《Extra Works Hard》 CH 1 Rattle, rattle. The entire room was dark during the time it (the train) was going through the long, long tunnel. There was not even a faint light in the space where nothing could be seen. There was no sign of the end of the terrible darkness that even he could distinguish between objects, let alone himself, so the man chose to close his eyes. When he closed his eyes, all his senses became clearer. Was it because he was sitting on his back, or was it because he was putting his head against the window? As a result, the vibrations of the regularly swaying train became more vivid, and the resonant rattling sound seemed to detract from his ears. So the man slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding. Even the small sound of his breathing seemed to be heard loudly for nothing. The moment he exhaled, the still humming sound suddenly opened up, and the train came out of the tunnel. Light poured down over the lowered eyelids. The inside of the eyelid blinked white in the sudden light. The light that broke through the darkness tormented him, and the man couldn¡¯t open his eyes. At that moment, a wind carrying the scent of flowers blew in through the open window for ventilation. It was fragrant, sweet and soft at the same time. However, a raging wind blew through the room as if it had ever been so soft. Tremble. As a result, the old bookshelf in the man¡¯s hand quickly turned over, and the clothes he was wearing and the dull red hair loosely tied also became a mess. The man still couldn¡¯t open his eyes. The tired-looking eyes frowned. As the wind blew again, the man slowly lifted his eyelids. Then the tears that had been accumulating dripped down on his chin as it parted his cheeks and fell, leaving a dark mark on the book. But the man slowly scanned the narrow room without realizing it. At that moment, the man was visibly agitated. His heart was beating rapidly as if expressing his feelings. Then, the man licked his dry lips, and the words he uttered were very small, and he was bewildered as if he contained confusion. ¡°Is it a dream¡­?¡± The man could only think of this situation as a dream. The tablet in his hand had been replaced with an old book in the meantime, and his unfamiliar red hair tangled in the wind, obscuring his view. It was an unbelievable situation. Every time the train shook, his body and his strange hair shook with him. The man carefully lifted his hand and ran it through his red hair, which half-obscured his view. His hair, tied loosely, was undone at the gesture. His hair, just over his shoulders, was caught like a spider¡¯s web between his fingers. His hair was frizzy like a broom. He said it was red, but in fact, it was dull to be red. Yes, it was like a withered rose. Feeling the touch, the man thought it was a terribly vivid dream. The man who unconsciously combed his hair and brushed his hair a couple of times slowly noticed what had fallen next to me a moment ago. It wasn¡¯t a headband, it was a long black ribbon. Perhaps this had just been tying his hair loosely. The man held the ribbon in his hand. The ribbon, which was not of good quality, was very wrinkled. Stitches were popping all over the place. The man was very bewildered by this situation, but soon after thinking that this was a dream, he calmed down. Yes, it must be a dream that didn¡¯t make sense. If this situation was not a dream, how could you explain it? ¡°It¡¯s a strange dream.¡± The man blankly defined it that way. The water stains across his cheeks glistened in the light coming through the window, but it was something the man didn¡¯t know. If someone had looked at the man¡¯s face now, it would have been pitiful to see a very shabby man even shed tears on his thin, flat face. The man looked around the narrow room again. His seat was clearly in a familiar room. No matter how much he looked around, it was the same room as the train he was originally riding in. He was curious to see the train he was riding in for the first time, so he couldn¡¯t tell. But if there was something different from a little while ago¡­ The fact that the auxiliary bag had been changed to a bag with an older and somewhat old design, and the fact that the suitcase newly purchased for travel had been replaced with an antique bag. And the fact that the fabric of the bed he was sitting on had changed. Should he say it was a little older than the original one? Most of all, it seemed that the person he thought of as ¡®him¡¯ was not himself. This hair, which looked slightly over his shoulder, was not his, but the man was not wearing such a suit. The man carefully set the book in his hand aside and headed towards the wall with the mirror hanging on it. The man stopped for a moment in surprise, forgetting to breathe. ¡°¡­¡­¡± There was a face he had never seen before. The first thing that caught his eyes was red hair resembling a withered rose. The man in the mirror, no. The boy who was still young was wearing glasses. Those were dirty glasses. When he said that the world looked a little hazy, it must have been because of the glasses. The dark jade colour seen through the glasses was dark under the eyes, and he looked very tired. In addition, his cheeks were slender, and his jawline looked sharper because of that, making him even more sensitive. The tear marks that hadn¡¯t dried yet and the red-rimmed eyes made him look even more pitiful and sad. ¡®Even though it¡¯s a dream, I¡¯ve never seen such a person before.¡¯ The man implicitly thought that the body he had now would not be himself, but he was surprised to see him wearing someone else¡¯s mask and was speechless for a moment. ¡®¡­come to think of it, I had a different voice than before.¡¯ The man put saliva on his dry, rough lips, and then opened his mouth. He was not used to talking to himself, so he felt embarrassed even though no one was listening and no one was watching. ¡°¡­ah, ah. Real voice¡­ What, really different?¡± The man quickly shut his mouth. An unfamiliar voice came from an unfamiliar face. It was a voice he had never even heard of. Can you explain how you feel right now? He thought of a word to define, but every word that came to mind seemed out of place, so the man eventually gave up on naming it in his heart. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± He sighed a bit. The more he tried to calmly understand the current situation, the more incomprehensible it became. He wanted to think of it as a dream, but¡­ It suddenly occurred to it that it might be not. So, the man pinched his cheek hard. If it didn¡¯t hurt, this would be a dream but, of course, he felt the pain. ¡°Aww, it hurts¡­¡± It was a pain beyond imagination as he pinched his fingertips until they turned red. The pain was so vivid that tears came to his eyes and his cheeks ached. So, was this not a dream? He felt weird. In his heart, he thought maybe it was just an overly vivid lucid dream. But the pain was real. The man rubbed his tingly cheek. The boy in the mirror was copying all his actions. ¡®If this isn¡¯t a dream¡­¡¯ In response, the man unknowingly found traces of ¡®him¡¯ in this boy. The more he traced the contours of his face, looked at the clothes he was wearing, took off his glasses and put them back on, and touched his hair, the more he realized that he had no external resemblance to this boy. Unlike the man who was originally going towards his late 20s, this boy looked like a high school student at best. The clothes that didn¡¯t fit his dwarf physique made him look as if he was prepared for being tall. The man sat down on the bed again. ¡®What really happened? It was the train journey I was so looking forward to, so I can understand why it even comes out in my dreams. But I don¡¯t understand why I¡¯m wearing someone else¡¯s figure instead of mine, that¡¯s a little¡­ But what if this might not be a dream? So what is this? Are you saying I¡¯m in someone else¡¯s body? Who is this?¡¯ His confused head was spinning in a complicated way. The man looked out the window. The scenery passed quickly. The vast fields disappeared and a dense forest appeared. The train crossed the forest. The view put his mind at ease. The sound of the blades of grass swaying and hitting each other was like a song. Just when he was about to find peace in his heart, he heard the cry of an animal in the forest. Aww¡ª! The sound was quite loud. It sounded like a huge beast howling when he only thought of the howl that broke through the noise of the train. Fear crept behind his back. The cry of the beast did not move away or get closer. It was strange that the man quickly closed the window and locked it. At that moment, his heart pounded. He calmly closed the window and sat down on the bed to understand why the cry was neither moving away nor closer. T/N: I¡¯ll update this translation on weekend around 2-3 chapters. Also, this is still unedited or so I thought. I¡¯m sorry if some sentences or some paragraphs didn¡¯t make sense ahahaha! With this I also want to apologize to drop my previous translation. I still need editor and/or proof reader for this project. If you want to join, please contact via comment. Thank you! CH 2 The beast was probably following this train. So, the sound didn¡¯t go away. But no matter how fast the beast run, it would be slower than a moving train. ¡­no. The man shook his head to shake off his thoughts. The important thing now was that there were no beasts other than him. The important thing now was, ¡®Why am I in this state?¡¯. He didn¡¯t have any clues to answer the question. The man was in a single room attached to the train. He probably couldn¡¯t explain why he was left here. There were, in fact, few things a man could do in this moving train. The first thing he can do was go through the luggage in this room. The man hesitated and unpacked the suitcase that was supposed to belong to the boy. He looked through all the pockets of his coat and the pockets he was wearing, just in case. The man was a little disappointed. The content didn¡¯t matter. A piece of paper that looked like a train ticket, a pocket with money presumed to be a wallet, an envelope with a letter, a ring with a picture, an old notebook, clothes and household items, etc. It was modest. Next, a newspaper on the table caught his eyes. Wanting it to be of some help, the man quickly read the newspaper down. The man¡¯s face frowned as if he had seen something strange. The content in the newspaper was beyond his comprehension. What adorned the front page of the newspaper was a picture of a train and a train station quite familiar to the man. But the letters on it were different from what he knew. ¡°The new station for the magic train ¡®Kennis¡¯ (???) has finally been completed. Everyone¡¯s expectations were high as we had been waiting for a long time. Starting this year, students at Aurora Academy will no longer have to travel long distances by horse-drawn carriage! Because Aurora Station was newly completed this time. This is really good news for incoming and current students¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Suddenly, the newspaper in his hand fell to the floor. The man didn¡¯t know the name of the train named Kennis, but he knew the Aurora Academy. It was a school that did not exist in a reality where the man lived. Well, that was the name of the school in the fantasy novel he was reading a while ago! ¡®Does this make sense?!¡¯ The man was enveloped in a dizzy feeling. It was when the man was grabbing his head in shock. Announcements sounded throughout the train. The man seemed to have been confirmed killed once again. His face turned pale. Amidst the chaos, the train stopped at some point, and the outside door became noisy. People were getting off the train and the noise suddenly filled in. But the man sat in the train for a long time until all the murmuring was gone. He rather wished it was a dream. It was a trip he has been looking forward to and it was a novel he enjoyed so much that it was coming out in his dreams. But even though he wanted to turn away from the fact that all of this was real, he couldn¡¯t. Everything came to the man vividly. The feeling of rustling sheets, cold sweat run down the back. His shaky hands were trembling. His heart was beating wildly. His hands and feet were cold. Rattle. Bang! Then the room door opened with a loud noise. A man who appeared to be a flight attendant knocked on the door that had already been opened. ¡°Hey, student. Why don¡¯t you get off?¡± The first language he heard was English or French at first, but when he listened closely, it was a completely different, completely new language. But strangely, as soon as he heard those words, he immediately understood. The man got up from his seat. He shuddered at the look of the flight attendant¡¯s dissatisfied frown and swept into his bag the items that had been lying on the bed. ¡°No, now, I¡¯m leaving!¡± The words he stuttered were the same as those uttered by the flight attendant. He didn¡¯t notice it before, but now that he thought about it, it wasn¡¯t Korean either. The bag did not close properly as the messy clothes only increased the volume. The flight attendant standing behind let out an annoyed sigh. He was so nervous that his hand was hovering in the air. ¡°Great. Do it fast. Judging from that uniform, you look like an Aurora Academy student, am I right. Even if you are late for this, you shouldn¡¯t blame us!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± Eventually, the bag was forcibly closed and locked. It was quite unsettling to see the seams being pulled tight. It seemed as if the bag would open at will at any time. The hem of his clothes was sticking out through the slightly opened bag, but there was no time to rearrange the bag. The man hurriedly grabbed his bag. As soon as the flight attendant stepped out of the door and gave it to him, the man ran out of the cabin. Tap. Bang. The man was bewildered to himself as the sound of his shoes resounded in the aisle, but he couldn¡¯t stop. Being chased by something, the man thought he had to get out of here quickly. There was no one in the aisle narrow enough for only two people to walk side by side. There it was quiet outside the window. The spacious train station was already empty, so the appearance of the station was bleak. As the man got off the train, a loud horn sounded. Soon after, all the doors of the train closed, and the train quickly left the station. The man stood idly until the train left, staring at the train as it moved away. ¡°¡­¡­now what?¡± The words he uttered unconsciously flowed out in vain as if to represent his feelings. The man staggered and sat down on an empty bench. His loose hair fluttered freely in the wind. The dull red hair fluttering in the wind still felt unfamiliar. And it was annoying. His long hair was something he had never seen before in his life, so it was annoying and cumbersome. The man pondered for a moment whether this might be good, and he remembered the black ribbon he had in his pocket. He pulled out a ribbon, bit it gently with his lips, and gathered his messy hair together with his empty hands. Still, he did not stop thinking. A little while ago the flight attendant saw the man and said he looked like an Aurora Academy student. Perhaps his words were reliable information. Didn¡¯t he say that this was a school uniform? And he thought it was reasonable enough given the outward appearance of this body. ¡®Let¡¯s say the owner of this body is a student at that school. So what now? That Aurora? Does he have to go to the academy?¡¯ Maybe it was. The man tied his hair up. He just rolled it up with a ribbon and made a rough knot. Then it became more comfortable. The man looked at his luggage bag. It was a bit too much for travel luggage. Was the owner of this body really heading to the academy? In the current situation, the man knew nothing. He was just guessing where this place was. It was also a nonsensical hypothesis, so he thought it would be better to go to the academy for now. If he went there, would anyone know about this boy? First, he had to know about this boy. The man clasped his skinny hands and opened them. His pale hands were long and slender, with bones clearly visible. Let¡¯s get out of the station. It was clear what he had to do to get his mind right. The man grabbed the bag next to him. To his surprise, it was so heavy that his body staggered. He thought he was good at holding it and running. Again, I thought that this body was weaker than I thought. ¡°Ah.¡± Getting out was fine, but there was one problem. That was a big problem too. Naturally, the man did not know where the academy was. To make matters worse, he didn¡¯t see students around here (?? ?? ??, I don¡¯t understand ¡®a single ant cub¡¯ here). The bag he was carrying was so heavy that his fingers could not turn red and turned white. Even if he knew the location, he wouldn¡¯t be able to walk for a long time like this. The man quickly put down his heavy bag and looked around. How could there no one here? Should he go back into the station and looking for someone? He saw earlier that there were still sparse people in the station¡­ It was time to think so. A carriage rushing towards the station caught the man¡¯s attention. A small carriage stopped near the station after a while. Seeing the man presumed to be the coachman getting off the carriage, the man rushed to miss him. ¡°There¡­!¡± ¡°Huh? Student? What are you doing here? All the other kids have already gone to school!¡± Seeing the man approaching him, the driver was rather surprised. ¡°Because I overslept¡­¡± The man hurriedly told the lie. But those words seemed to fit the coachman¡¯s question very well. Perhaps after looking at the languid boy showed, he earned the coachman¡¯s sympathy. The coachman sighed and got back on the carriage. T/N: I¡¯ll update this translation on weekend around 2-3 chapters or release 1 chapter every 2 days? I don¡¯t have a fixed schedule for now. Also, this is still unedited or so I thought. I¡¯m sorry if some sentences or some paragraphs didn¡¯t make sense ahahaha! Oh right, I¡¯m waiting for the info I added on Novelupdate to be approved. u_u CH 3 ¡°Ugh, where is the still young student going? Let¡¯s get on the carriage.¡± ¡°!¡± ¡°If we go now, I¡¯m sure you will arrive on time for curfew. It¡¯s a shame because it¡¯s so close.¡± ¡°Yeah! Thank you!¡± The coachman asked the man to get into the wagon as if it were natural. Even if he didn¡¯t say it, he knew it through experience. The man was about to get on the wagon and remembered that he had left his luggage, so he hurriedly picked up his luggage and got on the wagon. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± The wagon began to rattle. The ride was worse than the train. He felt like he was getting a little motion sick because of the crazy shaking inside of the wagon. The man¡¯s attention was taken for a moment by the scenery passing through the window, but this time his thoughts spread about the Aurora Academy he was heading towards. ¡®Aurora Academy.¡¯ The familiar and unfamiliar word did not exist in the man¡¯s real life, but it existed in the novel the man had read. The man came up with an absurd hypothesis again. It was an absurd hypothesis that this place seemed to be in a novel. The man slowly closed his eyes. His head, which was still dizzy from motion sickness, was pounding even more. was the title of the book as well as the name of the protagonist. ¡°Hazard Erasmus.¡± (??? ?????) The fifth prince of the Shekira Kingdom (??? ???) and a man who will become a hero in the future. A charming prince with blonde hair that looked like melted gold and blue eyes like the blue summer sky. His personality was also saddened, and the main character, Hazard, was a character who could be said to be a typical princely model that people like. And was a common adventure fantasy novel that wrote the life story of such a prince. In this world, monsters called demons existed. There were wizards, and there were swordsmen who used magic to wield swords. There was even a Sword Master who stood at the apex of his sword. The dungeon also existed, but it happened thousands of years ago in ancient times and was now sealed. There really was a God in this world. Not now, but there used to be. Therefore, the authority of the temple was strong, and up to now, the kingship and the priesthood were in conflict with each other. And this was where Aurora Academy comes in. The most prestigious academy in the Shekira Kingdom that produced knights, wizards, and other professions. The beginning of was from this academy. Hazard, who entered high school, was entangled in various incidents and accidents. In the process, he gained his companions and obtained various powers through Giyeon (in Buddhism, the relationship to receive the Buddha¡¯s edification and the qualities of beings who will receive the edification, ??(™C¾‰)). And all of this was a stepping stone for the future. By the time Hazard graduated from Aurora Academy, the world changes. The dungeons that had been sealed for thousands of years were awakened one by one, and it became a world in which demons flourish. And the trust came down. ¡®Only one of those who inherit the blood of Erasmus will save the world and become the true king.¡¯ ¡­it was a story Prince Hazard went on a long adventure with his friends to re-seal the dungeons. What a wonderful story was that. And there was no figure with red hair like a withered rose. So the man couldn¡¯t be sure. Thump, thump. The man was startled by the sudden sound and straightened his body. Outside the carriage, the coachman was knocking on the door. The wagon seemed to have stopped before he knew it. ¡°Student, we have arrived. Get off.¡± ¡°Ah. Yes, yes¡­¡± The man packed his things and got off the wagon. He thanked the coachman as he came out carefully, and the man looked at the academy. The academy was very big. When he saw the huge buildings like Western castles he had seen in photos before, the man felt dismayed. He was looking for the entrance while looking at the iron fence that was a bit taller than his height, and a boy was standing in front of the entrance. The orange-haired boy was constantly looking at his pocket watch to see who was waiting, restless, standing there and going back and forth. The boy stopped moving when he found a man walking tumbled and slow. The boy¡¯s face contorted, followed by an angry voice. ¡°Nathan Norbert!¡± The boy ran as hard as a bang. ¡°You! Why are you here so late! I was terrified to know what had happened!¡± The boy¡¯s orange hair was also very short, and unlike his youthful appearance, he had a good physique. Seeing that he was wearing the same attire as the man was wearing, this outfit seemed to fit the school uniform as well. The boy approached the man as if to hit him. He saw his fingers twitch as if he was really about to hit him. They were the same height, but he was intimidating because of the huge difference in physique. As he instinctively shrugged his body, the boy stood tall and clicked his tongue. ¡°Tsk. Your face is crooked¡­ Follow me quickly. You have to go to the dormitory and go straight to the professor. Professor Michael (???, is it Michael or what?) is looking for you! I¡¯m the only one who got mad!¡± Then he turned around and started walking. The man reluctantly followed the boy. He was late because of his heavy bag. Seeing this, the boy became even more nervous. To make matters worse, the old bag could not hold its contents and the latch broke. In an instant, the contents spilt out like an explosion. ¡°Ha! You are really varied!¡± (It seems like a curse or mock words, right?) Yeah. Even in the midst of embarrassment, the man retorted inwardly. Leaving behind his embarrassment, the man hurriedly swept away the things that had been spilt on the floor. Of course, the boy didn¡¯t help. He just folded his arms and rolled his feet in annoyance. The man shoved his luggage back into the broken bag. The bag with a broken lock could not be closed. He couldn¡¯t help but toss a huge bag into his arms. The boy saw it and started walking again. The man walked quickly and followed the boy. His arms were numb from the bag that was so heavy that his body could fall on his back, but he had to clench his teeth and hold on. The boy acted as if he knew the owner of this body. But looking at his tone and expression, it didn¡¯t seem like they were on good terms. It was like the time passed was too slow. In reality, it must have been about 10 minutes, but the man¡¯s hands were red and sweat was pouring out. He was out of breath. He walked quickly in order to catch up with the boy, but the gap with the boy only widened, and at some point, the boy was far away. He still was in the same place. The boy opened a certain door and went inside. The man was able to enter the room after a while. ¡°Leave your bag anywhere. Go and get it sorted out. Well, anyway, you don¡¯t organize well, so it¡¯s no use letting me know.¡± At the boy¡¯s words, the man was only able to put the bag down on the floor. He was out of breath and his limbs trembled. ¡°Cough, cough¡­!¡± This body was garbage. He didn¡¯t move much, he only lifted this weight, but the world turned yellow. It was dizzy. The boy was still struggling with the man, so he gave him a little rest. He (the boy) didn¡¯t bring him water, but he told him where the water was, so he could drink a glass of water. ¡°After that, I think I will live.¡± ¡°Are you all resting? Go. It¡¯s still too late!¡± ¡°Keumkeum! ¡­okay.¡± (It¡¯s onomatopoeia of clearing the throat probably) The man spoke awkwardly. But the boy didn¡¯t feel anything strange, so he just went out first. In the wide hallway, there were sometimes boys and girls who seemed to be the same age. And they sometimes looked back at the man and murmured. Their gazes were different. It seemed to see the pitiful thing, it seemed to be reluctant, and when their eyes met him, they seemed to smile a little. The man thought it was strange, but he decided to pretend he didn¡¯t know. The boy stopped in front of a door, and there was a sign on the door saying [Second Magic Room]. ¡®The Magic Room!¡¯ That word made the man flutter. It was magic¡­ There could be no more heart-fluttering words than that. And the boy who saw it thought that it was as if a light had entered his eyes, which had been dead for an instant. ¡°You have to talk to them! Please tell them we¡¯re late because of you. Whoo, I was so relieved that I didn¡¯t have to share the same room with you now¡­ what is this. Really disgusting! Nathan Norbert. It was disgusting because we were together, so let¡¯s not see each other again.¡± Then he hurriedly ran away. The man didn¡¯t even say anything, and just wiped the back of his back with his shaky hand. ¡°Nathan Norbert.¡± (?? ???) Twice the boy called the man Nathan Norbert. Then it will be his name from now on. But it was still a name he had never heard of. Knock, knock, knock. Putting aside the subject of this body for a while, Nathan stood in front of the door and knocked. ¡°Excuse me. Nathan¡­ This is Nathan Norbert.¡± The name that came out of his mouth was very unfamiliar. After a while, a noble voice came from beyond the door. ¡°Come in.¡± Nathan carefully opened the door. The door swung open without a creaking sound as if the oil was well oiled. Nathan entered the room, rubbing his damp palms against his clothes. The first thing he noticed was the smell of medicine. In addition, unlike the cold outside, there was a warm air inside, which was strangely warm. T/N: I¡¯ll update this translation on weekend around 2-3 chapters or release 1 chapter every 2 days? I don¡¯t have a fixed schedule for now. Also, this is still unedited or so I thought. I¡¯m sorry if some sentences or some paragraphs didn¡¯t make sense ahahaha! Oh right, I¡¯m waiting for the info I added on Novelupdate to be approved. u_u CH 4 ¡°Forgive me for being late. For arriving late I¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Student Nathan.¡± ¡°Are you already here?¡± There were two people in the room. The first person to open his mouth was a gentleman. He was the owner of the voice he heard from outside the door. And Nathan knew who it was. Because he was exactly as he was described in the novel. Professor Michael. A person with the title of Archmage as the dean of the Magic Department of Aurora Academy. The man had a very attractive face. Once you saw him, you would never forget his face. In particular, it was difficult to see his golden eyes like those of a human being. It was because he had longitudinally diverged pupils resembling reptiles. He had long, lemon-coloured hair that fell down to his waist and hung loosely in a sloppy tie, and he wore a thick, colourfully embroidered navy blue robe. In his right hand was a staff woven from branches and set on his head with a yellow jewel the size of a child¡¯s face, and in his left-hand something like a root of grass. And the person leaning at an angle on the table next to it was also vaguely familiar to Nathan. With his short red hair, beautifully tanned skin, and slightly drooping, greenery glittered eyes. Muscles were placed on the tall body without excessive muscle mass. And he was wearing a sword around his waist. ¡°It¡¯s Student Finver¡¯s (??) fault that he didn¡¯t do his job properly. Obviously, I was telling him about it. When Student Nathan arrives by train, I told him to bring him along.¡± ¡°Th, that was it.¡± ¡°Hey, Michael. But why are you scared?¡± ¡°Ha, Pavan (??). What did I do?¡± Nathan clasped his hands in front of him. After all, Professor Pavan was right¡­! Both Michael and Pavan appeared from the very beginning of . Pavan was an excellent swordsman and was in charge of the Swordsmanship Department. He was also the teacher who taught Hazard there. As a result, Pavan appeared more frequently than expected even after the academy episode. He was a ferocious and just knight. After becoming a knight in the royal family with a female body, he decided to retire early at a young age (??? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??? ????, I¡¯m not sure Pavan is a ¡®he¡¯ or a ¡®she¡¯¡­) and became a professor at Aurora Academy. Of course, the author mentioned the incident insignificantly, but the author used to indirectly convey the nuance that Hazard was involved in the cause. ¡°Yes, I heard the news.¡± Pavan spoke suddenly, and Nathan flinched in surprise. Nathan looked at Pavan with trembling eyes. Once again, even though he had the same red hair as his and green eyes, but the feeling was different. What more news¡­? Wasn¡¯t it Michael who called him? He glanced at Michael to see that he had his back turned and was doing something else. ¡°I was also very surprised to hear the news. Of course, others were surprised. I was startled by the news of Melchieldog under the world¡­ (??? ????? ??? ??? ????, what¡¯s this meaning again? It looks like name area?)¡± ¡°It was. It was in the article, and it was noisy for a while.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Nathan frowned and replied. Because of the tension, the end of the speech was raised without him knowing, but it seemed that the two of them did not notice. Or maybe they were pretending to be like that. Pavan grabbed Nathan¡¯s hand. His scarred hands were about the same size as Nathan¡¯s, but in many ways, they were compared to Nathan¡¯s thin and fragile hands. A warm hand wrapped around his cold hand. ¡°The work of Baron Norbert was very unfortunate. God is too much¡­ How heartache did you feel because of this¡­¡± His casual pat was gentle. His words were full of worry and regret. But still, Nathan couldn¡¯t keep up with the conversation. Not knowing anything, his head was already pure white, but as he listened to conversations he couldn¡¯t even keep up with the flow, he became more and more a blank slate. Didn¡¯t know what the silent Nathan thinking about, Pavan held Nathan¡¯s hand strongly. ¡°Nevertheless, Nathan, you are safe, so just let it go.¡± ¡®Are you?¡¯ Nathan read unknown anxiety in the context of the conversation. His heart was pounding and his stomach felt nauseous. ¡°Yeah, did your family¡¯s funeral go well?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Nathan closed his eyes and opened them slowly. At that moment, the sentences of the conversation he had heard so far were entangled in his mind. Baron Norbert. Nathan Norbert was the first name he had ever heard of, but Baron Norbert had been mentioned in the novel before. Also for bad reasons. In all things, there was always a sign that it would happen before it happened. For example, let¡¯s say that one day, the railing that had been in good shape suddenly broke. But it probably didn¡¯t really break all of a sudden. Maybe it was due to ageing little by little over a long period of time, or it could be that small incontinence occurred due to some strong impact before that, and it was broken by even a small force. This was the case with Baron Norbert. It was the first sign to hint at future events in the world of . Baron Norbert was located a bit far from the rest of the central city. The population was small, the economy was not affluent, and it was underdeveloped, so it took three days to get to the neighbour village. The incident took place after Aurora Academy was on winter break. Every year around this time, subjugation of monsters took place everywhere, and that was no different in Baron Norbert. In the original case, the usual number of people would have been sufficient. Although it was a small estate, it was still baronial in its own way, so there were quite a few skilled knights. However, somehow, the number of monsters that appeared this year was greater than ever before, and they were strangely strong. It didn¡¯t take long for the little baron to become a waste. The baron¡¯s only son went to the Viscount Lasilla (??? ???) in the neighbour village to ask for help, but when they arrived at Baron Norbert with reinforcements, only a few people survived there. The main character, Hazard, heard the news through a newspaper article. But that was it. Hazard only realized much later that what happened in Baron Norbert was the beginning of an ominous omen. ¡­that¡¯s how it was going. The work of Baron Norbert was just a story that had to happen for what was to come. A story that was only mentioned in a few lines. But for the owner of this body, it was not a story that would end in just a few lines. Nathan remembered the dreary gloom he had seen in the train. He remembered the wrinkled corners of his eyes and the bites across his cheek. When he woke up, ¡®Nathan¡¯ was crying silently. Somehow, his heart was pounding. ¡°I thought it would be okay for you to rest a little longer. The academy is a problem that can be solved on your own terms, so if you want to take a leave of absence right now, you can tell me.¡± ¡°Oh, no, no.¡± Nathan hurriedly shook his head. He himself had to be here. He knew nothing and had no one to turn to. He really had nowhere to go once he left this academy. Even if he knew the contents of the novel, there was no way he could survive on his own. Let¡¯s bury the ¡®Nathan¡¯ thing for a moment. He didn¡¯t know if ¡®he¡¯ had a good funeral for ¡®his¡¯ family. ¡®He¡¯ returned to the academy, and ¡®he¡¯ wasn¡¯t himself, even though ¡®he¡¯ actually thought he was going to quit the academy. ¡°I want to be in the academy.¡± His voice trembled involuntarily. His eyes are contorted as if crying. But no more tears flowed from the corners of his dry eyes. Nathan wanted to cry in many ways. He didn¡¯t know how he got to this place. He wanted someone to let me know. He just had the train journey he had been longing for. He was just travelling in the form of escapism! ¡°¡­right. I know.¡± Pavan said in a calm tone. Then he squeezed the hand he had been holding tight once more and released it. ¡°Come on, drink this. It is a herbal tea with a calming effect.¡± ¡°¡­thank you.¡± He took the teacup that Michael had offered. A pleasant scent tickled the tip of his nose. The three of them drank tea for a while. No words were spoken, but Nathan guessed that the two of them were only talking to each other without him knowing it. It was written in the original novel that if two people were capable of using their magical powers, they could also use electric tones, so maybe it was. The tea was sweet. It felt really relaxing. It was then that Nathan began to feel a little more comfortable looking around. The inside of the room was really shaped like a wizard would use it. Various herbs and flowers were hanging from the ceiling. It wasn¡¯t electricity that lit the room, but a light that could be turned on and off by magic. Various medicine bottles were lined up, and thick books were piled up. On one side of the desk, a quill was moving alone and writing down. There was a blackboard right in front of where Nathan was standing, full of incomprehensible symbols and letters. What looked like a magic circle was drawn between the dense letters without any spaces, and the sentence below it was barely readable. CH 5 ¡°Are you interested in magic?¡± ¡°¡­a little bit.¡± It was Michael¡¯s voice that broke the silence. Nathan nodded slowly. To be honest, he was very interested. Since there was no such thing as magic where he lived, he really wanted to see it and try it himself if he could. Hearing Nathan¡¯s words, Pavan made a strange expression. ¡°Well. But Nathan, you are a student in our Swordsmanship Department.¡± ¡°!¡± Swordsmanship? Swordsmanshiiip? With this squishy body? Swordsmanship Department with a body that couldn¡¯t even carry a suitcase? Nathan was ridiculous. It was questionable whether this body could hold a single sword properly. If it had been the Magic Department, or the Spirits Department, or Sorcery Department, it wouldn¡¯t have been so absurd. Whether or not he knew Nathan¡¯s face was stained with shock, Pavan continued stroking his chin. ¡°¡­no, I think it would be good to change departments right now.¡± Nathan agreed with that a hundred times. He also didn¡¯t like to use the original body, but this body was not a body that could hold a sword. It was an unbelievable story to get into the Swordsmanship Department with such a fragile body. ¡°Well, you can change it right now if you want. In fact, I don¡¯t understand why you insisted on the Swordsmanship Department to become a knight ¡®cause you weren¡¯t that good in the first place. You aren¡¯t weren¡¯t able to freely manipulate your magical powers, and your body is weak, so you used to vomit after just a few rounds of the gym. There, you used to fight Hazard for first or second to last place.¡± Really, why did he go to the Swordsmanship Department? The more Nathan listened to Pavan, the more he seemed to understand why Pavan did not understand. Because even he could not understand the choice of this owner¡¯s body. ¡®And Hazard. The story of Hazard comes through here.¡¯ If he was here, they would meet at least once. It would be a lie if he said he wasn¡¯t curious. The feelings of wanting to meet the protagonist of this story and not wanting to meet him collided. If he met him, he would be convinced that this place was a novel. There was still enough evidence that this place was in a novel, but meeting the protagonist was something else¡­ ¡°Nathan. Think seriously. Other departments are fine.¡± ¡°My opinion is?¡± ¡°I thought you would allow it too?¡± ¡°Of course, it doesn¡¯t matter if you have a criminal record. But now it¡¯s high school. No matter how much you want on a major, it¡¯s not guaranteed even if you start in high school, right?¡± Michael took a sip of tea leisurely. ¡°Even if others go through the integration process from elementary or middle school, they pick one place and learn the basics. When Nathan was in elementary and middle school, he wanted to major in swordsmanship and took classes accordingly. It is said that no matter which department you go to now, the basics are not enough. Can Nathan get the same class as the other kids in high school and achieve the same results? I am not sure.¡± Well, that was it, too. However, even in this state, even in the Swordsmanship Department, it would not be much different. From Nathan¡¯s point of view, this body was not a body capable of doing the work he was trying to do. Could he properly lift a sword with such a weak arm? Pavan clearly said that ¡®Nathan¡¯ was a swordsman, but anyone who had ever moved this body even for a moment would know. This body was so weak that he doubted whether it had the basic muscles necessary for life! Of course, considering Nathan¡¯s current situation, it might have been that he was mentally exhausted and damaged his health. But after hearing Pavan¡¯s words, it didn¡¯t seem like he was in good health either, so would it be alright to continue attending the Swordsmanship Department in this state? Nathan questioned himself and came up with the answer himself. The answer was ¡®no¡¯. Predictably, if he continued to attend the Swordsmanship Department like this, he would have been unable to keep up with the class and would have fallen behind. Perhaps the original ¡®Nathan¡¯ was in a similar situation. Because fighting for 1st and 2nd place behind the scenes meant that. Above all, the fact that he had no intention of learning swordsmanship was the biggest reason that made him worry. If so, wouldn¡¯t he rather go somewhere that interested him? At the word ¡®magic¡¯, Nathan forgot the situation he was in for a moment and was excited. But didn¡¯t everyone have a desire for magic? Didn¡¯t he ever see a story in a book and imagine it? Hadn¡¯t he ever thought that it would be nice if this could become a reality? First of all, Nathan had had thoughts that were close to illusions quite a few times. ¡°¡­I want to change my department.¡± So there was no need to think about it for a long time. It seemed like it would have been better. It was better to be in a place he was interested in, even in order to prepare for what would happen in the future. ¡°Yeah, a different department would be a better fit for you. I don¡¯t feel comfortable sending my disciple to another place, but¡­ from what I can see, you are not compatible with the sword.¡± ¡°Student Nathan, are you sure about wanting to come to the Magic Department?¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Magic Department.¡± ¡°Then you will have a lot to prepare for. First of all, there are still three days left before high school starts, so it must be busy in the meantime.¡± ¡°After this, if you have any problems you can come to us adults for help. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been holding you back for so long, you must be tired from coming all the way here, so go ahead and rest.¡± ¡°¡­yes, I will go then.¡± Nathan bowed his head awkwardly and headed towards the door. The door opened as silently as when he came in. As Nathan had just stepped out and closed the door, Michael¡¯s voice was heard. ¡°Oh, Student Nathan.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Come back here after breakfast tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± A voice spit out in a low, weak voice, and Michael might have heard it, but Nathan closed the door and walked off right away. His shoulders drooped as if he could only relax after being alone. It was then that Nathan realized that he was still nervous. As soon as he woke up, his whole body ached. Seeing that his arms were trembling, it looked like he was going to suffer from muscle aches by tomorrow. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± With a sigh, his breath was exhaled white in the air. Nathan just started walking back the way he had come. Before, there were still some people, but now, there was not a single person on the road. The empty hallway was filthy. The winter wind was cold. No, the winter break was over and the students had arrived, so was it now spring? ¡°Cold.¡± It would have been nice to have gloves in the luggage bag, but Nathan¡¯s hands quickly froze in the cold. The air was still cold, and the sky was a little cloudy. The surroundings were gloomy like the sky on a winter day. It looked like it was going to snow at any time. Nathan glanced at the cloudy sky, hoping it would snow. It was nice to see snow, so he hoped it snowed. He wished it would pile. Then maybe this feeling of sagging would improve a little bit. Nathan staggered and sat down, leaning against the wall. Then he buried his face in his lap. During this frantic situation, Nathan¡¯s mood also fluctuated up and down like crazy. He was excited for a moment and then fell to the bottom immediately, and he still was. His mood was sinking indefinitely. From now on, what would he be like? Would he live in the future with the identity of a character named Nathan Norbert? What should he do if he met someone who knew ¡®Nathan¡¯? In that regard, changing his department may have been a good thing in many ways. Because fewer people knew him outside of the Swordsmanship Department ¡®he¡¯ studied in for several years. Maybe it was better to not be in it at all. Trudge, trudge¡­ And Nathan¡¯s house must be ruined¡­? Was the whole family dead? Baron Norbert had only one child¡­ It was driving him crazy. He didn¡¯t know anything about it, so he would have to look for an article about the case of Baron Norbert. That would make things seem less weird. He could say that because of the incident, his personality went through a change or something, so he changed his mind. And¡­ Drip. Nathan thought so blankly, and when the footsteps he had heard before stopped in front of him, he slowly lifted his head. The messy boots were the first thing that caught his eyes. His eyes then climbed up the long legs, tilting his head high, until he could see the owner of the footsteps. ¡°What are you doing there?¡± It was a good thing there was no backlighting. If there were, he wouldn¡¯t have noticed immediately who the boy standing in front of him was. The gold colour, like melted gold, shimmered even in the gloomy weather. His cool eyes were slightly frowning as if puzzled and, blue like the summer sky, were looking straight at Nathan. At that moment, a huge shock struck his head. Nathan sighed involuntarily. Ah, instinct whispers. This person was Hazard. His name was Hazard Erasmus. He was the protagonist of this novel who I¡¯ve met so quickly. Indeed, the boy in front of him was exactly what Nathan had envisioned while reading . So he had no choice but to recognize him at a glance. He couldn¡¯t have dared to imagine a protagonist other than this figure. CH 6 ¡°That was dangerous. I couldn¡¯t see well because I was holding this.¡± Then he squinted his eyes. Hazard put the wooden box he was holding down on the floor and knelt down in front of Nathan. In an instant, the two of them were at the same eye level. As he met his blue eyes, Nathan had a hard time taking his eyes off him. There was something about this boy that caught the attention of others. ¡°¡­but your face is really pale. How long have you been like this? Are you hurt? Shall I call Professor Matilda? No, I think it¡¯d be faster if I take you directly to the Professor¡­¡± His voice sounded like it had just changed¡ªa somewhat childish and awkward voice. He was still short. Hazard had the form of a young boy at exactly that age. Nathan stiffened, unable to answer Hazard¡¯s question, and couldn¡¯t even blink. Nathan had no idea that he would meet Hazard so soon. To be honest, within this wide academy, he wasn¡¯t confident he would even come across him. So he thought that if he didn¡¯t work hard, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to see his face. But he hadn¡¯t even prepared his heart yet, so he was facing him like this¡­ Nathan closed his eyes tightly, wondering if this was a dream, and then opened it. Still, Hazard was in front of him. To him, Hazard was the first person he had just met, but ironically, Nathan was the only person in the world he could be friendly with from the start. No one in the world knew him better than Nathan. But the embarrassing thing was that Nathan hardly had any idea how to deal with him. Hazard was a kind person. So, he guessed Hazard just couldn¡¯t walk past someone he met for the first time simply because he looked like he was his classmate. Hazard, considering Nathan, who only stared at him and didn¡¯t answer him, held out his hand. ¡°Come on, get up. You¡¯ll freeze your ass otherwise.¡± He must have been thinking of Nathan for saying it in such a joking manner. But still, Nathan seemed unwilling to grab hold of the hand in front of him. Hazard frowned slightly at the awkward mood and smiled. From his point of view, the boy sitting in front of him didn¡¯t seem suspicious when he collapsed. Hazard was afraid that something big would happen if he left him here, so he was talking to him on purpose. From afar, Hazard knew that there were people here. But it was strange that he (Nathan) didn¡¯t move. He could not hide his presence as an assassin who was targeting him, and the power he felt was too weak. So, even though his destination was in a different direction, it was for that reason that he came this way. Slowly raising his head to Hazard¡¯s words, the boy¡¯s face was as pale as a sheet of paper, but the cold had reddened it. His lips were blue. Even under his eyes, seen through his round glasses, it looked as if he hadn¡¯t slept for several days, and his dull red hair couldn¡¯t catch Hazard¡¯s attention. Red hair was common in the Shekira Kingdom. Even within this academy, it may be an exaggeration to say that half of them had red hair, but this child could have been one of the many students who walked around on their own. ¡°How many times have we met face to face? You seem familiar¡­¡± ¡°¡­ No, we¡¯re meeting for the first time.¡± I guess not, Hazard just smiled in embarrassment. And to escape his embarrassment, he grabbed Nathan¡¯s hand and pulled him up to his feet. Again, it didn¡¯t seem strange that he fell down really soon. He was sitting on the floor of this cold hallway, so he could¡¯ve frozen into a statue like this. His hands were already frozen. But pulling hard to get Nathan up was a mistake. The boy was lighter than Hazard had thought, and the excessive force made the two of them stumble. ¡°¡­sorry.¡± Hazard quickly regained his focus and grabbed Nathan as he was about to fall. He thought he was fat because of his clothes, but when he got close, he could feel the boy¡¯s skinny body, much to Hazard¡¯s embarrassment¡ªso he slowly apologized. The deep jade that he met through his glasses was like an endless swamp. ¡°¡­thanks.¡± The voice that came out like a muffled voice was suffocating. As the boy stood with his feet on the ground, the boy in front of him was taller than he thought. He seemed bigger than Hazard himself, who was still growing. Hazard was bigger, though. The boy who was tidying up the crumpled hem of his clothes stopped for a moment as if he was choosing what to say and looked at Hazard. ¡°¡­you don¡¯t have to call Professor Matilda. I¡¯m fine, just a little dizzy. So, that¡­ No. I¡¯ll be going.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s good¡­¡± Hazard, bewildered, moved aside. ¡°It was nice to meet you.¡± A smile appeared on Nathan¡¯s lips as he spoke those words and then disappeared. Nathan hurried out of the room. After the boy had disappeared, Hazard picked up the luggage he had left on the floor and walked to his secret hideout. Then he suddenly stopped. ¡°Did he say ¡®it was nice to meet you¡¯?¡± Don¡¯t you usually say goodbye¡­? * * * Nathan walked recklessly as if to avoid Hazard, and then got lost. Thanks to this, he found his dormitory room only after the sun went down. ¡°Tired to death¡­¡± As soon as Nathan entered the room, he took up one bed and lay down. He didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift a single hand. However, the soft blanket made him feel a little better. Nathan took off his glasses and tossed them aside and buried his face in the duvet. Today has been such a long day. His eyes have been twitching. He thought it would be good to sleep like this. Then he seemed to fall asleep without even dreaming. He knew he should go change and wash up, but once he lay down, he didn¡¯t want to get up again. Let¡¯s just lie down like this for five minutes. Then I¡¯ll get up. And¡­ Chirp, chirp¡ª When Nathan woke up again, there was a bird chirping outside the window. ¡°I, I¡¯m sorry for being late!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, Student Nathan. I didn¡¯t wait that long. I only just arrived.¡± Melkiel gently comforted Nathan. Nathan, having rushed over, was still panting. His lungs ached from the cold air and his stomach was also rumbling. Last night, Nathan fell asleep on the bed and didn¡¯t get up until morning. When he opened his eyes, the light in his room was brighter than he had expected. Nathan was surprised to see an unfamiliar room and rolled over from the bed. And he remembered. Oh, this wasn¡¯t where he used to live. On the other hand, he had expected that when he woke up, he would return to reality. But his hopes were mercilessly shattered. Even after waking up, he was still in the novel. Nathan¡¯s tears welled up at that fact. He had no idea what the future would be like for him. He rolled over from the bed and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. Then he jumped up from his seat. There was no clock in the room, so he couldn¡¯t even check the time, but intuitively Nathan knew he had overslept. Nathan had a hard time finding his glasses because of his blurred vision. He barely found his glasses and hurried out of the room. It was because he remembered what Melkiel had told him to come in the morning yesterday. Nathan ran down the wide hallway. His hair and clothes were all a mess. Occasionally, the people he encountered stared at Nathan as he ran. That was a little while ago. ¡°If you have calmed down, shall we go now?¡± ¡°¡­where are we going?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking an obvious question. We¡¯re going to ¡®Rupelham¡¯ (???).¡± Melkiel said as if it was natural, and put on the hat attached to his robe. His beautiful face disappeared into the robe. Nathan, in the midst of his embarrassment, was busy digging through his head. Where¡¯s Rupelham? Even if he remembered the main character or the person who appeared frequently, it was difficult to remember the place or the name of the place. Only when you go to the place itself would you think, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that place!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing for Student Nathan that I¡¯ll be going with you. Originally, I wouldn¡¯t be able to help, but¡­¡± ¡°I, I understand? Thank you.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m a lazy person, but that I wouldn¡¯t go all the way to Rupelham for one student. I¡¯m just allowing Student Nathan to accompany me to my work. It¡¯s a matter of killing two birds with one stone. (?????? >>> effective, getting several things done at once) I¡¯ll be busy today, so please follow along closely.¡± Nathan followed Melkiel out of the Second Magic Room. Melkiel kept a leisurely pace, but he was taller than Nathan, so he walked faster. He looked like an old man when he walked with his trademark cane. Well, that wouldn¡¯t be entirely wrong¡ªbecause he was a ¡®person¡¯ who lived a very long time. CH 7 ¡°Haa, that¡¯s annoying. It would be convenient to use a warp¡­¡± A soft mumble tickled Nathan¡¯s ears. That was true. An Archmage like Melkiel didn¡¯t have to walk because he could use the warp to jump through space. ¡°Then can¡¯t you use it¡­?¡± Nathan said cautiously with curiosity. Melkiel stared at Nathan (???? ?? ??? ??? >>> look down on, stare, ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± kind of vibe). A second sigh escaped his mouth. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s think a little bit about who this is all for. Do you think we are doing this for me?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± The two of them left the academy through the back gate. Aurora Academy was on the top of a mountain, and the two of them walked down a straight path to one side. ¡°From now on, Nathan will go to Rupelham as often as he does at home. The Swordsmanship Department goes to Rufenri (???), the village next to Rupelham. Isn¡¯t this Nathan¡¯s first time going to Rupelham?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. It¡¯s my first time.¡± ¡°Warping is easy and convenient. Taking you with me is as simple as drinking a glass of water. But if that¡¯s the case, will you be able to visit there by yourself next time? So it¡¯s important to try to memorize all the paths you¡¯ll be using from now on. A village for swordsmen and a village for wizards are very different¡­¡± ¡°¡­Yes, thank you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. A person who knows how to be grateful for the little things is a good person.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± A white hand patted Nathan¡¯s head a couple of times. Nathan didn¡¯t know what to do, so he kept his mouth shut. As they walked down to the bottom of the mountain, the road divided into five branches on the open field. A sign was placed in the middle of the road. Before Nathan could even read the sign, Melkiel entered the third path. Nathan hurried to follow him in his footsteps. After walking for about 20 minutes, this time a beautiful lake appeared. At the end of the road was a lake. On the shores of the lake, there were boats that could fit two or three people, and Melkiel boarded and waited for Nathan. Nathan stumbled and carefully climbed into the boat. Melkiel, who waited for Nathan to get onto the boat and take a seat, tapped the boat with his wand. Nathan¡¯s gaze descended upon his wand. Then he saw a magic circle drawn on the ship. Melkiel opened his mouth. ¡°[Wind, guide this ship to its intended destination!]¡± The voice that spoke those words was somehow mysterious. It must have been Melkiel¡¯s voice he had heard a while ago, but it was just strange. It sparkled in gold as if a magic circle responded to the voice. Then the wind began to blow on the shore of the lake where there was no wind. Creak (??). The boat moved by itself. Nathan¡¯s eyes widened at the strange sight. The wind kept blowing from behind them and the boat headed forward even when no one was rowing. This was magic, Nathan inwardly admired. It just was a little magic, but it was enough to give him a new shock. ¡°Rupelham is located on an artificial island above the lake. Of course, it won¡¯t be visible now. For security reasons, they put recognition magic on it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°The next time you go to Rupelham, you can go like this. All boats lying on the shores of the lake are engraved with magic formulas. When you recite a spell, the wind carries the boat to your destination.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. That¡¯s awesome¡­!¡± ¡°Oh my, are you already so excited?¡± There was a smile in Melkiel¡¯s voice as he said that. ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve arrived.¡± With those words, Melkiel¡¯s figure, who was sitting on the bow, gradually faded. Nathan jumped up from his seat in surprise. The boat shook briefly and water splashed. Looking at it now, not only Melkiel but also the boat was rapidly becoming cloudy. Nathan closed his eyes tightly as he saw his feet blurred. It was because he was afraid for a moment that everything would disappear like this for a moment. Soon after, Nathan¡¯s body also faded. ¡°Ahaha¡­!¡± It was the sound of Melkiel¡¯s laughter that opened his tightly closed eyes. Carefully looking ahead, he saw Melkiel turned his body, grabbed the wand, and held back his laughter. Seeing this, Nathan called for Melkiel in a slightly hoarse voice. ¡°¡­Professor.¡± ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve reacted like this¡­¡± Melkiel laughed a couple more times and then straightened his reclining body. By then, Nathan was no longer looking at Melkiel. ¡°So this is Rupelham¡­¡± Of course, he had heard from Melkiel a while ago that there was an island on the lake, but Nathan was surprised because he didn¡¯t expect it to appear so suddenly. The island looked normal at first glance, but it also didn¡¯t look like that. It was beyond his common sense to see the golden trees soaring high through the buildings and those who flew through the skies on thin broomsticks. ¡°Yes, this is Rupelham. Those who cannot use magic can¡¯t come to this place.¡± Rattle. The boat settled on the wharf. Melkiel got down first and reached out to Nathan. ¡°There is a risk of falling, so hold my hand and get off.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Nathan took the hand as he got off¡ªthe boat really wobbled and he almost fell. But his tightly held hands supported him, so he didn¡¯t fall into the lake. Nathan¡¯s face turned a little red with embarrassment. The people standing at the entrance of the village wore stylish robes and held a wand like Melkiel in their hands. They saw the two of them and tried to block them, but this was resolved when Melkiel tilted his robe slightly to reveal his face. They immediately bowed their heads to greet Melkiel and returned to their seats. ¡°First of all, I will deal with Student Nathan¡¯s business. The road is complicated, so make sure you follow me so you don¡¯t miss me.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± Nathan followed Melkiel and looked around to watch the streets. Nathan, who was born in Korea and had never left there, found this street amazing. ¡®Occasionally, among the foreign photos I saw on the internet, there was a place similar to this one among countries with beautiful scenery¡­ Which one was it again? Was it Colmar (in France)? I think it¡¯s similar to that.¡¯ Rupelham was a pretty village that looked like something out of a fairytale. Nathan asked while looking around the streets. ¡°Are all the people here wizards?¡± ¡°Not necessarily. Some people come in because their companion is a wizard, just like Student Nathan.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± Come to think of it, Nathan was not yet a wizard. Nathan swept his hair out of the way, which was left loose after he left in a hurry that morning. Then, a question suddenly arose, and Nathan mustered up the courage to ask Melkiel a question. ¡°By the way¡­ what is my business?¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot I didn¡¯t tell you. Student Nathan has become a student of our Magic Department as of today. So what do you think you need? If it was the Swordsmanship Department, you¡¯d need your own practice sword and protective gear and¡­ what else was there? Anyway, you should prepare what you need before school starts. Most of the students would have already finished their preparations, but Student Nathan did not prepare anything due to the sudden incident, am I right?¡± (????? (sudden) ??? ?? (past, records?)) ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°So, we¡¯re going shopping today to buy what you need for the Magic Department in the future.¡± ¡°I see¡­!¡± Nathan¡¯s heart began to flutter at those words. What were they going to buy? As expected, a wand? Were they going to buy a staff? Would he ever have a wand as wonderful as Melkiel did? The excitement made Nathan¡¯s steps even lighter. Melkiel glanced at Nathan and put a smile on his lips. ¡°Hmm, since a dressmaker is near us, we¡¯ll have to stop by there.¡± ¡°A dressmaker?¡± ¡°Robes are the life of a student in the Magic Department.¡± ¡°Robes? You mean the one Professor is wearing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Does the robe mean something?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just to show off.¡± At those words, Nathan tripped. Melkiel clicked his tongue when he saw Nathan¡¯s face tinge with bewilderment. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have mattered that much in the sweaty Swordsmanship Department.¡± Whether or not this was true was not known to Nathan. ¡°Clothes are the first indicator to recognize the person wearing them. Even if a person wearing shabby clothes is a powerful wizard, people will doubt his or her ability. However, the way someone dresses raises some expectations, no matter how poor the person¡¯s ability may be. From the start, you¡¯ll be judged differently.¡± That was plausible. If Nathan was an archmage and Melkiel was an ordinary wizard, people would not believe Nathan and doubt whether he was really an archmage. On the other hand, looking at Melkiel dressed in a nice robe, even a small amount of magic would look great. ¡°¡­I guess so.¡± ¡°And I hate seeing my students being looked down on by others.¡± When he said that, Melkiel stopped at the place where it was written . The door to the dressmaker opened by itself without Melkiel opening it. The bell hanging on the door made a clear sound, announcing that guests had arrived. CH 8 ¡°Oh my, welcome!¡± From inside the store, a red-haired woman greeted the two with her head sticking out. ¡°I¡¯m here to see the Aurora Academy public robes.¡± ¡°Academy robes? Oh, I¡¯ve never seen anyone come so late¡­ Wait. Please sit there.¡± The inside of the dressmaker was ordinary except for the stairs leading up to the second floor. The two sat down on a sofa arranged on one side. As the two of them sat down, a teacup and a teapot flew from somewhere, then sat down on the table in front of them. Melkiel, quite naturally, took the teacup and quenched his throat. Nathan also followed Melkiel, taking a sip from the cup he took. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s not tasty.¡¯ As expected, the tea wasn¡¯t good. The fragrant smell deceived his nose, and the bitter taste only bothered his tongue. He¡¯d rather had some sugar. What Melkiel gave him yesterday was like honey water, so it was fine, but this wasn¡¯t it. Nathan frowned, put a couple of sugar cubes in front of him and stirred it with a teaspoon. ¡°Have you been waiting for so long?! I¡¯m sorry~¡± A woman who appeared to be the owner of a dressmaker appeared with a navy blue fabric. She had a name tag [Lily Felian] (?? ???) on her chest. ¡°I don¡¯t have any readily made robes right now, so I¡¯ve only brought cloth. Doesn¡¯t the new semester start the day after tomorrow? So we don¡¯t have any robes in stock. If you order today, we can ship it tomorrow!¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter as long as you send it before the start of the new semester.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m glad. So, who¡¯s going to wear it?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s me.¡± Nathan, who was sitting quietly, raised his hand. ¡°Is a robe enough? Shouldn¡¯t we make the school uniform too¡­¡± ¡°No. The robe is enough. There¡¯s still a lot to look around for, so we can¡¯t waste time here.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a shame. Shall we move on quickly? Can you come here to take some measurements, Student?¡± ¡°Huh? Yes, ma¡¯am¡­¡± Nathan glanced at Melkiel and hesitatingly walked towards Lily. Lily had a tape measure in her hand. The tape measure started moving on its own, just like a teacup a while ago. Next to it was a wooden board with a quill pen and paper. The tape measure moved freely around Nathan¡¯s body. Every time, a flying quill pen next to it wrote down its measurements on paper. Nathan managed to hide his eyes, which were wide open at the strange sight, from view. And Lily herself showed him the fabric she brought along and said: ¡°I¡¯m going to make a robe from this fabric. One of the most commonly used fabrics for Aurora Academy¡¯s robes is ¡®Dawn¡¯s Ulay¡¯ (??? ???). Robe basically has [Defense], [Warmth], and [Cleaning]. In this way, three magic formulas will be engraved. If you have any magic you want, you can add it!¡± ¡°Hmm, those three should be enough for now.¡± ¡°Then I will proceed like this. The student worked hard too. It ended quickly, right?¡± Lily winked her eyes and retrieved the tape measure. ¡°Should I put the one who¡¯ll pay as the Academy?¡± ¡°Go ahead. Ah, the recipient is Nathan Norbert.¡± ¡°Alright~ I¡¯ll send it to Student Nathan Norbert by tomorrow afternoon.¡± ¡°Student Nathan, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes, Professor.¡± ¡°Please come again next time!¡± Bid farewell by Lily, the two left the dressmaker. Nathan was excited about his shopping and realized one thing he had forgotten. The main purpose of the shopping was to buy things for Nathan to use. But Nathan had no money at all. However, Melkiel and Lily put the price on the academy as if it were natural. Of course, that was a good thing if he didn¡¯t spend his own money because Nathan¡¯s wallet didn¡¯t have much money either. In a situation where you don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, the more money you save is better. But even if that¡¯s the case, Nathan couldn¡¯t help but ponder. However, he was not confident to ask Melkiel directly, ¡°Is the school going to pay for everything?¡± Nathan just shut up and didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°As you may know, all items used in the academy are billed to the academy. You shouldn¡¯t buy or do anything that doesn¡¯t make sense. There¡¯s always one guy every year who says they¡¯re going to use it at the academy, buys outrageously expensive items, and charges the academy without thinking. Buy that at your own expense. Otherwise, you have to get permission from the professors.¡± ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Melkiel said in a timely manner as if he had heard Nathan¡¯s thoughts. Only then could Nathan rest assured. By the way, it was a very good school. Everything used in school seemed to include things to buy from now on as well as school uniforms. Of course, they also bought robes, but they would buy school uniforms too. He was relieved that if he was taller here or his school uniform was torn, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about empty wallets. ¡°Then let¡¯s go see the magic tools now.¡± ¡°Yes, Professor!¡± The next destination, the two of them decided, was the Magic Tool Shop. Of course, there were magic tool shops all over the place, but Melkiel passed all those shops and entered a quiet street with few people. Rupelham was not such a crowded place. Rather, it was a quiet place because there were not many people. Melkiel stopped at a fork in the road. ¡°Remember this from now on.¡± He quickly knew what to remember. ¡°Turn left here.¡± ¡°Left again.¡± ¡°Remember this vine rose. Next to this, we¡¯ll climb the stairs and go left again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to remember certain things. Can you see the tiles on the floor in the shape of a cat¡¯s paw? From here, go down the stairs below.¡± ¡°This time to the right.¡± ¡°Remember the old bell with an angel in the middle here.¡± ¡°Once again to the right.¡± ¡°Next is the first way.¡± ¡°Did you memorize it?¡± Nathan shook his head as he responded habitually to Melkiel¡¯s endless comments. ¡°Pardon?! Yes, uh. No? Not yet¡­¡± ¡°Well, I won¡¯t tell you twice, so you¡¯ll have a hard time next time you come.¡± Melkiel shrugged his shoulders and started walking again. Nathan made a crying face in the back. Following Melkiel, Nathan was busy trying to remember the way he had come, but it was very difficult to memorize the long string of directions without getting confused. ¡°If you don¡¯t come in this order, this place won¡¯t show up.¡± The two were standing in front of the store that soared high above them. This place was strange because there was no one passing by around this place. Space itself seemed different. Silence surrounded the area. Then Melkiel hit the floor with his staff. A magic formula glowed in gold from the floor. ¡°This is the magic formula engraved on Rupelham Street. It can be said that it is a spell that allows you to reach (???).¡± The light appeared for a moment and then disappeared. Nathan¡¯s eyes lit up at the marvellous sight. Like the dressmaker, the door of the magic tool shop opened silently. The bell on the door resonated in silence. ¡°Welcome, Melkiel.¡± ¡°Hello, Thionan (???).¡± The sound of a squeaky, swaying chair was heard. The door of the store was narrow, so it was wide enough for only one person to enter. So Nathan, who was standing behind Melkiel, was blocked by his back, making it difficult to see inside. Only the sound of a rocking chair could give a sense that someone was sitting in a rocking chair. The store¡¯s owner mentioned Melkiel¡¯s name, convinced it was him even though he didn¡¯t take off the robe¡¯s hood. ¡°Right, is there a problem with ?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Thionan was even more puzzled by the resolute words that were uttered as if that would never happen. ¡°But if not, you wouldn¡¯t be here at this time¡­¡± ¡°Today, your customer is my student, not me. Come in.¡± ¡°¡­excuse me.¡± Then Nathan could see the inside of the store as Melkiel entered it. The old woman¡¯s gaze on this side was also the same. The owner of the store called Thionan was a kind-looking person who sounded like a ¡®grandmother¡¯. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re a new little guest. It¡¯s no big deal, you brought someone.¡± ¡°I brought him with me while I was on my way to do my errands. Say hello, Student Nathan.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Thionan got up from the rocking chair. She gestured to Nathan as she reached for a wand studded with jewels like Melkiel¡¯s. When Nathan hesitated to approach Thionan, Melkiel¡¯s hand hit his back and pushed him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave him to you for a while, Thionan. Student Nathan, I¡¯ll be going for a little while. Please wait until I come.¡± ¡°Yes, please go ahead.¡± With those words, Melkiel disappeared from the store. Now, in , there were only the two of them, Thionan and Nathan. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s see, since you¡¯re at the magic tool shop, it¡¯s obvious that you want something. What did you come here to buy?¡± CH 9 ¡°Uh, so¡­ I don¡¯t know either. I was following the professor¡­ I¡¯m going to enter the Magic Department this time, but it was only decided yesterday. So, the professor helped me because I didn¡¯t have any preparations. Ah! I already got the robe though!¡± Nathan said, like gibberish. Seeing that, Thionan gently touched her chin. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s weird. It¡¯s rare for Melkiel to bring a student himself, but there are very few kids at this age who decide their aptitude, right?¡± ¡°¡­right.¡± ¡°I am not saying that there is little or nothing at all. Hm, what kind of magic tool would suit a novice¡­¡± Thionan rubbed her chin, agonizing over her words. She opened drawers here and there to check the contents, but it seemed difficult to choose. ¡°Basically, you have to use what suits you. A lot of people like me and Professor Melkiel use wands like this. How about it, doesn¡¯t it make me look like a very convincing wizard?¡± Thionan smiled mischievously and posed nicely. The atmosphere, which had been a bit stiff so far, eased, and Nathan was able to smile naturally. ¡°Yeah, you look pretty when you smile. Smile a lot. You should laugh a lot at that age. Come on, let¡¯s take a look together. Don¡¯t worry, this Thionan will help you to decide the perfect one for you. The time given to us is very generous.¡± ¡°Yes, thank you, Thionan.¡± The first thing Thionan showed him was various kinds of wooden wands. They were different in size and shape. Some were as tall as Nathan, some reached up to his shoulder, and some were the size of a pencil. Nathan¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at the objects in front of him. His heart was full of excitement. ¡°Have you ever used magic?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± In addition, Thionan¡¯s voice was always soft and friendly. Thanks to this, Nathan gradually relaxed and he was able to answer naturally. ¡°Magic tools are a medium. Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter what it looks like. However, each person has a different personality, so you have to see, touch, and try many things. I¡¯ll teach you a small spell.¡± Is this really a spell that Thionan told him? Is what he wanted to say. Of course, that was also what he felt when Melkiel moved the boat. The next thing he gave out was a note as big as his hand. There was a very small, simple magic circle drawn at first glance. ¡°Now, hold the magic tool in one hand and clasp your other hand around it and shout!¡± Nathan took the simple-looking wand he had been handed and shouted the spell Thionan gave him despite his doubts. ¡°Wa-water, become a flower that blooms in winter¡­!¡± But the top of his hand was still. Nathan looked back at Thionan with tears in his eyes. ¡°¡­no-nothing happened?!¡± ¡°Of course! You didn¡¯t put mana into your voice just now. You can¡¯t just talk; you need to put mana in it too!¡± Unable to ask Thionan, ¡®What is mana?!¡¯, Nathan opened his mouth and then closed it back. He, of course, had a vague idea of ??¡®mana¡¯ by reading several novels. It was mentioned when reading and a detailed explanation was given, so he couldn¡¯t help but notice it. However, it was ridiculous that Nathan, who had lived without any connection to the theory about it in his head, could use mana overnight. After that, Nathan tried for a long time, but in the end, he never succeeded in magic. ¡°¡­Seems like you can¡¯t. Take this first. It¡¯s usually used by elementary and middle school students, but this will suit a child who lacks the basics like you.¡± ¡°¡­yes, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°Cheer up! The magic tool that is right for you should be adjusted later when you can freely use magic. This time, let¡¯s settle with this.¡± Meanwhile, Thionan handed Nathan a thin object that was the size of a forearm and made of oak wood, vaguely enough a wand. On the back, there was an emerald-like jewel the size of a little nail. ¡°Do you see the mana stone embedded here? If there¡¯s a crack in this mana stone, come and see me.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am¡­¡± Nathan gripped the wand tightly. Nathan worked so hard that he sweated to unleash the magic that it didn¡¯t work. The continuous magic practice was repeated until Nathan was exhausted and knocked out. In the end, Thionan also raised both her hands and feet. And in the meantime, Nathan realized that though Thionan was a genius, she was terrible at teaching others. Next to him, Thionan wondered, ¡°Why isn¡¯t this working?¡± and tried to inform him, but Nathan hardly understood what she was saying. Nathan was worried inside that he might not be able to use magic at all. The wand in his hand was held tighter. Seeing Nathan like that, Thionan patted his head. It was because he was tall like a bald eagle, but his actions looked like a child, and his skinny, flat face evoked sympathy. Tingling¡ª The bell on the door rang and Melkiel entered. It seemed that a long time had already passed. ¡°Did you find a magic tool you like?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Melkiel looked at the novice wand in Nathan¡¯s hand and raised one eyebrow, but he didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Shall we go now, Student Nathan?¡± ¡°¡­yes, Professor. Ah, this is¡­ Can I take it now?¡± ¡°Yes. See you later. Melkiel, you too.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see you later.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± The two went back the way they came, leaving behind. Nathan was quieter than when he came, and the atmosphere was gloomy. After that, the two didn¡¯t go back to the academy right away but went around to buy small things. When they arrived at the back gate of the academy after purchasing writing instruments, books, materials for class, etc., the sun had completely set. Stopped on the road between the student dormitory and the faculty quarters, Melkiel sighed. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be disappointed about. Rather, it might be just right for you now.¡± Melkiel said as he looked at Nathan who was still fiddling with the wand and had a gloomy expression on his face. ¡°¡­will I be able to use magic even with this? I couldn¡¯t do magic. Thionan continued to help, but never succeeded.¡± ¡°First of all, Thionan is not a good teacher. She¡¯s good at making magic tools, but she¡¯s bad at teaching anyone.¡± ¡°¡­that seems right.¡± ¡°As I¡¯ve said, Student Nathan can¡¯t use magic because you lack the basics. Well, I wish you could have succeeded at least once, but¡­ it¡¯s all up to experience. These experiences accumulate and later you can become a great wizard. You just have to take it slow, step by step.¡± Melkiel patted Nathan on the shoulder. ¡°I wish you could learn the basics before high school started, but¡­ perhaps because of the class preparation, us professors will not have time. When the new school year begins, you¡¯ll have no choice but to get supplements after class. Do you understand what I mean? Well, it¡¯s late today, so let¡¯s go inside.¡± ¡°¡­yes, I understand.¡± Nathan tried to send off Melkiel brightly. It wasn¡¯t until after Melkiel had completely disappeared that Nathan went back to the dorm. Squeak¡ª Nathan stood in front of it for a moment, holding on to the door. Then, he was reminded of his own situation again. This was the only place Nathan would return. It was very dark in the room with the lights off and it was enveloped in silence. The dorm room had three beds. One was a bunk bed, and a single bed was placed directly opposite it. There were also three desks for study. But there was no one in the room, only Nathan. He didn¡¯t know on the first day, but now he could tell. There was no one else in this room. The only luggage Nathan brought was the bag, and the only traces of people were the bed that Nathan had messed up in the morning. The cold air hovered by his shoulders. It was impossible to stand still in a dark room, so Nathan turned on the light, relying on the moonlight. It didn¡¯t seem to use electricity, but he didn¡¯t know what to call it, so he just called it a lamp. Nathan was exhausted and tired, but not as much as yesterday. The bathroom attached to the room was small, but there was a small bathtub. He could use the water in the bathtub to wash up. Warm water quickly came out, delighting Nathan. It was a better room than he thought. The bathtub filled with water in an instant. It was a world where magic exists, so maybe this tool also had that kind of power? With that thought, he took off his clothes and hung them to one side. When he took off his clothes, what was revealed was his skinny body. ¡°Huh, I can see all the ribs¡­ what¡¯s with these arms. The legs are like that, too. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t walk for long.¡± Nathan clicked his tongue at the poor skeleton reflected in the mirror. Fortunately, his face was not ugly. If he gained some weight, he thought it would be okay to look at it. ¡®Isn¡¯t a baron a nobleman? Nathan, he¡¯s not elegant¡­ He probably didn¡¯t eat properly since he¡¯s so skinny.¡¯ CH 10 Of course, he knew Nathan¡¯s situation. He lost his family and his hometown of Norbert Barony was poor. Due to the disaster caused by the monster, it must have been a hard life for a young boy to bear alone. Maybe that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t eat properly. Originally, there was a saying that he was not feeling well and to make matters worse, the situation must have worsened. Nathan shook his head and dipped himself carefully into the bathtub. It felt good when warm water wrapped his whole body. Nathan¡¯s face relaxed in a drowsy mood. Leaning against the back of the bathtub, Nathan enjoyed the loneliness for a while. How long had he been staring blankly at the ceiling, he raised his hand and swept his face down. Drops of water formed on the chin, the sound of dripping resonated in a quiet bathroom. Suddenly he looked down, and he saw his face reflected like a mirror on the surface of the water. No matter how many times he saw Nathan¡¯s face, it was still quite unfamiliar. Every time a drop of water on the tip of his chin fell, a ripple occurred, and his figure was distorted and returned repeatedly. ¡°How long will I be here as you?¡± He glanced at the reflection of the surface on the water. He would get used to this grim-looking boy¡¯s face someday. No, he had to get used to living here. Splash! Nathan struck the water surface with his hand. He suddenly didn¡¯t want to see this face. Nathan closed his eyes, hugging his long legs and leaning his cheek over them. It felt great when the surface of the water tickled his cheek. Will he ever return to where he lived? Did ¡®Nathan Norbert¡¯ know something? If he couldn¡¯t come back¡­ He didn¡¯t think it really mattered. ¡°It¡¯s not bad here either. There were good adults around Nathan¡­¡± In addition, he originally lived in a place where sunlight and warm water did not come out well. He had to keep the cold water running for a long time until lukewarm water came out, so it was hard to wash in winter. But what about this place? In the morning, the room was brightened by sunlight without having to turn on the lights. He could use hot water to his heart¡¯s content without waiting. Nathan had never used a bathtub in his lifetime. So he envied a house with a bathtub. It was his dream to have a bathtub like this at home someday¡­ ¡®Now that I have it, it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡¯ If the reality he lived in had been a little better than here, then he would have given up on settling here and instead would have tried to find a way out of this place. He would have hoped to return at any cost. But he wouldn¡¯t do that. He didn¡¯t like either place, but if he had to argue, it was better here. So, he decided to think positively. Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t eaten yet, but they would give him time to eat, give him a place to sleep, provide warm water, and provide necessary things from school, so there was no better place than here. Isn¡¯t it better off than where he used to live? Although he had a grace period, he decided to not worry since food, clothing, and shelter were provided right away. Nathan¡¯s positive thinking was shattered in less than three days. * * * Nathan, who had taken a warm shower and went to bed, left the dorm for breakfast as soon as he woke up. It wasn¡¯t difficult for him to find a restaurant. He followed the students who seemed to be Nathan¡¯s age and he arrived on his own. This body didn¡¯t even know it was hungry, even though it had starved for almost two days. Nathan moistened his mouth with soup and ate toast topped with bacon and fried eggs. The food was delicious. It was more delicious than the foreign food he ate during a trip. After eating, Nathan walked around the academy. He had to take lessons from tomorrow and stay here for a while, so he started to memorize geography and walked wherever he could. He thought it would be nice if he was lucky enough to meet the protagonist. Nathan knew the future of this world. However, Nathan had just finished figuring out the subject with yesterday¡¯s incident. If this continues, Nathan might die within a few years. The day the world turned upside down was only three years away. Nathan didn¡¯t seem as talented in magic as he thought. His magic skills were so-so, but speaking of his swordsmanship only made his mouth hurt. But if he had any other talents, he didn¡¯t know them. For now, the only way was to learn magic. But even if he studied magic hard, could he even use it properly in real life? Yes, this is the biggest problem. It was painful to imagine having to deal with a monster. If so, what should he do? Even if he ran away, there was no such thing as a safe zone. The capital would be safer, but¡­ it wouldn¡¯t last long either. Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to him. Then wouldn¡¯t it be better to follow the main character? In , the main character got involved in all sorts of things and went through hardships, but he didn¡¯t die! Of course, it was the same with his colleagues. So, if he became his colleague, he would have a way out. After thinking like that, Nathan¡¯s goal was to become acquainted with Hazard. It wasn¡¯t resolved by just being friendly. He should be his companion. At this time, there was still a chance. Hazard went on an adventure after being swallowed up in the dungeon on the day of graduation and clearing the dungeon, after which the oracle descended from the temple. There was time until then. Nathan wandered around the dorms, occasionally looking for Hazard. Although he read that Hazard had a secret hideout in the original novel, he couldn¡¯t remember exactly where it was. After a long walk, this wide academy was so spacious that Nathan often rested on a bench and repeated his walks. He wanted to meet and become acquainted with Hazard, but Hazard could not be found until Nathan had dinner and returned to the dormitory. Nathan was saddened by that fact, but he didn¡¯t care much because he wondered what the big deal was that he didn¡¯t see each other for just one day. The next day, Nathan wore his school uniform and put the wand into the pocket of his coat. The items Nathan bought at Rupelham arrived yesterday afternoon and filled the room in the dormitory. Nathan didn¡¯t quite know what to bring, but he went empty-handed and left the room with a book that read ¡®Understanding Magic¡¯, a quill pen, ink, and a paper notebook. There were many classrooms in the Magic Department building, but yesterday he wandered around the academy all day, memorizing the path, and was able to find the classroom without difficulty. It was early, but the classroom was crowded with students. As soon as they saw Nathan entering, the classroom became quiet for an instant, but soon they turned away from Nathan because they were busy chatting with each other. It was a relief for Nathan. No one was willing to approach him first, so Nathan sat alone in the very back seat. Although they were busy chatting amongst them, he could feel their glances as if they were looking at an outsider. Nathan was suffocated by the air in the classroom. Not knowing what to do, he fiddled with his cravat (?? ?? ? ?? ?? ????? ??????). Eventually, Nathan decided to pretend to be asleep. Nathan thought he had become a stranger. Being stuck between children felt very strange, and their hair colour and features, far from Asians, were seen countless times during the trip, but they still made him feel like he was on the outside. Deureureuk. (the sound of the door being opened) ¡°Is everyone here?¡± After a while, a familiar voice was heard as the door opened. At that voice, Nathan lifted his head slightly and looked at the podium. There stood Melkiel with long lemon-coloured hair in braids. Several children even looked at Melkiel and made an ecstatic face. Melkiel was beautiful today. Then Nathan made eye contact with Melkiel, who had been scanning the classroom once, and hurriedly stopped lying face down. ¡°Everyone is here. There are many familiar faces. I¡¯m Melkiel, who is in charge of you.¡± ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know the professor~!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± At Melkiel¡¯s words, the students laughed and chatted. There were few people who didn¡¯t know Melkiel, not only in this academy but throughout the world. Nathan thought so, resting his chin in his hand. As the children became noisy again, Melkiel pounded the floor with the staff in his hand. ¡°Well, today is the first day, so before we start the class, I¡¯m going to tell you a story you¡¯ve been hearing for a long time. Listen and think with the idea of reviewing it again.¡± Saying so, Melkiel gave Nathan a look. The children groaned sickly at the words. Seeing this, Nathan felt a bit embarrassed, thinking that he might have brought it up because he didn¡¯t know anything. ¡°The origin of all magic begins with the great sage, Belganus (????).¡± Melkiel continued, turning over the book he had brought. ¡°[Give Form to the Written Story]¡± CH 11 The book in his hand flashed. Then, a red dragon appeared, burning with fire in the air. Nathan¡¯s eyes lit up at the sight. He had seen some magic before, but it didn¡¯t really move him. However, the image before his eyes made him feel that this was truly magic, which made his heart flutter. ¡°As you know, Belganus was the first dragon to appear on this land. He was the ¡®head of the dragons¡¯, the ¡®Great Sage¡¯ (???) who gave wisdom to humans, and a ¡®prophet¡¯ who listened to God. In this way, all dragons have mastered magic, and we have decided to call them ¡®sages¡¯. Among them, Belganus was said to be so powerful and possessed more power than any other dragon that he was called the Great Sage.¡± Whenever Melkiel talked, the illusion that appeared in the air changed every moment and made him more immersed in the story. It was like Melkiel was reading a fairy tale. ¡°Originally, magic was reserved for dragons. It was a power that humans could not even dare to overcome. However, these days, many people are able to use magic and it naturally permeates into their lives. The reason was due to the grace of Belganus. Belganus wanted humans and dragons to coexist with each other. To fight against a common enemy. I don¡¯t even have to tell you what the common enemy is, right?¡± ¡°Yes! Demons!¡± ¡°Dungeons, too!¡± ¡°Yes, and in ancient times, ¡®dungeons¡¯ were the biggest problems.¡± Various dungeons appeared, such as in the mysterious cave, or as a strange space under the lake, or in the fields, and evil-looking monsters appeared around the entrances. ¡°At that time, it was an unfortunate world for humans and dragons to live in. Dragons with great power had fewer populations than humans. Of course, not only humans live on this land, but also a small number of other races, such as the elves, the dwarves, and the beasts. Well, they too were weaker than the dragons, so it was difficult to keep order in the world by themselves. On the contrary, humans were the most numerous but powerless of all the creatures on this land. They used weapons, but they couldn¡¯t use ¡®magic¡¯, so it took dozens of humans to defeat one monster.¡± The images of various races quickly appeared and disappeared, showing humans fighting against demons. The illusion was so vivid that Nathan frowned at the cruelty displayed, uneasy However, Melkiel¡¯s voice was still soft. ¡°The situation is very different from now, isn¡¯t it? The balance of power was out of order and the ecosystem was in jeopardy. It was not unusual for a village that was fine yesterday to disappear from the map the next day. At this time, Belganus made a prophecy.¡± Nathan sighed briefly. He seemed to know what Melkiel was going to say. ¡°[In the distant future, a hero will be born to save the world.]¡± The words that came out, strangely, stuck in Nathan¡¯s ears, like Melkiel said it with mana. Nathan knew the prophecy because it was mentioned in . ¡°It was impossible to get rid of the dungeons altogether at that time. In addition, Belganus¡¯s prophecies were absolute, following the words of God. So far, all of his predictions have come true. As a result, the dragons made a decision. First, the dragons taught humans the concept of ¡®mana¡¯, and finally, taught them how to use ¡®magic¡¯. Then they used all their power to seal the dungeons that spread all over the continent and waited for a hero to be born to save the world. They decided to leave it to future generations.¡± And what followed was similar to what Nathan had read in the original novel. He was inwardly amazed and waited for his next words. ¡°These days, dragons are more like fantasy recorded in history, but the fact remains that they once existed. My eyes hold the proof and so many of their stories have been recorded and passed down by humans. Well, I ended up saying a lot of things that had nothing to do with class. Let¡¯s move on for now¡­¡± Then he quickly turned a page of the book. Each time, the images floating in the air quickly changed. When Melkiel stopped turning the pages, what appeared was a dragon using magic. ¡°Magic is the most beautiful and mysterious thing in this world.¡± Nathan agreed with that. The magic he had seen so far was truly mysterious and the magic present before his eyes right now was beautiful. ¡°Magic begins with ¡®language¡¯. People who do not know magic are often mistaken. Magic begins with language¡ªthat is, ¡®words¡¯. You¡¯ve all heard of it, right? There is a saying: ¡®words have power¡¯. Words can sometimes be blades that hurt people and sometimes they save people, but words alone don¡¯t make the magic work. You need three things to use magic. So, who wants to tell me what those three things are?¡± The students looked at each other and raised their hands. Melkiel glanced through the crowd once and pointed out one person. ¡°Yes, Student Remburton (???), please tell me.¡± Remburton was a boy with dark blue hair¡ªalmost black¡ªtied together. The boy called ¡°Remburton¡± dressed neatly in a school uniform opened his mouth. ¡°The first is mana, the second is the medium, and the third is the magic circle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You did a great job.¡± Remburton spoke in a rather blunt voice and Melkiel praised him more than he expected. Nathan was surprised for another reason than Melkiel and was relieved that he was sitting in the back. ¡®Why is Remburton here¡­?¡¯ Nathan was so surprised to hear the name Remburton that he could not properly manage his facial expression. He covered his mouth with his hand on top of which his chin rested and looked out of the window. Nathan¡¯s mind began to run busily. ¡®Remburton Barcella (??? ????).¡¯ Nathan knew him because, of course, he was one of Hazard¡¯s colleagues. But there was another reason why Nathan was surprised. The fact that he, who supposed to be in the Swordsmanship Department like in the novel, was in the Magic Department shook Nathan. ¡®It¡¯s different from the original. Why? Originally, Remburton should be in the Swordsmanship Department. He¡¯s supposed to be with Hazard¡­ Why are you in the Magic Department? Of course, any human who can handle magic can learn magic. But it is strange that he, who has only learned swordsmanship since childhood, suddenly transferred to the Magic Department to learn magic¡­!¡¯ Nathan chewed his lip without realizing it. He didn¡¯t do anything, but it was a bad sign that the story was changing. He needed to find out why, but how could he figure it out by himself? ¡®Should I talk to Remburton¡­? But perhaps Remburton knew Nathan, who was in the same Swordsmanship major. Then it wouldn¡¯t be good to blindly rush into a conversation.¡¯ Remburton, the second son of the Marquis Barcella, met Hazard for the first time in elementary school and had been with him ever since. In short, they were childhood friends. He believed in the powerless Fifth Prince, and became his knight and colleague. It was he who joined Aurora Academy and became Hazard¡¯s first colleague. So maybe it was because of Hazard that he came to the Magic Department. What might Hazard be interested in the Magic Department for¡­? In the original work, Hazard himself studied swordsmanship, so he met his early colleagues and made friends with them. Of course, Hazard didn¡¯t meet all his colleagues only in the Swordsmanship Department. There were also people in the Magic Department and the Spirit Department. However, Hazard recruited a wizard shortly after he went on an adventure. ¡°¡­words are used to define what kind of magic will be created, magic tools (the medium) help mana flow more finely and more precisely, and magic circles play a role in realizing the phenomenon of intangible words.¡± (TN: as in, magic circles put the magic words into effect; makes the magic happen, etc) But Nathan¡¯s thoughts did not last long. Melkiel¡¯s class was also necessary for Nathan today, so he decided to postpone the issue of Remburton for a while. * * * A navy-haired boy was crossing the halls of the Magic Department with a modest pace. The unique fierce face was so cold that the passing students were frightened and avoided the boy. Either way, the boy, Remburton Barcella, didn¡¯t even care. Remburton quickly left the Magic Department, heading to the Swordsmanship Department. However, when he arrived at the entrance of the Swordsmanship Department building, Remburton stopped for a moment without entering the building. After a brief pause, Remburton turned away and headed elsewhere. CH 12 After he left the campus and entered the forest, he reached an old building. There were cracks in the wall with a lot of ivy growing on it¡ªit was a shame to look at it. There were no people, owls were crying out, and it was dark even in the daytime. And despite the fact that it was a building belonging to the Academy, it was a place where people stopped coming a century ago. It was because of the myth that ghosts came out every night. But Remburton didn¡¯t care. He opened the creaking door and entered the building. A musty smell of dust wafted in. Remburton slightly furrowed his brows. There was no hesitation in his steps. It was in front of an old, worn-out and torn sofa that stopped the long bridge heading to the right place to go. And there was a figure lying down on the sofa. The roughly packed school uniform shirt was loose and the sword hilt was sprawled on the floor. His legs slipped off of the sofa armrests and swung in the air. The inside of the building was dark, but there was some light on the sofa. To block the light, Hazard had covered his face with old books as he lay down. Remburton looked at him and sighed. ¡°Hazard.¡± When he removed the old book that was covering Hazard¡¯s face with his rough hands, the face underneath it was revealed. The bright blonde boy, whose hair seemed to be like melted gold, still had his eyes closed. Remburton sat across on the sofa. He didn¡¯t like the dust flying around, nor did he like the laziness of his master. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that it would be good to participate in class properly.¡± His voice was as cold as frost. Hazard briefly burst into laughter at him. Blue eyes resembling the sky appeared through the drowsy lifted eyelids. ¡°Remy, I still want to live.¡± The words that were uttered were soft. Hazard tossed and turned his body. The tip of his toes lifted up in the air up and down freely. ¡°You seem to be feeling more uncomfortable these days¡­¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re here again?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Remburton pressed down on his temples as if in pain. Hazard¡¯s carefree appearance made his head throb even more. Remburton muttered annoyingly at him. ¡°¡­as expected, this decision was foolish!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already been doing this for a day or two.¡± Then Hazard stretched his body and got up. Hazard sat down facing Remburton, ruffling his messy hair roughly. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± There was only one reason why Remburton came to Hazard today. Hazard remembered the red-haired boy he had met three days ago. A pale complexion, skinny body. Hazard had a slight impression of his eyes through his glasses, but there was nothing special about the boy. Yet Hazard was troubled by what he had said. ¡®It was nice to meet you.¡¯ At first glance, it was not a big deal, but strangely, it bothered him. So, he asked his best friend, Remburton, who was relatively free to move around, to find out about the boy. ¡®Nathan Norbert.¡¯ Hazard recited the boy¡¯s name, recalling what had happened three days earlier. Hazard and Remburton were also there three days ago. ¡®¡­detailed information is still unavailable, but the Academy News about him was rather easy to get. He¡¯s more well known than I thought.¡¯ ¡®Yup, I was right to trust you (with this task), Remy.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve been telling you not to call me that, Hazard!¡¯ When he called him ¡®Remy¡¯, Remburton became annoyed. Because it was a cute nickname that didn¡¯t suit his cool face. However, Hazard liked the nickname ¡®Remy¡¯, so there had been few occasions since elementary school that Remburton was called Remy. Remburton pulled out a newspaper from his arms and threw it in Hazard¡¯s face. It was a rather disrespectful act to the prince, but Hazard took the newspaper seriously. ¡®Have you ever heard of the Norbert Barony case?¡¯ ¡®Ah, I¡¯ve heard it. It was unfortunate.¡¯ The newspaper that Remburton threw was the newspaper that reported the incident at that time. Hazard saw a picture of the ruins of Norbert Barony on the front page of the newspaper. Looking at Hazard like that, Remburton continued. ¡®From the point of view, the person you met earlier was definitely Nathan Norbert of Barony Norbert. It wasn¡¯t that difficult to infer the boy by the descriptions you gave. When I checked the place, situation, and access records where he was, he was the only student who entered the school today.¡¯ ¡®You figured it out sooner than I thought. I thought it would take another day.¡¯ ¡®If I remember correctly, he was also in the same Swordsmanship Department. I¡¯ve seen him a few times, too.¡¯ ¡®Nathan Norbert¡­ I think I¡¯ve heard the name before. It was the first time I saw him in person yesterday, but¡­¡¯ He had heard the name before. The number of students who wanted the Swordsmanship Department was the largest among all departments in the Academy. As a result, the department was divided into several sections, so it was not impossible that the two had never met before. In the meantime, Hazard remembered Nathan because his name was next to his every time grades were announced. If you see the same name dozens of times, you¡¯ll get used to it. ¡®Apparently, he suddenly applied for a transfer to the Magic Department today.¡¯ In fact, he was too skinny to be in the Swordsmanship Department. Hazard unknowingly fumbled his fingers and clenched his fists as if imagining the waist he had grabbed yesterday. ¡®Remburton, transfer.¡¯ ¡®What?¡¯ ¡®Yeah, I¡¯d like you to transfer to the Magic Department.¡¯ Remburton¡¯s future was decided so spontaneously. Of course, he was dissatisfied with why he had to go to the Magic Department, but Hazard could not go himself directly. His life was being targeted for some stupid reason, so the sudden change might provoke those watching him into hastening their plans. Therefore, there were restrictions on what he could do, and Remburton, who was free to act, had no choice but to move instead. ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a possibility that the kid is connected to the royal family?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so at the moment.¡± But Remburton still didn¡¯t understand. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Hazard, is there any reason you should care about him? Maybe he just chose to transfer because he had poor grades. I¡¯m sure he has chosen a course that suits him right now. As you can see, he has no talent as a swordsman.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Moreover, wasn¡¯t it you who spoke to him first? Do you really think there is a possibility that Nathan Norbert is connected to the royal family? This is too speculative. He¡¯s too well known for that. Everyone knows about the case of Norbert Barony and there are a lot of people watching him curiously. Using him to get to you is a cheap plan.¡± ¡°¡­my older brothers seem to be upset again these days, so I thought they sent me a different gift.¡± Hazard shrugged his shoulders. ¡°On the contrary, I¡¯m afraid the fact that I¡¯ve suddenly transferred to the Magic Department may provoke them.¡± ¡°They might think that the second son of Marquis Barcella finally turned his back on the Fifth Prince.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll have no regrets. That way, you have room to breathe a little¡­¡± ¡°Haha! Those guys are stupid, so you never know.¡± ¡°The Second Prince is still smarter than the others. I¡¯m sure the news of my transfer has reached his ears already. They¡¯ll probably keep an eye on us for a while. You¡¯d better be careful, Hazard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m hiding here.¡± ¡°¡­wouldn¡¯t you rather be in a place with more people.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s blood spilled, I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep at night.¡± Saying that, Hazard¡¯s face looked tired. They were not sending people to kill the youngest brother yet. This warned him that they were trying to slowly cut off his breathing (like a trap). Hazard¡¯s position was the lowest among countless children. Hazard said, as he ran his fingers across the armrests of his sofa lightly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to be king, I¡¯ve told them¡­ What should I do with those people who still act deaf and blind? Hm, Remy?¡± ¡°¡­it must be because they are jealous of Your Highness Elphines (???? el-fee-ness). You are also her weakness.¡± ¡°Ha! My sister is not that weak-hearted. Don¡¯t you know the truth?¡± Hazard laughed as if it was ridiculous. The king, who freely rolled down his lower garments, had many children. There were five princes and twelve princesses. They all had different mothers, but Hazard had one sister with the same mother. ¡°Those idiots still look down on her for being a woman, and they see me as a competitor just because I¡¯m a man, so I¡¯m the one who¡¯s troubled by their surprise gifts every night.¡± CH 13 Rumours that Princess Elphines was seeking the throne spread implicitly among the royal family and aristocrats. And it wasn¡¯t just a rumour. Elphines had the ability to do so, so Hazard wanted his sister to become the king, so he was willing to become her footstool (or springboard?). Remburton sighed. ¡°I will go back to the Swordsmanship Department again. Since the new semester began and the correction period is one week, it¡¯s not strange to enter the Magic Department out of curiosity and return.¡± Remburton thought that it would also be bad for Hazard¡¯s sword to leave his side. ¡°¡­hmm, I was hoping to make a wizard friend, but it¡¯s too bad. Still, stay for a week and come back.¡± ¡°Are you still in doubt?¡± ¡°Yes, I doubt it, Rem¡­ It¡¯s not necessarily a need for concern, but somehow it bothers me anyway.¡± * * * ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Nathan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Leaning against the cold wall, his body trembled from the cold, but he had no energy to straighten up. The cold air from the wall made his cheeks shiver. Closing his tired eyes, he wrapped his arms around his aching stomach. Nathan couldn¡¯t concentrate properly in class today because he was worried about Remburton all day. He tried hard to concentrate, but he didn¡¯t understand half the words he had never heard before. After morning class, he lost his appetite due to fatigue. He just satisfied his hunger with a thin soup. He was hungry but he had no appetite. He waited for the afternoon class to end. However, his exhaustion continued even after all the classes were over. As Melkiel said the day before yesterday, Nathan went to see him with his exhausted body right after class was over. ¡®Student Nathan has no magical talent.¡¯ ¡®¡­pardon?¡¯ Melkiel sighed and said so less than half an hour after his supplementary class had begun. ¡®The amount of mana flowing inside your body is below average.¡¯ From Nathan¡¯s point of view, the words like a bolt from the blue were uttered to him rather insincerely. Nathan couldn¡¯t say anything because of the sudden remark. Until just before, Nathan was shoving basic knowledge into his head and feeling the mana in his body following his words as Melkiel, who was standing behind his back, told him to. The hands on his back slowly helped him feel the mana in his body more closely. It was like Melkiel was holding the hand of a child who was just starting to walk. But Nathan didn¡¯t feel the mana properly. When he fell over while following his words, Melkiel took his hand off his back and said that. ¡®You¡¯re better than the average person, but I¡¯m not sure you¡¯re a student of Aurora.¡¯ ¡®¡­ah.¡¯ Then he tapped Nathan on the shoulder. ¡®If you work hard, you will be better than you are now. Each person has a different amount of mana, but it grows according to how they learn and grind. So you have no choice but to try harder than others.¡¯ What could Nathan say about it? ¡®¡­yes, Professor.¡¯ Supplementary classes continued a little longer, but Melkiel was not idle. Two or three hours after class was the time he could give Nathan. Nathan realized that he had no talent and left the Second Magic Room without making any progress. ¡°Ugh, my stomach hurts¡­¡± The constant stress ate up Nathan. Thrown into an unfamiliar world, he spent several days struggling during the day and exhausted at night. He tried to think positively, but the unexpected appearance of Remburton and Melkiel¡¯s remarks that he lacked talent made it difficult for him. Originally, this body must have had neurogenic gastritis. As time passed, only his stomach hurt. He had a cold sweat and a pain in his stomach. Blinking a couple of hazy eyes, Nathan straightened his body against the wall. He had to go to the infirmary. He should ask for some medicine. He staggered as his footing was unstable. ¡®Nathan Norbert¡¯ seemed to see why he was last in his later years. As Melkiel said, mana was below average, so the swordsmanship that applied mana must have been terrible. He had no magical talent either. Wouldn¡¯t anyone expect more if they were faced with this situation? Wasn¡¯t it unusual and amazing to enter the world of the novel you were reading and live in someone else¡¯s body? Nathan was kind of looking forward to it. He thought maybe he would be more special than the others and had some expectations about it. Anyone would, in the same situation. Nathan was just like that too. He was just hoping, just in case. He came to a prestigious academy that recognized him, so he thought that the owner of this body would have some skill. If he couldn¡¯t do swordsmanship, at least he could do magic. But it wasn¡¯t like that. There was a good reason why he always ranked first or second to last in the Swordsmanship Department. ¡°Haha¡­¡± This situation was so funny that he just laughed out loud. He must have been weak, but the amount of mana he had was lower than average¡­ If you asked him if he was going to continue like this, Nathan would answer yes. He couldn¡¯t help it. Nathan had his own goals. After three years, the world would change drastically. At that time, many things would change and the world would be in chaos. That was the future he knew through the original novel. First of all, the seal of the dungeon that had been sealed for so long would be lifted, and as a result, demons would flourish in this land. People would die without even knowing why they died. The land they lived in for their entire life would be taken away by demons and the lush green land would be horribly trampled, becoming a dead land. Bad luck would bring about more bad luck and everything would spread like a butterfly effect. The peaceful past would not return¡ªonly the changed future would await them. Even if peace came through the protagonist¡¯s actions after all this misery, there would still be more people who would die meaninglessly than those who would survive until peace came. Nathan would also be one of those who would die meaninglessly. One might look at Nathan now and say he didn¡¯t know anything yet, but Nathan thought that he had to be Hazard¡¯s companion in order to survive. He had to stay by Hazard¡¯s side somehow. But he couldn¡¯t do anything with such insignificant skills. Far from being close to Hazard, he wouldn¡¯t be able to protect himself at all. Nathan didn¡¯t want to die. He didn¡¯t want to, after being left alone in this world, to live without putting forth any effort. The life of a boy named ¡®Nathan Norbert¡¯ was not even mentioned in the novel. He was doomed to crumble and disappear without being able to properly appear among the countless unnamed extras. Many people living here, including him, would die without even leaving their names behind. It was only the protagonist and his companions who would live to tell everyone their names. Nathan didn¡¯t want much. He just didn¡¯t like being forgotten and disappearing off the stage like this. He didn¡¯t want to spread his name. He didn¡¯t want to be the main character or the supporting role. He was just an extra, but his name was mentioned once, so he hoped someone would remember him. If no one remembered him, no one would even know that ¡®he¡¯ existed here after he died. Wasn¡¯t that so tragic and sad? A person could be said to be truly alive only when someone remembered them. At least that was what he thought. So, if even one person remembered him properly, it would be okay to crumble and disappear after that¡­ Since then, Nathan had made a steady effort. For the first time in his life, he decided to study properly. There was no choice but to do so. Nathan lacked everything. He had no knowledge, no strength, no stamina, and no money to live in this world. So he had no choice but to try. And it was going to be a struggle. What was fortunate was that Remburton, who had been bothering Nathan, went back to the Swordsmanship Department a week later? During that week, Nathan visited the infirmary every day because there wasn¡¯t a day without stomach pain. Although he wanted to get to know Remburton, it was difficult to get along with a boy who was several years younger than him. The boy was terribly afraid to close his eyes and pretend to be friendly. He had a face like a nobleman and his actions, speech, and personality were very ferocious. There was no one as aggressive and fierce-looking as him (TN: ??, referring to roosters in cockfighting. Aggressive, fierce, perhaps carries negative connotations). So Nathan, of course, and the weak students of the Magic Department just watched Remburton from the side. It was only by chance that Nathan had once chatted with him, and when he returned to the Swordsmanship Department, Nathan secretly toasted. After that, he was studying, studying, studying again. He, of course, secretly wandered around the academy, hoping to run into Hazard again. CH 14 Nathan believed Melkiel¡¯s words. He thought it would be different if he tried harder. It wasn¡¯t such hard work to catch up with an unfamiliar class, but Nathan worked tirelessly. He split his sleeping hours, stayed up all night, and almost lived in the library. Fortunately, he was able to read the writings of this world. And if he wasn¡¯t a nobleman? He didn¡¯t know for sure, but he thought he would have been more miserable than he was now. While studying, he also looked up things about ¡®Nathan¡¯ from time to time. There was not much information, but there were some results. This was the case with the current situation of ¡®Nathan Norbert¡¯. It was not as miserable as he thought, so should he say it was fortunate? ¡®Nathan¡¯ inherited the title at the early age of seventeen. Because he had no other relatives. He was completely alone, but there were some (unrelated) adults to help him. His house was half-destroyed, and the barony¡¯s small village was now in a state of disrepair, and the people who lived there also moved to the nearest Viscount Lasilla¡¯s dominion to live. Therefore, there were no more than 30 people remaining in the barony, including the servants living in the castle (???. European style stone castle). It was also mostly people who remained loyal to him. Only the family-like people who took care of ¡®Nathan¡¯ since childhood decided to help Nathan until he graduates from the academy after adulthood. This was learned from a letter sent from Barony Norbert to him. It was only at the age of 18 that a single adult was recognized for their coming of age ceremony. With less than a year left, no one expected Nathan to keep his title properly after that. In fact, when the accident happened, wouldn¡¯t ¡®Nathan¡¯ think of returning the title to the royal family? But even when they fell apart, they kept the title because poor nobles were better than poor commoners. Tuk, tuduk. Red dots appeared on the paper. Nathan familiarly covered his nose. ¡°Haha¡­ If I studied this hard in the other world, I could have gotten into college¡­¡± His room was filled with magic formulas on papers he had drawn and undid. Occasionally, his nose began bleeding, so there were red bloodstains. There was no day when the ink on his hands disappeared. Nosebleeds had become a daily occurrence. Nathan had a book open to one side while eating, and he devoted himself to practising his magic, sometimes forgetting to eat. So this was an expected accident. It was a day like any other day. Nathan went to class as usual. However, from the moment he woke up in the morning, he was not feeling well. Did he overdo it these days? It has been a while since he slept properly. There were more times when he skipped meals because he didn¡¯t have an appetite. His class was in full swing and his head was dizzy. His eye sight flickered. The hand holding the quill pen trembled. Thanks to this, the ink spattered and stained the paper badly. ¡°Ah.¡± With a sigh, Nathan rubbed the corners of his eyes. He was tired. He tried to concentrate in class, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything. Nathan slowly closed his eyes. Let¡¯s take a break. 5 minutes. But when someone woke him up, it was after class. ¡°Hey, wake up. Practical class is next.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thanks.¡± ¡°¡­are you okay? Isn¡¯t your complexion pretty bad?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. It¡¯s just because I didn¡¯t sleep well.¡± Nathan smiled awkwardly at the girl who woke him up. He thought her name was probably Etton (??) or something. Nathan ruffled his hair roughly. It was only Etton and Nathan in the classroom. Perhaps she was just about to go but woke him up before she left. ¡°So that¡¯s why¡­ Norbert, right?¡± ¡°Oh, was it Etton?¡± ¡°Right! I didn¡¯t expect you to remember!¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I know your name?¡± ¡°Well, of course I know your name. Everyone does, you know? We¡¯ve all known each other since childhood. And when someone that we don¡¯t know suddenly appears, wouldn¡¯t we be naturally curious?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± There was a practical class today in the morning. The two had a brief conversation as they walked to the gymnasium. In fact, Nathan couldn¡¯t quite remember what she was talking about. Before he knew it, almost three months had passed since high school started¡ªthe cold had disappeared and warm weather was in full swing. Here, the four seasons didn¡¯t show as clearly as in Korea. The winters were long and the weather in spring and autumn seemed to continue on and on, so the hot summers like those of Korea were seldom. The sky was blue. It was the sky that reminded him of someone¡¯s eyes. Upon arriving at the rehearsal hall, Etton crossed over to a group of students huddled together. Nathan looked at Etton and headed towards a corner of the rehearsal hall. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to make friends. He was lonely. Loneliness ate up Nathan, but that didn¡¯t make him willing to reach out to them. When he made friends with children far younger than his original age, he became awkward and reluctant. As a result, Nathan had not made any friends so far. He knew children occasionally glanced at him, but Nathan pretended not to know. It was because he didn¡¯t have enough (knowledge) to make friends and he still had a lot to learn. As he devoted himself to his studies, he naturally developed a sense of distance. In addition, the students here could be said to be childhood friends. A person who suddenly fell from the sky was naturally isolated from the bonds of people who had been together since childhood. Of course, he could be a new friend if both parties were proactive, but Nathan couldn¡¯t. The kids weren¡¯t bad. The children talked to him over and over again, appealing to him that they wanted to get along. However, for various reasons, he could not receive such an appeal hastily. In short, all of this came to its own end. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s start class. Everyone gather!¡± ¡°Oh? Professor Pan (?)!¡± ¡°Professor Pan, you¡¯re done with your business trip!¡± ¡°What about Professor Melkiel?¡± ¡°Melkiel has some business to do for a while. Today, I will take care of your class.¡± Seeing the man called Pan, Nathan thought he looked a bit sloppy. The practical class continued as usual. Even though he had studied magic for a long time, he still could not use it easily. If elementary and middle school students mainly studied theory, high school was full-fledged practice. ¡°Today, I¡¯m going to use two magic circles to create one type of magic. Watch carefully and follow along.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Pan took out his magic tool. At first glance, Pan¡¯s magic tool was a spear that could easily be mistaken for a wand. The tip of the spear was pointed. Pan used mana to gather mana at the tip of his spear and wield it. A magic circle with blue light was drawn on the floor of the rehearsal floor. At first glance, simple strokes were drawn at slow speed so that everyone could see. ¡°Let¡¯s start with a simple one. What I am drawing now is a type of magic circle that is often used as a simple defence. It¡¯s also painted on your robes. And here¡¯s the new formula. This is a kind of magic circle using wind. Now, what do you get when you put these two things together?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a shield made of wind¡­?¡± The student pointed out by Pan answered cautiously. ¡°Right!¡± Pan praised them and drew the magic circle. ¡°Well, look here. Something is missing, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, something is missing.¡± ¡°Okay, now I¡¯m going to engrave another formula here. This is a formula to fuse the two magic circles. It¡¯s all in the book. I¡¯ll show you later.¡± ¡°Hey, what is it~!¡± ¡°A lot depends on what formula you put in. What I wrote, it would be quicker to see it with your own eyes.¡± In the final stroke, Pan swung the spear in his hand with a light hand gesture. A beautiful blue light flashes. A sudden wind blew around the plate. The hem of the robe fluttered in the strong wind. Nathan couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the figure. ¡°[Wind, be the shield to protect me!]¡± Then the wind became a strong wind and wound around the plate. It became a hard shield made of wind. Nathan¡¯s heart pounded with excitement. As expected, magic was the best. It was splendid, beautiful, wonderful, and mysterious. ¡°Now, you all do it. Aim for success, but don¡¯t overdo it, and focus on properly drawing the magic circle with your magic.¡± Pan broke the magic he had created, talking to the students with twinkling eyes. Everyone spread apart to distance themselves and took out their magic tools. Nathan drew the magic circle alone in a corner a little far from the others. There was no blockage of mana while drawing the magic circle, as the efforts of the past were not in vain. Nathan felt good in his heart, feeling thrilled every time he used mana. He drew the magic circle in the air, and added strokes one by one. At the end of his last stroke, he licked his mouth to chant a spell. ¡°Oh¡­?¡± CH 15 It was then that his nose began bleeding. Nathan roughly wiped his nose as usual, but his nose didn¡¯t stop bleeding. It looked like someone turned the faucet on. The dripping blood spilled like water. Nathan was taken aback by the unusual situation. As he became distracted, the magic circle drawn in the air broke and disappeared. He didn¡¯t even know that the wand in his hand was falling to the floor. Even as he hurriedly covered his nose with his hand, the blood overflowed between his fingers. Nathan¡¯s mouth, clothes, and hands were covered in blood¡ªnot to mention the state of his nose and the taste of blood in his mouth. He couldn¡¯t hold his breath. When he coughed, blood spitted out at the same time. ¡°Ugh.¡± The continuous flow of blood stifled his breath. It was hard to breathe. Nathan gasped. He opened his mouth to breathe, but his mouth was full of blood. His vision flickered rapidly. The whole world was dyed white. Obviously, he had his eyes open, but he couldn¡¯t see anything. It was just all white. His ears kept ringing. The ¡®beep¡¯ sound was creepy. He had a cold sweat. The voices of people and the sound of footsteps running towards him could be heard in the distance. His stomach was feeling nauseous. He had a stomachache. His hands trembled. No, his whole body was shaking. That was all Nathan remembered. * * * ¡°You idiot! When I told you to try, I didn¡¯t mean to overwork your body!¡± Melkiel threw away his usual polite way of speaking and got angry. Nathan glanced at Melkiel. Nathan was very upset. He was scolded for trying because he was told to try. Where he lived, no one said anything about this much, so he was just puzzled. ¡®If it was Korea, no one would have cared about a nosebleed¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t know why he was angry. Honestly, he didn¡¯t know why he was being scolded, but Nathan was wary of Melkiel. After that, the speech continued, but not many words remained in Nathan¡¯s mind. Melkiel frowned as if Nathan¡¯s thoughts were reflected in his expression. With a sigh, he decided to take special measures. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t seem like you want to reflect on yourself. If that¡¯s the case, for the time being, Student Nathan will be banned from classrooms, libraries, and gymnasiums.¡± ¡°Pardon?!¡± Nathan jumped up in surprise and collapsed onto the bed with a groaning sound. ¡°You need some rest. Do you know how messed up your body is? You must be feeling it.¡± Nathan woke up three days after he spilled blood and passed out in the gym. It was said that a lack of nutrition was combined with lack of sleep, overworking himself, and body aches. Even now, he was still throbbing all over his body as if he had been beaten. His stomach also hurt and it felt like his heart was clumped together. ¡°Bu-but still! Then, I will be left behind¡­!¡± How could he catch up! He tried so hard and managed to catch up, so now he said not to take classes! There was nothing crueller than that. Nathan¡¯s face was distorted by injustice. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, I¡¯ll give you the supplementary classes as much as I can. If you want, I¡¯ll adjust the class of another professor as well. With the midterm exams coming up, it¡¯s Nathan himself who¡¯s overdoing it.¡± ¡°But¡ª!¡± ¡°There are no ¡®buts¡¯. Think about your body. I hope you¡¯ve learned something from this incident. Of course trying is important, but you don¡¯t seem to see your own efforts. You worked very hard, you tried, and got results. Professor Pan even praised you. Your efforts are commendable, but what should be scolded has to be scolded¡ªthat way, you won¡¯t repeat the same mistakes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The blanket held in his hand wrinkled. Melkiel¡¯s firm voice could not get any sadder. Nathan didn¡¯t want to be praised, but he hoped that because he worked harder than anyone else, his efforts could be recognized. ¡°There is no point in running without knowing the limits of your body. This is a mistake that young students often make. Look at Student Nathan¡¯s physical condition now. Look at how dangerous it is to use your mana with an overworked body.¡± Then what was Nathan supposed to do? Has anyone ever scolded him like this? As if young in body and in spirit, Nathan¡¯s mind was just saddened and wronged in this situation. Deureureuk¡ª Then a woman with short, soft, light brown hair and round orange eyes entered the infirmary. She was a pretty familiar face to Nathan. ¡°¡­Professor Matilda has come?¡± ¡°Oh my, Professor Melkiel. Were you picking on the patient while I was away?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± She smiled softly, but it was full of warning. So Melkiel licked his lips, sighed, and turned around. ¡°I still have something to say, but I¡¯ll stop for the sake of Nathan¡¯s body. I¡¯ll talk to you later. Never, ever push yourself too hard. Take a rest.¡± ¡°Go home safely.¡± ¡°See you later.¡± There was silence for a moment as Melkiel left the infirmary. Nathan was still unhappy and his body ached. Matilda, who approached his bedside, asked. ¡°How is your body?¡± ¡°¡­it hurts a little.¡± ¡°Oh, would you like me to give you some more painkillers?¡± ¡°Um, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad.¡± He didn¡¯t seem to think it was enough to take medicine. It was still tolerable. So Nathan gently shook his head. Matilda stared at Nathan for a moment. For a man who had slept for three days, Nathan¡¯s face was still haggard¡ªhis eye bags were dark and his lips were dry. Unbeknownst to Nathan, he had a nosebleed while sleeping, staining his pillows and bed sheets with blood. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel like your heart area is clumped together?¡± ¡°Pardon? Ah, yes. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Mana circulates through the heart with the air. It basically wraps around the heart, but it runs through the blood. It¡¯s not good for your heart if you overdo it. It¡¯s even more so when you¡¯re already in poor health. You don¡¯t want to shorten your life, do you?¡± Matilda then grabbed Nathan¡¯s hand. A bright light emanated from her fingertips. Her gripping hand was warm. ¡°¡­divine power doesn¡¯t work well, either.¡± ¡°Oh, you said that before.¡± It happened when Nathan suffered from gastritis because of Remburton. She tried to heal him with her divine powers, but it didn¡¯t work well and eventually prescribed him medication. ¡°I looked it up and found that it is not common, but it does happen occasionally. Those whose bodies do not take in divine powers¡­ Of course, there are people who don¡¯t accept divine power very well, but usually not to this extent, so the treatment method and the question of why you¡¯re like this has yet to be resolved¡­ But you¡¯re not particularly weird, so don¡¯t worry too much. Even though I have divine powers, I learned medicine and herbal medicine too, so I¡¯ll be able to help you.¡± Here, healing was the realm of the divine. Because God was real, the divine power was strong and God¡¯s power was clearly proven to be real. The priests of the temple were all people with divine power. Divine power was slightly different from magic. It was the divine power to purify negativity. Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that it was specialized in curing disease and healing wounds. Of course, though divine healing was available, much of the public did not partake in it (?? ??? ?? ?? ?? ????? ??? ??? ??? ?? ????). Due to the fact that it cost a lot of money, there was a strong public opinion that divine healing was reserved for those of blue blood (TN: ?? ?? ??. Blue blood here meant ¡°noble¡± or ¡°aristocrat¡±). Therefore, nobles and people in authority were the only ones treated by priests with divine powers. Matilda was a high-ranking priest sent to the academy as a member of the temple. Thanks to this, commoners entering the academy could easily receive treatment with divine power. Aurora Academy was a place where nobles and commoners were mixed. Although the number of nobles was much greater, the number of commoners was not small. This was because only students with excellent skills could enter the academy based on their ability. In fact, Nathan¡¯s position was a bit subtle in that sense. Students usually entered the academy starting from elementary school. In other words, it was said that students were enrolled at the age of 8 to10. So ¡®Nathan¡¯ might have been better than his peers when he was young. But it seemed that the talent didn¡¯t keep up with age. He had talent as a child, but was caught up to by the children around him, and eventually fell behind. The reason why Nathan insisted in the ill-fitting Swordsmanship Department was because Norbert Barony consisted of swordsmen. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t even think about other departments. His parents also graduated from the Swordsmanship Department, so he thought he would do the same. Thus, he chose swordsmanship even though his body was not fit for it. He could tell from the conversation he had with Matilda during their first meeting that ¡®Nathan¡¯ had been going to and from the infirmary as if it were his own home since he was a child because of the unsuitable department. It was a very embarrassing situation to meet Matilda, who knew Nathan, in her infirmary. CH 16 Nathan tried to get out of the situation with a nervous feeling that she might notice something strange after seeing Nathan for a long time, However, Matilda, who was using her divine power to treat him, was surprised by Nathan¡¯s sudden change of constitution and somehow he escaped that day. Nathan was originally a body through which divine power worked, but somehow, divine power no longer works. He didn¡¯t know if it was because he was in Nathan¡¯s body. This is because there were so few similar precedents that there were few stories of people whose constitution changed, let alone solutions. ¡°It¡¯s not good for you to rely on divine power healing, but I¡¯m sorry that it doesn¡¯t help you when you¡¯re sick like this.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing serious! Thanks to you, I feel much better!¡± I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s really improved, but Nathan said so for now. After that, Nurse Matilda briefly explained Nathan¡¯s physical condition and stood up from his seat. ¡°You¡¯d better lie down for a few more days. It should be okay to take a little more rest and then move back to your dorm.¡± ¡°Yes, I will. Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be away for a while, so go on and make yourself comfortable.¡± Nathan forced a smile to Nurse Matilda until she left. The silence fell when the door of the infirmary closed. Nathan laid down on the bed as if he were falling. The faint smell of herbs tickles the tip of his nose. Nathan thought that the second magic room smelled worse than in the infirmary. When he leaned his head on a soft pillow, his eyes closed automatically, but it was not enough to fall asleep. Nathan burst into laughter as he pondered what Nurse Matilda had said. He suffered permanent wounds from excessive use of mana on his fragile body. It¡¯s not even funny. Nathan couldn¡¯t understand what he was doing so wrong. The pain around his heart was mild, but it got on his nerves. But this was the pain Nathan had to bear in the future. Nurse Matilda said it was like an aftereffect of magic. If he doesn¡¯t overdo it, he¡¯ll most likely die early, and the pain will increase if he takes the medicine and study. Nathan was crushed by despondency. Compared to running, it was as if he couldn¡¯t get up on his feet even before touching the starting line. ¡°This damned body.¡± His body will now bleed if he overdoes anything, and the heart-binding manna will press on his heart. Others would not have been so damaged even if they were overworked like this, but Nathan created this situation for himself due to his overlapping bad health. Usually, his weak body creaked externally, internally, and mentally. This is a scheduled tragedy because once someone overdoes it continuously, they¡¯ll end up in such a state. Therefore, Nathan decided to live a life of desperation after learning about it. If one doesn¡¯t overdo it, they¡¯ll be in the middle. ¡®My efforts up to now have been helpful.¡¯ Nathan, who wasn¡¯t as good as the average, is halfway there. The fact made him happy while feeling a little more despondent. ¡®I thought that if I had been careful, my future would have been different.¡¯ At some point, the initial plan to become close to Hazard was erased from his mind. With the small ability to do some things with this body, he would only be a burden, let alone help the main character. Somehow if he got close to Hazard, he would just end up just saying hello. We won¡¯t be able to meet until maybe after graduation. So let¡¯s end that kind of thinking. But that doesn¡¯t mean Nathan gave up right away. Just in case. For some time, Nathan scoured the academy to try and meet Hazard. Nathan searched for places where Hazard might be and tried to get acquainted with his colleagues, but his efforts, unfortunately, did not pay off. Nathan himself was gradually feeling that the more he tried the more everything seemed to go wrong. So he started to give up. The fact that he has never met Hazard since that first week encouraged his abandonment. Time flew by without him even realizing his own feelings properly. He couldn¡¯t even find the tip of Hazard¡¯s hair until Nathan turned 19 and his graduation was just around the corner. . . . Wake up if it¡¯s a dream. Crispy. ¡°What? Why is there sand?¡± Nathan lowered his foot under the bed and frowned slightly at the sand being stepped on the soles of his feet. Nathan is Korean, so he didn¡¯t walk around his room wearing outside shoes like everyone else at the academy. It was like his pride as a Korean. Why are you walking around in your room with your shoes on? Nathan¡¯s shoes were habitually always neatly placed by the door, and the floor of his room was always clean. So there shouldn¡¯t have been sand on the floor. ¡°That¡¯s strange. The sand definitely came from somewhere.¡± It was a strange thing, but it wasn¡¯t that important. So Nathan let go of this strange sign like rainwater. It¡¯s been two years since he became ¡®Nathan Norbert¡¯. Time flew by, and graduation was coming in a few months. Nathan, however, had a lot of worries these days like accidents on graduation day and natural disasters that will happen afterward. None of which Nathan could solve. Nothing would change if only a powerless person like himself knew the future. He slipped out of the bathroom with a light brush of wet hair. Nathan¡¯s grown taller than ever in these past two years. It was likely to easily exceed 180cm. Even so, he was still skinny, just tall like a pine tree. The first loose school uniform was still loose, but the arms and legs were just right. I wish I could gain some weight here. ¡°But I don¡¯t think about it all the time because I¡¯m less hungry..¡± He swept his dry stomach with his hand and continued to get dressed. Nathan woke up late again today, so he arrived at the restaurant just before the end of breakfast time. The restaurant, which was supposed to be quiet because it was late, was noisy today. Among the foods displayed in the buffet style, he chose what to eat and sat down. When he ate he moved his hand mechanically. The students gathered at the table next door burned with a new theme. ¡°Did you hear that? Mado and Pelley both saw the ghost yesterday!¡± ¡°Hyuk, are you serious?¡± ¡°It¡¯s real! My friend is Pelley¡¯s roommate! He was doing his homework in the lab until late at night, and he stood up to take a break and it passed by the window!¡± ¡°I would¡¯ve been screaming!¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared!¡± A playful scream that didn¡¯t seem to be scary at all rang out in the restaurant. No one took the scream very seriously. Just as summer approaches, these rumors circulated in the academy. The students were tired of studying, so they just wanted something fun to happen. They seemed to be just making up stories. ¡°It¡¯s a ghost. There was a similar rumor two years ago and last year.¡± Nathan saw it as them just making up interesting stories to share. As similar rumors circulated every year, the mystery became stronger, but it was just a rumor that felt to be everywhere from Nathan¡¯s point of view. Why is it a ghost story in every school? I thought this academy had nothing to do with where I used to live. ¡°The kids in your department sometimes work until late at night, right? But I saw it on the way to the dorm yesterday! The ghost from the rumors!¡± Nathan stopped listening to unusual stories and focused more on eating breakfast. Nathan¡¯s diet was simple. A little salad, an egg, a sausage, and a soft butter bread. I wanted to eat rice. I craved budae-jjigae with white rice. It wasn¡¯t that I hated Western food. If it suits your taste, it does. But it¡¯s been going on for years, so I just want to eat something else. He thought about eating better, but he held back his thoughts by putting in the leftover bread. (T/N: Budae-jjigae or spicy sausage stew is a type of Korean jjigae, made with ham, sausage, Spam, baked beans, kimchi, instant noodles, and gochujang.) Today, there was a theory and history class in the morning, and a practical class in the afternoon. Nathan was the last to arrive in the classroom. ¡°Nathan!¡± ¡°Hey, Norbert!¡± ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°You¡¯re late again today!¡± ¡°Yeah, you need to go to bed early at night.¡± ¡°I went to bed early. I guess I¡¯ve just been sleeping better lately.¡± As Nathan entered the classroom, people greeted him here and there. There has been a small change in the last two years. The number of students who spoke to Nathan increased, and he got mixed up in a few groups. The people who just said hello were students named Etton, Robert, and Berry. Nathan can be said to be somewhat a part of that group who goes around together only when necessary. Nathan still felt a bit awkward around them but he was too lonely to be completely independent of them. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be late, so I saved you a seat!¡± ¡°Oh, thank you, Etton.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome! Let me know some of your answers later!¡± Nathan obediently went to the seat that Etton pointed to and sat down. In fact, the seats were overflowing, but he had no intention of ignoring their good intentions. Yawwwwnn As soon as Nathan sat down, he yawned. It¡¯s been like this lately. Sleepiness poured out even when he slept. His body was more lethargic than usual. It was no big deal now to listen to some classes and doze off in others. Sometimes, he missed morning classes because he felt like he couldn¡¯t open his eyes. When he opened the book he was too tired to read the letters. He couldn¡¯t remember what happened just yesterday. Nathan gradually became lethargic without even realizing it. He just kept letting the day slip by. CH 17 It was the same today. Nathan opened his eyes to wake up and focus on the class, but at some point, his eyes closed. His head shook wildly and he hit my head on the desk. When Nathan¡¯s eyes closed, he had a familiar dream. ¡°¡­But¡­Nathan!¡± ¡°HYUK!¡± Nathan jumped up, trembling at the power that shook the chair. He could see Etton with a look of surprise on her face. The dimly held hand informed him that it was Etton who woke him. Nathan looked around in dismay. All the children¡¯s eyes were on Nathan. The clock showed that it was still class time. Professor Michael¡¯s face standing in front of the school table was scary. Nathan breathed in. ¡°Sorry! I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. While you¡¯re up, go out and take a walk.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°My class must have been so boring. I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d fall asleep.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Stop, get out. Go get some fresh air. You don¡¯t have to come to this class today.¡± At Professor Michael¡¯s firm words, Nathan was at a loss and eventually had to go out of the classroom. When the door closed behind his back, Professor Michael¡¯s voice was heard quietly as the class had begun again. ¡°Oh, my-¡± Nathan let out a sigh and raised his hand and swept it across his face. ¡®What¡¯s wrong with me these days? I feel like I¡¯m losing my mind.¡¯ Nathan also gradually noticed that his physical condition has not been very good these days. ¡®Did I overdo it again? I thought about it, but it didn¡¯t seem too much. All I could think of was that dream.¡¯ Nathan has had the same dream every day these days. The first time Nathan had this dream was two years ago. Maybe when he collapsed and returned to the dorm. Then he had that same dream only once in a while. Then, these days, he had similar dreams one after another. He only knew he had the same dream just before he woke up. But he would never fully remember what the dream was about. Nathan forgot what little he remembered when he washed his face. So now, he only has a sense of having similar dreams. Forgetting dreams like that was a tell-tale sign of not getting enough sleep. However, it was not once or twice, but it continued one after another, so he was sleepy seemingly all the time and his body felt gloomy. Nathan took his back off the leaning door and decided to walk a little. He couldn¡¯t doze off in the next class too. For Nathan, Professor Michael is a special person. He was a good teacher, a good adult figure. So it was natural for Nathan¡¯s desire to make the professor proud. Nathan was in the state he was in because he was trying to make up for ¡®Nathan¡¯s¡¯ shortfall. So the fact that Professor Michael was disappointed bothered him. Nathan was busy in his head while he was walking aimlessly. While walking, he couldn¡¯t think of anything else, so he reflected on the topics he learned today in class. His slender hand moved gracefully as if drawing a magic circle in the air. Then, for a moment, he felt the world move in front of his eyes. Nathan groped his hand and tried to catch his breath by touching the tree right in front of him. He had barely calmed down his dizzy head when he heard a rustling sound above. Nathan looked up and sucked in a gasp. There sat Hazard on the tree. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it?¡± His blue eyes smile beautifully at Nathan. It was the first conversation they had in two years, and Hazard started it in a carefree manner as if it were just a little while. In an unexpected situation, Nathan wondered if what he saw and heard was reality. As such, Hazard¡¯s sudden appearance embarrassed him. ¡®When I went around looking for him because I wanted to meet him just like this, he didn¡¯t even show me his nose, and when I gave up looking for Hazard, he showed up on his own. What is this ridiculous and absurd situation?¡¯ After giving up looking for Hazard, Nathan never once said he would pretend to know him first. ¡®I never thought about it. I thought maybe I wouldn¡¯t see him until I graduated.¡¯ Nathan couldn¡¯t say anything aloud about his embarrassment, so he looked up at Hazard sitting on the tree with a blank face without blinking his eyes properly. ¡°I guess you¡¯re not feeling well again.¡± His handsome face is frowned upon with anxiety. It was a little different from the voice Nathan had heard two years ago. His voice has grown thick and his size has grown considerably over the past two years. ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s¡­¡± Nathan was embarrassed and uttered a word, but his nose bled at that moment. He had a bloody nose, but Nathan reacted as if he were familiar with it. But when Hazard saw Nathan, he was surprised and jumped from the tree. The boy who came close was now quite masculine and manly. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Hazard searched through his pockets. Maybe he couldn¡¯t find what he wanted, so he sucked his teeth and quickly took off his shirt. He rolled it around to cover Nathan¡¯s nose. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re going to smell sweat, but I don¡¯t have a handkerchief. Just hang in there a little bit more.¡± A large hand grabbed Nathan by the nape of his neck and pressed him to lower his head, and another hand blocked his nose. He could see the white sleeves in front of his nose turning red in an instant. This was also embarrassing for Nathan. His eyes trembled like an earthquake. ¡°How come you don¡¯t feel well every time I see you?¡± ¡°Ha ha..¡± Nathan laughs awkwardly at the words. ¡®My nose is stuffed and I have a stuffy nose.¡¯ Nathan shrugged at the strange kindness. ¡°It¡¯s because I have a weak nose. That¡¯s why.¡± Nathan said it like an excuse, but it wasn¡¯t exactly wrong. It¡¯s less these days, but he¡¯s had consistent nosebleeds for two years. The reasons varied. There was even a time when he sneezed too hard. After seeing it so often, he now knows the timing of ¡°Oh, I think I¡¯m going to have a nosebleed.¡± He didn¡¯t notice it just now because he was embarrassed by Hazard. He tried to always have a couple of handkerchiefs in his pocket in case he had a nosebleed so he wouldn¡¯t have to go through this every time he had one. Suddenly, Nathan couldn¡¯t figure out why Hazard was pretending to be close to him. For Nathan, the first and last time he met Hazard was two years ago, and it would have been the same for Hazard. But considering Hazard¡¯s personality, well, it wasn¡¯t a very incomprehensible situation. He was a kind and righteous protagonist to everyone. If there¡¯s a sick person in front of someone, they might be worried. But does the person act on that concern? Then ask yourself what Hazard is like. The friendly way of speaking, the face and actions that worried about his health shook Nathan¡¯s core. This man, the hero of the world, was still dazzling. ¡®I once wanted to get close to him. Judging that it would be best to use him to live. But it¡¯s all an old story, too.¡¯ Nathan decided not to dwell on the original novel or upheaval. The more he tried, the more miserable the results were, and those results piled up, eating away Nathan¡¯s self-esteem. He decided not to constantly think about how to solve the future. How long has Hazard been holding the shirt to his nose? ¡®I¡¯m sure it hasn¡¯t been that long.¡¯ But even that brief silence was suffocating Nathan. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from suddenly thinking that this was not a place for him to be. ¡°¡­That¡¯s enough.¡± Nathan carefully removed Hazard¡¯s hand. Fortunately, the blood stopped quickly. As the blood was drained from the body, the body naturally became tired and the head slightly hurt. Nathan¡¯s eyes were tired. ¡°I¡¯m glad it stopped soon. We don¡¯t have to call Nurse Matilda today, do we?¡± Hazard smiled saying, ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± His playful remarks coincided with what he said two years ago. Nathan thought blankly as he saw Hazard smiling right in front of him. ¡®As expected, not everyone can be the main character.¡¯ Because Hazard¡¯s face is very beautiful even when Nathan looks at him as a man. His eyes were drawn to him, and his shirt was stained with blood. That was when Nathan came to his senses. ¡°Oh!¡± Frustrated Nathan grabbed the shirt as if Hazard had snatched it away. ¡°Oh, my. I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s because of me¡­¡± ¡°Huh? Never mind. I did it on my own.¡± As he said so, Hazard shook his hand and laughed. But it was Nathan who would mind getting the Prince¡¯s shirt dirty because of him. ¡°No, but..¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, don¡¯t mind it.¡± Nathan also couldn¡¯t think of the idea that he could magically cleanse his thoughts, which was hardened by embarrassment, in a very slow-moving container. In addition, Nathan did not notice that he was so distracted by the red-colored shirt that he kept holding onto Hazard¡¯s thick arm. Dang-daeng (T/N: This is the sound of a bell) That strange confrontation between Nathan, who is trying to take his shirt, and Hazard, who is not trying to take it, was broken by the bell ringing the hour. The bell also meant that the class was over. Soon there was a murmur of voices from afar. Taking advantage of Nathan¡¯s distraction, Hazard pulled my shirt out of Nathan¡¯s hand. ¡°Nathan! Next class!¡± In the distance, Etton waved at Nathan. That reminded Nathan of what the time was. The next class was another of Professor Michael¡¯s, even though it was a mobile class. Herbology class was supposed to go to the manufacturing room, but it¡¯s a little remote in this vast academy, so everyone needed to hurry up. CH 18 ¡°Sorry, Hazard! I have to go! I¡¯m terribly sorry. I¡¯ll pay you back later!¡± Nathan hurried off, saying goodbye to Hazard. Thanks to his long legs, Nathan was able to get out of there quickly. ¡°Oh my! Did you get a nosebleed again?¡± ¡°Oh, but there was only a little bit of blood this time. It¡¯s no big deal.¡± After seeing Nathan disappearing with his friend (Etton), Hazard hung a slight smile around his mouth like a habit. ¡°You called me by my name.¡± *** ¡°Whoa.¡± Obviously, after he ran into Hazard in the morning and embarrassed himself he began running away to almost avoid further discussion, but he forgot that the afternoon class was right after. The department of magic tended to practice with the department of swordsmanship because of its small number of people. However, Nathan overlooked it because he had never seen Hazard in this class before. ¡°You haven¡¯t come to this class before, have you?¡± ¡®Why are you here all of a sudden?¡¯ Nathan glanced bitterly at Hazard. He was talking to Remberton. Then Hazard finds Nathan¡¯s eyes and waves his hand. ¡°Nathan, are you close with the prince?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he waving ¡®hello¡¯ to you?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The children next to him asked Nathan as well, but he honestly had nothing to say, so he only swept the back of his neck nervously. ¡®I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong with Hazard. I also don¡¯t know why he¡¯s waving at me.¡¯ ¡°Professor Joe was called away by other faculty. We¡¯ve been together for a year, so just get along well with each other.¡± Professor Michael¡¯s voice turned Nathan¡¯s attention away from Hazard. ¡°In these groups, there is one senior student majoring in magic and one freshman student. There are two seniors in the department of swordsmanship, two freshmen, for a total of six people in one group. Senior students in each group take care of their first year juniors.¡± T/N: Some may not know but when they say ¡®Juniors¡¯ they don¡¯t just mean the direct year before the seniors like in American School. When they say ¡®Juniors¡¯ they mean anyone younger/just starting while in comparison to whomever. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°This is my first practice with the freshmen so seniors, please explain to them in detail. Then let¡¯s go ahead.¡± There were several entrances to the forest. Therefore, unless you entered the same entrance, you were less likely to encounter another group inside the forest. Then Professor Michael came up to Nathan. ¡°Don¡¯t overdo it, Nathan.¡± ¡°I understand, don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°I heard from Etton you had another accident.¡± ¡°Oh, no. I just had a slight nosebleed and it stopped right away.¡± Nathan hurriedly waved his hand. Looking at Nathan for a long time, Professor Michael shook his hand as if he wanted to sigh. Nathan bowed his head and moved back to his group. ¡°Shall we go, too?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Nathan familiarly entered the forest entrance. The rest of the team followed him. The seniors stood in the back and front, while the freshman stood in the middle. Nathan had a sore ear. This is because the boy standing next to him chattered nonstop. ¡°Hey, juniors! Be careful and you won¡¯t get hurt! Just trust your seniors!¡± ¡°Watch where you¡¯re walking, Agnes.¡± Nathan sighed as he saw Agnes walking backwards. Nathan had a wand in his hand that was slightly longer than his height. For two years, Nathan¡¯s been using the magic tools that fit him. He broke dozens and managed to pull one out to find it. The name of this one is the ¡°Window of Light¡±. Like its name, it was eye-catching and easy to misunderstand at first glance. In fact, it can be used as a spear, but if he could have known that Nathan had learned nothing in the department of swordsmanship, he would have written it as a spear. A mere stranger to swordsmanship, he in reality simply replaced it as a cane. ¡°Oh, come to think of it, we haven¡¯t even said hello properly yet! I¡¯m a senior in swordsmanship, Agnes Root! Nice to meet you!¡± Then Agnes tapped Nathan, who was walking next to him. Nathan was already tired. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m in the same team with this guy again. ¡°¡­I¡¯m Nathan Norbert, a third year student in the Department of Magic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit noisy, isn¡¯t it? Do it for me, boys. It¡¯s also Lariya, a senior in the department of swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Ehhh- I¡¯m Yulrey, a freshman in magic! Nice to meet you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a first year swordsmanship major, Manan!¡± ¡°We¡¯re in the same grade, I¡¯m Ranan. We¡¯re twins.¡± It was the aristocracy who had the last name attached to it, and it was the common people who did not have it. But neither Nathan nor Agnes really cared. ¡°Nathan, Nathan! Start explaining!¡± ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Nobert, can I do it for you?¡± ¡°Well, no, I¡¯ll just do it, Lariya.¡± Agnes was good at using his body, but he had no brains for studying. It was the same with Lariya. Of the three, Nathan would be the best at explaining. ¡°You two, listen up. Don¡¯t make mistakes in front of our juniors.¡± ¡°All right~¡± ¡°First of all, before we came into the forest of exams, we got something from the professor, right? Professor Michael explained it briefly then, but I¡¯m saying it again because it¡¯s important.¡± Nathan took out the yellow and blue beads he received for his share. ¡°Yellow is a magic tool with [return] magic. Call it a ¡®return seat¡¯ for convenience. If you use this, you can teleport straight out of this forest, and the designated location is the entrance to the forest. Don¡¯t use it in vain. It¡¯s a deduction factor. But you have to use it when you are in a dangerous situation. When you run into a bunch of demons, when you think you can¡¯t fight and win even if you have six people, or when you get lost in the woods, etc. It should be used in such cases.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple to use. Since magic and gin are already engraved, you only need to pour in mana along with the spell. The order is [to a safe place]. Those in the swordsmanship department can also use it.¡± ¡°If I can use it, you can use it!¡± ¡®Yeah, if this muscle idiot can use it. You can do it, too.¡¯ This world was not as peaceful as where he lived. There was a monster called the ¡®Mamul¡¯, and although it was quiet now, wars also happened frequently. So death always seemed near. Many people die from evil every year. Perhaps the children who are now attending the Aurora Academy will also be dispatched to deal with such evil when they graduate and join the military for the country. Therefore, the Academy was their practice stage. In the freshman and sophomore grades, they come out in practice as ¡®Forest of Tests¡¯ under the guidance of professors and the seniors. The forest was on the road from the outside to Aurora Academy. This is the same forest Nathan passed by when he first got on the train. Compared to other places, the forest of the examination was used for education under the guidance of professors because there are somewhat weaker deamons there. Here, students face the daemons directly. They learn what evil spirits are, how to fight, and how to deal with them when they are confronted defenselessly. They need to be careful not to get hurt as much as possible, but when a large number of people gathered, accidents were bound to happen no matter how well they did. It is this magic tool to prevent it even a little more. In short, it can be seen as an emergency escape. ¡°And the blue one is a signal. We don¡¯t really need an order for this, but if you inject mana, it will burst on its own. You can use it in case of an emergency.¡± ¡°Senior, I have a question. Why is it called the ¡®Forest of Tests¡¯?¡± ¡°Is there really a dungeon here?¡± The twins, who were listening to the story, asked Nathan. ¡°In fact, the name of the forest is not the real name of this forest, but the name of the dungeon here.¡± ¡°Wow, there¡¯s a real dungeon!¡± ¡°Did you see the dungeon, too?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t, but Professor Michael has.¡± ¡°I know the story! It¡¯s really famous. But all the dungeons are sealed, right? How did you find out?¡± ¡°The dungeon here is a little different in nature from the rest of the world, that¡¯s why it¡¯s called the Forest of Tests.¡± Nathan went back to his memory. What he learned and what he read before he came to this world were subtly mixed. ¡°As soon as we enter the forest, the Dungeon test begins, and the Dungeon is what evaluates. Only to those who are worthy, the dungeon shows its true self. In the dungeon, there is a reward for those who pass the test. Professor Michael¡¯s eyes were the reward.¡± Nathan knew about this dungeon because he learned it in class, but also because this was the dungeon that Hazard entered on his graduation day in the original story. ¡°Do you remember Professor Michael¡¯s eyes? He has eyes that are hard to see as human eyes. That is the reward of the dungeon.¡± Professor Michael¡¯s eyes were the eyes of a dragon that saw through everything. Describing them as such is still an understatement. It was a reward Professor Michael received in the Forest of Tests long ago. The eyes of the wise see the truth beyond human common sense. Those eyes helped make Professor Michael what he is now. ¡°Professor Michael said he was a dungeon survivor. That¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Is it true that Professor Michael lived longer than my grandfather?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know that much.¡± Nathan, of course, knew but kept quiet. It was written in the novel, because it was not what he heard from Professor Michael and told him directly. If you say something without thought, you may not know how it will affect your future development. Then Nathan continued. CH 19 ¡°Our goal is to catch the daemon today. Since it¡¯s the first day, your seniors will demonstrate, and you will watch..¡± ¡°Senior!¡± ¡°What?¡± At that time, Yulrey, who had been quiet so far, pulled on Nathan. He was a seemingly fragile boy who was much smaller than Nathan. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s going to rain.¡± ¡°Rain?¡± Yulrey said in an uneasy voice. Everyone looked up when hearing those words. The sky was full of dark clouds. Soon after, as Yulrey said, it rained. . . . Shoot! ¡°That¡¯s a problem.¡± Nathan murmured softly. As soon as the raindrops fell one by one, they ducked under a huge tree. The rain thickened in an instant. Thanks to the pouring rain, there was a fog forming. ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s raining hard. Nathan, what do we do? Should I just go back like this?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait a little longer.¡± First of all, it was an opinion to wait and see because it might be a simple shower, but in fact, the situation was not good from the moment the rain started. ¡°I can¡¯t even see. Of course, if we strengthen our bodies, this rain doesn¡¯t matter, but we¡¯re not wizards.¡± ¡°I think we¡¯d better just go back, Nathan. Fighting in the rain is dangerous in many ways.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Nathan was briefly silent as everyone asked Nathan for his opinion. Somehow Nathan seemed to be the leader of this group. As the two other seniors passed on the leadership role to Nathan, the remaining juniors had no choice but to wait for Nathan¡¯s words as if it were natural. Then Yulrey said cautiously¡­ ¡°¡­..If it rains like this, you won¡¯t be able to really use your magic well.¡± The story was true. Wizards really needed a magic medium to use magic, but drawing magic with their staff in real time is quite time consuming. So, Nathan drew a few magic circles on the paper in advance, and would take it out and use it when necessary. However, when it rained like this, the paper that drew the magic got wet, and eventually the paper could not be used. In this case, the wizard has to draw a magic circle in real time¡­ ¡°You¡¯re right, Yulrey.¡± ¡°Yulrey, how did you know it was going to rain?¡± ¡°Right! It rained as soon as you said it!¡± ¡°Well, one of my parents is a spirit. So the weather¡­ I can just tell.¡± Boom! Then there was the sound of fireworks breaking through the sound of rain. The dark sky sparkled blue for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s a signal bomb.¡± ¡°What? Who used it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s already a team that shoots a flare? Did I make a mistake?¡± The children murmured with fright. Nathan frowned at the darkened sky again. Why did you shoot the flare? If you¡¯re going back because of the rain, you can just use ¡°Return.¡± Nathan had an ominous feeling. The next moment, there was a sound of a signal explosion from all over the dark sky, pouring rain, and still silence. The sky is twinkling. ¡°Everyone, take out the return seats!¡± cried Nathan impatiently. However, it was too late to realize that the daemon was approaching while being buried by the sound of rain. ¡°Nathan, I think it¡¯s already here¡± At the same time Agnes and Lariya took out their swords and rushed at the daemon that appeared from behind them. The daemon¡¯s hard front feet hit the two swords and roared. It was not a weight to endure, so Agnes hit the front paws of it with strength. While the daemon faltered due to the rebound of power, the two ran back, widening their distance from the daemon. ¡°Wow, damn it. What is this? Was this guy always here?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ve never seen him before!¡± Agnes shook off his hand as if it were numb. Watching Lariya and Agnes re-positioning, Nathan rummaged in his arms, took out the paper and threw it on the floor. ¡°[Water, be a chain of restraints and bind your enemies before you!]¡± The rain poured down and there was enough water around. As Nathan recited the spell, the rain fluctuated violently with bright light. The water took the shape of a chain and curled up the devil¡¯s body, an evil spirit It was unsettling to see something¡¯s huge body struggling the way it struggled. The shrill scream that penetrated their ears only brought even greater fear. ¡°This won¡¯t last long. It¡¯ll be wiped off by the rain soon!¡± Nathan¡¯s wand, slightly taller than his height, trembled, but Nathan clenched his teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t fight both of you! Juniors, use the return seat!¡± ¡°Yes, yes!¡± ¡°I have to stay, so the magic is maintained. Go ahead!¡± ¡°Nathan!¡± As soon as the other children used the return seat one after another and Agnes called Nathan, the magic staff ran out. Like an angry bull, the devil rushed at Nathan. Nathan hurriedly wrapped himself around Yulrey next to him and rolled on the ground. Bang! The place they had just stood was to the other end. His heart beat fast. There are only deep marks in the place where evil spirits passed. ¡°Return seat!¡± Nathan agonized. In the front, there was a daemon, and in the back, there was a child who couldn¡¯t escape. In addition, Yulrey missed the return seat a while ago. Sadly, the return stone could not be easily picked up by rolling over to that point. Nathan¡¯s head was taut. ¡®What should I do? What should I do?¡¯ Even if he drags on like this, he¡¯ll get in the way. ¡®But I can¡¯t run away alone. What if I give him my return seat? Can I run away? Damn it. What¡¯s going on? What if I don¡¯t give you a return seat? He¡¯s too young. Besides, there¡¯s already a panic. Do you think you can hold out until the other kids bring you back? I don¡¯t know, but he definitely can¡¯t. You can¡¯t even get up now. First of all, we need to send him to a place where the daemon can¡¯t see him. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m¡­. I¡¯m fine.¡¯ T/N: That was an inner conversation of Nathan being both the one that asks himself questions and answering them. His way of preparing himself for what¡¯s to come. ¡®It¡¯s gonna be okay.¡¯ ¡°Hey! Junior!¡± ¡°Senior!¡± ¡°Take this!¡± Nathan threw his return stone at Yulrey. Fortunately, the distance was close, so Yulrey could get it without missing it. It was so wet that I couldn¡¯t tell whether Yulrey¡¯s face was wet with rainwater or tears. ¡°Ha, but what about you?¡± ¡°Hurry up! I¡¯ll go on my own!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bring the professor!¡± ¡°Go!¡± Fortunately, Yulrey disappeared with a group of lights as if the return stone was used quickly. Now there are really only Nathan and the daemon. ¡°Ha, that¡¯s right.¡± Nathan slowly backed away. His hair, which was quite long because he didn¡¯t cut it, was wet, and it was very annoying. The rain rather obscured the view. Nathan took off his glasses and held them in his hand. The view was blurry, but it was better than being blind because of the water. The wand in his hand was held tightly as if it were a lifeline, and he ran in the opposite direction before the daemon returned. Nathan didn¡¯t give up the return seat to Yulrey because he was full of justice. It¡¯s just that Yulrey was still a kid. It¡¯s only natural that he should take care of them as an adult. That¡¯s why. That¡¯s all. Running in the rain was very difficult. Furthermore, the pouring rain in the forest was enough to lose one¡¯s sense of direction. Nathan just ran forward without knowing where he was running. Nathan cried because he was afraid of this situation. It was also unfair. If asked if he regretted what he had done, of course he regretted it. ¡®What¡¯s the point of being a good adult? Even as an adult, I¡¯m not even 30 years old!¡¯ ¡°Ugh..¡± Nathan, who was running with a blurry view, tripped over the root of the tree and fell. Nathan tried to get up in a hurry, but his arms trembled. He was out of breath. ¡®Oh, Professor Michael told me not to overdo it.¡¯ The damn body screamed that it only ran. He used the wand as support. Nathan felt that the daemon was approaching while he was getting up. He was afraid to look back. The constant sound of rain fell to his ears. ¡®Do I die like this? Really? I haven¡¯t even started the novel yet.¡¯ He had thought about death after graduation, but it was not in Nathan¡¯s mind to die before graduation. At this moment, his head was filled with questions. ¡°If I die here, it¡¯s not fair..¡± When he forcibly turned his head that was not turning around, the daemon stood right behind him. The ferocious red eyes look at Nathan. Everything seemed so slow at the moment. The pouring rain and even the way the devil opened his huge mouth to swallow him moved very slowly. ¡®Death was just around the corner¡¯ I thought. ¡­if it weren¡¯t for the next moment¡¯s voice, Nathan would have thought he was dead already. ¡°Why do you think about dying already?¡± ¡°What?¡± His plain tone was too inconsistent with the situation. Then the daemon¡¯s body collapsed, trying to swallow him. When Nathan looked up in a daze, a familiar person stood on the body of a dead daemon. Hazard smiles at Nathan. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we be too young to die now?¡± CH 20 At that moment, Nathan didn¡¯t even know he stopped breathing. When he finally let out his breath, Nathan lost his strength and collapsed. He bowed his head, clasping his wand as a support. ¡®I have no strength in my legs.¡¯ His body trembled mercilessly, whether it was a belated fear or a cold caused by rainwater. Looking at Nathan, Hazard took out a knife in the head of the daemon and jumped to the ground. The water splashed. Nathan looked up blankly and saw Hazard¡¯s palm sticking out in front of his nose. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡®Ah, he still shines in this dull world.¡¯ ¡°¡­why are you here?¡± Instead of holding his hand, Nathan immediately asked questions. Nathan¡¯s question was perfectly natural to him. Hazard popped up out of nowhere, it was really unexpected. ¡°Somehow, I was separated from my teammates.¡± He scratched his face awkwardly. From up close, his clothes were no less messy than Nathan¡¯s, Hazard rolled his sword and shook his head. ¡°In the sky, there are continuous blasts. The daemons suddenly ran wild and the rain never stopped. It was no joke.¡± ¡°What about your return seat?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± The response as if he remembered it only then was ridiculous. Nathan¡¯s voice had a reproach at first glance. ¡°If you found yourself alone, you should have used the return seat right away.¡± ¡°Well.. you¡¯re right. I probably forgot because it¡¯s been a while since I had a practice.¡± ¡°If you didn¡¯t do well against the daemon, you would have been seriously hurt¡± ¡°But I was able to help you because of it, so isn¡¯t that enough?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nathan shut his mouth tight. That was indeed the case. His appearance a moment ago was really like a scene from a novel. If Hazard hadn¡¯t come, Nathan would¡¯ve been dead. That thought reminded him of the daemon¡¯s mouth again. Nathan remembers the sense that time passed very slowly at that moment. His hand that held the wand gripped it tight. ¡°Why are you alone in a place like this? What about the others?¡± ¡°They all went back.¡± ¡°What? They left you alone?¡± Hazard frowned uncharacteristically at the remark. The situation just now was dangerous enough even though Hazard¡¯s one-on-one confrontation with the daemon was not always so unusual for a leading knight, it was dangerous enough for a rearguard wizard. If Hazard had been late a while ago, Nathan would not have ended up with a simple injury, but his life would have been in danger. So Hazard had no choice but to frown at the words that he had been left alone while the others returned. Nathan shook his head looking at Hazard and forced his trembling legs up. ¡°I told them to go. I was going to follow them straight away, but I couldn¡¯t because things got a little messed up.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t in a position to say anything to me.¡± His voice was uneven, so Nathan didn¡¯t say anything more, but just took the compass out of his arms and avoided Hazard¡¯s eyes. It was not an ordinary compass, it was a machined tool for finding your way. It tells you where to go. When Nathan opened the lid, the instructions spun around and pointed to one side. ¡°Hazard.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s get out of the woods.¡± ¡°Do you know where to go? We¡¯re so deep in the woods that I don¡¯t know where to go¡­¡± Nathan shook the compass in his hand instead of answering. The two of them walked silently for a while. The rain stopped at some point, and only the occasional dripping of rainwater hanging from the branches could be heard. When the rain stopped, Nathan wiped the water off his glasses. He was relieved by the clearer view. Nathan held the wand in his hands as if he would break, not knowing where else the daemon would pop out, even though he didn¡¯t show his face. Hazard, who was walking next to Nathan, noticed that his hand turned white. ¡°Don¡¯t you think the forest is too quiet?¡± Nathan walked for a long time as the compass pointed, and then suddenly stopped because of Hazard¡¯s words. As he said, the forest was as quiet as death. It was the sound of rain falling and the sound of two people walking in the mud. It was too quiet to be a forest full of life. It was certainly strange that I couldn¡¯t hear the sound of grass bugs along with the cries of animals that I had heard until I entered the forest. ¡°Did I hear wrong before?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too quiet for that. Something¡¯s weird¡­.¡± At that time, the wind blew from somewhere as if this silence were an illusion of two people, and soon the forest became noisy. The sound of the leaves banging against each other tickles his ears. In the dark woods it was quite frankly a chilling phenomenon. Nathan unknowingly rattled and grabbed Hazard. ¡°Haha, don¡¯t do that. It¡¯s just the wind. It¡¯s not a big deal, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that I got goosebumps.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re scared, you can hold on to me more.¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡± Nathan frowned at the sly voice and took his hand off. ¡®Why did I hold onto him? Because he¡¯s the main character. Were you attracted to him unconsciously because you thought he¡¯d feel safe when he¡¯s next to him?¡¯ He didn¡¯t think it would be okay for grown men to stick together like this, so Nathan took a step back from Hazard¡¯s side, shaking his hands, pretending to organize his robe. ¡°Right, Norbert¡± ¡°?¡± ¡°Can you keep what you saw today a secret?¡± ¡®What he saw today?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t understand for a moment, so I tilted my head, and Hazard looked down in embarrassment and smiled softly. ¡°It¡¯s a little difficult if it¡¯s known that I can catch a daemon by myself.¡± For a moment, Nathan replied, bewildered, ¡°OK.¡± With Hazard¡¯s handsome face, he became a perfect picture no matter what he did. . . . After that, the two were lucky enough to escape the forest. Hazard, who was with him, suddenly disappeared just before leaving the forest, and at one point he was in a group of swordsmanship departments. Nathan, looking at him talking to Remburton in the distance, turned his head. Fortunately, even though the students who escaped from the forest were injured, no one was too seriously hurt. In the midst of being surrounded by people, Nathan honestly was completely absent-minded. While comforting Yulrey, who was hanging on to him and crying, Nathan couldn¡¯t remember clearly what Yulrey said and what he answered, what Professor Michael said, whether Agnes laughed or tapped him on the back. Nathan was just tired. It wasn¡¯t until midnight that they were able to return to the Academy. Nathan broke up with the group at the entrance to the dormitory. Everyone smiled and waved, then went back to their rooms. The smile gradually disappeared from Nathan¡¯s face. Nathan turned at a slow pace only when no one was in sight. Perhaps there was a problem with the lamp hanging on the wall, the hallway leading to his room was dark. Walking in the dark hallway with the moonlight as a light, he quickly reached his room. Nathan entered the room Chang Grand! As soon as the door closed behind his back, Nathan¡¯s wand, who he had been holding like a rope, rolled on the floor. When Nathan was left alone, he hugged his arms as if he were wrapping them like a bow and sat down. ¡®I couldn¡¯t stop shaking. My hands and feet are cold. When I close my eyes, I feel like I can hear the shouts of evil spirits. My stomach was empty. I felt nauseous.¡¯ His throat was throbbing as if he were going to vomit, but Nathan just gasped. ¡®How long have I been doing that in front of the door?¡¯ Nathan staggered to his feet. ¡°Oh, I need to wash up..¡± ¡®Let¡¯s wash up and sleep. Then it¡¯ll be alright.¡¯ Nathan couldn¡¯t even remember how he got to the bathroom and washed himself. Clothes thrown off roughly crumbled underfoot. He crawled up to the bed in a slouch. The blanket was cold. It was close to summer, but Nathan felt like it was cold like midwinter. ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± Nathan trembled before his breath leaked. After a few false touches, he put the blanket over his head. ¡®As if you¡¯d ever be safe.¡¯ He curled up and thought of a hypnotic saying to help him sleep, ¡°Let¡¯s go to bed. You¡¯ll feel better when you fall asleep. Let¡¯s sleep. We have to sleep. Let¡¯s get some sleep.¡± So Nathan fell asleep little by little. . . . ¡°Then I¡¯ll see you after vacation! I¡¯ll send you a letter!¡± ¡°Okay, get home safely.¡± Etton, who pulled her head out of the carriage window, waved away. Nathan was standing in front of the main gate of the academy to see the children off. Not many people were left at the front door after Etton and Robert left in the carriage first. Finally, Nathan saw Berry off. Nathan reached out for Berry, a modest dress instead of a school uniform. ¡°Thank you.¡± Berry, who is usually blunt, smiled slightly at him and took Nathan¡¯s hand and climbed into the carriage. Just before Nathan closed the door, Berry asked. CH 21 ¡°Nathan, you aren¡¯t going home again this year?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just going to stay here.¡± ¡°Would you like to come over to my house? I¡¯ll call both Etton and Robert.¡± ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to send you a letter.¡± ¡°Okay, get home safely.¡± Finally, Nathan, who saw Berry leave in a carriage, turned around and entered the academy. His destination was the library. After the accident in the forest of the test, time flew by again, and the vacation time of the Aurora Academy came. Most of the other students went home, and the academy, which was always full of energy, was as quiet as it was during midnight hours even though it was midday. It wasn¡¯t without the occasional student, but it was only a handful. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Oh, welcome Nathan.¡± When he entered the library, an older gentleman who looked kind in the face found Nathan and laughed. It was Bill, the librarian. Nathan didn¡¯t know his full name, and it was just that he was calling him Bill without much thought. ¡°Which shelf should I start with?¡± ¡°Could you put the books in their place first?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nathan pushed the cart full of books. There were only Bill and Nathan in the library. The quiet library was tasteful, and Nathan liked this quietness. He slowly brought the book back to its original place, checking the title of the book in his hand and the name on the bookcase. When the vacation began, Nathan remained at the Academy for the past two years instead of returning to Baron Norbert during holidays. ¡®It¡¯s because I was afraid to go back.¡¯ There were people who knew the original Nathan. It wasn¡¯t just an acquaintance either. They were together from the moment they were born, knowing not only Nathan¡¯s past but also his personality in detail, much less his memories. Just by them sending a letter to Nathan every month, I could see how much they cared and thought of Nathan. Each time Nathan thought about it he suffered from an unprovoked guilt. The real Nathan is long gone, and they still wait for the boy they once knew to come home. ¡®So I thought I should go at least once. But I¡¯m sure they would notice something wrong when they¡¯d see him now.¡¯ So Nathan couldn¡¯t go to the baronet. It was actually a little hard to send a letter. He had to think about whether it would look like Nathan¡¯s handwriting. If it had not been for Nathan¡¯s luggage, he would not have copied the cursive script. A letter arrived asking when he would come home again this time, but Nathan replied that he could not come again this time. Nathan felt sorry for them, so he was sending them half the money he received from a part-time job at the Academy. Now, organizing this library was one of those part-time jobs. It was usually a part-time job for commoners. This is because the motto was still strong that ¡®Aristocrats do not work.¡¯ However, Nathan had no money, and the faculty who knew his situation recommended him, so he could work part-time. Nathan didn¡¯t go out of the academy except when he went to Rupelham, so he had nowhere else to spend money on. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have much of a chance to follow his group to the city by train from time to time. Nathan collected money step by step over the past two years, except for the money sent to the baronetcy. He is graduating soon, and Nathan will probably not go to the baronet after graduation. ¡®Therefore, I needed money to live alone, and I had the intention of disposing of the baronet upon graduation.¡¯ It is not unusual for a wealthy aristocrat to dedicate his estate to the royal family. Of course, he also wrote letters to those who would be in the baronet asking for their opinions in advance. ¡®Maybe they¡¯re getting ready to go somewhere else, too?¡¯ ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ where did this come from?¡± Nathan looked grimly at the book left on the cart that had already ended. Usually, the title should have been written, but this book did not have a title. At first glance, it was an ordinary book. There was also a luxurious feeling, but Nathan felt strangely reluctant. ¡°Bill! Bill! There¡¯s an untitled book!¡± Originally, those in the library shouldn¡¯t shout like this, but there were only two people in this library today, so Nathan purposely raised his voice and called Bill. But there was no immediate answer. Nathan held an unknown book in his hand and headed to where Bill had just been. ¡°Bill?¡± There was no one at the reception next to the entrance. A pile of papers and books while white steam was coming up from the tea that seemed to have just come down. That was the only trace of a person sitting until a while ago, but the ¡®Bill¡¯ Nathan was looking for was gone. ¡®Where did he go? That¡¯s weird. He usually announces when he has somewhere to go.¡¯ Nathan decided to sit down and wait for Bill to come. The quiet library was perfect for naps, and the warm sunlight pouring out of the window urged sleepiness. Nathan shook his head to stop himself from dozing off. Haaam. ¡°When are you coming back¡­¡± T/N: Pretty sure ¡®Haam¡¯ is the sound of a sigh Thinking about reading a book, Nathan thought for a moment and opened the book he had in his hand. Nathan¡¯s face frowned subtly more every time he turned a page. ¡°What, there¡¯s nothing there?¡± Yes. The book was all covered with blank pages. Not only the content but also the title. ¡®Why is there nothing written?¡¯ Nathan went from disbelief to build a feigned smile the next moment. ¡®What is this¡­ it seems someone brought it here on purpose to play a trick.¡¯ There¡¯s nothing he can do. Surprising and strange in the world, magic exists here there¡¯s a lot that could be possible. No title in a strange book arouses curiosity and can bring the interest of the students. If it was a kind of a surprise box, that would be easy to understand. Because students do to play most of those surprises. ¡®To be honest with I have experienced those several times.¡¯ ¡®¡­ not a good memory.¡¯ Nathan deliberately decided to ignore the book. Close the book, and when Bill comes, you should give it to him later. . . . Nathan was busy enjoying himself during the vacation. There was so much to do that he wondered if there was a shortage of workers in this wide academy, even if the income was good. Since Nathan was tired and could not think of anything else, he seemed to be more obsessed with work. And when he went back to the dormitory with his tired body, he could fall asleep without much thought. After a few weeks, letters came from the students who returned home. Each was an invitation to come to his house, but Nathan politely declined. It didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t want to go out of the academy, but it was also true that he hesitated. They will all soon be out of the academy, but it is true that he is worried that he should prepare in advance and look for another secure place in the world. However, the security here is the best so far. ¡°Oh.¡± Nathan stopped when he was going to the management office on the side of the academy to mail a letter. Nathan frowned and stared at the book by the window. ¡°Again.¡± The unknown book found in the library on the first day of vacation was caught in Nathan¡¯s sight even after that. The book, which he thought he should give to Bill, was forgotten because Bill came and was run over by work. Then a few days later, the book appeared again in front of his eyes. Nathan was surprised and dumbfounded as if it suddenly fell from the sky, but it was not only once or twice. It seemed like a book was following him as if it wanted to see him quickly. His reluctance grew day by day, but he didn¡¯t want to pick up that book and check it out. Nathan looked around. That won¡¯t cause people to suddenly appear in the hallways where there¡¯s no one. ¡°I¡¯m annoyed.¡± It¡¯s a hell of a prank. ¡®I¡¯m sure that guy who played that prank must be somewhere in the academy. I¡¯Il throw that book at your face when I see you.¡¯ Nathan ignored the book again today. Nathan was busy again today. Instead of Michael, who was busy managing the forest of tests, he had to water plants in the herb field. Besides that, he had to go to Rupelham . . . It was already well past 10 at night when Nathan came into the dormitory after such a busy day. By then, the idea of that book had long since disappeared. There was an untimely disturbance when he accidentally woke him up. Fortunately, thanks to the help of other professors, the disturbance quickly ended, but just hearing the scream made Nathan exhausted. ¡®My ears still seemed to hurt.¡¯ Maybe that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t sleep well today. How cold it was in the quiet room. It was still warm, but it was actually a little hot today. Nathan thought it was strangely cold when he was alone in the room. The cold did not go away even if you put on a thick blanket and turned on a heater. Nathan curled up to his heart¡¯s content under the covers. After tossing and turning a few times, Nathan could barely fall asleep. CH 22 When he fell asleep, Nathan was thrown into a dream. The contents of the dream were not much. It was a village. No, maybe it was downtown. There were a lot of people. Everyone seemed happy, laughing and chatting. Nathan was in it. ¡®I talked, danced, laughed and chatted with people.¡¯ However, Nathan felt abandoned alone in the world while listening to interesting stories, even though he was caught in a crowd. Then I suddenly thought of that. ¡®This isn¡¯t where I¡¯m supposed to be.¡¯ Nathan was lonely. ¡®I was so lonely.¡¯ Nathan felt lonely no matter how much he mixed in with the crowd. ¡®I didn¡¯t know why I was lonely.¡¯ It¡¯s just that the unprovoked loneliness eats away from him. And that unknown loneliness made me realize my situation. No one knew him here. Who you were originally, what your name was, how old you are, what you do. No one knew any of them. Here he was just Nathan Norbert. ¡®I¡¯m sure I will¡­ I will gradually disappear and only Nathan Norbert will remain.¡¯ The moment you think like that, the light disappears. One by one, the lights that brightened the streets and, the people who filled the area gradually drifted away. Nathan staggered and reached for them. ¡®I think I¡¯ll get caught.¡¯ At that moment, Nathan opened his eyes, breathing in and out of breath under the strong power of holding his arms. When I woke up, Hazard was looking down at me in the moonlight. . . . It was a pure coincidence that Hazard saw Nathan walking around in his pajamas in the middle of the night. That day, Hazard had fallen asleep while playing around in his secret hideout. It was long after midnight when he opened his eyes. It was a small whim. You could have just waited there for the morning, but Hazard headed to the dorm on a whim. That¡¯s how he came to see it. Nathan, dressed with his dark red hair and white robe, which was untied. From a distance, it was perfect to misunderstand that it was a ghost because it looked like something faint in the middle of the night walking around. ¡®Oh, the fact that ghosts appear in the academy these days.¡¯ When Hazard realized that Nathan was a ghost in the rumor, he burst out laughing for a moment wondering what was going on. What the hell is that? Hazard is still trying to figure out what it was at first. He didn¡¯t know the truth. It took him getting a little closer to see Nathan¡¯s face and remember it. ¡®What was his name? The son of Baron Norbert.¡¯ It was two years ago, and after that, I forgot about him because I was busy with other things, so I couldn¡¯t remember his name immediately. Until then, Nathan was only there for Hazard. He approached Nathan and talked to him with quick steps. ¡°Nobert, where are you going in that outfit?¡± In fact, Hazard didn¡¯t have much thought while talking to him in a friendly way. It was a little strange for an acquaintance to walk around the streets at night in a rather strange outfit, but that was all. But there was no answer back. Nathan did not look at Hazard, nor did he stop. ¡°Nobert?¡± Nathan passed past Hazard, pretending not to know him, or not to see him. He just walked forward. Only then did the laughter on Hazard¡¯s face die down. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hazard was perplexed by Nathan¡¯s reaction. It wasn¡¯t normal to walk around outside in one¡¯s nightclothes, but it was strange to pass by and pretend not to see you. Hazard kept talking to Nathan and stood in his way. Just before hitting Hazard, Nathan stopped his aimless steps. Their faces were so close that they could feel each other¡¯s exhaled breath. Going like this he did not expect to stop, Hazard took a breath for a while and spat it out belatedly. Hazard has grown tall so far, and now his eyes are similar when he stands side by side with Nathan, Nathan was a little taller. ¡°Nobert.¡± Being so close, Hazard had to make eye contact with him, but Nathan was still not looking at Hazard. His eyes were open, but the focus was blurry. There was no response to his call. The empty snow drifted vacantly through the air. ¡°Nobert, say something. I¡¯m a little scared now.¡± Then the answer came back this time. Small, slow words make sentences. The sound was so low that Hazard felt like Nathan was going to faint from the wind. ¡°I¡¯m going to go..¡± ¡°Where are you going? Where are you going at this time of night?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to go.¡± Nathan ignored Hazard and walked forward again. ¡°It¡¯s really like seeing a ghost.¡± Hazard went around Nathan once, with his hair tangled, and followed. Nathan headed for the main gate of the Academy. Naturally, the main gate of the academy was locked. ¡°Look, you can¡¯t go out. Let¡¯s go back now.¡± ¡°Huh? Norbert, Come on, you¡¯ll be in a lot of trouble if you stay here longer and get caught by the professor.¡± Talking gently, Hazard felt relieved that the door was locked. It was when he tapped Nathan¡¯s shoulder, who was standing still to go back. His body fell forward like a loose doll. If Hazard hadn¡¯t caught Nathan in a hurry, he would have hit his head on the floor. Hazard caught Nathan with a sigh of relief, but Nathan breathed out an even breath and was fast asleep. The appearance was ridiculous, but Hazard woke up the sleeping person and couldn¡¯t say what was going on. So he just laughed a few times in despair, held Nathan¡¯s buttocks up as if he couldn¡¯t, and held him forward as if he were hugging a child. A man slightly taller than the prince was thinner and lighter than he thought. Hazard headed for the dormitory for now. On second thought, he remembered Nathan¡¯s room. He was suspicious of Nathan, so he picked up this and that information briefly, and this has only helped now. It was a very delicate feeling. ¡®An even breath tickled my ears. He smelled of dawn.¡¯ The chilly weather at dawn cooled the two, but Hazard thought the warmth was warm. Holding him in his arms like this, I could feel the heartbeat of another person, not his own. Different beatings jumped at the same speed over time. By the time Hazard arrived in front of Nathan¡¯s room, it was not clear who the beating sound belonged to. Nathan¡¯s room was slightly open. Hazard entered his room without hesitation. The room was strangely cold. I wondered if there was no warm air. He laid Nathan on the bed, treading carefully on the floor, which was a mess of papers and books. He was barefoot now. Looking around, I could see his shoes on the doorstep. Hazard hesitated for a moment at the sight of his feet. The room was messy, but there was no sign of wearing shoes. Only then did Hazard realize that he had made a mistake. He hurriedly took off his shoes, but the sand had already fallen on the floor. Hazard was conflicted whether or not he should be relieved that there were no footprints left. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Norbert. I didn¡¯t expect you to take off your shoes. I brought you to a place where you are supposed to fall asleep inside, so you¡¯re going to let this go, right?¡± Hazard thought so, but it was also true that he was worried inside, so before leaving the room, the prince turned on the turned-off heater, checked that Nathan¡¯s foot was hurt, wiped it with water, and left the room. The next evening, Hazard fell asleep early in the morning and woke up again at dawn. He stared blankly at the ceiling and closed my eyes to fall asleep again. But when I closed my eyes, I suddenly remembered last night. I wondered if it would be like that today. Recently, I remembered a noisy ghost disturbance at the Academy. It¡¯s not once or twice that rumors have been circulated, Hazard checked the time blankly. It was at the same time as yesterday. When Hazard went to Nathan¡¯s dormitory, Nathan was walking somewhere like yesterday. *** ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a big deal that Hazard is here.¡± ¡°Please call me comfortably. Nurse Matilda.¡± ¡°Ahaha, I can¡¯t do that.¡± Hazard laughed with some embarrassment. He was in the infirmary. Matilda smiled softly and glanced down from head to toe at Hazard. It was because he was seriously injured somewhere and couldn¡¯t be treated in his line, so he came to her. ¡°You don¡¯t look hurt, and you¡¯re not the one to come here even if you do. That¡¯s strange. Is that what it¡¯s all about?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m curious about that.¡± Hazard came to Matilda because he was constantly worried about what happened with Nathan at dawn these days. It was because Hazard was curious about what was wrong with him every dawn, and he thought it would be better to ask a specialist because he knew nothing about the pathological problem. Hazard then explained Nathan¡¯s symptoms to Matilda. Of course, he did not say who the person was, but only explained that this happened. After listening to Hazard, Matilda whispered¡­ CH 23 ¡°Well, I guess they¡¯re sleepwalking.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t sleepwalking only for children?¡± ¡°There are not many, but some adults also get sick. Stress is usually the main culprit. But no matter how stressful it is, if you get sleepwalking. He must be having a really hard time right now.¡± Matilda apologetically said. ¡°We need to see the patient in person for a detailed diagnosis. I don¡¯t think you want that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I was just curious, so I asked.¡± ¡°But if you help them, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll get better soon¡± Hazard laughed vaguely at the remark. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m very helpful.¡¯ Anyway, Hazard defined Nathan¡¯s unusual behavior as sleepwalking. But I didn¡¯t bother to visit him during the day and tell him that you showed abnormal behavior at dawn. This is because it would only be difficult to find out, and Nathan seemed to have enough on his plate. Well, I was always awake at dawn, so there was nothing particularly troublesome. It¡¯s been quiet these days, but originally he hasn¡¯t slept in peace anyway. Because gifts from his brothers would always come when he fell asleep. Therefore, it was not too difficult for him to find Nathan at dawn and send him to his room. Nathan, who had already encountered him during the day, looked tired and threatened as if he were about to collapse. He didn¡¯t expect a nosebleed all of a sudden. In addition, seeing Nathan call himself ¡®Hazard¡¯ in a friendly way, Hazard was a little surprised. Wasn¡¯t it the first time we had a conversation two years ago? Come to think of it, he was strangely friendly to him then too. He was the prince of a nation, no matter how much Hazard behaved. In the academy, class consciousness was faint, so aristocrats and commoners used to mix together, but the royal family was a little exception. They didn¡¯t call him naturally even though Hazard was normally mixed in with them. It was ¡°Prince¡± or ¡°5th Prince¡± or ¡°Seoja¡± to laugh at him behind his back. T/N: term ¡°seoja¡± ¨D a child born between a ¡°yangban¡± aristocratic father and a commoner or slave mother. It was only Remburton and a few others who had become his companions that called him Hazard. So Hazard thought Nathan was unusual, but he just laughed it off. These late night adventures, which only Hazard knows, have continued since then. Nathan still left the room at dawn and wandered around the academy aimlessly. Sometimes it was the back gate, sometimes it was the front gate, sometimes it was the library, and so one would soon return to his room. But Nathan obviously moved like he wanted to go somewhere. Even though he seemed to wander without thinking in his sleep, he moved as if he had a destination. His behavior has been consistent over the past few days since the accident in the forest. Hazard kept talking to Nathan at dawn. Nathan was mostly air-rushing Hazard, and sometimes he spoke, but their conversation was somehow off the mark. One day he tried to wake Nathan up. But Nathan fell down and fell asleep, but he couldn¡¯t break from his sleep. His face grew paler and darker under his eyes. I felt sorry for waking him up. That¡¯s why I keep looking for him at dawn. ¡°Where do you want to go so badly?¡± Hazard¡¯s voice was sweet. ¡°Hoo, I got it. Just for today. I¡¯ll help you just for today.¡± In the meantime, Hazard carried Nathan and jumped on the main gate of the academy. It was not that difficult for a student of the department of swordsmanship with excellent physical ability. As soon as he stepped down lightly and dropped Nathan, who was carrying him, he ran forward. It looked like a madman to Hazard. A pale object running in the dark, hair still untied in his night clothes. This time, there might be a ghost disturbance in the village. Even if I ran, it wasn¡¯t that fast. Hazard followed Nathan in silence. Still, it¡¯s only a relief that you don¡¯t have to hurt your feet because you wear shoes. After finding Nathan walking around barefoot, the first thing I did was put on his shoes. Surprisingly, Nathan kindly put on the shoes Hazard had prepared for him. Tramp, trud. There was only one road along the main gate, so there was only one place for Nathan to arrive. Only Nathan¡¯s footsteps were ringing in the off-light train station. There was a long black shadow under the moonlight. Hazard chased Nathan to the platform. Nathan went to a bench nearby and sat down. Hazard sighed as if he were waiting for a train. Hazard sat with one knee in front of Nathan. ¡°Nobert, the train service is over. The train won¡¯t come even if we¡¯re sitting here like this.¡± I thought there would be no answer to be heard anyway. Hazard could not understand why he was struggling. It can happen for a friend who feels sorry for the first few times. But well, it¡¯s a day or two. From his point of view, he could have left Nathan alone, who showed abnormal behavior, or visited him during the day, told him the truth about what happened at dawn, listened to his troubles, and persuaded him to treat his sleepwalking. But Hazard didn¡¯t do any of that. At dawn, he just searched for Nathan wandering around the academy and repeatedly took him to his room if he collapsed. ¡°I want to go home.¡± Then Nathan, sitting still, said quietly. ¡°Home? Oh¡­¡± Hazard recalled Nathan¡¯s current state of affairs by saying that. Nathan murmured blankly, ¡°I¡¯m lonely.¡± ¡°I¡¯m dying of loneliness.¡± ¡°So I want to go home.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all alone.¡± As if panicking, Nathan repeated his long words, pulling his long legs together on the bench, crouching in his arms. The defensive posture seemed infinitely shabby and pitiful. ¡°Norbert, wake up!¡± He needs to be woken up. In an unusual response, Hazard held Nathan¡¯s arms strongly, which kept shrinking to wake him up. I thought maybe there would be a handprint. At one point Nathan slowly closed his eyes and opened them up. Eyes without focus stare at Hazard. As if to grasp the situation for a moment, Hazard smiled like a habit as he frowned as he saw his wide-open eyes immediately followed by a ripple, and his blank face quickly turned into embarrassment. ¡°..now I¡¯m up.¡± ¡°Oh, be careful.¡± Nathan, who was flustered and leapt to his feet, stumbled for a moment, prompting Hazard to sit back down, lightly holding his arm strong. The murky green eyes, which remained chaotic, looked around as if trying to grasp the situation, and stopped at Hazard. ¡°Oh, Hazard? Why are you here? Why am I here?¡± A voice close to astonishment questions. Nathan rarely had an accident due to the sudden situation. He stared still at Hazard as if his shaking eyes were focusing. Nathan couldn¡¯t understand anything about why Hazard was in front of him or why he was in the train station. ¡°I¡¯m sure I was sleeping in my room, why am I¡­¡± Nathan groped his memory in the midst of the raging confusion. Obviously, I fell asleep in my room. That was for sure. What happened just before I fell asleep was foggy, but I clearly remembered that I was asleep. Now that he was dressed in his pajamas, this was undoubtedly true. But then, of course, it¡¯s normal to wake up in my room, so why did I wake up at the train station at this time of the night? And why? ¡®And you¡¯re with me?¡¯ Hazard¡¯s presence further confused him. ¡°Take it easy.¡± Looking at Nathan, Hazard spoke to him like an old wise man. ¡°Why am I here, do you know?¡± Nathan blinked in confusion. I had no idea what this was all about. He looked at Hazard, hoping for an answer. Hazard, who understood Nathan¡¯s gaze, was in a lot of trouble and sneaked away from his gaze. ¡°It¡¯s a kinda long story, so to speak.¡± It wasn¡¯t long enough to say it was long. Hazard took a moment to tell Nathan what had happened. Nathan was shocked by that. Sleepwalking? I was like this every morning? I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m the ghost that wandered around the Academy! I felt like I was losing my mind. A sticky dull pain crept up. ¡°Do you know exactly when this started?¡± CH 24 ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about that. It¡¯s been a while, right? When I discovered you it was not long after I came up to my senior year, but there were rumors of the ghost before that.¡± Nathan asked, holding his throbbing head, ¡°You said I wasn¡¯t just walking around, you said something, did I¡­what did I say?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Did you say something weird?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± The idle voice frightened me. What did I say? Nathan¡¯s heart thumped with anxiety. My fingertips cooled and trembled briefly. His anxiety grew as he watched Hazard mumbling his lips as if he were choosing a horse. While wanting to hear what Hazard said, there was also a coexistence of the feeling that he didn¡¯t want to hear it. Nathan¡¯s anxiety stems from the fact that he alone knows the future. If his unconsciousness tells the boy in front of him what he shouldn¡¯t do, that¡¯s it. If anything changes because of that, Nathan is not confident of taking responsibility for it. ¡°What did you say?¡± A trembling voice asked Hazard to give an answer. So Hazard sighed and said, ¡°You said ¡®I want to go home.¡¯¡± Nathan put his face in the palm of his hand and made a painful noise. I¡¯m going crazy. It was something I¡¯d never even imagined. I was relieved that my expectations were missed, but I was very ashamed. How old am I and I want to go home. I came to the train station without realizing it. Nathan was now 19 years old, and his original age, including his life here, was almost 30. Nathan knew why Hazard hesitated to say. Yeah, I¡¯m a little embarrassed about this. That¡¯s a childish thing to say. Nathan pressed his face with the back of his cold hand because he felt like his face was getting hot. I couldn¡¯t possibly look straight at Hazard. He must have been lonely. Why? There¡¯s no family, no relatives, no one here that knows him. The writer Nam is too far away, and I don¡¯t have friends, so Nathan¡¯s mouth swells with shame. It was clear that he didn¡¯t even know what he was saying at the time. Hazard opened his mouth as he watched Nathan gibberish. ¡°I¡¯ve tried to imitate a dog before.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°What?¡± Nathan was stunned by the sudden noise. What is he saying? In bewilderment Nathan stared blankly at Hazard. His blond hair sparkles enchantingly in the moonlight. As if nothing was wrong, he folded his blue eyes and smiled softly, and his face was very calm. Nathan laughed after a moment. He recalled what he had just heard. Considering Hazard¡¯s status, what he said was beyond composure. ¡°Listen to me, Norbert, I haven¡¯t told anyone about this.¡± However, the person who spoke was calm. It was even playful as if it were a secret story hidden somewhere. ¡°You know I have a lot of brothers, right?¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m especially not on good terms with my brothers. They don¡¯t like me very much. Well, was it when I was seven? There was a small tea party in the castle. At that time, I couldn¡¯t eat well because of various reasons. It was like that then, too. I was hungry, but suddenly I smelled something delicious. I went there because I was so curious. But when I went there, there were my hyungs. We haven¡¯t been close since before then. It was worse because I couldn¡¯t hide it when I was young. The first brother who found me suddenly said this. ¡®If you¡¯re a dog, pretend to be a dog. Then I¡¯ll give you something.¡¯ So I crawled on all fours, barking like a dog, and honestly, I grew hungrier then.¡± Maybe even Nathan, who thought he knew better than even him, about Hazard, this was the first time I heard of it. Hazard focused on his adventures and his growth from Hazard¡¯s point of view, but his past was only summarized in a few sentences, with no direct information other than that his childhood was unhappy and shabby. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care. The cupcakes I got were delicious and I shared them with my sister. It was a good memory.¡± It seemed like it really didn¡¯t matter for him to show such an exaggerated shrug. Is that really a good memory? Nathan wanted to raise a sudden question, but he just shut up. Perhaps because Hazard¡¯s atmosphere was not serious until the story was finished, his question, which would seem to ruin this atmosphere, never passed his lips. ¡°All right, that¡¯s it. It¡¯s fair that we both had a secret story, right?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Nathan laughed quietly because he was dumbfounded by the next word. The confusion that had continued since he first opened his eyes had long disappeared, ¡°Shall we go now? It¡¯s no use staying here until sunrise.¡± ¡°Oh, we should.¡± In the meantime, Hazard reached out to Nathan insignificantly. Nathan looked at it and smiled slightly at the corners of his mouth, then turned away his hand. Nathan got up on his own, pretending to shake off the clothes that would have nothing on him. Isn¡¯t it a bit embarrassing to hold hands when you¡¯re just sitting and waking up? Well, I stumbled in front of Hazard right after that, so I couldn¡¯t say anything. As he left the dark train station, a quiet street greeted Nathan. The dawn, when everything was asleep, was too quiet. From time to time, the sound of grassworms and the spinning wheel could be heard from afar, but there was no sign of anyone. As I always remember the lively appearance of the village, I felt quite different. For a moment, Nathan seemed to overlap with the convenience of his dream, which he still vaguely remembered. The lights go out one by one, the terrible darkness and silence fall, and the world is left alone. Nathan clasped his arms and trembled. Although it was close to summer, the air at dawn was a little chilly to endure with a thin sheet of his robe. Suddenly Nathan thought he was embarrassed. ¡°Ha, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m here in this outfit.¡± It was crazy to wander around outside in pajamas like this. Moreover, this outfit was more likely to be what people would¡¯ve remembered if they saw him in this state. ¡®That must be a person who is not tidy and doesn¡¯t know where to dress like that in front of others.¡¯ It was fortunate that Hazard found him first and took him around. If it were someone else¡­it would already be buzzing around the Academy and talking about the ¡®ghost¡¯ again. Just like when I was in first grade. People were more interested in others than they thought, so rumors passed on from mouth to mouth were bound to change significantly from their original intentions and contents at the end. The same was true of Nathan. The only survivor of Baron Norbert was the one who ran away to live alone at some point, so that¡¯s all. Well, if this is rumored, wouldn¡¯t there be a rumor that Nathan Norbert, who survived alone, is completely out of his mind because he¡¯s so guilty? ¡®You managed to put on your shoes.¡¯ ¡°Oh, I put them on for you.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s a rat hole, I want to hide.¡± Nathan sighed heartily. Then Hazard burst out laughing next to him. Then Nathan dropped his head with a sour face. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You could have told me earlier.¡± Azar managed to catch the rambling words. The cool burst of laughter gradually died down and his expression became quite serious. ¡°¡­I thought it would be better if I said it. Professor Matilda said sleepwalking is the biggest sign of stress at this age. You¡¯re so stressed out, but isn¡¯t it more stressful to know? So I couldn¡¯t bring it up.¡± ¡°It would have been better if you just told me.¡± ¡°It could have been.¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t blame you. It¡¯s just, it¡¯s just¡­it¡¯s still a little embarrassing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can blame me.¡± Nathan was flustered at the moment, appearing to blame him. I didn¡¯t mean to. It was more of a question than a blame. But Hazard told Nathan he could blame him, Seriousness made him smile as he looked at Nathan. The laughter Hazard brought out of habit was refreshing. ¡°You know what? Because I didn¡¯t tell you even though I knew. In a way, what I did to think of you might not be the case. If I think about it like that, I think I was just short on thought. So you can blame me because you¡¯re offended.¡± ¡°You are¡­¡± CH 25 ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re so nice¡­¡± ¡°What? Hahaha! Really? Am I nice? I¡¯d be honored if you thought so.¡± Seriousness lasts less than a minute. A smiling face like a boy of his age, his voice that automatically draws a person¡¯s. Nathan suddenly wondered, in what way is his head so sweet to think things like that? He is also good at saying strange things. ¡°But I didn¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°All right.¡± I don¡¯t know if this boy will ever know that each of his actions attracts and at the same time lowers people¡¯s guard when he frowns with that playful voice. When the two of them walked a long distance to the academy talking about this and that, the dark sky was quite bright. Nathan didn¡¯t know whether it was because the sun rose faster or that he was sleeping when he first walked over here but the walk back was longer than he thought. However, when the academy appeared, Nathan felt a sense of fatigue that he had not noticed. His steps slowed down, and his slow blinking eyelids, as if he had managed to endure, and now his body was terribly heavy as hell. Even the act of rubbing his eyes with his hands was full of drowsiness. Hazard, who Nathan thought would break up at the entrance to the dormitory, followed him back to his room. He thought it was unnecessary, but Nathan didn¡¯t bother to stop him. ¡°Hazard.¡± ¡°What?¡± Before opening the door, Nathan spoke carefully to Hazard, who was waiting for him to enter the room. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been bothering you.¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t bother me much. I don¡¯t sleep until early in the morning.¡± ¡°I was sorry, though. See you later.¡± Having finished his speech, Nathan entered the room as if running away in embarrassment. Just before closing the door in a hurry, Hazard¡¯s voice came through the door. ¡°Nobert.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Can I call you by name?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°Good night, Nathan.¡± The door slammed shut. Nathan looked at the closed door for a moment and headed to bed. A dim light is leaking from outside the window, so I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep much. Nathan crawled under the covers. In my head, even though I was sleepy, the branches of my thoughts were stretching endlessly. The branch of thought began with Hazard and ended with Hazard. Nathan had never seen anyone like Hazard before. Maybe that¡¯s why this strange commotion is so¡­ ¡°He¡¯s a weird kid.¡± As he said so, he suddenly thought that he wanted to be friends with him. Because he¡¯s so sweet. I¡¯ve never seen such kindness before. Maybe that¡¯s why I thought I¡¯d feel a little less lonely¡­and Nathan¡¯s eyes closed slowly. ¡­ ¡°Oh, I slept well. What about you Nathan?¡± ¡®But I didn¡¯t mean that I wanted to see him as soon as I woke up.¡¯ The sun gleamed his blond hair. A boy who is drinking tea from a teacup to see where he got it from and Nathan looked at him with one sleepy eye. After looking around the boy once, he lay down on the bed again. The room was right. However, the person who should not be in his room was sitting in my usual chair and staring at me. ¡°Is it a dream?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a dream.¡± ¡®I wish it was a dream.¡¯ ¡°How did you get in?¡± ¡°The door was open¡± ¡°Housebreaking¡­. oh, not home¡­.. So a break-in.¡± A sleepy voice poured out of my mouth without going through an accident. Hazard chuckled and laughed at Nathan. But Nathan was still sleepy and tired, so he couldn¡¯t open his eyes. Hit, hit, hit! However, Nathan, who was about to fall asleep again, was forced to raise his heavy eyelids due to the sound of finger tickling at his feet. He curled up in a blanket as if hiding his naturally distorted face, but suddenly the blanket slipped out of his hand. ¡°Get up, Nathan. It¡¯s been a long time since the sun came up.¡± Yes, Hazard stole Nathan¡¯s blanket. A series of interruptions forced Nathan to sit up in the end. Nathan sighed and swept his messy hair away. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I came in because the door was open. I had to lock the door.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that to a random person.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have credit.¡± ¡°Oh my!¡± Nathan lamented at the moment, dumbfounded. Let¡¯s not talk. I shook my head roughly and got out of bed. While heading to the bathroom to wash up, Nathan stared at Hazard, who shamelessly settled down as if he were an embankment, with a tired face. ¡°I¡¯ll go wash up, so wait.¡± ¡°I will.¡± Even if I talked in such a half-asleep state, I didn¡¯t think I would understand half of it. If you wash with cold water, you¡¯ll come to your senses. Nathan came out a little late washing up in a daze. As soon as he left the bathroom, Nathan immediately found his bedside glasses and put them on. In fact, his eyesight wasn¡¯t that bad. It looked blurry without glasses, but it wasn¡¯t hard to tell things apart. It¡¯s just an old habit now to have them on. ¡°So what brings you here?¡± Nathan opened the closet, talking to Hazard. I found comfortable plain clothes among the few clothes I have. Since it was a vacation, there was no need to wear a school uniform inside the academy. Now that I see it, Hazard was also dressed in plain clothes that looked comfortable. Although he still had a sword on his waist. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to have lunch with you.¡± ¡°..What?¡± Nathan paused and asked back, buttoning up his sleeve. Without realizing it, his eyes turned to his back, and Hazard was looking at Nathan with his chin lazily on his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve brought my own food, too. Do you like meat?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hate it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± Now I saw a large paper bag on the table, beside a teacup. Nathan dressed himself up and sat opposite Hazard. ¡®You forced a tired person to wake him up to eat?¡¯ ¡°Just because of that?¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s that, and there¡¯s that boredom.¡± Nathan sat in front of the boy. Hazard rummaged through a paper bag and took out the contents. What Hazard brought was a sandwich with thick grilled meat. ¡°Ta-da! Lupenri¡¯s specialty, thick meat sandwiches! It¡¯s pretty good. There are no swordsmen, so I can eat all I want.¡± ¡°Meat in the morning¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Meat is the best in the morning!¡± Then he stuck his chin out to Nathan. Nathan glanced at it with a sour look. This thick meat, which was always put out just before him, did not stimulate his appetite, but rather dropped his appetite. And Nathan had just woken up. However, I accepted it for now because it was the strange way Hazard was giving it out as if he was telling me to hurry up and receive it. ¡°Hey, hey, you got a sandwich and a grudge? Why do you have a staring contest when you have something to eat?¡± ¡®Really.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m going to eat. Let¡¯s get ready.¡± I didn¡¯t even think of holding in my habitual sighs. As if it hadn¡¯t been long since Hazard brought it, the sandwich still had a feeble warmth. Nathan prepared himself, because he didn¡¯t want to have an upset stomach this morning. ¡°..Nathan. You don¡¯t have to force yourself to eat if you don¡¯t want to. What if you get indigestion?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Gosh, I¡¯m sorry. I guess I should¡¯ve asked what you wanted and bought it. There are no people around me who don¡¯t like meat, so I didn¡¯t think there was anyone who would hate it.¡± The handsome face, which sweeps his hand down the neck awkwardly, is discouraged. It has taken quite a bit of subtlety. Nathan hurriedly opened his mouth because he felt like he had done something wrong even though it was clear that it was not his fault. ¡°I don¡¯t hate it. I rather like meat. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not used to eating meat in the morning. I usually don¡¯t eat breakfast or just eat a piece of bread with soup. That¡¯s why.¡± ¡°I can see why you¡¯re so skinny.¡± ¡°Hey.¡± What was so funny was that Hazard briefly burst into laughter, shaking his shoulders. Nathan¡¯s expression became sharp, so he hurriedly smiled, but it was too late. Nathan chewed the bread in his hand with a sullen face. ¡®It¡¯s like a bulgogi burger.¡¯ T/N: These Korean BBQ Burgers are the hamburger version of Korea¡¯s famously delicious bulgogi beef. The ground beef is mixed with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, scallions and brown sugar, formed into patties and grilled. They are juicy and flavorful beyond belief. Picture: Link Nathan¡¯s first impression of the sandwich was reminiscent. The soft bread had sweet and salty sauce on it and some vegetables, which tasted similar to a bulgogi burger while the appearance was more like a sandwich. ¡°It¡¯s okay, right?¡± Nathan nodded instead of answering. It was a nostalgic taste that I haven¡¯t had in a long time. ¡°It¡¯s a taste that kids will like at this time of year.¡± Thinking so, Nathan moved his mouth slowly. Hazard saw Nathan eat, pushed the cup in in front of him, and then took his own sandwich. ¡®He told me to eat it, but Hazard himself did not even open the package.¡¯ Nathan was under the illusion that the sandwich in Hazard¡¯s hand looked infinitely smaller than his own. It must be the same size, but couldn¡¯t it look so small because it was in Hazard¡¯s thick and big hand? CH 26 For a while, only the sound of two people eating sandwiches could be heard quietly in the room. It wasn¡¯t a dirty grump, but an occasional clatter of teacups or a rustling of paper wrappers from the sandwiches. At first, I was worried that it would be a little burdensome to eat in the morning, but I ate all of it at one point. Indeed, my stomach was full from the morning after a long time. Nathan suddenly thought that this wasn¡¯t bad. . . . No, it¡¯s not good at all. ¡°Hyuk, yuck¡­!Hazard, you¡­¡­! Did you feed me meat to do this?¡± The voice of exhaling and speaking trembled with betrayal. Nathan glared at Hazard, who was running with a nonchalant face. He grabbed him right away and reached for a quick shake, but he lightly avoided Nathan¡¯s hand. Nathan eventually had no choice but to stop in place. He took a heavy breath and gripped his side. I put my hand on my side. The lungs were torn, and breathing was hard. ¡®Oh, I¡¯m dying!¡¯ ¡°Nathan, we haven¡¯t even turned three times yet!¡± ¡°Ha, ha. Hazard, whoo. Why do I have to run on the field?¡± Nathan stared at Hazard breathlessly. His blond hair glistened brilliantly in the sun. There were beautifully stylish muscles in the rolled-up forearm. Compared to Nathan¡¯s arm, which has no muscles, it seemed to be twice as different. It hurt my pride again. ¡°There¡¯s a saying that you have a healthy mind in a healthy body.¡± Hazard, who put his hands on his waist and straightened his back and spoke cheerfully, was indeed a man who matched the saying. First of all, Nathan¡¯s impression of the rinsed face was like that. Of course, that¡¯s true. I should have known when I was eating the meat in the morning. When I finished eating, I should have known something strange when I was led by him to take a walk. I should¡¯ve just run away when I arrived! When Nathan was forced to go around the vast field for about two laps, he quickly became tired. ¡°If you¡¯re smart, your body doesn¡¯t suffer much.¡± ¡°Nathan! If you have a good body, your brain doesn¡¯t suffer!¡± ¡®The head of the rock.¡¯ Nathan cursed Hazard inwardly. Of course, he wasn¡¯t a really bad-headed muscle idiot character, but now Nathan has nothing else to focus on. ¡°Nathan, it¡¯s even harder mentally because your body is not healthy! First, let¡¯s keep moving and build up our stamina with me!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± Nathan was disgusted by the remark. The wizard did not exercise! For nearly two years, Nathan was already wonderfully imbued with Professor Michael¡¯s ideas. ¡°Shall we stop here for today?¡± Looking at Nathan, Hazard sighed. It was only a few laps, and he was shaking like a newborn baby deer, so it was somehow strange for him to force Nathan to exercise. ¡°Nathan, I don¡¯t want much from you either. It¡¯s not good for your health if you overdo it.¡± ¡°The guy who knows that and yet¡­¡± ¡°Just during the vacation, no. Isn¡¯t it a proper exercise if you go around the smoke field even for a short time in the morning? I know wizards sit at their desks and don¡¯t use their bodies, but don¡¯t you think your current state is hopeless?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nathan had nothing to say because it wasn¡¯t wrong again. However, instead of replying because it was annoying, I stared at Hazard unevenly. Under Nathan¡¯s profanity, Hazard deliberately shrugged his shoulders with more exaggeration. ¡°Look, you¡¯re so skinny.¡± Hazard rolled up his sleeves like him and grabbed the thin arm that was revealed, and this time, he grabbed Nathan¡¯s waist with a large hand, which seemed to be nothing unusual, covered by his shirt. Hazard opened his eyes wide as if he was surprised by catching him. The clothes were more tucked in than I thought. ¡°I- Well, it¡¯s just standing there! Your skin is white because you don¡¯t see the sun, and you don¡¯t have muscles because you don¡¯t work out! How is this a normal body?¡± Nathan used to bite himself, forcing off the hands of Hazard, who was rubbing his body here and there. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one like this! All the magicians are like this!¡± ¡°Nathan.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about you. What are you going to do if something really happens?¡± Nathan got goosebumps at the embarrassing words and closed his eyes and took another step away from Hazard. ¡®How can he say that so easily? Is it because he¡¯s the main character? I¡¯m going crazy. Why am I embarrassed?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s against the law to say that with a suddenly serious face.¡¯ Nathan swept his creepy arm off the immune-free horse. But it wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t like the embarrassing words. ¡®Who in my life would say something like that? If you think of it that way, there is nothing you wouldn¡¯t listen to when they say that.¡¯ ¡®Yeah, it¡¯s only a short run in the morning. Of course, exercising was annoying and I hated it.¡¯ ¡°I got it. I got it all right! Instead, it¡¯s just two rounds of jogging. I can¡¯t do more than that. I don¡¯t have time to do it!¡± ¡°Well thought out! I¡¯ll help you, don¡¯t worry!¡± Help? Nathan creaked at the ominous remark and looked at the glum face. I felt like something bad would happen to me if I said something wrong here. So Nathan decided to get out of the smoke screen. ¡°I¡¯m going. I have to go to my part-time job.¡± I thought the time would be just right if I went now. Today is the day when new books come into the library, so I was busy this morning. I need to sort out the books to send and move them to the warehouse. ¡°¡­ Why are you following me?¡± ¡°Well, because I¡¯m bored?¡± ¡°Hazard, I¡¯m not going to play. I don¡¯t have time to care about you even if you follow me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just watch from the side. I¡¯m not disturbing you!¡± With his eyes shining brightly, he couldn¡¯t just throw Hazard behind him, so Nathan had to go to the library with Hazard hanging next to him. Nathan thought Hazard was rather bored. Come to think of it, something happened during this vacation in the original novel. When I came here, I remembered most of what would happen in the original story, but the case of minor incidents was a little diminished. There must have been an incident at this time of year. However, I vaguely remembered that the accident site was not an academy. Nathan was in doubt for a moment. Why is Hazard still at the Academy? ¡°Bill, I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°Oh, welcome. Nathan. Yes? You¡¯ve brought a friend today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what happened.¡± ¡°Excuse me!¡± Hazard, who popped out from behind Nathan¡¯s back, greeted brightly. Nathan, who was lost in thought with his cheerful voice, also came to his senses. Bill¡¯s face, looking at Nathan with a benevolent face, was stained with embarrassment. He sat comfortably and jumped out of his seat and bowed to Hazard. ¡°Oh, this is a surprise guest. Welcome, Fifth Prince.¡± Nathan was momentarily surprised by Bill¡¯s polite attitude. I realize that Hazard is a prince. Hazard smiles strangely at Nathan, perhaps because such feelings have been revealed on his face. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t do that. I¡¯m a student at the academy, too.¡± Hazard waved his hand and put his arm on Nathan¡¯s shoulder and stopped him from bowing. Nathan was reeling under a heavy weight, but he did not bow because of Hazard, who held his shoulder. Nathan grumbled dissatisfiedly at him. Of course, Hazard didn¡¯t even listen. ¡°Nathan said he was working here today, so I followed him to help. What should I do first?¡± ¡°Oh, well. It¡¯s a bit of a hassle today, so if the prince helps me¡­¡± The appearance of the old man sweating looked very difficult. I wanted to tell Hazard that he shouldn¡¯t do this as a prince, but he refused the royal family¡¯s words, and Bill hesitated as if he was in trouble because he couldn¡¯t ask him to work. Hazard must also know that Nathan had noticed, but he had the nerve to pretend not to know. In case of Hazard said anything else, Nathan had to save Bill. ¡°Bill, I¡¯ll take care of it. Look at the other thing. Can I organize the new books?¡± ¡°All right. Good luck. Here¡¯s a collection list and a new book list.¡± Bill has a relieved smile on his face. Instead of shaking off the heavy arm on his shoulder, Nathan rather headed toward the bookcase, which he held tightly. The steps that follow me gently from the side are light. Nathan spoke too softly for Bill to hear, but Hazard, who was right next to him, could. ¡°Stop bothering the old grandfather.¡± ¡°This is a little unfair, Nathan. What did I do?¡± ¡°If a prince of a country suddenly appears and says, ¡®I¡¯ll work!¡¯ everyone would be like that. They¡¯re having a hard time.¡± ¡°Well, did you realize that I was a prince?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You called my name and treated me lightly, so I thought you didn¡¯t know I was a prince.¡± CH 27 As he said that, the face pushed in front of his nose looked extremely squishy, making it easy for Nathan to see that this was a simple prank. He snorted and said, ¡°What, do you want me to treat you to a prince?¡± ¡°No? I rather like it the way it is. Everyone finds me difficult to be around .¡± ¡°.. someone¡¯s status is useless in the academy. I was acting on the rules.¡± In fact, this was just an excuse. No matter how much the hierarchy system existed, it was a long story for Nathan to explain why he reacted the way he did around the prince. In addition, as there has been no discrimination based on status so far, it would be right to say that the status system did not touch much because I lived only within one academy I know in my head that Hazard is a prince, but it is true that he was comfortable with him without realizing it. This was the first time I¡¯ve seen other people treat Hazard with my own eyes, so I realize that the royal family is a royal family and that the class is clearly visible in these places. ¡°Don¡¯t change, Nathan.¡± ¡®His voice and face were still playful, but why doesn¡¯t it seem like a joke?¡¯ ¡°It depends on the situation. But if you do this in front of people, it¡¯s not worth your while¡± ¡®What?¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as decency with the fifth prince spacing out!¡± Did you just make a dog noise? Nathan¡¯s face is tingled with a voice next to his ears saying, ¡°Boo!¡± The story that I heard at dawn suddenly comes to mind and disappears. Nathan couldn¡¯t find anything to say back, so he just escaped from Hazard¡¯s arms. Hazard easily fell away from him. Nathan rummaged through the bookshelf as if nothing had happened. In one of his hands was a list of books to collect today. ¡®First, I have to pick out books to leave out in the warehouse.¡¯ Nathan began to pick out books, leaving Hazard unattended behind his back. In his arms, books began to pile up one by one. Most of the thick hardcover books were old and on the verge of destruction, or had already been destroyed. When I thought about collecting several books and moving them, my arm immediately fell asleep. ¡°Give me those. Can I put it there?¡± Then Hazard took the books Nathan was holding. It was quite a heavy sheep, but he carried it away as lightly as a feather. What Hazard pointed to was a pile of empty boxes. Perhaps Bill brought it. Nathan nodded blankly. ¡®Yes, there¡¯s a strong guy next to me, and there¡¯s no profit I can¡¯t afford to not use.¡¯ The library on one side of the academy was very large. So what Nathan is doing right now is a circle. It took him a few days to finish. However, thanks to Hazard, the work was over sooner than before. ¡°This is the last time.¡± ¡°Well done. Well, it¡¯s a job to find a book.¡± Nathan was sitting on the ladder looking for the last volume. Magic is useful, but Professor Michael¡¯s theory was that magic should not be relied on alone. Nathan was on the side of agreeing with that. However, sometimes I thought, ¡®Wouldn¡¯t the work of this library be easier if I engraved the magic?¡¯ In fact, when there was no eye to see, magic was used without overdoing it. It¡¯s a little more convenient. The more he learned the magic, the more he realized how lazy he could live by using magic. Again. Nathan found the book again just before he came down the ladder. It¡¯s the same book that had no name or top. The book that appeared in front of his eyes today was on a high bookcase, so it was a place where he could only find it if he was on a ladder. Nathan frowned hard. It was disgusting. I thought I should just look at that book this time. At this point, I was rather curious about what kind of joke I wanted to play and why it was chasing me. ¡°Nathan, don¡¯t you want to go to the beach?¡± It was when he reached for the book. Nathan looked down, reflectively at the words below. Hazard¡¯s body was crouching against the bookshelf that I only saw the head of. ¡°The beach? Why the ocean all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I was supposed to go to my friend¡¯s villa, but it was too quiet to go there alone, so I was wondering if you could come with me. You¡¯re not going to stay inside the academy all the time during the vacation, are you?¡± ¡°I was only going to be in the academy.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better there. Let¡¯s go play for a change!¡± ¡°Well, the sea. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been there.¡± The sea, the sea¡­¡­. I had a strange feeling. Nathan listened to what Hazard was saying in one ear and spilled while he was trying to remember the reason for the sudden signs. Then Nathan opened his eyes wide when the name ¡®Remberton¡¯ was mentioned in his mouth. ¡°Oh! Marquis Barcela¡¯s summer house!¡± The name Barcela reminded me. It was the place where the incident happened around this time of year. In short, if you accept Hazard¡¯s recommendation now, you can see the incident in the original with your eyes. It was a bit of an interesting story. So far, he knew that this place was in a novel, but he never experienced the events that took place in the original. In addition, the incident that will happen this time was not such a great or big event where their lives went back and forth, and it could be said that it was the episode where they took a rest after suffering in many ways. Below, Hazard was making words to lure Nathan, saying that the scenery there was beautiful, the specialties were delicious, and there was a lot to see that the festival was going to be held, but Nathan was still listening and leaking in one ear. Yeah, it¡¯d be fun to go. Wouldn¡¯t it be okay to just look around and not do anything? ¡°Shall we go? ¡°So the lobster there¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go. It¡¯s not bad to see the ocean after a long time. The part-time job ended earlier than I thought, so I think it¡¯ll be okay.¡± Looking at Nathan¡¯s strangely excited face, Hazard thought it was good to bring it up. Originally, he should have left for a villa owned by Barcela earlier, but it was a little delayed. So I actually should have left tonight, but I was glad that I asked him once because I was worried about him but he responded better than I thought. ¡°So when are we leaving?¡± Excited to see the original incident in person, Nathan came down the ladder, forgetting what he was just trying to do. Afraid that Nathan would fall off the ladder while coming down, Hazard jumped up and grabbed the ladder, and continued to chat. ¡°I¡¯m going by train tonight. And you know that, right? The number of non-official boarding areas has increased. I heard you¡¯re going to Yeongji, where the villa is.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going on a non-fair ride?¡± ¡°Yeah! What do you think? It sounds fun, right?¡± Nathan responded with a quizzical face, looking quite excited. Then he suddenly found that the window had turned red before he knew it. ¡°But Hazard, it¡¯s good to go tonight¡­ Can we finish the work by the last train?¡± Nathan took a pocket watch out, checked the time once, and checked the boxes around him and the bookcase, which was still a little empty. Hazard¡¯s gaze followed him around and swept his face with his palm. ¡°Damn it. Nathan, don¡¯t even think about having dinner tonight! Let¡¯s eat on the train after we clean up here first!¡± Raising his sleeves to the fullest extent, Hazard piled up boxes scattered at his feet one by one. I thought I was going to take it all at once. As the box was full of books, the weight was no joke, Hazard¡¯s forearm, carrying the box, has veins sticking out. No matter how much he is, he will have to go back and forth several times with this burden. Nathan pondered for a moment. In the end, I decided to play a trick. ¡°¡­ Azar, is Bill out there?¡± T/N: Not sure if I said it yet but ¡®Azar¡¯ is another name for ¡®Hazard¡¯. A bit like a nickname if you will. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Hazard stopped stacking boxes for a moment and peeped out of the bookcase and looked around. There was no sign of anyone but them two, let alone Bill. After listening to Hazard, Nathan took his wand, which was usually made in the form of jewelry, and held it in his hand. ¡°Nathan?¡± ¡°If Bill catches me, I¡¯ll get in trouble. Just keep your eyes on the door.¡± If Bill catches him, Professor Michael will be informed. For some reason, Professor Michael was particularly fond of Nathan among his magic students. That was something Nathan also noticed. ¡®Maybe it¡¯s bothering you because you¡¯ve been niggling next to him a lot.¡¯ Therefore, when the story went into his ears in this way, he would be scolded twice as much as others. Nathan took a deep breath, and held his wand. I should have drawn a magic circle in advance, but I couldn¡¯t prepare for today¡¯s situation because it was unexpected. It was a moment when I missed the bundles of paper in the room. The magic of applying mana to drawing magic gin was ink, and the wand in his hand was a pen. It was simple and difficult to draw. First, the expression to reduce the weight was engraved, and the wind was drawn so that it could be floated in the air, and then the detailed expression was engraved to arrive at the desired location. Like his master, his magic was dull. Nathan¡¯s hands moved fast, swinging his wand with a graceful hand. Nathan didn¡¯t let go of this time. CH 28 ¡°Azar, open the window.¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah!¡± Hazard, standing blankly at Nathan¡¯s voice, flustered and opened the tightly locked window. Then the wind came gently from outside the window and into the library. When Nathan finished the end of the magic circle, the magic circle sparkled purple. ¡°[Wind, lead these things to where they belong.]¡± The wind began to blow a little stronger in the library as he whispered a spell. Nathan¡¯s hair flutters in the wind. Books that were within the scope of the magic circle rose into the air, and books were inserted into an empty bookcase following his gesture. The long-term work was done in no time. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d use this method.¡± Hazard whistled unconsciously at the amazing sight. Nathan roughly swept his slightly tangled hair, casting a small [light] magic spell on each box that needed to be moved to the warehouse to remove the weight. ¡°I don¡¯t usually use it, but it¡¯s just for today. Don¡¯t tell anyone. If I get caught, I¡¯ll be in trouble.¡± Then, after grinding his wand again, Nathan took a small bottle out of his arms with his trembling hand. The bottle was filled with things that looked like candy, and he took one of them out, put it in my mouth, and chewed it. A crunch like chewing candy resonates in a quiet library. Hazard wrinkled his brows when he saw it. ¡°What did you eat?¡± ¡°Medicine.¡± Nathan said casually, piled up the boxes, and lifted them up. It was as light as a feather when the weight disappeared. Nathan piled up the boxes with the intention of moving them quickly before the magic disappeared. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we have to walk a little bit to the warehouse, so hurry up before the magic unravels.¡± Hazard followed Nathan, who had gone first, with a full box. The full boxes looked precarious, but the two escaped the library without difficulty. The sun was setting in the quiet hallway. Hazard said, walking behind Nathan. ¡°Why do you take medicine? Do you have any other chronic diseases besides sleepwalking?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Mana aftereffects? It¡¯s similar.¡± Nathan stopped talking and dragged Hazard behind the pillar at the sound of steps in front of him. It was Bill at a glance. Hazard saw Nathan and held his breath together. It was only after Bill disappeared into the library that Nathan sighed and walked again. They were walking with five or six large boxes stacked up, which was unusual. Since then, the two have not said a word to be caught, but have moved cautiously, but quickly and arrived at the warehouse to avoid people¡¯s eyes. It was only after entering the warehouse that I could barely open my mouth. ¡°Oh, I thought I was caught.¡± Hazard burst out laughing briefly as he looked at Nathan leaning on the box as if he were tired. It was hard to know what this was, and how nervous and thrilling it was. I burst into laughter because I was dumbfounded. ¡°That¡¯s the end of the job, right?¡± ¡°Right, that¡¯s it. Thanks to you, it took fewer days than usual .¡± The two took a break and then left the warehouse. The sunset was almost over, so the night was falling. Hazard said while stretching out. ¡°Then I¡¯m done with my work, so let¡¯s each pack up and meet at the front door. If you hurry, you¡¯ll catch the last train. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two briefly parted ways to pack at the entrance to the dormitory. When Nathan returned to the room, he took out his empty bag and thought about what to pack in his head, and realized that he had little to pack. ¡®The only thing I bought here was small items to live in the academy.¡¯ As a result, his only thing was the luggage that Nathan first brought. I had nothing to pack, so it was quick to pack. Nathan left the room with a moderately heavy bag. Nathan headed for the second magic room before heading to the main gate. Even in the late evening, the light was leaking from the room. Nathan knocked on the door and went inside when he was given permission. ¡°Did you say you were going on a trip?¡± Nathan told Professor Micheal that he would travel to the beach for a while. Michael, who was looking through the documents, finally raised his head toward Nathan. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll take a few days. I¡¯ll be back before the vacation ends.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m sure there¡¯s still work to be done. According to Bill, it takes quite a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just coming back from that. Oh, I didn¡¯t overdo it! I was able to finish it quickly thanks to my friend¡¯s help.¡± Michael squinted and dropped Nathan once. ¡°You used magic.¡± Nathan kept his mouth shut and looked around. I thought I¡¯d get caught, but I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being seen right through right now. Professor Michael sighed and put down the documents he was holding and got up from his seat. He passed Nathan and headed for the cabinet. He seemed to be looking for something when he saw the drawer being opened. ¡°What about your medicine?¡± ¡°I took it.¡± ¡°Okay, let¡¯s move on. The person who was stuck inside the academy said he would voluntarily go out. That¡¯s praiseworthy.¡± Professor Michael came up to Nathan and held out what he had in his hand. ¡°Take this.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Make sure you use it only when you need it. Of course, it would be better if you didn¡¯t use it¡­¡± Nathan received a navy blue pocket engraved with the Academy¡¯s Insignia. ¡°Did you pack your medicine?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay, have a safe trip and I¡¯ll see you later.¡± Professor Michael patted Nathan on the head a couple of times and then went back to his place and lifted the papers. Nathan carefully closed the door, saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± He put his pocket inside his coat and Nathan headed for the front door. His steps were light. Nathan is clearly in a good mood now. He even seemed to be excited. When I came out of the building, the night fell deeply, and the streetlights turned on one by one. There were stars and crescent moons in the sky. Nathan walked quickly, wondering if he was late. Hazard was standing in front of the main gate. He was carrying a bag that was cruder than Nathan on one side, and his empty hand was placed on the sword stand. The picturesque appearance caught the eye, but Nathan was more concerned about something else. Hazard¡¯s face was rarely expressionless. Nathan was used to seeing that smile on the prince¡¯s face. ¡°Azar.¡± However, when Nathan called Hazard, he returned with a familiar look as if he had never made that face. It was the same face that looked slightly naughty like children of his age. The change made Nathan feel strange. My tumultuous chest gradually calms down. ¡°You came earlier than I thought. Get in. The carriage will be faster than walking.¡± Then he opened the carriage door. Hazard bowed down playfully, telling him to get on first. Nathan smirked at the action. ¡°This is it. I never thought I¡¯d get an escort from the prince.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor.¡± The two giggled on top of the carriage. When Hazard closed the door and knocked on the wall with the horse-carved seat, the carriage started. . . . Behind the dazzlingly colorful royal palace were several abandoned star palaces that were out of human reach. And among them, there was one of the oldest and least visited of the star palaces. The once splendid Star Palace had long lost its shape. The old palace was overgrown with ivy. Since there was no one to manage it, the annex quickly became a nest of plants. The stone road on the floor was full of cracks here and there, and the grasses grew out of the gold-bloomed unnamed flowers. A hole in the ceiling leaks light, and the glass on the window frame has long been broken. And there was a child crossing it quickly. I wonder if I¡¯m five or six years old. The clothes that did not fit the body, the golden hair that grew a lot, and the wet cheeks, under the eyes and the nose were red as if they had cried on the way. The little child was running hard on his short legs in the annex, hugging the bundle in his arms as if it were a treasure. The child went deep into the star palace and crossed the open garden. The weeds in the garden disturbed the child¡¯s steps, but the child didn¡¯t care. Randomly branched trees harm the landscape, creating a gloomy atmosphere at first glance. The place where the child¡¯s feet stopped after walking for a long time was in front of the old fountain. ¡°Noona!¡± The child called the girl sitting on the old fountain in a bright voice. The girl¡¯s indifferent blue eyes slowly turned to her little brother who was running towards the fountain. The face that looked exactly like the child was expressionless but very lovely. The long girl¡¯s hair flutters in the breeze. ¡°Azar, I told you not to run because you might fall.¡¯ Unlike her indifferent face, the girl¡¯s voice was sweet. ¡°Sister, look at this!¡± The child, called Hazard, breathed heavily and sat down on the spot to untie the bundle in his arms. Inside the bundle were some crushed muffins and snacks. ¡°You went out of the star palace again. Are you hurt?¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s okay!¡± He spoke bravely, but looking at his crying face, Elphines, the girl, covered the book she was carrying and jumped down the fountain. A small body came running toward Hazard. A ferny hand rubbed carefully against the sunken eyes. CH 29 ¡°Why did you cry when you said it was okay?¡± ¡°This-this is. So¡­¡± ¡°Did they bother you again?¡± Instead of answering, Hazard picked up a muffin and thrust it into Elphines hands. ¡°Well, more than that, here! I hope you like it!¡± In fact, Elphines didn¡¯t like sweets. ¡°All right, thanks.¡± But that wasn¡¯t the reason to refuse what her little brother brought for her. The hard dry and broken muffins were unsightly. Taking in the muffin, Elphines smiled affectionately and stroked Hazard¡¯s head. ¡°Let¡¯s eat together. It¡¯s too much for me to eat alone.¡± The two children sat down in the fountain and split the muffins Hazard brought in half sharing one side each. The sweetness that they haven¡¯t tasted in a long time made the two children excited. The warm sunshine and the gentle breeze helped make the atmosphere calm. There were only two children in this collapsing annex. There was a maid who brought meals from time to time, but that was all. It was a difficult environment for a child to survive, but the two still survived. Elphines mumbled like a song, gently stroking Hazard¡¯s head lying on her knee. ¡°Azar, be a sweet man.¡¯ ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Be kind and straightforward.¡¯ It was a word that both the listener and the speaker often heard and uttered. When Hazard was younger than this, his sister often said, ¡®Be sweet and upright.¡¯ His sister, who is five years older than him, tried to raise Hazard as a friendly and upright person. ¡°You should always keep a smile on your face. That smile will deceive the enemy, make allies, and strengthen you.¡± ¡°But, Noona. Good people are treated like fools.¡± Hazard grumbled softly. Elphines held the tip of his nose and shakes it lightly. ¡°That¡¯s a strange thing, isn¡¯t it? ¡°¡­Yes.¡± As soon as her hand fell, Hazard quickly covered his nose to protect it. He made a nasally sound in response. ¡°Hazard, the right path is a very difficult one. But on the contrary, the ¡®mean¡¯ path is very easy. Most people try to go the easy way. It¡¯s comfortable. I could do that, too.¡± Elphines¡¯ tone was soft. ¡°But the good man always wins. They have a lot of hardships, and they are tested over and over again. But that¡¯s why they¡¯re stronger than anyone because they are the ones who overcome all that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll understand when you¡¯re older.¡± Hazard buried his face in Elphines¡¯ lap with a small grunt. So he didn¡¯t know what kind of face she had at that time. ¡°We will survive to the end. A puppy who swears at them for being a son of a gun will always eat the tiger.¡± T/N: The quote is just trying to say that someone who is determined will always rise to the top. Shaking- Shaking. ¡°Oh.¡± Azar opened his eyes thanks to the loud rattling train. ¡®Did I fall asleep?¡¯ Blinking his stiff eyes a couple of times, Hazard stopped trying to raise his stiff body and paused. Nathan, who was sitting next to him, caught his eye. Nathan also seemed to have woken up, thanks to the already loud train. It was natural to rub his eyes, but Hazard looked carefully at Nathan just in case. ¡°Did you just wake up?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The answer was mediocre. Nathan blinked blankly a couple of times and suddenly rose from his seat. However, it was faster for Hazard to hold Nathan¡¯s hand and put him back in his seat. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Outside.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going outside?¡± Hazard clicked his tongue a little, looking at him nodding. You didn¡¯t wake up completely, either. Azar, who has learned Nathan¡¯s condition through his experience, has found Nathan¡¯s head and made him lean on his shoulder. I held his hand tightly with my remaining hand because I thought Nathan would move again. ¡°Go back to sleep.¡± Nathan struggled for a moment, but it soon became quiet as Hazard refused to let go. It was not until he heard regular breathing from the side that Hazard took off his hand that was pressing Nathan¡¯s head. Hazard looked somewhat uncomfortable with the glasses pressed on his shoulder, so he carefully peeled them off, put them on the window frame, and turned his eyes out of the window. Dawn was rising outside the window as if it had been for quite a while. Most people were asleep on the early morning train. Therefore, it was quiet except for the sound of snoring and the sound of the train. Hazard wanted to sleep again, but he leaned his head on Nathan¡¯s head and looked at the scenery outside the window, as it was clear that he would not be able to sleep for long anyway. Last night the two were able to catch the last train without being late. ¡®I didn¡¯t reserve tickets in advance, so I could barely sit at the end of the regular seat where several people went back and forth, not in a room.¡¯ As soon as he sat down, Nathan began to doze off. ¡°Sleep if you¡¯re sleepy. I¡¯ll wake you up when it¡¯s time to get off.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not going to sleep.¡± Nathan shook his head and tried to open his eyes. However, he could only open half of my eyelids as if they were too heavy. There were a lot of things to do today. Nathan slapped his cheeks. His pale skin flamed red with the loud noise. Nathan murmured, pressing his heated cheek with his palm as if it hurt after hitting him. ¡°What if I fall asleep and do that again?¡± Hazard knew the anxiety underlying the words. There was no guarantee that he wouldn¡¯t fall asleep in such a crowded place and get up and wander around. It was not a disease that could be cured overnight. Then Hazard wouldn¡¯t have walked around so early in the morning. ¡°I¡¯m worried about everything.¡± But Hazard tried hard to talk about Nathan¡¯s anxiety as if it were nothing. Then he lifted himself from his seat opposite Nathan and dug into the empty seat next to him. Nathan was gently bitten toward the window by a barrel that was so close that his shoulders touched. ¡°I¡¯m next to you.¡± Hazard said so as a reminder of the obvious. Nathan isn¡¯t alone right now, and he¡¯s confident right next to him, so what¡¯s so worrying about him? ¡°If you do anything strange, I¡¯ll hold you. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± ¡®It was something I¡¯ve been doing over and over again, so it wasn¡¯t new now.¡¯ Hazard said in secret. It was something that could not be kept secret forever. Therefore, I regret it, but I didn¡¯t have any thoughts of what to do. Hazard thought that if Nathan, who knew nothing about it, had a problem when I left the academy, he would have felt guilty. So it was better to learn the facts like this and help him proudly while next to them. ¡°I feel bad because I keep bothering you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with bothering friends?¡± He sneaks into laughter as he says so, poking Nathan playfully in the ribs with his elbow. ¡°I¡¯ll lend you my lap if you want!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that¡¯ll be very comfortable.¡± Hazard patted his solid thigh and said. But Nathan looked at Hazard¡¯s thighs and shook his head. ¡°Then I¡¯ll sleep a little.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°And you?¡± ¡°At least one of us should keep our eyes open. And I¡¯m not sleepy yet.¡± Then Hazard looked at Nathan and urged him to keep sleeping. Nathan seemed to have a long silent argument with himself. He finally sighed with one¡¯s arms folded as soon as he leaned his head, he fell asleep in an instant. ¡°Sleep?¡± Hazard quickly became bored when the person chatting with him fell asleep. I looked at Nathan¡¯s face, who was asleep while playing with his hands without anything to do, and looked out the window as he moved his eyes. The only thing in the dark night that even the light seemed faint was darkness. From time to time, the moon appeared and was covered by clouds and repeatedly disappeared. I was tired of looking at the night scenery, and now I inferred how many people were on board, how many people were on board, what was their gender, and what was their occupation. Then, at one point, I leaned my head on Nathan¡¯s dry shoulder and blinked blankly. While listening to the regular breathing sound coming from the side, Hazard seemed to have fallen asleep. ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡± Hazard murmured languidly as he watched the sun slowly rise and the blue sky brighten. The quiet air and the sunlight pouring out of the window made him feel drowsy. As he chased the dust twinkling through the group of lights with no reason to do anything, Hazard rolled his eyes and looked at the face of the boy in front of his nose. The hair glistening in the light looked more red than usual. It was usually a dull color. ¡°Oh, You have a mole under your ear.¡± It was when Hazard was blankly counting Nathan¡¯s eyelashes. ¡°Alas, the arrival station in a moment is Elazur. Passengers who want to get off are requested to check if there are any items left behind before getting off. I¡¯ll say it again. In a few minutes, the arrival station will be Elazur.¡± Azar was surprised and straightened up when he was not guilty of anything in the sudden announcement. My heart was pounding, perhaps because I was surprised. I felt awkward and swept down the back of my back, and there was a buzzing sound here and there. The broadcast was repeated several more times afterward as if it were to wake up all those who were asleep. At some point, the train was filled with noise as the people who were asleep woke up, stretched, and packed up their things. Hazard let go of Nathan¡¯s hand and shook his shoulder. CH 30 ¡°Nathan, Nathan. Get up now.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ five more minutes.¡± ¡°I want you to sleep for 5 minutes too, but we have to get off now. We¡¯re almost there!¡± The train stopped at Elazur Station while Nathan was shaking him to sleep again. Squeak! Perhaps there were so many people getting off at this station, and most of the people in the same room rushed down as soon as the train stopped, making the inside feel chilly in an instant. Both men were almost the last to get off after all the people had left. ¡®Siiiigh¡¯ Nathan couldn¡¯t resist a constant yawn. When I checked the time, it was still between dawn and morning. As the day got hotter, the sky was already bright with the sun rising quickly. The two got out of the station in a crowd. Getting out of the station was no big deal. ¡®I don¡¯t know where all these people came from, but I know if you look away, you¡¯ll lose your party.¡¯ It was easy to lose people in a crowd. Elazur was a pretty big city. There were more than five platforms in the train station. Not to mention the inside. It¡¯s so spacious and crowded to the brim. So Nathan was swept away by the crowd heading for another entrance. Arms, back, shoulders, and luggage were hitting against him, and Nathan mixed into the crowd without knowing where he was going and had no choice but to keep moving. Even if I wanted to go back, I couldn¡¯t, so I was hit here and there for a long time, and when I managed to escape the crowd, I was dropped to a completely different place from the exit I was trying to go. Nathan stood there still, stunned, with his back on one side of the wall. Looking at the people busily moving in front of him, I thought I had to get out of here, but my feet didn¡¯t fall easily. ¡®By the way, where did Hazard go? Wouldn¡¯t you have noticed my absence by now?¡¯ No matter where I looked, I could hardly tell who was who thanks to the various colors of hair. Nathan honestly didn¡¯t even know where to go. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m lost at this age.¡¯ ¡®¡­Wouldn¡¯t it be better to wait here like this?¡¯ With that thought, as his consciousness flowed, the hand that emerged through the crowd quickly caught Nathan. It was almost after Hazard arrived at the entrance that he realized it wasn¡¯t Nathan who was following him. Surprised, Hazard went back his way through the crowd. There was a small squabble between the people who wanted to go forward and Hazard who wanted to go backward, but he only strode into the crowd with a rough word of excuse. As a result, he heard swearing at him from all over the place. After all that trouble, Hazard finally found Nathan. He snatched the tall man leaning against the wall in a daze and held him tightly, hugging his shoulder this time. So the two were able to get out of there quickly. ¡°I thought I was going to die. Why are there so many people?¡± Nathan was already reeling from exhaustion. ¡®Isn¡¯t traveling too dangerous for me?¡¯ Nathan had that thought automatically. ¡®I want to go back to the academy. I want to lie down on my desk and eat snacks while reading books.¡¯ Looking at Nathan¡¯s daydreaming face, Hazard touched him on the shoulder and led him naturally. ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s a merchant city. Mornings are the busiest in the merchant city. Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s eat something.¡± ¡°I have no appetite.¡± Nathan really had no appetite. ¡®I didn¡¯t have an appetite for a day or two, but I suffered as soon as I woke up, so I didn¡¯t have an appetite.¡¯ Nathan walked helplessly as Hazard led him and looked around. Elazur was a pretty fancy high street. The road was better maintained than anywhere else, and people¡¯s clothes were luxurious and clean. It was said to be a merchant city but filled with shops I had never seen before. In addition, the traffic of people was also active, as it was a place with Gongjeong Pavilion, and the streets were overflowing with people. We arrived at the restaurant after walking in a hurry. The two ordered their food. Nathan ordered only simple food, but Hazard ordered a lot of calorie-filled breakfast food and finished it all. Nathan barely ate the soup and only a little bit of what Hazard had offered him to eat. Nathan was careful not to scoop up too much cream soup full of vegetables. He asked Hazard. ¡°I think it¡¯s a little late to ask now, but is it really okay for me to come along?¡± Nathan asked a long, late question now. ¡®I was a little excited at the thought that I would be able to see the case in the original, so I suddenly thought that I made a hasty decision unlike usual.¡¯ After a night, the excitement subsides and Nathan was worried again as reason settles in and cooled his head. When he heard Nathan¡¯s question, Hazard chewed the piece of meat he had just put in his mouth and snorted. ¡°I¡¯m a prince. What are they going to do?¡± *** ¡°Azar!¡± Nathan hid behind Hazard when he saw the dark-blue-haired boy running out screaming from the entrance of the house. Nathan sighed and leaned his head against Hazard¡¯s back. He closed my tired eyes tightly. It seemed that the throbbing head and twisted insides felt more nauseous by the shouting. ¡®Oh, how did this happen?¡¯ Nathan really wanted to faint like this. The two of them had a quick breakfast early this morning. It was also for a moment that he was amazed and had fun on the first ride. Nathan didn¡¯t know he would get so sick. The carriage and the train were all fine, but it was unfair. ¡®I didn¡¯t have acrophobia, but I felt dizzy. Then I felt sick as if I was going to throw up. I had a headache and a cold sweat came out.¡¯ The longer the flight, the more Nathan couldn¡¯t get his act together. Throughout the flight, he lay down with his eyes closed. In a faint memory, he could feel Hazard worried restlessly next to him, but Nathan suffered in silence without saying anything that was okay as usual. ¡®I thought it would be better if I vomited because I felt nauseous, but even that was not easy.¡¯ The nausea continued after the three or four-hour flight. When they finally got off at Gongjeong, the next one was the carriage. No matter how neat the streets were, they were not as neat as in modern times. The carriage shook violently because of the bumpy road. The already queasy feeling got worse in the carriage. Nathan didn¡¯t even know he was lying on Hazard¡¯s thigh. ¡®I would rather curl up and fall asleep.¡¯ He could feel Hazard¡¯s big hand sweeping back the hair that stuck to his forehead, but Nathan couldn¡¯t even say don¡¯t do it. Time passed and his mind was so distracted he couldn¡¯t bother remembering how to get out of the carriage. He managed to force open his closed eyes and he was already on Hazard¡¯s back. Yes, Nathan is still on Hazard¡¯s back! A prince who has walked all the way here not only with their luggage but also with a grown man on his back who is about the same height as himself. Nathan didn¡¯t know when he got off the wagon, he didn¡¯t even know how long he was on this back. The fact covered Nathan¡¯s mind with confusion. ¡®Why am I on his back? Since when did this happen? Where is this place?¡¯ Leaving Nathan¡¯s confusion behind, Hazard walked silently. Just looking away, there was a huge mansion on the open low cliff, I could see the sea around the cliff. It was like a landscape painting. There was only one road to the mansion, so that must be the summer villa. Nathan thought he had to tell him that he was up now, so he should get off now, but he couldn¡¯t help himself because it was so embarrassing. ¡®I don¡¯t know why when I¡¯m with him, I find more and more mouse holes.¡¯ T/N: He¡¯s just embarrassed and wants to hide. Nathan couldn¡¯t even say anything to Hazard, and the two reached the front of the huge mansion, still on his back. The doorman, who was standing at the front gate of the mansion, found Hazard approaching and rushed into the mansion. ¡®That¡¯s how I got to this situation.¡¯ Nathan closed his eyes tightly as if he were asleep. When he closed his eyes, his hearing heightened. It took more time for the gruff Remburton to run right in front of the two people, adding a little exaggeration and three seconds was enough. ¡°You¡­!! What have you been doing without contacting me?¡± ¡°Wow, calm down, Remi.¡± ¡°..What¡¯s that thing you¡¯re hanging from behind your back?¡± Nathan¡¯s back seemed to break out in a cold sweat. ¡®Even though I didn¡¯t open my eyes, my skin felt numb.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯ll go in and explain, so let¡¯s go in first?¡± ¡°You are..!¡± Remburton tried to open his mouth again, but there was a clear sign of effort. Maybe he went ahead first, but the heavy footsteps got farther away. Hazard followed Remburton. He carried Nathan on his back as he walked. Nathan was surprised at the action and hardened himself, but quickly relaxed from his body. ¡®I didn¡¯t want Hazard to notice, but¡­ I think I heard a laugh.¡¯ However, Nathan kept pretending to be asleep because he was embarrassed to talk to him now. Hazard¡¯s steps were relentless. He walked around the house without any obstacles as if he had already been there several times. Nathan admired Hazard¡¯s physical strength. Nathan must not be that light, but he didn¡¯t even complain about carrying me. The footsteps of the two trudging feet soon stopped. Actually, Hazard stops first. It seemed like the late Remburton walked a little longer and stopped in front of Hazard. Squeak came to the door open. Nathan could feel clearly that Hazard was opening the door and entering the room. Every time he moved, his back muscles moved with him. It felt so vivid to Nathan through the thin fabric. Nathan then had to constantly try not to open his eyes when his body was laid down in a soft place. CH 31 ¡°Hazard, are you going to put him here?¡± At that time, an uncomfortable voice could be heard from a little far away. ¡°Whatever works.¡± ¡°¡­Ha. Wait, let me talk to you for a second.¡± The rustling was especially loud. He desperately tried to play dead, but Nathan couldn¡¯t stop his fingertips from wiggling. ¡®Please, I hope Hazard didn¡¯t see it.¡¯ At that time, a large hand lifted Nathan¡¯s back head, slightly lifted it, put it on a soft pillow, and carefully escaped. Then, one side of the bed, which had fallen under Hazard¡¯s weight, returns to its original state, and soon the sound of footsteps becomes distant. After a while, there was the sound of the door closing. Nathan heard a small buzzing sound in front of the door, but he couldn¡¯t understand exactly what it meant. He held his breath with his eyes closed for a while until the sound of words outside the door moved away with the sound of footsteps. That wasn¡¯t enough, so he also counted to 500 and opened his eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Nathan tried to push up his glasses out of habit, but he fumbled and lowered his hand. He sat up cautiously. The sheets on the palm of his hand were soft. It looked much better than the Academy¡¯s. So did the room. The interior of the mansion, which was antique even from a distance, was similar. The room with the red sunset through the large window was quiet and clean without dust, but strangely, there was a sense of it being lived in. Nathan stepped down under the bed. He looked around the room. ¡®I could see the sea at a glance through the balcony window.¡¯ Nathan looked away at the red sea. Somehow, at this moment, all this came awkwardly. There are probably several factors. The bed was too big, the sense of life of others in the room, and the smell of the sea from outside the window were awkward as if they were wearing clothes that did not fit. Nathan came out of the room, sweeping down the back of his neck without realizing it. Clattering Nathan closed the door gently so that there was no sound, but maybe because it was too quiet. The small click could still be heard loudly. His shoulder flinched at the sound. Letting out a heavy sigh of nervousness before walking. ¡®Are they in the drawing room somewhere?¡¯ He hoped so. ¡®I pretended to be asleep and came into the mansion on Hazard¡¯s back because I thought it would be very embarrassing to meet them while being held like that.¡¯ If there was anyone else around, Nathan was carefully walking, even killing the sound of his footsteps to not be heard. He still felt nausea but his dizziness gradually subsided, and now he just had a small headache. Nathan rubbed his throbbing temples gently for no reason. The empty hallway was filled with red sunlight and created a strange atmosphere. The house was very antique, not only in the room but also in the hallway. ¡®In fact, what¡¯s the point of staying in the room as it is, it was good to come out of the room, but I didn¡¯t have a specific plan to go anywhere.¡¯ It was just as he passed in front of the stairs, which were divided into the first and third floors. There was a wind somewhere. The wind was imbued with the salty smell of the sea. Nathan unconsciously turned his head in the direction of the wind. It was a window, but it actually seemed to be used as a door. Originally, a white staircase was placed where the balcony should be. The stairs led out of the house and the end was a sandy beach. ¡°Oh, I can go straight to the ocean from here, right? That¡¯s amazing.¡± The structure was a little strange but of course, it was a good structure to see the ocean. This way would be faster than going round and round to the water. Nathan threw his head back and looked away carelessly. Nathan then thought of going downstairs but instead went up the stairs to the third floor. It was quiet here as well. In fact, he was a bit worried if he was allowed to walk around freely like this, but the inside of the house was strangely quiet. That¡¯s why Nathan has not yet seen a single employee even though he goes around the mansion freely from the second to third floors. ¡®Is it because Hazard is here? I¡¯m not sure, but that¡¯s probably the most likely reason.¡¯ When inferred from the original story, the existence of ¡®Hazard¡¯ was still in a delicate position externally, ¡°A little prince who was kicked out of a castle at the young age of eight,¡± this was the story of Hazard, who is now recognized by the public. Nathan moved his eyes along the edge of the curtain fluttering in the wind as he walked down the blue-carpeted hallway. A lukewarm wind blew through the half-open window. His eyes turned out of the red-colored window. The world where the dusk fell was half-red and half-dark blue. It constantly tickled his view so he went to grab the fluttering curtain. ¡®It would be better to organize it.¡¯ As Nathan came close to the window, he could see the wonderful garden below it at a glance. Thanks to the warm weather, the green was in full bloom and the red-colored flowers were colorful. Then Nathan found a familiar blonde in it. ¡°-I know.¡± Nathan¡¯s hand stopped at the voice. He was going to tidy up the blue curtain on the window, but instead, hiding there, Nathan leaned further with one hand on the window. The wind blew through the open window, but the sound of voices was still far away and could not be heard clearly. It would not be difficult to hear if magic was used, but his physical condition and his general conscience that eavesdropping on other people¡¯s stories was not good behavior blocked his magic from being used. But even though he thought so, Nathan couldn¡¯t move from the spot. There were not only Hazard but also others in the garden. They¡¯re sitting around a table. One was Remburton and the other two were strangers to Nathan. But Nathan could tell at a glance who they were. Nathan¡¯s heart pounded automatically. His mouth almost exclaimed. ¡®Looking at the four people gathered like this, I realize that this place is in a novel and that it really came in before the incident. Is the palpitation of my heart that I feel right now the excitement of what¡¯s going to happen, or is it fear?¡¯ Nathan couldn¡¯t easily decide because he felt either way. ¡®Probably both.¡¯ While excited at the thought of witnessing the original in person, the fear that something might change due to him shook him simultaneously. There have already been changes. Remburton¡¯s brief transfer to the Department of Magic, his encounter with Hazard, their close friendship, and his departure from the Academy and coming to the Marquis Barcella¡¯s villa, the original was changing subtly from a minor point. So is this a good thing? ¡®Is it a good thing for me?¡¯ Nathan couldn¡¯t say for sure that this was a good thing. When I first learned that I had entered the novel, I thought that being next to the main character¡¯s group was the way to live. I tried to do that. I kept trying because I thought I was far from strong enough. But what about now? Nathan¡¯s efforts have not always paid off. The more he tried, the worse it was. Now, Nathan¡¯s self-esteem has been reversed and such negative thoughts have all been the result of accumulation and accumulation of such results. Still, Nathan couldn¡¯t help but try. I feel that knowing the future was a loss, not a gain. If I had never known about future events, I would have just given up. However, I couldn¡¯t even try hard. It has reached the present in such a half-baked state. As a result, the initial plan to stick to the main character¡¯s group was realized in this way, but it was somewhat different from what Nathan had thought. Nathan was still standing off the stage. ¡®I don¡¯t need to think deeply about what was different.¡¯ Only now does Nathan realize that he hasn¡¯t made up his mind yet. Every thought he had so far was just a delusion that came to mind. It¡¯s a delusion that Nathan would have done this because he couldn¡¯t meet Hazard and get involved with his colleagues. ¡®But what about now? You¡¯ll be friends with Hazard, you¡¯ll face his colleagues, and you¡¯re with them where the original story takes place.¡¯ His position and situation have changed significantly from what he has done so far. So he had to make a decision now. Will you clap while looking at the main characters standing on the stage, or will you be on the stage with them? There is no more time to take a step back and hesitate. I had to make a decision either way. ¡°¡­¡± Nathan shifted his leaning body and began to go back the way he had turned. His pace grew faster and faster and faster. When Nathan, who was running, came down to the second floor and headed to the room where he was lying. Nathan first encountered a person here. ¡°Oh, are you all right?!¡± The maid, the one Nathan was told to call if he was awake, was surprised once in the empty room and twice when Nathan, with his pale face, appeared. She was told Nathan hadn¡¯t been feeling well, but it seemed really bad. The maid hurried up to help Nathan, who was one head taller than her when he suddenly covered his mouth and retched. Nathan¡¯s knee bent and in the next second, he collapsed on the floor. *** ¡°You fainted?¡± ¡°Yes, yes! The doctor is examining now¡± said the maid, weeping. The maid, who saw Nathan lying down in front of her eyes, screamed in surprise. It wasn¡¯t just because her apron was dirty with vomit. If a person falls down in front of you, wouldn¡¯t anyone be surprised and scream? It would have been even more overturned from the perspective of an employee if the customer came to this house to relax. The maid¡¯s scream was quite loud and echoed through the quiet mansion, and through the halls downstairs. The work was done quickly thanks to several of the employees who worked at the company running to hear the scream. Nathan, who fainted first was left to a strong servant, while another rushed to call the doctor, who was resting in a corner of the house. The remaining people busily moved to clean up the dirty hallway, and the maid, who had been with Nathan first, left her dirty apron and ran to the garden like this. Remburton felt a throbbing headache at the sudden situation and touched his temple. ¡®When Hazard carried Nathan on his back, was he really this sick?¡¯ CH 32 ¡°I mean, I felt like throwing up and then¡­¡± Hazard, who was listening to the news together, mumbled with a frown. The worried face is covered by the teacup in hand. Those sitting across from Hazard saw him and added words. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s right to say hello to the others today.¡± ¡°Yeah! I was really looking forward to seeing who Hazard brought!¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s been a little under the weather. You both must be tired from coming all the way here.¡± Hazard sighed. Then, he put down the teacup, which had only been wet with his lips, silently and raised himself. ¡°Let¡¯s do the introductions later. I¡¯ll have to go to him.¡± ¡°Do you really need to go? If he had called in the councilor, he would have done it.¡± ¡°Oh, Ra, don¡¯t you say such heartless things? I brought him all the way here. I¡¯m more than half responsible for his collapse. Even though you know that, Do you want to make me so hard?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s calling me a hard person.¡± A man called ¡°Raya,¡± who wore a hat deeply pressed leaned his upper body against his back and answered with his arms folded. Two pairs of blue eyes that resemble each other face each other casually. A boy with cotton candy-like light cherry-colored hair watched the short confrontation between the two and saw Hazard¡¯s brows slightly frown, so he thought they might fight, so he cut in between them. ¡°Tell him to take care of himself, Hazard! Hurry up and go! Tell him that it would be great if we could have dinner together later on!¡± ¡°OK. I¡¯ll talk to you later.¡± Hazard waved his hand roughly to them and headed for the mansion. Remburton followed behind. It¡¯s not running, but it¡¯s a wider and faster step than usual, so Remburton glanced. Who is Nathan, and why does Hazard care so much? Remburton, who followed Hazard without a word, thought Hazard¡¯s interest in Nathan was so strange. However, he did not say this idea out loud, and soon the two reached the second floor. The second floor was busy. Helpers were busy cleaning up the dirty carpet, wiping the floor with water, and taking out new carpets. Then he found two people and stopped what he was doing all at once and bowed his head. ¡°You¡¯re here, young master.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t care. Keep up the good work.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two passed by the users and entered the open room. In the room, several employees, along with the congressman, waited for the owner of the house. Before Remburton even spoke, Hazard first asked Rep. ¡°So what¡¯s his condition now?¡± Unlike the playful appearance seen only in front of close people, it was a dignified and solemn attitude. Remburton secretly clicked his tongue to see where he had thrown away the usually simple and clumsy prince. The Rep, who had known Hazard for a long time, also seemed a little surprised by his unusual appearance, but when he recalled that the boy lying on the bed was a guest brought by Hazard, he said, ¡°I guess you¡¯re worried about your friend.¡± ¡°There seems to be a number of factors overlapping. First, there is an effect of the sudden change in the environment and the accumulation of fatigue from long trips, and it seems that he was especially stressed out usually. Kind of saying ¡®I was barely holding out, but after arriving here, I reached my limit.¡¯ Therefore, I think the body has put on a defense mechanism to protect itself. Anything else?¡± ¡°Oh, I can¡¯t think of any more.¡± Hazard turned to the bed. He could see Nathan¡¯s face buried deep in the blanket and really asleep this time. His mood is instantly stained with complexity by the way he looks clearly worse than before. ¡°He¡¯d better just get some rest for now. I¡¯ll send the medicine up a little later. By the way, it¡¯s been a long time since I had a patient in such bad condition. I think it¡¯s more because you guys are always flying around. The inside of his body is a mess, and he is weaker than his peers. Another problem is, he doesn¡¯t seem to have a good heart. The blackness under his eyes shows signs of sleep deprivation.¡± Afterward, the Rep. explained Nathan¡¯s disease name from time to time. After hearing all the stories, it was concluded that they should finally let Nathan rest well. Unlike the shrines, which use divine power, lawmakers Reps use mana to examine the patient¡¯s body. If Nathan had seen it, he would have thought, ¡®Is it an MRI?¡¯ In any case, to summarize what Rep. Lee said, he is surprised that Nathan has managed to walk with such a body. When the lawmaker finished talking and left the room first to make the medicine, Hazard also sent out other users who were waiting in the room. It was the same for Remburton, the owner of the mansion. It was an order for everyone to get out so that Nathan could rest in peace. Remburton, who was forced to leave the room, stood at the threshold and called Hazard. ¡°Azar, by the way¡­¡± ¡°See you at dinner, Remi.¡± Remburton¡¯s words were gracefully ignored by Hazard¡¯s cold answer. Listen to other things right now, the reaction was firm as if he would not deter. Remburton¡¯s face was naturally lumped up. He looked at Hazard, whose eyes were on the door, and at the pile of blankets bulged over his shoulder and turned. ¡®Something¡¯s wrong, but I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong.¡¯ Only after confirming that Remburton was moving away did Hazard close the door and walk to bed. He flung down on the chair where the Rep had just sat, sweeping his hair roughly. As I cast my eyes on the bed, his pale face only breathed quietly. When he saw it, Hazard swept his face with both hands and made a painful noise. ¡°¡­Whoa.¡± ¡®I didn¡¯t expect you to feel so sick. If I had known in advance, I wouldn¡¯t have asked you to come with me. I would have explained to him what happened at dawn and told him to ask for help from an adult. Sleepwalking wasn¡¯t the only problem for him. No, of course, that was a big deal but..¡¯ ¡°Did I bring you here for nothing?¡± Without realizing it, Hazard grabbed Nathan¡¯s dry hand as he slipped out of the blanket. His pale hands are ice cold. Hazard gently massaged the pale hands and used the holy power that he strictly used for those close to him. But the color of your face is the same. ¡®Healing, too, won¡¯t help.¡¯ Hazard lets out a bitter laugh and laments. Feeling a familiar feeling of helplessness. Already knowing that sacred power doesn¡¯t work for Nathan. Hazard¡¯s holy power was known only by very few people, and therefore unless its life or death it usually is not used. But Hazard was quick to use divine power when he first spotted Nathan wandering around at dawn. It was also dawn without prying eyes to see, and Nathan was not in a good condition in front of him, so he used divine power without hesitation. Sacred power was able to heal not only external but also internal wounds. For example, curses and plagues. Perhaps that level of divine power was enough for anyone else. However, his divine power failed to permeate Nathan and was scattered like smoke in the air. So Hazard went to Matilda to find out why divine power did not work only for him, and if he was ill, he could find another way. Well, it didn¡¯t help much. Knowing this, Hazard held Nathan¡¯s hand for a while longer. . . . Click, click. When Nathan opened his eyes again, the world was filled with blue darkness. Upon confirming it, Nathan blinked a couple of blurry eyes and thought blankly. ¡®Is it nighttime?¡¯ He just rolled his eyes and looked around him around. He was alone in the room. Nathan slowly traced his memory, cooling his throbbing forehead with the back of his cold hand. I certainly didn¡¯t remember falling asleep, but I don¡¯t know why I was lying in bed. It was just a blur. ¡°I¡¯m sure, I mean. When I went up to the third floor, I saw Hazard in the garden.¡± Tick, tick, tick. ¡°You¡¯re so loud.¡± But Nathan¡¯s memory didn¡¯t go further than that. The sound of the clock filling the unusually still room gnawed all over his nerves. The remaining drowsy feeling flew away. My head throbbed again. Nathan instinctively curled up and covered his ears with both hands. Nevertheless, the sound of the second-hand tick did not disappear from my mind. Nathan jumped up. Frantically scanning the room with blurred vision. He looked for where the sound came from, but nothing seemed like a clock. Nathan crawled down from the bed to turn on the light, thinking it was because the room was dark when he tripped over the bed and fell on the floor. CH 33 Thump! It was louder than I thought. The sound of pain leaks out through the gap in the slightly open mouth. There were no knees, arms, or faces that hit the floor. A chill crept up on my face touching the cold floor. My head is thumping. The view was spinning and dizzy. Nathan couldn¡¯t get up right away because he was aching all over. On top of that, the ticking still continued to be heard. His head was messed up, and his body, forgetting his sense of balance, did not think of getting up so upside down. Nathan had no choice but to lie still on the cold floor for a while, closing his eyes and waiting for the dizziness to go away. ¡®I¡¯m dizzy, I¡¯m sick, I¡¯m cold.¡¯ That was all he could think of now. Even if Nathan opened his eyes, his vision would only blink, so he thought it would be better to close it. Familiar darkness falls behind the eyelids that have fallen heavily. The still loud sound of the clock prevented his head from returning to normal, causing him to return to square one constantly missing his train of thought. ¡®Be quiet, be quiet, be quiet.¡¯ I wanted to cover my ears, but I couldn¡¯t move my body. As if pins were pressed to stop movement, the body attached to the floor is as heavy as lead. Therefore, there was no way to prevent him from shaking in the cold air climbing over the thin saliva. His weak breath comes out slower than usual through the gap in his dry mouth. ¡®Oh, I wish I could just sleep like this.¡¯ It was time for the hazy mind to fade away like that. Knock, knock, knock. His consciousness, which had been extinguished under the floor by a sudden knock, was raised to the surface at once. Nathan took a breath and opened his closed eyes. As if he swam under the water and was coming up to breathe. Nathan¡¯s lungs hurt as if they were torn and his whole body was wet with cold sweat. ¡°Nathan, are you up?¡± Then a familiar voice could be heard outside the door. Nathan slowly raised his heavy body to the voice. His arms trembled on the floor. But Nathan didn¡¯t understand. The noise of the second hand, which had been noisy, has long disappeared. When he stood up with only two feet, the floor that touched his bare feet felt cold. Nathan, who stood with his hand on his head for a moment in the dizzying dizziness in front of his eyes, walked a little later and headed to the door. He tried to stop shaking his arms and legs. Even after arriving at the door, Nathan managed to grab the doorknob and turn it after several fumblings in the dark. Squeak¡­ I opened the door and found Hazard. Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s only been in a dark room all this time, but he¡¯s exceptionally dazzling standing in the light. Nathan frowned automatically. There was no other fluorescent lamp that sparkled. ¡°What?¡± His voice was infinitely low. ¡°I woke up. I was downstairs and I heard a loud noise, so I was wondering¡­¡± Hazard slurred his words and looked up and down at Nathan. His countenance fluttered as he leaned against the door frame and breathed lightly. His hair clung to his face as if he had sweated. And one cheek was red against that pale countenance. As I lowered my gaze against the light, Hazard¡¯s gaze stayed for a moment and came up again on my bare feet, which revealed that I had thrown away the slippers under the bed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your face?¡± With a slight frown, Hazard asked, tapping his finger on one cheek. Nathan faltered at him and rubbed his pointed cheek. It was where I hit the floor earlier. ¡°I fell off the bed.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t being careful¡­ This won¡¯t work. I¡¯d better get you some medicine just in case. Wait a minute, don¡¯t sleep again.¡± Nathan unconsciously grabbed Hazard, who was about to turn around and leave. Azar was held without any strength in his arm, turning to me. Face to face, Nathan said calmly, ¡°It¡¯s all right. You don¡¯t have to. Why did you have to do this? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll regret it but¡­Well, if you say so. All right.¡± Nathan thought Hazard was making a fuss for nothing. Regret? No way. Why do you have to put medicine on something like this? Nathan smiled and shook his head gently. He raised one slightly trembling hand to brush his disheveled hair and asked what suddenly came to mind. ¡°Oh, how long have I been doing this anyway? Actually, I don¡¯t remember when I fell asleep.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you fell asleep. From what point do you want me to tell you? Do you want me to start from the beginning, including how you pretended to be asleep?¡± ¡°¡­If you noticed that I pretended to sleep, then let¡¯s move on.¡± Nathan murmured grimly. At that moment, I thought I was caught, so I quickly returned with a fever on my face. The look on Nathan¡¯s is playful. With his arms folded, Azar tilted his head slightly to the side and said, ¡°Well, it¡¯s been about six hours. But don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Yeah, I remember going around the house¡­ Oh, sorry. Come to think of it, I just walked around.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot to be sorry about, Kyung Nathan Norbert.¡± ¡°Why do you call me that? Goosebumps.¡± Nathan unwittingly swept his arms with goosebumps. Although ¡°Kyung¡± and ¡°Nathan¡± inherited the title, this was the first time he was called ¡°Kyung¡± because he was only in the academy. It¡¯s uncomfortable as if I¡¯m wearing clothes that don¡¯t fit me. ¡°You fell down on your way to the room. It was fortunate that the maid found you quickly.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. I did get car sick. Is it because of that?¡± ¡°Maybe, aren¡¯t you hungry? You didn¡¯t eat anything but breakfast. I¡¯ll get you something. Since it¡¯s time, helpers will make simple things for you even if you can¡¯t do great things.¡± ¡°That¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t have an appetite, and I think I¡¯ll get an upset stomach if I eat it now.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯d better go back to sleep. You still look pale.¡± ¡°Whew, I don¡¯t want to sleep¡­¡± Nathan murmured softly, rubbing his stiff neck. He didn¡¯t want to fall asleep. I¡¯ve already slept for a long time, and even if I lie down on the bed like this, I won¡¯t be able to fall asleep again anyway. So I¡¯d rather get some fresh air. Suddenly, I remembered the balcony on the first floor facing the sea. ¡°Shall we go see the sea?¡± I vaguely think so, but Hazard, who thought he would leave now that the conversation was over, was still standing in front of him and looking at Nathan. Nathan looked at him wonderingly and tilted his head. ¡°¡­Why aren¡¯t you going? You go to bed, too.¡± ¡°Oh, I forgot to say¡­¡± Azar folded his cool eyes and said with a smile as if he had something to say. ¡°Actually, this is my room.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nathan opened his eyes wide. Did I hear that right? This is Hazard¡¯s room? Nathan was visibly agitated. Barcella¡¯s summer home was where Hazard often stayed with Remburton since childhood. Therefore, there was a separate room for Hazard. And that¡¯s where it is! There was a reason for the strange sense of life that I felt when I first saw this room. ¡°Well, then I¡¯ll go to the other room. I thought this was a guest room.¡± Nathan opened the half-opened door in dismay and hurried out of the room. Then Hazard looked at him still. Nathan didn¡¯t even notice Hazard¡¯s gaze because he was forcing his head not to roll. ¡°Azar, just tell me where to go and I¡¯ll be there. I¡¯m sorry. You must be tired.¡± I don¡¯t know where to go for now, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s at least one place to stay in this spacious mansion. If that¡¯s a private room that Hazard uses every time he comes here, it¡¯s right for me to go somewhere else. But to Nathan, Hazard swept his chin as if he were in trouble. ¡°Well, you know what? I brought you here without contacting you, and they said no other guest rooms were prepared.¡± ¡°Then where am I going? Nathan asked back in vain. ¡®What, there¡¯s no place to sleep here? That¡¯s not fair!¡¯ His expression becomes grim in an instant as if representing his feelings. If Nathan had remained a little more sober than he is now, he would have known that Hazard¡¯s words were nonsense, but unfortunately, Nathan¡¯s thoughts have not reached there. So Hazard, who was watching Nathan, bit his lips and swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out. ¡°Where are you going? Why do you ask such obvious questions?¡± Hazard smiled one step closer. Nathan flinched and involuntarily stepped back. ¡°¡­What is it?¡± Looking at Hazard with suspicion in his voice, Nathan was like a cat on guard. If Nathan was a cat, wouldn¡¯t he have his tail raised and his claws out? Azar opened his hands and strode up to Nathan again, thinking so foolishly. CH 34 ¡°Why are you approaching me?¡± As he did so, Nathan flinched back. Behind his back, he touched the window in the hallway. Hazard, who took advantage of Nathan¡¯s gaze for a moment, approached him before he knew it and reached out to Nathan. ¡°Wow!¡± Hazard snatched his skinny waist quickly, and carried Nathan on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Nathan exclaimed in astonishment at the sudden overturned view. ¡°What- what? Put me down!¡± ¡°Come on, come on, let¡¯s go back to sleep!¡± ¡°Azar!¡± His stomach hurt from his stiff shoulders, but Nathan was not in the right mind to care about it now. Hazard strode along with Nathan in his arms. Nathan was stunned and struck Hazard on the back with his fist, but only his hands hurt. ¡°I told you to let me down!¡± So Nathan gave up hitting and grabbed Hazard¡¯s back head. My hands were covered with soft blonde hair. Hazard suddenly felt a pain that seemed to want to pull his head off so he pretended to be hurt. ¡°It hurts, it hurts, okay! I¡¯ll drop you off!¡± Hazard finally threw Nathan down on the bed. The bed rocked loudly. The soft bed absorbed the shock irritably well, so Nathan lay quietly on the bed without shaking. Nathan, who was full of confusion in his head, belatedly came to his senses and tried to raise himself. But before that, Hazard rolled him up in a quilt and left him unmoving. Nathan barely got to say how the situation was just absurd and now all he could do was pout. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± Nathan raised his voice more than usual because he was giddy and speechless. He wasn¡¯t angry with Hazard, but he was just embarrassed in a series of unexpected situations, so his words were sharp sounding. ¡°Oh, where am I going at this time of night?¡± Azar mumbled, sweeping back his tangled hair. ¡°Your room will be ready by tomorrow. So let¡¯s just sleep tonight, huh?¡± I thought I could solve it if I struggled, but Hazard wrapped me up like a cocoon. It was faster for Azar to come up to the bed. Nathan wriggled back in surprise. The head of the bed touched his back and there was nowhere else to run. Hazard, sitting on the bed, tilts his head looking at Nathan. I heard a laugh. Nathan¡¯s murky green eyes were shaking wildly at him. Hazard, who was looking at Nathan with his mouth covered for a while, soon folded his eyes and smiled with them. Then, he dragged Nathan with his blanket, hugged him all over, and lay down on the bed. ¡°What, what? What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Because I think you¡¯re expecting something?¡± Nathan was stunned by the voice full of wet playfulness. It was so hard to catch up with him! ¡°Let¡¯s sleep comfortably, I really need to sleep now.¡± Azar buried his face in the blanket, embracing Nathan, who was wriggling and struggling in his arms. His arms and legs tightly bind Nathan in his arms. ¡°¡­How can you sleep comfortably?¡± Nathan lamented. How can you say to sleep comfortably in this position when you are tightening him with your waist and legs? Sigh ¡°Nathan.¡± Then Nathan stiffened himself with a murmur near his chest. Nathan just rolled his eyes and looked at the place where the sound originated. The top of Hazard¡¯s round head in his vision. ¡°..I haven¡¯t slept well for more than four days now. It¡¯s really my limit. Of course, it¡¯s the same for you. Do you know what the Doctor said? They suspect you¡¯re overworked. You should stay in bed for about three days. So why don¡¯t we sleep quietly now?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nathan shut his mouth. Now I could see that the voice was drowsy. So what can he say to that? He was responsible for 80% of Hazard¡¯s sleepless nights. A faint sense of guilt creeps up. Nathan closed his eyes tightly. I couldn¡¯t sleep, but Nathan was also tired mentally. ¡®¡­Yeah, it¡¯s not that hard to be a bamboo wife.¡¯ Nathan¡¯s stubbornness was also dampened by the thought of Azar, who had suffered not sleeping in his own bed because of him. So Nathan relaxed all over his body. He wriggled and relaxed his rather uncomfortable posture, and tried to find a comfortable posture. ¡®I¡¯m not really going to sleep now.¡¯ My head, which had been hardened by the quiet night air, is now working. Was there really no place for one person to sleep in this spacious mansion? There must have been plenty of time to prepare roughly. Furthermore, if it didn¡¯t matter if it was a room that wasn¡¯t cleaned yet, it would have been possible to receive only one room that wasn¡¯t used roughly, and in other ways, Hazard would have had the option of sleeping anywhere. Nathan realized that he might have been fooled by this main character¡¯s nonsense. ¡®There really is something wrong for me to be fooled by that nonsense¡­¡¯ Following a sigh, the hair in front of my nose was disheveled. Nathan closed his mouth tightly, flinching at him.¡®Can he really sleep like this? Isn¡¯t it uncomfortable to sleep with someone else?¡¯ Nathan was uncomfortable, to be honest. Maybe because I always fell asleep alone, but with someone next to me, I felt like I couldn¡¯t fall asleep because I was worried about everything I could do. Even if I closed my eyes to fall asleep, the signs that there was another person next to me became more vivid, and eventually, I had no choice but to open my eyes again. The illusion occurred that he could hear not only his breathing but also his heart. And all of that tickled his nerves, so there was no way he could fall asleep. The blond hair shone brightly in the dark. The head is round and the fine hair is scattered on the sheet. Nathan glanced at it silently. If his hands were free, he seemed to want to stroke them, so he just wiggled his fingers under the blanket for no reason. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m so defenseless.¡¯ Even if Nathan is harmless enough, shouldn¡¯t he be honestly careful? Apart from his kindness, many sought his life, so Hazard not only did not sleep in front of others but always used the room alone. In the original book, it was only when he went on an adventure and slept outside or had only one room because there was no place to sleep. But now it¡¯s far from that situation. I was slightly worried that the mouse was worried about the cat, but wouldn¡¯t it be very dangerous for him to be so sloppy to others? ¡°Azar, you brat. Why do I sleep so comfortably without knowing the world? I think the prince of a country should not sleep with other people next to him without thinking.¡± ¡°Shut up, Nathan.¡± ¡°All right, all right. Go to sleep, go to sleep.¡± I shouldn¡¯t have said that. He grumbled more into Nathan¡¯s arms in his sleep. Nathan was stunned by the weight of his body. Nathan also thought that he would not be able to sleep because the body temperature of others digging into the product was very unfamiliar. Maybe it¡¯s a good thing. He was afraid to fall asleep. The fact that my body moved and spoke freely while I couldn¡¯t remember it made me feel worse. It didn¡¯t matter when I didn¡¯t know that, but now that I found out, I was endlessly anxious to fall asleep. Only then did Nathan understand why Hazard had not told him the truth. If I had known about my sleepwalking earlier, this anxiety would have grown uncontrollably. Then it was obvious after that. It would have been a series of vicious cycles. I should not be stressed out as much as possible, but it was obvious that it would never have healed as it was because it was stressful just to keep reminding myself. After coming to this world, he often suffered from insomnia. This is because things like his current situation, the set future that will happen, and the uncertain future that may change due to him have all contributed to his anxiety. During the day, I was busy adjusting to the current situation, so I didn¡¯t have time to think about anything else. However, as soon as he lay on the bed at night, thoughts pushed to one side poured out like a bank burst and occupied his head. So he couldn¡¯t sleep easily. Every time he tries to comfort himself that he needs to sleep, his sleepiness goes away. That¡¯s why he falls asleep repeating the same word like brainwashing. Nathan, who had been unable to sleep every night in that way, chose to solve insomnia by overworking his body. When I was tired, I could fall asleep by fainting, so I could not think about anything. So from some point on, I had a habit of being busy while I was awake. If I was distracted by work and studying, I could fall asleep with just my eyes closed. But from one day on, the method began to be useless. It was after Nathan had a dream. Even if you fall asleep, your tiredness doesn¡¯t go away, it only adds up. His dream took up the time he could sleep, so his mind could not think properly at some point. What happened just a moment ago came to mind like a piece of broken film, and the number of moments he couldn¡¯t remember increased. CH 35 Nathan didn¡¯t want to fall asleep when he found out that his body had moved arbitrarily for the moment when his consciousness hid below the surface. ¡®What if I fall asleep like this and do it again,¡¯ the anxiety winds up Nathan. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better to pass out?¡¯ ¡°Stop and go to bed.¡± The sudden words bring Nathan out of disturbing thoughts. The limbs that had been cramping Nathan¡¯s fell off. Nathan blinked quietly, and Hazard, who he thought was sleeping before, raised his upper body with one arm on the bed and looked down at Nathan. ¡°Stop thinking about useless things and go to sleep.¡± The low-sinking horse penetrates the ear. As he faced Hazard¡¯s slowly blinking blue eyes as if he were tired, Nathan had forgotten what he was thinking and what he was worried about until just now. ¡°I thought you were sleeping¡­¡± ¡°Do you think I can sleep when you can¡¯t? Huh? Sir Nathan Norbert who doesn¡¯t know what to do to me.¡± The bed squeaked. ¡°So what kind of harm did you want to do to me?¡± asked Hazard playfully, pointing his hands at the sides of Nathan¡¯s face. Nathan opened his eyes wide in surprise at the close distance and the strange atmosphere. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing!¡± Pfft! Then Nathan, so surprised, kicked Hazard unconsciously. For a moment, Hazard, who was off guard, was hit in the stomach by Nathan, groaned, and collapsed on the bed. There was a pretty loud sound as if he had been hit harder than originally thought. ¡®Oh, my blanket is loose.¡¯ The act of kicking just loosened the blanket that was rolled around him. Nathan didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and wriggled out of the blanket. However, even before leaving the bed, he was caught at his ankles and dragged back. ¡°Oh my god!¡± ¡°¡­Hey, you¡¯re not gonna say this was a hack to get out, are you?¡± Looking back, Hazard was looking at Nathan crookedly, clutching his kicked stomach with one hand. Nathan smiled vaguely at him and said, ¡°It was a mistake, a mistake!¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s my fault? Who said they were going to hurt the person who slept first?¡± ¡°When did I say that? I¡¯m just worried about your identity!¡± ¡°Those who said they were worried are trying to leave first.¡± Hazard said so, lifting a thin ankle in one hand. Thanks to this, the tip of the saliva covering his legs was pushed down gently, revealing his thin legs. It was embarrassing for no reason, so Nathan shook his ankle to pull it out, but the hand did not intend to fall off, but rather grabbed his ankle stronger. ¡°And considering my identity, this is a crime of royal assassination. Did you know that?¡± Nathan¡¯s position was that he would have nothing to say again if he said so. ¡°Damn status system.¡± Nathan looked at Hazard with a disrespectful face, recalling the beggar-like status system. In fact, even with that thought, Nathan didn¡¯t seriously think Hazard would really punish him. If he tried to do something by charging Nathan, he would have been beaten several times while he was already at the academy. On top of that, it was obvious that he was wiggling his lips and holding back his laughter, but he couldn¡¯t listen to it seriously. ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± Nathan shot back unevenly. It was funny how profane the way he spoke and his expression was, Hazard said playfully. ¡°But you¡¯re my close friend, so I guess¡­ I¡¯ll let you slide.¡± Nathan burst into laughter in an instant at the touch of tickling the exposed soles of his feet by pulling his ankle as if he were showing leniency. ¡°Argh! Hahaha!¡± Nathan burst into laughter, struggling all over with the unbearable tickling, Nathan¡¯s legs pounded wildly. Nathan kept shaking his legs to take out the ankle that was held in Hazard¡¯s hand, but he didn¡¯t think his hand would keep on his ankle as if he had put glue on it. The sheets were pushed back, and the quilt on the bed had long fallen to the floor with the struggle. ¡°Ha, don¡¯t do it! I told you not to do it!¡± It was too harsh to tickle Nathan, who is usually tickled by just stabbing him in the side. Laughing so hard that my stomach hurt and I couldn¡¯t breathe properly. Tears naturally formed around my eyes. It didn¡¯t take long for the laughter to turn into sobs. It was only when Nathan fell on the bed and gasped that Hazard felt sorry and let go of his ankle. . . . Slap. Slap. ¡°Uhhhhh¡­¡± The distant sound of the waves barely opened Nathan¡¯s eyes. ¡®I don¡¯t think I slept very long, but the room was already bright.¡¯ His eyes were dry, so Nathan put the back of his hand on his eyelids and stayed still for a while. Last night. No, this morning. The two played around on the wide bed at dawn when everyone was asleep, and eventually, Nathan, tired of himself, fell off first before he could fall asleep. Yesterday was the first time Nathan actually experienced the feeling of ¡°Laughing so hard I can¡¯t breathe¡± in his life. I couldn¡¯t breathe properly because I laughed so hard, and I even felt a real stomachache. Thanks to that, tears burst out. When I remembered it again, I wondered if it was child¡¯s play that definitely didn¡¯t fit my age, so now I was embarrassed belatedly. Nathan threw himself up slowly after tossing and turning, with his face buried in his palms and screaming in silence. ¡°Oh my!¡± Nathan burst out laughing when he saw the heavy arm around his waist. As he moved his eyes along his arms, Azar stretched out his arms and legs on Nathan¡¯s body. Looking now, Nathan was sleeping close to the edge of the bed, and Hazard was sleeping in the middle, leaving a large space. There is no way to prevent your eyes from getting crooked when you see them sleeping with a peaceful face. So Nathan first threw away the arm around his waist. ¡®Next, my legs.¡¯ While removing Hazard¡¯s leg, which was weighing on him, he took off his hand in surprise when he stabbed his thigh. He shook his hand in the air, swearing at the touch that made him run away from sleep at once. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve been touching something weird since this morning.¡± He kicked his tongue and removed Hazard¡¯s leg. Only after finding his glasses on the bedside table and wearing them did Nathan wriggle out of the bed. When I stood on the floor with two feet, one ankle was sore for a moment. Now I see a purple bruise on my ankle. Well, I thought I was strong enough for playing around, but¡­ I got a bruise on my frail body. ¡°¡­ dirty strength¡­¡± Nathan rubbed his ankle a few times and completely got out of bed. I had bruises, but it wasn¡¯t enough to not walk. Stretching, Nathan walked softly to the slightly open balcony. Somehow he kept hearing the sound of the waves, and while he was sleeping. Hazard must have left the window open. The weather was not hot, but the slightly warm air felt like early summer. A cool sea breeze blew through the opening of the window. ¡°I don¡¯t get hot at all, so I don¡¯t mind this heat, but Hazard¡­ Did he get hot?¡± Two summers have already passed, but I have never felt the heat. I didn¡¯t even sweat on a summer day. His body temperature was always cool, and his palms were not sticky with sweat, so he always remained dry. So even if you wear long clothes that cover your arms and legs throughout the season, you¡¯re just looking at people I didn¡¯t have much trouble staying only with gold bars. On the contrary, it was rat poison in the cold. The bones were cold, so no matter how many layers of clothes I wore, the cold didn¡¯t go away. There were many times when I almost lost my mind due to the cold and I almost got frostbite on my fingertips and toes. In addition, his natural constitution was so weak that he didn¡¯t get better for a month if he caught a cold. ¡°It¡¯s not that hot here compared to where I used to live, so I wish I didn¡¯t get cold.¡± When I think about the cold that will come after summer, I feel like my bones are already cold. Nathan opened the slightly open window wide. Then the cool sea breeze blew strongly, and the tip of his saliva fluttered naturally, and his hair fluttered lightly. From this balcony, I could see the sea and the sandy beach at a glance. The open blue sea drew attention to itself. So Nathan noticed a little later the gaze that was looking at him just below. There was a girl standing on the white stairs that stretched out to the sandy beach. ¡°Hello.¡± ¡°Oh. Hi¡­¡± Scarlet hair, burning like a flame, fluttered in the wind. At first glance, the blue eyes that looked like Hazard stared at Nathan. The girl looked around the sea behind her back and turned around without regret. The distance between the two grew shorter. Of course, Nathan was on the second floor, and the girl was actually on the first floor, so he couldn¡¯t say he was too close¡­ CH 36 The girl climbed the stairs, staring at Nathan. At last, the girl, who reached just below the balcony where he stood, lightly kicked the floor out of place and jumped up. Unlike her light body movements, she had a significant jump. The girl¡¯s hand sits calmly on the railing. Nathan instinctively stepped back in surprise at the distance that was close in an instant. ¡°Hey.¡± The voice with a smile around her mouth is infinitely friendly. ¡°We¡¯ve met before!¡± But the following words froze Nathan. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you here, Norbert.¡± Nathan clapped his lips at him. Nathan already knew who the girl was in front of him. However, I couldn¡¯t open my mouth because I didn¡¯t know what to answer. ¡°Ramiah Ryanhart.¡± The only daughter of the Duke of Ryanhart, Azar¡¯s second companion. It was the girl in front of her, who was a cousin of and spent Hazard¡¯s childhood with Remburton. However, it was only basic personal information he learned from reading the original work, and today was the first time Nathan met her in person. But as soon as Ramiah saw him, she immediately said, ¡°I¡¯ve met him.¡± It also seemed to be familiar enough to greet like this first. The blue eyes glanced over at Nathan as if they were observing him. ¡°Did Hazard hit you?¡± ¡°What?¡± Nathan frowned slightly at what he didn¡¯t understand at the moment. Whether he knew Nathan¡¯s question, Ramiah reached out to Nathan¡¯s face. As soon as her broken fingernails with callous hands tried to grab Nathan¡¯s face, Nathan stepped back to avoid them. Then the back hit something. ¡°It¡¯s Ramiah.¡± Soon after, in the morning, a voice that was as deep as possible was heard right behind my back. When I turned my head, Hazard was standing right behind me. Maybe he was tired, but his eyes were half closed, and he couldn¡¯t find the laughter he usually hung on. ¡°How rude of you to come into my room.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t entered the room yet, so isn¡¯t it okay?¡± Ramiah was still sitting on the railing as if she had heard nothing of it. She shrugged her shoulders exaggeratedly and Hazard swept his face. ¡°Go back. I need to sleep more.¡± ¡°Then you can go to bed I¡¯ll be playing with Norbert, so get some more sleep, My prince.¡± Nathan was embarrassed to be stuck between faces that looked like each other. ¡°Ramiah Ryanhart.¡± Hazard pressed down on his throbbing head and called Ramiah¡¯s full name. It was a kind of warning not to talk too much between them, so Ramiah had to get up. ¡°Phew, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen your face, so I thought I¡¯d talk to you.¡± ¡°¡­You can do that later.¡± As if tired, Hazard, with his arms and chin on Nathan¡¯s shoulder, grumbled to Ramiah in that state. Soft blonde hairs tickle my cheeks. Hazard turned to Ramiah and dropped his head on Nathan¡¯s shoulder. Even though he seemed to lean on Nathan¡¯s whole body, he was not dropping his body¡¯s weight. Even still, Azar lightly let go at the sound of Nathan¡¯s muttering, ¡°Heavy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I get it. I¡¯m coming later, go!¡± ¡°Swing by for lunch.¡± ¡°How long are you going to sleep?¡± ¡°Until noon.¡± ¡°Oh, you must be going to sleep for the rest of your life!¡± Ramiah stood on the railing in a fit of irritation and pointed her finger at Hazard. In that state, she said to Nathan, who was standing still, moving only his eyes. ¡°Norbert, why don¡¯t you leave him alone and come to breakfast with me?¡± Having breakfast with her made me feel sick just thinking about it. It was not a good choice to be alone with Ramiah while Nathan didn¡¯t know the kind of relationship they had. Nathan had to turn down the offer. ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I don¡¯t usually eat breakfast.¡± Did Nathan speak informally or formally to Ramiah? Due to Ramiah¡¯s position, it would be better to use honorifics without difficulty. But wouldn¡¯t it seem strange in its own way if a man who spoke informally to Azar, the prince, suddenly spoke formally to others? While Nathan was overwhelmed by such anxiety, Ramiah did not care much about Nathan speaking informally. Rather, the fact that she was rejected seemed to be more concerning. ¡°This guy and that guy are disappointing me! You have rejected the Ramiah Ryanhart twice!¡± Nathan¡¯s face, who was looking at the exaggerated image of grabbing near the heart as if her heart were hurting, closing her eyes as if she were grieving, and touching her head with her hands, shuddered. Ramiah, who was acting as if she were the main character of a Broadway play, quietly opened only one eye and looked at Nathan. ¡°Instead, we¡¯ll have lunch together, right?¡± That¡¯s what Hazard said. So Nathan had no choice but to nod. I turned down breakfast, but I couldn¡¯t turn down lunch. I wanted to remain as good as possible with them. Not as much as Hazard, but he also liked the main characters. ¡°Then I look forward to the luncheon!¡± She smiled brightly and turned around. Ramiah, who was standing on the railing dangerously, jumped lightly as she did when she came and disappeared leisurely into the mansion. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I hang around swordsmanship majors, but all of you love jumping from a high places.¡± Nathan, who was chasing the scarlet hair that disappeared from view, stumbled for a moment due to the added weight on his shoulder. With his cheek resting on Nathan¡¯s shoulder, Hazard closed his eyes. The words that are uttered as if they are still sleepy are slow. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That scared you, right? I¡¯ll tell you to be careful next time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t meeting a Lady in your pajamas the real concern though?¡± His sly smile attracts the corners of his mouth. Nathan, however, just shrugged. He was wearing his PJs now, I don¡¯t know who put them on. In fact, I felt a little awkward, but I couldn¡¯t afford to worry about it because I was so busy a while ago, but now that I¡¯m thinking about it I¡¯m embarrassed. ¡°Let¡¯s go in. You must be cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that cold.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± It was a little chilly because I was still in the sea breeze, but it wasn¡¯t cold. Hazard, who is upright, enters the room first, scratching his head. Nathan, who was following him, stopped at the spot because of Hazard, who turned toward me after he was heading to bed. ¡°Phew, you look terrible.¡± With a small murmur of voice, Hazard¡¯s large hand gently tapped Nathan¡¯s right cheek and fell off. Nathan rubbed the part where his fingers touched without realizing it. Nathan was just wondering what was wrong with that face for Ramiah and Hazard to say the same thing. Did my eyes swell because I cried a little last night? I should at least look in the mirror. While Nathan was heading to the bathroom attached to the room, Hazard crawled and fell on the bed. He did not budge whether he was trying to sleep on his stomach with his face half buried in a soft pillow. Nathan, who had been staring blankly at his back as it went up and down, entered the bathroom Nathan stood in front of the mirror, looking around the bathroom a little tired of the size of the bathroom attached to his dormitory room. ¡°..What is this?!¡± Hazard lay on the bed and giggled at a short scream from inside the bathroom. He murmured languidly with his eyes closed. ¡°I know, I told you you¡¯d regret it.¡± Did he hear what Nathan was thinking? ¡°Did you mean this yesterday that I would regret it!¡± Nathan freaked out and stuck closer to the mirror. When I stroked my hair to the side, the wide side from the right cheek to the temple was bruised blue. I really got hit, my mouth wide open as a result of seeing the bruise. It was a moment when I understood why Ramiah suddenly said that. The problem wasn¡¯t in pajamas now. What am I supposed to do with this face? I shouldn¡¯t have stopped Hazard yesterday when he said he was bringing medicine. No, I thought I was hit hard, but I never imagined it would be this serious! ¡°Should I be glad that I¡¯m not sick?¡± I couldn¡¯t believe that I had a bruise on my face because it felt skin-deep. Nathan came out in a somber mood after just washing his face. I was pacing around the room to change my clothes, but now I can¡¯t see the luggage that was brought into the room. ¡°That¡¯s weird¡­ It was there before I went to sleep.¡± CH 37 Knock Knock The knock on the door stopped Nathan¡¯s action, who was just opening the closet door. As Nathan¡¯s eyes turned to the door, Azar¡¯s voice, who Nathan thought was sleeping next to him, was heard. ¡°I called a servant. I told you yesterday, so they will show you the room you¡¯re staying in. Get out.¡± ¡°Oh, yes¡­¡± Azar¡¯s voice, which had fallen into the water, became smaller and smaller, and the last word to go out was hard to hear. Nathan opened the door with a glance at Hazard lying on his stomach in the same position as he entered the bathroom. Clattering. ¡°Good morning. Good morning, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, good morning.¡± When I carefully closed the door and came out, an elderly servant wearing a butler¡¯s uniform stood. His soft face was benevolent. He smiled softly and greeted me in the morning, and Nathan smiled slightly and crossed the greeting. ¡°Oh, would you hold on for a second?¡± After looking through Nathan once, the servant asked Nathan for his understanding and turned to enter the room. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to ask Hazard for his understanding before entering the room. Soon after, the user came out of the room again and had a jacket in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did you wait long? I think you¡¯d better wear this. It¡¯s still a little chilly in the morning.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Thank you.¡± Nathan was puzzled and put his arm in his jacket as the user dressed him. Come to think of it, I wasn¡¯t just dressed to walk around. Nathan said, closing the door, which was still open, as he arranged his appearance. ¡°See you later.¡± This time, there was no word coming back about whether he was really asleep. Therefore, Nathan closed the door without regret and walked into the hallway with the guidance of the servant. ¡°I¡¯m late to introductions. My name is Vascent, and I¡¯m the butler in charge of managing the Marquis Barcela¡¯s summer home.¡± ¡°Oh, my name is Nathan Norbert. Please feel free to call me Norbert.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. Norbert.¡± ¡°.¡­If you don¡¯t mind, may I comment for a moment?¡± ¡°What? Yes, go ahead.¡± ¡°Shall I call in a physician?¡± Nathan blinked at him. Now it appears that Vascent¡¯s gaze was fixed on his right cheek. Nathan said, covering his cheeks with his palm in an awkward mood ¡°As expected, does it look bad?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but it looks worse. Did Azar hit you? It¡¯s no wonder there¡¯s a grumble among your friends, so please feel free to tell me¨C¡± ¡°Oh, no, no! It¡¯s because I fell out of bed while sleeping. Me being hit by Hazard? No, that never happened!¡± Nathan waved his hand in surprise. At this rate, I am afraid that rumors will spread that I was beaten by Hazard. A man who was fine until yesterday comes out with a big bruise on his face the next day. Anyone would think the same thing. Perhaps it was because I shared a room with Hazard, but it seemed to have caused a strange misunderstanding. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°No, I just fell on the floor and hit my face.¡± Vascent took Nathan straight to another helper who then looked at Nathan and repeatedly asked the same question as Vascent. Nathan explained many times, and he seemed to be branded as a customer who fell face-first on the floor from his bed throughout the house. His face flushed. ¡°Oh, you must have been sick. Seeing that the bruise is so severe, I think it¡¯s going to take a long time to get back to normal.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°If you look like this, I think you get bruises easily. Can I take a look?¡± ¡°Okay, first of all, I have a bruise on my ankle.¡± Nathan lifted his clothes and showed his ankles. The lawmaker looked suspicious because it was obviously a human handprint. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Azar¡¯s hand?¡± ¡°Oh, radish, of course. It¡¯s because I get bruises easily, but there¡¯s never been a case where you think ¡®Who is Hazard going to hit?¡¯ because he¡¯s nice to people!¡± Nathan made a flustered excuse. The bruise on the ankle was Azar¡¯s fault, but if I told them the truth, he would eventually regain the suspicion that his face was like that. It¡¯s because we can¡¯t control my strength when playing around, but the point stands that the main character is so nice! ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m sure everyone here in this mansion knows that he¡¯s a good man. But sometimes he fights with his friends.¡± ¡°Well, I see. First of all, I¡¯m not the type to play fight. Oh, I think I got bruises on my arm, too. All right, all right.¡± Desiring to change the subject, Nathan hurriedly took off his gown and rolled up his sleeves. I just said it, but I had bruises on my arms, sides, and thighs. ¡°It¡¯s worse than I thought. Didn¡¯t it hurt?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to look for some ointment. Mr. Norbert, please tidy up your hair. The medicine shouldn¡¯t get on your hair, so you¡¯d better pull it together and tie it high.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll do it for you. Make yourself at home.¡± As Vascent said, it was very uncomfortable to be looked after by someone else. Left alone Nathan, who didn¡¯t know what to do, tensed up in the seat. His hair, which had never been cut for two years after the Professor cut it, was now quite long. The hair, which was slightly over the shoulder, now passes around the wing bone. Vascent pulled Nathan¡¯s right side hair and bangs together and tied them high using a ribbon. Nathan smoothed around his right face as he felt his scalp pulled tight. ¡°Oh, did I tie it too hard? Should I do it again?¡± ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s all right.¡± Nathan shook his head and smiled slightly. In the meantime, the servant went to find an ointment. As if he felt sorry for the pain, he drooped his eyebrows and spread the ointment that works well for swelling and bruises on the bruised area, ¡°Nobert, this reminds me of the old days. In the past, the three of you always had this kind of bruise in your fight every day. In particular, the young master and Ramiah said this.¡± ¡°It must have been cute.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t even talk. They were so cute, but I suffered a lot. I was always running out of medicine.¡± The villa¡¯s helpers worked in it for a long time. Therefore, most of the people who watched the childhood of the main character¡¯s group were servants. Nathan was happy to listen to their childhood stories that didn¡¯t make it to the novel¡ªhearing the past accounts of his favorite people made Nathan excited. That cute image in his head automatically seemed to be drawn, so Nathan felt better without realizing it. ¡°Well, it¡¯s done. Apply this ointment three times a day, change the bandage every time, and the bandage on the limbs is wrapped up so the medicine doesn¡¯t get on your clothes, so you don¡¯t have to pay too much attention. Fortunately, everything checks out except for a big bruise!¡± The physician pulled away and said. Nathan nodded to him and then tried to touch the bruise without realizing it. ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t touch it!¡± I lowered my hand gently at the command and he watched himself through a mirror on the side of the room. He looked like an actual hospital patient. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°And this is the medicine I prescribed when you collapsed yesterday. Make sure to take it after each meal, and do you have any other medicine?¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a medicine I take because of Mana¡¯s aftereffects.¡± ¡°I see. I checked yesterday and found that you had a bad heart, so I added a similar medicine, so I think it would be better to take this together with it.¡± Nathan suddenly remembered sleeping pills, holding a small medicine bottle handed to him by the physician. Wouldn¡¯t you rather sleep comfortably if you took medicine? When I was at the academy, I couldn¡¯t easily ask for it because I was reluctant to talk about it in many ways, but I think it¡¯ll be okay while I¡¯m here. ¡°Can you prescribe sleeping pills?¡± ¡°Sleeping pills?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t been sleeping well. I dream well even when I fall asleep. I want to sleep well, but I can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well, I see. Oh, my. If you take too much medicine at once, it won¡¯t be good for your body¡­ The medicine I just gave you is a medicine that has the side effect of getting sleepy once you take it. Try taking what you currently have and if you still can¡¯t sleep, I¡¯ll give you a sleeping pill.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°And never, ever, ever overdo it. You¡¯d better take at least three days off to just recuperate.¡± Finally, just before leaving the room, Nathan only opened his eyes wide and nodded his head reflexively at the physician. As he left the room, Vascent said as if he had been waiting. CH 38 ¡°Well, I¡¯ll show you to your room now.¡± The room was not that far from the room where the physician stayed. No, it was almost right next to them. ¡°Azar ordered it. We don¡¯t know what will happen, so we prepared a room as close to the clinic as possible. I also moved your luggage yesterday.¡± ¡°Aha. Then I could have stayed in this room since yesterday.¡± ¡°What? Yes, you could have. But last night, Hazard said that you had fallen asleep, so I just moved the luggage in advance. Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, nothing.¡± Vascent laughed wonderingly. Nathan smiled vaguely. Hazard¡¯s words were a lie, too! Nathan entered the room imagining himself clinging to Hazard¡¯s round head with a mischievous face inside. ¡°We prepared it in a hurry, but I hope you like it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a nice room. Thank you.¡± Looking around the room carefully, Nathan said so. ¡°How would you like your breakfast?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have any particular thoughts.¡± ¡°Even if you don¡¯t, I think you¡¯d better eat something light.¡± Indeed, I had to take medicine, and I didn¡¯t eat much yesterday, so I had to fill my stomach slowly. However, in the morning, I didn¡¯t have an appetite, and as my appetite decreased, I didn¡¯t really want to eat. So during travel, the food he ate was always minimal and depended on Hazard. ¡°Then can you choose for me? Salad, soup, bread, or something.¡± Even though he was not exactly poor because he had saved money, Nathan¡¯s diet could not get out of the minimal living mindset. ¡°I see. I¡¯ll bring up your food in a minute. While you wait, please make yourself at home. If you need anything else, feel free to call me.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Clattering. When Vascent left, Nathan was left alone in the room. He stood there blankly for a moment and looked around the room again. It was not empty to say that it was nice enough. It was a quiet room that seemed to come out of an old Western movie. It was similar to Hazard¡¯s room. The size of the bay was a little smaller, and the atmosphere was different from Hazard¡¯s room, which has a strong cool atmosphere based on blue and white. Overall, the room decorated with white and light grass colors created a cozy atmosphere at first glance. Flower-patterned wallpaper, which can be tacky if done wrong, was also harmonized. Nathan headed to the balcony of the room. I fiddled with the light green curtains on the windows and looked out of the windows. The sea was not immediately visible from this room, but the lush greenery drew my attention. This is because the well-kept garden was just around the corner. The appearance of warm sunlight pouring through long branches and lush leaves and shadows hanging long was like an ornament. Feeling warm and drowsy, Nathan stayed there for a while and waited until Vascent returned. *** Nathan closed his eyes and began to figure out what had happened in the original story around this time. The dimly remembered scene suddenly becomes clear when it arrives at the place where the incident will begin. It was one evening in the middle of the festival that the incident took place. Due to the festival that continued for days and days, the seaside village was noisy day and night. So no matter what happened during that time, it was obvious that people wouldn¡¯t notice. That¡¯s how the incident occurs. It opened quietly beneath the water. If the main character hadn¡¯t passed by there that day, if they hadn¡¯t found the victim¡¯s younger brother in the crowd, if they hadn¡¯t believed the child¡¯s words, the incident would have disappeared without anyone knowing it. Because the victim was a powerless, poor commoner, the case was only known to the public after the death. The incident begins in earnest as the victim¡¯s young brother asks for help from Hazard¡¯s party who he encountered by chance on the street. It was said that the brother of the child who went to work did not come home for two days. Those who passed by the child earlier did not help even after hearing his case. This is because the child¡¯s situation could be inferred quickly through the child¡¯s dirty appearance. ¡®He probably left his brother because they didn¡¯t have money.¡¯ Most people thought so when they heard the child. It was a world where that happens all the time. However, the child insisted on finding his brother, saying that he was never the one to do such a thing. It was Hazard who caught a person passing by almost falling on the floor in a barrel that violently dropped the child. ¡®Kid, are you okay? Are you hurt?¡¯ ¡°Hyung¡­ Please help me¡± The child clung to Hazard. He cried and cried over what he had already told many people dozens of times. Hazard and his colleagues were righteous, and unlike most people, they did not turn a blind eye to the child. They all went out to find the missing child¡¯s brother. The search was inevitably slow because the sun was setting, but that night, there was heavy rain in the sky. In the end, there was no choice but to give up the search. Since the child cannot be left alone waiting for the guardian who hasn¡¯t returned, Hazard and his group take the child and stay where the child lives in case the child¡¯s brother returns. It was not until the time when the sun rose that the rain stopped pouring at dawn, that they started searching again. Each of them was in a position where they could not move recklessly, so Hazard¡¯s party could not openly conduct a search. Because of who they were they stood out just by standing still. The village was busy with the festival, so they had to act carefully to not draw unnecessary attention. Therefore, the search was bound to be slow on its own. They had to double-check the places they had already passed once and had to ask people to follow traces. It was already noon when they left the village to check their breath, as the last person believed to see the brother of the child seemed to have seen him go out of the village. It was then that a scream was heard from the mountainside. Ahhhhhhhhhh! At the scream from the middle of the mountain, Hazard and his party ran toward the sound. A herbalist who was climbing a mountain to collect herbs sat on the floor. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±¡® ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°H-h-he-he-he¡­¡± In the direction pointed out by the herbalist, there was a body that had been torn here and there through a pile of dirt. The group realizes that the body is the brother the child was looking for. This is because it was just the description that the child explained. The child had hoped to find his brother, but he had already died. Since then, all they could do was call the village security forces. The traces of biting by the animal remained all over the body. Hence, not only the security guard but also Hazard¡¯s group considered death to be caused by a wild animal. The case seemed to end in such a simple accident. But when he was about to leave the place, Hazard was not sure what it was but something felt off. So when the security forces recovered the body and his colleagues were away to tell the child the news, he looked around by himself. The ground was muddy because it was right after the pouring rain, and there were traces of soil being swept down, There seemed to be nothing, so Hazard was just trying to go back because he thought it was just his imagination. But among the piles of dirt that have been swept away a little far away, you find accessories that sparkle in the sun. It was a kind of token that pointed to a particular top. The location of the accessories apart was strange no matter how much he thought about it. It¡¯s impossible to say it¡¯s just a lost item to be in a place like this. It was suspicious that such a valuable item was left alone in such a place. So Hazard looked around more. On second thought, the location of the pile of dirt swept down by the rain was also subtle. The soil was soft and the color was a little different around the body. As if you dug it once and covered it again. Hazard recalled once again the disastrous body of the boy. Although swept away by the rain, the body was half buried in the soil. Because of the sharp teeth and claws of the animal, he thought it was just buried under the ground for emergency food, but what if it wasn¡¯t? Hazard¡¯s eyes turn to the jewelry in his hand. The jewelry with a specific pattern was made by melting gold. Of course, it was an item that poor commoners couldn¡¯t have and it couldn¡¯t have fallen in the middle of such a mountain. If this isn¡¯t an accident, it¡¯s a murder. Rustling. ¡°Who is it?¡± Squeak! CH 39 Hazard drew his sword at the sloppy man. Scared by the sword under his neck, the strange man suddenly started to fall to his knees and beg for help. Hazard draws his sword back at the reaction. However, soon the man who found the jewelry in his hand began to tremble strangely, so they had no choice but to hold the man and question him. The clothes the man wore were embroidered with the same pattern as the one engraved on the jewelry. The man is frightened and confesses obediently. He is an executive of a certain company, and the night before yesterday, the owner was at the scene, and the body was recovered by order of the boss. Then, he noticed that he had lost his identification card this morning, and he came to look for it, wondering if he had dropped it here, and confessed to Hazard, after he was caught. After looking pitifully at the apparently weak and timid man, Hazard told him to leave. If the story was true, the boss is the one that should be punished. This is because, in the Kingdom of Shekira, nobles were punished even if they hurt commoners. So, after telling the child the news and informing Remburton who came back, they go to meet the boss. At this time, Remburton came to the knights, citing the family¡¯s name as the second son of the Marquis of Barcella. Of course, the boss has a lie setup. However, because there was one person who had already confessed, and there were several witnesses, the boss¡¯s (Sang Sang-ju) words lost credibility. The incident took place in a small estate owned by Barcella Hu, and because Barcella¡¯s second son, Remburton, was at the scene, the case was quickly closed. The subsequent investigations would reveal the misdeeds of the boss. Trust, which has been considered the most important by the top, falls to the ground, and the top-level type becomes heavier due to layers. The child who is left alone is collected from the Marquis of Barcela as a villa user, and Hazard and his party return to the academy after the vacation. The case ends when Sang Sang-ju, who was locked in prison and waiting for the ruling, commits suicide. It would have been nice if it ended like that. If you didn¡¯t know the hidden details of this case, it would have remained the story of the ideal protagonist who embodied justice and put a stop to the wicked. But there was a separate truth. There was a man who stitched the collapsed top after Hazard and his party left for the academy. He was the same man who accused Hazard of committing a commercial crime. And he was the mastermind behind all this. The man, who was the real culprit of the various evils covered by Sang Sang-ju, served as the executive right arm of Sang-ju at the top. He¡¯s been looking at every opportunity to take the top. The criminal carried out the plan when more than half of the people at the top who had been steadily recruited for a long time were in full swing. On the day things went as planned, fortunately, Hazard¡¯s party was caught. With the unexpected help, everything goes according to the criminal¡¯s plan. If Sang Sang-Ju survived to the end, it would have been explained somehow, even if it took a long time, but the criminal would not have kept Sangsangju alive. So the daughter of the merchant, who happened to know the truth of the case, had a grudge against the Hazard¡¯s party. It was inevitable to embrace it. Afterward, Sang Sang-ju¡¯s daughter hides her identity for revenge and deliberately approaches Hazard¡¯s group to become their colleague. Yes, she was the wizard that Hazard and his party later recruited. It was not until a long time after they gained their trust that the truth came out, but it was already too late. After graduating from the academy, Hazard and his party were on a trip to receive something from the temple, and the life of Sang Sang-ju¡¯s daughter had already been corrupted without a way to return. The daughter, who had dealt with those who betrayed her superiors and her father before visiting Hazard, has already reached an irreversible point. Hazard is shocked to learn the truth. Therefore, he accepts the resentment directed at him without avoiding it. As a result, his body is left with a great injury that cannot be cured by divine power, and not only that, as the daughter of Sang Sang-ju committed suicide in front of Hazard¡¯s eyes, an indelible sense of guilt remains deep in Hazard¡¯s heart and mind. Everything he did was always just and upright. He was the one I believed in. However, the fact that his childhood misjudgment ruined a person¡¯s whole life came as such a shock to him. As a result, Hazard loses his sanity from this incident. His spirit reached its limit at that moment due to the rough adventure of leaving to seal the dungeon. Hazard collapsed. He drove himself hard, living in seclusion for a while, and sometimes self-tortured himself. ¡­This was the story of Hazard in the original book that Nathan remembered. Nathan was always heartbroken whenever he read that part. Of course, this was also part of the challenge for the main character to grow, so Hazard stands up again. But did he have to go through that? It¡¯s just for his growth? Nathan¡¯s questioning begins there. The main character in every story goes through various trials for growth, but it was bound to lead to a victim of Adam. In this case, the child¡¯s older brother, Sang Sang-Ju, and Sang Sang-Ju¡¯s daughter were included. Did they have to die? Nathan¡¯s thoughts was different. In other ways, Hazard should be able to grow enough. T/N: The victim of ¡®Adam¡¯ just is the name the police give to an unidentified male child murder victim. ¡®So I don¡¯t want Hazard to go through that.¡¯ Nathan was the only one who knew this unsettling future ahead. So Nathan was the only one who could change the future. To do that, first¡­ ¡°I have to go out to town.¡± Nathan stopped stirring the soup, which was cold and hardened, and put down the spoon as it was. I didn¡¯t eat half of the food that Vascent brought, but I didn¡¯t want to put it in my mouth anymore, so I cleaned it up far away and make sure he doesn¡¯t see. The chair screeched. Nathan leaned back and his head turned upward. He was lost in thought as he stared at the high ceiling with a slight yellow light. He didn¡¯t remember most of the details of the original. ¡®I only remembered the big contents.¡¯ So he kind of remembered that it was happening here. However, I couldn¡¯t remember exactly when and where it happened, when and where they met the child, and what the name of the big boss is. So I think it would be better to go to the village and check as soon as possible. However, he isn¡¯t sure if he could go out today with this body. ¡®What if you rest today and go out tomorrow? What if there¡¯s an accident today? Then isn¡¯t it too late? Don¡¯t be late, so that the child¡¯s brother won¡¯t die, so that there won¡¯t be any incidents.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s already happened, or something?¡± Suddenly, an ominous family passes through my mind. As soon as Remburton saw Hazard yesterday, he shouted? ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ I was worried that Nathan might have gone wrong even before I started. When did the village festival start? No, I have to know the weather first. Did it rain?¡¯ Nathan jumped up from his seat. The sudden rise caused dizziness and blurring for a moment, but Nathan staggered to the doorstep. I¡¯ll have to ask Vascent. Once he thought of an ominous future, he couldn¡¯t sit still and organize any thoughts. Nathan slammed the door open. ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­¡± A large light blue eye resembling the surface of the calm lake looks up at Nathan in surprise. His fist stopped in the air as if he were about to knock on the door. So Nathan had no choice but to stop at the door. ¡°Wow! I was just going to knock on the door! How did you find out?¡± A boy with soft cherry blossom hair like cotton candy burst into laughter and asked. The boy was a head and a half shorter than Nathan and had a charming and lovely appearance. A pointed ear peeked through the soft-looking hair. ¡°Hi! You¡¯re the one that Hazard brought, right? Nice to meet you!¡± The boy kept babbling, but it didn¡¯t come into Nathan¡¯s ear properly. This is because Nathan¡¯s train of thought completely stopped due to the sudden appearance of the boy. Why is he here? ¡°-Hey, are you listening?¡± It was not until his white fingers shook in front of his eyes that Nathan was surprised and nodded slowly. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Huh? ¡®Why am I here?¡¯ I wanted to say hello in advance! Well, I asked Remburton, everyone has already met you! I¡¯m the only one who hasn¡¯t met before, right? What¡¯s with that? Then I¡¯ll be the only one who feels so awkward at the luncheon later! That¡¯s why I¡¯m here to tell you in advance! I asked Vascent for your room and when you would be eating breakfast. So I thought you would be done eating by now! Did you finish eating?¡± Smiling sweetly, the boy tilts his head. I am completely distracted by the constant chatter and asking. In the midst of this, Nathan nodded with a positive intention. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to ask Vascent for help.¡± ¡°What is it? If there¡¯s anything I can tell you, feel free to ask me! I was in this villa as soon as vacation started!¡± Nathan stepped back each time the boy strode forward. However, Nathan was forced to let the boy into the room because they couldn¡¯t keep standing in front of the door. CH 40 The boy was one of Hazard¡¯s colleagues. As a result, I was able to meet all the main characters in this villa. The two sat facing each other by the sunny window. It was the place where Nathan had sat a little while ago. The boy waved a bell on one side, saying he needed something to drink. ¡®Oh, there was that. I didn¡¯t even think to do that.¡¯ Feeling fresh, Nathan stared blankly at the boy. Soon after, a user knocked on the door. It was not Vascent. Only after asking the maid for tea did the boy look back at Nathan and say, ¡°I¡¯m Amania. Nice to meet you! I¡¯m 17 years old and from the Spirit department!¡± Every time he shook his head, his fluffy ears could be seen slightly through the cherry blossom-colored hair that looked as sweet as cotton candy. The boy with round light blue eyes had said earlier that he was an Elf named Sippi Amania. Amania had a last name, but he was not an aristocrat. Here, the castle is the exclusive property of the aristocracy, and the reason why this elf has the surname and part of it was ¡°Nia,¡± which was commonly used by the elves in ¡®Hazard¡¯, outside the woods. Previously, they were given gender on behalf of their race. One of Nathan¡¯s friends would have been the Elf that Hazard happened to meet and brought on a vacation trip with his friends in the original book. ¡°My name is Nathan Norbert. I am from the Magic department and I¡¯m the same age as Hazard.¡± ¡°Nathan Norbert? Can I call you Nathan?¡± ¡°Whatever you prefer.¡± ¡°Then Nathan! Isn¡¯t this side more familiar? You can call me Amani! Friendly friends are my friends!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± As in fantasy novels, Hazard had many races besides humans. Starting with the Elves sitting in front of them, Goblins and Ogres, which are often called monsters in fantasy, were also species respected as intellectual beings here. Of course, it cannot be said that there is no discrimination toward them at all, but the treatment of being classified as monsters like in other fantasy novels has rarely been seen these days, except in some extreme cases such as harming humanity. Then you might suddenly be curious here. So what is an ogre? In a simple analogy, they look more like creatures from science fiction or creatures than monsters from fantasy. Ogres are living beings, but their appearance is very strange, making one wonder if they are truly living beings, causing discomfort the moment one sees them. There seems to be intelligence in them, but communication with humans doesn¡¯t work. Nathan also wondered how ogres looked until he first saw one here. It was easy to imagine common monsters from fantasy, but it was written that they looked very different, with some accounts describing them as grotesque, full of tentacles, dozens of eyes, or wriggling inanimate objects. Then he had a chance to practice at the academy and see an ogre in person. At that time, he thought it looked like a creature from science fiction. Is it because this place is trapped in the framework of ¡°fantasy,¡± or is it that the ogre he actually faced gave him a sense of physiological rejection and discomfort as soon as he saw it? Why do they exist in this world? It was almost questionable whether Goblins and Ogres, who were hostile to humans before the demons appeared, could be considered relatively ordinary monsters. The reason why such monsters lived with humans was because of dungeons and demons. It would be easy to understand if it was in line with the reason why dragons taught magic to humans. When Nathan recalled the ogres, he put an end to the thoughts wandering from place to place and focused on the conversation with Amani again. ¡°Well, it¡¯s going to rain in a little bit.¡± Putting down the teacup he was holding, Amani said, ¡°You¡¯ve never been here before, have you?¡± ¡°Well, no!¡± ¡°It rains a lot in Sentiar. But this summer, it hasn¡¯t rained much. I think it will rain soon, but¡­ we still have a few days left.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡®Thank God¡¯, Nathan murmured to himself. Nathan leaned back in his chair as if he were slumping down since the original work had not yet started. He still had time. It was fortunate that he didn¡¯t have to rush to the village. ¡°Are you looking out for when it rains?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ It¡¯s hard to enjoy things when it rains.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s a big deal if the sea water rises and a tsunami occurs! That would be the worst summer vacation ever!¡± Amani pouted his lips and suddenly looked at Nathan¡¯s face and said, ¡°But Nathan, what¡¯s wrong with your face? What happened to your arms and legs? I heard you were in the same room as Hazard. Did he hit you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Please don¡¯t have such a strange misunderstanding. Whew¡­ I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve explained.¡± Nathan sighed and swept his face with his hand. He drank the tea that tasted piercingly cold for no reason. ¡°¡­Then?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I fell out of bed and hit myself a little hard.¡± ¡°Ah, that must hurt! Let¡¯s ask for a carpet in this room. Something soft. Then it¡¯ll be okay if you fall again!¡± Nathan just laughed at his innocent remarks. ¡°Can you predict when it will rain?¡± ¡°Huh? Sure! It¡¯s very simple for me!¡± Amani chattered excitedly to himself. He was talkative, so Nathan replied with a few words while Amani spoke a lot. Then, Amani suddenly said, ¡°I¡¯m going to go now, you should rest!¡± and left the room without looking back. As he left the room, silence filled the room in an instant. Through the dead silence came the sound of the chair scraping against the floor. The chair Nathan was sitting on made a sound in protest as he slouched helplessly. He hadn¡¯t realized it, but he seemed quite tired after talking to Amani. The fatigue that he had forgotten suddenly washed over him. As Amani said, taking the medicine soon made him feel sleepy. Even during the conversation with Amani, he had wondered how many times he had stifled yawns. Amani probably noticed it and left. The shadows cast by the swaying leaves hung over his body, shaking whenever the wind blew. It felt strangely cozy, perhaps because of the gentle sunlight. Nathan sat down right away without adjusting his posture, lying down as if he were on a chair. His eyelids gradually closed in the quiet morning air and the effects of the medicine. ¡°Should I take a nap? I still have time¡­¡± But when he opened his eyes again, it was already three days later. Everything was hazy. ¡°Breathe, Nathan!¡± Hazard said urgently, releasing his grip on Nathan¡¯s ankle. Only then did Nathan manage to catch his breath. After panting heavily for a while, he opened his mouth. ¡°But¡­ Hazard, I told you not to do it. Oh, my- Cough cough!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Hazard didn¡¯t know what to do, hurriedly patting Nathan¡¯s dry back, as if he had swallowed his saliva incorrectly. Nathan could feel the dry back trembling under his palm. Perhaps he had been doing that for a while, Nathan, who had been holding his breath as if gripping the bed sheet, looked up at Hazard. ¡°I was wrong. Are you okay?¡± Hazard, aware of his mistake, furrowed his brows and tried to appear as pitiful as possible. His pale face was as red as his neck. There were tears welling up in the corners of Nathan¡¯s eyes, and as he blinked, the droplets fell. Hazard raised his hand and wiped Nathan¡¯s eyes. The tears dripped down his fingers. Nathan rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. ¡°Azar.¡± At that moment, everything seemed to slow down. Nathan¡¯s red hair scattered across the white sheet, his face flushed all the way to his neck unlike usual, the teardrops around his eyes, and the warm breath that Hazard could feel against his palm. Nathan¡¯s long, slender legs were revealed through the disheveled sheets as Hazard released his grip on Nathan¡¯s ankle a while ago, filling Hazard¡¯s view in the dim light, perhaps from the moonlight. Hazard unconsciously gulped. At that moment, Hazard¡¯s eyes opened wide. All he could see was the crumpled bed sheet. Was it because he had just woken up or because of a dream? For a brief moment, his thoughts didn¡¯t seem to work properly, and Hazard remained frozen like a statue. He stayed still for a while, lying on his stomach, and only jumped up much later. His eyes, raising his upper body while gripping the edge of the bed with both hands, darted downwards. Phew, it¡¯s quiet. Luckily, it was quiet around him. Otherwise¡­ Hazard would have been pulling his hair out. Shaking off his bewildered thoughts, Hazard got out of bed and walked into the bathroom, taking off his shirt. CH 41 Hazard woke up at noon, as he had told Ramiah before going to sleep. It was the first time in a while that he had slept well, but he didn¡¯t feel very good because he was awakened midway by Ramiah¡¯s sudden entrance. On top of that, the dream he had after falling asleep again left his head in a mess. He had only dreamt of what had happened in the early morning. ¡°Oh, well¡­¡± Hazard decided not to dwell on the dreams anymore. Ramiah asked Nathan to have lunch with them, so Hazard naturally headed towards the restaurant on the first floor. Just as he descended the stairs, Hazard paused and turned towards the guest room. ¡°Has he already gone down to the dining room?¡± Perhaps because his dream had been so memorable and chaotic, Hazard, who would usually head to his own room, hesitated strangely that day. Instead of walking towards the guest room where Nathan was staying, he went downstairs to the restaurant. However, when he arrived, he found only Ramiah, Amani, and Remburton there. Hazard leaned against the doorway and listened to their conversation, not entering the restaurant directly, as he could hear their voices exchanging stories through the slightly open doors. Ali spoke as he slumped onto the table. ¡°You know, Nathan is a good man! He didn¡¯t say anything to me! I¡¯ve never seen anyone like that before. That¡¯s why I like him!¡± ¡°That¡¯s surprising. I thought you would be at least a bit of a surprise,¡± Remburton muttered unexpectedly at the words. Amani pouted at him. ¡°Just like you, huh?¡± ¡°Haha, of course I¡¯m surprised too. It has been about 100 years since the Elves disappeared. But El Prani, who appeared after 100 years, can¡¯t you be surprised?¡± ¡°Hmm. I think my personality has changed a bit, but it wasn¡¯t bad either. Well, it¡¯s still fragile! So when are you coming in, Hazard?¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you guys like him.¡± Hazard had to shrug his shoulders at Ramiah¡¯s comment and entered the restaurant. But before he could sit in a chair, Remburton shot back. ¡°As I said yesterday, your behavior was too insular. You should have at least contacted me in advance. Do you really think it¡¯s okay to bring Norbert here? I¡¯m afraid he¡¯ll spill the beans somewhere else.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m good at judging people. I feel like he was a good guy.¡± ¡°That same feeling that made me do a background check.¡± ¡°I have nothing to say about that.¡± Ramiah snorted into the conversation between the two. ¡°When did you even do a background check?¡± ¡°Two years ago.¡± ¡°¡­Azar, don¡¯t you have any common sense? What happened to Norbert two years ago?¡± Ramiah shouted in bewilderment. Amani, who couldn¡¯t understand what was going on, only widened his eyes and looked around. There was no other lion to growl. Hazard waved his hand, dismissing her strong response, and quickly spoke an excuse. ¡°I didn¡¯t know him at all back then, I apologize. I didn¡¯t even know his name, and that was the first time I ran into him. But he spoke as if he knew me, so I went along with it. I know, I know. I overreacted! It hasn¡¯t been long since I received their presents, so I was suspicious of everything at the time!¡± ¡°Haha! So when Remburton suddenly transferred to the magic department, I wonder if that¡¯s why.¡± Ramiah blew out a breath in a discontented manner, causing her bangs to flutter. Her sharp blue eyes glanced at Hazard. Amani, who was looking around, asked Azar gently. ¡°You know, why didn¡¯t Hazard tell us that story back then?¡± ¡°Because by the end of the day, it was all over. Nathan has nothing to do with the royal family, and it was just my overreaction. So I thought it was best not to talk about it with you guys. It¡¯s hard to have a proper conversation, so I thought it would be better not to get involved. That¡¯s the end of the story. Let¡¯s stop.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s good.¡± There was a slight dissatisfaction, but since it was already in the past, Ramiah didn¡¯t press further. So their conversation went back to the beginning. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt if Norbert knew about our relationship.¡± ¡°We can go on an adventure together after graduating from the academy!¡± ¡°And Nathan is a mage, isn¡¯t he? It¡¯s perfect to fill in the gaps we have right now!¡± Regardless of Nathan¡¯s opinion, who wasn¡¯t present, three out of the four people there welcomed him. The three sets of eyes turned to Remburton, the only one with a stern face, furrowed brows, and closed mouth. ¡°Well, think about it a little more, Remi. You¡¯ll like him when you get to know him. We still have enough summer vacation, so we have plenty of time. And of course, you too.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad! First off, Nathan seemed like a good person!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been in his class a few times, and even though he was weak and a little unsure of himself, he never caused any problems.¡± ¡°And he listens to my strange stubbornness without complaining. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t even be here with me in the first place.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that because you¡¯re a prince?¡± ¡°If that were the case, I wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing.¡± ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something you would be angry about if you knew.¡± Then he chuckled. Instead of further wrinkling Remburton¡¯s fierce expression and asking what he was talking about, Hazard¡¯s gaze suddenly turned to the large clock hanging on the wall. The short hand was already pointing towards the sky, and the long hand lay on its side for a long time. ¡°He¡¯s late.¡± Hazard, who was absentmindedly tapping his fingers, looked towards the closed door of the restaurant, not thinking of opening it. ¡°Nathan is late.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Actually, I thought he would come with you.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Ramiah¡¯s words pricked Hazard, and he stood up. The chair made a small noise as he hurriedly got up. ¡°I¡¯ll go get him.¡± Leaving behind Remburton¡¯s complaints, Hazard walked quickly, almost running, towards Nathan¡¯s guest room. He regretted not stopping by earlier when he came down. At the same time, anxiety about why Nathan hadn¡¯t come down yet gnawed at Hazard¡¯s mind. Did Nathan forget Ramiah¡¯s words about having lunch together? Or did he suddenly fall ill? ¡®I hope nothing happened.¡¯ Did he miss the dining room because he didn¡¯t know where it was? No, he could have asked someone. ¡®Was he waiting for me?¡¯ Pausing in front of the guest room, Hazard hesitated for a moment. Feeling awkward, he coughed a few times before finally speaking up. ¡°Nathan?¡± He knocked on the door and called his name, but there was no response from inside the room. Hazard scratched his head, feeling embarrassed. He lingered in front of the door for a while, unsure of what to do. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll go in.¡± Standing at the door, Hazard asked, as if seeking permission one last time. Of course, there was no answer. Seeing signs of someone inside, Hazard confidently entered the room. He walked towards a table in front of the balcony, a seat bathed in starlight. Red hair peeked over the back of the chair. ¡°Nathan?¡± Approaching without realizing it, Hazard heard the sound of relaxed breathing. ¡°What? Are you asleep?¡± Nathan was comfortably asleep, leaning on the chair. The spot he chose was moderately warm due to the sunlight streaming through the window. The shadow of leaves cast a gentle shade on his face, making it the perfect place to doze off. Hazard noticed the medicine bottle on the table, and it became clear why Nathan had fallen asleep. ¡°Oh, he said he¡¯d fall asleep if he took the prescribed medicine.¡± Although his posture would be uncomfortable and his body would ache from sleeping like that, Hazard pondered for a moment about what to do with Nathan. It seemed pointless to wake him up from such a peaceful slumber. He thought it would be better to let him sleep and carefully move him to the bed. Hazard placed his hand behind Nathan¡¯s neck and lifted him gently. He noticed that Nathan¡¯s face was flushed and his skin felt hot with sweat. His body seemed to be burning with fever. Hazard frowned, realizing this only now. ¡°I underestimated how bad it was.¡± He clicked his tongue and picked up Nathan. With long strides and wide steps, he quickly made his way to the bed. Fortunately, he had been told to prepare a room near Hazard¡¯s. ¡°Sven!¡± As if he had been waiting, a soldier promptly arrived to assist Hazard with Nathan¡¯s fragile body. They laid Nathan on the bed, and he fell into a deep sleep as if he had fainted. He would wake up three days later and spend the next ten days bedridden. CH 42 My whole body was boiling. The breath I exhaled was infinitely hot, resulting in a dry mouth and a swollen throat. The sticky clothes clinging to my sweaty body made me feel uncomfortable. The fever was intense, making me feel hot, but then it would abruptly turn cold. My bones ached. The excruciating pain started in my head and spread throughout my body. When I managed to open my eyes slightly, the world appeared to be shaking like a broken screen, causing dizziness. My heavy eyelids felt like hanging stones, and people moved frantically in my blurred and unfocused vision. Amidst their busy conversations, every sound that reached my ears seemed distant, like a buzzing. The words I heard felt as if they were coming from a faraway place. Consequently, Nathan couldn¡¯t discern who the people were talking to or what they were saying. He was afraid to fully open his eyelids. At times, the hands on his forehead appeared cool at first glance, but that was short-lived. Even after that, Nathan would occasionally open his eyes. It was as if he were trying to say something while in a state of fever, but his swollen throat could only produce garbled sounds. Sometimes, as he closed his eyes and reopened them, he noticed that the people around him had changed, except for the familiar figure with golden hair, who seemed to faithfully stand by his side each time he awoke. Kung©¤! ¡°Wol!¡± One day, while drifting in and out of sleep, Nathan suddenly woke up. As a loud, terrifying ringing echoed through the room, he gasped and opened his eyes as if someone had grabbed his neck and jolted him awake. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake.¡± ¡°¡­Amani?¡± Rubbing his groggy neck, Nathan frowned. Then Amani, who had just stuffed his mouth with cake, opened his eyes and hurried to the bedside, holding a glass of water. Nathan used his trembling hands to prop himself up. ¡°Can you move?¡± Nathan accepted the glass handed to him by Amani, cleared his throat, and nodded weakly. He glanced around, taking in his surroundings. This was Nathan¡¯s guest room, and there were only two people in the room. Amani, who stared at him intently, suddenly exclaimed and rushed out the door. ¡°I¡¯ll go get Sven!¡± Before Nathan could say anything more, Amani disappeared outside in an instant. Nathan looked at the wide-open door, sighed, and leaned his back against the headboard of the bed. He still held the half-empty glass of water in his hand. Drinking the water, he felt his hazy mind clearing up. Nathan was aware that he had collapsed with a fever. Now that he was somewhat better, he had been sitting up like this for a while. For the past few days, lying on the bed as if lifeless was the only thing he could do. He wasn¡¯t sure how much time had passed, but it had certainly been more than just a day or two. It was the worst. Pressing his still slightly dizzy head with his palm, Nathan closed his eyes. How many futile days had passed like this? He felt terrible that he couldn¡¯t pinpoint the exact day of the incident, and he despised his own body for failing him at such a crucial moment. ¡®I can¡¯t go on like this!¡¯ A familiar sense of helplessness threatened to consume him. However, thanks to his current condition, he felt more rested than he had expected. The heat and excitement had caused him to sleep more than usual without dreaming. Though his limbs still lacked strength, he had been lying in bed for quite some time, so his physical condition wasn¡¯t entirely bad. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t know what might happen if I push myself too hard now.¡¯ Nevertheless, Nathan could no longer stay comfortably in bed. During his illness, he occasionally opened his eyes, and each time he caught glimpses of memories that lingered in his mind like afterimages. He fumbled through the fragmented recollections and discovered that Amani had been in the room earlier, and the rest of the main group had taken turns keeping watch over him. In particular, the familiar figure with golden hair had always been there, standing by his side while others bustled around and changed. Knowing that they had been confined to the mansion because of him made Nathan uneasy. He couldn¡¯t resist stealing glances out the window, hoping it wouldn¡¯t rain. However, the sky outside was ominously dim, as if it were evening or the approach of rain. It sent a chilling sensation through Nathan¡¯s head. A familiar sense of foreboding crawled up from the depths of his being. How much time is left now? Shouldn¡¯t they go to the village and find the boy immediately? Did he need to search for the boss before doing so? But he had no idea how many bosses there would be in a village. ¡°If only I had asked someone in advance, knowing it would turn out like this.¡± This was a beach village, where fishing thrived and trade by boat spanned across the continent. It was a bustling village that could rival a city in size. Finding people in such a place would undoubtedly prove challenging. Perhaps it was fortunate that it hadn¡¯t rained yet? Such thoughts only fueled Nathan¡¯s growing anxiety. ¡°I brought Sven!¡± However, Amani¡¯s arrival with Sven interrupted Nathan¡¯s spiraling thoughts. He was finally able to escape from his own musings. ¡°Sven mentioned something about the doctor.¡± Convinced, Nathan remained still as Sven examined him. ¡°But you¡¯re much better now. If you don¡¯t overexert yourself and take some rest, you¡¯ll be fine soon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Nathan nodded, accepting the medicine bowl brought by the maid. Sven said his goodbyes, urging him to rest, and left the room. Nathan swallowed the medicine in his hand, finding it difficult to drink the liquid with its herbal scent. He couldn¡¯t help but frown and shudder at the taste. ¡°Nathan, ah~.¡± At that moment, hoping to hear something from the voice beside him, Nathan parted his lips slightly, and a sweet piece of cake slipped through the gap. The cream melted softly, counteracting the bitterness, leaving Nathan no choice but to move his mouth as Amani fed him. ¡°Do you want more?¡± In response, Nathan shook his head and got out of bed. Stretching lightly, he made his way to the bathroom attached to the room. With Amani trailing behind, Nathan dismissed him at the door and quickly washed up. He had already made up his mind to go to the village, even now. Technically, it would be a waste of time to wash up, and he wanted to leave immediately, but after several days without cleaning himself, he couldn¡¯t ignore the discomfort. He couldn¡¯t afford to appear disheveled; he had to at least look presentable. Nathan used magic to dry his wet hair swiftly and stepped out of the bathroom. Hastily rummaging through his belongings, he changed his clothes. Just as he finished buttoning up his sleeves, he called for Amani, who had been snooping around. ¡°Amani, where is Azar? And where did the others go?¡± Come to think of it, it was quite puzzling. When Nathan had awakened earlier, he had called for Amani and Sven, but Azar was not present. This confusion led Nathan to inquire about the whereabouts of the people he hadn¡¯t seen for a while. ¡°Oh, Azar went out for a bit.¡± Standing tall, Nathan paused in his actions. Unaware of Nathan¡¯s intentions, Amani moved his hand toward the cake on the table. ¡°Sven said that the medicine¡¯s ingredients will run out soon, so Azar went to the village to buy them. Other than that, Ramiah and Remburton went along, and I¡¯m here today to take care of you!¡± While Amani spoke, he swallowed the cake with his mouth wide open, tilting his head in confusion. ¡°But it¡¯s strange. Azar went out a while ago, but hasn¡¯t returned! It¡¯s about to rain now¡­¡± Nathan¡¯s face turned pale in an instant. ¡°That¡¯s right! By the way, you asked me to tell you earlier, right? I completely forgot to mention it when you were sick! It¡¯s going to rain tonight!¡± With a self-assured smile, Amani made his prediction. Nathan tightly closed his eyes. He had to calm down. If he appeared distressed for no apparent reason, it would be counterproductive. He exhaled slowly, attempting to ease his overwhelming emotions. Though he had buttoned up his sleeves and tried to appear composed, his mind raced. Nathan asked Amani while feigning composure. ¡°Amani.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°How long does it take to reach the village?¡± ¡°About a 20-minute ride on horseback. But why?¡± Nathan wanted to shout that he needed to go to the village immediately. But he had to choose his words carefully. Would Amani be willing to accompany him if he stated his intention to go to the village right away? It seemed unlikely. How could he leave someone who had just recovered from a serious illness alone? Yet, he couldn¡¯t slip away unnoticed. That would only raise suspicion. ¡°Well¡­ I was considering going to the village.¡± Forced to force a smile, Nathan opted for frankness. It pained his mouth to contort it, but he couldn¡¯t think of any other approach. So coaxing Amani into joining him and heading to the village seemed like the best course of action. ¡°What? What are you saying, Nathan? Where do you think you¡¯re going in your current condition?¡± Amani¡¯s anticipated reaction poured forth from his words. The elf¡¯s adorable face contorted in an instant. Amani shook his arms, swaying them in protest. ¡°I can¡¯t allow that! Azar would scold me!¡± ¡°I remembered something really important. You know Professor Michael, right?¡± ¡°Professor Michael?¡± When Nathan mentioned an unexpected person, Amani¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Face to face, Nathan sighed inwardly. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Professor.¡¯ CH 43 ¡°Yeah, the professor asked me to do something, but I forgot because I was sick.¡± ¡°But it still doesn¡¯t work¡­ Can¡¯t we do it later? Let¡¯s rest today, rest tomorrow, rest until the day after tomorrow, and then¡­ The professor said you were sick, so won¡¯t he take care of it?¡± When he saw Amani holding my arm and shaking gently, Nathan spoke in a warm tone and gently took his hand away. ¡°Amani, the professor is also a busy person, but if I waste time without saying anything, won¡¯t it cause problems for others in many ways? Look, don¡¯t I look better than the first day? My physical condition is better than ever. If you¡¯re worried, you can come with me. I think it will be faster if you help me.¡± Honestly, Nathan himself knew how ridiculous this excuse was. If it was someone else, they wouldn¡¯t have listened to it. But luckily, the person here was Amani, not someone else. The boy in front of him was still naive in this way, and if he was the same as the character in the original story he remembered, he could only deceive him to some extent with these words. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon. Is there a tower here too?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Amani rolled his big eyes and hesitated with his words. It didn¡¯t seem like something he wanted to say, but he was thinking about it. With Amani on his shoulders, Nathan walked out of the room, even as Amani held onto him. ¡°Let¡¯s just go to the tower, contact him, and come right back. It won¡¯t take long.¡± ¡°You need to rest, and Azar told me to take good care of you.¡± As they walked, Amani was anxious and nervous. Nathan just glanced at Amani and didn¡¯t say anything. It would be a big problem if Amani lost his temper and caused a scene. He had to quickly leave the mansion when he was still unsure of the situation. If he left the mansion, the boy wouldn¡¯t be able to stop him anymore. Nathan, using his long legs, walked faster than usual to the first floor and looked around to find Vascent. The mansion didn¡¯t show any signs of Vascent being present. Did he have to go out like this and find a ride? Just as he was thinking about it, Vascent opened the front door and came in. ¡°Vascent!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, Mr. Norbert! You¡¯re awake! I¡¯m so glad. But why are you here?¡± Vascent, who found Nathan and instantly brightened up, looked at Nathan and Amani standing in front of the front door as if they were about to go out somewhere. Especially behind Nathan, Amani¡¯s anxious face was clearly visible. ¡°Suddenly, I have to go to the village. Could you please prepare a carriage?¡± ¡°Yes?¡­ I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Norbert. You just got up from the hospital bed, are you going outside? Sven said you shouldn¡¯t overdo it, but¡­¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ve had a good rest and I¡¯m in good shape. I¡¯ll be back soon anyway. I have to stop by the tower. I¡¯ll just stop by the tower and come right back.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Amani¡¯s going too. There won¡¯t be a problem, right?¡± ¡°That¡­¡± While talking to Vascent, Nathan felt his nerves tightening. Unconsciously, he clenched his fist to resist the urge to bite his nails. Nathan maintained the smile on his face from earlier. At first glance, it seemed like a business-like demeanor, and his appearance appeared calm. However, the unexpected words that came out of Vascent¡¯s mouth startled him. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can prepare a carriage.¡± ¡°¡­What? It¡¯ll only take a little while. It won¡¯t be long, and it¡¯s not too much.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that kind of problem. Currently, there is an issue with the carriages in this villa, so I have sent all of them for repairs except for the ones already taken. Therefore, I don¡¯t think I can prepare a carriage right away. I¡¯m so sorry, Mr. Norbert. Why don¡¯t you wait for the master to come back?¡± Nathan shook his head at Vascent¡¯s words and swallowed a sigh that was about to escape. It was too late to wait until then¡­ If the carriage didn¡¯t work, he couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Then, give me a moment.¡± *** Dagda, Dada, Dadada©¤! Two horses swiftly traversed the forest path. It wasn¡¯t too difficult to find the way to the village. It was a straight path all the way, so all they had to do was ride on a well-maintained road. The sky was dim, painted with shades of red, and the world seemed hazy. The passing wind carried a damp scent, and it felt like it could rain at any moment. Nathan urged the horses to go faster. Amani, riding a horse behind Nathan, anxiously opened his mouth. ¡°Nathan, wait! Aren¡¯t you riding too fast?¡± ¡°Amani, bite your tongue!¡± Saying that to Amani, Nathan tightened his grip on the reins. He was already exerting considerable force with his hands. He knew it was dangerous to ride at such high speeds, but he was in a hurry. Fortunately, the road they were currently passing through was well-maintained and didn¡¯t have any sharp turns or rocky terrain, so there was minimal risk. ¡®¡­I¡¯m using what I learned from my past.¡¯ It was fortunate that horseback riding was a mandatory class in the academy. No matter how skilled a wizard he was, he couldn¡¯t use teleportation magic to travel through space alone unless he was a high-level magician like Professor Michael. Moreover, the trains and other common means of transportation had limited destinations, so unless he wanted to spend the rest of his life walking or riding in a horse-drawn carriage, he had to learn how to ride a horse. Of course, the first time he encountered a horse was during a school trip when he was young. After he arrived in this world, he started learning horseback riding in earnest, and now, two years later, he has become quite proficient. Of course, he didn¡¯t have the experience of riding since he was young like everyone else, so he couldn¡¯t do anything else while riding a horse¡­ Even at this moment, his mind was gradually becoming a mess. Nathan once again recalled how every time he tried to change things, they went wrong, and the outcomes were disastrous. From Nathan¡¯s perspective, whether he intervened or not, the original events seemed to unfold as they were meant to. Could he not change a future that had already been set? Perhaps his belief that things could be slightly different was just an illusion, and unless he deviated from the major events of the original story, even the slightest change wouldn¡¯t fit into the axis of change. It felt like every situation was blocking his path. ¡®¡­Is it too much of a leap?¡¯ He wished it were just a leap, but this thought led to a spark of inspiration. As they rode for a while, the two of them reached a three-way intersection leading to the town, which was blocked by a group of thugs. ¡°Stop!¡± A burly man with a disheveled beard stood in front of them. As a result, Nathan and Amani had no choice but to quickly pull on the reins and come to a halt. Hing heeing! ¡°Whoa, whoa!¡± The horses, which had been galloping swiftly, let out a loud neigh before finally coming to a stop after a few more steps. Nathan furrowed his brow at the sudden interruption. He was already on edge, so this added annoyance made his thoughts spill out for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Nathan was taken aback by his own words and quickly closed his mouth. It was understandable, but the tone of his voice carried irritation. While Nathan scolded himself for getting angry, the man in front of them briefly explained the situation. CH 44 ¡°There was a small accident up ahead. Everyone¡¯s legs were tangled because the first carriage was broken and the horses were injured. So please wait a little bit.¡± The man scratched his head, troubled, and looked at the carriages stationed in one place. Nathan¡¯s gaze also turned towards the scene. The first carriage, densely packed and bulky, consisted of five wagons filled with luggage. The combined number of armed mercenaries and ordinary merchants seemed to be more than thirty, creating a noisy atmosphere. People were busy carrying their luggage back and forth. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± ¡°What can we do? It¡¯s all caused by those infamous goblin guys! They set up a trap on this narrow road! If they wanted to rob, they should have chosen a more open location! Now the horses that were supposed to pull the carriages can¡¯t move, and even the carriage wheel is broken. It¡¯s quite a problem. But don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s only been a short while since I left the village, and the distance is close, so it¡¯s not a big deal. I immediately sought help after the accident happened, so it will be resolved if you wait a little. We¡¯re also quite busy at the moment.¡± As if waiting to be asked, the man poured out the details. After complaining for a long time, he started speaking properly while maintaining his breath, and a smile appeared on his face. ¡°Goblins? Why would they target humans? They¡¯re usually well-behaved kids¡­¡± Amani, who was listening to the story next to them, tilted his head in confusion. His hat was pulled down, concealing his ears, and tightly fastened to prevent it from falling off. Nathan was nervous and kept a close eye on the boy. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Aware of the busy people walking behind them, the man gestured with his thumb and index finger, mimicking the sign for money. A person approached him and whispered, covering his mouth with his hand, as if sharing a secret. ¡°After all, it¡¯s a wage problem. Centiar is a place where commerce flourishes, so there are many workers of this race. They are stronger than humans, and yet they get paid less than, so many of them are hired by the lords. But when I helped the lords with their chores, I ended up being taken advantage of and not given a fair price! So, aren¡¯t they angry and trying to plunder only the aristocrats? Anyway, there was a problem in a town nearby last week. There are rumors that it¡¯s probably the work of the Goblins who ran away from there.¡± ¡°Tonjang!¡± As Nathan was about to contribute to the conversation, another voice interrupted them. ¡°It¡¯s the captain.¡± Nathan glanced at the man. He seemed to be the representative of the other mercenaries present. Behind him, a mercenary shouted and waved his hands, calling out, ¡°Wait this way!¡± Next to him was a person who appeared to be a merchant. ¡°Oh, I see!¡± The man quickly replied, shaking his head apologetically. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to leave for a while. I¡¯ll talk to people and clear the way for you, so please wait a moment!¡± ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you could do that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry!¡± As the man walked away with a grand stride, heavy footsteps resounded. Nathan let out a short sigh as he watched the man recede into the distance. With the man gone, Amani, who was next to him, slumped on the horse and sarcastically remarked. ¡°Humans are always the problem, aren¡¯t they? Why are they causing trouble like this? Every time something like this happens, I can¡¯t help but despise humans.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nathan remained silent, choosing not to respond. He simply reached out and gave Amani¡¯s shoulder a light pat. It seemed like Amani was teasing him about being human in this situation, and Nathan didn¡¯t deny it. It was a natural perspective for Amani, a member of a different race, and Nathan himself shared that sentiment. ¡®Wherever you go, humans are the problem.¡¯ Whether it¡¯s here or there, such issues persist. Nathan realized that once again. However, it didn¡¯t mean he could solve the problem. Besides, in the near future, the presence of this little boy next to him would greatly influence the situation of their respective races. For a moment, Nathan mulled it over, but now he had no choice but to console himself in that manner. ¡°Wow.¡± Nathan exhaled, removed his glasses, and rubbed his tired eyes. He had been busy, but his ankle kept getting caught, leaving him feeling as if he were walking on a tightrope. Furthermore, this was a one-way street with no alternative routes. So for now, all he could do was wait, as the man had suggested. ¡°Will it take a long time? Why don¡¯t we just go back, Nathan?¡± ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to come all this way and turn back?¡± In response to Amani¡¯s question, Nathan caressed the horse¡¯s mane with his hand, attempting to calm his mounting anxiety. The waiting time felt long. The second hand of the pocket watch he took out from his pocket to check the time moved slowly. The shorter needle pointed towards the ground. The sky was growing darker, but if it got too late, what should he do? ¡®But there should be a wizard among the group. Why is it still taking so long?¡¯ In fact, it had only been about five minutes of waiting, but it felt much longer to Nathan. Additionally, time seemed to stretch as people continued to move their luggage back and forth. Nathan looked around, searching for the presence of a wizard. He spotted one just as he thought. The person wore a stylish robe, resembling Professor Michael¡¯s attire, indicating that they were likely a wizard. Indeed, there was a wizard among the group. However, they were standing far away, engrossed in conversation with people bustling around. Nathan¡¯s head throbbed, and he made various gestures, touching his temple, as if there was a fire burning inside. ¡®If they use magic, the problem would be solved faster!¡¯ Magic, the ¡®most beautiful and mysterious thing¡¯ in this world, would surely have crossed their minds as a means to move the luggage. Nathan had never witnessed a lazy life of magic tricks like in the academy. Or perhaps the wizard had too much pride and didn¡¯t want to use their magic for such a mundane task. Well, that seemed like a plausible explanation. In that moment, Nathan thought that it might be better for him to use magic. ¡®Or maybe I can ask Amani for help.¡¯ He felt a bit guilty about using spirit magic for such a trivial matter, but Amani would be more helpful than Nathan himself. Just as he finished contemplating this, he attempted to ask Amani for assistance. ¡°Look at this!¡± Earlier, the man had shouted to two people from a distance. When Nathan directed his gaze towards them, he saw the man signaling for them to come over. Nathan lifted Amani, who was still lying on the horse, and made his way towards them. ¡°I cleared the road in a hurry. Watch your step, as the ground might be uneven. It took some time to dismantle the trap set up by the goblins, but it wasn¡¯t as difficult as I anticipated. Come on, you can pass through here.¡± There was barely enough space for a horse to pass through. Instead of immediately walking ahead, Nathan, suddenly curious, asked the man a question. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the name of this place?¡± ¡°The Lord¡¯s name? Why do you ask?¡± ¡°I want to express my gratitude for helping us later.¡± ¡°Oh, goodness me, what kind of situation is this? That¡¯s it!¡± The man waved his hand dismissively. Nathan found the man¡¯s reaction quite peculiar at that moment. Just as Nathan was about to inquire further about the Lord¡¯s name, the door of the stopped carriage swung open, and someone spoke in place of the man. ¡°It¡¯s Lord Grason.''¡± Nathan paused momentarily upon hearing the voice, as it sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. ¡°Miss! Why did you come out? You didn¡¯t have to¡­¡± The man stumbled heavily and hurried towards the carriage. ¡°I could hear the commotion outside even from inside the carriage, so I want to come out.¡± Following the voice, a lady emerged. Escorted by a man, she stepped down from the carriage. She had long indigo hair and light gray eyes, radiating a gentle aura. In that moment, Nathan unconsciously blurted out. ¡°Berry?¡± ¡°Nathan?¡± Yes, the voice belonged to Berry Caravan, a magician from the same magic department as Nathan. It was an unexpected encounter, and Berry too seemed surprised to see Nathan, but she quickly broke into a smile. ¡°Nathan, if you came to Centiar, you should have contacted me.¡± ¡°I never expected to find you here.¡± ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t read the letter I sent you properly.¡± Berry mumbled with her arms crossed, sounding slightly reproachful. Nathan hastily made an excuse. ¡°It¡¯s not like that! It was a spontaneous decision to come here, so I was caught off guard.¡± Actually, Berry¡¯s words weren¡¯t entirely inaccurate. When you receive three similar letters while being busy, anyone would feel overwhelmed. The three of them got along so well, so why were the contents of the letters so similar? ¡°That¡¯s right! Besides, Nathan was bedridden due to illness. Today is the first time he¡¯s been outside!¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to say that¡­¡± Nathan interjected, feeling a bit embarrassed by Amani¡¯s words and actions, which exaggerated his condition, in an attempt to improve his image. Even now, there was a hint of sadness in Berry¡¯s expression. Fortunately, the bruises on Nathan¡¯s face had almost faded within ten days, becoming less noticeable. Despite that, the reaction he received was still like this. If the bruises had remained distinct, it would have been even more disheartening. ¡°Oh, I see¡­ we forgot to consider your illness.¡± ¡°My Lady, Do you know him?¡± ¡°Yes, he¡¯s my friend from the academy.¡± ¡°Huh, what a small world.¡± The man who spoke wore a momentary expression of surprise. It seemed that no one else noticed his reaction except Nathan, who stood right across from him. Nathan thought it might have been a fleeting illusion and decided not to dwell on Berry¡¯s voice, instead refocusing his attention on what Berry had to say. CH 45 ¡°Nathan, you¡¯re going to Centiar, right? How long are you going to stay here? Ah! I¡¯m on my way to Vallona because I¡¯m supposed to meet a few others. If you have time, why don¡¯t you go with us? We talked about it in the letter. I¡¯m sure Etton and Robert will be very happy.¡± ¡®I always wondered if it was nice and exciting to meet classmates in a place like this.¡¯ When he saw Berry, who talked a lot, unlike his usual quiet appearance, Nathan looked embarrassed and smiled awkwardly. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ll be here, so I can¡¯t give you a definite answer¡­¡± ¡°Nathan, you can¡¯t go! You should play with me and the others!¡± ¡°Amani, it¡¯s dangerous¡­¡± ¡®Besides, that was something that shouldn¡¯t be said now!¡¯ Berry blinked. Her serene gaze turns to Amani, who clung to Nathan, and then turns back to Nathan. ¡°Others?¡± Somehow, he was stabbed by a thorn and felt a cold sweat on Nathan¡¯s back. The corner of his mouth twitched. There was no way to hide from those thorns. Nathan took Amani, who was attached to him, off and thought about what to answer Berry. I felt bad because it was as if I found out later that my best friend had made plans with another friend without saying anything even though I asked first. But Nathan didn¡¯t have a chance to make excuses. Because suddenly the man intervened between the conversation. ¡°My Lady.¡± ¡°¡­yes?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you send your friends on their way? They also seem to be busy, so I hurriedly cleared the road, but I think we shouldn¡¯t hold on here. Besides, it looks like it¡¯s going to rain soon, so I think we¡¯d better leave.¡± Berry was stunned by the words. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. Look at my mind! Are you ready? I guess you got a call from the manor.¡± ¡°Yes. First of all, they told me to leave the broken carriage and the unloadable luggage here and only those who can move should go first. They said to tell you that they would send a carriage and to come with the rest of the luggage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I have to go now. It¡¯s a pity but it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Looking at Berry sighing with real regret, Nathan said goodbye quickly because he wanted to leave. They¡¯ve already taken up too much time. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go now. Berry, say hello to Etton and Robert for me.¡± ¡°Hey, Nathan!¡± Berry, who suddenly remembered something, hurriedly calls and stops Nathan. Once Berry reaches him, she holds out her hand. ¡°If you need help in Centiar, you can ask the Grayson Manor. I¡¯ve said it before, right? My family is in charge there. Show them this with the name of the Berry Caravan and it will help. Of course, I¡¯m giving it to you because you¡¯re not a person to ask for nonsense. Give it back to me when we meet next time.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. Thank you.¡± Nathan was stunned and accepted the item that Berry had put out. It was a brooch made of gold, with the Grayson Manor pattern on it. ¡°Bye, Nathan. See you at the academy.¡± Instead of bowing and focusing on Berry departing, Nathan grabbed the reins. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Amani.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go quickly and come back. It would be better if we don¡¯t get caught by Hazard!¡± Nathan goes ahead first and then Amani follows. It was quick to get off the narrow road. As they entered the open one-way street, Amani, who was following, murmured gloomily as he followed Nathan¡¯s side. ¡°You know, I¡¯m so worried. I think I¡¯m going to be scolded by Azar¡­ No, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be scolded!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°Nathan! It¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to get scolded by Azar!¡± Amani grumbled as he pouted. ¡®But isn¡¯t there a bit of a misnomer saying that you¡¯re getting scolded?¡¯ They don¡¯t know if Hazard would get angry. But in fact, Nathan thought that Hazard wouldn¡¯t be too angry since there isn¡¯t much to be angry about. ¡®By the way, I¡¯ve heard that Berry¡¯s house runs the manor, but¡­¡¯ The situation of ¡®Nathan¡¯ was a little exaggerated, and there was no one in the academy who didn¡¯t know. So his friends rarely brought up the story of his family, at least in front of him. So Nathan knew that Berry¡¯s family runs the Grayson Manor, but he really only knew that much. I didn¡¯t think this is the manor that is run by Berry¡¯s house. It was just ridiculous in an unexpected situation, and I forgot the current situation. Then suddenly, a family quickly passed through his head. ¡®¡­Isn¡¯t the daughter of the lord, Berry?¡¯ The horse that was running fast gradually slows down. ¡®Ah, no way. There¡¯s no way such a ridiculous coincidence can happen like this.¡¯ Nathan tried to think like that. But if you think about it, it won¡¯t be such a strange story. I could tell by looking back at the current situation a little bit. Now this situation was a minor change that happened when a person named ¡®Nathan¡¯, who was originally not supposed to be here, suddenly intervened. Yes, it will be easier to understand if you exclude the character ¡®Nathan¡¯ from the original. Since it wasn¡¯t even in the original in the first place, it wasn¡¯t too difficult to think about the story that he interrupted and changed a little bit. But there was a slight change as Nathan intervened here. Nathan¡¯s gaze glanced at Amani. It¡¯s because of Nathan¡¯s situation that Amani is here, but originally, he should have been in town with Hazard by now. Because it was Amani who played a role in soothing the child while others were looking for the child¡¯s brother. And then he wouldn¡¯t have been able to meet Berry here. There are more questions right now, but the reason I¡¯m not sure is that I don¡¯t remember the original in detail. Based on the memories that come to mind, there was no contact between the main character¡¯s party and Berry, as he remembered. Even in the original, the name ¡®Berry¡¯ was not mentioned. The first appearance of the daughter of the boss was long after the main character¡¯s party went on their adventure, and the figure depicted in the original was also quite different from Berry. ¡®No¡­ was the color of the eyes the same?¡¯ The daughter was described as having short cut white hair and gray eyes. But even when Nathan saw Berry, there was a good reason why he thought she was also an extra, just like ¡®Nathan¡¯. First of all, Berry¡¯s magic skills were similar to the current Nathan. The calm and quiet temper made even the presence blurry from time to time. It¡¯s inevitable that Nathan looks at Berry and thinks so much. It wasn¡¯t that he had exceptional talent like the main character¡¯s group, nor did he have a dazzlingly beautiful appearance. The advantage of him was that he could buy a noble title because he had a lot of money in the house, but that wasn¡¯t that important. Berry was a student in the magic department, just like Nathan, but the main character¡¯s party already had an outstanding magician, so they weren¡¯t interested in the magic department at that point. It was only after the adventure that he had a wizard as a colleague by necessity, and even if it was true, it was enough if he didn¡¯t have to stop. So Nathan never guessed that the daughter of the boss would have attended the same academy as them. But once you start getting suspicious, you tend to care about everything starting from but not ending at the little things. The horse slowed its pace to a stop. When Nathan stopped, Amani also spoke belatedly. ¡°Nathan?¡± The puzzled voice in front calls Nathan. But he hurriedly pulled his reins and changed direction and began to go back the way he had come. ¡°Uh? Nathan, where are you going all of a sudden?!¡± ¡°I need to check something for a moment!¡± ¡°What? I¡¯m going with you!¡± There is a saying, ¡®You can only see as much as you know¡¯. It¡¯s a perfect word for the situation right now. Nathan knew the original, because he was acquainted with a character named Berry, because he knew the inside story of the events that were to come, that¡¯s why there was something that only became visible. It¡¯s so trivial that all those parts that could have been passed off at this moment are beginning to be questioned. Why was the mercenary reluctant to say the manor¡¯s name? Why did Berry make such a face when asked that she knew me? Why get involved in the conversation and try to send me and Amani away quickly? ¡®Why?¡¯ If you think about it, it¡¯s full of strange things. Originally, the manor is a place where most of them are snobbish. Even if he pretended to be, he looked like a wizard, and no matter how bad his skills were, if he was at the manor, he wouldn¡¯t have refused it if he was willing to do some work. Neither is it representing the manor, it¡¯s just a mercenary hired for escort. It¡¯s probably because that context is included that Berry opened the door and said her family¡¯s name. In addition, there were a few other places that I had doubts about. When the incident happened and the manor owner was falsely framed, where did his daughter go? How did the daughter know the real culprit after such a long time? If he had been there at the time of the incident, things might not have been twisted to that point. How much can Berry leaving the village in time be dismissed as a simple coincidence?