Learning Curve

Adam looked at the laughing boy with a smile. After seven years, the crying baby grew into a fine young child.

He had ensured he was well-fed, could read and write a little, had basics in mathematics and trained his body daily. He was proud of the results of his education. If he could, he would boast about being the best teacher to others.

On the other hand, he judged his personal progress as quite decent. His mana control improved tremendously. He could now use it to write in the air by continuously ejecting mana and solidifying it just enough to give it substance.

It was an insane improvement, considering he didn't need to dip Julius's finger in ash to communicate anymore.

He learned to eject small mana balls after that by following the same process. He just had to solidify the mana enough for it to become rock-hard.

He also developed his alchemical skills by brewing a few potions with the assistance of Theodore and Julius.

However, the lack of ingredients seriously slowed his progress. 

Sadly, after seven peaceful years, he understood he couldn't progress further in the village as his access to mystical knowledge was too limited.

That's why, half a year ago, he decided to impress the baron through Julius during the naming ceremony.

He believed Lucius wouldn't give up on recruiting a talented subject if he had the chance, and after being hired, he would have access to more resources.

However, he didn't expect to impress him so much that he would immediately adopt the boy, even promising him an opportunity to join an academy.

For the next two hours, he only spoke about how much knowledge they would soon have access to and how he was the best plan-maker until dinner time.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

"Young master, the dinner is ready. Please follow me to the dining room." A maid said with a respectful voice before knocking on Alina's door.

As he came out of his room, he noticed his mother's reddened eyes and nose. Their separation from Theodore left a deep mark on her.

They followed the maid into the manor's corridor and soon reached the elegant dining room.

In its middle, he noticed a long table, and two adults seated on it.

"Ah, Julius, Alina, you are here. Let me introduce you to my wife, Eleanor." Lucius stood up and said with a bright smile as he pointed at his wife.

Eleanor's features were unpretentious, bearing an approachable allure. Her presence exuded a laid-back and genuine vibe, and she carried herself with an understated, down-to-earth grace.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Eleanor Riverwood. You can call me mother-in-law." She said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

In response, Julius looked at his mother with a questioning glance, asking her what he should do.

Alina nodded at him, showing she had no problem with it before he opened his mouth.

"Nice to meet you mother-in-law."He answered, a little shy.

"Oh, such a cutie. It's a shame your big brother is still at the academy. I'm sure he would have loved to meet you as well," she said, her eyes glowing with happiness.

Stumped by such a warm welcome and, more importantly, trying his best not to laugh because of his big brother, he gazed at her in confusion.

Meanwhile, the ghost floated above her, making faces like a kid to draw his attention. Sometimes, he wondered if he really was older than him...

"She is speaking about our son, Nathan. He is nine years older than you. Please, have a seat." Lucius interjected and clapped his hand.

Soon, maids and butlers brought delicacies to the table, causing the mother-and-son duo to widen their eyes at the luxurious dishes.

After discovering them with eagerness, they had a lovely discussion during which Lucius and Eleanor explained the workings of the family and spoke about their hobbies.

Everything was perfect until Alina, encouraged by their friendliness, spoke about Julius' imaginary friend.

"I'm really concerned about this friend of his. He often speaks alone." She said, making Julius blush and Adam facepalm.

Lucius looked at the boy carefully for a few moments before shrugging. 

"I don't think it's a big problem for now. However, if in a few years, he still speaks alone, we might need to address the problem seriously." His answer made Adam and Julius sigh in relief.

Many geniuses acted weirdly in their younger years. Speaking alone or to an imaginary friend didn't sound so bad to him as long as he was good-natured.

"I see. I trust you, sir," Alina answered in defeat. Everyone kept telling her it was natural, but she was sure it wasn't.

But she couldn't share her suspicions. After all, she and Theodore never spoke about how a ghost once asked for their help, using the baby. It was something they promised him, and they were determined to keep the secret.

After all, her life became much better after the ghost made her meet the old apothecary, and she wanted to see him again one day to thank him properly.

After her question, Lucius shared the schedule they planned for the boy. "Starting tomorrow, you'll learn swordsmanship with Sir Max in the morning. In the afternoon, we'll teach you history, mathematics, politics, basic magical knowledge and neutral tier-one spells. If you do well, I'll reward you in six months."

"Finally! I don't have to teach this blockhead anymore." Adam screamed in joy, making Julius stumble and look at him in astonishment.

"What? Don't tell me you didn't know you were stupid... It took you so long to understand that one silver was equivalent to one hundred bronze coins..." He said, causing the boy to lower his head in shame.

Then, Lucius continued, "Return to your room and sleep for the night. I want you full of energy for your first day of learning!"

Following his instructions, he returned to his room after bidding good night to his mom and sat on the sofa with an exhausted grimace.

"Big bro, please stop making faces when I'm talking to others," he said with resentment.

"I'm doing that to train your poker face. You'll see how useful it is in the future. Go to bed, and don't forget to hold the Veilheart Draught," Adam invented some bullshit reason to justify his childish actions, causing him to sigh.

"Good night, big bro," He said, jumping with glowing eyes on his new fancy bed, and fell asleep holding the potion.

*********

Adam woke up in the dream place, a potion in hand.

"Sight, it took me seven years to brew three tier-one potions. What a shame." He said, with mixed feelings.

"Status!"