radicalducati Page 436
Page 436
Latis scratched his head, enduring Fureko's presumptuous act of pinching his face, muttering to himself that he would fine her from her pay that night, and asked with feigned composure:
"Can't this kind of thing be solved directly with magic?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Latis felt a sharp pain in his forehead. He cried out and quickly covered his head, only to see Frico, smiling, slowly withdrawing her hand and shaking her head as she said:
"This kind of thing is something magic can't do! Selecting suitable sunflower seeds for consumption, checking on the sunflowers' growth, strolling through the flower field, picking seeds while thinking about how to improve and perfect this field—these seemingly 'boring' things that allow the mind to wander are actually very meaningful!"
"...I don't understand at all."
Latis couldn't help but sigh and whisper:
"It's so boring!"
"Hmph, you brat." Frico pinched Latis's cheek in annoyance and said, "You're the one. Come on, let's go do the hard labor!"
"what?"
Radiston froze on the spot.
……
……
"...Hey, I have to say, it's kind of interesting."
Latis carried a small basket, took out a handful of sunflower seeds, and pondered as he cracked them open:
"Could it be that the vegetable-growing genes of the Eastern people have awakened? I'm actually finding a simple joy in this repetitive and boring work... It's like the feeling after turning Stardew Valley into a brewing simulator..."
However, since he couldn't figure out the answer to this question in a short time, Latis could only shrug and treat it as a relaxing pastime.
Although harvesting crops is technically quite hard work, the feeling of letting your mind wander and just sweating it out is really great.
Just like when I was a kid, my head was empty as I played around outside, causing all sorts of trouble with spiders, toads, snails, and all the unlucky creatures I encountered...
He clumsily ruined a large part of Frico's flower field, but luckily she seemed to be in a good mood, otherwise he probably would have suffered the consequences.
"It took quite a bit of time."
Latis glanced at the sky and nodded in satisfaction.
The moment Orianna finishes analyzing the spell is not far off, so let's wander around and see what we can do...
He slowly walked back into the courtyard and suddenly found the robin sitting under the flower trellis, looking solemnly at a notebook.
Latis stroked his chin, honestly not wanting to inquire about the notes. After all, what the little bird was learning was too profound for him, like a college graduate listening to a first-year calculus lecture again—it was like reading gibberish.
He was about to slip away quietly when the robin spotted him. A look of delight immediately appeared on her face, and she waved and called out:
"Little brother, could you please come over here and do me a favor?"
"..."
Latis's heart skipped a beat. He swallowed hard, sighed, and reluctantly moved over to the bird's side, carrying his small basket.
"Little Bird Sister, is there something you need?"
"Which class are you in? What grade are you in?"
The little bird asked quickly, and before Latis could even make up an answer, she smiled and handed the notebook to Latis, saying:
"Come on, help me grade the students' homework! The answer key is right here, and it's giving me a headache. I'm about to go crazy. These kids definitely weren't paying attention in class..."
"Grading homework?"
Latis was taken aback, then his face lit up with joy, and he burst into laughter, exclaiming, "You know what, you really like this!"
He picked up a red pen and, under the watchful eye of a bird that had started cracking sunflower seeds, drew a big X on the student's homework.
……
……
It didn't take long for the bird to finish grading the homework. It happily took the graded homework back to the academy and grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds before leaving.
Latis shook the small basket, which was almost empty from the bird's meal, and couldn't help but stare at the bird's retreating figure, thinking to himself:
"You naughty bird...you've been eating all my sunflower seeds!"
He wondered if it was because his body had shrunk, but he felt like he was becoming as childish as a little bird.
He shook his head helplessly and left the small basket on the table. Latis was actually quite happy, after all, he had just exercised the power of life and death of a teacher and given a bunch of students a pathetic 59 points. The smile was about to transfer from the students' faces to his.
It's so pitiful, but there's nothing we can do. They didn't work hard enough, so they can't make any money themselves.
Latis chuckled, glanced at the sky, and seeing that the sun was already setting, decided to go to the association to wait for Orianna's analysis progress.
"This afternoon went by quite quickly..."
He walked along the path in the temple with his hands behind his head, and suddenly realized that although he had done a lot of boring things that day, he was actually quite happy overall.
"I don't even know what I've been doing. Maybe that's just life. It doesn't really have any meaning..."
A slow smile appeared on Latis's face. He shook his head and softly sang a tune from his hometown as he walked out of the gate of the mage's territory.
"A young boy, with few worries, looks around and the sun shines..."
"A young boy, with few worries, may he always be like this..."
……
and many more.
Just as Latis was about to immerse herself in her singing, she suddenly saw Jennifer, who had finished her guard duty, walking out of the Golden Hall with Leafa.
"Soon you'll be able to stand guard in place of your master, hehehe..."
"Waaah, Master, I don't want to! Standing guard is so boring..."
"If you don't do some silly things when you're young, how will you feel that your childhood was long and worth remembering when you grow up! Hehe, either stand guard or patrol, choose one!"
"Then I'd rather patrol..."
The master and apprentice passed by Latis. Jennifer's gaze swept over Latis, then she suddenly stopped, her brow furrowing as she looked at Latis and said:
"you……"
Latis broke out in a cold sweat. Could he have been recognized?!
"...Are you lost? Little...brother, do you need help?"
Latis breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shook his head, saying:
"No, no, thank you, sister."
"Oh?"
Jennifer pinched her chin, raised an eyebrow, and smiled, saying, "It's okay, since I saw it, I have to do something about it! Come with me, I'll ask my colleague to help you find your parents."
"what?"
Seeing Jennifer's resolute attitude, Latis didn't know how to explain for a moment, so he could only let Jennifer grab him without saying a word, his face full of bitterness.
……
"No...who am I? Where am I? What am I doing..."
Latis sat blankly on the bench, looking at Leafa beside him, and fell into deep thought.
Didn't she say she was waiting for her colleague to go find the parents? How did she end up at the Fantasy Arcade?! She even rushed in herself, leaving the two kids outside!
Jennifer! Is Lee Jae-gan some kind of monster?!
"Master said you can't leave."
Leafa's face was calm, as if she had completely gotten used to Jennifer's daily routine, revealing a sense of detachment in the face of change.
"...No, I, damn it."
Latis was speechless for a moment. He took a deep breath, glanced at Leafa, muttered to himself, and simply walked into the Illusionary Game Hall.
Since he couldn't resist, he might as well just enjoy it; after all, he hadn't played games in ages...
"Minors are not allowed to play fantasy games."
The clerk's words easily shattered Latis's last shred of pride. As the arcade doors slowly closed, a look of dejection immediately appeared on Latis's face.
"Damn it, why, why?!"
He punched the air in a fit of impotent rage before remembering that because the illusion game was too realistic, it often caused underage players to confuse the game with reality. Therefore, at the request of the mages, a youth protection mode was set up.
"No way... Am I really supposed to wait here for Jennifer's colleague to go find my non-existent parent?"
Latis gritted his teeth, looked at Leafa, and a rebellious thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.
He sat back down on the bench, remained silent for a moment, cleared his throat, and asked:
"Miss Leafa, have you... ever played games?"
"game……"
Leafa was also a little bored, and seeing that Latis had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation, she replied in a friendly manner:
"No, Master said the game is really fun, but unfortunately the monks have set a ban, so I can't play with her, and she's very disappointed."
"That's exactly the kind of thing Jennifer would say..."
Latis sighed helplessly, then glanced around to make sure no one was watching. A mysterious smile appeared on his face as he leaned close to Leafa's ear and whispered:
"When I visited the Illusion Game Hall before, I inquired about it. Before the Illusion Magic was developed to such a mature stage, the game hall used a screen and a joystick to play games."
"……What's the meaning?"
Upon hearing this, Leafa felt a surge of curiosity and, disregarding why Latis had visited the Illusionary Arcade before, quickly asked in a low voice:
"Old-fashioned fantasy games...aren't they immersive and interactive?"
"Correct!"
Latis chuckled and continued:
"Back then, people called it arcade games because the combination of a screen and a joystick was cheap and could be placed anywhere. Also, because the immersion wasn't that strong, there were no anti-addiction measures in place. But now, with the progress of the times, arcade games have gradually disappeared."
"Oh dear, what a pity..."
Leafa, whose interest had been piqued, couldn't help but pout regretfully upon hearing this.
"But... there are still a few arcade machines left at the back door of the Illusion Arcade!" Latis's eyes suddenly lit up as he excitedly said: