The afternoon sun hit Arthur's face, forcing him to open his eyes, disoriented. He blinked to adjust to the light coming through the window.
— Where am I? —He touched his head.
"Well, you finally wake up," said the Great Sage. "By the way, congratulations, you have reached King Rank in the sword style."
"Really? Then the beating he gave me wasn't in vain," Arthur replied.
"It seems that your Touki refinement level took a huge leap. At the last moment of the impact, all that power condensed in a single place, causing you to only fracture a few bones," explained the Sage.
"Then, why does it feel like I slept so long?"
"That's due to your physical energy depletion. You slept for five hours."
"I understand," Arthur closed the internal conversation.
Arthur came out of his thoughts. He tried to get up, but felt a warm weight on his right leg. He looked down and saw Norn, curled up and deeply asleep, her previously worried expression finally relaxed.
seems that I worried them
Just then, someone else entered the room.
—Norn, is Arthur awake already? —said Aisha softly. When she lifted her gaze, she saw Arthur already sitting up, looking at her with a smile.
—Arthur! —Aisha exclaimed, relieved, running toward him—. Idiot! Why do you have to do such dangerous things? You scared all of us.
The noise woke Norn, who lifted her head from Arthur's leg. When she saw him awake and smiling, her eyes filled with tears.
—Arthur! —Norn threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly and sobbing against his neck—. I thought… I thought something bad had happened to you.
—I'm fine, Norn —said Arthur, hugging her gently and stroking her hair—. Thanks to you and Aisha, I'm as good as new. But now. Would you tell me what happened after that big guy sent me flying? And where are the others?
Aisha, now calmer, sat on the edge of the bed, crossing her arms.
Well, after knocking you unconscious, that big guy just left, after saying goodbye to Rudeus.
—And Ruijerd left after eating. Rudeus and Sylphie went to the academy.
—So he already left. I hope it goes well.
—By the way, my brother said he wanted to talk to you about something —said Norn, looking at him with concern.
—Well. Do you know when he'll be back? —asked Arthur.
—He said he would return home as soon as their classes ended,—Aisha explained.
Arthur irritated, relaxing slightly. —By the way. Do you have something to eat? I'm starving.
Aisha and Norn stood up, encouraged by the request.
—Of course! We'll bring you the lunch you missed! —said Aisha, leaving the room.
—And I'll bring you hot tea —offered Norn.
Arthur was left alone in the room, feeling the peaceful silence. "King Rank… I did it," he thought, savoring the achievement that had come at the cost of terrible pain. "Mmm what will he want to talk about"
Night fell. Arthur and Rudeus were outside the mansion. The sky was clear, and the starlight shone over the blanket of snow.
Rudeus was looking at the sky with a tense expression, and Arthur watched him from behind, waiting for the dreaded conversation.
After much hesitation, Rudeus turned around. —Arthur, do you have any relationship with Orsted?
The question made Arthur blink in confusion. Then, in his mind, a memory of his past life flashed: the image of a man with white hair and a cold gaze.
No, I don't know him, in fact I only know him from stories.
Upon hearing Arthur's negative answer, Rudeus felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. His tense expression visibly softened with relief.
—Why do you ask that? —questioned Arthur, puzzled.
— Uh? Ah, nothing, nothing —Rudeus, unable to think of an excuse quickly—. By the way… why don't you tell me a bit more about my sisters? You know, how they are and all that.
well…. He began to tell him about them, what things they knew and about their personalities. ..... The next day
After the exhausting morning training, Arthur entered the mansion. He found Rudeus in the kitchen, focused. It seemed he really wanted to take this "big brother" thing seriously. The result of his effort was a steaming mountain of beans with fried rice.
The four of them were sitting at the table, eating Rudeus's peculiar meal.
"This is really good," Arthur thought, savoring the dish.
Aisha seemed to like the food, eating enthusiastically. Norn, on the other hand, was still a little resentful toward Rudeus, stirring the food with her fork and eating in small bites.
Rudeus put down his fork and looked at his two sisters, then at Arthur.
—Although it's already late —said Rudeus with a smile—. Good job to both of you for having made it this far, and I'm also glad to know you've been taught magic and several things.
He turned to Arthur, giving him a slight feeling of approval before looking back at his sisters.
—Of course! Arthur is a great tutor —said Aisha, puffing her chest proudly.
Norn, instead, spoke with her gaze lowered and a slight blush on her cheeks.
—I… have learned a lot thanks to Arthur —she murmured, playing with a strand of her hair.
Rudeus blinked. Something didn't add up.
"Wait… wait… wait…"
He slowly turned his to Arthur, who was eating calmly as if nothing was happening, cmompletely ignoring the emotional tension filling the air.
"Why do they react the same…? Could it be…?"
His expression froze for a moment as he processed the idea.
"It can't be… do both of them have feelings for him?"
He wanted to deny that conclusion… but when he looked back at Arthur—taller, his face losing its childish features, more serene—he realized it wasn't far-fetched.
"Damn… now that I think about it, Arthur is growing. He's becoming a handsome boy…"
A sigh escaped Rudeus.
"In my previous world… this guy would be the typical popular student with a fan club behind him."
Meanwhile, Arthur lifted his head, confused as he saw Rudeus with his hands on his head. He looked toward Aisha and Norn, questioning them with his gaze.
He only received a silent "no" from both of them.
Rudeus shook his thoughts away and forced himself to focus back on the table.
Aisha, does it bother you what Paul sent? —Arthur intervened, rememññbering the request from Rudeus's father.
—Ah, I had forgotten! —Aisha exclaimed. She stood up from the table and returned quickly, carrying a sturdy wooden chest and handing it to Rudeus along with a small key.
Rudeus received it, joined the keys, and with a mix of curiosity and solemnity, opened the chest. Upon seeing the contents, he froze completely.
"so much money… Well it's not that much, there are pairs of dozens of gold and silver ingots. But with this we could… we could not worry about anything for 10 years," Rudeus thought, his eyes glassy from the impact of the amount.
He closed the chest, his priorities shifting abruptly. He looked at his sisters and then at Arthur.
—Well, I think with everything they've told me about you two… you won't need to go to school anymore —Rudeus said, trying to sound casual.
Before he could finish the sentence, Arthur intervened, surprising everyone with a direct declaration:
—I would like to enter the University.
The heads of Rudeus, Aisha, and Norn turned toward Arthur in unison, all three completely shocked. Rudeus was the first to react.
—You… to the university? —asked Rudeus, his voice marked with disbelief.
—Yes —Arthur confirmed with a slight smile—. Well, it's because I want to enter the library to increase my knowledge of magic,—"if I use Great Sage to understand all those books, I'm sure I'll get something interesting" he thought.
Aisha and Norn looked at each other, their eyes shining. If Arthur was going to the university…
—Then I'm going too! — "Besides, I promised I would follow him wherever he goes," she thought.
—Ehhh, me too! —said Norn, quickly joining, forgetting her resentment for a moment.
Arthur raised his gaze, seeing their enthusiasm as an opportunity.
—It would be a great idea. It's a huge university where you can find something you really like, whether it's magic, administration, or anything else, and dedicate yourselves fully to it —Arthur said with a sincere smile.
Rudeus brought a hand to his chin, thinking about the situation.
—Honestly, you have a point… —said Ludeus—. All right. Since you're already very advanced, it wouldn't make sense for you to take the normal exam. I'll make arrangements so you can take the Special Exam for Advanced Students.
Thank you very much —Arthur said— "I have to prepare for anything that may come."
....
Aisha's point of view
I couldn't help but smile when I heard Arthur say he wanted to enter the university.
"Of course he would… That's so typical of him."
Always with that calm look, as if the whole world were a small puzzle only he could solve.
When he announced his decision, my heart gave a little jump.
Not because I wanted to study—I already know I'm a genius, that doesn't change—but because…
"I promised to follow him wherever he goes."
I didn't say those words out loud, but inside my chest they echoed strongly.
While Rudeus talked about the special exam, I nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, but inside I was already planning everything: what subjects to take, how to surpass those older students, how to prove that Arthur was right when he said I was talented.
I looked at him from the corner of my eye.
Arthur was there, sitting, eating quietly, paying attention to what Rudeus said.
Rudeus was clearly stressed about the future.
And I…
I just wanted to match his pace.
Because when I'm by his side, I feel like I can grow even more.
Not just as a student… but as a person.
Norn's point of view
While Rudeus talked about school and how advanced we were, I could only look at Arthur from the corner of my eye.
Every time he said something… my cheeks got a little warmer.
But when he announced he wanted to enter the university, something inside me reacted before my own head could think.
—Ehhh, me too! —I said without thinking, feeling the words come out on their own.
Arthur turned to look at me with those calm eyes.
I could only lower my gaze. Va
"If you go somewhere… I also want to be there. Even if I don't say it out loud."
Aisha looked confident, as always.
I… not so much
But this time, I didn't want to be left behind.
---
While Rudeus talked about the advanced exams, I could only think of one thing:
"I have to work hard… so I don't lose sight of him."
Because even if I don't fully understand it…
Arthur has already become someone very important to me.
End of the chapter.