Chapter 100

100. The Halwart and the Dragon's Egg

Evan Taylor was a child loved by everyone. His sparkling eyes were always filled with curiosity and mischief, and he was a bright and cheerful child who always created a good atmosphere when with his friends. On the other hand, Bill Lambert, one of the four Halwart kids, was different. Bill, who would later grow into the coolest and most aloof boy at Halwart Magic School, was a somewhat stubborn and sensitive child.

“Ready, action!”

Siwoo extended his hand as soon as the director gave the signal.

Thump.

Following this, the young boy playing Bill Lambert, Nicholas, also extended his hand.

Thump.

The object they both grabbed was the "Magic-Infused Paint Set."

Nicholas looked at Siwoo.

Though his face showed no expression, it was fine.

That was the character's nature.

Siwoo said,

“I... grabbed it first.”

Siwoo silently prayed,

‘Don’t laugh. Don’t laugh. Just deliver the lines, kid.’

Nicholas, who burst into laughter every time he made eye contact with Siwoo, had already caused several NGs.

Nicholas bit his tongue inside his mouth to suppress his laughter and spoke with a blank face.

“What is it?”

After confirming that the adults in the shop weren’t looking, Nicholas pushed Siwoo’s hand off the paint set and proudly hugged it to his chest.

“I... I picked it first...”

Siwoo, who had the item snatched away right before his eyes, muttered to himself in a bewildered voice. He then raised himself on tiptoe to look at the display, thinking there might be another one.

He couldn’t see it.

Even after jumping up and down to look around, he couldn’t find another one, perhaps because the one he had just seen was the last one.

“Cut! Okay!”

Just as Siwoo was about to turn to ask the shop owner, the director called out.

“Siwoo. Nicholas. Well done. Before moving on to the next scene, Siwoo!”

“Yeah?”

“Your jumping was great. It’s not in the script, but you have a lot of experience. How about doing a bit more?”

“Jumping?”

“Yeah. Okay, Siwoo, get ready. Action!”

The script only said, “He looks around the display for the same item.”

‘This kid is smart and has a good sense, just like Evan.’

The director, already pleased with Siwoo’s acting, decided to add more shots to see how cute the back view of the small, jumping child could be.

Siwoo, under the watchful eyes of all the staff and actors, tried various expressions while filming the display scene. He then brought over a chair.

When the staff thought Siwoo was going to climb the chair to look at the display,

Siwoo stepped on the small end of the chair, lost his balance, and trembled with fear before quietly climbing down.

Though embarrassed, he pretended not to be, gave an awkward smile, put the chair back, and turned to look for the shop owner.

“Cut! Okay! Hahaha!”

The playful ad-lib of the young Siwoo sent a wave of laughter through the set.

“That kid, he’s like Evan jumping out of the book. Haha!”

“Wow, he’s doing great. Evan was a real person.”

“So cute. And he laughs in different ways depending on the situation. When the movie opens, Siwoo will become a star in no time. No doubt about it.”

After a short break, Siwoo and Nicholas, sitting side by side, drank orange juice from a pack with a straw and immediately moved on to the next scene.

“Ready, action!”

Just as Siwoo turned to look for the shop owner,

Nicholas returned to the display with the magic-infused paint set.

Thump.

After placing the item on the display, Nicholas turned around.

Siwoo asked in a puzzled voice,

“Aren’t you buying it? Why?”

“Move aside.”

Thump.

Nicholas, who had pushed Siwoo, stopped and said as if making an excuse,

“It’s too cheap. I’ll get something better.”

Nicholas, unable to express the subtle emotions like Siwoo, only snorted in anger.

At that moment, an actress playing a grandmother in a wizard’s robe called out from the cash register,

“Bill, I’m sorry. How about looking over here? There are many interesting things here too.”

The grandmother pointed to a corner where cheap magical items were gathered.

Siwoo and Nicholas’ eyes met.

“...”

“...”

“Hmph. Just play with the paints. They’re not at all interesting.”

Nicholas called out to the grandmother to go to another shop and ran out.

The camera zoomed in on Siwoo’s face.

Siwoo stood there, looking at the door Nicholas had left through, and then quietly picked up the paint set and hugged it to his chest.

The director called cut.

Siwoo had completed the first scene smoothly.

* * *

The world of Halwart is divided into three parts.

The world of light where humans live.

The world of darkness where demons and other dark entities reside.

And the middle world, created by the wizards of the light world to block the demons from the dark world, situated at the junction between light and darkness.

Initially, the middle world, filled with mysterious energy, resembled a fortress suitable for battle. However, after the war ended and peace continued, it became a paradise for wizards worldwide.

In this place, various creatures, transformed beautifully or strangely by the magical energy, such as the flying reindeer that worked hard during the Halwart admission season, roamed freely.

Wizards used the abundant magical energy to conduct experiments and advance magic, and to pass on magic to future generations, they established schools and taught children.

Halwart Magic School was one of the educational institutions located in the middle world.

Evan, who had a brief encounter with Bill in the shopping district, later attended the opening ceremony at Halwart and met Joel in the dining hall, where they vandalized a statue with squid ink.

“Vandalizing a statue on the first day of school. You’ve got guts. Hehe. What’s your name?”

“J, Joel...”

Seeing Joel, who had failed in the vandalism, take the punishment for him, Evan bravely stepped forward.

“Professor, actually... I did it!”

Thus, on his first day, Evan not only received a detention but also gained a friend, Joel.

The new students of Halwart Magic School, having finished their meal, stood on a wide lawn, waiting for their dormitory assignments.

Joel and Evan were among them.

Joel, still unfamiliar with the middle world, looked around with a slightly uncomfortable expression.

Suddenly, a wave of nostalgia hit Joel, and he spoke.

“I miss Dad.”

Despite being there for less than a day, Joel already wanted to go home.

It seemed he would need a considerable amount of time to get used to this place.

Hearing Joel’s mutter, Evan nodded, as if he felt the same way.

“Me too. I came with Mom. Dad is working.”

“Yeah. My dad is also busy with work.”

While the principal was speaking at the front, the children’s minds were filled with thoughts of snacks and home.

Looking down at the grass that, when dug with his toes, seemed to come back to life, Evan, who found it fascinating, continued to dig and said to Joel,

“My dad is a wizard. He studies plants? Research? I’m not sure. Hee~”

Evan’s laughter made Joel laugh too.

“My dad... makes and sells toys.”

“Toys? That’s great. Do you have a lot of toys at home?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I come over to play later?”

“Sure~ Come during the holidays. Holidays...”

Joel’s expression darkened.

He couldn’t even calculate how many nights he would have to spend before the holidays.

The thought of not being able to return home until then made him very anxious.

Looking at Evan, who seemed to be enjoying himself, Joel felt a bit envious.

“Do you like it here more than home?”

“Hmm~ I like both! There are so many friends here! And you can learn magic! And Mom says that at Halwart...”

“Everyone, be quiet! We will now assign dormitories. When I call your name, please come forward.”

A professor wearing a wizard’s hat called out.

Joel, who saw the wizard’s hat for the first time today, thought it looked like the party hat he saw at his birthday.

Just as Joel was about to tell Evan this, he suddenly felt a strange energy.

“Evan, are you cold?”

“No. I’m not cold at all. Why?”

“Oh, never mind.”

Evan’s innocent expression made Joel turn his head with an awkward smile.

Suddenly, a tiger’s roar echoed above the children’s heads.

Joel and Evan looked up.

A red tiger was running down from the sky.

The children’s mouths dropped open.

Evan tapped Joel’s shoulder and shouted excitedly,

“Joel! It’s Professor McKay!”

The red tiger landed gracefully on the lawn amidst the children’s admiring gazes.

Joel realized that the energy he had felt earlier was from the red tiger.

Its large size made it look intimidating.

On the other hand, Evan’s heart was pounding.

“I want to be in Professor McKay’s dormitory. I even had a dream about it last night!”

“Yeah. I hope it happens for you, Evan.”

The second professor in charge of the dormitories at Halwart Magic School appeared.

“Such a noisy kid. Not very dignified.”

A cheerful voice spread low and fast among the children.

The children screamed as if they had met a rock star.

Wow-!

It was a desert fox in boots.

Evan wanted to be in the dormitory overseen by the red tiger, Professor McKay, but the newly appeared cute desert fox, Professor Baharia, seemed to be more popular.

Professor McKay growled and snorted.

“Grr- A fox, of all things.”

“A tiger, of all things. Hehe, this Christmas is going to be very fruitful. I’ve seen many clever children. Especially one with very powerful magic.”

“Do you mean that girl? I also found a very brave child. I love children who are fearless.”

While the two professors were talking, the last professor in charge of the dormitories appeared.

Professor Davis, a small mouse hidden in Professor Baharia’s hat, peeked out.

Though the children far away couldn’t see him due to his small size, those nearby recognized Professor Davis and clapped.

Compared to the previous two professors, his appearance was quiet.

“Why am I not popular with the children?”

Professor Davis’ self-deprecating question was answered by Professor Baharia.

“Because you’re a mouse.”

“Oh... I see. Fine. We all watched the children’s opening ceremony and their meal. Who will be the first to receive the honor of being assigned a dormitory this year?”

Professor Davis, who had been joking with Professor Baharia, looked at the children and said.

Professor McKay extended a large tiger paw in front of Professor Baharia and stepped forward confidently.

“Last year, you chose, so this year it’s my turn.”

“No objections.”

Professor Baharia shrugged and stepped back.

Professor McKay called out loudly,

“Evan Taylor! Come forward!”

Evan, overjoyed at being chosen by Professor McKay, ran out in one go.

Professor Baharia pointed to the East Asian child running out and said to Professor Davis, who was perched on her hat,

“He’s the one who vandalized the dragon statue in the dining hall. The statue emitted a very mysterious energy. Hehe. Either he’s incredibly brave or incredibly foolish. One of the two.”

“I wonder which it is.”

As Professor Baharia and Professor Davis had said, Professor McKay was also very curious about this.

Looking at the child standing in front of him, smiling brightly, Professor McKay’s lips curled up slightly.

His large fangs were visible between his lips.

“Aren’t I scary?”

“A little... scary.”

“But bearable? Hm, good. Then let’s see...”

Curious about the child’s courage, Professor McKay pretended to turn around and then suddenly turned back and roared at Evan.

“Grrr-!”

“Ack-!!”

Thump!

Startled, Evan hit Professor McKay’s forehead with his small fist.

Oh