Two years had passed since then.
Rest was now fourteen, but his treatment hadn't changed in the slightest.
He slept in the stable. He was fed once a day, given scraps like a dog.
Nutrition was scarce, but a handful of servants who pitied Rest's circumstances would share their leftover bread and vegetables, so he managed to avoid starving to death.
On the odd occasion, he was used as a test subject for magic experiments—which, ironically, allowed him to acquire new spells.
Though it took a toll on him mentally, he endured the harsh circumstances and was growing steadily.
(Next year I'll be fifteen. That's the age of adulthood, isn't it…)
Late afternoon.
Having finished his chores—mucking out stalls and the like—Rest sat on a pile of firewood stacked beside the stable and let his mind wander over the days behind him.
(Mother died when I was ten, and I was brought to this estate. Four years of humiliation since then. But… it'll all be over soon.)
Once he turned fifteen, he could take on proper work.
He could leave this estate and live on his own terms. The days of humiliation would be over.
(Still… if I'm going to be free, I don't want to stop there. I want to aim higher.)
Thanks to his half-brother, Rest had learned to cast spells up to the intermediate level by this world's standards.
Even now, he wouldn't struggle to find work if he went out into the world.
But "wouldn't struggle" was all it meant—whether he could actually climb higher was a different question entirely.
(If I'm going to do this, I want to surpass Father… aim for a position above court magician.)
To rise above the people who had looked down on him and trampled him underfoot.
That, Rest believed, was the most fitting way to repay four years of humiliation.
(For that reason, I'd like to attend the "academy." Isn't there some way I could make that happen?)
The "academy" referred to the nation's finest educational institution — Aiwood Royal Academy.
"Aiwood" was both the name of the country and of its royal family.
It was a mid-sized kingdom situated on the western part of the continent — neither powerful enough to be called a major nation, nor small enough to be dismissed as a minor one.
(At Aiwood Academy, commoners could enroll as well. Upon graduation, whether you pursued a path as a civil official or a military one, you could aspire to a high-ranking position.)
Conversely, if you didn't graduate from this academy, it was difficult to secure any government position.
The same held true for positions like court magician.
Father had once graduated from the academy, and Cedric was also studying for the entrance exam, aiming to enroll himself.
The added stress of his studies was undoubtedly why his abuse toward Rest had grown worse.
(You couldn't enter the academy until you turned fifteen. For the noble quota, all you needed was your parent's permission to sit for the exam, but the commoner quota required a letter of recommendation.)
The Royal Academy separated its entrance exams into a "noble quota" and a "commoner quota."
To take the exam under the noble quota, you simply needed your head of household to vouch for your status and grant permission — that was all.
However, to take the exam under the commoner quota, you needed someone of social standing, such as a noble, to provide a letter of recommendation.
Rest was technically registered as a noble on paper, but there was no way that father of his would ever grant permission.
(If I can't take the exam under the noble quota, then I'll have to take it under the commoner quota. That means I need a connection to another noble, or someone of equivalent social standing. Is there anyone out there who might fit the bill?)
Ever since his mother had passed away, Rest had essentially lived confined to the manor.
He occasionally slipped out at night, but he had no interactions with other nobles and had built no social connections whatsoever.
He needed to find some way to meet someone of social standing.
(There has to be some way... isn't there anything I can do...?)
"Hmm?"
As Rest was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the sound of people talking.
It was a voice he didn't normally hear in this mansion—the voices of several children chatting.
(One of them is Cedric. There are a few others too... Alright, time for a little eavesdropping.)
Driven by curiosity, Rest cast a spell known as Fūsō.
It was a magic that manipulated wind to carry objects or attack enemies, but it could also be applied to bring distant sounds to the caster.
The voices were coming from the mansion's garden.
"Alright, let's go on an exploration!"
"Yeah, a monster hunt! There's a perfect forest near the mansion. Let's head over and practice some magic while we're at it."
"I just learned a new spell! I've been dying to try it out!"
"But... isn't it dangerous for just us to go monster hunting? Shouldn't we bring an adult along...?"
"I think so too. Monsters are dangerous and scary, so..."
"What, you guys are such cowards."
(...There are five of them talking. Are these Cedric's friends?)
Judging by their voices... it sounded like Cedric, two boys, and two girls.
Come to think of it... at breakfast, he had mentioned his friends were coming to visit.
(Still... monster hunting in the forest?)
The forest they were talking about was most likely the one Rest regularly used for magic training.
Thanks to his daily efforts of culling the population, that forest had very few monsters left.
That said, it wasn't as if there were none at all — in fact, a powerful monster had recently taken up residence in the depths of the forest.
That creature was highly intelligent and wary of Rest, never venturing close to him, so he basically left it alone.
"What a joke — women really are cowards!"
"Next year we'll be enrolling at the academy. Both the Magic Department and the Knight Department have combat training. We'll need to practice fighting monsters, won't we?"
"If you're scared, why don't you just wait here? We'll go on without you!"
"W-We're not cowards or anything!"
"S-Sis, calm down…"
"Then you're coming, right? It'll be fine — I'll be there with you!"
The conversation moved forward, and it looked like the plan was set — the whole group would head into the forest together.
The two girls who weren't too enthusiastic about it would probably end up going along anyway.
(Hmm… Cedric will be coming of age next year, so he'll probably be fine, but…)
Rest crossed his arms and thought hard.
If it were just Cedric heading into the forest, he would have told him to do as he pleased.
Even if the fool got attacked by a monster and lost his life, Rest would just laugh and call him an idiot.
But… he couldn't bring himself to abandon the four who appeared to be Cedric's friends.
Especially the two girls. Standing by while unfamiliar girls walked into danger wouldn't sit right with him.
(Can't be helped. I'll just follow them from the shadows, I guess…)
Today's work was already done.
Not for Cedric's sake — he'd tag along as a guardian for the two girls who were heading into the forest with the group.
Rest stood up from the firewood and made up his mind to chase after the five children — Cedric included — into the forest.