Infinite Mage

Chapter 16

Bischoff greeted them as the representative of the Ogent family.

Nice to meet you. Im Bischoff Ogent, the family head.

Klumph and Rai did not come, but instead, Rian and Reina accompanied him.

Rian bravely stepped forward.

Hello, father! I am Rian, Shirones sword. In time, I will become the best swordsman in the world. Hahaha!

Im Reina, Rians older sister. Ive heard a lot about you.

After staring blankly for a while, Vincent quickly realized the situation and lowered his head.

Hello! Im Shirones father. Why are such important people, such as yourselves, here?

Oh my, did you not hear from Shirone?

Yes? What do you mean?

The only thing that came to Vincents mind was his sons nonsensical story.

So youre saying the story is true?

Oh, I see. We should have come sooner. Anyways, what Shirone said is true. My little brother, Rian, and Shirone are bonded together due to the knights oath. Thats why we called for you two.

When Vincent became aware that the whole story was true, his heart skipped a beat.

His joy was brief as fear rushed in, quickly replacing it. How could his innocent son cause this much trouble? What was he thinking?

First of all, lets eat. We can talk about the details after.

Bischoff turned around after their short conversation.

Bischoff was not particularly friendly, so Rian could only imagine how uncomfortable Shirone's parents felt.

Even after the rest of the Ogent family left, Vincent could not leave his spot for a while. Only when Shirone slightly pulled him by his shirt did he come back to his senses. Once that happened, he headed for the living room.

Is this real? Our Shirone? Staying with the Ogent family?

Everything confused him, and Olina, still terrified of the situation, grabbed onto her husbands arm tightly. But little did Olina know that even Vincent was terrified. His legs were shaking as if they were leaves being ravaged by the wind. He couldnt even walk properly.

NO!

Vincent shook his head.

If Shirones words were true, he could not show any weakness. For his son, he had to stay strong.

Various delicacies were placed on the square dining table. Even Vincent, who was a hunter, saw foods he had never seen before. The ingredients were transported from the royal palace by Reina.

As for the seating arrangement, it went according to ones rank. Lord of the house, Bischoff, sat at the head of the table, on his left sat Klumph, while Reina was at his right.

Seated at the very end of the table, Vincent was finally snapped out of his stupor when he saw the delicacies in front of him. Head butler, Louis, and deputy butler, Temuran, unconsciously puffed out their chest in pride.

But Vincent couldnt openly show his enthusiasm. He had to save face for his son. He had to finish the meal quietly, but his eyes couldnt help it. When he saw over seven different dishes around him, his eyes twinkled.

Most commoners were able to eat whole boars with just a fork. However, the dishes in front of Vincent were all of different sizes. There were even foods in shapes he had never seen before.

Although the Vincent family could not take their first bite, the butlers and maids made no move to help them. This was because acting rashly in this unprecedented situation will only harm them.

Of course, such a decision was also mixed with a little contempt for the Vincent family.

Bischoff placed down his tableware and spoke.

Eat comfortably. You do not have to follow the formalities of the nobility.

Still

Formality is just a discipline necessary to put respect into action. Seeing as how you are having a hard time, and considering my family and I can sense enough of your respect and consideration, please eat comfortably.

Vincent slightly shuddered.

Whether it was true sincerity or the pride of a noble, from the familys perspective, his words showed great kindness and favor.

Then the maids faces turned pale.

The Ogent familys feelings toward Shirone were genuine. They were really thinking of accepting Shirone.

The bewildered maids hurriedly taught the Vincent family how to use the tableware.

In fact, it only looked complicated, but in reality, how could using utensils and eating be complicated? The Vincent family, who now had an inkling on how to use the utensils, finally ate comfortably.

After all that trouble, Vincent was worried about his son this time. What was this family going to do to Shirone?

He had heard an explanation of what the knights oath was, but that made no difference to what Vincent was thinking.

Shirone was still the son of a mountaineer, and aside from the fact he was brilliant, his future was not guaranteed.

Did they perhaps have something else up their sleeves?

He didnt want to doubt the people who did his child a favor. But he did not want to risk anything in regards to his son.

Im grateful that you are thinking of him in a good light, but at the same time, I cant say Im not worried. Isnt the Ogent family one of the most prestigious ones in Creas? And I still cant believe that a young master of such a family made a knights oath to Shirone.

Haha! You dont have to worry. Shirone and I

Bischoff cut Rian off.

If I am to speak honestly, it is a little unpleasant.

The room suddenly became quiet at Bischoffs statement, But Bischoff continued to eat with the knife in his hand.

* * *

* * *

But its a knights oath. A knight's oath is a sacred thing, especially in a family like ours. It binds people together for life. If I were to keep holding on to these unpleasant feelings just because the only difference between us is status, that would tarnish Rian's pride. So dont be too uncomfortable by it as we will continue to use honorifics in the future.

Shirone realized.

Bischoff was a cold and cruel man. A man cold and cruel enough to demand the execution of a commoner But only for the sake of his family. His loyalty towards his family was beyond imagination.

Fighting for their beliefs. That is nobility.

Now that he couldnt choose an easy path, all he had to do was fight against the world.

There will be innumerable difficulties and criticisms But Im not afraid.

This, too, was the pride of the Ogent.

Klumph spoke while chuckling.

It has been quite a bit since our family head has said something right. But wont you die of loneliness if you send your last son away just like that? Why not just spend another year before doing that?

Bischoff was not provoked.

Rai has unlocked Schema as well as learned the swordsmanship of Ogent. Hence why he is more than likely to win official approval. On the other hand, Rian has yet to unlock his Schema. I have no choice but to enroll him in this Kaizen Swordsmanship Academy.

It sounds like youre subtly taking the black-haired approach. However, we blue-hairs have passion, and that passion never withers away. If you look down at our burning passion, you will be in for a rude awakening.

While munching on a lamb, Rian sent a thumbs up to his grandfather.

Bischoff snorted. His fathers playfulness was nothing new.

Hair color does not matter to me. As long as they have the same blood flowing in their veins, they are family. And that family is

Sitting up straight in their chairs, all the family members placed down their utensils and spoke in union.

Ogent.

* * *

After the meal, everyone returned to the living room and sat down.

They began to discuss Shirone's situation.

Reina broke the news that Shirone was interested in learning magic, which everyone agreed was alright. Due to his physique and his tendencies, Shirone would eventually reach a ceiling in terms of swordsmanship.

Unlike the friendly atmosphere Klumph had during the meal, he told Vincent with a serious expression.

As you know, our family intends to support Shirone. It sounds like he wants to become a mage, so were thinking of sending him to Alpheas Magic Academy. The academy is also one of the top five prestigious academies in the Kingdom of Tormia. The Headmaster, Headmaster Alpheas, is also an old friend of mine. Its an institution appointed by the kingdom, so if one graduates from there, they will receive an unofficial license Which means they can become a mage.

M-Mage

Vincent gulped.

Mages were symbols of intelligence, so needless to say, most were nobles. However, it was a very unique occupation as, due to the ability-based nature of it, status did not dictate how far one could reach. And once they earned their license, they were highly sought after everywhere.

In the world, there were country bumpkins who realized magic on their own. There were also commoners who learned magic by learning under a mage.

Those kinds of people typically became mercenaries. However, there was also the alternative of getting a job in an association and obtaining a mages license that way.

Though, of course, those cases were extremely rare. And so for commoners, becoming a mage was merely a fantasy.

But it wasnt merely a fantasy for Shirone And as such, the offer wasnt something Vincent could refuse.

As Olina was moved to tears, Shirone embraced his mother.

It was a warm sight, but unexpectedly, Klumphs face was gloomy.

Clearly, the fastest way to become a mage was to enter a magic academy But the problem was status.

Unlike other routes, a magic academy strictly allowed only nobility to enter for the most part. And despite the fact there was special admission for exceptional talents, to cut past that standard was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Trying to achieve this was not easy, even for the Ogent family who was the 2nd-class noble in the kingdom.

In fact, the magic academy also regularly got enrollment requests from the 1st-class family.

As you may already know, Shirones current status does not qualify him for the magic academy. Even if we do aid him in terms of school materials, fees, and other such expenses, there will still be problems with getting him accepted.

Vincent snapped out of his dream.

Ah, of course I know. Yes Thats right.

Disappointment and shame tinged Vincents voice.

My son was acknowledged by a noble family But he cant enter the academy because of my status

There is one way. No, its actually the only way.

Vincents head snapped up. Shirone, too, paid close attention as it was his first time hearing this.

I would like to adopt Shirone into our family.

Silence ruled the living room.

Klumphs proposal sounded wrong But in actuality, it was not a bad proposal.

To be the child of a mountaineer Or a child of the Ogent It was a no-brainer which one was better.

Nevertheless, the reason why Vincent felt reluctant to speak was none other than the problem with bloodline.

Vincent studied Shirone.

His sons expression, while a little obnoxious, was still calm.

He couldnt figure out whether his sons expression was like that because he thought his father would obviously accept the proposal, or because he thought the proposal was too preposterous.

Bischoff continued after Klumph.

We discussed this between ourselves, and we concluded that this was the best option. I have a cousin who does not have any children yet. If he registers as part of my cousins family, Shirone will become a noble and will be able to enter the academy. Its merely a matter of paperwork, so nothing much will change.

Merely a matter of paperwork Is it really that simple? Everything in the world is a matter of paperwork.

To be honest, Vincent was not confident.

Am I confident enough to say that I wont be sad if I see Shirone registered as a son of another family?

Shirone, say something. What choice does this dad have to make? What do you really want?

Vincent looked back miserably at his son.

Then Shirones brows furrowed. Vincent had a hunch that it was because he was frustrated that his father had no answer.

As this was a sensitive issue, everyone was careful with their words. It was Reina who broke the ice as she came forward and asked Shirone.

Shirone, what do you think? Its just paperwork. You will get to achieve your dream and become a nobleman on top of that. Of course, your parents will still be your parents. Nothing will change.

His frown deepened. And as if he could not understand all this, he said