LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 2 - Let's go to the Academy first and think about it later.
It’s been a week since I realized I’m a reincarnator.
-Wooong woong
“Phew…”
I feel like I can finally live now.
“Hurray for magic.”
Right now, I’m in a state of ‘physical enhancement’ by circulating magic power throughout my body.
-Wooong
Just by circulating the little mana I have, my dying body has regained vitality.
“As expected of fantasy.”
The omnipotence of mana isn’t going anywhere.
“So what do I do now?”
I have nothing to do.
—–
To be precise, I have a lot to do.
If my magic is capped at the third circle, I must at least raise it to that level.
If my aura is capped at the expert level, I need to at least raise it to that level.
But I can’t do that.
Here, to learn magic, you need to spend an enormous amount of money to become a mage’s disciple.
For aura as well, you need to be taught by a swordsman who handles aura to barely be able to use it.
It’s not a world where you can read a book somewhere and use magic or awaken aura just by swinging a sword a lot.
It’s already fortunate that I at least learned how to move mana when I was young, even if learning magic was too much.
The reason I’m saying this is…
“I have no money.”
There’s no money left in the mansion.
My so-called parents had long since fled, passing the title to me as the family was ruined, and the butler and servants escaped with anything of value.
I’m a noble only in name, without any assets.
“Hmm…”
What should I do?
At this rate, I won’t even have money to rent a carriage to go to the Academy.
“Is this even possible….”
What should I do if the difficulty is this high from the story’s entry point?
“Let’s calculate for a moment.”
It takes 2 days to call a carriage to this mansion where I am and about 4 days to move to the Academy.
Including the time for the carriage to arrive, the time left is 10 days.
Within that time, I need to train, earn money, and get food…
“Oh, sh…”
No matter how hard I work, this just seems impossible.
With a body slightly better than an average person, even when using mana, how could I earn that much money in such a short period of 10 days?
“Looks like it’s going to end before it even starts.”
-Ring ring ring ring
At that moment, something rang from among the dust piles in the corner of my room.
“Huh?”
The source of the sound you would normally hear on modern-day Earth.
It’s a ‘crystal ball.’
It sounds fancy to call it that but to put it simply, it’s this world’s mobile phone.
It’s a communication device for nobles who can use mana or aura, as it responds to either.
The butler had thrown it away, saying it couldn’t be sold quickly.
I had forgotten about its call function, as I lived without anyone to contact or be contacted by…
“Why is that ringing?”
Who could be calling when you can’t make a call without knowing the sphere’s unique code?
Ring ring… click
“Yes, this is Aaron Dight.”
Who could know the crystal ball’s unique code, the phone number that even I didn’t memorize, and be calling?
Although it would be right to hang up if it might be a dangerous person, what can I do about being lonely?
“……”
Through the crystal ball, I could only see the figure of a person sitting, their face completely hidden by shadows.
“Hello?”
Why aren’t they saying anything?
“Did the connection not work well?”
I remember this was the right way to control mana…
-Woong, wooong
The crystal ball seems to be working normally…
“……”
But that person was just sitting still.
For the first time in a while, I feel awkward talking alone in front of a person who’s just sitting still.
‘To miss such an awkward feeling….’
I must have been very lonely. What a bizarre situation
I was about to fall into my own world, staring blankly at the crystal ball.
“Aaron Dight, is that right?”
A thick voice comes through, breaking up a little.
‘This is voice modulation.’
I could tell right away that this was voice modulation, even though I’d never heard it before.
The reason is simple. I just heard a voice that sounded like the poor quality voice modulation I’d heard in modern times.
“Yes, this is Aaron Dight.”
I answered since it seemed they were looking for me.
I haven’t done anything wron…
‘Wait, are they creditors?’
Was there debt when the family went bankrupt?
No, isn’t most noble families’ bankruptcy due to debt?
As increasingly anxious thoughts were growing
“You didn’t think I was a creditor, did you?”
“No, I didn’t.”
I was a bit taken aback, but I can’t say I did, can I?
“First of all, I know you need money right now.”
With the sudden mention of knowing my situation, my mind was filled with countless hooks.
“…???”
Why do you know that?
-Ding
An additional alarm sound on the crystal ball.
“I’ve sent a little, so let’s talk about the rest at the Academy.”
-Beep
And so the one-sided conversation ended.
“What was…”
I was excited to have a conversation with someone after a long time, but I couldn’t understand what was happening.
‘So what did they send?’
They said they sent something just now, but what on earth did they sen…
“Wow.”
The financial problem was solved at onc…
“Wait a minute.”
Am I seeing one too many zeros?
There’s several times more money than I need to rent a carriage.
‘….What is this?’
What about me did they trust to send this money?
Do they know me?
“Someone who knows my crystal ball’s unique code and knows I have no money right now…”
Wait
-Rustle
I quickly opened the folded penalty window.
‘…..Restores save memory data to those who tried to remember you.]’
Yes, it’s definitely the phrase written in the penalty window.
‘Restores memory data.’
“Then… could it be?”
Probably, that ‘could it be’ is correct.
“Is the person who sent this money my companion who remembers the previous rounds?”
The corners of my mouth won’t come down.
‘This is the first hopeful news in this messed up situation.’
I really feel like I’m going to cry.
-Clap
I put strength into both palms and strongly slapped my cheeks.
“This is not the time for this.”
It’s 10 days that my companion has earned for me.
A whole 10 days.
During that time, I should be able to touch the entrance to the second circle of magic or at least build up my body.
“Well then, let’s do our best!”
I put the crystal ball on the desk and quickly headed outside the mansion.
At this time, I didn’t know.
That the people whose memories were restored were ‘multiple.’
Among them, someone ‘sent’ me money.
Whether that person I thought was my companion was ‘good’ or ‘evil.’
–
On a dark night, someone is coming out of an alley where only the shadows of buildings reflected in moonlight exist.
-Step step
The moonlight spreads between the black shadows and begins to illuminate her.
In such a dark night’s moonlight, ash-colored hair might be mistaken for white hair at a glance.
Golden eyes that hold the moonlight, which even the shadows of the night cannot hide.
She threw the coat she was wearing to her servants waiting in front of the alley.
“Keep that well preserved.”
“”Yes!””
Her subordinates, full of spirit at her single word.
They shout full of spirit, forgetting that it’s night.
“Sigh…”
She’s used to it, too, just sighing and moving on.
“Did the conversation go well?”
An old gentleman suddenly appeared beside her.
“Yes. It was a very satisfactory transaction.”
She answered him as if it was nothing.
“Sending money one-sidedly hardly is a transaction though… It’s hard to see such behavior from the ‘Empress.'”
However, as if he had caught her weakness, the old gentleman who had secretly observed the whole situation begins to lower his voice little by little, as if trying to pressure her.
“Indeed… To you, that much money is like a necklace for a prosti…”
At that moment
-Whoosh
A dagger flew towards his neck.
-Drip
The dagger’s trajectory barely missed, leaving just a slight cut on the neck.
But,
He felt it.
‘If I didn’t stop talking, I would have been killed.’
As if to prove this, his whole body was shaking now.
At the aura coming from the young girl standing in front of him.
No,
At the killing intent.
-Crack
An inexplicable pressure.
With the shallow mana emitted and the killing intent, cracks appeared in the glasses the old gentleman was wearing.
-Step
Very slowly
-Step
She approaches him.
-Crack
As she gets closer to the old gentleman, the killing intent pouring onto him gradually becomes heavier.
-Rumble
A little weight becomes pressure, crushing the whole body.
Finally, the old gentleman,
-Thud
Knelt before her.
With just killing intent filled with mana, without any special technique or words.
-Step
Finally arriving within arm’s reach of him.
-Swish
She pressed his chin with her finger, sliding it,
Like a wolf choosing which part to eat first.
“Why did you stop talking?”
“S-Sor…”
“Quiet.”
-Stab
“Ugh….!!”
Five daggers stabbed into both thighs.
-Press
She gently places her foot on the daggers stabbed into the old gentleman’s thighs and slowly starts to press down.
“Ugh…!”
An action solely for pain.
She was no longer looking at him as an equal trading partner.
What was reflected in her eyes was a ‘prey.’
She recognized herself as the ‘predator.’
The old gentleman—no, he who could no longer be called a gentleman—was looking at her with a distorted expression.
“The reason I’m cooperating with small-fry like you who dream of devouring a empire is not because I ‘need’ you.”
This is not a conversation but a warning.
“My ‘thing.'”
Word by word.
“If you insult it, you die.”
She emphasizes the meaning by pausing.
“If you try to climb up one more time, I’ll hang your entire family upside down on the palace gates, got it?”
– ….Nod nod
He could only nod his head with a deranged look.
-Swish
She looked him over once, her eyes like those of a child looking at a broken toy, then turned her body and headed somewhere.
-Rustle
Her shadow widened, and something in the form of a black butler appeared from within.
“What shall we do?”
One of the shadow-form butlers asked her.
“Handle it as usual.”
“Yes.”
-Bow
Something bowed at the waist began to run into the darkness of the night, leaving her shadow.
“It’s almost time now.”
She grabbed her long hair and rubbed it against her cheek.
As if trying to hide her reddened cheeks.
At that moment
-Perk
Ears popping out from between her hair.
As if unable to hide her excitement, they flap back and forth.
“M-Mistress. Your ears have come out…”
One of the masses that came out of the shadow tries to tell her, but
“Shh.”
Just a warning to keep quiet came flying.
“Let’s enjoy comfortably today. I didn’t take out my tail, did I?”
-Swish swish
A gesture like waving her hands
-Bow
They just bowed at the waist and entered into the shadow.
‘Just who could it be… for the Empress to show such interest…’
With a small curiosity.
After the shadow disappeared, the Empress thought.
‘A necklace… Should I buy a collar instead?’
Author’s Notes
TMI: The carriages in this world are more expensive than you might think. Simply making one involves the employment costs of a coachman who works for 6 days just for travel, food expenses for the horses pulling the carriage and the coachman, and even a kind of toll collected by different territories. Honestly, it makes me think that carriages might cost more than a decent airplane. Haha.
Translator’s Corner
I’ll add the Author’s notes if I think they’re interesting and not just chapter announcements.
-Ruminas