"Mother?"
Without hesitation, Ian rushed out of the tent.
The three knights and the mage followed suit.
"Shoo! Shoo! Stop playing hard to get! I know you miss the touch of a real man."
"Wh-what...?!"
Shameless words.
It seemed he laid his hands on his mother's body.
"Come on, listen. Don't you feel lonely at night after being a widow for 7 years? There are plenty of men who would sneak into your bed if you just left the door open... huh?"
The soldier who was sexually harassing the mother was stunned.
Of course, because of the mage and the knights.
It seemed he didn't care at all about Vanessa's son, Ian.
"What is this commotion?"
One of the knights, named Aaron, asked.
There was a natural-born authority in his low voice.
"N-nothing, sir! This lowly kitchen maid dared to peek into the tent, I was reprimanding her...."
"Lowly?"
Ian cut off his excuse.
"How dare you! Can't you see I am speaking with Nobles here?"
Now he started reprimanding Ian.
A completely different reaction from the soldier compared to the attitude he just showed the mage and knights.
Well, I suppose that's how the ranking system works.
Then...
"Mr. Mage."
"Hmm?"
"Am I a mage now?"
The mage couldn't give a direct answer to Ian's sudden question.
Could this little boy be called a mage?
'Far from being officially registered as a mage, he hasn't even received admission into the Academy yet.'
Officially, he wasn't a mage yet.
However, he learned mana management.
Moreover, he was capable of casting 1st class magic.
'The Royal and Ivory Towers will be put on high alert.'
To bring this boy into the Empire, by whatever means necessary.
The boy who contained unfathomable talent.
Literally, it's only a matter of time.
It didn't take long for the executing mage to make a decision.
"He is a mage."
Official confirmation by the executing mage.
Suddenly, all eyes focused on Ian.
Though, Ian stood firmly, without any emotional sway.
He continued the conversation.
"So, what is my rank now?"
"Equivalent to an Empire Noble."
"What about my mother?"
"The same. If you wish."
Now Ian looked at the knights.
"Did you hear that? My mother and I, starting from now, are Nobles."
Sururung!
As Aaron, who was sensible enough to understand Ian's intention, drew his sword first,
Sururu! Sururung!
The other two knights also drew their swords.
"Insulting a noble is subject to instant execution."
Aaron's brutal declaration reached the soldier's ears.
That was what Ian intended.
"Uh.... Huh?"
The soldier still didn't understand the situation.
After rolling his eyes a few times, he finally grasped the reality.
So, the boy is a mage.
Vanessa, is the boy's mother.
So that means...
"Heeeeccckk?!" (E/N: just a moment of shocking revelation)
Not just shocked, but he practically launched himself to the ground.
"P.... p...., please, please save my life!"
He quickly bowed down, slamming his head onto the dirt.
Now, the apology was directed at Ian, not the knights or the mage.
The tide had turned.
"Please, mercy, then I will...."
"Why are you apologizing to me?"
"I will never forget this grace.... Excuse me?"
Ian pointed at his mother and spoke quietly.
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
"....Ah!"
The soldier now turned his body toward Vanessa, and repeated what he just did to Ian.
"Please, forgive me! Please give me a chance!"
He literally lay on the ground, banging his head against the dirt.
Begging for his life with the voice of a slave.
"I... Ian. You don't have to do this much..."
He was so desperate that even the mother receiving the apology felt uncomfortable.
Actually, even if he had just apologized normally, she would have accepted it.
Now I remember.
'Right. Gentle and kind-hearted, that is my mother.'
If I execute him in front of her, she would struggle with nightmares.
So, this is not the right time to execute him, not right now.
"I will spill blood, in a place where blood cannot be seen."
My second life's promise was carved deep within my heart.
'For now, my mother is the priority.'
Suddenly, Ian felt sorry for his mother.
In his previous life, he couldn't protect his mother.
He was immature, didn't understand much.
'Back then, I was too young.'
In his previous life, Ian was a novice, having just entered the academy.
He didn't tell anyone that he self-taught basic mana management and 1st class magic; in fact, he couldn't.
'I was afraid, because I was young.'
Blinded by the fear that he might be reprimanded for it.
So he spent a whole year in magic theory classes with the other children, in his previous life.
As an ordinary apprentice mage, neither superior nor inferior.
'Of course, no privileges were given to him like a noble.'
His mother had left Mogrian village.
She no longer needed to work as a kitchen maid, but that was all.
She spent 1 year alone.
'She couldn't enjoy any luxury.'
After 1 year, when he finally became a 1st class mage, he finally received a rank as high as a noble.
Then his mother died of an illness.
Even though she had an incredibly talented son, she never had the chance to be treated like a noble.
However, this time, history would change.
'He.'
After recalling the bitterness of his previous life, he squatted down in front of the soldier.
"Listen."
A whisper only the soldier could hear.
"I know exactly how scum like you think of my mother, making dirty jokes about her."
Then he made a terrifying face at him.
No one would imagine such an expression coming from a 12-year-old child.
"So what you saw, and heard today, deliver it to the bastards like you."
The soldier nodded furiously, as if he would break his neck.
From his trembling eyes, his will to survive was reflected back at Ian.
"I will be watching you."
Then, Ian stood up and said to the knights,
"I think this is enough."
At Ian's words, the knights sheathed their swords.
'Th-thank you! Thank you! Thank you for my life!'
Even though Ian stopped the execution, the soldier kept begging for his life, to prevent Ian from reconsidering, just in case.
"Is that little boy a mage?"
"The kitchen maid's son?"
"Shut your mouth. Didn't you see that soldier almost lose his neck?"
People started whispering to each other, and there seemed to be no end to it.
Today's story might be talked about by the people for a while.
"Mr. Mage, are there any more tests left?"
"....Huh? N-No. Everything is finished."
"Mr. Mage, if you would excuse me, I better head back to my house. My mother seems quite frightened."
"Yes, as you wish. Ah! Wait, wait a minute."
The mage suddenly stopped Ian and asked the knight, Aaron.
"Sir Aaron, please escort the boy. I will contact you later through the crystal ball."
Aaron obeyed the order without question.
It couldn't be refused, and it was also his duty.
"Alright then, I'd better get going now, Mr. Mage."
Ian left the area escorting his mother.
A kitchen maid's son, escorted by a royal knight!
Because of the rare sight, people couldn't take their eyes off them.
'What a surprising boy, in many ways.'
Soon, the report from the executing mage was sent to The Royal Family and The Ivory Tower.