The Parents’ Expectations

Paul stared at the bear corpse in front of him and let out a sigh.

Zenith slowly walked towards Paul and then said, "Is it dead?"

Paul sheathed his sword and nodded. "Yep. But that's weird..."

There was dense mana in the forest, but it shouldn't be enough to create a monster like this.

It wasn't much compared to the monsters that Paul faced in the past. After all, you came across a whole slew of deadly creatures when you were an adventurer. But if Paul wasn't here to fight it, that monster could have wreaked havoc on the village.

A man with pointed ears jumped down from a watchtower nearby and then nodded. "Good job, Paul."

Paul grinned and said, "Not too shabby yourself, Laws." After that, he smoothed his expression and said, "But was this the only one you saw?"

Laws shook his head and put his bow on his back. "No, but that should be the last of them. But this is odd." He looked towards the bear corpse and said, "I've never seen so many magical creatures born in such a short period of time."

"You think so too, huh?" Paul frowned and said, "...Is this place becoming a dungeon or something?"

It was unlikely, but apparently there was a buildup of magical energy in the heart of the forest... Maybe that was the cause of the recent monsters?

Zenith frowned. "That's impossible. A dungeon? Naturally forming? And all the way out here?"

"...Yeah." Paul laughed. "Maybe I'm just reading too much into this. Anyway..." He looked at Laws and said, "We'll be heading back first, Laws. It's about time I get Rudy started on his swordsmanship lessons."

Laws blinked and said, "Isn't your son only three years old?"

Paul laughed and said, "He is, but Rudy's a genius, you know? That kid's already reading books on his own."

Zenith smacked Paul's head and said, "And that's why he's going to be a magician!"

"Ow! Geez, Zenith. Do you have to do that every time?"

"I'll do it as many times as it takes to get it into that thick skull of yours!"

Laws chuckled and said, "Well then, have a good day, you two."

Zenith waved and said, "Same to you, Laws! Let's have a play date between Luffy and Rudy sometime!"

Laws smiled.

After that, Paul and Zenith started walking back home.

Zenith glanced back and said, "Laws is a nice man."

Paul pulled Zenith close and said, "But not as nice as me, eh?"

"Pft." Zenith laughed and said, "What, jealous?"

"Just asserting my dominance. Can't let other guys think they can take you away from me, you know?"

"So you're jealous."

"...Maybe a little?"

"Hmph." Zenith poked Paul's chest and said, "Now you know how I feel."

Paul cleared his throat. "Anyway..." He looked across the plains towards their house and said, "I really do think we should get Rudy started on swordsmanship."

Zenith frowned. "That again?"

"Look, Zenith. Rudy's a genius! You know that, I know that. Imagine how good he'll be if he starts training now! And he's got great coordination and everything too! We didn't even need to teach him how to walk or use the bathroom!"

Zenith pursed her lips. "Even so... it's a bit early, don't you think? And also, what about magic?"

"What about magic?"

Zenith shook her head and said, "Rudy's smart. And if he's inheriting anything from me, he should be able to use at least a little bit of magic."

"Well, magic's just the luck of the draw though, isn't it? Even if he could, he'll probably only be able to be Advanced-rank at best."

"Paul!"

"What?" Paul shrugged and said, "I suck at magic, and you're above average. On the other hand, if he started now... Rudy's got a natural sense for danger and these things, you know? And he's not just our son, he's my son too. And since I'm a genius, it's only obvious that our son's a super genius."

Zenith rolled her eyes. "You're as arrogant as always."

"I'd like to call it confidence. Let me know when you find another guy who's Advanced-rank in Sword-God, Water-God, and North-God swordsmanship."

"You don't have to flaunt it so much. Or are you trying to overcompensate for something?"

Paul pulled Zenith close kissed her neck. "I think you know that I don't need any of that."

Zenith blushed and swatted Paul. "Not in public!"

Paul laughed and then scooped up Zenith into his arms. "Well then, let's hurry on home then."

Zenith rolled her eyes. "I'm not some dainty princess, Dear."

"Well, to me you are."

Zenith blushed and then she swatted Paul's head. "Shameless flirt."

Paul laughed and started sprinting back home.

The wind at his back, the golden wheat fields, rolling green hills... and a loving beauty in his arms.

It was a bit boring, but Paul couldn't really ask for anything else-

"Hm?"

A faint shadow from above. Paul looked up and then was instantly met by a sudden downpour of water.

"Kya!" Zenith screamed and said, "Why is it raining?!"

"It's not." Paul frowned.

The sky was clear, but there was rain.

No, was that even rain to start with?

Paul narrowed his eyes and then noticed something. A faint trail in the sky leaving behind a streak of mist. And the source of it...

"Hold on tight, Zenith." Paul tensed and then lowered his body.

"Dear- KYAAAAAA!"

Paul kicked off the ground, blurring across the terrain in a single pounce. Consecutive dashes to close as much ground as possible as quickly as possible.

The sprint that should have taken a half hour was closed in a couple of minutes.

And as Paul arrived at the gate, he heard it. A muffled scream from upstairs, along with footsteps already running up.

Paul quickly set Zenith down and ran upstairs as well. As he did, he placed his hand on his sword. "Lilia?! Rudy?!"

The footsteps stopped.

Paul saw the person who was running up the stairs. Lilia. But then if that scream wasn't her...

"Master Paul!" Lilia placed her hand on her chest and said, "That scream-"

"Rudy?" Paul ran past Lilia and towards the source of the scream. When he reached it... he came to a stop. "What the-"

It was the storage room. Emphasis on 'was.'

The wall had been blown out. Not only that, but water was sprayed all over the room.

But Paul ignored all of that.

Instead, he focused on the one screaming.

It was Rudy. He was huddled up in the middle of the floor, clutching his head.

"Rudy!" Paul quickly ran to his son and picked him up. "Hey! Papa's here! What happened?"

When Paul held Rudy, he stopped screaming. But Rudy immediately started trembling instead and muttering something under his breath.

Paul frowned and then noticed that there was a book lying on the ground next to Rudy. Zenith's old magic text book.

And it was open to an intermediate level spell.

Wait.

Then was this because...?

"Rudy?!" Zenith ran into the room, followed after by Lilia.

Zenith saw Rudy and then gasped. "What happened?"

Paul shook his head. "I don't know. But..." He nodded his head towards the book on the ground.

Zenith frowned and then walked over to pick it up. When she did, her eyes widened. "Splash Flow? But this is...?" Zenith looked around the room with excitement in her eyes and said, "Did Rudy do all of this?"

Paul started to answer. But before he could, Rudy shoved him and broke out of his arms.

"R-Rudy?!"

Paul reached out, but before he could do anything, Rudy ran towards Lilia and clung onto her, shaking like a leaf. "Miss Lilia! Tell them! Tell Mom and Dad! I'm not a genius, I'm not a genius! I'm not! It wasn't me! It's not me!"

Panicked and hysterical outbursts. And after that... he burst out crying. A deep and full-out cry, completely unrestrained.

Paul froze.

Zenith did as well.

What in the world was going on...? Rudy was saying that he wasn't a genius...?

"There, there." Lilia knelt down and patted Rudy's back. "Everything will be alright, young master."

Rudy shook his head and then hid his face in her chest. "Don't let Mom and Dad treat me different. Please. Please..."

Lilia kept patting Rudy's back. At the same time, she looked up at Paul, a judging look on her face.

Paul flinched.

"...I am certain that your mother and father will do nothing of the sort. They love you very much, you know?"

"...But now they know..."

Now they know...? Wait, then did that mean that Rudy was always like this?

No, come to think of it, Rudy picked up how to talk, read, walk... all of that he learned by himself. Then... He thought that it was just coincidence at the time. But did Rudy already understand them back when he was only a few months old?

Zenith walked over and held her hands out to Rudy. "Ru-"

"NOOOOOO!" Rudy screamed and then ran behind Lilia. "I didn't do anything! I'm normal! Don't make me!"

Zenith flinched.

Lilia sighed and then turned around to hug Rudy. "Nothing will happen, young master. Your parents are just excited to see how brilliant you are."

"I'm not!"

Lilia patted Rudy's head. "Ah. Yes. You're not. You're just an ordinary child. Right?"

She was talking to Rudy, but from how she glanced back to look at Paul and Zenith, it was a clear chastisement.

Paul was confused. And then he realized what had happened.

Didn't he notice it?

Rudy's intuition was top notch. His son was smart. Smart enough that Paul sometimes wondered if Rudy was really his kid. But he knew Zenith, and their first time had been her first time as well... and she had also clung onto him all the time after that.

So Rudy was his kid. Then that meant he also inherited his blood. That sharp intuition towards people around him and also the disdain to meet forced expectations.

But he was a kid. Rudy was still a kid who didn't know malice or anger or anything like that. But he probably sensed it. That both he and Zenith were expecting him to walk a certain path.

And he didn't want it. He didn't want it, but he didn't know what to do.

Then of course.

It was just like Paul. He didn't know who to turn to, so he ran to someone he knew he could trust who wouldn't judge him for it. For him, that was his cousin, Philip.

For Rudy, it was Lilia. The one who quietly kept an eye on him and treated him as he was without any expectations.

But...

Paul frowned and looked towards his wife.

-LIV-

Zenith didn't know what to think.

Her son... Rudy. A child barely three years old was able to cast an Intermediate-ranked spell. That meant that he was a genius! A once in a lifetime prodigy!

But...

Zenith lowered her hands and stared sadly at Rudy clinging to Lilia.

...He didn't want it. And not only that, but he was terrified of being thought to be one.

It hurt. Zenith thought that she might face heartbreak from Paul choosing another woman, but to see her cute son run away from her and Paul in fear and into Lilia's arms...

Zenith was jealous. She was jealous, but she was also mad at herself.

Because she realized it now.

Rudy had always been watching. She didn't know what miracle Milis granted them, but she knew for sure that Rudy must have been born fully aware of what was going on around him.

And he had always been watching. Scared, lost, and alone, he was always watching the people around him. Eventually, he opened up and started trusting her and Paul. He must have come to the understanding that they were his parents and that they wouldn't hurt him.

And he enjoyed that. Spending time with them, playing together...

He was just like an ordinary child.

But he wasn't.

Zenith was sure. Rudy was a genius. Not just in magic, but a real, true genius. The sort that could understand things without being taught, one who could figure out everything for himself.

But he was also a child. Her sweet, cute, and smart child who was afraid that they would look at him differently because they knew that he was a bit different.

...And that made Zenith angry. At herself.

A change. It was just brief, but Zenith saw Rudy differently. Instead of just her son, she thought about how great it would be for him to be a master magician. Of how great he could be in the future, and how great it would be for her to be the mother of someone like that.

But then... that was the same.

Expectations. A directed path.

It was just like how her parents wanted her to be a proper noble and marry some firstborn son of a high-ranking noble.

Rudy must have instinctively sensed that. But he was still just a child. No matter how much of a genius he was, he was still just a child. And when he saw how Zenith acted, he was terrified of it. Of seeing his mother look at him like an object instead of her son.

So he ran away.

Instead of his mother or father, he ran to Lilia.

And Lilia gave them a knowing look.

...Right. She knew. Since Lilia was the one who found Rudy every time he went off alone, she must have known that he was a prodigy.

For a split second, Zenith felt jealous. Lilia knew all this time and didn't tell them.

But then she realized why.

He was just a kid. Rudy was just a toddler who hadn't even turned five years old. A baby still. One who just wanted to be with his parents and sought emotional support.

And that broke Zenith's heart. Because she knew why he thought that.

Back when he had that accident, Zenith was excited that he might be a genius. She was excited at the thought that her son could understand them at just a few months old.

And he had seen it. No, he probably saw her change. How his kind and sweet mother suddenly was different.

It was just pride. She was proud of her son and what he could be. But Rudy couldn't understand that.

And it seemed like he never forgot it.

Zenith let out a long sigh and then walked towards Rudy.

He flinched and then hid behind Lilia again.

"Young master." Lilia gave him a gentle remark and placed him back in front. "Don't be afraid. Your parents won't hurt you or treat you different just because you can use magic."

"...Promise?"

"Of course."

From behind, Zenith heard Paul let out a long sigh too.

She shook her head and then knelt down in front of Rudy. "Mommy's sorry, Rudy. I didn't mean to scare you."

Rudy stared at her, his eyes sharp.

Zenith sensed it. She had seen those eyes before. A type of discerning gaze that was trying to find the truth. And she also could tell. If she made the wrong decision here, something would be changed forever.

Zenith was quiet and then she carefully asked, "Do you like magic, Rudy?"

"...Yes."

"Wait, Zenith-" Paul tried to interrupt.

Zenith turned to glare at him.

Lilia did as well.

Paul wilted and lowered his gaze.

Zenith turned back to Rudy and said, "Would you like to have a teacher?"

"...Why?"

A simple question. But one that carried a lot of weight.

If Zenith answered wrong...

She paused to think about it. Seriously think about it.

It was nice. It would be nice for her son to be a powerful magician. If he could already cast intermediate magic now, then becoming a Saint-ranked magician wasn't a pipe dream. It was inevitable. And if he was properly trained, then a King-ranked, Emperor-ranked... And maybe even God-ranked.

But.

Zenith stared into her son's eyes. Pure green eyes that glimmered with intelligence. But at the same time, pure green eyes that didn't show a hint of ambition. Merely a child's gaze. Soft and innocent.

"...If you don't want one, then it's fine. Mommy will support whatever Rudy wants. Okay?"

So she gave it up.

If her son didn't want to be treated as a genius... then that was fine.

It was enough that he was happy. And seeing how terrified he had been... She didn't want to see that expression on his face ever again.

"Mommy's sorry, Rudy." She held out her arms and said, "Will you forgive me?"

Rudy was hesitant. But then he slowly nodded and walked over to hug Zenith. "...I'm sorry too, Mommy."

"Hush now. There's no need to be sorry." She picked Rudy up and held him. "No matter what, Rudy is Mommy's baby, okay? I'll love you no matter what you do." She paused and then looked at Paul. "As long as you don't become a shameless flirt like your father."

"H-Hey!"

Rudy laughed.

Zenith smiled.

In the corner of her eyes, Zenith saw Lilia nod and then quietly set about drying the room.

Like that, the incident was over.

But then...

Zenith felt a slight poke on her shoulders. Rudy. "Yes, Rudy?"

"...Can I have a magic teacher?"

Zenith's eyes widened and then she smiled. "If that's what Rudy wants-"

"Wait!" Paul ran over and then grabbed Rudy's hand, desperate. "Rudy! What about swords? You like watching Papa fight, right? Papa can teach you too!"

Zenith narrowed her eyes. "Paul!"

He looked at Zenith and said, "It's not fair! We promised! If it's a guy, he'll take up a sword! If it's a girl, she'll learn magic!"

Zenith frowned. "And what if he doesn't want to? Are you going to be like your father now and force him?"

Paul froze. "T-That's..."

"Hm?" Rudy blinked and looked up. His eyes grew wide and he said, "You'll teach me sword fighting? Really?!"

Zenith froze.

Paul laughed and patted his chest. "Of course! Papa's the strongest around, you know?"

"H-Hey!" Zenith interrupted and looked at Rudy. "Don't be fooled by your father, Rudy. Sword fighting is good, but magic is better! You can make it a lot further in life if you study hard."

Paul frowned. "Zenith-"

"...Can I learn both?"

Paul froze.

Zenith froze.

"T-That... Huh." Paul frowned. "That's right. I mean, there's no reason why he can't."

Lilia spoke up. "Let him learn magic in the morning and than swordsmanship in the afternoon when Master Paul has returned from work. That would be fine, would it not?"

Zenith looked down at Rudy.

Seeing his excited smile, she sighed.