Chapter 126: A Path Opens

Ren met Eugene’s steady gaze. He pressed his lips together tightly before lowering his eyes.

“…My skill… disappointed Father and Mother…”

“…”

Eugene looked as though he wanted to say something, but he remained silent, waiting for Ren to continue.

“…When Royce was granted an Earth Magic skill, Father told me he wouldn’t pay my school fees at the Academy. He said Royce’s skill was the better one… But I wanted to go to the Academy. I thought that if we didn’t have the money, I could just earn it myself… so I became an apprentice adventurer. But…”

He clenched his fists tightly.

“But?”

Eugene gently prompted him to go on.

“I asked if I could attend the Academy if I earned the fees myself. But he just said, ‘No.’… He wouldn’t even listen to me…”

Ren lifted his face to look at Eugene. His lips trembled faintly.

“I… I want to go to the Academy. I want to study there… and learn so many more things.”

“Mm…”

Ren felt a burning sensation welling up behind his eyes.

“…Then Yuan received a Swordsmanship skill… and things at home just kept getting stranger. Father and Mother are so happy about it… It’s like Yuan is the only one who matters now. They suddenly told me to move into this room too… I hated it.”

“I see…”

Bit by bit, Ren poured out the feelings that had been weighing heavily on his heart.

Eugene listened quietly, nodding from time to time.

At last, Ren let out a long sigh.

Simply putting his feelings into words made him feel a little lighter.

After a brief silence, Eugene finally spoke.

“…I’ll find a way to deal with the Academy.”

“Huh?”

Ren’s eyes widened in surprise.

Eugene gave a firm nod.

“First, I need to find out what my elder sister and brother-in-law are thinking. But I won’t leave things as they are.”

“…Really…?”

“Yes.”

Ren stared at him in disbelief.

The path that had suddenly opened before him felt almost like an illusion.

Even as hope appeared, anxiety welled up inside him.

“…Father might still say no…”

“He might.”

“…Mother too…”

“That’s possible. We won’t know until we’ve spoken with them. But from what you’ve told me, it sounds like they want to prioritise Yuan, and that way of thinking may not change. If that’s the case, then we’ll simply find another solution.”

“Another solution…?”

“We could arrange a recommendation letter from another house, for example. …Don’t worry. It’ll be all right.”

Eugene smiled reassuringly, and seeing that warm smile, Ren felt his eyes grow moist.

A single tear rolled slowly down his cheek.

He wiped it away with his sleeve, the stiff frills brushing against his face.

“…I can go to the Academy…”

He whispered the words as if savouring them.

Looking at Eugene once more, he said,

“I really can go… to the Academy.”

“Yes.”

Eugene nodded.

“You’re diligent, Ren-kun. You’ve come up with clever ideas like the classification system for the Guild’s reference room, and the letter boards. A child like you, who genuinely wants to learn—of course I’d want to help.”

“I did it…!”

A radiant smile spread across Ren’s face.

Then, almost immediately, it faded into worry.

“…Ah… but the fees…”

He thought about the money he had been saving in his “small box”.

He had hunted almost every day for an entire year, so he’d managed to save a respectable amount.

But it was nowhere near enough to cover six years of Academy fees.

“As for the fees, we’ll think about that from now on.”

Eugene said.

“You don’t have to try to earn it all by yourself. There are still a few years before you’ll need it. …Besides, the things you’ve created might end up earning enough to pay for your school fees.”

“My creations…”

Ren looked down at the blue-feathered acorn resting on his bed.

“…If I hunt more Azure Wind Swifts, I can sell more azure feathers…?”

“It would be dangerous to rush out hunting just because you’re anxious to make money.”

Eugene replied with a wry smile, noticing Ren looked ready to head out immediately.

He picked up the Acorn Feather Drop box and lifted one of the feathered acorns out.

“It’s not just about the azure feathers. I’m talking about things like these tools, the char-core quill pens, and all the other ingenious items you’ve made, Ren-kun. I think there will be plenty of people who want what you’ve created. But like I said before, you don’t have to rush or try to earn everything on your own.”

Eugene gently dropped the azure-feathered acorn back into the box.

Clink.

The acorn bounced once and rolled softly across the bottom of the box.

For some reason, the direction it rolled toward looked, to Ren, like hope.