Chapter 21: Norsetan Academy

For now, the search for Meteor Grass would have to wait.

Hutson could only hope to gather information about it once they arrived at Norsetan Academy.

As the first light of dawn painted the sky in soft gold, he felt a rare sense of clarity and vigor.

The exhaustion of travel, the weariness of the road—it had all vanished.

He had spent the entire night meditating instead of sleeping.

A new kind of rest. A deeper one.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Emil sneaking out of Melissa's carriage with a grin that spelled mischief.

Hutson smirked. "Good morning, Emil."

Emil froze for a second, then chuckled, albeit a little sheepishly. "Morning. You slept on the hay all night?"

"Something like that." Hutson wasn't about to explain his meditation.

The relationship between Emil and Melissa had clearly intensified over the past few weeks.

Gone were the careful hesitations, the unspoken doubts. Now, there was nothing left to hold them back.

As Emil strolled away, Hutson mused to himself.

"Baron Buck had objected to their relationship… likely because he knew Emil was his son. But he never realized Melissa wasn't his daughter. What a twisted irony."

Half a month passed.

Hutson lay atop the carriage roof, gazing at the star he had chosen for his meditation.

The star's position had shifted slightly over time, but inside his mind, its image had grown sharper, clearer.

"It's almost complete."

He had remained steady, methodical, patient.

No rush. No desperation.

Then—it happened.

The final piece of the image settled into place.

A brilliant star formed in his consciousness.

In that instant, something shifted inside him.

The star in his mind pulsed with magic, and that magic coursed through his veins, his bones, his very flesh.

His world changed.

Suddenly—

He could feel everything.

The magic flowing through his own body no longer required AI chip's markers.

He could see it, sense it, understand it.

In the grass beside him, an ant crawled.

In a nearby cocoon, a moth struggled to break free.

A mosquito, wings barely moving, drifted through the air.

He could sense them all.

It was as if he had plugged into the very essence of the world.

A mechanical voice whispered:

"Celestial Meditation—First Star Complete. Constitution +0.6, Mental Power +1.0."

Hutson's breath caught.

"AI chip, show me my current stats."

Hutson Merlin:

Strength: 2.0Agility: 1.6Constitution: 2.8 (+0.6)Mental Power: 3.5 (+1.0)Mana: 100%

Hutson stared at the data, genuinely surprised.

"My constitution increased? That shouldn't be possible."

AI chip had previously informed him that his physical stats had reached their genetic ceiling.

The only way to surpass that limit was through awakening a Life Seed—the path of the knight.

But now, sorcery had allowed him to break past that threshold.

It finally made sense.

Why had Baron Buck been so helpless against Malcolm?

Because Malcolm wasn't just a sorcerer.

His very existence was on a different level.

Even without spells, Malcolm could likely overpower Baron Buck with sheer physical strength.

It wasn't just about magic.

It was about the evolution of life itself.

"My mana has also increased."

Even at full capacity, it was higher than before.

This was the power of mental strength—it expanded his reservoir of magic.

For the first time, Hutson felt truly satisfied.

"AI chip, make note of three objectives."

Find Meteor Grass.Discover the location of the Six-Ringed Tower.Determine where and when the Radiant Calendar originates.

"Noted."

Something inside Hutson told him—

Nicholas Carlos Camby may not even be from this era.

If that was true…

The Six-Ringed Tower might not even exist anymore.

"One step at a time." He shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. There was no point worrying about the unknown.

Two months later.

The caravan finally arrived at Swan City—the largest metropolis in the Pearl Province.

Within its towering walls stood Norsetan Academy, a place of knowledge, sorcery, and power.

At the gates, the guards halted them.

"Identification check."

Because their group carried weapons and included a fully trained knight, the inspection was thorough.

Melissa handled the process effortlessly.

She was no longer the naïve girl from months before.

Now, she carried herself with poise and command.

The transformation was undeniable.

Once the formalities were complete—

The gates opened.

And at long last—

They entered the city of knowledge.

Melissa's estate sat alongside King's Avenue, one of the most prestigious streets in Swan City.

Even for a baron, the land here was prohibitively expensive—which was why Baron Buck had only been able to afford a modest courtyard house.

For now, it would serve as their temporary home.

Once, when Melissa lived here alone, the house had felt spacious, almost empty.

Now, with a full entourage, space was scarce.

Emil and Melissa shared a room.

Hutson had a room to himself.

The others crowded into the remaining three rooms.

Despite the lack of space, no one complained.

They had survived too much to care about luxury.

That evening, Melissa knocked gently on Hutson's door.

"Hutson, tomorrow I'll take you to meet Master Claude."

He looked up, surprised.

"Thank you, Lady Melissa!" he replied sincerely.

Melissa's lips curved into a radiant smile.

"No need to thank me. If you become a sorcerer, we'll all be counting on you to take care of us someday."

Hutson simply nodded, offering a polite smile.

But inwardly, he couldn't shake the feeling—

Melissa had changed.

She was no longer the innocent noble girl from before.

There was an edge to her now, a newfound pragmatism in how she approached relationships.

Power shifted quickly in this world.

And Melissa, it seemed, was learning how to survive.

As she turned to leave, her movements graceful and deliberate, she lingered just a moment longer before stepping out, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

Hutson watched the door for a moment before exhaling.

"Melissa has become… too calculating."

Though his body was only fourteen, his mind was far older.

He understood.

Melissa wasn't just trying to help him—she was trying to pull him closer.

And in this world, when a woman tried to draw a man in…

He let out a wry chuckle.

"I don't want to lose Emil as a friend. I'd better keep my distance."

Emil was his only true friend in this world.

And Hutson had no intention of betraying him.

Besides—

Now that he had glimpsed the path of sorcery, he had no interest in wasting time on such trivial distractions.

That night, the house was far from quiet.

Hutson's room was right next to Melissa and Emil's.

The walls were thin.

And his hearing was excellent.

With a sigh, he shifted into meditation, focusing his mind until the outside world faded away.

By dawn, Emil and Jimmy had gathered the knights and set out into the city.

They couldn't sit idle forever—they needed work, income, a future.

Meanwhile, Melissa led Hutson toward Norsetan Academy.

Norsetan Academy stood as the greatest institution of learning in the Norton Kingdom.

It was a comprehensive academy, offering astronomy, geography, humanities, politics, economics, military strategy, and even dance and etiquette for nobility.

Melissa had studied linguistics here, and her mentor, Grand Scholar Claude, was said to be a master of over seventy languages.

Unlike many noble institutions, Norsetan Academy was open to all—as long as they did not carry weapons.

The streets inside the academy were winding and labyrinthine, but Melissa navigated them with ease.

After several turns, they arrived at a secluded garden.

At its heart stood a towering pavilion, its surroundings serene and undisturbed.

They ascended to the second floor, where Melissa knocked lightly on a wooden door.

"Master Claude, I've come to visit!"

A moment passed.

Then, from within, a voice—old, yet unwavering.

"Ah, Melissa… come in."