A gentle breeze blew, fluttering the hem of a young man’s black robe.
He was Zeonly—the youngest Grand Mage—still standing frozen in place on a rather deserted street corner.
His mind suddenly went into a complete standstill after hearing the words the white-haired teenager had just uttered before him.
“Try…
repeat what you just said?” Zeonly’s voice caught in his throat, his eyes staring sharply, demanding clarity.
Lucien snorted lazily, staring boredly at the Grand Mage.
“I said, teach me aura-dispelling magic, or aura-masking magic.
I want to live a quiet, undisturbed life.” Zeonly blinked a few times, still not believing what he heard from this lazy teenager’s mouth.
“Wait!
Don’t just talk nonsense!” Zeonly exclaimed in panic, quickly reprimanding Lucien for speaking too loudly.
“If you want to talk about something like this, don’t do it in the middle of the street.
Find a private place.” “Good then.
Come with me,” Lucien replied flatly, walking towards his destination.
“We’re going to Aryosha’s noodle stall.” Upon arrival, the stall seemed quite lively, though not as crowded as yesterday when Lucien had helped liven things up.
Aryosha, busy delivering orders to customers’ tables, was suddenly stunned when he saw Lucien return.
Aryosha approached Lucien.
However, his eyes widened in shock when he saw who was standing behind the teenager—a young man wearing a black robe that almost covered his entire face.
Aryosha, who recognized Zeonly’s figure, almost shouted the Grand Mage’s name because he was too shocked.
Luckily, he immediately shut his mouth tightly when Lucien shot him a sharp glance and gestured for him to remain silent.
Aryosha understood perfectly well: if the Grand Mage’s identity were revealed in such a crowded place, it would surely cause chaos.
“Two portions of special noodles, jumbo portions.
He’s paying,” Lucien said as he pulled out a wooden chair.
Zeonly snorted and immediately placed a few silver coins on the table to pay for their order.
Aryosha immediately nodded understandingly, choosing not to ask any further questions, and then turned away to return to serving other customers.
Shortly after, two bowls of warm noodles were served on the table.
The steam rising from the noodles carried a savory, mouth-watering aroma.
Without a word, Lucien devoured his own.
Zeonly, who was initially hesitant to try them with chopsticks, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
“Wow…
crazy.
This is so delicious,” Zeonly muttered absently, his eyes sparkling as he stared at the bowl of noodles in front of him.
“Are these noodles sold on weekdays too?
How come I never knew there was something this delicious?” “How would I know, just ask the seller,” Lucien replied casually, then put the noodles back into his mouth.
Once their bowls were empty, Lucien put down his chopsticks and looked directly at the Grand Mage.
“Now, let’s talk about my request.” Zeonly immediately straightened his back, became serious again, and cast a silent spell to protect their conversation.
“Okay.
Explain to me what you mean about auras making people act strangely.
Don’t beat around the bush.” Lucien took a deep breath, stringing words together without any intention of revealing the major plot device of this novel’s world.
“Look, Master Zeonly.
I don’t know what magic or what damn curse is on me.
But the aura is very troublesome.
Everyone I met around me suddenly became overprotective, overly attentive, and clingy without being asked.
I couldn’t move freely.
Zeonly initially frowned, finding the explanation far-fetched and childish.
However, the next second, he was suddenly stunned.
His mind immediately flashed back to every time he met Lucien—he’d suddenly lost control, panicking to death just by sensing this young man’s aura.
But when he saw him, he couldn’t take his eyes off him.
‘Wait…
so that’s why I suddenly lost control of my senses there?’ Zeonly thought in horror.
Unfortunately, Lucien’s explanation made sense when combined with the strange effects he had just experienced in his own body.
“So…
you want me to teach you how to remove or hide that aura?” Zeonly asked, making sure.
“Yes.
Aura masking magic, or anything that can drastically reduce its intensity,” Lucien replied hopefully.
Zeonly fell silent, deep in thought.
On the one hand, interfering with this strange aura sounded troublesome.
But on the other hand, if Lucien could conceal his aura, it would mean Zeonly wouldn’t have to bother setting up a psychic defense barrier every time he accidentally crossed paths with this teenager in the future.
For his own sanity, this was a perfectly fair trade-off.
“Okay.
I agree,” Zeonly finally said in resignation.
“I’ll teach you the basics of aura removal or aura masking magic.
But do it outside of my working hours.” “Deal,” Lucien replied shortly.
With his business finished, Lucien rose from his seat.
He took the time to wave goodbye to Aryosha, his brother, and his parents, who smiled kindly—they were very grateful for Lucien’s help yesterday, but suddenly disappeared.
After they left, Aryosha’s parents whispered softly, asking who the robed young man with Lucien was.
Aryosha only answered briefly so they didn’t need to know because it would only shock them.
Lucien stepped out of the festival grounds and leisurely strolled down the path toward the academy.
However, after only a few hundred meters, his breathing began to become labored, as his physical condition was naturally weak.
Suddenly, a luxurious, elegantly carved horse-drawn carriage passed slowly beside him.
It stopped just a few paces in front of Lucien.
The cabin door opened, and a middle-aged couple who had just passed by poked their heads out with friendly smiles.
“Young man, it’s getting cold.
You look tired.
Would you like a ride to your destination?” the middle-aged man asked gently.
Lucien blinked in confusion.
But feeling his aching legs, he had no intention of refusing.
“Ah…
thank you very much,” he said flatly as he climbed into the carriage.
Sitting in the plush cabin, the husband and wife continued to stare at him with awe and rapt attention, as if looking at a precious gem.
Lucien could only sigh deeply.
‘It must be the magnetic aura.
It has its advantages, though… but it’s annoying because it feels uncomfortable,’ he thought to himself, getting a free ride without having to tire himself out walking.
Shortly after, the carriage stopped right in front of the academy gates.
Lucien got off, thanked them, and headed straight to his dormitory room to lie down on the soft bed.
Meanwhile, in the VIP area of the festival, Roveniel and Reichardt finally realized something was wrong.
The bench where Lucien had been sitting had been empty for a long time.
“Roveniel, where is Lucien?” Reichardt whispered frantically, trying to maintain his dignity in front of the nobles.
Roveniel glanced around the VIP room, but Lucien was nowhere to be seen.
Panic began to creep into their chests.
Wasting no time, the two of them excused themselves elegantly and hurried out the door.
At the guard post, a gatekeeper noticed two young Hawthorne aristocrats pacing back and forth in confusion.
The guard immediately remembered the white-haired teenager’s message earlier that afternoon.
“Excuse me, Young Master.
If you’re looking for the white-haired, red-eyed teenager, he left a message for you before leaving.
He said he’d already returned to the academy,” the guard quickly reported.
Roveniel and Reichardt looked at each other.
Without a second thought, they sprinted to their carriage and sped through the streets toward the academy to check on their brother’s condition.
Upon arriving at the room, they flung the door open—only to find Lucien fast asleep curled up on the bed, breathing steadily and peacefully.
Roveniel’s panic suddenly evaporated, replaced by a long, relieved sigh.
“Hah…
this kid is really…” Reichardt muttered, shaking his head.
Seeing Lucien’s body looked so exhausted, they decided not to wake him and let him sleep.
Several hours later, as night fell and darkness enveloped the academy, there was a loud knock on Lucien’s door.
Roveniel—who had purposely stayed behind at the Hawthorne Residence in the capital tonight to keep an eye on his younger brother—was standing there with Reichardt.
“Lucien, wake up!
Hurry up and get dressed and come out, the others are waiting there,” Reichardt urged as he saw Lucien blinking in a daze on the bed.
“Huh?
Where?” Lucien asked in a hoarse voice typical of someone who had just woken up.
“Okay, just come along!” Half-dragging, they carried a sleepy Lucien to the Academy’s Main Garden.
The garden was deserted, as most of the academy’s students and staff had poured into the city center to celebrate the second night and the closing ceremony of the festival.
But under the dim garden lights, a long table was already filled with various kinds of luxurious snacks and a pot of warm tea.
Seilas, Kaelen, and Rose were already seated around the table.
They had purposely arranged a small tea party and dinner in the academy garden because they were upset that afternoon that they hadn’t been invited to the second day of the festival.
Upon seeing Lucien arrive, Rose immediately snorted in annoyance.
“Wow, it was so nice of you to go to the festival this afternoon, while we were left here!” Lucien blinked in confusion, then sat down in the chair provided, flanked by his two brothers.
He looked around with glazed eyes, then asked an innocent question that successfully made everyone at the table choke on thier tea.
“What are you guys doing here?” Lucien asked flatly.
Then, his eyes narrowed as he glanced at Seilas, Kaelen, and Rose in turn.
“Speaking of which, why isn’t Rayland here?
Weren’t you guys together yesterday?
Aren’t you guys close?” Instantly, Seilas, Kaelen, and Rose answered simultaneously in a tone of disapproval, “Absolutely not!” Even though everyone knew they often had tensions, Lucien deliberately provoked their emotions.
The dining table suddenly became noisy with small arguments, while Roveniel and Reichardt were busy pouring hot tea and pushing food onto Lucien’s plate, making sure his little brother ate properly.
Amidst the small commotion, suddenly the night sky in the direction of the capital lit up brightly.
Boom!
Whoosh!
The fireworks officially marked the closing ceremony of the festival.
A burst of colorful lights filled the night sky, reflecting off the faces of everyone who stared in awe.
Just as the last of the fireworks faded and the sky fell silent again, a bright streak of light streaked across the sky—a shooting star.
Seeing this rare phenomenon, Rose, Seilas, and Kaelen immediately closed their eyes tightly, hurriedly making a wish.
“May the empire remain peaceful,” said Seilas.
“I hope everything goes smoothly in the exam,” Kaelen hoped.
“I hope Lucien will always be healthy,” said Rose, closing her eyes, her hands clasped over her chest.
“I hope my little brother will be obedient and not keep bothering me,” Reichardt continued.
“I hope I can become stronger so I can protect my family,” said Roveniel earnestly, making a wish.
However, at the same second, Lucien who was staring at the sky with half-closed eyes opened his mouth and uttered his wish: “I wish I could sleep 25 hours a day…” Instantly, an awkward silence fell over the dining table.
Seilas choked on his own saliva, Rose widened her eyes, and Reichardt turned sharply, the vein in his temple throbbing.
“Hey!
25 hours a day is the same as death or a permanent coma, you know!” Reichardt protested loudly, annoyed to death by his brother’s unreasonable prayer.
Lucien didn’t care at all.
He yawned widely, patted his full belly, and then stood up from his chair.
“Whatever.
Good night everyone, I’m going back to sleep,” Lucien said flatly, then turned around and walked away, leaving them still staring blankly at his back as he continued to walk away back to the dormitory.