Alex wandered through the marketplace, occasionally stepping into shops to buy supplies.
He was purchasing everything he thought he might need for a year at the academy. Since he didn't know what kind of lifestyle awaited him there, he bought notebooks, clothes, quills—basically, anything that seemed remotely useful.
Once he was done shopping and noticed it was still morning, Alex decided to head toward the riverside.
He was just 0.2% away from becoming a Novice mage, and he wanted to cross that barrier.
After sitting down, he began to train, and in a couple of hours…
—STATUS—Name: Alexander (Apprentice Mage - 0.1%)Mana: 1101/1101
He finally became a Novice mage. There was no light, no sound—no grand sign announcing his advancement.
"What an anticlimactic feeling. Well, it's probably for the better," Alex muttered.
He didn't want anyone to notice his progress anyway. He had no idea what kind of attention it might bring, and he didn't want to find out.
After reaching the Apprentice level, Alex went back home. He wanted to spend the remaining time with his family before departing for Tarrinhold.
Even though he knew he'd have weekends free, the travel time between the two places was a little over two days by carriage, meaning he wouldn't be able to return until the holidays.
Upon arriving home, the first thing Alex did was prepare a glass of lemon iced tea. It was his favorite drink to relax.
As he poured the tea, he heard footsteps behind him. He didn't even need to look to know it was Susan—Marc's footsteps were like small earthquakes, and Eve's were light and soft.
"Hello, Susan," Alex greeted without turning around.
"Hello, Alex. How are ya?" she replied.
Alex poured another glass and handed it to her.
"Oh, thank you, sweetie."
They both sat on the sofa, side by side.
"In the evening, I'm leaving for Lyssan with Marc," Alex said, breaking the silence.
"Oh…"
Susan felt her chest tighten. After her husband's death, her and her daughter's lives had turned gray and quiet. But Alex's presence had brought color and laughter back into their days—and with Marc added to the mix, the house had come alive again.
Still, she knew all good things came to an end, and Alex's stay had reached its limit.
"Okay, but you have to write to me every day," Susan said firmly.
"Impossible. Once a month," Alex countered.
"Once every three days."
"Once a week. Final offer."
"Fufufu… okay, once a week. That was my goal anyway," Susan chuckled with a smug grin.
Alex laughed, defeated. He couldn't help but admire her clever play.
After finishing their tea and chatting for a while, they moved to the kitchen to prepare food.
By now, Alex didn't need much instruction. Susan would simply tell him the dish and his part of the preparation, and Alex delivered remarkable results.
As always, Susan left to pick up Eve from school while Alex stayed behind to finish cooking.
The moment Eve returned, she dashed into the kitchen and leapt at Alex like a bunny.
"Gah!" Alex exclaimed, startled, but he caught her midair and hugged her.
"Hi, brother!" she said with a bright, innocent smile that could melt even the coldest heart.
"Oh! Hi, Eve. How was school today?" Alex asked.
"School was okay, but I'm still sad," she said with a pout.
"Why?" he asked, trying to sound serious.
"Mommy told me you have to leave with Teddy for a long time."
Eve had started calling Marc "Teddy" after hearing Alex call him "bear" several times. Surprisingly, Marc didn't mind the nickname.
"Well, Eve, you see, we have to go to school too, just like you. It's just that our school is far away," Alex explained, doing some hand gestures for extra dramatism.
"Okay, then you can only go if you promise to bring me lots of gifts!" Eve declared.
Alex looked at Susan in disbelief, only to see her desperately trying hard not to laugh.
'Ah, so this was your idea, huh?' he thought, realizing what had happened between the mother and daughter on their way home.
"Okay, I'll make sure to bring you lots of gifts," he said with a sigh.
"Haha! Mwah! Thank you, brother. Then you can go!" Eve said, kissing him on the cheek before scampering off to her room.
Alex stood frozen, struck by a fatal dose of cuteness.
"Fufu… Fatality," Susan teased.
Later, when Marc came home, Eve used the same tactic on him—though instead of a kiss, she gave him a big hug and said:
"Haha! Thank you, Teddy, you're the best!" before darting away again.
And that's how Eve managed to secure double the number of gifts for agreeing to the same thing.
Alex squinted at Susan and said, "Did she learn that from you? You're such a bad influence."
"Hey! You're wronging me. Did you think she didn't notice you both would bend to her will with a little cuteness?" Susan replied defensively—but didn't scold Eve. After all, the girl had simply played her cards right.
"Frightening," Alex muttered, realizing his little sister's power and vowing never to be swayed by her cuteness again. Deep down, though, he knew it would be easier to reach the Legendary Realm than to resist.
After hugging Susan goodbye, Alex and Marc left home, heading toward the carriage station to rent transport to the city.
Today marked the beginning of a new journey for the duo—the start of a new adventure.