Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

Fields of grass sway in the wind, and fluffy clouds float majestically in the sky above.

Those who consider this the true value of the fields would have been greatly disappointed by the view of Berleu at this time.

But I dare say.

Winter fields have their own special charm.

This special charm is unique to Berleu among the three countries of the Frauvian Federation.

Oslovya, the land of ports and industry, and Frauzen, the land of magic studies, also have mountains and fields.

However, they cannot match the natural scenery of Berleu, which supplies nine-tenths of the cheese and wine they eat and drink.

The grasses faded to pale yellow. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

A single blade of grass might only exude nostalgia for the past season, but when it covers the entire land, dividing the whole world into yellow and blue, it’s a different story.

What remains is pure admiration.

Thanks to this, the three-day-long train journey was not boring at all.

It was as if all instances of ‘boring’ in the dictionary in my head had been replaced with ‘leisurely’.

I stare blankly out the window, letting the once noisy but now familiar noise of the tracks pass through one ear.

When drowsiness comes, I close my eyes and fall into a light sleep.

There’s no need to worry about falling over from the train’s vibrations. There’s always a warm support sitting on my left side.

And now, it was my turn to act as the support.

It had been about 40 minutes since Julia, blinking drowsily, had rested her head on me.

Judging by the rise and fall of her shoulders, she must be entering deep sleep.

I carefully adjusted my posture so as not to disturb Julia’s small breathing sounds.

I wanted to rest my head too, but in that case, Julia would have to support the weight of my head with her crown.

<…I’ll be careful with my head.>

I had already been cautioned about this on the first day of the trip.

Shaking off drowsiness, I gently stroked the ends of Julia’s chestnut hair flowing down to my chest, while quietly observing the scenery outside the window.

Monotony and boredom are not synonymous.

But it’s clear that monotony induces drowsiness.

For example, silence had fallen even in the next compartment, which had been quite noisy during the first and second days of the trip. It housed the peculiar combination of the Oslo family and Professor Müller.

Certainly, in this aspect, spring fields might be better. The green fields would be colored by clusters of flowers in various hues.

It seems we might need to go on a separate outing after the award ceremony to achieve the original purpose of the family meeting.

The leaves have long since fallen. There’s no freshness or flowers.

But if the first snow falls a bit early, it would surely make for an enjoyable outing.

With such thoughts, I placed my hand on Julia’s hands, which were neatly folded.

At that moment, the scenery outside the window began to change from the front.

Rising smoke and densely packed multi-story houses. Tall bell towers and old castles.

About half the size of downtown Frauzen, but with a density no less than the mecca of magic studies – the capital of Berleu, Schwerin, was gradually revealing itself.

This meant two things. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

First, the three-day train journey had come to an end.

Second, the Russell Award Awarding Ceremony was just tomorrow.

Thump.

“Mmm……”

The fact that my heartbeat intensified at the same time Julia stirred might not be a coincidence.

#December 9th. Cloudy.

Perhaps it was due to the busy schedule of arriving, eating, and moving to the inn, or maybe the fatigue from the train journey hadn’t yet worn off.

Or perhaps it was both, but Julia looked up at me languidly.

It was truly an expression fitting for just before bedtime.

“Yawn… We probably won’t see much of each other tomorrow.”

“Is the awarding ceremony going to be that busy?”

“There’s a banquet, too. Oh, don’t forget your tailcoat. We’ll need to dress quite formally……”

I smiled slightly.

Somehow, yawns kept coming from that small mouth of hers.

“Alright. Go in and sleep.”

“Okay.”

Unlike the train compartment, we can’t share a room at the inn. We’re not married yet, and moreover, this is practically a family trip.

Still, thanks to getting adjoining rooms, I was able to enter my room while waving goodbye to Julia.

That is, I entered the room where the five members of the Oslo family were busy preparing for bed.

One of the two beds was already occupied by Benjamin, Susan, and Ellie, who were dozing off.

On the other bed were the soundly sleeping Sally, and Lena, who was looking at me while covering her pajamas with a blanket.

“Looks like you’ve made up, seeing that you’re waving goodbye so affectionately.”

Have we been completely found out?

“Now I feel like my support was worth it. Everyone’s asleep, so hurry and lie down too, Eugene.”

“Good night, Lena.”

Instead of answering, Lena raised the corners of her mouth slightly and covered herself with the blanket so as not to wake Sally.

Perhaps that uncharacteristic pretense of composure was the cause of trouble.

In the early dawn…

When I woke up to a strange feeling, Lena was curled up tightly, shivering.

She was well covered with the blanket, but it seemed it was too thin for Lena, who is sensitive to cold, to withstand the early winter chill of Berleu.

I quietly got up and covered her with the blanket from her travel bag, which calmed her shivering.

I should have gone back to bed and tried to sleep again.

But.

“……”

I took my coat from the hanger, put it on, and carefully opened the door.

Preparing to go out with my left hand and left leg has become quite familiar to me now. It took only three minutes to get outside the inn, being careful not to make any noise.

The exceptionally cold dawn air envelops my mind, fresh from sleep, but it doesn’t feel unpleasant at all.

It probably means my sleep was light to begin with.

The reason was clear. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

Since arriving in Schwerin, the city of the Russell Award Awarding Ceremony, my heart had been beating erratically with a strange heat.

Thump. Thump. 

The sound of my pulse clearly reaches my ears.

It would be nice if it were just excitement, but unfortunately, the amount of tension was much higher than the amount of excitement within me.

Also, tension tends to intensify when you stay still.

I walked.

The streets of Schwerin are quiet and neat, but winding.

As I walked along the main road as much as possible to avoid getting lost, a lake suddenly came into view.

And quite a large lake at that.

The lakeshore, perfectly calm, reflects the cloudy dawn sky. Nearby, small birds were waking up one by one, creating quiet chirping noises.

It was a sensation I was familiar with from the Federal University of Magic. A dawn walk after an all-nighter.

As I was exhaling breath with my arms folded, I suddenly opened my eyes wide.

Because I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t go back to sleep and went for a walk.

I could tell who it was just from the back view.

“…Professor Müller?”

He sat on a bench in front of the lakeshore.

I walked towards the huge figure.

Professor Müller turned his head at the sound of my footsteps.

“It’s you.”

“I didn’t know you enjoyed taking walks at the crack of dawn, Professor.”

“Will you sit next to me?”

There was no reason to refuse.

I sat down gently next to him and looked at the lakeshore instead of looking up at him.

After all, neither of us was here for conversation.

I only confirmed that Professor Müller’s golden eyes, which briefly appeared in my view, were looking somewhere far away.

Unlike the silence in the research lab, which used to be a place I avoided, the current silence was incomparably comfortable.

I suppose we’ve reached that kind of relationship at some point.

The sunlight that has broken through the clouds gradually awakens the lake.

As I was slightly marveling at the sight rarely seen in Frauzen, Professor Müller opened his mouth.

“The mansion will become lonely.”

It was a monologue.

But he only opens his mouth when he has business to discuss.

After chewing on each word, I spoke.

“Please visit often.”

Eyes demanding an explanation.

I continued speaking.

“Thanks to you, Professor, I’ve been able to stay at the Federal University of Magic and can work towards becoming a Full Professor. I’m going to find a house near the University of Magic, so it’ll be close to Getreide Street, where the mansion is.”

“So you’re saying that I should visit often?” [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

“That’s right.”

“You seem to be more adept at finding ways to be disliked than ways to win my daughter’s favor.”

“Pardon?”

“I won’t enter a newlywed’s home with muddy feet. My daughter’s glares are fiercer than you might think.”

Is it because of the reflection on the lake?

I feel like he smiled slightly.

“Don’t look so gloomy. It’s because you’re like this that my daughter has given you her heart.”

“If that’s the case, I’m glad……”

“I should modify my proposal. That house will be busy enough with just the two of you, so it might be inconvenient to receive guests.”

“Ah.”

“In other words, that’s a proposal I should be making.”

Professor Müller spoke softly.

“You’re welcome anytime, so come to the mansion about once a year. If there are several people, that wouldn’t be bad either.”

“…There’s nothing better than a vast garden for children to play in.”

The sun is rising.

But it’s still a long way off before the air warms up sufficiently. Breath scatters over the sparkling ripples.

We kept watching it until the town fully greeted the morning.

#December 10th. Cloudy.

“This outfit again.”

I said with sincerity.

A tailcoat and a bow tie.

It was truly lamentable that an outfit that would get you turned away at the door of the Nocturne Club was the dress code for the award ceremony.

Of course, saying this after arriving at the Schwerin Concert Hall, where the award ceremony is taking place, serves no function other than lamentation. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

My feet are reluctant to move due to this unexpected obstacle.

As I let out a light sigh…

“Why? It suits you well.”

“…Mother.”

“Oh my.”

Susan, who had dressed just formally enough for the award ceremony, lightly expressed surprise as she got out of the carriage.

“Hearing that word from your mouth… It’s more embarrassing than I thought.”

“I wanted to call you that at least once.”

“Save the sweet talk for after you’ve straightened your tie.”

Susan smiled slightly while fixing my crooked bow tie and…

She pushed my back firmly. 

“Off you go, son.”

My feet moved.

It was natural. She pushed me from behind.

But I maintained that momentum and kept walking.

Continuously.

Towards the darkly shining interior of the venue of the Awarding Ceremony.