Kian Goldmaul POV

  It’s the next day after I first went to Thaddeus’s house.

  I had just finished studying with my father. We completed the morning subjects surprisingly quickly, only taking about two hours.

  Honestly, if it weren’t for him insisting that I practice writing properly instead of just answering verbally, I would’ve finished much faster.

  After that, I went to my bedroom in my parents’ house. Just like in Thaddeus’s house, the portal here was hidden behind the closet.

  I placed my hand on the spot where the scanner is, and the hidden door opened smoothly. I closed the closet door behind me and stepped through the portal.

  As I walked out on the other side, I noticed that the secret door in front of me had is closed. It seemed to automatically shut itself after a short while.

  I hadn’t figured out how to manually close it after leaving yesterday.

  I reached out, pressed on the handle, and the door opened without resistance. After exiting the closet and leaving the room, I started looking for Thaddeus.

  I walked through the house, taking in my surroundings more carefully this time.

  Although I had noticed it yesterday, it was now even more obvious that Thaddeus—or perhaps his wife—really liked purple and emerald green as color themes. Those colors appeared frequently in decorations, furniture, and even small details. Still, despite the bold choices, the place looked elegant and surprisingly comfortable.

  After walking around the house, which honestly wasn’t that much bigger than my parents’ place, I found Thaddeus just as he was coming out of the kitchen with a snack in his hand.

  He had told me yesterday to find him as soon as I finished studying.

  When he noticed me, he didn’t even try to hide his surprise.

  “You already finished studying?” he asked.

  “Yes. It only took two hours. I learn fast.”

  “Considering how serious Ronan is when it comes to things like education, I’m surprised.” he replied with a faint smile.

  “Anyway,” he continued, “we’ll be going outside now. Good thing you’re already wearing outdoor clothes. I forgot to tell you yesterday, but try to wear something more casual next time. No need to be overly formal. This is your home as well.”

  After he changed his clothes, he took my hand, and we headed outside together.

  As we walked through the streets, I immediately realized that this city is different from the one my parents lived in. If my parents’ city could be described as old-style and traditional, then this one was far more modern with skyscraper and modern building everywhere. Looking no different from a big city from my past life.

  “Oh, you noticed the difference?” Thaddeus said after seeing my reaction. “Your parents prefer old-style cities. My wife and I prefer places like this. In terms of living standards, they’re no different. This one’s just bigger, since it is a coastal city.”

  That explained it. I had been faintly smelling the sea ever since we stepped outside.

  “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve never seen the sea before,” he added. “After we’re done with what we have planned for today, I’ll take you there.”

  “Mhm,” I hummed in agreement.

  After walking for about five minutes, we arrived in front of a massive building. It was even bigger than the martial arts facility Niko had taken me to for sparring and special training.

  The sign on the building read: Military Training Facility.

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  Below it, right on the front door, were the words: Not Open for Civilians.

  We entered the building. Surprisingly, the interior didn’t look special at all. If anything, it felt plain.

  As we stepped inside, a guard wearing what appeared to be military attire immediately stood up and saluted Thaddeus. After that, his gaze shifted toward me.

  “May I ask who this is?” the guard asked.

  “He’s my son,” Thaddeus replied calmly. “He’s reached the age where training is possible, just like my older son. He’ll be starting soon. I brought him here to familiarize him with the place and to prepare a card for him.”

  The guard nodded and began typing on a computer, asking Thaddeus for my name, date of birth, and other basic information. After finishing that, he stepped out from behind the front desk and picked up what looked like a camera.

  “Please stand in front of this wall.”

  I nodded and did as instructed. He took a photo of me.

  “The card should be ready by tomorrow morning,” the guard said. “I’ll also share his photo with the other on-duty guards.”

  We moved deeper into the facility and entered the training area. Instead of private training rooms like the ones I was used to, this was one massive open space.

  Contrary to what I expected, there weren’t many people training there. The ground was made of special materials designed to resemble grass and dirt, with separate sections covered in sand or gravel.

  As I continued observing the surroundings, I noticed Niko standing beside an old man in the direction Thaddeus was leading me.

  When we reached them, both of them performed a standard military salute before relaxing.

  Thaddeus immediately began introductions.

  “Well then, Kian, this old guy’s name is Helmut—Helmut Müller. A common name, isn’t it? He’ll be your main teacher.”

  I looked at Helmut closely. He appeared to be in his sixties, with full white hair and a thick white beard. His eyes were brown, sharp despite his age. He was taller than both Niko and Thaddeus, nearly reaching three meters in height.

  “There’s no need to introduce Niko,” Thaddeus added. “You already know him.”

  Helmut nodded.

  “You must be Kian, Ronan’s son, right?” he said in a deep voice. “Only Niko and I know that you’re not actually Count Thaddeus’s son in this facility, so don’t tell anyone.”

  He continued, “As the Count said, I’m Helmut, and I’ll be your teacher for the next few years, with Niko acting as my assistant. As for my teaching experience, you don’t need to worry. I taught this kid too when he was young,” he said, pointing at Thaddeus.

  “And I’m familiar with your father as well, though I never taught him since he was a pure mage.”

  I nodded as Thaddeus added, “For the next few days, your training will continue as it did before. No real difference. When it’s time for training go to either me, my wife, or the house butler will inform Niko, and he’ll come pick you up along with my son.”

  “Yes, my son will be joining you,” Thaddeus continued. “He’s eight years old now. He started training at five.”

  After that, Helmut spoke again.

  “I’ve seen videos of you sparring with the training doll Niko controls, and I’ve read his report on your physical condition and combat level. Still, I’ll inspect you myself to confirm.”

  “Well then, kid, lift your arms.”

  I nodded and raised my arms into a T-pose.

  He firmly but carefully gripped both my arms, applying just enough pressure to assess my strength. After inspecting my body, he nodded.

  “It’s just like Niko reported. Quite advanced for someone your age.”

  “Anyway,” Helmut added, “there’s no class today. If you’re curious about me, ask the guy next to you.”

  “Like Helmut said,” Thaddeus added, “if you want to know anything about him, just ask me. To reassure you further, all of my sword mastery comes from this old man.”

  “I’ll prepare your training schedule and finish it by the day after tomorrow,” Helmut said. “Since your magic training is in three days, come back the day after that and we’ll officially start.”

  I nodded. After that, Thaddeus exchanged a few more words with Helmut before taking me back home.

  Once we returned, Thaddeus told me he would introduce me to the house butler.

  We arrived at Thaddeus’s office, where I noticed a man sitting at an extra desk. No wonder there are two desks in the office room.

  The man looked older—older than Thaddeus but younger than Helmut. He had black hair streaked with white and wrinkles that outlined his face without making him look frail. His eyes appeared brown, and he was slightly shorter than Thaddeus.

  “Kian,” Thaddeus said, “this is Jonte Weber. He’s responsible for managing the house and taking care of both you and Nicolas when we’re not around. He also knows that you’re not actually my son.”

  He added telepathically, “Though he doesn’t know who your real father is.”

  Jonte smiled warmly.

  “Nice to meet you, Kian. Please, call me Jonte.”

  “One more thing,” Thaddeus added. “Workers from outside will come every three days to clean the house. They’ll stay for about two hours before leaving. The workers are different almost every time.”

  After that, he showed me where the rooms were before introducing me to the rest of the family.

  They already knew I didn’t have any friends from my parents due to my personality, but they still encouraged me to interact with their son.

  I agreed. It’s not like I could disagree anyway.

  I ate lunch there, then returned to my parents’ house to continue studying.

  “So, how was Thaddeus’s house?” my father asked.

  “It’s nice,” I replied. “And Uncle Thaddeus said he’ll take me to see the sea after I finish studying.”

  “The sea, huh?” Father said thoughtfully. “Now that you mention it, I never took you there myself. Very well, then. Let’s get started. We have earth science and more writing for this afternoon.”

  Chapter End