Kian Goldmaul POV

  It has been a few days since Niko took me hunting, and the training itself hasn’t changed much.

  Same routine, same intensity, same exhaustion by the end of it. If anything, my body is slowly getting used to it, even if my mind still complains every morning.

  Yesterday, my father officially started teaching me school subjects. I made sure to act a little clueless about topics like advanced math or concepts he hasn’t explained to me yet.

  He already taught me the basics of mathematics and basic science—just enough to properly understand and apply the foundational magic he introduced earlier.

  From now on, the subjects I’ll be taught include: Language, Basic Mathematics, and very basic science.

  That science is divided into life science, such as animals, planets, and the human body; earth science, like weather, seasons, and the water cycle; and physical science, which focuses on matter and energy, mostly as an introduction rather than anything complex.

  Art is included too, things like drawing and creative expression.

  There’s also technology education, which covers how to operate a computer, search for information, use a keyboard properly, and type efficiently.

  One foreign language is mandatory as well, called the Universal Language. As its name suggests, it’s taught worldwide so people from different countries can communicate with each other. Its origins trace to this world’s equivalent of the United Nations.

  Oh right, there’s also hygiene and safety education, along with lessons on teamwork, empathy, and responsibility. Basically, everything a kid would need to function properly in society later on.

  Normally, a kid my age would only be learning how to read, write, do basic math, and study local history. But since I’m considered a genius—or at least that’s what my parents believe—they decided to add more subjects early on.

  Sadly, skipping grades isn’t allowed, at least not during elementary school.

  If you’re smarter than your peers, they don’t let you jump ahead; instead, they just teach you more advanced material and add extra subjects. You could see it as maximizing your learning years rather than shortening them.

  There are three weekend days, and thankfully my parents didn’t shorten them even though I’m house-taught. They’re allowed to do that as long as I have at least one full break day and one half day off.

  From what I heard, the teaching certification was registered under my mother’s name as a Mage Master. Apparently, a Mage Master is no weaker than a first-tier knight.

  I’m not sure how many tiers there are or how the ranking system works exactly, but it still surprises me. My mother doesn’t really act like someone that strong, though she is taller than the average man, now that I think about it.

  I’m not sure why it wasn’t registered under my father’s name instead, but honestly, it doesn’t matter much.

  Today, I was taught body science and mathematics. There were other minor subjects too, like drawing, but they’re not worth mentioning in detail. I learned about body parts and the number of bones in the human body, and interestingly, it’s slightly different from the humans in my past life.

  An adult here has around 220 bones, while children have anywhere from 280 to 310. I’m not sure why that is. As for body parts themselves, there doesn’t seem to be any difference.

  I asked my father about something Niko mentioned earlier—about humans being able to regenerate limbs without magic—and he confirmed it.

  According to him, it’s the result of biological evolution. Humans repeatedly used healing magic on themselves over countless generations, and eventually their bodies evolved to regenerate limbs and even some organs naturally.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The regeneration is efficient enough to prevent cell mutations entirely, meaning things like cancer are almost impossible. On top of that, I’m pretty sure humans in this world have hyper-immune systems. I’ve never gotten sick once since I was born here.

  In the afternoon, my father plans to teach me about computers. I should probably pay close attention, since computers in this world are far more advanced and operate differently compared to my previous world.

  From what I know, carbon-based chips replaced silicon chips long ago. And after several modifications, computers began using Veythar as well, making them superior even to advanced carbon-based systems. They don’t overheat, perform calculations much faster, have longer lifespans, and are far more durable. With proper design, computers can even assist with magic, performing certain spells if paired with artificial intelligence.

  They’re still inferior to powerful humans, but they’re incredibly useful for households, factories, and facility automation.

  Another thing is that there’s no such thing as better or worse computers or phones for civilians. All models sold on the market are standardized and equal in performance.

  And they’re not even expensive.

  Lunch was simple—beef with some vegetables and a glass of orange juice.

  After about an hour, my father resumed teaching me. Just as I expected, computer operation here is different. Even the keyboard layout isn’t the same. The operating system we used is one mainly designed for civilians and people who don’t work with computers professionally. It’s fast, simple to set up, and yes, it receives weekly updates.

  After a an hour, I learned basic operations, how to browse information, and several keyboard shortcuts. The browser was set to Children Mode, which blocks certain content.

  In the library, he also showed me how to browse all the books he owns—and many more—directly from the library computer instead of searching for them manually.

  It was almost dinner when my father came out of his office and walked toward my mother.

  “Mira, Thaddeus said he’s planning to visit with his family in two days.”

  Mira looked delighted. “Is that so? It’s been a while since I last saw Ophira.”

  Thaddeus… that name feels familiar. Oh—right. He’s the count I saw during my first week after being born. He visited a few times before I turned two as well.

  If that’s the case, I should act clueless. A normal child shouldn’t remember things from that far back.

  “Thaddeus? Who’s that, dad?” I ask as I walk closer.

  He looks at me and answers, “He’s an old friend. I’ve known him since the academy days, and we later became comrades in the same group.”

  I nod. No wonder neither of them cared about how they spoke back then.

  …

  …

  …

  It’s been two days since we were told we’d have visitors.

  I’m currently sitting on the couch watching television. Today is a weekend, so I’m completely idle.

  The doorbell rings.

  It’s likely Thaddeus and his family. It’s about two hours after lunch.

  My father opens the door, and just as I thought, it’s them.

  I look at their faces as my mother joins in to welcome them. They don’t look much different from almost five years ago—or maybe my memory just isn’t reliable.

  After the greetings, my mother motions for me to come closer.

  As I stand in front of them, she starts introducing me. “Ophira, Thaddeus, this is Kian. You should still remember him.”

  Ophira nods with a smile. “Yes, the last time I saw him, he was still a baby. He’s grown a little.”

  She then brings her son forward. “Kian, this is my son Nicolas. You can call him Nico,” she says gently, resting her hand on his head.

  I nod and look at him. He looks exactly like his father, if his father were still a child. He also seems older than me.

  After that, Ophira takes my mother by the arm and walks her away. “Alright, let’s leave those two men alone before they start getting loud.”

  Once they’re gone, my father looks at me. “Kian, how about you take Nico to the backyard and play with him for a bit?”

  I nod and gesture for Nicolas to follow me.

  We enter the backyard, and Nicolas starts looking around curiously.

  “How old are you?” I ask.

  “I’m eight! My birthday was a month ago,” he says with a grin.

  “I seem to be older than you, so call me big brother,” He says, as i sigh internally. This is exactly why I don’t like talking to kids.

  After playing with him for about twenty minutes, he finally gets bored.

  “Should we go inside?” Please say yes. I’m bored out of my mind.

  “Mhm,” he nods. Thank god.

  When we go back inside, we see our fathers sitting on the couch, talking and laughing loudly. No wonder my mom and Ophira left them alone.

  We sit down and start watching television.

  Ten minutes later, my mother returns with Ophira, carrying tea and cookies.

  A few hours pass, and it’s time for dinner. My father and Thaddeus are chatting casually now, not as loudly as before. They seem to be holding back—probably because their wives are present.

  After dinner, the mood shifts.

  My father and Thaddeus look at each other and start talking again.

  Huh? I can’t understand them. They’re speaking in a foreign language, and it doesn’t sound like the Universal Language.

  I glance at my mother. She doesn’t seem to understand them either, but she doesn’t find it strange. They’ve probably spoken like this around her before.

  After a few minutes, my father sighs.

  Both he and Thaddeus turn their heads toward me.

  “Thaddeus is going to adopt you,” my father says.

  Chapter End