Arriving at the village by cart, Shirone felt a wave of emotion as he took in the familiar sights.
Crops grew in the fields, and smoke rose from the nearby village. An old man, tending to his fields, spotted the cart coming along the path.
"Martin! You're back now?"
"Yes, Grandpa! Shirone came too!"
"What? Shirone? What about Vincent?"
"Uncle Vincent didn't come. But Grandpa, did you know? Shirone goes to magic school!"
"What? You're saying you're going out after eating?"
"No! I'm not eating, I'm going to magic school!"
"Hahaha! What nonsense!"
"…."
Martin fell silent as the old man returned to his work. Alto smiled bitterly, realizing that it was hard for someone who had worked the land their entire life to understand the concept of magic.
Lumina pouted. "What? Why don't you believe me? Don't worry, Shirone. I'll spread the word later."
"Haha, there's no need."
Alto added, "Uncle Vincent didn't say anything either. Keep quiet about it."
As the leader of the Hwajeonmin Village children, Alto knew the dangers of rumors. If word got out about Shirone's admission to the magic school, it could affect Vincent's position as well.
After putting the cart in the public warehouse, Alto led the children to the only house in the village that sold alcohol. It was a small establishment, where the herbalist's wife ran a side business.
"Ma'am, we're here."
"Welcome. Oh my, is that Shirone?"
"Yes. Hello, ma'am."
"Ah! Oh, Vincent works in the city, so you must have met him there. Anyway, welcome back."
The children sat down at the three tables that were always combined. Alto, sitting at the head of the table, ordered, "Let's have a glass of beer each, and the usual snacks."
Shirone felt the changes in the air. When they had all hung out together as kids, they hadn't even been able to touch alcohol. Now, they sat with legs crossed, drinking beer.
Compared to their peers at the magic school, these kids seemed a little more mature.
"How about you, Shirone? Do you drink?"
"Huh? Oh, no. I've never had any."
"What? I just saw you, and you're still a kid! Don't you have any hair there? Puhahaha!"
The children burst into laughter at Alto's joke.
Then Lumina said seriously, "What are you saying to a friend you haven't seen in a long time? You have such a rough mouth."
When Lumina, who usually laughed with him, scolded Alto, he felt a little bitter.
'Well, it's always been like this.'
He knew that Lumina liked Shirone, but now they were older, and Alto realized that the powerful often attracted the most beautiful women. Lumina probably thought of herself as the next village chief and thought she should be Shirone's partner.
Despite the awkward feelings, the joy of reuniting made it easier to forget any discomfort.
The group drank, laughed, and reminisced about old times. Shirone even smiled as they talked about the past.
"You guys, do you remember? Before, Sister Howran tried to attack Shirone."
Shirone waved his hand in embarrassment. "Hey, why are you bringing that up all of a sudden? Don't do that!"
"So what? It's in the past now. Besides, Sister Howran got married last year and isn't even around anymore."
"Oh, really? That's good."
The children laughed, holding their stomachs.
Taking advantage of the mood, Lumina sneaked up beside Shirone.
"So, what's your ideal type, Shirone?"
"Huh? Well, I guess…"
Alto, noticing Lumina's interest, shifted the topic. "But Shirone, you're really going to a magic school? Then shouldn't you be able to do at least some basic magic?"
"That's right. I learned magic a bit late, so I'm behind the other kids. Magic is a tough field. I'm not completely incapable, but… it's forbidden to use magic outside of school unless it's a life-or-death situation."
Magic had strict rules, and even though students often broke them, there was a reason for them. Shirone, despite his capabilities, didn't want to flaunt his powers at a drinking party.
Martin, munching on jerky, asked, "If it's that difficult, does that mean I can't become a wizard?"
"Of course. There are far more people who fail than succeed."
"Really? So what happens if I can't become a wizard?"
"Huh? How…?"
Shirone had always focused on becoming a wizard, so he never thought about what would happen afterward.
The kids were puzzled as Shirone couldn't answer. "Who pays for the tuition? And are the nobles the ones paying?"
"Uh... I'm getting support for now."
Everyone stared wide-eyed.
"Wow! Really? How much are they giving you? Have you saved up for marriage funds? Have you ever dated a noble?"
"No, I've never thought about that."
Alto stopped the kids from questioning further.
"Take it easy. Shirone will figure it out."
"But still, I'm jealous. The nobles are giving him money."
"Do you think anything comes free? If you don't become a wizard, you're out of luck. Right, Shirone?"
"Huh? Oh, of course."
As the children's excitement faded, Alto emptied his glass and spoke again.
"Nobles are dangerous people. They'll never do anything that could harm them. Shirone, think carefully. If you succeed, great, but if you fail, they might harm you. We have to protect our families."
Shirone didn't think the Ozent family would harm him, but he understood Alto's concerns.
"Me too."
Shirone felt nervous before starting his life as a butler.
He also realized, after the fact, that some of the common perceptions commoners have of nobles aren't entirely wrong.
In this context, Shirone's decision to enter a magic school to follow his dream might have seemed naive to the people of Hwajeon village, who lived tough lives.
"Ideals vs. Reality."
Even while Shirone was chasing his dream, his parents were still working dangerous jobs.
Is it really worth pursuing a goal that might not even be possible?
As the somber mood hung in the air, Alto suddenly clapped his hands.
"Alright, enough with the heavy talk. Hey, Shirone, want to arm wrestle with me? It's been a while."
"With me?"
"Yeah, you were surprisingly strong before. Let's see if you still have it."
The children cheered, encouraging the match.
"Warrior vs. Wizard! It's the fight of the century!"
The party mood picked up again, and Shirone put his worries aside, smiling again. On the one hand, it felt absurd to be asked to arm wrestle with someone so much more imposing.
Alto rested his thick forearms on the table.
"What do you say? Drinks are on the line!"
Shirone rolled up his sleeves, refusing to back down.
"Can't avoid it now."
With a bet on the line, his pride as a man made it impossible not to accept, whether he won or lost.
However, as soon as their hands met, it felt like Shirone was holding a boulder.
If he used a photon spell, he could probably win and pay for drinks, but that was just a fantasy.
Martin saw they were ready and called out.
"Alright, alright! Ready… and go!"
Shirone poured all his strength into the match, but Alto's force overwhelmed him like a wave. With no resistance, Shirone was quickly pushed to the other side.
"Ugh!"
It wasn't about brute force—it was pure strength.
"Ouch. You're really strong."
"Wow! As expected from Altair. Shirone's a wizard, but Alto can defeat her in an instant."
Magic and arm wrestling might not seem to be connected, but the title of "wizard" clearly carried a lot of weight for them.
"Of course! Alto's hunted bears before!"
Alto laughed heartily.
"Haha! Shirone, you've really gotten weaker, huh? You weren't like this before. This turned into a weird bet. I'll just buy the drinks, Shirone."
Lumina helped Shirone, who had fallen to the ground. Her eyes showed concern.
"Shirone, are you alright? I told you Alto doesn't think things through. What's going to happen if you keep using your strength like that?"
Even Alto's expression changed when he heard this.
He understood Lumina's feelings toward Shirone, but scolding the person who won the duel wasn't the right move for a leader.
"Haha! It's fine. But Alto really has gotten stronger."
A few gold coins tumbled out of Shirone's pocket as she quickly got up.
The kids in the village gasped.
"Wait, is that gold? Real gold?"
"What? Where? Wow, there are three?"
Even the kids sitting at the far end of the table crowded around, staring in awe at the gold coins on the floor.
In the village, even adults rarely used gold coins, so for the kids, who earned only small amounts of money, the sight of gold felt almost sacred.
"Shirone, why are you carrying three gold coins?"
Shirone, a little embarrassed, replied.
"I brought a lot just in case. It'd be tough if I found a book I really wanted to buy but didn't have the money."
"Well, books can be expensive."
Everyone knew Shirone had a passion for books. She always had one in her hands whenever she was with Vincent.
Of course, the village kids weren't too interested in books, but seeing the gold coins made it clear how much support Shirone was receiving.
"Shirone, can I use this for whatever I want?"
Shirone hesitated.
She had never wasted money like that. As Alto said, the money came from others.
"I don't really have any reason to spend it. I'm so busy with school that I usually skip meals."
"Hey, you can still pay for drinks, right? I lost the bet."
"A bet? Oh, right."
Shirone heard Alto's words, but if she kept talking, it would only make things worse.
It was already done, and as a leader, Alto wasn't clueless, so he just went along with it.
"Haha! Fine! I've had every drink I've gotten from Shirone. Can I drink more?"
The kids cheered.
"Shirone! Can you give me the money for drinks in advance? I've never even touched gold before!"
"Me too, me too! Let me touch it too!"
While everyone was excited, Lumina watched Alto with concern.
Even though Alto cared about Shirone, he was still a precious friend.
'Altair knows Shirone didn't do it on purpose. That's why he isn't angry.'
Even if Shirone was now a student at a magic school and had money that could make anyone's head spin, she was still the same Shirone.
'She's still the same, really.'
Shirone's consideration for others in even the smallest matters was rare in the tough environment of the village.
Lumina raised her voice to calm everyone down.
"Enough! You guys are obsessed with gold! Let's talk about something else."
The kids, who had figured out the situation, quietly returned to their seats. Shirone was grateful to Lumina.
Martin, ever quick-witted, changed the subject.
"By the way, have you heard? I heard something appeared on the mountain behind the house yesterday."
"Oh, I heard that too. If this keeps up, there won't be any wild animals left. How much longer are we going to keep hunting them?"
"It's probably a pregnant cowbear. They eat like crazy."
The cowbear was the largest type of bear—basically a grizzly bear. When a female bear is pregnant, she eats twice as much, making it a major headache for hunters.
Shirone, who had done a fair amount of hunting, was intrigued.
"A cowbear came down? Doesn't it usually live behind the mountains? That must be tough."
"Don't be ridiculous. My father's a hunter, but every time he goes hunting, it's in vain. There are no animals left."
"Why don't you just go after it? If five of you get together, you could catch the cowbear easily."
"It's logging season right now, so we're short on people. Everyone's gone to cut down trees, so there's no one to hunt. But judging by the bear's movements, I don't think it's about to give birth here. If we wait a week or so, things will go back to normal."
"I see. You must be having a tough time."
At that moment, Alto's eyes lit up.
"Hey, what if we catch that cowbear?"
"What? Us? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Hey! How can you say that to me? I've hunted red bears, known for their ferocity, so many times that I'm tired of them. A cowbear is nothing."
Alto saw this as a chance to regain his lost honor. If Shirone stepped out, he'd lose his standing, but the others wouldn't follow him like before.
Above all, Alto was stronger than Shirone in terms of brute strength and hunting skills, so in a way, this was his opportunity.
Alto looked around at the others.
"What do you think? Let's all help out. Friends are needed at times like this. I'm sure you'll enjoy it too."
Bread nodded.
"Well, if you're willing to do that, I'll be grateful."
His friends couldn't ignore his situation—if he couldn't find any prey, his family would suffer.
Since Alto had already hunted a red bear, the cowbear would be a much easier target.
The kids nodded eagerly.
"Okay! Let's go catch that cowbear tomorrow!"
"Aaaah! My blood is boiling! Don't worry, Bread. This is Martin, and I'll put an arrow right in that bear's forehead."
"Idiot! Can you even do that? We'll just dig a trap and leave it to Alto."
Alto, having gotten the approval of his friends, turned to Shirone.
"Shirone, you're coming too, right?"
To regain his authority as leader, Shirone had to go along.
Shirone, understanding this, nodded. It was for the best.
"Alright. I learned some things from my father, so I can do my part."
"Great! Now, cheers!"
The foam shot up from the beer mugs as they clinked together in mid-air.