Glan Natural Science Academy

“Meow ……”

When they reached the third floor, the black cat jumped out of Enid’s embrace and walked straight into a room.

Enid seems to have long been familiar with everything here and didn’t knock. She followed the black cat straight into the room.

“Father, uncle!”

Ryger entered the room after Enid. He was choked by the smoke in the room and almost teared up because of it. He coughed uncontrollably and fanned the smoke in the room.

A furnace burned in the room and released heat. The room had two bookshelves filled with yellowing ancient books and beast-skin parchments, and a large desk where two old man sat opposite each other

One of the old men was wearing a top hat and broad white robe. A black crow stood on his shoulder and the old man held a tobacco pouch in his hand. As the old man exhaled smoke rings, the black crow on his shoulder sucked the smoke rings into its nostrils with a face full of enjoyment. It then spit the smoke out.

The other old man had greying hair and was wearing a black robe. The black cat that just entered the room was squatting on his shoulder. The old man was holding an ancient beast-skin parchment and looking at it excitedly. After hearing Enid’s voice, his excited face suddenly stiffened. He took off the black-framed glasses on his face and set it aside.

“Girl, why are you not at home studying properly and out here playing again? Hmph, if you don’t pass the graduation test this year, then I might as well not show my face around here!”

Needless to say, this old man with greying hair was Enid’s father and the person that Satro spoke of, mentor Kubo1.

“Heh heh.”

The other old man laughed dryly and continued smoking.

With regards to her father’s lecture, Enid did not seem to listen to a single word. She led Ryger straight to the desk and -plink! –  threw the redbud flower badge on it.

“Humph, I’m not playing around. I went to help Brother Satro welcome the new students! He said this badge is unusual and sent me to show you.”

The old man frowned. After picking up the badge and looking at its front and back, he turned his head to look at the black cat on his shoulder.

The black cat gave a meow and said, “Meow, it came from over there.”

“Hmm, it’s indeed unusual.” The old man muttered.

“Unusual? Let me see.” Upon hearing it, the old man on the other side of the desk revealed a curious look and asked Kubo for the badge.

Kubo handed the badge over. The smoking old man fiddled with the badge while nodding his head. ” It actually uses silverink and tonarite as raw materials. This specification, tsk tsk, this badge has existed for quite some time now.”

Kubo’s expression eased slightly, but he still made a stoic face and said towards Enid, “You go back first. Let him wait here for a while, I will arrange things for him.”

After saying that, Kubo pulled open a drawer and threw the badge into it casually.

The sharp-eyed Ryger faintly saw a few more badges of the same kind inside.

Enid muttered something and turned to leave slowly. But just as she opened the door, she stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

" "

Kubo raised his eyes and glared at Enid. He knew in his heart that something bad was going to happen.

Enid closed the door, puffed her mouth and stretched her hand out, “I’ve no money left.”

“Hurry up and find a mercenary group after you graduate and don’t let me see you around the academy! I won’t ask you to show any promise. As long as you get one back and make some grandchildren then this old man will thank the heavens for that!”

As he spoke, the old man took out a bunch of silver coins and threw it on the table furiously.

Ryger, who was standing in a corner of the room, stared straight at it!

In Agate Lake, a kilogram of black bread costs only twenty copper coins. These silver coins were a few months’ worth of living expenses for him but was only pocket money for Enid.

The amount of money that he had now in his pocket was a mere 30 or so silver coins, a far cry from the amount of the desk.

Enid took the silver coins but did not leave. She stood at the table pouting and showed an aggrieved look. She didn’t say anything and stared at Kubo.

Gubo saw this and could not help but shiver. With a worried face, he said: “What is it now?”

“I want a little junior brother to play with me.”

“Pfft ……”

The other old man in the room could not hold back and laughed out. The crow on his shoulder cawed and flew away.

" "

“Not on your life!”

Black lines appeared on Kubo’s forehead.

“Not only do I have to deal with Satro that muggle but also you, a half-wit who keeps stirring things up for me. And now you want me to get you a junior brother? The old man here still wants to live, enter the Royal Committee of Fellowship and have his portrait hung in the hallway after his death!”

Enid pouted, twisted her body and argued, “No! I want a little brother! Why should I always be the youngest in the family and listen to you all. All of you can tell me what to do!”

Kubo was about to say something, but Enid didn’t give Kubo a chance and shouted, “I want a junior brother! I want a junior brother! I … I want him to be my little junior brother!”

Ryger was dumbfounded when he saw Enid pointing at him.

Kubo had not paid attention to Ryger. After being pointed by Enid, Kubo saw Ryger’s slow and dazed look and was at once so angry that he stood out.

“Isn’t this just another Satro from more than a decade ago! Why did I fancy that muggle at that time and took him as a disciple. He’s as smart as a rock! I teach him the things that I taught to Peerless over and over again and he still doesn’t understand anything! I, I … I …”

“I don’t care! I don’t care!”

Without allowing a word in, Enid grabbed Ryger who was standing by the door.

“No matter what, he came to the Academy with a contribution badge. You are the person in charge for all the new students, so you have to arrange for his initiate tutor. From today onwards he is my junior brother!”

“You! You! You…”

Inside the room, Kubo kept repeating “you” for tens of times and seemed as though he choke at any time. The other old man couldn’t stop laughing. The two left.

Inside the building.

Bai Ling smiled at him, “Ignore him. From today onwards, I am your senior sister.  Come on, junior brother, call me senior sister2! Hee hee hee!”

Just after leaving the teaching office, Enid kept urging Ryger to call her senior sister with a face full of expectation.

Ryger remembered that he thought she was a mature and charming girl when he first saw her. Now, he found out that she is a quirky, impish, prankish, mischievous girl, who would say out loud anything that she thinks of without regard for the consequences.

Ryger walked behind Enid and couldn’t be as lively and relaxed as Enid. Worriedly, he said: “Mentor Kubo doesn’t seem to like me from what I saw just now. Wouldn’t this be bad…?”

“What are you afraid of!”

Enid tilted her head and said proudly, “Mother has the final say at home. Anyway, she loves me the most she will definitely agree to it! Hee hee! Besides, brother Peerless will be coming tonight and the old fogey likes him the most. If you’re around at that time and brother Peerless knows that I have a junior brother, he’ll surely be delighted. I refuse to believe that old fogey can turn down brother Peerless!”

Ryger did not know what to say. Everything here was unfamiliar to him. Kubo’s rejection made him fearful and helpless whereas Enid’s excessive care made him feel overwhelmed.

Since his early childhood, his father entered the Accipit Jungle to hunt and was often not at home for days. A lonely, hard life allowed Ryger to learn humility, politeness and to not flaunt. Meanwhile, his experience in the church trying to become a preacher, competing with the uncle arbiter from Ra’as made him learn to seize every chance he gets.

There was no doubt to it!

Once he became a disciple of mentor Kubo, his future life in the Academy will certainly benefit.

But even so, Ryger was unwilling to flatter and humour someone for this. He didn’t want to do all he can to please Enid and be reliant on her, which would make him go from being ‘humble’ to ’meek/servile’. He didn’t want to lose himself.

For a moment, Ryger felt incomparably conflicted.

“Oh, don’t worry, I will definitely arrange things for you. You’ve just arrived at the Academy and aren’t familiar with it, right? I’m really familiar with this area. Let me show you around!”

“Okay…”

Ryger replied with a heavy heart.

Footnotes

古博. I’m not sure why but when I first saw his name, I knew instantly what to translate it toThis part just made me choose to use senior sister/brother. Otherwise, I’m not sure what else to translate this to. I could translate it to Enid wanting Ryger to call her mommy. But that probably isn’t a good idea