MRG Chapter 14: Greater Than My Gege?

Translator: Onlyfornovels

Editor: Ageneya

Mu Chen was so stunned that for a moment he forgot to blink. “School?”

“Yes,” Light patiently explained to him. “In the Oz Empire, most children who turn ten are sent there during the day to study.”

“There will be many children your age at the school.”

“But I’ve… never been to school before.” Mu Chen fiddled Light’s shirt collar with his fingertips. He knew what a school was, but when he was in Atlantis, his father had hired royal tutors.

Light, “I’ll go with you. Before we leave, I’ll help you choose the right school.”

The little merman was going to a completely unfamiliar environment for the first time, and Light couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

Mu Chen leaned obediently on Light’s shoulder and responded with a soft “oh.” Then he asked, “What about the amusement park?”

Light , “We’ll go as soon as I get back this time.”

Mu Chen, “You won’t lie to me again, will you?”

Light, “I won’t lie to you.”

Mu Chen pressed his lips together, seemingly forgoing his earlier unhappiness. He reached out and hugged Light’s neck. “Then, can Gege sleep with me tonight?”

“Okay.”

……

With only a week left before he had to return to the border, Light finally chose the most prestigious school for nobility in the capital for Mu Chen.

On the day they handled the enrollment procedures, Light personally took Mu Chen to the school.

Although this school had always admitted students from various prominent and distinguished families, having someone as illustrious as a member of the Oz royal family was a first. After Mu Chen arrived at the school, the principal personally gave them a tour of the campus and repeatedly assured them that the little merman would definitely love it here.

Class 1A of the first year had heard that a new student would be transferring into their class today. Not only was the new student a merman, but he was also the future spouse of the Crown Prince. The class had been buzzing with excitement.

Even though the teacher was still trying to maintain order, whispers occasionally broke out among the students. Nearly everyone had lost interest in the lesson, eager to finally meet this legendary merman.

Halfway through the class, the sound of click-clack, click-clack footsteps were heard from outside the door. Appearing at the doorway with the principal was a tall, blond man. The atmosphere in the classroom instantly quieted down, and everyone stretched their necks, straining to catch a glimpse outside.

The little merman was dressed in a formal suit today, with a satin-like, lace bow tie on his chest. His silver hair fell over his fair forehead, his chin was pointed, and soft baby fat still clung to his cheeks, making him look like a little fairy straight out of a storybook.

Nervously, he clung to Light’s side, only peeking out a small part of his face. His big, bright blue eyes were filled with curiosity.

The next moment, the class erupted into an unprecedented wave of chatter. The girls could no longer contain their excitement, whispering fervently among themselves:

“Oh my gosh… he’s so adorable.”

“Ahhh, he looks even cuter in person than he does on the livestream!”

“I’m so shy.”

“Teacher, can you please seat him next to me? I want to sit with the little merman.”

……

Xavier sat in the front row, his face expressionless. He looked at his classmates’ excited expressions with a sense of disdain.

He wouldn’t act as childish as they were.

So what if he was a merman? How special could he truly be?

Hmph, it’s just because of sheer good luck that he became Prince Light’s future spouse.

With this skeptical attitude, Xavier glanced cautiously toward the classroom door.

How come… how come his face looks even more delicate than a girl’s…?

Why is he so good-looking?

Xavier scoffed disdainfully but then took another glance at Mu Chen. And another. And another. Then another…

Outside the door, Light crouched down to adjust Mu Chen’s collar. “You’ll get used to this quickly, don’t be nervous.”

“Mm.” The little merman nodded. “Not nervous.”

Light had intended to tell him, “Go on,” but at the last moment, he felt a bit uneasy and instead added, “If anything comes up, contact me right away. I’ll be here to pick you up after school.”

Mu Chen quickly reached out and gave him a hug. “Come early, okay Gege?”

Then, he picked up his little backpack and quickly walked into the classroom, not forgetting to turn back and wave goodbye to Light after taking a few steps.

After Mu Chen gave a brief self-introduction, the teacher assigned him a seat in the front row, right in the center. To his left sat a black-haired boy, sporting a sulky expression as if the world owed him five million credits, idly twirling a pen. On Mu Chen’s right was a girl styled in a high ponytail.

As soon as he walked over, the black-haired boy turned his head away and crossed his arms, clearly not interested in making friends. The girl, however, enthusiastically patted the seat next to her, signaling Mu Chen to sit down quickly.

As soon as the bell rang signaling the end of class, the girl introduced herself with excitement. “Hi, I’m Shea.”

Mu Chen smiled and greeted her back.

Shea immediately leaned closer to Mu Chen and asked curiously, “The person who brought you here just now… was that Prince Light?”

Mu Chen nodded vigorously. “Mm-hmm.”

“Wow~” The girl exclaimed in admiration, “I heard that Prince Light is the strongest mecha pilot on Blue Planet, and he pilots the Empire’s largest mecha.”

“Mm-hmm.”

This time, there was a hint of pride and smugness in Mu Chen’s voice.

Clatter!

Xavier, who couldn’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation, accidentally dropped his pen on the floor. He thought angrily…

What do you mean by the ‘largest mecha’?

That mecha has a name, it’s called ‘Falcon’!

Xavier retrieved his pen and cast a sideways glance at the little merman, who was happily chatting with Shea. He slammed the pen cap down on the desk.

Hmph, acting all knowledgeable when you clearly don’t know anything. Ridiculous!

But Mu Chen didn’t notice the commotion on Xavier’s side, not even sparing a glance. Xavier felt like he had punched a pillow—his frustration had nowhere to go, and it only made him more irritated.

On the other side, Shea asked, “Will Prince Light pick you up in a mecha?”

Mu Chen froze for a second. “Huh?”

Xavier, still eavesdropping, thought, “…”

“Wow, really?”

“Is the prince really going to pick you up in a mecha?”

“Will you sit in the cockpit?”

“Can it shoot lasers?”

“Does it fly super fast?”

Shea’s voice was loud, and her questions reverberated across the classroom like a stone dropped into a pond, creating ripples of excitement.

The little merman had already piqued the interest of most of his classmates, and when they heard that “the prince might pick him up in a mecha,” they surrounded Mu Chen, all around and about, regardless of whether it was true.

“No, no.” Mu Chen smiled awkwardly at the crowd. “He’ll probably come in a regular flyer.”

Even after Mu Chen clarified the rumor, his classmates’ curiosity about him only grew. With Shea setting the example, they all began bombarding him with questions.

Throughout it all, the little merman kept smiling, patiently answering each one:

“There is a pool in the palace…”

“But there are no sharks.”

“Uh, no whales either.”

“Yes, I have a puppy…”

“The puppy doesn’t bite, haha.”

“Mm-hmm, I can turn my tail whenever I want.”

“But not right now.”

……

Suddenly, a loud bang interrupted the lively and harmonious atmosphere.

Everyone turned their heads to see Xavier shoving his chair violently before getting up and leaving.

Shea looked at his retreating back, hands in his pockets, walking with an air of arrogance, and explained to Mu Chen:

“That guy is Xavier. His dad is John Natt, the Army Marshal, but he’s got some kind of brain issue. He just randomly acts up, so just ignore him.”

Mu Chen thoughtfully replied, “Oh.”

“Brain issue”—such a simple and straightforward description.

……

In the lower grades, students have an interest class every afternoon, covering a wide range of fields, allowing them to choose courses based on their preferences.

Shea opened the control panel on her smart device and introduced it to Mu Chen, “Horse riding, shooting, swordsmanship, piano, mecha simulation training… These are the more popular choices among boys.”

She noticed out of the corner of her eye that the little merman was focused on selecting options on his smart device, so she leaned in curiously and asked, “What are you signing up for?”

She then saw on his blue-lit screen: Monday, Wednesday, Friday—”Baking,” Tuesday, Thursday—”Floral Art.”

Mu Chen smiled at her, showing two sharp little canine teeth, “These two look fun.”

“Absolutely, they are!”

Shea couldn’t agree more.

It was so rare to find a boy with such good taste who isn’t annoying!

After the interest class ended, Mu Chen returned to his seat, carrying his half-finished project and a bunch of flower arrangement materials. A crowd quickly gathered around him.

He was good-looking, so the girls enjoyed playing with him.

So, when Xavier returned to the classroom after playing soccer, what he saw was this scene: the little merman surrounded by people, demonstrating how to arrange flowers, his sapphire-like eyes curving into two crescents.

All around him were voices of mindless praise:

“Wow, that’s amazing~”

“You’re so talented.”

“Could you teach me?”

“I want to learn too.”

Hmph…

Not only does he look like a girl, but his hobbies are also just as girly.

Xavier’s gaze landed on Mu Chen’s fair and serene profile, and a vein throbbed on his temple as a nasty feeling slowly brewed inside him.

With a loud scraping sound, Xavier dragged out his chair and straddled it like a lord, emitting a slight snort from his nose, “Hey…”

“I heard you mer-men can have babies too?”

He deliberately raised his voice so everyone could hear.

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

The group of followers behind Xavier joined in, laughing.

Mu Chen paused his movements, the smile in his icy blue eyes instantly vanishing. He lifted his eyelashes and gave Xavier a sideways glance, “It’s sub-male.”

Xavier, with a mocking smile, exchanged a glance with his followers, “Oh, is there a difference?”

Shea rolled her eyes at him and whispered to Mu Chen, “I told you, he’s got a screw loose…”

“Who’s got a screw loose?” Xavier frowned in displeasure, then lowered his head to scan Mu Chen’s desk. Picking up a dried flower, he clicked his tongue in disdain, “Is this all you do every day? How boring.”

Mu Chen didn’t even lift his eyelids this time, merely focusing on arranging the dried flowers in his hands. “Oh…”

Xavier, seeing how dismissive Mu Chen’s attitude was, became increasingly displeased. He walked up to him and slapped the desk hard, trying to get Mu Chen’s attention. “What else will you be able to do when you grow up besides serving others?”

Mu Chen, “Oh…”

Xavier, “Unlike you, I’m going to be a mecha pilot.”

Mu Chen, “Oh…”

Xavier, “I’ll become the greatest mecha pilot of all of Blue Planet!”

There was a moment of silence.

Just as Xavier thought the other couldn’t come up with a response, Mu Chen suddenly looked up, gazing at him with a calm and unhurried expression. “Greatest? How great? Greater than my Gege?”

Xavier was taken aback. “Who’s your Gege?”

Mu Chen smiled slightly and turned to the others. “The Crown Prince.”

As a triple S-ranked mecha pilot, everyone knew how powerful Light was.

Xavier’s claim was as bold as a little kid swearing he’d surpass the world champion.

“I…”

Sure enough, the moment Mu Chen mentioned this, the previously arrogant boy suddenly started to stammer. “I…”

Boys at this age typically have something they are so passionate about that it borders on obsession. For Xavier, that was mechas. Apart from his father, the person he admired most was Light.

Xavier knew all too well how far he was from Light’s level, but at that moment, feeling all eyes on him, his face flushed red. He clenched his fists and declared, “When I grow up, I’ll definitely surpass the Crown Prince!”

This time, Mu Chen didn’t respond with another “oh.” Instead, he pressed his lips together and let out a disdainful “tch.”

His attitude was utterly dismissive.