Chapter 5. The Mother's Tears

Originally, he had no intention of going.

Whether it was the Academy or the so-called humans, there was no reason for him to go to a place where those humans learn some insignificant magic.

'Such a ridiculous school where humans teach humans.'

Even if Aman spoke directly to his father, it would make no difference.

Sending his precious child to an Academy near the palace? The viscount, who had observed everything so far, was not the kind of person who would do such a thing.

The viscount, who knew all too well that enemies would pounce like snakes, ready to tear at his neck the moment he showed any weakness, would never send his precious child into the heart of enemy territory.

Thus, he could easily ignore Aman's words with a casual 'do as you please.'

'That blue lizard brat is naturally annoying too.'

Although his last amusement as a given being was entangled with the weak existence of humans, he had gradually adapted and set a goal. Now, this was no different from the amusements he had enjoyed before.

Though it was a bit too stark a reality to call it amusement.

While ignoring Aman and sitting in the garden, slowly drawing a circle within himself, he thought:

'Absolutely not. This is impossible.'

His body, devoid of mana, had achieved the 5th Circle, a remarkable feat for a human body.

An achievement that an ordinary human could never accomplish.

But he was not an ordinary human. The five thousand years he had lived as a dragon at the pinnacle of magic were not something he could easily forget.

Thus, the miraculous achievement of reaching the 5th Circle was not enough to satisfy him.

But everyone has their limits, and this was his.

'If I keep this up, I'll end up selling potions somewhere and die.'

Lucas, with his small mouth, let out a long sigh and kicked a pebble on the ground in a fit of nerves.

"Ouch!"

What he thought was a pebble turned out to be a rock.

Kicking a rock firmly embedded in the ground with all his might, the pain was inevitable.

'...?'

As the pain and irritation surged, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

"...Human."

The weak body that felt such pain from a small rock made him acutely aware of his human nature.

'The one who knows the human body best is a human. Then...'

Having finished his thoughts, Lucas, still in pain, quickly made his way to the viscount's residence.

***

"That, what do you mean by that?"

"I'm going. To that Academy."

"Lucas, you don't know anything yet. They just want to see if you have any talent."

Sibye's worried voice made Lucas sigh and raise his small hand.

-Flash!

"What, what is this!"

Sibye took a step back in surprise at the small light that appeared at the tip of Lucas's finger.

"I want to go. To the Academy."

***

Blaine, holding Lucas in her arms, couldn't stop crying.

"Lucas... Lucas... my baby..."

"Dear... It will be fine."

"Whatever happens there, remember this, Lucas."

Blaine's hand, which was trembling slightly, firmly placed a return scroll in Lucas's hand.

Despite seeing the talent in his son, Sibye had strongly opposed Lucas's decision to attend the Academy.

But Blaine's words made him change his mind.

'One cannot burden their children with the sins of their parents.' Hearing these words, Sibye, with tears in his eyes, personally packed Lucas's belongings.

Having attended a swordsmanship academy in his youth, he prepared the items and packed them, swallowing bitter tears several times before completing a bag larger than Lucas's small body.

After announcing his intention to attend the Academy, Lucas spent three days with his family, feeling very strange.

'What does a child mean to these humans who live such fleeting lives?'

This was the first question that came to mind.

There were countless parents in the world.

Among them were also trash-like humans who didn't deserve the name of parent.

Fathers who sold their daughters for alcohol, mothers who sold their sons into slavery for gambling, women who abandoned their newborns in back alleys and fled...

After observing the many faces of humans over a long period, his mind was filled with complexity.

At first, he thought of himself as the last hope of a fallen noble family.

Just a child who had come like a ray of light in a difficult life, precious and rare.

But as time passed, this thought began to deviate.

Even if the child, who had come like a ray of light in a difficult life, had the ability to revive the family, Sibye, his father, had strongly opposed it, saying it was absolutely not allowed.

But Sibye's resolve was broken by a single word from Blaine, his mother.

Seeing this, a small seed of doubt sprouted in Lucas's heart.

A small hope in a fallen noble family. The decision to send a child to a place fraught with danger seemed to confirm the many faces of humans he knew, giving him a slight sense of relief.

But this seed of doubt was extinguished in less than an hour.

The sobbing he heard while passing through the corridor. The heart-wrenching voice of a mere human woman pierced his heart.

The stifled sobs in a secluded corner of the garden, where even the servants rarely went, made him feel ashamed of the small doubt he had harbored.

The precious scroll in his hand, the last remaining heirloom, a ring, and the absence of the ring left a painful scene in his heart.

The spot where the ring had been for a long time had turned whiter than the rest of his hand, clearly showing where the ring had been.

'Don't worry. Human mother. I'll bring you a thousand more rings.'

Lucas, with his small hand, patted his mother's back and kissed her cheek.

"Don't worry... Mother."

"Sniff... Lucas!"

***

How long did the winding country road stretch? The carriage had finally arrived at a village halfway between the capital.

Regardless of what the blue lizard next to him was babbling about, he tried hard to nod occasionally to break the flow of conversation, but the lizard seemed to be in high spirits, chattering non-stop.

'I wish you would shut up.'

As the carriage slowed down, Lucas looked out the window.

'Oriha Village.'

The population number below the small signpost indicating the village name showed that the village was quite large.

The village scenery visible from the carriage also indicated the size of the village.

Active merchants and people passing through, the solicitation of inns around the square.

The carriage door opened, and he grabbed the hand of the coachman to help him get out, as he was still too small to do it alone.

-Comfortable Inn-

The simple and straightforward name of the inn made him chuckle.

'Naming sense...'

During his amusements, he had stayed in countless inns, but this time it felt different.

Perhaps it was because he was visiting a place for the first time in a human body, or maybe because he had left home...

Although he had long stopped complaining about his small body, today he felt particularly frustrated by it.

He couldn't even get on and off the carriage by himself and had to rely on human hands.

He rubbed his forehead with his small hand, but it didn't look good.

"Oh, welcome."

The friendly employee greeted them, and after a few words from the blue lizard, the room for his stay was quickly prepared.

"Master, are you really okay by yourself?"

Aman, worried that a ten-year-old child was staying alone, asked again, but Lucas simply nodded in response.

"What a brave young master. If you need anything, just come to my room."

When Aman patted his head, Lucas, who almost kicked him out of instinct, managed to control himself with superhuman patience, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Once inside the room, Lucas, finally alone, let out a deep sigh and flopped onto the bed.

'Impudent blue lizard! Wait a hundred years, and I'll blow your head off.'

He was so angry at the lizard's behavior earlier that he was now looking forward to the day he would become a god.

***

Since Oriha Village was exactly halfway, the time it took to reach the village was the same as the time it took to reach the capital.

After passing through the checkpoint, the palace was visible in the distance.

Not far from the palace, a large building was visible. That building was the magic academy.

Aranth Magic Academy.

According to rumors, after hearing a prophecy from a seer, the emperor established the academy and was gathering magicians and talents from around the world to build a magic superpower.

The qualifications for entering the academy were very simple.

Age, nationality, and social status did not matter, and the academy had a solid system where everyone was evaluated based on their abilities, without discrimination.

Because of this, people with even a little talent from around the world were flocking to support the emperor's vision.

Since it was a place where people were evaluated based on their abilities, classes were divided from beginners to advanced, regardless of age, nationality, and social status.

A completion certificate from the advanced course of Aranth Magic Academy was a free pass to any country.

Not only immense wealth but also lavish treatment wherever he went was a bonus.

Magicians were important assets in any country, so the value of a skilled magician was priceless.

But Lucas was not concerned with the value of his body.

If he wanted to accumulate wealth, it was possible even in his current state.

Although his body was small, he had the wisdom of his long life, and with a little use of that wisdom, he would have more than enough money.

His goal was one: to look at his current limitations from a human perspective and find a way to expand them.

"New students, please gather here!"

At that moment, a loud voice, amplified by a magic spell, rang in his ears.

Following the voice, he arrived at the central square of the academy.

Although Aman offered to guide him, he politely declined and only entrusted his luggage, coming to the square alone.

Looking around, he saw no one his age.

'I must be the youngest human here.'

Although he didn't want to stand out, his wish was already far gone because everyone's eyes were on him.

'This is going to be tiring.'

The number of new students was not large.

There were about thirty, he estimated.

Since magicians were so rare, the academy accepted anyone with even a little talent, which made this possible.

As names were called one by one, people entered the room, took the test, and came out, and soon it was his turn.

"Lucas Rodrigo!"

"Here."

As Lucas raised his hand in response, the gazes on him changed. He had already been attracting attention, but this time it was different.

It was probably because of the surname 'Rodrigo.'

Feeling the fatigue already setting in, Lucas's small forehead furrowed.

'I want to knock them all out.'

The test was simple. If he could do something, he just had to show it; if not, he just had to place his hand on a mana stone to measure the mana in his body.

Entering the room for his turn, Lucas hesitated.

Should he show something or just end it by placing his hand on the mana stone?

After some thought, Lucas raised his small hand.

-Flash!

"......?"

The expressions of the examiners, who saw the light bloom from his small hand, twisted in shock.