Chapter 28: Chapter 28

I finally arrived at the teleportation point that my eldest sister had set up in advance.

Everyone exclaimed in amazement. Hermann, who followed me here to see me off, was impressed.

“I think Lady Arabella is truly amazing.”

It was only then that I realized why my eldest sister had invested a whole year into it. There was no other way to describe the sight other than ‘amazing’.

“They say that Teleport Magic is the most difficult and time-consuming of all magicks… but from the perspective of someone who has only swung swords his entire life like me, it’s like looking at an ancient relic.”

That would be the case. A huge structure for teleportation now stood tall in the middle of the plain.

“So, this is how you will move through two points?”

“I think so.”

I stroked the structure that was obviously invented by my sister. How much effort must have gone into it?

In fact, teleportation couldn’t be activated in a snap like other magic by simply arranging the magic code. It was an incredibly complex magic, to the point where it had its own specialized field.

Usually, a huge magic circle was drawn, and people had to stand on top of it to prevent it from being damaged. Depending on the distance, the caster’s magical power had to be continuously poured in for at least several weeks or up to a year before it could be cast. Because of this, enemy spies considered a magic circle that was continuously maintained in one area as evidence of invasion.

“I heard that Teleport Magic is very complicated. Can you move to another location right away with just this?”

“I think so.”

It seemed that the structures, which were as tall as two people, seemed to act as a magic circle. More importantly, it was not a magic circle that disappeared after one use like a normal teleportation spell, but a magic circle that acted semi-permanently.

To think my sister made this for me. Would I have done something like that for a younger sibling?

I felt like I should be nicer to my sisters.

By the way, this wasn’t a single-use thing, right? If I could use it to come back, I could come and go from home whenever I wanted.

“Well then, young master, it is time for us to part ways. Please, take care of yourself.”

“Goodbye, Herman.”

I climbed up the structure after saying goodbye to Herman. Arabella told me that if I poured my magic there, the starting trigger would be activated.

Whooooong.

Oh.

It worked.

And the moment I felt that way一

I was sucked into a vortex of uncontrollable magic.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought or heard from my eldest sister. How could I describe it? It was a strangely… comfortable feeling?

“Neigh.”

When I opened my eyes, I saw a horse that my sister must have prepared in advance trotting around.

“As expected.”

She was always prepared for everything. It was a shame I couldn’t see her in person, but this was better than nothing. Thanks to my eldest sister, I was able to get here in the blink of an eye, when it should have taken a month.

“That’s right. Good girl.”

I got on the horse straight away. It was gentle and rough, but I could feel its strength as I pet its mane. Not far away, the true scenery of the capital, ‘Artenia’, came into view.

I pulled the reins.

“Hiya!”

As I took my time and took breaks, it took me a day to get to the capital. When I arrived and presented my ID card, the gate guards saluted me.

“I’ve been waiting for you, Lord Dane Sogres!”

This was the first time I had received a salute if I excluded my past life. I returned the salute without realizing it. Then the captain of the guard was surprised.

“The angle of your salute is a work of art.”

After my talent was discovered and I was promoted to officer rank, receiving salutes became a daily routine. I remembered that later on, I just nodded my head because I was too lazy to return the salute.

By the way…

“You were waiting for me?”

Did my father contact him in advance by any chance? Or my sisters?

“Yes! The attendants sent by Duke Thermion are waiting for you now!”

Aha.

So fast. It seemed like my father had already contacted Duke Thermion.

By the way, my older sisters weren’t able to come out to see me because both of them were participating in the Imperial Academy’s exam as examiners and supervisors.

According to the rules, to prevent leaking exam questions, they weren’t allowed to meet anyone taking the exams. It was unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped. We would see each other at the academy anyway. Our meet-up would only be delayed a few days.

“Please come this way.”

I finally entered the capital following the captain of the guard.

A magnificent view unfolded before me.

Completely different from the peaceful count’s castle, the capital was noisy and chaotic. The streets were filled with people and the buildings appeared to be at least four or five stories high.

“Come and see some magic tricks before you go! It’s not something you see every day! Mysterious and fun tricks!”

“Come, it’s very cheap! Magically frozen parfait for only one bronze crown!”

A capital I had never been to, even in my past life.

To be exact, a place I couldn’t go. Finally, I was there to showcase my talents to the world.

“Lord Dane, it must have been hard coming such a long way.”

I followed the captain of the guard to where five knights wearing the crest of the Thermion Duchy were waiting.

Their armor was splendid. What was it that my eldest sister had said? The knights of Duke Thermion were just as popular as the Imperial Knights.

A man with a scar across his face stepped forward and introduced himself.

“I am Lewik Asmar, captain of the First Corps of the knights of House Thermion.”

The captain of the knights.

I instinctively tried to gauge his skills. He was the commander of the first knight division of House Thermion, so he should be at penta class?

“It is an honor to serve the son of the war hero Count Sogres. From now on, I will do my best to serve you.”

In the midst of this, I realized anew how great a person my father was.

“Please take good care of me, Knight Captain.”

“You may call me Sir Asmar. How do you feel about your visit to the capital?”

“It’s nice. It doesn’t have the peace of the South, but all this bustle is impressive.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Sir Asmar smiled.

“The capital has its own charm. Of course, when I retire, I would like to go down to the south and live a peaceful life.”

He seemed to be quite talkative despite his appearance.

“Oh yes, I have heard a lot about it. Was it seven years ago? It must have been after the lord visited the South. It was the first time I have heard His Grace praise someone like that.”

To think Duke Thermion did such a thing.

It felt really strange. It would never happen, but how would he react if he found out that I was Argrik in my past life?

“I heard that you have great talent for spearmanship. As expected from the son of Count Sogres.”

“You’re praising me too much. Compared to my father, I’m nothing much.”

“You say that, but you’re already a head taller than your peers and your bone structure looks very sturdy. You are fourteen, correct? I don’t mean to brag, but I was also called a talent, but even I didn’t have such a figure when I was fourteen.”

Did he receive any instructions from Duke Thermion? I felt like they were intentionally praising me.

Still, it didn’t feel bad, and that statement was true.

I was a head—no, two heads taller than my peers. My physical development was much faster as I developed my Mana Core at three years old.

Now that I thought about it, it seemed like it might have been because my Mana Core contained Ancient Magic.

“I think you’ll receive a lot of attention once you enter the academy.”

I just hoped that nothing bothersome or unnecessary happened.

Anyway, I moved with Sir Asmar and the four knights following him. As we walked down the street, I felt people’s curious stares, but unlike at the count’s castle, I didn’t respond with a smile or wave.

After all, this was the capital.

“We’re almost there.”

It was a short walk to the duke’s mansion. No, actually, we didn’t move that much before I had a panoramic view of the huge mansion.

It was not surrounded by a wall like the count’s castle but was surrounded by a low fence, and it stood tall below the imperial castle.

It was awe-inspiring. Although not as much as the count’s castle, the mansion was also overflowing with its own style. That feeling became more intense the closer we got to the mansion…

I looked around when I felt as if someone was staring at me.

I definitely felt it.

Something similar to murderous intent…

“Oh, by the way, I heard you’re going to enter the academy soon. You’ll be entering with Miss Leila.”

Oh.

Leila.

It had been a long time since I’d heard that name. I hoped she was doing well. Had her swordsmanship skills improved a lot?

“Yes, that’s true. We will enroll together.”

It would be fun if we went to school together.

In the midst of all this, I finally arrived in front of the mansion and found many people waiting for me. As we entered the mansion, a huge garden unfolded before us.

“Isn’t it wonderful? This garden is my favorite area in the mansion. All my worries disappear when I contemplate here.”

Well, I thought our gardener’s landscaping skills were a little better.

I entered the mansion amidst the proud words of Lord Asmar and found myself a little surprised. As soon as I entered, there were servants lined up on both sides of the central staircase.

I should say that the rules and etiquette of our South felt very liberal.

“Welcome, Lord Sogres. I am Yohaim, the chamberlain of House Thermion.”

An old man wearing a monocle greeted me, and from then on he naturally guided me in.

“Please come this way.”

Just as I started wondering when the escorting would end一

“We are here.”

I finally arrived in front of Duke Thermion’s office.

My heart wasn’t pounding. Instead, it was excited. The man who killed me… how would he see me upon meeting me again after seven years?

“Your Grace, it’s Yohaim. I have brought the youngest son of Count Sogres.”

“Oh, come in.”

A spacious office was visible upon entering. In the middle of it all, a man stood as tall as a mountain.

Bout Thermion.

“I, Dane Sogres, greet you, Duke Thermion.”

He looked at me and smiled, replying, “Long time no see, Dane.”

Duke Thermion reacted more than I expected.

“Oho… even at a glance, you are completely different from seven years ago. The only thing that remained the same is your hair and eye color.”

He wasn’t just talking about physical growth.

“Your physical growth is one thing… haha, truly. I can see that kids you’re age—no, even fifteen-year-olds won’t be able to stand against you.”

Rather than having an exact idea of what my level was, it seemed like he was just making a rough estimate. Of course, you could tell if someone had a core or a circle, but you couldn’t check exactly how many there were unless you took a closer look.

Duke Thermion patted me on the shoulder and said, “Arken must be so proud.”

I wondered if my father was doing well these days. I hoped Mother wasn’t crying because I wasn’t there.

I should call them later.

“Make yourself comfortable while you’re at the mansion. It won’t be as comfortable as the count’s castle, but I’d like you to feel at ease for the next few days while you prepare for the entrance exam. I’ll assign a dedicated attendant to you, so if you need anything, just ask. Ah, yes. Asking Leila might be a good idea.”

I supposed I would see Leila soon.

But then Duke Thermion frowned and asked sadly, “By the way, did you fight with Leila?”

“What do you mean?”

“She seemed to be in a bad mood whenever I brought you up these past few months.”

I shook my head and replied, “No, I don’t think so?”

“Hmm. It shouldn’t be what I’m thinking, right?”

I didn’t know what he was thinking, but there was no reason why I wouldn’t be on good terms with Leila. We exchanged letters several times, and the atmosphere was always friendly.

“Hmm. Maybe it’s because of the pressure of the entrance exam. Someone like Leila should pass easily, but she’s still fourteen.”

Well, I guess I could just ask once we met. If she was nervous about the entrance exam, I could help her relax.

By the way, it was a bit funny because Duke Thermion looked exactly like my father when he was worrying about my elder sisters.

“The son of my old friend has come to visit my mansion, so I will have to entertain him. We will discuss the details later at the dinner banquet.”

“Yes. Thank you for your consideration, Your Grace.”

“What consideration?” Duke Thermion asked, smiling brightly. “Arken has done very well raising his children. Arabella, Clare, and you, Dane. All three of you will grow up to be great people.”

My father would have been very happy to hear that.

“Oh, right. I’m letting you know just in case, but… be gentle.”

“Sorry?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

I left the duke’s office in such doubt. Yohaim, who had guided me here, was waiting for me.

“I will take you to your room, my lord.”

So I followed him back to the central staircase and then changed directions toward the room I would be staying in.

“I’ll arrange for an attendant as you enter. If you need anything, please let me know.”

“Thank you.”

“Well then, please get some rest. I will come to escort you an hour before the banquet.”

Yohaim left and I turned to the door that was much taller than me. I was going to stay for a week and then go take the entrance exam. After taking the first test, if I passed, I would choose a major for the second test.

‘What should I study while I’m here? Should I brush up on my swordsmanship or spearmanship a little?’

“Come to think of it, I don’t think I asked where the training ground was.”

“I will guide you to the training ground.”

A familiar yet unfamiliar voice came from behind me.

I turned my head and一

“I thought I’d go crazy waiting for you to get here.”

Leila. She was different from the Leila in my memories, but it was definitely Leila who was standing there. Rose-colored hair, pale skin, and still shorter than me, but incomparably taller than before.

“Leila.” I smiled brightly in joy. “How have you been doing?”

“Yeah. I’ve been doing well. I’ve been doing very well.”

What the heck? Why was she acting odd all of a sudden?

Leila narrowed her eyes in a rather menacing manner and asked me.

“You… why didn’t you write?”