be solved.

Irena cleared her thoughts and then decided to open the door of the living room. Inside the candle-lit parlor, she could see Raynard copying the writings in a children’s book with a serious face.

“Ray, what are you doing?”

Raynard, who had been concentrating for a long time, didn’t hear the door open. When he heard her voice, he looked up. As soon as he saw Irena, he relaxed his face and smiled.

“I’m doing my homework.”

“At this hour? Why don’t you take a break?”

“I have to copy all the fairy tales lines by tomorrow. I’m going to rest after I finish this.”

“Really? You’re working hard without me.”

“Of course! I’ve already done this much!”

He proudly showed off his progress. Irena burst into laughter while she read his handwriting.

“Your handwriting has improved a lot.” The crooked lines of the letters were like scribblings of a five-year-old learning to write.

As if boasting to his mother, Raynard proudly stretched his hand out to Irena. After his declaration, there was a slight stiffness when he touched the quill.

“That’s true. I guess you worked hard. Doesn’t it hurt?”

“How can my hands hurt just from writing this much?”

“So, does it?”

“Yes.”

Irena gently rubbed his fingers and sat next to him.

“Ray, while you were working hard, I found this, too.”

“What?”

“It’s the story of those who possess red eyes. I told you that those are the eyes blessed by the Goddess, didn’t I? Look, it’s written right here. The people who had the same eyes as you were called ‘Beatus’”

Irena opened the book to him, unknowingly raising her voice in excitement.

But contrary to rejoice Irena expected to see, Raynard’s response was somewhat scathing. While he was practicing his writing skills, he dully glanced at the book Irena just opened.

That was the end. Soon after, she looked at Raynard, who was still rewriting, and asked rather quiveringly.

“What’s with your reaction?”

“What?”

“Are you not happy?”

“Well, I don’t know. Should I be happy?”

Raynard unconsciously glanced at the tip of the pen and stared at Irena’s book.

“Even so, it wouldn’t really make much of a difference.”

“Why wouldn’t it make a difference? Dave will send a letter of recommendation to the Academy with this material, and once it’s known, nobody will talk badly about your eyes again.”

It’s a life-changing information. No, it will change.

Irena has spent so much of her time searching for it to happen. However, Raynard still continued to copy the fairy tale writings with a neutral expression.

‘It’s not this.’

Irena felt like all of her energy was drained away.

“By the way.”

Raynard, who was still silently writing under the despondent gaze of Irena, lifted his head.

“So now, you’re going to take the classes with me again?”

“Huh?”

Unable to understand what he was trying to say, Irena tilted her head. Raynard scowled.

“You found the material you wanted. Aren’t you going to stop skipping and attend the classes with me again?

“Oh, class? Well, what should we do?”

Irena was worried for a moment as she was covering the book. Raynard’s were all basic, thus, Irena doesn’t have any need to attend it. She only participated in those classes not up to her level to reassure the anxious Raynard.

Even if she did participate, she would’ve had to sit down next to him for hours on end, while listening to the teacher’s lectures going in one ear and out of the other. It’s basically just a waste of time if it wasn’t for Raynard.

‘Ray seems to have adapted well.’

As she was thinking about . how she doesn’t have to attend those classes, Raynard’s gaze was getting more irritated.

He was glaring at her as if he wanted to say something. Irena looked into his eyes and answered.

“Do you want me to keep attending?”

“Yes! Let’s take the classes together!”

He nodded with a more energetic attitude than when he heard about the Beatus story, and then continued to practice writing again. His writing would’ve looked a lot better if it wasn’t in such a state and had more strength in it.

The Empire, having four seasons, was incredibly hot in the summer. After spending his summer in short, thin outfits, Raynard looked down at the formal, and tight-fitting garments.

“Why do I have to wear this in this hot weather? No one’s gonna see it, anyway.”

“I can see it.”

When Irena said as a matter of factly, he snorted at her.

“It doesn’t matter if you can see it.”

It was a just a misunderstanding, but Raynard had explicitly stated that he did not have to wear such formal attire in front of Irena.

“It’s really hot.”

He got up from his desk, walking to the sofa only to fall on it. His arm hung lifelessly on the edge of the couch.

“You’ve made a fuss about getting out of your clothes because no one can see you. What’s wrong?”

“Isn’t this just like that time? Back then, I was going to take a bath, but you were going to come in. I only need to take my vest off now… can’t I?

When Irena gave him no permission, he threw his face down to the sofa, muttering, “It’s hot”. After Irena being speechless for a while, he turned to look at her. His usually white face was now flushed.

‘Is it that hot?’

It made sense why he was feeling so hot. It was in the middle of summer and he was clad in thin silver cloth, and now, Raynard was wearing a long shirt and long pants with loose bows.

As if it wasn’t hot enough, he was wearing a vest on top of all of it.

Still, Raynard was learning his manners and he decided to bear with it and nodded. Even though he was complaining about the hot weather, it was good of him to ask before taking off his vest.

“I think I’m going to live now.”

Raynard, who quickly took off his vest, sat close to the ice on the table. It was the unmelted ice Dave magically made for the heat-tired little ones.

The air around that area was cooler than elsewhere, and Raynard approached it so close that it was as if he had become one with the ice, feeling as if he was a dog.

He flopped down on the table, enjoying the cool air that emitted from the ice, and turned his eyes to Irena.

“Don’t you feel hot? Your face is so red.”

“I don’t.”

“Lies! You’re dressed way more than I am. How can you not feel hot?”

“It’s really not hot.”

Irena might have said that but in actuality, she felt like she was melting. She seemed to ripen under the heat.

Her clothes were thicker and heavier than those of Raynard’s. It was difficult being a noble lady.

Irena had been reminded of the air conditioning wind, which was so cold that it felt like it burned her short arms and bones.

Looking at the sweat-drenched Irena wiping herself with a handkerchief, Raynard fluttered the fan to regulate the wind on the table. It seemed to cool even though it didn’t take much effort.

Irena unconsciously smiled and Raynard approached her side, sitting down. He sat beside her as if he wasn’t complaining how hot it was earlier.

“You know, Irena?”

“What?”

“On days like this, It’s best to swim in the river.”

“River?”

“Yeah. In my hometown, we always go to the river on a hot day like this. It always feels refreshing to swim and play under a tree.”

“So you want to go out and play?”

“No, well, not really.”

When Irena, with curiosity, wanted to broach the subject, Raynard brought his head down in dismay. Irena squinted her eyes at him.

“It’s not because you don’t want to study, right?”

Raynard jolted. Bullseye.

“Not like that!”

Irena stared at him suspiciously. He squawked a bit.

“No, it’s just that I can’t concentrate from all this heat. My hands are also sweating so much, I can’t hold the quill pen properly. So, I was having a hard time, and my teacher looks tired, too…”

It was a long story but really, in short, he just didn’t want to go to class.