Chapter 10: Preparations

“You little rascal! Can’t believe you dumped all of that onto me!”

Byrael currently had his son Azrael in a headlock as they were heading back home. Making sure he wasn’t squeezing tightly, he moved his knuckles rapidly over the top of Azrael’s head. After a final, futile attempt at resistance, Azrael yielded and tapped his father’s shoulders, signaling his surrender.

“Heh, it’s not like we hadn’t decided on the school beforehand.”

“Yeah, it was a no-brainer to choose Sinara Academy, but why did you push it onto me?”

Sinara Academy, located near the capital city of Leah in the Nifl Kingdom, was the most renowned Magic Academy on the continent. Even though the academy graduated only about fifty students every year, those who emerged were exceptional talents fiercely recruited by all the kingdoms.

“I thought it would be a shame if only I received all that attention.”

“Wh… Why you!! Come back here!”

Azrael immediately began sprinting. Dumbfounded by his son’s response, Byrael stood still for a moment before realizing the sarcasm. Seeing his son run away laughing, a smile naturally spread across his face as he chased after him.

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As the sun began to set, the two finished climbing the last hill that separated them from their home. They paused to appreciate the beautiful scene of the sun setting behind their house. At that moment, lights appeared in the house’s windows. Snapping back to reality, the two headed toward the door and entered.

“Mom! We’re home!”

“Oh Azrael! You two came at the perfect time. I’m almost done cooking dinner. Go upstairs and clean up. We’ll eat when you’re done.”

After giving his mom a hug, Azrael went upstairs to freshen up before dinner. As he climbed the final stairs, the door to the twins’ room burst open, and two small figures ran toward him.

“”Brother!””

Seeing the two figures charging at him, a warm smile appeared on Azrael’s face. He braced himself as they jumped into him, hugging him around the waist and looking up at him with gleaming eyes.

“Welcome back, brother!”

“Did you buy us yummy things, brother?”

“Haha, oi oi, Aurora, Azer! I need to clean up first, so you two go downstairs and get ready for dinner, okay?”

“Okay, brother, see you soon!”

Nodding, the twins let go of Azrael’s legs and headed downstairs to eat. Laughing, Azrael went to the bathroom to quickly wash up before heading downstairs himself.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, the tantalizing aroma of spices and cooked meat filled his nose. At the table, a large dish of sizzling deer meat was the centerpiece, with bowls of soup and salad prepared in front of each chair. Azrael’s stomach growled in response, and he hurried to his seat.

Once the whole family was seated, the children eagerly began devouring the delicious meal. Seeing her children enjoy the food she had cooked with such enthusiasm, a smile spread across Azela’s face. What mother wouldn’t be happy seeing her family eat with such passion? After everyone finished their meal, Azela broached the topic she had been wondering about.

“So, how did your test go, Azrael?”

“Of course, I got admitted to Sinara Academy!”

With a calm face, Azrael extended his arms and made a V sign. Seeing the ridiculous pose, Azela chuckled and shook her head. Despite knowing her son was a genius with his three elements, she still worried he might fail and feel discouraged. It seemed her worries were unfounded.

“Haa… Even though you’re such a smart and kind person, I still feel uneasy knowing you’ll be living so far away…”

Seeing his mother’s worried expression, Azrael was touched by her love.

“It’s not like you’ll never see me again, Mom. I’ll be able to come back home every six months, so just wait to hear about how amazing your son is when I return!”

Saying that, Azrael struck a dramatic pose. Seeing her son’s antics, Azela couldn’t help but chuckle and nod in agreement. Byrael, observing the interaction, wrapped his arms around his wife to comfort her.

After helping his mother clean up after the meal, Azrael went up to his room and flopped down on his bed. Like his mother, he felt sad about spending long periods away from his family.

In his old world, demons didn’t emphasize family bonds and relied more on individuality. All demons learned self-reliance from a young age. Even though his family was better than most, they still interfered little with his life, providing only the essentials.

In this new world, however, he had experienced what it was like to have a caring family. Surrounded by such an environment, he had come to cherish the deep love he felt for his parents and siblings.

Despite his sadness, he was also very excited about the future. At Sinara Academy, he would have the opportunity to learn and practice as much as he wanted. He knew his current strength was insufficient to protect his loved ones.

“I need to graduate as one of the top students from Sinara Academy. Even though we’re well off now, I want my parents and siblings to live comfortably and with grandeur. To achieve that goal, I need to train even harder!”

With this vow in his heart, Azrael immediately began his training. He didn’t stop purifying his mana and running until the sun began to rise.

For the next eleven and a half months, Azrael focused on improving his cardiovascular fitness and spending time with his family. During this period, he also noticed a change in how the villagers treated him.

One day, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he asked his dad about it. When Byrael heard the question, he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha, of course, it’s because you got accepted to Sinara Magic Academy! You’re the first person ever from this village to get into the academy. You’ve become the pride of the village.”

‘Ah… No wonder all the older folks have been smiling at me more. I’ve also started getting free stuff from the other villagers…’

During this time, the twins also began taking their training more seriously. Aurora and Azer had always looked up to their older brother. Not only was he a genius, but he always took time to play with and care for them. When they heard their brother would be leaving soon, they were shocked.

“What do you mean our brother is leaving? The older brother we look up to and love is going away? This news is very upsetting!” When they first heard, they ran to Azrael to confirm it.

“Brother, are you really leaving?!”

“Brother, you can’t leave us!”

Seeing their anxious faces, Azrael could only inwardly sigh. He knew he’d have to tell them eventually, but here were his siblings demanding answers and asking him to stay.

“Aurora, Azer, I’ll be going to school in about eleven months. It’s far away, so I can’t visit often, but I’ll come back home to see you twice a year, okay?”

“WAAAAH, BROTHER HATES US!!”

“BROTHER’S LEAVING BECAUSE HE HATES AURORA AND ME!”

With that, the twins ran off to their room. Azrael sighed again. He hadn’t told them earlier because he knew they would react this way. Even after they had turned the corner and disappeared, he continued to stare in their direction for a moment before returning to his training.

Aurora and Azer were silently crying in their room.

“D… Does brother really hate us?”

“Aurora! Brother would never hate us!”

Hearing Azer’s reassuring comment, Aurora slowly began to nod. Even though she had just said that, she understood how much her older brother loved and cherished them. Unless it was for something very important, he would never leave them.

“So… how can we go to see brother?”

“We have to train very hard, Aurora! I will become the strongest warrior, and you become the strongest mage, okay? That way, we can see older brother!”

At Azer’s words, Aurora quickly nodded. Even though they would be apart, all they needed to do was pass the examination and join him at the academy!

Agreeing to this, both began training diligently. Although Azer wasn’t given a wooden sword yet, he made smaller versions from branches and began imitating Azrael’s practice. His swings became fluid and graceful, requiring less strength with each swing.

Aurora, on the other hand, focused on purifying her mana. At night, she began asking her older brother about his experiences to gain a better understanding. The dull grey aura of her mana was steadily solidifying into a purer silver color.

Seeing the twins’ dedication, both their parents and Azrael were surprised. Although the twins had always been carefree and loved playing more than anything, their commitment to training was remarkable.

Every time they grew tired, they thought of how far their older brother was from them and pushed themselves to continue. They were determined to become strong like him and attend the same school so they could be together!

Time flew by, and it was soon time for Azrael to depart. In front of the house, he was saying his farewells to his mother and younger siblings.

“Alright, you two, behave while I’m gone, okay? Azer, while Dad and I are away, you’re in charge of protecting our sister and mom, okay?”

Hearing his words, Azer nodded and threw himself onto his leg. Aurora, not to be left out, grabbed his other leg. Seeing his siblings clinging to

him and trying not to cry warmed his heart. After a while, he turned to his mother.

“Mom, I’ll be back before you know it, so don’t worry, okay? I’ll be expecting my favorite meals when I return! Also, don’t worry about Dad on this trip; I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything naughty.”

“*cough* *cough*… Just how do you think of your old pop?!”

Seeing the interaction between the two, Azela couldn’t help but laugh, giving in and rushing to embrace her oldest son in a hug.

“Make sure not to overexert yourself, okay? Eat plenty of food, and you’re not allowed to marry anyone without Mom’s permission, okay?”

“Eh?”

Hearing his mother’s unexpected words, Azrael stiffened in surprise. Azela chuckled and hugged him tighter. After about five minutes, they finally released each other from the hug. Not looking back, he marched forward.

Byrael, observing this, couldn’t help but grin. His son was so shy, trying to hide it by hurrying off. Byrael soon ran forward and caught up with his son, who had deliberately slowed down to let his father catch up.

With his mother and two siblings waving and saying goodbye behind them, the two set off on their one-week journey to Sinara Magic Academy.