C118
Since becoming a student of Merhen, the Pianist of Melody, her skills improved day by day.
She became sensitive enough to detect even the minute air pressure with Schema, and her fingers were leaping over the keys so quickly that they could not be seen.
Reina's performance received praise even from the great royals.
But for Rian, who had been kept awake by that sound since childhood, it was nothing but a murderous noise.
"Damn, the witch has gotten stronger. But humans won't die that easily."
Reina seemed to hear nothing but the sound of her performance.
It was evident that she was highly focused, with her lower lip sticking out.
Her hair was unkempt as if she had been up all night, and her eyes were puffy.
She was only wearing shorts, so her thighs were fully exposed.
In fact, she had been playing the piano for 17 hours straight.
It was a funeral song known for its difficulty on the continent, and she had been struggling with it lately.
A barrier is a curse and a blessing for an artist. It's a phenomenon that appears just before skills improve.
In such cases, Reina would stay up for days and overcome the barrier.
Rian caught a glimpse of new hope.
If he could sneak into his sister's room and pack his belongings, he could escape by jumping out of the window or breaking the wall.
'Alright, stay calm. I'm going back home.'
Rian moved slowly along the blind spot of the grand piano.
If he could reach the stairs like this, the operation would be a great success.
Of course, Reina was sitting on top of her brother's head.
The moment the light of hope brightened Rian's eyes, she abruptly stopped playing, as always.
'Ah, damn it.'
Reina spoke without even looking at him.
"You, what have you been doing since a while ago? Seems like these days, they teach how to make people laugh in swordsmanship school?"
"Tch, if you saw it, you should have at least pretended to know. And what's with your look? A grown-up maiden playing the piano in her short? Don't insult art."
"Getting cheeky again. You definitely didn't get hit enough."
Contrary to her threatening words, Reina picked up the skirt and put it on.
Only the family knew that she would undress one by one as stress increased during practice.
"Hehe, still you're embarrassed in front of your brother, right? Ah, ack!"
The moment Rian burst into laughter, Reina's sole hit his face.
Rian also trained hard, but her speed was still too fast for him to react.
"Shit. What the hell are you doing? Ptoo!"
Reina held out her hand to Rian, who was spitting out.
“Give me your report card.”
Rian's face hardened.
As expected, what was to come had to come.
"Why, Why the hell do my sister care so much about my report card? I'm all grown up now, too. Ah, ouch!"
Reina shouted, pulling Rian's ear.
"Not giving it? You want to die today?"
"Ah, okay! Here, here!"
Rian pulled out the report card from his pocket and threw it on the floor.
Then, without looking back, he ran to his room.
"Phew! He definitely didn't get hit enough. When is he going to grow up?"
Reina picked up the report card and spread it in front of her eyes.
The scores of the training subjects came down in order, and at the end, the number of all students and the overall rank were written.
Reina's hands trembled after checking Rian’s rank.
Last place!
It wasn't even second to last, but really the last place.
'Nonsense. No matter how pathetic he is, he works hard.'
Reina turned the report card over to check the teacher's comment section.
As she read the text, her eyes widened in shock.
“We regret to inform you that your child has finished the semester with the lowest grade.
We believe Rian thinks he has opened his Schema, but the faculty has concluded it's merely a placebo effect caused by his increased physical strength.
This is known as an Imaginary Schema phenomenon, albeit it's extremely rare, it can happen occasionally. This is a time when he need the warm attention of his family.
"Oh, seriously! I can't live like this!"
Reina crumpled up his report card and went up the stairs in a huff.
As she stormed into the room, she found Rian packing his belongings, seated like a bear.
"Hey! You're in last place!”
"Ah, I don't know. It just happened."
“Besides, Imaginary Schema? What on earth does that mean? So it's like... something like... an imaginary pregnancy?"
"Seems like it."
Rian responded as if it happened to someone else and went back to his packing.
Ever since the report card was made public, he was already free from all earthly troubles.
Reina glared at Rian as her insides bubbling.
Unable to hold back, she mercilessly smacked Lian's back.
"Oh, you good-for-nothing! Just die, die!"
"Ouch! it hurts!"
“Is this really that hard? You just need to do Schema!”
"I don't know! What am I supposed to do if I can't? I've tried my best. Anyway, get out of the way. I have to leave, might miss the carriage."
"Leave? Where are you going? Stick right at home! When we're done here, we're going to go down with Grandfather, so you should come too!"
"No! I have a promise!"
"A promise? What kind of promise can you have? Looking at these grades, do you still want to have fun?"
Rian almost used his Shirone card in a fit of anger.
But he held back in the end. It was something he should never tell Reina.
It was a double date.
If she heard that Shirone was going with a woman, it was clear that Reina would use any means to prevent him from going.
'The ugly one is full of jealousy.'
At first, he hoped that Shirone and his sister would get along, but now he felt like tearing them apart.
A prudent and calm woman suited Shirone much better than a witch like this.
"What kind of promise is it? If you don't tell me..."
"I made a promise with a girl. We agreed to hang out."
"A girl? What kind of girl does a guy who goes to swordsmanship academy meet?”
"There are girls there too. Elzain Tess, you know the Elzain family, don't you? She's their daughter."
Reina was familiar with the Elzaine family, who had been prominent in diplomatic fields for a long time.
However, if she was a daughter of such an elite family, she would have a high nose.
It was unimaginable that she would go on a trip with her brother, who came back being the last in the class.
“Where are you lying? Be honest! Do you have other ulterior motives?”
"I don't know, mind your own business! I'm leaving!"
Ignoring Reina's nagging advance, Rian, who was absorbed in stuffing his backpack, jumped up and ran away as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
"Hey! Don't go!"
When Reina stepped out the door, Rian had already jumped down the stairs to the second floor and ran to the front door.
It wasn't a distance that he couldn't catch up with if she activated Schema, but Reina let it go with an annoyed expression.
From childhood, she was so confident she could control Rian, who was her bread and butter, even from a hundred thousand miles away.
"Haha. Yes, go ahead and take the carriage diligently. Let's see who gets there first."
Behind Rian, who was running away, Reina was waving his report card.
--------------------------
After seeing off her friends, Sirone walked to the carriage sent by the Ogent Family.
Temuran, the steward of the main family, came out to meet him.
Just like when he had a hard time organizing the Great Library, his strict impression remained the same even after half a year.
However, the attitude towards him was quite different.
He not only bowed his head politely but also wore a gentle smile on his face.
"It's been a while, young master. You've done well."
"It's been a while for you too, Steward."
At first, being addressed as a young master felt awkward, but after half a year, it didn't particularly bother him anymore.
Of course, it was still embarrassing, that much was true.
The two sat in the carriage and chatted while they headed for Shirone's house.
In particular, Shirone was glad to know how the people of the Ogent Family were doing.
"Wow, he's already become a public servant?"
Rian's older brother, Ogent Ray, passed the knight exam.
Of course, as a level 10 knight, he was not in a position to relax and was said to be having busy days on the front lines.
"Yes. In addition, Lady Reina was promoted to the director of the 7th Music Band of the Royal Palace. She's doing very well. The head of the family is still busy with public affairs, and the elder will retire soon and return to their hometown."
“Ah, but I heard that Rian’s older brother is also there? What does he do?"
"Um, that's not something I can comment on. Just know he is a 6-rank knight. This might be presumptuous of me to say, but it would be best not to mention the eldest son in the main house."
"Oh, I see."
When he thought about the Ogent Family's disposition, it didn't seem like a household that would have familial discord.
Even so, he thought that if it was a story that could not be brought up, it might be a political issue.
"Is Rian doing well? I'm going to see him soon anyway."
Temuran's response was the shortest of all so far.
"We haven't heard from him in half a year."
"Hahaha! That's so like Rian."
While enjoying their conversation, the carriage had entered the forest before they knew it.
Shirone opened the window and enjoyed the scenery of his hometown.
The colorful forest scene already seemed to welcome his return.
The carriage entered the courtyard of Shirone's house.
It was the exact same place when Temuran came to pick up Shirone in the past.
"Thank you for the ride. I will visit again soon."
"I merely did my duty. Have a good time then.”
With an excited heart, Shirone turned his steps.
Looking at the humble but charming log house brought up fresh emotions.
'Thank you. I will be filial during vacation.'
As he approached the house, he thought more and more of his parents.
His hardworking mother and his father who did not hesitate to kneel to send him to magic school.
Shirone opened the door and shouted with emotion.
"Mom! Dad!"
“Uhahahaha! That's right, that's right! Beer is indeed the best with pork!"
"Father, you think so too? I also found that beer doesn't go well with lamb!"
"That's right. Lamb has a gamey taste that ruins the taste of the drink. Come on, let's have another drink!"
Shirone stared blankly at the living room.
He was surprised because the atmosphere was more festive than expected, but the real shock was due to the giant boy sharing a drink with Vincent.
He had grown significantly taller and his hair was shorter. But his robust impression was definitely that of Rian.
“Shirone! You're here!"
Rian jumped up.
But it was Vincent who ran faster than anyone else.
The moment he embraced him, the scent of alcohol wafted heavily. It seemed he had drunk quite a bit.
"Ouch! Our son is here! You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"Ew, the smell of alcohol. What's going on all of a sudden? Why is Rian at our house?"
"He stayed for two days to see you. He even helped chop wood and went hunting together. How about it? Wasn't it fun, Rian?"
"Hahaha! Of course, father! After all, a true man must know how to hunt!”
Shirone was not amused.
The father he knew was not the kind of person to treat a nobleman so casually, even if he was his son's friend.
What sort of camaraderie had they developed in just two days that they were already drinking before lunchtime?
Shirone broke out of Vincent's arms and yelled at Lian.
"They said you were out of contact? Did you stop by your house before coming here?"
"No, why should I go to that house? This is my Lord's house, right, father?"
"You're funny! You've gotten into some trouble again, haven't you?"
“Wha- What accident could I possibly cause?”
Although he pretended to be innocent, it was clear just from Rian's face.
It wasn't that he avoid going home, it was that he couldn't.
Shirone sighed and entered the living room.
'Haa, this wasn't the plan...'
The long-awaited father and son reunion ended in a drinking party.
However, seeing his father looking happier than before, he felt somewhat relieved that he couldn't cry.
"Oh my, Shirone's here. Come here, my son."
Olina hugged Shirone warmly.
Once again, he thought that the only thing to believe in the world was his mother, and Shirone was finally able to exchange the greetings he wanted.
“Mom, you went through a lot while I was gone, right? I’m sorry."
“What hard work? The Ogent Family helped us a lot.”
Olina patted Shirone on the back while glancing at Vincent.
She was not pleased with his drunken state, especially when their son had just returned after half a year.
---
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
