“Alright, let’s move on to the books.” Orson pulled a book from the shelf. “By the way, Litte, can you read?”
“I... only a little...” The moment Orson asked about his literacy, Litte’s confidence crumbled, and he answered hesitantly, “When the church held classes... I attended for a bit and learned some basics... I’m not sure how much I know...”
“I see. I’ll head to the study to get a book on basic literacy. Look through it, and that’ll help me decide how best to teach you more advanced material.”
“Okay...”
—
Half an hour later, Orson stared wide-eyed at Litte, who had flawlessly recognized every word on the first page of the book.
“You call this ‘just a little’!?”
In this world, while each town had at least one school to provide basic education, rural villages had no such institutions. Instead, farmers could only rely on the occasional church classes held during annual religious activities to learn reading and writing.
The knowledge gained during these short classes was extremely limited, and most rural villagers in this world were effectively illiterate.
In those settings, being able to recognize basic characters was enough to be considered well-educated among the villagers.
And yet, Litte had seized this fleeting opportunity for education and learned to recognize all the characters?
“Huh?” Litte looked at Orson, unsure whether his reaction was one of disapproval or approval. “I... it’s just that I only attended the church school for one year...”
“Alright, I see.” Orson nodded and then praised him. “As expected of Litte—you pick things up so quickly.”
“Since you’ve already mastered reading, we’ll cancel the morning’s planned lessons.” Orson stretched lazily. “For now, it’s break time. You can do whatever you like. In the afternoon, I’ll teach you about noble etiquette.”
“Ah, okay.” Litte nodded.
“Also, from now on, you’re free to enter this room whenever you like. You don’t need to ask me or anyone else for permission.” Orson said this as he opened the door and stepped outside. “If anyone dares tell you otherwise, ignore them. You’re my brother—if you need permission to enter my room, then I’ve failed as a brother.”
With that, he headed toward Lucius’s room.
He wanted to report this pleasant discovery to Lucius, hoping it would encourage him to value Litte more.
—
“Come in,” Lucius said as he finished putting on his coat. He had just woken up and assumed it was a servant bringing his breakfast.
When he saw that it was Orson, his eldest son, he raised an eyebrow in surprise before smiling.
“Orson, what brings you here? Oh, right, about the room issue you mentioned yesterday—I asked around, and it seems the servant responsible for preparing the room forgot. It was cleaned up later that night.”
“Mary suggested dismissing the servant, but I decided to give her another chance and let her stay.”
“I see.” Orson nodded. “Father, I came to report on Litte’s studies.”
“Oh? You’ve already started teaching him?”
“Yes. With the entrance exam for the Imperial Academy approaching, we need to prepare as soon as possible.”
“Haha, you truly are a strict teacher,” Lucius joked. “So, what’s your impression? Is Litte as talented as you claimed yesterday?”
“He is,” Orson nodded firmly. “In fact, I’ve discovered more of Litte’s strengths.”
“He has an incredible memory. When I introduced him to the rooms in the house this morning, he remembered everything after just one round.”
“Oh? That’s a remarkable skill.” Strong memory often indicated strong learning ability, which would be a significant advantage for the entrance exam.
“I agree,” Orson said. “As for literacy, Litte told me he only attended a church school for one year. But when I gave him a book on basic literacy, he could recognize every word in it.”
“Impressive.” Lucius’s opinion of Litte improved slightly. “In that case, have you started teaching him combat or magic?”
In the Empire, noble status alone wasn’t enough. A noble who couldn’t fight or cast magic was considered a disgrace.
One of the Imperial Academy’s graduation requirements was achieving a combat evaluation equivalent to Tier 4 certification from the Adventurers’ Guild.
The academy’s official stance was: “Without great strength, there can be no true wisdom.”
Naturally, Orson had reached this standard by the age of twelve.
That was why people called him a prodigy.
“Not yet, but in my opinion, as someone who has inherited your bloodline, Litte will likely excel in combat even more than in academics.”
“Haha, well said.” Lucius laughed approvingly.
Orson’s words not only praised Litte but also flattered Lucius.
At that moment, Mary walked in.
“Dear, the servants said you haven’t had breakfast yet. What’s going on?”
“Ah, my apologies, my lady. I just woke up,” Lucius said, his tone carrying a hint of guilt as he addressed Mary.
Seeing Mary enter, Orson greeted her politely.
Lucius continued, “But I’ve just received some good news.”
“Oh?” Mary raised an eyebrow and looked at Lucius and Orson.
“Our child, Litte—Orson says he’s incredibly talented. Practically has a photographic memory.”
“Orson?”
“Yes, I’ve appointed Orson as Litte’s teacher,” Lucius explained, gesturing toward him. “I believe having an elder brother lead by example will inspire Litte to learn.”
“That may be true, but doesn’t Orson have his own matters to attend to?” Mary said, her gaze lingering on Orson with a complicated expression.
“Ah, Mother, it’s no trouble. Teaching Litte has been beneficial for me as well,” Orson replied quickly when he noticed Mary’s scrutiny.
“In that case, it’s fine.” Mary spoke nonchalantly before turning toward the door. “Dear, you should eat. The servants can’t prepare lunch properly if breakfast is delayed.”
“Of course, thank you for reminding me,” Lucius said as he changed into his formal attire and followed her out.
Orson remained where he was.
Just now, the way Mary looked at him... it felt like there was something deeper behind her gaze.
—
By lunchtime, the dining room was much quieter compared to the previous day. Only the four family members sat around the table.
“Yesterday was a banquet, so there were more rules. Today, it’s just a regular meal—no need to be so formal.”
Seeing Litte sitting nervously beside him, Orson smiled as he spoke.
“Exactly,” Mary added. “Litte, there’s no need to be so tense.”
“Your brother Orson was praising you to us this morning. You don’t need to act like a helpless little child in front of us anymore.”