Chapter 85

Agnes found herself pressing her fingers to her forehead before quickly lowering her hand, worried about how that gesture might look to the child. She straightened her posture again.

“…So you could talk to the cat. Since when?”

“Since Noah was little.”

“I see. When you were three? Or four?”

“Um, I’m not sure. When I was little.”

Agnes nodded slowly. The exact timing did not matter much anyway.

“I’ll contact the Imperial Magic Division again.”

“I agree.”

Dylan’s reply was short, but it was clear he had more to say. He bent slightly to meet Noah’s eyes and spoke in a serious tone.

“Noah, being able to talk to animals isn’t a bad thing. It’s a special gift, so you should learn to use it well. But… you thought that bear was dead, didn’t you?”

Noah rolled his eyes from side to side, clearly uncertain how to answer.

Dylan adjusted his question.

“Do you know what it means when someone dies?”

“It means they go to heaven.”

Dylan fell silent for a moment at that innocent answer.

“Heaven…”

The word sounded almost awkward coming from his firm mouth and steady jaw. Agnes felt strangely guilty and lowered her head.

Yet Dylan decided to accept that term and continued.

“You must not speak to a bear that has gone to heaven.”

“Why not?”

“Because… it’s forbidden. It’s something the divine does not allow.”

“Why not? What if the bear feels sad?”

“That might be true. But not every sadness can be solved. Especially not after death.”

“Why not? Noah wants to listen to the bear.”

“….”

Dylan was completely disarmed by the child’s relentless chain of questions.

He glanced helplessly toward Agnes, who pulled Noah onto her lap.

“Noah, the bear is already on its way to heaven. If you try to talk to it now, it might not make it there in time. Heaven is very far away, and being late would make the journey hard.”

“If the bear is late, will it get scolded?”

“Of course it will.”

“Then Noah won’t talk to the bear.”

Both adults quietly exhaled in relief.

“Good boy, Noah.”

Agnes stroked his hair gently.

She thought that would be the end of the conversation, but Noah soon perked up again and began to chatter.

To anyone else, it might have sounded like a string of trivial events, yet to the child, it had been a precious experience beyond measure.

Agnes listened with a soft smile, unable to stop herself from being drawn in by his excitement.

After a while, as the scenery outside the carriage grew monotonous, Noah began to nod off. He nestled against Agnes’s shoulder and soon drifted into sleep.

Agnes patted his small back until the sound of quiet breathing filled her arms.

That gentle sound warmed her heart. She smiled tenderly and placed a light kiss on the crown of his head. Feeling her affection, Noah relaxed completely and sank into deeper sleep.

Dylan watched in silence before finally speaking.

“For the time being, make sure Noah doesn’t interact with any dead animals or people.”

“Yes, I will.”

Thankfully, he was only six years old, so it was unlikely he would face such situations often. Meeting that dead bear had been an unusual incident.

As Agnes nodded, Dylan sighed quietly and added,

“When he gets older, he should be taught clearly about forbidden acts.”

“I’ll ask the Imperial Magic Division about that too.”

Dylan rested his arm on the carriage window, his gaze still fixed on Noah. His face remained calm as always, but Agnes could read the worry in his blue eyes.

“The fate of a mage who breaks a taboo is never good. Even if their intentions are pure.”

When he spoke the words “pure intentions,” a faint crease appeared between his brows. Agnes could sense how seriously he regarded the matter.

“When people hear the word ‘taboo,’ they imagine something illegal. But in truth, most who break it do so out of kindness. The harm simply returns to them in full. It often begins with good hearts like Noah’s.”

“I’ll be sure to warn him. Thank you for your concern, Your Grace.”

“I promised to protect you and Noah. That’s all there is to it.”

Agnes pulled Noah closer, holding him tightly.

She couldn’t help thinking something foolish. If only her child were an ordinary boy.

Then she would never have needed to contact the complicated and unpredictable Imperial Magic Division. Noah wouldn’t have had to live differently from other children or feel the world more sharply than others.

Most children were curious about animals and wondered what they were thinking. But they couldn’t actually hear the answers, so no harm came from it.

Noah, however, was different.

His small heart carried a power that could lead to danger, and that made Agnes feel unreasonably sorry, even though she knew it wasn’t anyone’s fault.

* * *

The carriage moved smoothly along the road until it arrived back at the Vasteron mansion.

After parting with Dylan, Agnes took Noah to the bath herself.

She filled the large tub with warm water and placed Noah inside, washing him carefully as they talked.

She checked him thoroughly for any small scratches and tried to see if any fear still lingered in his heart.

Fortunately, he seemed to have completely forgotten about the bear. Instead, he chatted endlessly about how magnificent and gentlemanly Nocturne had been.

“Can I see Nocturne again?”

“I’ll ask His Grace. I’m sure he’ll say yes.”

“Yeah! His Grace said Nocturne likes Noah too.”

“Really? Then Noah has a new friend. Now close your eyes, I’m washing off the bubbles.”

Agnes poured water gently over his head and smiled with relief.

Once dry and dressed, the clean little boy fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

He had gone through so many new experiences that day, it was no wonder he was exhausted. Agnes kissed his forehead and pulled the blanket up to his chin before standing up.

“Lizzie, please watch over Noah.”

“You should rest too, my lady. You must be tired from today.”

“I only sat and talked, that’s all.”

Smiling, Agnes left Lizzie to tend to Noah and stepped out of the room. Another maid followed naturally to attend her.

Back in her study, Agnes took out a sheet of stationery from the drawer.

The letter, of course, was addressed to Louis Sepion of the Imperial Magic Division.

It began with a polite greeting, but she soon moved straight to the point. There was no need for empty pleasantries; that man only cared about magic anyway.

“My son, Noah Overhen, claims to have spoken with a cat. I know little of magic and do not understand whether this is possible, so I seek your advice. I would also like to learn about the taboos that a mage must not break. If the matter is difficult to explain in writing, I would like to meet in person.”

She ended the letter with a simple wish for his well-being, then reread it several times to ensure there were no mistakes. Once satisfied, she sealed it carefully and handed it to her maid.

“Send this to the Imperial Magic Division.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The maid accepted the letter respectfully, bowed, and left the room.

Left alone, Agnes rubbed her tired eyes.

There was so much to learn, so much to master, all to keep her child safe. It was exhausting, but strangely, not frightening.

Perhaps because she was not alone anymore.

Naturally, Dylan came to mind first. He had no obligation to help her, yet he always did his best. She was deeply grateful to him.

Even more comforting was knowing that Dylan was not the only one helping her.

Close by were Lizzie, Gavelin, and Sharon. Beyond them were kind people from the northern society.

And somewhere between near and far was Louis, who would surely leap into action the moment Noah was involved.

Thinking of each of them, Agnes smiled warmly without realizing it.