…

-So this is my instructor?

A few days had gone by and Issac had submitted his report to the king, but whether he would actually get time off was unknown. With a possible returning call to duty at his doorstep and experiencing his child’s remarkable intelligence, Issac wasted no time in hiring an instructor to begin his son on the path of knowledge. The man in front of Fate was a relatively short, well-styled gentleman. He had combed auburn hair, anchor-style beard, and a well-fitting red robe with a gold trim.

???: “So this is your child, young master?”

Issac: “Indeededly so, teacher.”

???: “You do not need to call me your teacher. For that time is long since past, young master.”

Issac: “You don’t need to call me young master, it makes me feel like a child. That says a lot considering that I grew up to be much taller than you.”

???: *grumble* “I am not that short! Besides, I’m only like this because of a fluke with one of my magical experiments! I was trying to reach the holy grail of alchemy and came so close!”

-Holy Grail of alchemy? I wonder if he means...

Agatha: “We know of your brilliant works in the field of immortality, Sir Sherworn. Yet it is a field that has been researched, prodded, and theorized about, but it has yielded little result. If your experiment had succeeded, you would have been stuck in the body of a child and we would have lost one of Lunaria’s leading minds to a botched experiment!”

-Yep, so this guy is some weird copy of Nicholas Flamel, except largely unsuccessful? Also, I think they already lost him to his own temper about the subject of his height.

‘Sir Sherworn’: “Hmph! At least you recognize my brilliance, Lady Agatha! You could take a page from her book, young master!”

-I think he completely blanked on the part where she talked about the experiment and body of a child, ‘ridiculousness.’

Issac: *sigh* “Fine, but that is not what I brought you here to talk about today, remember? We want you to help teach our child!”

-Still though, isn’t this sooner than expected? ‘The Witch’ said that I’d get the materials to study magic and skills in a year and it’s only been a little more than six months. I guess even the ‘Witch of Fate’ can’t predict everything accurately?

‘Sir Sherworn’: “You would use my time for something as meaningless as that?! I have important research to conduct and I certainly don’t want to jeopardize any of it simply for...a child!”

Issac: “Could you please reconsider, teacher....!”

‘Sir Sherworn’ began to walk away, out of the drawing-room.

*creak*

The door opened and he left, believing that teaching a child who might one day surpass him was a fruitless pursuit. After all, he had failed with Issac so what would make this one any different?

*clack*

Issac: *sigh* “I really hoped he would consider. He’s getting on in years and I thought that by having him here as a teacher that I would be able to spend time with him before his passing…”

Agatha reached out and placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder.

Agatha: “Who needs him? I’m sure we can find someone else to do the duty. Besides, if we had allowed him to teach the child, they may have ended up a volatile alchemist with a tendency for...unfortunate experiments…”

Issac: “I guess you’re right...But he taught me just fine back when I was just a child and I turned out fine!”

Agatha: “...You do realize that was before he decided to walk the path of attempting immortality? Also, even if our child is capable of speaking at a young age, it doesn’t mean they’ll end up as successful as you.”

-It sounds like she’s trying to subtly lead him to join her ‘training’ school of thought. But regardless, I don’t think I wanted to be schooled by the jackass who thought the first step in immortality was height surgery.

Issac: *sigh* “I guess you’re right…”

Agatha: “Could I make a suggestion?”

-Here it comes.

Issac: “A suggestion, is it for a good instructor? Maybe somebody from your days as a sister of the Church of Luna?”

From the look in Agatha’s eyes, it wouldn’t seem like this was the case. Though Fate already had a pretty good idea of where this was going.

-She wouldn’t suggest someone who might have different ideas than her own, it’s probably going to be one of the servants...probably Jacob.

Issac: “Jacob? I’m not sure if that works out, considering his busy schedule around the manor.”

Agatha: “It’s not anybody from the church or the servant roster.”

-It isn’t? I didn’t think she had someone outside the manor that she would trust so easily? I also didn’t think that she could not disturb people, considering her treatment of her own kid.

Issac: “Hmmmm...I can’t think that anyone of our acquaintances has the time to teach, they’re extremely busy after all.”

Agatha: *sigh* “I’m the child’s mother and if anyone can and will teach this child the right values it will be me.”

- *internal gasp*...You? The mother who seems to have a problem with giving me a name and a hatred of my very existence, you?!

Issac: “But I thought you and I were going to spend time together until I had to report for duty?”

Issac had been hoping to spend as much time as her as he could. After all, he barely had any time to see her with his busy schedule. He truly felt, now more than ever, that his constant working would be the death of him.

Agatha: “I will be here to spend time with you and so will our child. I want you to spend time with both of us, for as long as you can.”

-Is this an actual motherly side to her?

Issac: “I suppose that will be fine. I did want to spend time with you and spending time with our child will be very meaningful for me!”

Thus, Fate’s teacher had been decided and nobody in the room would argue...Well, Fate would question it if it wouldn’t be the most inconspicuous as f*** thing for a six-month old to say ever!

…

-Well, they’re gone. Mother is my teacher and I have no idea what she has planned! She managed to turn dinners served by Jacob into tests of endurance, making it the one stat that broke through the bottleneck!

In the first place, Fate had never wanted a teacher and certainly not for his mother to teach him. His original plan was just to act in a way that would seem capable of study, but unpleasant enough that nobody would come around to bother him unless absolutely necessary.

-But...this does give me an opportunity to find out what her intentions are, or at least why she’s so on edge with me.

Fate: *sigh* “Bwut wat a mwess.”

An over-enthusiastic father trying to use him as an excuse to get out of work and a mother who was trying to get him to bark like a dog...or die. Indeed, Fate was having a rough start for the life of a Reincarnator.

-I guess I should make the best of it though. My mother will be teaching me valuable communication skills and if I prove myself able, I should be able to gain access to those materials within the timeframe that the ‘Witch’ promised. But for now, I guess I’ll get back to trying to break the stamina bottleneck!