Chapter 82

Three days after going shopping with Alyushia and deciding to buy a black jacket, today is the day Mui will enter the Mage Academy. Formal attire would be preferable at such a time, but unfortunately, that outfit is not yet ready. It is still being tailored to my size, and it should be ready in about two weeks. That will be just in time for the meeting with the Sphendyard Vanian delegation, which is a relief.

"Alright, let's go."

"Why are you so pumped up, old man..."

After finishing breakfast as usual, I set out from home with Mui, who had dressed up a bit. Despite my excitement this morning, I was scolded by Mui, but it's only natural since she's my child... Is she really my child? Well, it doesn't matter. This is the beginning of her grand stage, and I couldn't help but be excited.

"Hehe. It's just a parent's heart, you know."

"...Hmph."

Incidentally, Mui's outfit is not her usual robe but something chosen from the clothes that arrived from Ibroi. I wanted to make the most of the gifts we received.

A plain white T-shirt and tight black pants. Since her usual attire is a bit revealing, this is just right for my eyes. From Mui's perspective, it wasn't too flashy or cute, so there was no major resistance.

"...My legs feel tight."

"You need to get used to such outfits."

While there was no resistance to the color or pattern, she seemed to have some resistance to the tight pants that covered her from the waist down. She muttered a bit of dissatisfaction, but I guess she'll have to get used to it. I, who usually wear loose clothing, can't really say much.

According to Kinera, there are about six hundred students currently attending the Mage Academy. Their ages vary, with some younger than Mui and others around the age of Alyushia and Slena. The gender ratio is roughly even. Considering that the potential to become a mage can manifest at any age, regardless of gender or background, this distribution makes sense.

I wish she could make friends with girls her age, but that might be selfish of me. If she brought a boy home as a friend, I would probably be a bit wary. I won't let my daughter go. Whether Mui will develop such feelings is another matter.

"But I heard it was a reasonable price."

"...It's not cheap, no matter how you look at it."

"It's a bargain when you think about Mui."

"...Hmph."

The tuition fee, which I was concerned about, turned out to be quite reasonable. Even without considering my salary as a special instructor, it's an amount we can manage with our current savings. If Mui were more talented, it would have been free, but that would be too much to ask.

Mui can currently only use fire magic. If she were a true genius, she would be able to do many things right after her magical talent manifested, like Lucy. It seems she's not just a person with a good mouth and title, and I had to revise my opinion, albeit rudely.

"Here we go."

We boarded a shared carriage, looking at the lively morning streets and crowds of Baltrain. As always, it's crowded in the morning.

But Baltrain is a great city. As the capital of the Reberis Kingdom, it's only natural that it's prosperous, but compared to Bide Village, it's on a completely different scale in terms of size and convenience. There's no such thing as a shared carriage in a small village like that.

"You're just going to come and leave right away, right?"

"Well, yeah, but it's still a milestone, isn't it?"

"...Oh, right."

Even though today is the day of enrollment, there's no formal ceremony. According to Kinera, the Mage Academy is always in need of aspiring mages and accepts new students at any time. While they can't accept new students every day, they do accept new and transfer students monthly, and Mui is one of them.

Therefore, there's no special event where a guardian must accompany the student. My job is simply to take Mui to the Mage Academy. Still, as a parent, I want to be there with her. She's a bit fragile, in my judgment.

"Mr. Beryl, Miss Mui. I've been waiting for you."

"Oh, Kinera. Good morning."

We got off the carriage and walked for a while, approaching the large entrance of the expansive Mage Academy. When we heard our names called, we saw Kinera Fine, the teacher who had explained things to us before, smiling at us.

"Yes, good morning. Since you're enrolling today, I'll be your guide."

"I see, that's a relief."

For both Mui and me, it's more reassuring to see a familiar face than a stranger. In that sense, Kinera is the only person we know at the Mage Academy, aside from Lucy, and it's a great help to have her as our guide.

"Come on, Mui, say hello."

"Um... Good morning..."

"Yes, good morning."

Mui still doesn't know how to interact with people outside of me and Lucy. When prompted, she greeted Kinera awkwardly. Kinera seemed to understand Mui and responded warmly.

"Then, I'll take care of Miss Mui."

"Yes, please take good care of her."

Mui, who had been complaining about me coming along, is now nervous about starting school. Ha, what a dear.

Well, my job is done here. Since I don't have a day off from my instructor duties, I'll head back to the carriage stop and then to the hall.

I can hear about Mui's school life when she comes home. I don't expect her to openly talk about her school life, but we need to start building that kind of communication. My goal is not only to protect her but also to help her become independent.

"Well, then."

With my partner gone, I wandered around the North District alone. The weather and time of day made the spires of the Reberis Palace clearly visible. If I walked a bit further, I could reach the palace, but I have no business there. Besides, I'll probably go to the palace as part of the Sphendyard Vanian delegation's guard. I can enjoy the sightseeing then.

Also, there's a Sphen church in the North District that doesn't hold many good memories for me. It's back to its original state after the cleanup, but I don't feel like visiting it again.

So, the North District is a place I don't particularly enjoy right now. I'll head to the hall quickly.

"Good morning... Oh, you're already here."

At the Knight Hall, where I arrived with a somewhat uneasy feeling, as usual, many knights were training.

"Teacher. Good morning."

"Ah, good morning."

Shortly after entering, Alyushia called out to me. She was wearing something more comfortable than her usual armor, which is understandable since she's also an instructor at the Knight Hall and often demonstrates her skills here.

However, today she seemed more enthusiastic than usual, as if she was more than just a simple instructor.

"Teacher, I have a request today."

"Hmm? What is it?"

What could it be?

It's quite rare for her to make a request. She wasn't the type to make demands even when we were in the dojo, and I don't remember her asking for anything specific since we came to Baltrain. Well, nominating me as a special instructor was a big demand, but...

"Could you spar with me?"

"Um... What?"

With her clear, focused eyes, Alyushia was holding a wooden sword.

---

Today, November 17th, marks exactly one year since I started posting "The Old Man from a Small Village Becomes a Sword Saint" on Shousetsu. The day after I posted the first chapter, it managed to get a spot on the high-fan ranking, and from there, it was pushed up by many readers.

I achieved book publication and the start of a comic adaptation, and it feels like a lot has happened in a short time.

The cumulative ranking has also given us a spot, and we are about to reach 20 million PVs, which is quite an achievement. It feels a bit like someone else's story.

In the fast-paced world of Shousetsu, weekly updates can easily be forgotten, but thanks to the patient readers, we have continued to fly low and steadily.

I am deeply grateful to those who have continued to read my work, those who have started reading it recently, those who have bought the book version, and those who have read the comic adaptation. I have received many comments and completion reports, and although I cannot reply to each one, I read them all with gratitude. Thank you.

Although this work will continue to fly low and steadily, I hope for your continued support.

Lastly, if you have enjoyed this work and are looking forward to the continuation, I would be grateful if you could leave a review, bookmark, or comment. Thank you.