Despite the growing academic trend in the capital in recent years, it is precisely because of the achievements in the academic field that the village chief grandma understands the difference between the two.
The Hero's grandfather opened his mouth but was speechless for a moment.
He picked up the tea, which was at the perfect temperature, and drank it all in one go.
The bitter taste spread over his tongue, deepening the few wrinkles on the folklore scholar's face.
"I haven't seen him for many years either, but—"
With the lingering bitterness on his taste buds, he recalled the distant past.
[To the Hero's father, Strength is]
1. a matter of course
10. Great Success/Extreme Failure
"You're not going to sleep until you finish this book!"
"If you can't reach the spellcasting count today, don't come home for dinner!"
"It's too much. Do they think being a Mage is just about rote memorization?"
"Yeah, exactly, even though they're a Magician, they insist on forcing me to be a Mage at the academy..."
I remember when I was studying at the Royal Capital Academy, those children of the Great Nobles often gathered to complain during breaks about their harsh family education.
"Hey, country boy, with your good grades, your life at home must be tough, right? I heard that in those small Noble families, children who can't learn spells are even whipped, right?"
"Hahaha, doesn't that mean they're even worse than slaves?"
The abolition of slavery was only ten years ago, and the Great Nobles still maintained the arrogance of the previous era.
So toward someone like me, of rural small Noble origin, they naturally held a sense of superiority, yet their contradictory emotions of inferiority and jealousy due to my excellent grades and formidable Strength intertwined into this twisted attitude.
Childish provocations.
"Hey, why aren't you talking? You haven't really been whipped, have you?"
"Hm, maybe I have. But I don't care."
The high-pressure educational methods, the mandatory study tasks, the endless demands for progress—indeed, these were my daily life.
But as long as they were completed, it was fine.
Every study session meant mastering new spells, every practice made the chanting smoother, and every spellcasting increased the Magic Power flowing within me.
Perhaps initially, I resented that father due to his nearly harsh demands that had hurt me.
But as Strength grew, he soon became indifferent to these trivialities.
Perhaps at first, the father hurt him, and he felt resentment toward his father, but as he immersed in the acquisition of Strength, as his Magic Power grew greater, he soon became indifferent to these trivialities.
The surging Magic Power, the leaping spell chants, the accumulation of Strength—he felt joy in them alone.
The father's attitude also gradually changed during his Growth, from initial beatings, to gratification, then to astonishment—and finally to silence.
"...Go to the capital; I can't teach you anything more."
And so, he came to the capital, and had not returned for years. His father's face had long faded into a vague shadow in his memory.
"What the hell, that cocky attitude..."
Returning from his thoughts, the children of the Great Nobles looked displeased, yet dared not provoke further.
That time when someone stealthily attacked me, yet got blown to near-death by Protective Magic, must have taught them a deep lesson.
He ignored the annoying noise, focused on preparing spellcasting materials for the next class.
Ants make noise, Goblins shriek, but these do not constitute "words" audible to human ears.
And naturally, at the age of [], he broke through the Third Ascension, officially becoming a Legendary Mage.
Since then, those annoying sounds vanished entirely.
Graduation, travels, battles, learning...
When needing to verify spells, he donned a mask, being utterly ruthless; when needing more resources, he took on tasks, shouting for glory.
Then he accrued Merit, becoming a Baron, then a Viscount, found a capable woman, and left behind Lineage.
He never cared about others' attitudes toward him, nor his attitude towards others.
But those things others could only dream of—Noble Title, glory, wealth, Lineage—came to his hands naturally.
Knowledge brought Strength, and Strength brought everything else.
If there was still anything that required him to spend mind and attention on, it only meant that his Strength was still insufficient to reach the height needed to rid himself of such trivia.
"...So, what are you really concerned about?"
Gazing at the woman lying beside him, with whom he shared a bed, the Hero's father's tone had a hint of dissatisfaction.
The Hero's mother had a calm expression, her pupils in the moonlight as still as Still Water, silent.
[Why is the Hero's mother dissatisfied with brother?]
1. Not strong enough yet
4. Silence (keeping secrets)
10. Great Success/Extreme Failure