How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“What?”

 

Noah’s earlobes have now turned red to the extent that it is no exaggeration to say that they are on fire.

 

As if he was self-aware, Noah fiddled with his earlobe. 

 

As I watched, I couldn’t bear it any longer and hugged Noah’s body. 

 

“Oh, you’re so cute!”

 

‘How cute is this kid!’

 

I showered Noah with kisses on his cheek and forehead. 

 

Then, I finally came to my senses and raised my head, but Noah’s amber-colored eyes were shaking like water.

 

“oh, cute…Me? Me?”

 

‘Oh, my God, I shouldn’t say ‘cute’ to this kid.’

 

I cleared my throat and thought for a moment about how to fix that.

 

But nothing came to mind, so I stroked Noah’s head and said “Five-year-olds are supposed to be cute, not cool. Let’s save the cool thing for ten years.”

 

“Yes. I like cute too.”

 

Fortunately, Noah nodded. He seemed to understand that he was cute even though he was cool.

 

‘I have to be careful what I’m gonna say from now on.’

 

I gently stroked the child’s earlobe, which had turned red, and told him that if he wanted to learn something else in the future, we could readjust the schedule. 

 

Noah nodded in agreement, so we decided to set the schedule for classes starting next week.

 

“And let’s go on a field trip sometimes on Sundays.” 

 

“Field trip?”

 

“Yeah. You’re going to learn things that you can’t learn just by sitting at the desk and listening to the teacher. For example, skating on a frozen lake, ice fishing, and sledding on a snowy hill.…Also, plant seeds in pots to grow them, harvest fruit from trees, and things like that.” 

 

Noah, who was calmly considering my words, asked me with doubt in his eyes. 

 

“Isn’t that… Isn’t that playing, not studying?”

 

“Uh, what do you mean, playing? It’s a field trip, a field trip. Don’t you believe your mom?” 

 

Noah blinked his round eyes a few times at my words, then covered his mouth with both hands and giggled.

 

I didn’t know why he was smiling so I tilted my head, but then Noah came and hugged me with his short arms.

 

‘It was the first time Noah hugged me first!’

 

“I believe it.…I will believe everything my mother says, even if it’s a lie.” 

 

“No, It’s not a lie.”

 

“Yes. That’s right. It’s not a lie.”

 

When I saw the child’s brightly smiling face, that thought suddenly occurred to me.

 

‘What if he realized I was lying and reacted like this? Oh, no. I hope he doesn’t have superpowers like that.’

 

‘If there was such a thing, it would have been mentioned in the book.’ 

 

‘I hugged him often and pampered him, so it seemed like he was slowly getting used to this.’

 

I was very happy about the change, so I hugged Noah and kissed his hair and cheek once more. He moves to my shoulder and listens to the sound of Rake’s cries.

 

“Now, since my son is so kind and cute, I’ll give him a gift.” 

 

“A gift?”

 

“Ta-da!”

 

I took out the envelope that had been folded in half and hidden in the pocket.

 

Is it because there is nothing written on the outside? Noah seemed to have no idea what was inside this envelope.

 

‘Probably because he’s never gotten this kind of letter before…’

 

Thinking that I would have to scold Leonhard again the next time we met, I handed Noah the envelope.

 

“It’s a letter your father wrote.”

 

“My father…?”

 

As if he couldn’t believe it, I could see the black pupils widening greatly in the amber-colored irises.

 

I felt a little sorry for the child who was so surprised, so I smiled brighter and nodded.

 

“Yeah. Father, to Noah.”

 

* * * 

 

“Arghh!”

 

The dozens of wyverns that had approached from the sky carrying barbarians had long since been intercepted by wizards and archers and plummeted to the ground.

 TL: The wyvern is a type of mythical draconic beast or lesser dragon with two legs, two wings, and often a pointed tail 

Of course, the wyvern that lost its wings immediately lost its life to the knights of Heilang.

 

The barbarians who rode on their backs would not take another minute of their lives and swung their swords fiercely to kill even one knight.

 

“Kill it! Kill one more of those white things!”

 

‘White’ was a derogatory term for the people of the empire with white skin.

 

The white land beyond the Hiyela Mountains consisted of snow fields hardened by frozen snow, rivers frozen to the bottom, and a white polar desert without a single withered grass.

 

The skin of the barbarians burned to a bronze color on the pure white snow field that intensely reflected the sunlight.

 

The barbarians chewed ice in places where water was difficult to obtain and developed hatred towards the imperial who had driven them there.

 

“Proud of warriors of Kuhelam!” 

 

The sound of a large drum was heard from somewhere.

 

The blood vessels bulged like snakes wriggling under the muscles of the barbarians in the area where the sound reached.

 

“Don’t be afraid to die. For Kuhelam! Blood revenge!”

 

As the barbarians were fierce, the monsters they controlled also ran wilder than usual.

 

Leonhard, who had jumped over the outermost wall of the Hiyela Gate, pulled an old conifer tree from somewhere and frowned as he cut down a giant bear. He wields it like a club.

 

“Kuhhh!”

 

‘Giant Bear….Is it another high-level monster?’ 

 

‘This was already the twentieth one today.’

 

Leonhard frowned and looked around. 

 

It was a fierce battle involving Ajas’ soldiers, barbarians, and monsters. 

 

The monster’s roar pierced his ears.

 

Even if he just counts the monsters he can see, the number is impressive.

 

Some were lower level, but there were also quite a few intermediate levels. More than anything, it made Leonhard uneasy that there were more than just one or two high-level monsters.

 

‘How many shamans can control this many higher levels?’

 

As far as Leonhard could tell, there were currently only about five or six high-level monsters that a barbarian shaman could control. At least, that was the case last year.

 

‘So how could they be able to control two or three times as many monsters in a year? What has changed?’

 

“Captain! The last shaman has been located!”

 

Before he could ask where, a bolt of blue light shot out of thin air, slicing through the air.

 

Leonhard threw away the body of the giant bear that was attacking him with a single punch and then flew his body straight along the path of light.

 

“Stop it! Protect Cocula!”

 

Cocula is a barbarian word meaning a shaman.

 

That direction is correct. As Leonhard gained confidence and dropped his feet to the ground, a barbarian warrior wearing a bearskin blocked his path.

 

“Die!”

 

An ax with a shining blade flew at him fiercely, ready to strike him. 

 

Leonhard immediately unleashed the power of Ajas and blocked it with his arm.

 — Bang! 

The monster’s acidic venom had long since melted away the bracers, leaving his left arm bare, but he blocked the flying ax with ease, causing a friction sound like iron against iron.

 

His muscles were tense, and there wasn’t even a single scratch on his arm. 

 

Leonhard, who easily slashed a big man with a bigger body than him with a sword, trampled on the bear skin that fell on the floor and cut down all the monsters and barbarians that blocked him.

 

“It’s Ajas! The hateful Ajas is there.” 

 

The shaman shouted, raising a red wooden cane with a large magic stone embedded in it.

 

The magic power condensing on the pitch-black magic stone caught Leonhard’s eyes. Before the shaman could recite a spell, he grabbed the sword he was holding and threw it away like a javelin.

 

“Arghh!”

 

The sword flew like an arrow, piercing the wizard’s body, and crashed into the wooden pillar behind him.

 

The shaman, who still did not let go of the red wooden staff in his hand, tried to recite a spell. However, a magic arrow flew from behind and struck his hand, causing him to drop the red wooden staff.

 

“Yess!”

 

Robert’s voice came from behind him, shouting in delight.

 

Leonhard burst into laughter, picked up the red wooden cane that had fallen on the floor, and broke it in half. Then, the magical power in the pitch-black magic stone lost its way, ran wild, and returned to its original owner.

 

The shaman, who had been glaring at Leonhard with furious eyes until then, was unable to withstand the runaway magic power and eventually closed his eyes.

 

“The last shaman has fallen!”

 

The Wizard, who had been watching the scene, shouted, his voice enchanted.

 

But he didn’t need to shout like that. The last shaman fell, and the monster that finally lost control stopped in place. 

 

“khhh…”

 

“Khhung, khuhung!”

 

The monster that was carrying the barbarians on its back dropped them, and the monster that only attacked Ajas’ soldiers began to attack anyone nearby without any reason.

 

The barbarian commander, who had been encouraging his men by beating the drum until then, shouted loudly.

 

“Don’t run away! Kill at least one more person until the end and die! Let’s grab them by their ankles and drag them to hell, Kuhelam!”

 

However, since all the shamans were dead and the monsters were no longer on their side, the end was clear.

 

Thirty minutes later. Leonhard lifted his commander’s feathered crown and declared victory.

 

Not one of the barbarians, let alone the monsters, had survived. It was a great victory.

 

* * * 

 

“Captain, did you call me?”

 

As soon as the messenger’s finished reporting and went out, Catherine came into his office.

 

Leonhard nodded, then looked at her short-cut red hair and swept his eyes over her cheek and the nape of her neck.

 

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

 

“I am not hurt, but my hair was a little singed. So I just cut it off.” 

 

I’m not hurt, but my hair is a little scorched, so I just cut it off.”

 

“Lucious will be shocked.”

 

Lucious was probably the only one who treated Catherine, who had been chosen to be a warrior as if she were his doll that would break if he touched her wrong.

 

“I’m sorry, master. I have not been able to serve you with all my heart.” 

 

His confession suddenly crossed Leonhard’s ear.

 

As he couldn’t control the bitter smile around his mouth, Catherine, who came into the office without hesitation and sat in an empty chair, put her clasped hands on the back of her head and asked in a comfortable position.

 

“Then why did you call me? “I’m hungry now.” 

 

“Ah. I have something to ask you.”

 * * *