* * *
It was the final private meeting with the Count before leaving the mansion.
Aster Descartes, the ruler of the Descartes Countdom, the dominator of the East, and Anakin’s father.
He had black hair and red eyes.
A man of grave presence, with a handsome middle-aged face quite similar to Roman’s.
“Anakin…”
An aide served a sweet beverage heavily loaded with sugar in front of Anakin.
By now, everyone in the mansion knew that Anakin had a sweet tooth.
“Yes, Father.”
When Anakin smiled with a straight posture, the Count’s brow twitched slightly.
“I told you to fix that habit of smiling whenever.”
“Ah…”
As Anakin panicked and looked nervously at him, the Count sighed.
“If you smile like that, Alpha pests will swarm all around you like gnats.”
“It’s a habit… I apologize.”
The Descartes family, including the Count, had generally been lenient with Anakin due to his past illness.
However, when Anakin declared he would go to Pasadian, the Count began to treat him differently than before.
He was as strict as he was when disciplining Roman, and the days he reprimanded him increased.
Just like now.
The moment Anakin apologized, the Count spoke with a cold face.
“You should not utter the word ‘apology’ carelessly either. You are a member of the Descartes Count Family. You always represent the family wherever you go. For such a person to easily apologize is tantamount to treating the family’s standing lightly.”
“…”
He felt crushed by the Count’s presence.
This was what a Count was like. He was indeed the sovereign who governed this vast domain.
“You were frail… and because you were a precious Omega, we raised you with even more indulgence. But I fear that has become poison for you now.”
“…”
“That fellow, Roman, is also too weak for you. Maria is out of the question. I know well of your magic skills, having heard from Sir Mikhail, but I am not sure if your inner self has grown as much.”
“Are you saying you find it difficult to trust me?”
“As of now, yes. I worry that you might be easily swayed by a seemingly decent Alpha and leave the family.”
Count Aster crossed his legs, resting his chin on his hand, and stared sharply at Anakin.
Under his fierce gaze, which seemed to dissect him, Anakin swallowed hard and spoke.
“I’m not as naive as you think.”
“I don’t think someone who grew up safely within the family fence, showered with love, can handle the fierce hunting dogs that have grown up roughly outside. I would be relieved if you just weren’t devoured.”
“…”
Anakin instinctively bit his lip and glared back at the Count with a rebellious look.
The Count let out a hearty laugh and took a sip of his teacup.
“That expression certainly stings, though.”
“…It’s not because I hate you, Father. It’s just that you don’t trust me enough…”
“Isn’t that the same as hating me? You don’t need to phrase it kindly.”
…This is a father who truly can’t be tricked with roundabout methods. Hahaha.
“In any case, if Father can’t acknowledge me, shouldn’t I just make you acknowledge me?”
“Hmm…”
Count Aster scrutinized Anakin, as if trying to gauge him.
“If there is no trust, I will prove myself. If I compete with other children and become a formal disciple of the Pasadian School, will you acknowledge me?”
Anakin’s intelligent red eyes met the Count’s gaze directly.
He seemed frail, but his conviction was firm—the type of person who, once he set his path, would run without looking back.
The Count already knew this about Anakin’s personality.
“Have you ever killed a person?”
“…”
At those words, Anakin flinched slightly.
The Count nodded, as if he had expected this.
“Even with increased patrols within the domain, there are multiple cases every day of people mysteriously going missing or being found as corpses. Pasadian will be no different.”
“…”
“I am asking if you are prepared for that level of commitment, Anakin.”
Murder.
Something he had tried to avoid, but would inevitably have to face someday.
In this world, avoiding killing was impossible.
If an opponent appeared whom he could not overpower, he naturally had to fight for his life.
“If it is unavoidable, I will have to do it.”
Anakin tightly clenched his fists and answered without wavering.
“…I see.”
The Count turned his head away upon seeing Anakin and let out a sigh.
“I wished for you to live a life without getting blood on your hands, unlike Roman and me. I simply wanted you to meet an Alpha you like and live happily.”
“You know I’m not the type of person who can do that.”
The Count gazed at Anakin, who was once again smiling cheerfully.
Seeing the softening of the Count’s expression, Anakin asked with an innocent face.
“Can I smile now?”
“…Do as you please.”
“I know you are worried about me. And that you don’t want to send me away from the family. But I want to broaden my knowledge and experience outside the domain.”
The Count’s expression remained stern, but Anakin knew that he genuinely cherished and loved him more than anyone.
Moreover, he knew the Count worried even more because he was an Omega.
You can’t spit on a smiling face, can you?
When Anakin smiled with his eyes crinkling, the Count eventually let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“Honestly. Who did you inherit that pointless smiling and stubbornness from…”
“Haha.”
“You may leave now. I have a mountain of work to deal with.”
As the Count rose from his seat, Anakin followed suit.
Then, the Count turned back as if he had forgotten something and opened his long arms towards Anakin.
As Anakin, as if he had been waiting, instantly fell into his embrace, the Count smiled self-mockingly and said.
“…I guess I’m in no position to criticize Roman.”
The Count held his beloved, precious Omega son, Anakin, in his arms and gently stroked his head with his rough hands.
The Count already knew.
That Anakin’s personality was one that would run away the more he was confined within a fence.
Children grow up so fast…
He thought so as he looked at Anakin.
A chick that just hatched out of its egg.
That metaphor fit perfectly.
A plain carriage, ordinary luggage, and Mikhail using magic to transport it all.
The reason why a great mage like Mikhail was personally moving the luggage was that he had agreed to accompany Anakin only until their arrival at the Pasadian School.
From Anakin’s perspective, it was nice not to embark on the lonely journey by himself, but Mikhail seemed to be following along with the heart of someone looking after a child released near the water’s edge.
Anakin was wearing an expensive robe that not only covered his face but seemed suffocating, and he listened intently to Mikhail’s words.
“To become a provisional disciple, you will have to take a selection exam along with children your age. The difficulty of that exam is known to be significantly higher than other schools. Most of the children come out injured… and even then, many are severely injured, and occasionally, accidents happen that lead to death. Healing mages are formally on standby, but I hear they don’t help much unless it’s a fatal injury.”
“Hmm…”
Mikhail frowned as if the thought alone was dreadful.
‘They do guarantee life, right?’
“The Elders there are completely entrenched… so the factional fighting will be severe. You will need to make a good impression on the Elders.”
After that comment, Mikhail glanced at Anakin once and then frowned.
“Haa… I’m a little worried about Anakin. If they try any funny business… it will be difficult, but you must use all your power to get out of there. Before that, if the protection spell I placed on you breaks and I sense your life is in danger, I will teleport immediately, though.”
“Yes!”
It was inevitable that there were parts that made him anxious.
Anakin was an Omega who would be noticed at a glance by anyone, and he was the male lead of this world whom all Alphas and Betas would flock to.
Since he learned magic to protect his body, he shouldn’t forget his original purpose.
Repeating his father’s words that safety was the absolute priority, Anakin vowed not to do anything reckless.
After saying his goodbyes to his family, Anakin boarded the carriage.
Since a long-distance teleportation was a spell that put a strain on the body, even for high-ranking mages, if not used at certain intervals, using a carriage was more efficient.
Anakin placed his identity tag deep inside his robe pocket.
‘Neigh.’
Soon, the coachman drove the horses, and the carriage began to accelerate and travel quickly.
Perhaps because he never ventured outside, the scenery visible through the window was new.
A child crying and throwing a tantrum in the market, parents looking at the child with a troubled expression… even merchants buying and selling goods.
The setting was medieval, but in these aspects, it was not much different from reality.
While chatting casually with Mikhail, the carriage suddenly came to a stop.
It was so abrupt that their bodies lunged forward, not a gradual stop.
“Whoa.”
Mikhail caught Anakin’s body as it flew up and looked around.
“What is the matter?”
“That… I apologize, but a group of bandits is blocking the road ahead.”
Then Mikhail spoke calmly, with an expression as if he had encountered a swarm of ants on the road.
“I see.”
At the same time, as Mikhail began casting a spell, Anakin, who was being held in his arms, stopped him.
“May I handle this?”
* * *
