Chapter 146 - Me, the Dragon, Athena, Chloe, and Apsalon Academy

  That night, after finally getting Cyl to calm down and expining everything to her, I tly woken by my mother. She was visibly anxious because my hair had revealed too much of the silver strands. So, I had to dye it. The process was slow and incredibly annoying. Luckily, she helped me, but I spent hours with my hair wet, letting it air dry. I couldn’t use fire magic to speed it up because the magical dye was delicate and required cold water to set. It was exhausting. Even more frustrating, the magical dye couldn’t be stored in a ste bracelet due to the fragile nature of its magic.

  Ohe process was finally over, my hair was bck again. I was relieved but shocked at how powerful these magical etics were. It was impressive how su iion could revolutiohe female market. When I asked about the price of the dye, I almost had a heart attack.

  A single jar costs 1 gold ? That’s absurd!

  To put it into perspective, a on farmer’s family earns about 5 gold s in a year of savings. And I was holding a jar of dye that was worth that much. My mother expihat the high price was due to the difficulty in produ and that it was an exclusive item for the nobility.

  Good thing my family is rich...

  Moreover, I was shocked to learn that the elven majesties had left a thousand gold s with my teacher, Adrihna, for any emergency or need, either for my mother or me. My mother insisted it wasn’t necessary since our family was already rich, but the elves were firm, saying they also wao help. They had eve a sum for Kinue when she was a child. Apparently, deing a gift from a royal was uable among the nobility. Aunt Margie had to accept it, and the money was deposited into an at under both my name and my mother’s in an Apsalon bank.

  They just hand out a thousand gold s like it’s nothing.

  I valued money, both from my past life and the education I received from the Evenhart family. We grew up w closely with farmers, learning to assess how much each farm could produ terms of resources and finances. I evehe sary of a water mage who specialized in aintenance: 1 gold per month, plus expenses paid.

  That jar of dye costs a water mage’s month’s sary on a farm… that’s ridiculously expensive.

  The worst part was that the small jar was only enough for one application. I felt bad throwing away the empty jar and ended up keeping it.

  “Kids, are you ready?” Aunt Margie asked.

  I was still bing my hair, cheg every detail in the mirror.

  “I have to admit, this is pretty impressive,” I said, admiring the result.

  My mother stood o me, helping with the finishing touches.

  “It’s perfect, and no one will ever know,” she said. “But remember, the dye will fade over time, and you’ll have to repeat the process.”

  Aunt Margie was also iing my hair closely.

  “A General usiy products... now that’s something a Goddess would be surprised by. Want some makeup tips too?” teased Athena, but I ignored her and turned my focus back to the mirror.

  “I think that’s enough primping, Mom…” I said, notig how meticulous she was being.

  “I want my sweet boy to look perfe his first day of css. Nothing be wrinkled!” she insisted, smoothing out my uniform.

  “Sweet boy? I’m 15, Mom…”

  “And you’ll always be my baby,” she said, adjustih the loving care only she could give.

  Feeling a little embarrassed, I decided to stay quiet as she finished fixing my uniform.

  "Let’s go! I’m so excited!" Chloe excimed, appearing in the room already dressed in her uniform.

  Our uniforms were bck with gold ats, stylish and with a formal touch. Mine sisted of trousers, a tie, and a jacket, while Chloe’s had a skirt and long stogs, making her look particurly elegant at that moment.

  “The carriage is ready outside,” Martha announced as she ehe room.

  Chloe leaped with excitement and ran off, filled with energy. Aunt Margie put her hand on her forehead and sighed.

  "That girl is so excited she doesn’t even notice how I feel…" she mented, sitting on my bed with a mencholic expression.

  My mother let out a light ugh. "Don’t worry, Margie. It’s normal. Chloe’s been talking about this academy since she was little."

  I finished fixing my hair, tug a few strands behind my ear.

  ‘Meow,’ the little Moon Panther cub, Cyl, appeared, cirg around me as if she were ready to e along with us.

  “Shall we go?” I asked, standing up.

  The two of them exged a gnce, hesitating for a moment before followi of the room. They were nervous about us moving out for the first time.

  We desded the stairs and found my cousin anxiously waiting by the mansion door.

  Aunt Margie sighed again, clearly feeling the weight of the impending farewell. Although she’d stay a few days in Apsalon, we would spend some time at the academy and only return home during weekends after the adaptation period. Soon, she’d return to the duchy, and this was our st moment together before that.

  "My dear," Aunt Margie began, her voice gentle as she approached Chloe. "I know we talked about this earlier, but remember that I love you. If you have any problems, e to your aunt, and I’ll be there right away. Be good and study hard…" She leaned closer and, half-joking, added, "And if any idiot tries to hit on you, you’re allowed to kill them."

  "M-Mom!?" Chloe excimed, shocked, her face turning red.

  "I’m joking, sweetheart," Margie ughed, kissing Chloe on the forehead and huggiightly.

  Then, my aunt came over to me.

  "I know you take care of yourself, but remember you’re the man of this family. Keep an eye on her for me and don’t let anyone mess with Chloe. You’re also allowed to kill them," she added with a smile, pyfully ping my nose.

  She pulled me into a tight hug.

  "I’ll miss you, my boy," she said, her voice filled with emotion.

  "I’ll miss you too, Aunt Margie. Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on our little princess," I replied, hugging her back. Chloe, of course, turned red and looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment.

  Then my mother appeared, pulling both Chloe ao a group hug.

  "I’ll be iy if you need anything. Remember, you’ll only have each other in there," she said with a serious tone.

  We aking those words as a promise as we headed outside.

  "See you soon, young masters. I’ll be waiting for you at the end of your adaptation period," Martha said, bidding us farewell as we desded the steps of the porch.

  ‘Meow,’ Cyl’s soft meow echoed beside us.

  "Cyl," Aunt Margie called affeately, smiling. "Take care of my treasures and don’t reveal yourself."

  The little gray panther nodded in agreement. Then, the three of us ehe carriage.

  "How do you think our first day will go?" Chloe asked, sitting beside me as Cyl jumped onto the nearby seat.

  “I hope it’s free of trouble,” I replied.

  Chloe chuckled, gng at me with an amused smile. “I think you shouldn’t have said that. Now I’m scared you’ve jinxed us.”

  “Don’t worry! I’ll be there if anything happens!” Cyl chirped fidently, showing off her tiny cws with pride.

  I looked at the dragon-phoenix in her Moon Panther form, clearly ready for anything that might e our way.

  “I’ll be with you too, and I have a feeling this will be a fun time for both of us. What do you think, Icarus?” Athena suddenly appeared, wearing a school uniform from the academy, pleting the se.

  I let out a deep sigh.

  I’m definitely fucked...