Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins - Chapter 136

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Presumably, it’s fair to say that hardly anyone notices the change of seasons by looking at a calendar.

Seasons precede the calendar.

People knew when to sow seeds before they could count the cycles of a year, and prepared for winter without a calendar.

We don’t even need to go as far as falling flower petals, blazing sunlight, brown leaves, or white snow. Sometimes, even the slightest difference can signal the change of seasons.

“……”

There’s a scent of winter in the air.

The season couldn’t have changed in a day.

Why do I feel like the air has changed as soon as I stepped out of the Research Building to go home? [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]

Perhaps it’s compensatory psychology, wanting to hurry into a comfortable year-end since this time last year my life was full of farewells. It might be for that trivial a reason.

Anyway.

I adjusted my grip on my briefcase while still catching the faint scent of early winter.

It’s time to go home.

Early afternoon. The campus of the Federal University of Magic, where darkness was gently settling, was relatively quiet, but not devoid of energy.

The people from the Research Institute exemplified this the most; their conversations were even more lively than usual.

Just look at those two doctoral students sitting on the bench.

I pretended to pass by uninterested while slightly eavesdropping on their conversation.

—Who do you think will get it?

—I’m not sure. There are many strong candidates, making it hard to choose. Personally, I think it’s Professor Minkov’s turn.

—I’d cast my vote for Professor Ehrlich.

Sure enough.

Even without a subject, I could immediately guess the topic of their conversation.

Who will be this year’s winner of the Russell Magic Award?

It’s been five years since the first award was given.

Unlike during its first year, which didn’t attract much attention, the Russell Award has now become the most prestigious honor in the magic academic world.

As it comes up every year-end, it seems they’ve started speculating about the sixth winner this year, as well. Perhaps it’s as much a signal of the year’s end as the scent of winter.

If I visited the Nocturne Club right now, I could probably enjoy quite an interesting guessing game.

But I hurried my steps.

If I didn’t move quickly, there was someone who would puff out their cheeks.

Soon, that person’s back came into my view.

Near the Main Gate of the University of Magic, on a bench…

There sat a chestnut-haired woman, demurely seated, swinging her legs slightly and blowing breath into the air.

Just as I was trying to quietly sit down next to her, having muffled my footsteps…

Rustle—

It was the moment the death cry of a dry leaf was heard.

“Oh. Aren’t you the professor?”

The woman turned her head towards me and said that.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Julia Müller, who was the Student Council President about two years ago, oh.”

Julia, who pretended to be surprised and covered her mouth, looked up at me with wide eyes.

She looked great in her modest coat, with her long hair neatly arranged under a scarf. However, it’s a bit puzzling why we’re in this situation after meeting up.

She continues.

“I’m Julia Oslo. Do you have any business here?”

“What are you doing?”

“…What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m just playing around. Hurry up and play along.”

Hearing that, I put down my briefcase.

If it were me from a few years ago, I wouldn’t have known what to do, but we’ve spent too much time together to hesitate here now.

After all, despite all this, Julia is wearing a ring on her ring finger that shines even under the bleak autumn sky. [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]

I approached Julia and held out my left hand.

“Here.”

“Ah, I can’t… I can’t hold hands with a man other than my husband…”

“That’s enough.”

“Tch.”

Julia, pouting her lips, took my hand and stood up. Then, she spread her arms wide.

I knew it.

From putting on this odd little act as soon as we meet to the unnecessarily awkward gestures… It’s what she always does.

I stepped closer and put my arms around her shoulders.

Julia also clasped her hands behind my back and took a deep breath.

Julia slightly raised her head from my chest and looked up.

She had a very satisfied expression.

“Are you done now?”

“Just a little longer.”

“…Hugs are nice, but go easy on the tests. If you do this every time, I’ll get wrinkles between my eyebrows.”

“I like wrinkled Eugene, too.”

No matter what I say, there will always be a rebuttal.

As I closed my mouth and patted her back with my gloved right hand for a while, Julia started laughing, her shoulders shaking.

“You’re done now, right?”

“Yes. Hahaha……”

“Sorry for making you wait.”

“Hehe, it’s okay. You worked hard, Eugene.”

She finally calls my name.

I wonder if it’s right to exchange greetings so long after meeting, but anyway, she’s smiling, so all’s well that ends well.

I also slightly raised the corners of my mouth.

“Shall we go, Julia?”

“Wait a moment.”

Saying that, she stood on my right side and suddenly linked arms with me.

It was a gesture solely for support, clearly different from her previous coquettish movements.

It must be to lessen the burden on my right leg.

Only after firmly linking her left arm with my right arm did Julia nod.

We took a step forward together, supporting each other, without either of us taking the lead.

Late November.

Less than a month remained until the wedding.

The weather was chilly enough for breath to mist. Although Julia, who is sensitive to cold, had waited for me until my work ended, we didn’t actually have any particular destination.

We just needed time to discuss various matters.

“Shall we walk for a bit?”

“Sure.”

That was something we could do while strolling through downtown Frauzen.

And that’s what we did.

There were two things to decide through discussion. First, about the wedding, and second, the meeting of both families.

Regarding the former, it was almost settled.

Julia, stroking the ends of her hair, looked up at me and said:

“About the wedding… Is it really okay to have it in the garden of our mansion?”

“More than okay, I prefer it.”

“Okay. I understand.”

Both Julia and I shied away from a grand wedding.

In my case, it was because marrying an Imperial would do nothing good for Julia’s reputation, and Julia, having cut off most of her social connections following her father after graduating, had no interest in empty formalities. [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]

Of course, there’s no correlation between grandeur and enjoyment.

“Hehe. Look forward to it. I’ll show you the aesthetics of simplicity.”

“…Was that garden ever simple?”

As I recall, the garden of the Müller mansion boasted a grandeur rivaling that of Lapien Square in the center of Frauzen.

Julia just smiled silently.

Having only seen her in modest attire recently, I almost forgot myself.

This woman with amber eyes once casually offered a thousand pounds.

“Well, the wedding is decided. Now, we just need to decide how to arrange the meeting before the ceremony.”

“How about doing that in the garden too?”

“I don’t think that will work.”

“Why?”

Julia rolled her eyes as if troubled, then answered.

“Eugene. Is Benjamin… Is my future father-in-law looking forward to the meeting?”

“I haven’t asked, but he is eagerly anticipating the day he’ll meet Professor Müller.”

“Given my father’s temperament, if we held a tea party in the garden, he’d likely slip away.”

Somehow, I can imagine it.

If there’s business to discuss, he talks; if not, he doesn’t. That’s Klaus Müller’s way, but Benjamin is the owner of a conversational habit where nearly 80% of his words consist of trivial chatter.

If we seat the two at the same table, Professor Müller might flee, unable to endure the random old stories that would pop out.

“We’ll need to create an environment where they have no choice but to talk quietly.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“How about taking a casual trip?”

Julia, who had been pondering while touching her lips at my casual suggestion, suddenly lifted her head.

“That sounds like a good idea. Oh, but Eugene. Your class schedule…”

“It’s just a practical class. It’s only once a week, so I can adjust if I plan well.”

“Whew, that’s a relief.”

Julia had been stroking her chest in relief, then suddenly narrowed her eyes.

She must have thought of another mischief.

“Eugene. Don’t we need the consent of both families, not just us, for the trip?”

“I suppose so.”

“Well then. Let’s go.”

With that, she suddenly tugged at my arm.

“Where to?”

“Home. You’ll guide me, won’t you?”

Seeing her mischievous smile, it was clear that ‘home’ didn’t mean the Müller mansion.

Regrettably, if we went home like this, I couldn’t even begin to guess what kind of trouble might ensue.

I grinned as I answered.

“I’ll escort you to the mansion.”

“…You’re mean.”

It was an unexpected remark.

In any case, Julia was just trying to tease me as well.

She didn’t seem particularly disappointed but instead made one request.

She requested to continue our walk for a bit longer.

It was a proposal I had no reason to refuse.

Still with our arms linked, we retraced our steps and finally reached Lapien Square.

Along a massive axis cutting through downtown Frauzen along with the railway station and the University of Magic…

The square located in the middle of it all attracts people’s footsteps regardless of day or night.

Today was no exception.

The temperature was cold enough to make one shiver if dressed only in a thin coat expecting autumn weather. Nevertheless, quite a few people were strolling through Lapien Square.

And they weren’t alone. [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]

They all seemed to be families or couples.

Amidst the lights and cheerful commotion still rising from the shops surrounding the square, adults and children held hands and chatted animatedly.

It’s as if the bleak autumn sky didn’t matter at all as long as they had each other.

“……”

I felt a warmth rising in a corner of my chest.

I had crossed this square alone so many times.

But now, there’s a warm presence on my right.

I’m not alone.

Julia seemed to have felt a similar emotion simultaneously, judging by how our eyes met when I turned my head.

Julia, who had blinked as if slightly surprised, soon spoke in a slightly relaxed voice.

“Eugene. We’re really getting married, aren’t we?”

“That’s right.”

“It’s only hitting me now… To think a day like this would come….”

We had already crossed more than half of the square.

Julia had been carefully looking at the lights from the surrounding shops and put strength into her left arm.

Naturally, strength also entered my right arm.

“You know. When I used to pass through this square in a carriage, I thought those people and I lived in different worlds. I couldn’t open the door and go out, or walk on my own two feet.”

I quietly empathized.

There was a time when the world above the bridge seemed like a different world to me, too.

“Now, you’re walking through the square on your own two feet without a carriage. It wasn’t a different world after all.”

“Hehe. That’s right.”

We left the square and entered a less crowded alley.

It’s a path that could quickly lead to either Kram Street, where the Oslo family lived, or Getreide Street, where the Müller mansion was located.

As we were walking down that alley, Julia stopped.

Is her mana running low? Or is her leg hurting?

I quickly turned my head.

I could see her crimson lips forming a playful smile.

Julia stood on her tiptoes, pressed close to my shoulder, and whispered directly into my ear.

Her breath was warm.

“Mmm, in a few years, we’ll be taking walks with our children, too, won’t we…?”

My mind turned a bit hazy.

I quietly gazed at her gently curved amber eyes.

She had a graceful smile.

Judging by that, she doesn’t seem to have the slightest idea what she’s doing.

This is, a bit much.

After clinging tightly for an hour or two, she’s even doing this.

It’s irresistible.

“Ah.”

I unlinked our arms.

“Mmph, haa.”

A small voice brushes past my ear.

Perhaps because it’s an alley with no one around, it was even clearer.

“No—”

A thin voice. It’s probably a polite refusal, but in this situation, it’s merely a catalyst.

We exchanged breaths. Rougher breaths than usual.

Even so, it’s not enough. [Only on DarkStar Translations! / Axiomatic]

After our lips parted, I gently grasped her slender shoulders.

Shove—

I was pushed back.

“Ha, uh, Eugene…”

Her voice was faint. Julia had just forcefully shoved me away while being pressed against the alley wall, and looked up at me with a flushed face, her gaze reproachful.

“In a month… save it for then…”

A sharp pang hit me as my heart sank, but Julia offered the slightest smile.

I knew with certainty that I could never handle her for the rest of my life.

The change of direction was swift.

Since we were in an alley, it took less than 30 minutes to reach the Oslo family on Kram Street.

I stood in front of the entrance and looked back.

There was Julia, somehow looking even more bundled up.

“I didn’t tell the head maid.”

She nodded.

“It’s better not to stay too late. If you do, then I’ll escort you back.”

“Will you really do that?”

“……”