“Don’t come to the academy for a while,” he said.
Jared grinned wryly as he read the letter from his friend.
He had been told to refrain from attending school for some time, but it seemed they had finally explicitly told him not to come.
Although both Jared and Laurentz still had a year left as students, the number of students eager to become Court Mages had caused confusion more than once.
He had been taking voluntary time off to avoid causing trouble for the academy, but…
“I never thought they’d tell me not to come. Well, I wasn’t really attending seriously in the first place.”
Being told not to come made him feel lonely.
Jared, being a scholarship student, had been taking on monster subjugation requests from the Mage Association rather than attending school. However, he had reduced his requests and increased his time in the capital city, citing the increase in his school friends and his desire to spend time with Olivier. Recently, however, he found himself with too much time on his hands.
Fortunately, the past two months had been peaceful, with not a single incident. He had some worries about his marriage, but otherwise, it had been peaceful.
“Speaking of which, Laurentz got engaged to Bertha, didn’t he?”
He smiled as he recalled the engagement party for his friends held the other day.
Jared and other close friends and acquaintances were invited to the engagement party of Laurentz and Bertha Bartram, twin sisters from the Bartram family who served the Herring family.
He had known for a while that Bertha admired Laurentz, but he had never expected them to get engaged, so he was, needless to say, surprised. It seemed his friend’s mother had decided on the engagement, and while Laurentz was initially troubled, he eventually accepted the girl who had been by his side for so many years.
He later learned that he too had a fondness for her.
Laurentz, who was to become a new Court Mage, also received many marriage proposals. The engagement party was likely a way to deter potential suitors.
It was at that party that Jared met Laurentz’s parents for the first time. He apologized for getting them involved in various things, but they thanked him for the positive changes in their son. The Countess seemed conflicted about her son being involved in dangerous situations, but her pride in him remained unchanged. She deeply bowed to Jared, asking him to continue to be friends with her son, a memory that still remains vivid.
Laurentz was not just going to be a Court Mage. He had solved the treasonous incident and saved the Prince’s life, and as a disciple of two Court Mages, he was a promising prospect.
Although there were some doubts about his abilities, Laurentz himself acknowledged them and felt he was not strong enough. Therefore, he requested training from Almeida, Jared’s master.
The intensive short-term training, which involved Jared, put them through hell but greatly improved the young men’s abilities and raised their overall skill level. Of course, there had been no opportunities to showcase their newfound skills yet, but Jared, who had gone along with it, was happy that Laurentz was satisfied.
“In the end, everyone except Luzer is a Court Mage. It seems that both the Royal Palace and the Mage Association haven’t given up, but I wonder what will happen.”
Jared’s older brother figure, Luzer Fischer. He had been recommended to become a Court Mage but had officially informed them that he would decline the position to inherit his father’s viscountcy and prioritize his relationship with his father. However, neither the Royal Palace nor the Mage Association could ignore Luzer, whose skills were comparable to or even surpassed those of the current Court Mages.
They had invited Viscount Fischer to the Royal Palace for a discussion, and it was decided to elevate his viscountcy to an earldom. The Viscount must have been greatly surprised.
Since the procedures would take time, Luzer would not become a Court Mage immediately, but the Royal Palace had no intention of letting him go.
In the end, four positions for Court Mage would be filled.
The day when the young man, who would eventually be named Luzer Phillips, would become a Court Mage might be near.
Incidentally, he recently married Mia, the girl who had been by his side for many years. Their wedding was a simple ceremony at a small church, but it was a truly wonderful occasion.
The attendees included Jared and Olivier, as well as close friends like Laurentz, Pfeil, and Count Jidock Rocco. Also present were distinguished families such as the Alway Ducal Family, the Herring Count Family, and the Daum Barony.
The Viscount, Luzer’s mother, and the other attendees were greatly surprised by the impressive list of acquaintances of their son.
“Everyone is forging their own path. So, what about me? Becoming a Court Mage isn’t the end, is it?”
He hadn’t thought about it before, but recently he had been contemplating his future more.
His relationship with Olivier was, above all, the most important. Just as his friends had gotten married or engaged, he felt that they should also make their relationship official in some way.
Although they were engaged and living together for a reason, they hadn’t done much that was befitting of an engaged couple.
While he found their current relationship comfortable, he repeatedly asked himself if he should be content with this lukewarm situation.
“Yes. I really should say what’s important. For my sake, and for the sake of my future with Olivier-sama.”
He would clearly convey that he was choosing to be with her out of his own will, not because it was decided by his family.
And – Jared Murphy made a big decision.
