My Ex-Boyfriend Gave Birth to My Child? What Does That Mean? - Chapter 58

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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My Ex-Boyfriend’s Child Was Born to Me — Episode 58
In my assessment, Peron’s magical talent was considerable.
It wasn’t baseless confidence that geniuses naturally gravitated toward my circle.
Talent.
Magic is eighty percent talent.
Which meant that Peron—who kept failing at the most basic Floating Magic, something he’d already mastered once—was failing purely because of the teacher instructing him…….
Because of me.
“I recently took on teaching a child, but even what they already knew before isn’t coming back easily. I’ve never struggled with learning speed myself, so I honestly don’t know what to do in a situation like this.”
Fonten listened to my educational worries, then nodded with elegant grace. When she spoke, her tone was distinctly refined.
“It’s quite common for children to find their early lessons awkward. I wonder if you might be pushing yourself too hard?”
“But the child is truly talented! What if I’m destroying their potential?”
Noting my dire state of mind, Fonten asked carefully.
“Voltein, what exactly is the child struggling with?”
“Well, they pick up the theory quickly. But translating that into actual practice is causing real difficulty. Basic magic like stacking stones or digging earth.”
“Ah…… So you were teaching ‘that.'”
Right.
Fonten was someone who had faithfully followed the Temple’s guidance and remained unmarried. In other words, a most devout believer.
Though perceptions of magic had improved recently, thanks to the Temple’s shift in stance, it was still regarded by the faithful as a somewhat problematic art.
She fell silent for a moment. It seemed she had reached another compromise with herself.
Fonten spoke as she always did, with measured thoughtfulness.
“When children struggle with the basics of etiquette, they usually only mimic the form of the ritual itself—they overlook the process behind how that courtesy develops and the reason for practicing it at all.”
Speaking in the language she knew, she quietly instructed me.
“Dance is much the same. Children who struggle to follow the movements often haven’t yet realized that each movement is itself preparation for the next.”
“So you mean they need to understand the purpose of what they’re doing before they move?”
“Stated simply, yes.”
I nodded as I listened to her words.
Watching me slip into earnest-student mode, Fonten added with steady intent.
“And it would serve you well to consider not just the child’s talent, but their nature and circumstances too.”
“For instance?”
“Well…… ”
Fonten’s eyes drifted slightly upward as though recalling a past lesson, and she continued quietly.
“Lusian is a child who genuinely loves people. For them, it helps to show how someone with proper etiquette can befriend a stranger so much more easily. But Noah benefits far more from learning that etiquette becomes a shield protecting their own people.”
Moving through each of her pupils one by one, she went on.
“Evening is an untainted child. They don’t know how to suspect people and they’re fearless. For such a pure soul to take etiquette into their body, they need a good study partner—they learn by playing together. And then there’s Peron…….”
Fonten sighed softly.
“A nearly perfect student. They learn quickly when taught, and they already understand the necessity of learning. But…… ”
“But……?”
“They’re far too considerate of others. It comes from being raised in the Temple, I imagine. They often yield their own turn to learn, and sometimes lose focus while tending to the other children.”
“How do you handle that, then?”
The Madam looked at me with steady eyes.
“I leave them as they are.”
“Why?”
“Because they need nothing beyond that.”
She spoke with quiet certainty.
“That child, an orphan from the Temple, will never enter high society. Rather, I believe what they need to learn is the etiquette of a close attendant—they must know correct form well enough to distinguish those who dare show rudeness to their master, but they must not forget their place. That serves no one well.”
She spoke gently, as though admonishing me.
“If you teach without considering the nature and circumstances of your student, sometimes learning becomes poison.”
I nodded.
“You’re truly remarkable, Fonten. This has helped me enormously.”
“Then I am pleased.”
As Fonten rose to leave at my invitation, her steps wavered slightly. I suddenly realized she had never once mentioned ‘magic’ throughout our conversation.
What was I to her?
‘Something like a walking cognitive dissonance, I suppose?’
A woman who doesn’t hide that she bore a bastard child. An eccentric who’s pushed a pauper orphan into her lessons. My very existence didn’t fit her nature and circumstances.
Yet she was doing her utmost to respect me in her own way.
Perhaps this was the true essence of the etiquette she had upheld all this while.
“Then, Voltein, I shall take my leave.”
“Fonten, I’m always grateful.”
As I helped her into the carriage, I thought about Peron’s education.
Fonten might have been right.
But I… didn’t want Peron to know his place.
It wasn’t merely some pure intention to help him transcend the barriers of station.
I hoped that this boy—who stood a good chance of becoming Lusian’s trusted aide someday—would grow into a formidable mage with a more respectable social standing.
And if we could become good friends to each other, people we could trust, then I’d ask for nothing more.
* * *
Cyril and I pestered Herdi, who was sleeping in a corner of the Research Laboratory, until we got our hands on the latest version of the Barrier Rod. Herdi grumbled that the improved model was still incomplete, but he couldn’t stand against my insistence on testing it.
I inserted the Barrier Rod into the straw of the Practice Dummy, then applied force and snapped the rod in half.
With a clean crack, the Magic Stone embedded in the rod began to fade, creating a translucent hemispherical dome around us. It was just large enough for three or four people to squeeze into.
I recalled Fonten’s advice and explained to Peron step by step.
“Did you feel the Mana that just passed through your body?”
“Yes, it passed through without any resistance.”
“Before the barrier fully materializes, there’s no defensive force from either inside or out. And…”
I swung the long rod I’d been holding toward the outside. It passed through with a sharp whoosh, meeting no resistance at all.
“Objects connected to the inside can affect what’s outside.”
“The barrier shows no resistance at all.”
“You can’t be trapped inside the barrier, so there’s an exception—anything inside can pass freely to the outside without obstruction.”
I gestured to Peron, whose head bobbed in continuous agreement.
“Now, let’s step outside.”
The concentrated Mana gently enveloped us and let us flow outward. We passed through without the slightest resistance.
“Now then…”
I reached out and touched the barrier.
The barrier that had released us from inside without any resistance now firmly blocked my outstretched hand and refused to let it back in.
“Can’t get in!”
Peron cautiously extended his hand and let out a small gasp of surprise at the defensive force he felt in the empty air.
“Remarkable.”
“Right? You’re a mage too, so you should be able to feel the Mana flowing across this surface.”
“Yes.”
“A Magic Formula is a tool that gives detailed instructions for Mana to operate this way. When a person casts magic, it happens almost unconsciously through calculation, but when designing a Magical Tool, you have to carve each formula into the tool individually.”
“That’s why Dr. Herdi’s eyesight has gotten worse, isn’t it?”
“…Yes!”
Many research mages wear glasses!
They have to stare at Magic Formulas all day long.
“Now then, let’s test the barrier’s performance.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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