Chapter 137: Consulting Eugene

The noise of the celebration sounded distant.

They had moved from the hall to the dining room. Servants kept coming and going through the preparation rooms near the hall, making them too busy and noisy, and their search for an empty room had brought them all the way to the dining room where the family normally ate.

Eugene closed the door and looked at Ren.

“…Why don’t we sit down?”

Ren nodded and took a seat. His hands were clenched together on his lap. Eugene sat opposite him.

“…”

Silence lingered for a while. Ren raised his head and looked at Eugene, then spoke first.

“…What does an attendant do?”

“They take care of their master’s personal needs and accompany them when they go out.”

“Do they also act as guards?”

“Yes. Since they remain at their master’s side, protecting that master is also part of the job.”

“…So they’re a servant who stays by their master’s side.”

Ren lowered his gaze.

“…Does Grandmother want to drive me out of the house?”

Eugene didn’t answer immediately. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Since she’s discussing making you an attendant, I do get the impression that she wants you to leave this house. But I don’t know whether she’s doing it out of concern for you or because she wants to get rid of you. Still… sending a child away to serve as an attendant isn’t that unusual.”

Ren looked up.

“It isn’t?”

Eugene quietly shook his head. “Even among nobles, it can be a possible career for a child who won’t inherit the house. If you can enter the service of a powerful noble family, you won’t have to worry about making a living.”

“But I… don’t have trouble finding food. I can hunt Horn Rabbits.”

Ren hunted for himself, so he could obtain meat. He could catch fish too. If he wasn’t particular about the result, he could even cook it himself.

“Yes, that’s true. But not having to worry about making a living means being able to earn enough money to support yourself.”

“I’m working hard to earn money too…”

“Yes, you are…”

Eugene gave a wry smile, then looked steadily at him again.

“But your grandmother probably doesn’t know that you can earn money or hunt, does she?”

“…”

“So she may have been thinking of it as a future occupation for you.”

Ren pressed his lips together. Eugene continued with a slightly bitter expression.

“She may have been thinking about your future rather than trying to drive you out. But arranging it without consulting you isn’t commendable. It’s only natural that you’d feel anxious.”

Ren lowered his head and murmured, “I… want to attend the Academy.”

“I know. That’s why you became an adventurer, isn’t it?”

Ren nodded.

“I’m saving money. I still don’t have enough for the tuition, though…”

Eugene smiled gently. “You’re only nine, Ren-kun. You don’t need to rush.”

Ren shook his head. “But Father said he wouldn’t pay my tuition. Even when I said I’d earn it, he told me it was impossible… He wouldn’t listen. If I become an attendant, I feel like it’ll become even more impossible…”

His voice trembled.

Eugene watched him for a moment before answering. “Depending on their master, an attendant may still be able to attend the Academy. If the master is close to them in age, they might even take lessons together.”

Ren’s eyes widened slightly.

“That means there are also cases where they can’t go, right…?”

“Yes. And you might not be able to take the lessons you want. If you had no other means of entering the Academy, it could be an opportunity that widened your options. But in your case, the things you make will probably earn enough to cover your tuition. You only need backing, and that can be arranged.”

Ren looked up into Eugene’s face.

“It can? I can attend the Academy?”

Eugene nodded, though his expression remained somewhat troubled. “Provided the arrangement for you to become an attendant hasn’t progressed. So far, you said House Noisette turned it down.”

“The Vanille Count also said no because my skill isn’t a combat skill.”

“I see. So she approached House Vanille as well. Both Houses Noisette and Vanille are relatives on your grandmother’s side. She probably took the proposal to the families she could approach most easily. But if both have refused and nothing is moving forwards, you needn’t worry immediately.”

Eugene spoke in a calm, reassuring voice, but Ren’s mouth twisted anxiously.

“But there are still… the Margrave’s house, House Caramel, House Sucre…”

“Yes. It’s possible she may approach other families. Ren-kun, why don’t you begin by speaking with your grandmother? Ask why she has been arranging this. Even after hearing her reasons, if you don’t want to become an attendant, I think you should tell her so.”

“Okay…”

Ren answered softly.

The thought of speaking to Grandmother weighed heavily on him. She was always strict and often spoke as though there could be no argument, so he wasn’t confident he’d be able to explain himself properly. And he was a little afraid to learn what she truly intended.