How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

The title ‘Sage’ originally referred to the masters of the Nine Towers of Magic.

 

However, as the magic towers began to disappear one by one due to war or other similar events, the title of Sage went to the one who was best at handling the corresponding magic.

 

Currently, only five out of the original nine towers remain on the continent.

 

The Tower of the Dark Abyss and the Tower of Brilliant Radiance collapsed into ruins, the Tower of Mercy and Healing was obliterated overnight, leaving behind not a single brick, and the Tower of Silver Frost suddenly closed its gates, declaring a severance of communication.

 

A tower that is closed from the inside can never be opened from the outside.

 

The wizards who came from the Silver Frost Tower were able to return to the tower, but once they did, they never came out of the tower again.

 

After the tower was closed, its owner also disappeared.

 

As a result, the Magical Senate decided that a new Sage of Water and Ice should be elected.

 

But the opinions of the remaining eight Sages were evenly split—four in favor and four against—resulting in a hundred years passing without a new Sage of water and ice being chosen….I heard that from my sister Lily.

 

“Are you really the Sage of Water and Ice?”

 

“That was my master’s master’s master. The tower was passed down to me, so technically it’s mine, but I don’t really care about the Sage title.”

 

The man shrugged his shoulders and looked at me with sleepy eyes.

 

“Since I answered your question, can I ask you another one?”

 

“What? Oh, Rod?”

 

I glanced at the box Sage was holding for a moment.

 

“They were all made as gifts—”

 

“No, Rod is fine, you over there.”

 

The man pointed to Noah.

 

I was startled and half-raised my body to hide Noah, whom I was holding in my arms, from the man’s sight.

 

“Why our Noah?”

 

“Is that child the one mentioned when Lady of Ajas passed away five years ago?”

 

I felt Noah flinch in my arms at that question.

 

I had a strange feeling that I knew something about why the man was asking about Noah.

 

And because of that hunch, I felt even worse and ended up talking to the man in a slightly harsh tone.

 

“I don’t understand why you ask about someone’s family history when we first meet. Do you realize that you are being extremely rude right now?”

 

“Yes, but most people just let it go.”

 

‘I suppose that’s true. Who would dare complain about the behavior of a man who owns one of the towers of magic?’

 

I once again felt sorry for the wizards who were learning and studying magic under that man.

 

“Did you say Noah?”

 

“Noah doesn’t have to answer you. Don’t act friendly to my son. Why are you calling someone else’s son by his first name?”

 

“I thought maybe that was my son.”

 

“Huh?”

 

A gasp, a sound that I don’t know who uttered, reached my ears clearly.

 

Ethan and Leona, who were guarding in front of us, looked back in surprise, so it was difficult to describe the surprise of old man Mallet and his assistant.

 

“Why did you think that? Because Noah’s hair and eye color are the same as yours?”

 

“That too, and the one with the Ajas symbol.”

 

“The symbol of Ajas….”

 

To manifest the symbol of Ajas, one must inherit the blood of Ajax.

 

In short, there were two possible scenarios in which the man suspected that Noah was his biological son because of the symbol.

 

First, that man is a descendant of Ajas.

 

Second, if the woman he impregnated was of Ajas’s blood.

 

Leona muttered with a blank expression, as if she had come to the same conclusion as me.

 

“No way…Did Lady Louise leave the castle and go over to the white lands?”

 

“Lady Louise?”

 

At Sage’s question, Leona closed her mouth with an “Oops” expression.

 

As a member of a vassal family, Leona would naturally know about Louise, while Sage, a graduate of the Magic Academy, would not.

 

Sage also couldn’t understand why Leona hurriedly shut her mouth as if she had made a slip of the tongue.

 

Even Ethan looked perplexed, and I took the opportunity to shift the topic.

 

“My husband said he doesn’t know who the child’s biological father is. So if you want to claim to be my son’s father, you’d better have proof that convinces everyone.”

 

“I don’t particularly want to make any claims.”

 

“What?”

 

The man spoke with an unreadable expression, his gaze fixed on Noah.

 

“Why would I? The child belongs to the prestigious Ajas family and has already been registered as an heir due to the manifestation of the symbol. What use would I have for him?”

 

‘What ‘use’? Did you seriously just say that?’

 

‘Is this what a person who just came forward and said he might be this child’s biological father would say?’

 

“If that’s the case, then why did you pretend to know Noah? Shouldn’t you have at least wondered if the kid was doing well and not in any pain?”

 

“He looks healthy, and judging by the way your child is relying on you and you protect him so fiercely, it seems like you are on good terms. Is there any need to waste time asking and answering questions when you can easily find out just by observing?”

 

“Ugh….”

 

‘One thing became clear: this man wasn’t fit to be a parent. Far less than Leonhard had ever been!’

 

“More importantly, what are you hiding in your pocket?”

 

“Pocket?”

 

While wondering why the man suddenly changed the subject, I supported Noah with one hand and felt for the pocket of my dress seam with my hand.

 

Usually, I carry a small magic pouch, but today, I went out suddenly so I didn’t have anything else in it.

 

“Huh?”

 

‘What was this soft texture?’

 

“Rake?”

 

“Peep, Peep!”

 

Rake chirped loudly, seemingly protesting my grip. Realizing I had been a bit rough, I quickly released him, apologizing.

 

“When did you even get in there? And why…?”

 

As soon as I let go, Rake went back into my pocket, as if he was hiding in a cave to avoid a predator.

 

I put my hand back into my pocket, wondering what on earth was going on, but Rake lightly pecked my finger with its beak as if telling me not to touch it.

 

The man let out a surprised voice as I took my hand out of my pocket, exclaiming, “Ouch!” at the stinging pain.

 

“A monster attacked Sesto..…?”

 

“Monster?”

 

“Monster, you must be mistaken. Rake is not a monster, it is a bird.”

 

“Bird?”

 

The man’s gaze left me and turned to Ethan, Leona, and Sage.

 

He snorted in shock at the lack of reaction from my escorts to my words.

 

“Are you all blind? Calling that thing just a bird?”

 

“If it’s not just a bird, then what? I didn’t feel any magic stone energy coming from Rake’s body. It’s the same now.”

 

The man squinted one eye at Sage’s question, like a professor teaching a weak student.

 

“You know about my magic circle, but have you never heard of a monster that puts the magic stone outside of its body?”

 

“It’s not that I’ve never heard of it, but—”

 

“Anything capable of separating its magic stone would have to be at least a high level, right?”

 

Starting with Leona’s surprised gaze, everyone’s eyes turned to my dress pocket.

 

Even though Rake was buried beneath layers of fabric, it chirped noisily, as if sensing the attention.

 

I realized what was happening. Rake was hiding from a man who could recognize his true nature.

 

‘But Rake didn’t hide from Leonhard either.’

 

Considering that Leonhard didn’t realize that Rake was a monster, it meant that Rake could recognize people who could sense his true identity.

 

‘Would this be possible for a really ordinary bird?’

 

“It’s not just high-level. That thing is at least supreme-level.”

 

“Supreme-level?!”

 

“It attacked Sesto’s bloodline. Do you have a symbol?”

 

“Sesto? Symbol?”

 

He asked me, but I couldn’t understand what he meant.

 

‘What does all that mean?’

 

“If it attacked despite having a symbol, then it must be an exceptional level that surpasses the Supreme level. However, there are probably no new species among the exceptional grades that are not currently extinct.….Is it mimicry? If mimicry is possible, there is only one type…”

 

The man, who had been giving a long explanation, soon became lost in his own world and muttered to himself, resting his chin on his hand.

 

“Hey, don’t keep this to yourself. Explain it to me.”

 

I was about to ask him to explain when he suddenly unclenched his hands and looked down at his chest.

 

He quickly frowned and took out a crystal ball the size of a soccer ball from somewhere in his bosom.

 

‘Where on earth did that come from?’ 

 

For a moment, I was looking at the man’s chest with curiosity.

 

The crystal ball flashed red, just like the lights on an ambulance.

 

Feeling uneasy for no reason, I instinctively hid Noah behind me.

 

“What is that? Is that a bomb?”

 

“You have a good imagination. This is a crystal ball for emergency contact. Wait a minute.”

 

Ethan and Leona tightened their grip on the hilt of their swords, perhaps thinking that he might be up to something else, but a woman’s face really did appear in the crystal ball.

 

– Master!

 

“What? I told you not to contact me unless it was really urgent.”

 

– It’s really urgent! I’m sure Master will understand if Master hears this!

 

“This is my first trip outside in five years. Do you expect me to believe that something urgent happened the moment I left, after five years of peace?”

 

– After all, the Master is the true master of the tower! You must not leave your seat! Without the Master, we are nothing more than pigs and dogs. Woof woof!

 

The woman in the crystal ball let out the barking sounds without even blinking.

 

Embarrassed by that, I covered my child’s ears with my hands and told him not to listen to such things.

 

“So what’s going on? Keep it short and to the point.”

 

– Yes, Master! The tower’s defenses have been breached. And not just breached, but all of the stealth and concealment magic on the tower has been destroyed!

 * * *