175 – Scene 175# The Magic of Growing Up
*
“The chairman himself attended the academic festival… ?”
“yes.”
Mondri looked at me with a very surprised face.
“Hum… . The president doesn’t need to come… .”
The academic festival was an event in which professors disclosed their research achievements once a year at Meikahel University.
As Mondri said, it was not something I had to step out.
It is true that the academic festival has been running well so far even without the chairman.
However, I plan to show my face at this academic festival. It was because I was thinking of generously supporting research funds if there was a technique that could be useful.
“You know, but I like to see it with my own eyes. In particular, it is natural that they want to know how my money is being spent.”
“When you say money is spent… ?”
In response to Mondry’s question, I responded with notification instead.
“Mondri. Please inform the professors participating in the event. In this event, each person will see their performance and those who do not meet expectations will be expelled from the school.”
“Well? But if that happens-“
“As long as my school is the best educational institution in the country, the level of faculty must be the best. I can’t let lesser people teach students at my school. Not to mention, if I go to an academic festival, I will be able to see the face of who was wasting my money.”
When I spit it out, it was indeed a villain-like line.
I don’t know if it’s the influence of personality or what, but now I can use a Tristan-like tone without hesitation.
It’s to the point where I’m worried that I might end up with a twisted personality like Tristan later on.
After thinking for a moment, Mondry cautiously opened his mouth.
“This is a fair statement. But wouldn’t the backlash be severe? Fired professors may stand up.”
“There are a lot of people who want to join this school as professors. Besides, do I look like someone who cares about that?”
“… … Certainly not.”
Realizing that Mondri could no longer stop me, I let out a deep sigh.
Professors, of course, will be afraid of me, so all their protests will gather at the president, Mondri.
But since Mondry couldn’t do anything for them, it was natural for her expression to darken.
In addition, in terms of age, Tristan is almost a grandson to Mondri. He wouldn’t like the situation of being swayed by the chairman of his grandson’s age.
Feeling a bit sorry, I said to Mondri.
“Mondri.”
“Yes?”
“If it’s an academic festival, shouldn’t you, the president, prepare something?”
“I mean? no… . Didn’t I stand on the podium… .”
“You must be a wizard who once challenged the wise. Aren’t you ahead of most wizards?”
At my words, Mondry looked at me with the most surprised face he had ever seen.
“this… . I didn’t expect those words to come out of the president’s mouth. But all is in the past… .”
He opened the window, perhaps feeling frustrated at the thought of the bitter past.
Then a strange smell wafted through the wind.
It smelled like flowers, but for some reason, the smell of incense stimulated my nose.
At least I’ve smelled something similar here… .
“Where is the smell of tea leaves?”
“ah. It’s probably not the tea leaves, it’s the smell of hwahyang lotus.”
“Hwayangyeonhwa(花樣年華)?”
“Well? I don’t know if there was a name for such a flower… The hwahyangyeonhwa I mentioned is the flower that blooms during the festival.”
oh
I heard that there was such a setting. I forgot because it had nothing to do with the main story, but the festival existed in this school too.
The festival, held during the same period as the academic festival, is a festival full of things to see and eat, with a large number of shops participating in the empire.
It was no exaggeration to say that if the academic festival was a feast of the latest arts, the festival was a feast of the latest culture.
Mondry said, inhaling the scent carried by the wind.
“It’s a smell that can only be smelled at this time of the festival. Hwahyangyeonhwa blooms only during this period of the year and exudes a unique nostalgic scent. And at night, it sets off with beautiful lights, which is truly spectacular. It is like youth that has passed away. hahahaha… .”
Mondry was staring outside with a face lost in reminiscence.
I looked at him and muttered softly.
“Is it a festival… .”
*
“oh my… . It’s sacking.”
“Master. Are you okay?”
“My disciple… . Don’t talk.”
Late at night, Myoheil appeared in front of Wendy in tatters.
“Ruri, this guy… . Even though he was young, he wasn’t strong enough… .”
“Lu, are you Luli?”
“yes… . I’m glad Tom told me cats aren’t laundry… . If it wasn’t for that, it would have been squeezed out without even a single drop left. It was the first time I knew that my body could be twisted like a towel… .”
Myohail’s beard was drooping as if he had been bullied all day by Wendy’s youngest sister, Ruri.
“I’m sorry! I’ll scold you hard next time!”
“hahahaha… . not. Okay. Ruri is so cute. You have pure and kind eyes.”
Myohail, who lived with Wendy’s family at the villa, mainly took care of the youngest, Ruri.
Wendy was busy at school, and her parents were busy working back and forth between the villa and the mansion.
In addition, as her older brother, Tom, started attending a nearby school, young Ruri naturally spent more time with Myoheil.
“Ugh… . I’m sorry though… . Master suffered so much… .”
“not. Rather, thank you for playing with this old man. It’s what I’m thinking these days, but if I had transformed into a tiger instead of a cat, I could have carried Ruri on my back, but it’s a pity.”
“Oh, a tiger?! Well, if I did that, my parents would faint in surprise… !”
“It is a joke. Joke. Why is Ruri so interested in animals these days? I bought some picture books, but I thought I wanted to see a tiger among them. hahahaha.”
“I can’t really show you that… .”
Myohail smiled broadly, probably thinking of Ruri’s cute figure.
But that’s for a while.
“Tsk. I was going to sleep with Ruri as usual, but today I finally said that I would sleep in my mother’s arms. This old man is sadly… . So, can I just sleep here for the rest of the day?”
“Yes! Of course. Master.”
“Thank you… .”
Myoheil gave a big yawn and jumped up onto the bed and settled down.
Wendy, in her pajamas, also turned off the light and lay down next to him.
Myohail opened his mouth in the dark.
“By the way, how is your school life?”
“… !”
For a moment, Luna’s work came to mind, but Wendy quickly erased it from her mind.
“Oh that… . I’m having so much fun these days. The other day, I went to an amusement park with my friends… .”
“Oh my. amusement park? that must have been fun Enjoy it while you can. That’s what school life is all about. In the blink of an eye, everything passes by. It’s important to study and study magic formulas, but-“
“Yeah… . Master.”
“Hmm? Why?”
“Is there any magic to becoming an adult… ?”
Ever since hearing about the prom at school, Wendy had only one thought.
I want to dance with Tristan at the ball. As a partner, not a master-servant relationship.
Of course, Wendy knew.
that it is close to impossible.
That it was something I dared not allow to happen even in my dreams.
There were many mountains that Wendy had to overcome.
Status and status… . Numerous walls were blocking her.
Among them, age was a huge wall that Wendy couldn’t overcome no matter what she did.
If he was a sage, he might know something.
Wendy asked Myohail a question with the feeling of grabbing at least a straw.
No, I’d rather hear that if it’s impossible, it’s impossible.
Then you can throw away even the slightest regret.
“The magic of becoming an adult?”
“Yeah… .”
“Hmm… … . That’s the magic of manipulating time. Of course, the taboo area… . No, it would be irrelevant to call it the realm of miracles.”
“It’s a miracle… ?”
“yes. It’s not magic, it’s a miracle. That would be possible only for gods, not wizards.”
It’s a miracle, not magic, so it’s a miracle that I firmly nail.
That said, it was virtually impossible.
“Then why are you asking such a thing all of a sudden?”
“that is… .”
“Is it because of the Count?”
“… … yes.”
I couldn’t hide it from Myohail anyway.
In the dark, Wendy nodded.
Myohail sighed.
“My disciple. You are only 12 years old. There will be many more years to live in the future. You will meet countless people in your life. There will be bad people among them and there will be good people. And among them will be your destined partner.”
Myohail calmly continued to speak.
“Perhaps you may think of the Count as the opponent of that fate, but not from my point of view. He’s just one of those people that just walks past you… . The feelings you are harboring are incomplete. It is a temporary feeling that came too soon to you when you were young.”
“Yeah, but my heart… !”
“not. That heart must be fake. The Count is by no means the opponent of your destiny.”
“… !”
Wendy flinched at the determined voice.
Myohail’s eyes, shining in the dark, were calm.
As if telling her the cold reality.
“You are harboring feelings of failure right now. i am you… . If possible, I hope you don’t know the pain of a broken heart. So get that magic out of your head. Even if you know the magic of becoming an adult, I won’t tell you. The cost of such transcendent magic must be severe… .”
“… … .”
“I am thinking of you… . Hey.”
Myoheil, who speaks bitterly.
Wendy couldn’t say anything.
There was nothing wrong with what he said, and above all, he said it because he was worried about her.
Wendy pulled the blanket over herself and curled up.
And wept quietly.
Myoheil, who was watching the scene, said in a voice of pity.
“… Go to sleep for today.”
“… Black.”
A quiet silence followed.
Wendy thought under the covers.
I thought that if Myohai couldn’t do it, I would be able to throw away my lingering feelings… .
My heart went numb.
Because her heart was something that could not be accomplished with any magic. I heard that it is impossible unless a miracle happens.
Perhaps, as Myoheil said, this heart could be fake.
Just like Luna, who was once my friend, people’s hearts can change in an instant.
But even so… .
‘If this heart is fake… . why is it so painful… ? Master?’
Inside the blanket, Wendy trembled.
The more I thought about what Myohai had said, the more I felt my heart sink.
There was no magic to becoming an adult.
It is a transcendent realm that only gods, not wizards, can do.
In other words, it’s not magic, it’s a miracle… .
‘miracle… ?’
Suddenly, something flashed through Wendy’s mind.
If I listened closely for a while, I could hear Myohai’s steady breathing.
‘Then maybe… .’
Wendy put her hand on the pillow.
Then, at the tip of my hand, I touched something hard and flat.
‘there is… .’
What she took out from there was a faintly glowing lemon yellow coin.
A donation received from none other than God.
“God… .”
It was a coin that worked miracles.