Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance

Eileen’s mood had been on a high lately: another exhausting route fended off, another day of peaceful, if slightly tumultuous, days. It was the first peace she’d felt in a long time since losing Theresia.

 

Today she took Felix to the Botanical Gardens for the first time, timing it to coincide with a day when they were closed, so they were the only visitors, which made the sprawling grounds seem even larger.

 “Are these really all the plants Eileen grew?” “Yes. Isn’t it amazing?” 

Felix’s eyes sparkled as he took in the colorful mix of exotic plants in the tall glass greenhouses.

 “There it is again. My nest egg.” 

Eileen took a long, satisfied breath, now that she had a solid financial base. It would be enough to get her through the Academy and keep her botanical garden afloat.

 

She was even beginning to think about the future, now that she had stopped the Ruined Route.

 

To think, I thought the last remaining madman was at the Academy.

 

Eileen narrowed her eyes and stared at Cordelia as she sipped from her teacup.

 

From what little of the original story she had seen so far, there had been a total of three mad, obsessed lords, not counting the hero. Lucian, Felix, and a man with long, dark green hair whose details she still didn’t know.

 

How did they solve it? She’s seen very little of the guy, so she’s not sure what kind o

f character he is. But he was definitely wearing a school uniform.

 

The average age at the Imperial Academy was 17. Eileen wasn’t sure what grade he was in, but it bothered her that she would meet him when she was older.

 

‘Is there any way I can avoid going?’

 

She racked her brain. It would be best if Cordelia didn’t go to the Academy at all to avoid the last, exhausting step, but with her talent as an Elementalist in the spotlight, it seemed unlikely that she would be able to avoid enrolling.

 

Besides, Cordelia and Lucian we

re looking forward to going to the Knightly Faculty of the Academ

y, where Theresia and the Duke came from.

 “You know, have you ever thought about the Academy?” “Academy?” 

Lucian shrugged as he nibbled at his frappe.

 “Well, I guess I should go. I want to get in the same year as Eileen, and I don’t want to get in first.” “I’m so glad I didn’t get in with you.” “Because I didn’t tell you!” 

Eileen grinned as she watched Cordelia an

d Lucian snarl at each other as soon as they got the chance.

 

Hmm. No conversation.

 

Without further prodding, the children seemed to think they should go to the Academy.

 “Come to think of it, Felix, you’re the same age as me, so maybe we should enroll together?” 

Felix, who had been quietly eating his yogurt, opened his mouth slightly at Lucian’s words. His stoic face trembled visibly, as if he was listening to someone else.

 “…Is it okay if I go?” 

The look on his face was so innocent and bright that it left the children speechless for a moment.

 “If you want to go to the Academy, I’ll be sure to tell my father.” 

Lucian, the first to recover, said, squaring his shoulders confidently. Felix fidgeted with his yogurt for a moment, then nodded shyly.

 “I want to go too.” 

Eileen nodded her head so hard it sounded like a bounce. The way Felix blushed from ear to ear with his fluffy pink hair was almost tearfully cute.

 

‘Cordelia and Lucian grew up so fast, they didn’t have much cuteness like that!’

 

Eileen swore once again that she would not raise her precious child to be a sadistic matriarch like the original.

 “So, Felix, are you thinking about knighthood too?” “No, what are you talking about, he’s a wizard.” “Huh?” “Did I just say that out loud?” 

Eileen closed her mouth. She’d been thinking about wizards and the subject of magic had slipped out of her mouth. It was a terrible mistake because no one knew if Felix had any magical talent yet.

 “Eileen thinks I could be a wizard? Why?” 

His purple eyes sparkled with anticipation. Unable to answer, Eileen swallowed a sigh and nodded.

 “That’s right! Cordelia’s a mid-range swordswoman, Lucian’s good at close combat, and I’m a healer, so Felix is the best at ranged combat!” 

I said nothing after that.

 

Cordelia and Lucian’s faces turned cold, and Cordelia spoke up, her expression shaky.

 “Are we going to hunt some kind of demon?” 

‘Is that how you choose a child’s path?’

 

The rebuke stuck in her words like a bone. Eileen cursed her own mouth.

 “I just said it would be cool to be a mage~. Ahaha.” “Then I’ll try it, wizard!” 

Eileen felt a little sad because Felix’s smiling face was quite cute. Please let him grow up to be a strong wizard with that smile.

 

The Counts of Forss themselves were a family that often produced wizards, but she didn’t bother to add that. He found it unnecessary to mention the trauma of the family name.

 

We need to find Felix’s teacher. I hope he lives long in this life.

“

 

It would keep him busy for a while, Eileen thought, and if the Academy was the inevitable future, she would make sure her children were healthy men, strong both mentally and physically.

 

Destroy the waste by force!

 

That was her conclusion.

  

* * *

  

Felix stared blankly at the ceiling of his bedroom, unable to fall asleep for a long time. He should have been tired from his trip to the botanical garden, but he couldn’t fall asleep easily.

 “The Academy.” 

It was a place he never thought he’d ever visit. His second brother’s voice rang in his ears like a vision.

 

“You want to leave the mansion? What would we do? Toys don’t have feet.”

 

When he was with the Count of Forss, he was only allowed out in the yard on days when the rest of the family was out, and even then, the fear of not knowing when they would return prevented him from enjoying it.

 

The dilapidated outbuilding, with its nailed windows, was just one big toy box to Count Forss.

 “Stifling.” 

Felix suddenly realized that darkness covered his nose and mouth. It crept in like black smoke, clinging to him, dressed in fear and happiness.

 

“Do you really think you can be happy? Do you dare?”

 

The patterns on the ceiling, which he’d been staring at absentmindedly, came together bizarrely to chastise him. Felix’s eyes watered as he stood there, limbs chained to the darkness, helplessly accused.

 

“You cannot escape, for your soul invites misfortune. You cannot be happy, you cannot be joyful.”

 

The creature’s voice was terribly sweet. It was a curse, spoken in an angelic voice.

 

“Don’t be so frightened. You will be unhappy, and you will meet an unfortunate end, but it will all be reborn from there, so…”

 

The monster swallowed all the looming shadows and opened its abyss-like gaping maw. 

 

“Go back, go back, go back, go back, back to where you belong!”

 

Felix’s gaze grew disoriented, unable to close his eyes. As he continued to listen to the creature speak, it felt like he really should.

 “Go back to…” 

“Yes! Back into the misery you deserve, back into His glorious arms!”

 

The bindings that had been weighing down his entire body slipped away. Felix rose to his feet, his eyes completely unfocused, and slowly padded out of the room.

 

The monster circled the ceiling and cheered. Without hesitation, Felix reached for the doorknob to step outside.

 *Poof* 

The wreath of fresh flowers hanging by the door brushed his hair. The sweet scent of the botanical garden caught Felix’s breath.

 “Eileen? Huh!” 

Felix jerked upright in his seat, as if suddenly awakened from a dream.

 “Why am I at the door?” 

The last thing he remembered was lying in bed, unable to sleep. He sat up in disbelief, unable to comprehend why he was suddenly in front of the door.

 “Was I dreaming?” 

He felt something catch in his

hand. He looked down and saw the wreath Eileen had made him at the botanical garden lying on the floor. Felix stood back up and hung it on the doorknob.

 “Eileen…” 

For some reason, he missed her, but it was already late at night. He turned around to go back to bed, but a glimmer of light outside the window drew him to the window.

 

A small light was on in the greenhouse.

 “Ah!” 

A faint flush rose to his cheeks in anticipation. Grabbing a raggedy cardigan, Felix pulled it on and headed out the door with a cheerful stride.

 

No one was aware of the shadows that flitted wildly behind him.

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