Chapter 32

“Understand, you two? Mind your manners while you’re at Sir Cedric’s place. Especially you, Hwi!”

“Hah!? Why did I get singled out!?”

“Because if anyone is going to do something crazy between you and Luna, it will be you!”

“Excuse me!? I know how to mind my manners! Did you forget that I was the heir to my clan? I’m properly educated in manners!”

“Says the one who only kept his manners when we first met!”

“Maybe it’s your fault, then, Master!? You know what they say: teachers are role models for their students. Ever think that I ended up like this because of you!?”

“What did you say, you brat!?”

Luna and I were standing right in front of the Magic Tower’s gate, waiting for our horse-drawn carriage to arrive, while Master Elara kept telling us to mind our manners and be respectful. I was carrying gifts from Master Elara to give to Sir Cedric. There were quite a lot of them, and they were heavy enough that my arms were starting to get tired and I was starting to feel cranky, but she wouldn’t let me put them on the ground while we waited for the carriage. Instead, she kept dissing me, so we ended up having our usual spat.

Neeeeiiiggh!!

The horse-drawn carriage arrived right on time, and Master Elara released her chokehold on me. The carriage looked luxurious despite having minimal ornaments. I didn’t know what kind of wood it was made of, but I could tell it was high-quality wood. The symbol of Veynes Magic Tower was etched on the side of the carriage, showing the affiliation of whoever was riding inside.

“Your ride is here. Hurry up and get on. Don’t keep the coachman waiting.”

“Geez, relax already, Master. I know you have a crush on Sir Cedric, but you’re acting too giddy. You’re too old to act like that, you know?”

“What did you say, you brat!?”

‘Crap! I said too much!’

I ran toward the carriage with the gifts in my hands to escape her iron claw, with Luna following behind me, looking exasperated.

I put the gifts inside first, then held out my hand to Luna, helping her get into the carriage because the step was a bit too high for her. Only then did I get inside myself.

Sliding the window open, I stuck my head out as the carriage began to move.

“Don’t worry, Master! I’ll make sure Sir Cedric receives your gifts! Also, I’ll tell him to take you out on a date!”

“Don’t you dare do anything stupid!”

Leaving her behind at the Tower, we made our way to Sir Cedric’s residence.

…

The carriage made its way towards Sir Cedric’s residence, cutting through the main road. Our destination was quite a way from the town, so it would be a while before we arrived. Both Luna and I could only sit inside the carriage for some time.

“Haah… Why do you always have to try to make Master angry, big bro?” said the little girl with silver hair sitting in front of me.

“Don’t blame me, Luna. She made me bring those heavy gifts and didn’t even allow me to put them on the ground while waiting for the carriage. She kept dissing me while we were waiting, too. Anyone would be pissed.”

“Master Elara wasn’t entirely wrong, though. You do tend to act crazy sometimes. You even punched that noble’s son who visited the Tower three days ago.”

“That pig was the one who kept insulting me. I was already holding myself back, but then he just had to insult my parents, and you expect me to just take it?”

“I’m not saying that you should let it go. I’m saying that you should keep your emotions in check, big bro. Really, you weren’t this bad when we first met.”

What Luna was talking about was an event that had happened three days ago. At the time, a Count’s family was visiting the Magic Tower. It seemed that their son (Pig) was interested in magic and wanted to be taught by Master Elara because of her reputation. Luna and I met them. The meeting was normal and peaceful at first, but then Master Elara introduced Luna and me as her disciples and told the Count that while his son (Pig) could be accepted to study magic at the Tower, Master Elara couldn’t promise that Pig would be accepted as her direct disciple like Luna and me.

Hearing that, Pig got angry and threw a tantrum. It was clear from my looks that I was a foreigner here, and it seemed that the news that Luna was from the slums had already spread. So Pig started insulting us, calling Luna and me all sorts of names. Long story short, he started insulting my parents and clan, so I gave him a good punch, breaking his nose and sending him flying.

Of course, I got an earful from Master Elara after that, but it seemed that the Count wouldn’t pursue the matter because it was a fact that his son was the one at fault here.

Also, as Luna said, ever since the incident with the Dark Mage and the Saintess, I felt like my emotions often got so strong that I couldn’t hold them back, especially negative emotions like anger. Master Elara, Mr. Phillips, and the other adults in the Tower said that it was just a phase, something people went through during puberty, so they didn’t think much of it.

“Anyway, try to keep your emotions in check, big bro. We’re about to visit my brother at Sir Cedric’s place, after all. We need to make sure we don’t embarrass the Veynes Magic Tower.”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

Geez, lately, Luna has really started nagging me. She was still only nine years old, but she had already turned into such a nag. Was this just how women were? My mother often nagged at my father, too. No, maybe not? At least, I couldn’t see Seolhwa turning into one, even though Auntie often nagged at Uncle and Seolhwa.

Wait, Seolhwa was too unique. I couldn’t use her as a case study. She only had martial arts and training on her mind, after all.

The carriage stopped for a bit once we reached the town’s gate. A guard and the coachman could be seen talking about something, and not long after, we continued on our way. Sir Cedric’s residence was about half a day’s journey from the town, in London, the capital city of Britain, where the royal palace was located.

The town where Veynes Magic Tower was located, Alderwick, was one of the few satellite cities near the capital. Apparently, it had gradually developed around the Magic Tower and was officially recognized as a town about fifty years ago. The Tower itself, however, had existed for over a century. It had been owned by several great mages throughout its history, including Master Elara’s own master. After Master Elara became an Archmage, her master, who was also the grandmaster of Luna and me, passed ownership of the Tower to her. Only then was it renamed Veynes Magic Tower after Master Elara’s family name.

No one knew where the Grandmaster had gone after passing ownership of the Tower to Master Elara, not even Master Elara herself. However, Master Elara seemed convinced that the Grandmaster was still alive and simply traveling somewhere. He was probably in a small village, teaching local children magic, since it was his hobby and also how Master Elara had met him for the first time.

“Are you listening, big bro?” Luna asked, having been talking all this time.

“Yes, yes. I’m listening.”

“Are you?” Luna pouted as she said that. Stop it, it just looked cute.

Honestly, none of what she said registered in my brain. She nagged me so much that, at this point, I could just let my mind wander and let whatever she said go in one ear and out the other.

Trying to appease her, I reached out and patted her head, then took out a candy from my chest pocket to give to her.

“C’mon, Luna. Don’t be angry.”

“Geez, you’re always treating me like a kid, big bro,” she said, even though she took the candy (peace offering) I gave her and ate it with a big smile on her face.

‘She said that, but she’s still a kid, isn’t she?’ I thought to myself, keeping the thought to myself so as not to make her angry. But I had to admit that, compared to the other kids around her age, Luna was the most mature one. Maybe it was the result of her growing up in the slums, where kids needed to mature quickly if they wanted to survive.

Seeing Luna smile so happily just because of a candy somehow made me happy too, so I just kept my mouth shut, watching the scenery outside the carriage window as we made our way to our destination.