"Fine, let it be with a reasonable salary, okay? Rudy's future depends on it."
"Yes, yes, luckily Laws also goes to Roa and he'll be able to take me."
Yesterday I had shown my magic demonstration to my parents, although there were some doubts on Paul's part. My mother's enthusiasm overshadowed any of their doubts, but it still led to an argument between them.
"Honey, we have to get him a home tutor!" Zenith said. "I'm sure we can find a great magic instructor in Roa!" Apparently, parents were the same no matter where you were: Any time a child shows even a hint of special talent, they are quick to make sure they get the special education appropriate for their gifts.
In my old life, my parents praised my younger brother for being a genius and gave him plenty of things to learn.
Paul was less enthusiastic about Zenith's suggestion to find me a private magic tutor. "Wait, come on. Didn't you promise that if we had a boy, we would raise him to be a knight?"
So a girl would be a mage, but a boy would be a knight?
They must have agreed to that before I was even born.
"But he can already use magic at his age!" Zenith rebutted. "With the right training, he'd make an amazing mage!"
"But a promise is a promise!"
"Don't talk to me about promises! You always break promises!"
"We're not talking about me right now!"
So my parents got into a small argument, while Lilia calmly continued to fulfill her duties.
The argument dragged on for a bit, until, after finishing cleaning, Lilia said with a sigh, "What if he studies magic in the morning and practices swordsmanship in the afternoon?"
That suggestion ended the argument, and my foolish parents decided on their children's studies without bothering to consider my feelings.
Which brings us to the present. It was just before noon. My father had left home at dawn and now says he's going to Roa to post the notice. I honestly don't know what to expect from this, but given that they, or rather Zentih, are putting so much effort into this, it would be best to please her, and it's something I'm interested in as well, so everyone wins.
"Okay, see you tomorrow," Paul said, and said goodbye to Mom with a kiss on the lips that lasted longer than usual.
Apparently, Roa was only a couple of hours away by carriage from the town, so it wouldn't take them too long to get back.
"Paul! It's time!" A voice sounded from the entrance. I could barely peek out and saw a blond man on top of a cart. That must be Laws, I guess...
"Haaa..." Mom let out a sigh as she watched the cart leave the town. She must really like that idiot.
"Oh, Rudy! I didn't realize you were here... Mommy's going to work today. Do you want to go with me?" she said with a smile as she picked me up.
Zenith works at the town infirmary, but she occasionally goes during the week, so this is one of those days.
"Yes! I want to go with Mommy!" I said with a big smile, which earned me a tighter hug from my mother.
I had realized that I had to act more like my age on certain occasions. I didn't want the whole family to give me the silent treatment, honestly.
"Well, in that case, Lilia! Rudy and I will go to the infirmary! I'll leave the house with you!" My mother announced, and with a simple nod, we left the house.
Now that I think about it, it's the first time I've ventured further than the front yard.
Apparently, this was once a farming village, given the enormous amount of wheat and other crops planted on the land.
"Mommy, what are those things over there?" I asked with feigned innocence, looking at the wheat fields.
"Oh? Those are wheat fields, darling! Remember those delicious breads you like?"
"Yes, there's more?"
"Hehe, probably, but that's where they come from, or well, wheat is the main ingredient!" my mother said as we walked.
It was nice being with Zenith like this; she was the only person I'd truly loved since I arrived here.
"Zenith! Good morning! Oh? That must be little Rudy?" a woman said out of nowhere as we walked.
"Mrs. Odet! Good morning... hehe, this is Rudy, he just turned three!" my mother said as she held me like a trophy.
"Wow, he looks exactly like Paul! Let's hope not completely!" the woman said, and my mother just smiled at the comment.
Oh shit...
After walking for another ten minutes, we arrived at a large building, probably twice the size of our house.
"This is the Rudy Hospital. It's where Mom works," my mother said as we walked through the building.
There were some injured people or others who were sick, but it was nothing out of the ordinary.
I also noticed that most of the people, especially the men, greeted my mother kindly. She must be very well-liked around here, if that's the case.
"Zenith! Just in time! One of the village knights arrived with a large cut on his right arm! He says it was from a black wolf, can you handle it?" A middle-aged man approached my mother with a relieved expression.
"Oh, of course! Tell me where he is!" my mother said with her characteristic jovial attitude.
"He's in room two... and this must be your son, Rudeus, huh?" The man said in a tense tone at my presence, as if his friendly aura had tensed.
"Hehe, yes, this is my little angel, Rudeus. He's already three years old," my mother said, and the man just stared at me, and finally a fake smile appeared on his face.
"Wow! He looks exactly like his father... and how is Paul?"
"He's fine. He left for Roa a few hours ago on some errands, but he'll be back tomorrow."
"Hah... that man is really lucky, huh?" the man muttered and started walking outside.
I couldn't see my mother's expression, but she hugged me tighter after that.
We spent about three hours at the clinic, and there I learned that my mother can only use healing spells up to the intermediate level and other magic, which she called divine and barrier magic, but only up to beginner levels.
"Well, Mr. Tobias, it's dinner time for me, Rudy, so we'll head back now," my mother said.
Not really, but after that man's comments, my mother's mood changed a bit.
"Oh? That's a shame then. See you around," the man said, but I could see him clenching his fists in anger.
"Yes, see you tomorrow," my mother replied, and so we left the clinic.
After walking until the building was out of sight, my mother let out a sigh but didn't say anything.
Perhaps she had already noticed that guy's mood and decided it would be best to head back.
"I just hope your father is having a better time," my mother said as she stroked my head, and so we walked back home.
...
[Paul Pov]
"So yesterday your son revealed to you that he can now perform magic, huh? That's... interesting."
"Uh? Yes, yes..." Laws's statement momentarily brought me out of my thoughts.
Yesterday, my three-year-old son revealed to us that he can now perform magic, not to mention the fact that he behaves very maturely for his age and that he hardly depends on us at all... I'm not bragging when I say that my son is a genius, unique in his generation.
This simple thought brought a smile to my face, but it also raised doubts.
Am I qualified to be his father? Can I handle the responsibility of caring for a child with his qualities?
Since the day he was born, I've noticed that Rudeus has kept his distance from me, unlike his Zenith. Apparently, my little one is a mommy's boy...
And besides, everything indicates that he will be a magician, so the only thing he will inherit from me will be my appearance.
"Haaa..." I let out a sigh.
No one ever told me parenthood would be so difficult.
"What's wrong, Paul? You don't seem so happy about your son's achievement," Laws murmured, frowning.
"Of course I am. I'm proud. It's just that... I don't know if I have what it takes to raise him. I told you he didn't even cry at his birth, right? He never seems to have needed us, except for food," I murmured as my vision faded to the distant prairies.
"That only depends on you, Paul, don't you think? If you think you're not adequate, then you never will be. It's all in your mind, don't you think?"
"Hah, yes, you're right... thanks, Laws. And how is your daughter?" I asked.
"Phi... she's fine. I can't say much," he murmured. I could see his ears drooping at his change of mood.
Laws's daughter was born with green hair. Apparently, she comes from the Laws side of the family, but you never know. This has isolated her from the other children in the area, despite her young age.
"...How about we get our children to meet? Rudeus doesn't have any friends either, after all," I said.
Laws frowned as he looked at me.
"Are you sure? I don't want my daughter to be bothered by your son too," he said in a more defensive tone.
"Nonsense! My Rudeus is a gentleman like his father!" I said, but I could see that Laws wasn't buying it and was actually staring at me.
"Okay, what do you say if one of these days I take him to the patrol station and you take your daughter too? We'll make it look like a coincidence, and if Rudeus wants to be clever, then I'll arrest him on the spot!" I said with the most honest smile I could muster.
Laws stared at me for a few more seconds but finally nodded. "Okay, I also want to meet the son my partner brags about so much, hehe," he said, and the tension of the trip diminished momentarily.
It was already nighttime, but Roa was still a couple of hours away, but there was nothing to worry about, right?
"Hmm?..." Suddenly, my instincts immediately kicked in. There was something in the woods, something stalking us.
Danger.
"Paul..."
"Yes," I replied. Those are warrior instincts for you.
"Stop the carriage. Whatever it is already has us surrounded," I muttered as I slowly drew my sword.
I wasn't scared. Bandit ambushes in Asura were rare, but never, never, and certainly not so close to a city as populated as Roa. This only meant one thing.
This was deliberately planned by someone who wants me dead.
But who? Or rather, who doesn't.
"Hand over everything you're carrying unless you want to have your eyes in his mouth." A man emerged from the bushes with his sword drawn, and twenty more of them emerged from the bushes.
Laws readied his bow and arrow, and I readied my sword.
"Sorry, but what if we refuse?!" I said with a mocking smile, but the man just snorted in disdain.
"Then you will have to suffer the consequences!" The man said as he got into a fighting stance and I did the same.
"Laws, cover my back"
"Of course," my elf companion said, and with one leap I leaped towards the man in front of me.
The poor guy didn't even have time to react and my sword was already cutting into his ribs.
Laws started shooting his arrows, he was very fast considering how tedious that can be.
But still, between the two of us we were able to take out the twenty guys in less than three minutes, but something wasn't right.
"Paul! We did it!" The cry of victory was cut short as it whizzed through the air toward our heads.
He was fast, faster than me, I barely had time to repel the attack but Laws wasn't so lucky and a dagger buried itself in his left shoulder.
"So you're the heavyweights, huh?" I muttered to the figure revealing itself in the woods, no, the two figures.
"It seems the rumors of the great Paul Notos Greyrat are true, huh? I noticed a use of all three sword styles in your attacks."
"You are also close to the Saint rank, but you are lacking"
They were two men, with rabbit ears and swords at their waists.
"Who are you guys?" I muttered, although I already had an idea from the rumors.
"I am Knuckle"
"and I am Gard"
"alone we are half a man"
"Together we are a complete man!"
"We will fight you both at the same time"
"Together we are the North King NuckleGard, one of the three swords of the North God!"