Translator: Kurehashi Aiko
VOLUME 2 CHAPTER 2: Dragon Child of the Dragon Household
After we finished the main dish, we ate the dessert which was Nectar's signature fruit tart.
It was already delicious in the past, but after becoming a husband, Nectar's culinary skills have become even better. As a result, his tart becoming even more delicious.
「Madeleines are nice and all, but in the end, Nectar's sweets are the best……」
「So good……」
「If you say so, then it was worth making in the first place.」
Nectar smiled happily seeing how we squeezed our forks with blissful expressions.
「I'm going to do the dishes today, so please leave it to me.」
「Is that so? Thank you.」
While I thought of doing the dishes, Aru already went ahead of me, and climbed on the chair. I decided to have a look and observe.
After climbing onto the chair, Aru then extends his small hands towards the sink in which the dirty dishes had been stacked.
「Everyone! Thanks as always!」
Aru said in ancient language, and right after that spirits of water and wind began to gather around the dishes.
Seeing how Aru's aura was warm and comfortable, the spirits that answered his calling were all a merry bunch.
Although Aru was leisurely looking at the plates being cleaned one after another, but since they were being piled up without any kind of structures he soon began to panic seeing how the pile began to shake.
「Wh, what, wait a minute!」
「Wha, Aru!?」
As soon as he tried to balance the pile, Aru's foot slipped off the chair and the pile of dishes was thrown into the air.
I rushed in to his aid, casting my magic onto the place before they managed to fall to the ground and break apart, or even worse, to hurt someone.
Nectar, who was also silently watching the whole scene from the side, also rushed to Aru's side.
As soon as the situation calmed down, Nectar smiled and laughed in a warm manner, trying to reassure the restless spirits.
「I know that you guys are full of energy to help, but let's just take it nice and easy and do this properly, alright?」
As soon as they heard that, the spirits saluted to Nectar (sort of), and began to pick up the dishes I managed to catch and placing them carefully inside of the cupboard.
Wow, even in situations like that, Nectar's authority as a higher spirit was something else in its own right.
Hmm? Does that mean that Nectar's authority can even exceed that of a dragon and bring about fear to the neighbourhood?
No, that's not it.
If it was truly like that, then this whole neighborhood would become one big insanity zone in less than a month.
Not to mention that the country would most probably send an investigation team here, so that they could see what was causing the mysterious spiritual activity.
Aru seemed confused for the moment, and since I was not angry I got to his side while leaving the spirits to Nectar.
「Aaaah, it didn't work……」
Said Aru to himself after the dished had been done, the cupboard closed and the kitchen thoroughly cleaned.
「This time the spirits were only slightly out of control, so I must say that you did a great job, Aru.」
「You tried hard so that you could show it to Mommy how much you have improved, right?」
We tried to comfort him, but Aru began to cry nonetheless, to which I gently stroked his head.
He is just too cute, our child.
「By the way, Aru? How are things at school?」
「Yes…… Oh, that's right! There is something I would like you and Daddy to see! Please wait a moment!」
Wiping his tears, Aru remembered something and went to his room.
This autumn Aru has entered the Signos Magic Academy, and was attending there for one whole semester right now. Currently, he was in the middle of his winter break.
I still remember when he had his very first entrance ceremony…… Time surely flies by really fast.
Since Aru was born different from others, he was growing at the pace different from that of a normal human being. He has the knowledge of all previous dragons, his magic capacity and memory were unlimited and his physical and psychological growth was also outstanding.
For now, he was unable to fully control his power, only controlling a small portion of it, which made it possible for him to pose as a normal human quite easily. Thanks to that, he could merge with humans and go normal school.
It was because together with Nectar we decided that we wanted for him to know the human society so that one day he would decide what path he wanted to walk on: either as a dragon or as a human. For now, Aru was brought up like in a normal human family.
Nonetheless, we were living together with humans in this town for more than 10 years now, so that Aru wouldn't have to spend his childhood surrounded only by supernatural beings or in the wilderness (like I did after coming to this world). Although I was slightly worried about him, Aru quickly managed to adapt to human society and was having so much fun with making new friends.
「Here, this is it!」
「Huh? Wha, what……」
I take a look at the paper that Aru brought from his room.
Unlike hundred years ago, it was printed on a high quality pulp paper, and it was a consent form for parents to sign, apparently.
The name Aru Figura, which was the name that we've been using here, was already put down on it, the only thing that's been missing was his parents' signatures.
「Certificate of Department Activities?」
「Yep, that right. Since I have enough credits, the teacher told me that I can choose something different that I would like to study on my own.」
I looked over Aru's head towards Nectar, and smiled wryly at him.
Aru, like every other child at Signos Magic Academy, was going through a 'Department of Education's Elementary Part' ---- more commonly known as the ordinary course.
Kyle's educational philosophy was rather straightforward: he would accept anyone who was showing a willingness to learn. It was a truly rare approach to education, with various kinds of special courses or activities to back it up aside from your standard Liberal Arts course or Magical course.
When you enter the Magic Academy, as a part of the Magical course you could use magic under the guidance of the teachers, but that would carry the risk of someone's noticing that Aru's magical prowess was far greater than any of his peers. So in order to avoid that, we decided to send him instead to a Liberal Arts course, so that he could still learn new things.
Signos Magic Academy acts on a unit system, and if both boys and girls from eleven to eighteen years old fail to meet a certain quota of hours from among their subjects in their course, they would face the penalty of retention or even retaking a year.
For instance, the first four years of learning are considered as elementary school and the classes are conducted in groups, but if you fail to show up a certain amount of times during the first two years it results in your immediate expulsion, and you can not enroll again to any course for about ten years or so. It is a rather strict system.
Theoretically speaking, you could clear the course by getting all of the necessary marks and then do whatever you wanted as extracurricular activities. But since it was a very prestigious academy, there was only a number of extra classes you could take per year. Every class was difficult and packed with advance knowledge, and so the children who dropped out because of not getting enough credit was not all that uncommon.
Even so, since it was Aru that we are talking about, he managed to take all of the necessary exams and as a result he managed to even skip a few grades ahead. Like, 4 years-worth or so.
In other words, even though the winter break would eventually end, there was no need for Aru to come back to school for like three years, since he already passed all of the material needed for an elementary school.
The academy's so prestigious that it gathers not only domestic students, but also those who come from abroad, and the students' life is mostly left to their own affairs, with the faculty rarely even contacting their families.
That is why I would sometimes secretly consult the academy's current headmaster, Seram, just so I could know how Aru's been doing. Seram of course knew about Aru's unique circumstances.
That -- No, having him on my side, we made sure that Aru would receive a PROPER education.
Additionally, when we heard that there would also be a magic aptitude test in the academy, Seram helped Aru a little bit there.
…… I wonder how much anyone actually understand?
There is no way other students would know about it unless they heard it from someone who was directly involved. Even amongst some of the teachers who heard about our circumstances ended up over exaggerating the situation a whole lot, thinking that this was the biggest controversy in the history of the entire academy.
Moving on from that, honor students were receiving a form of special treatment from the academy itself, to the point where achieving a great marks in higher classes enabled you to study some extra material and courses under the guidance of the teacher on one-on-one basis.
However, since there were children that Aru managed to become friends with, we decided that he would still be attending the elementary school section together with everyone else.
With that came another thing, namely the fact that as long as Aru's attendance was sufficient, he would be given a special permission to attend some extracurricular classes at a higher level while still studying in elementary school section.
Additionally, the teacher that was in charge of Aru's education seemed to support this method of education, so Aru didn't lean towards studying books only. The academy is focusing on nurturing the students emotional growth as well. The school thinks it's important not to isolate him from his peers and not to throw him in the middle of older kids for the sake of higher education.
There is a lot of things to learn at school, such as empathy and socializing.
I don't know why, but the fact that Aru is able to make friends easily and enjoy his school life just happens to bring tears into my eyes.
I can also see why this would be a point of concern for the teacher, so I guess I must somehow intervene in this matter, to steer Aru in the right direction.
「Aru, don't you think you are taking too many subjects at the same time? I am worried it will be hard to balance everything for you to graduate.」
For the time being I decided to take the teacher's side, to which Aru's eyes opened wide.
「That would be a problem, If I don't graduate I won't be able to see Marca anymore!」
Saying the name of his female classmate, there was a sign of determination on Aru's face.
It seems that he managed to get along with this Marca girl, who was also Kyle's granddaughter. They get along from the very first day at school. We were all relieved to know that.
「I understand. I'm going to give it my best during club activities, too.」
「But, Of course. If you think it looks interesting and you can do it, you should definitely do it. Right, Nectar?」
「Eehm, of course.」
Not that I was worried about it in particular, I was still going to give him my permission.
Furthermore, Nectar almost immediately took out his quill pen and began to write his name on the appropriate space on the paper.
「By the way, have you already thought about what kind of club activities you would like to participate in?」
「Uhm, the teachers showed me different things, but I don't really think they are all that interesting. But still, Elvie-senpai invited me to try their club activities sometime.」
「This Elvie-senpai is the boy who is part of the upper course?」
I inquired about the name I just heard and Aru just nodded in affirmation.
「Yup, Elvie-senpai. I personally think that the things they are doing in their club are really interesting, and since they are somehow 'non-regular', the teacher says it might be good for me to give it a try.」
「Non-regular activities----……」
「It's the kind of activities that you don't necessarily report back to the academy, or that is not approved by faculty for some reason. It becomes like that when your club doesn't have enough members or there are problems with registering it. Usually, your official club would receive funds for its activities directly from the academy, but with non-regular activities the members must procure them themselves, unless their activities can benefit the academy in some way. And although it is stated that the students can get part-time jobs for themselves when they are 14-years-old or older, some people would often result to illegal means to get funds.」
「I get it……」
Seemingly convinced by this explanation, I secretly turn towards Nectar.
The gist of it is, if it's a minor kind of activity, you would have to get the funds for it yourself, so it might be troublesome if they chose to do something shady in order to get the money.
But ----……
Nectar seemed to be of the same mind, so he turned to ask Aru.
「From your viewpoint, Aru, just what kind of a person is that Elvie-senpai?」
「Elvie-senpai always helps me out, corrects me when I do something wrong and everyone always rely on him. Even though, he just won't admit that it makes him happy that everyone is like that.」
Hearing Aru's story, he seemed like an honest, hard-working person.
But I need to think this thoroughly on my own, otherwise it may turn out that Aru is going to get dragged into something really illegal or even dangerous.
So after confirming it with Nectar, both of us turned towards Aru, who was restlessly awaiting our decision.
「Even if it's a non-regular activity, if it's something you feel you would like to do we are not going to stop you. But I want you to promise us that if you feel in danger or that something is wrong, you will run away from the scene and report it to the teachers. Okay?」
「Yup, I promise!」
Aru smiled brightly at me, but I was still full of worries.
「By the way, what kind of activities is this senpai of yours involved with?」
「Oh, yeah, Elvie-senpai is involved in a 'Magic Machines Study Circle'. They work to create their own original magic machines, research new ways of making them or even fixing some of the already existing ones when asked to.」
「Ooh, seems like he's quite the passionate one, huh?」
Magic machines got really advanced over the last century.
There were ones that could produce sparks at will to make fire, manipulating water, washing the dishes, making the water clean and drinkable. In general, these machines were created to make your everyday life a little bit easier.
However, they are still fueled by magic, which means that in order to operate them properly one still needed to be a magician, or at the very least have some kind of magic training.
Still, with the appearance of new technology, one would allow for placing the normally limited arts and crafts into machines that would serve to aid the household chores for as long as you could supply magical power to them. It was easy to imagine that in the future we would bear witness to the appearance of devices such as washing machines, automatic ignition stoves or refrigerators.
Thanks to that, even those unable to use magic would be exposed to the benefits it presents.
But, currently it would probably be so expensive that only wealthy people and nobility would be able to afford it, and without the ability to fill it with magic yourself, you would need to hire a magician who would do it for you on a regular basis.
Therefore, since allowing only the wealthiest of people to use devices like that was out of the question, magical machines were still a topic that was open to a heated debate all over the world.
Especially since one of the places that would benefit from them would be the Signos Academy, due to the number of people who could use magic there.
「The place is quite different to the usual magic activity.」
「Well, that is true. It's a nice thing he invited you to his club.」
While we were being impressed by that, Aru's face got visibly sad.
「Yeah, but still, just like Elvie-senpai, I am considered to be a 'magician who can't use magic all that well', so not many magician clubs would want to actually recruit someone like that.」
「Ah---……」
「This is……」
「I heard that Elvie-senpai often gets asked to test various kinds of prototype magical tools, some of which are made by famous magicians. That is why I feel like I shouldn't get involved in that kind of thing, since I wouldn't be of much help to them.」
Nectar and I cast a quick glances towards one another.
It was truly a blessing that we managed to masque Aru's true magical capacity before the magic aptitude test. Thanks to that magical tool that Nectar constructed, it became possible for Aru to enroll in the academy with no problems whatsoever.
Apparently the accuracy with which the device measure the magical aptitude was way higher than Nectar anticipated. Thanks to that the device measured Aru's aptitude inaccurately, but at the same time it labeled him as 'an irregular who has the magical capacity but is also unable to use any form of magic'. The teachers at school think of Aru like that.
And although it was not Nectar's fault in any way, he took it quite hard that our child was labeled the way he did.
Even now I remember that he was so depressed that it kept on raining for a few days straight.
「I'm so sorry, Aru. If only I had done my research more accurately……」
「Don't feel bad about it, Daddy. I am doing fine at school, and I get along with everyone just fine. ----- But who would have thought that Elvie-senpai is similar to me, yet he's not even wearing the same bracelet?」
「The only thing I can think of is that his magical core may be damaged, or that it may be small, but his magic flow is constantly active …… Anyway, this is surely a rare case, indeed. I would very much like to investigate this if I could.」
Nectar's eyes shine brightly, making him look more like that of a mad scientist rather than that of a professional researcher. I smiled wryly seeing him like that.
「Nectar, Aru has enough problems as it is, so please don't add him any new ones, please.」
「I know that, it's just that I am really curious right now.」
Yeah, I could very well tell that judging from that serious look in his eyes.
「For now, as long as Aru is wearing his bracelet, he can't use his magic. And Aru, even if people might mock you for it, I still want you to do your best and try to make the most out of your school life, okay?」
「Sure thing!」
Aru smiles brightly and nods vigorously, what a cute reaction.
「Lava, for how long are you going to stay home this time around?」
「I don't have anything urgent planned for the time being, so maybe I'll just stick around for a two or three days and surveil the neighborhood. Oh, and I must go to the guild sooner rather than later.」
「Your Hunter license certificate is nearing its expiration date, is it not?」
Added Nectar, probably thinking that the certificate was the most pressing of my concerns right now.
「Well, since 'Noct' managed to become a 4th class hunter the certificate is no longer necessary. I am now permanently registered at the guild, but I still do have an obligation to report to the guild regularly about the available jobs in the area. And since we are going to be staying here for a while, I would like to build a relationship of mutual trust with them. If I have time, I will probably accept a request or two.」
「I see, so that means that you won't have time to spend together with me, Mommy?」
Said Aru while obviously panicking after hearing the sudden revelation.
「You don't have to worry, even if something comes up, it won't take me a whole day to finish. Besides, now that I finished most of my adjusting work in this region and the flow of magic is relatively stable, I will have plenty of time to come play with you and Daddy.」
「Is that so?」
「So, would you like to practice by helping me repair the leylines sometime?」
「Sure!」
Seeing how Aru's face brightened, feeling relieved I turned towards Nectar.
「Okay, so that is what we are going to do the day after tomorrow. What are you going to do, Nectar?」
「There are quite a few medications that I've been asked to make, so I need to start preparing them. I am sorry, but it looks like I won't be able to go with you this time.」
Nectar looked really sorry that he couldn't make it, to which I lovingly caressed his neck.
Oh my, it must have been some tricky request to be able to force someone like Nectar, a demi-spirit who trained under the Great Plant Spirit to put some effort into it.
Hearing that, Aru turned toward Nectar and asked him:
「By the way, Daddy, do you have lots of work to do?」
「Let's see, there is a request from the doctor at the church, some requests for deliveries of disinfectants, and for the catalysts that some magicians are going to use.」
「…… Incidentally, when you need to deliver them?」
「Most of the requests are due the day after tomorrow, since it is the usual day for the gathering of the medical clinics representatives, but some of the individual requests are due tomorrow, so I'll probably need to pull an all-nighter on those.」
Nectar smiled shyly after he stopped counting thing he had to do, to which Aru and I looked at one another and said in unison.
「「Well, don't just stand here, then! Get to work! Right now!」」
「R, right! On it!」
Nectar jumped out of the room like a rabbit suddenly startled by a predator that was out there to get him.
I started to laugh, and then I hugged Aru with all of my might, thinking just how colorful and happy my current life was.