LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 6 - Homecoming (1)
Chapter 6 – Homecoming (1)
“Good evening, Young Master. Are you the one who called for the carriage?”
As I descended from the dormitory, the coachman, who had arrived ahead of time, took off his hat and greeted me with a bow.
“I did call for you. I need to go down south, and by any chance, which city the carriage is heading to?”
“Pardon me, sir, but may I ask your exact destination?”
“Madehaven. It’s in the southern region, towards the eastern end. Have you heard of it?”
Madehaven was the name of the city where my family’s main residence was located. It was quite a distance away from the Academy, which was located in the central-western part of the empire.
“Oh… You’re traveling quite a long way. Maidenheden… I’ve heard of it…”
After hearing the destination’s name, the coachman pondered with his hand on his chin.
“The roads are open all the way, so you shouldn’t have any trouble continuing in my carriage, but the distance is long and the horses will tire by the time we get to the middle. In Schönne’s opinion, it would be best if you rode my carriage all the way to Westbury and then switched to another carriage from there.
Westbury has a major station of our guild, so if you continue using our carriages in succession, you might save some money…, and if you can afford it, you could even switch to a stagecoach. Although it takes a bit of a detour, considering the tiredness of the horses, you’d probably save more time this way.”
After a brief moment of thought, the coachman made a suggestion; his words didn’t seem to have any obvious flaws. It was a given that traveling long distances would tire the horses.
Westbury was situated to the southeast of our territory, and going through there meant taking a slightly roundabout route from our domain’s northeastern direction.
By going through Westbury, I would be adding a bit of a detour compared to a direct route from the Academy, but it would certainly save time compared to dragging fatigued horses, as the coachman had said.
Without a second thought, I decided to go with the coachman’s suggestion, “I’ll take your word for it, then. How long do you think it will take to reach Westbury?”
“It shouldn’t take too long, as the road from here to Westbury is well-paved, and the security is good enough that we can ride the carriage even at night. If we start now, we’ll probably arrive around noon tomorrow.”
“I see. Then let’s set off immediately. And if we arrive early, I’ll make sure to pay you a bit more. Can you try to get us there as quickly as possible?”
Considering that the time it took for the trip was roughly ten days round trip, I had about fifty days left. It wasn’t exactly a leisurely amount of time; moreover, my to-do list was still piled up like a mountain. It’s best to save time as much as possible.
“Ai, you must have something urgent then. Leave it to me. Despite my appearance, I’m one of the top drivers in the guild when it comes to speed. Now, please get in. I’ll take you to Westbury comfortably.”
After confirming that the coachman was loading my luggage, I got into the carriage.
The coachman took the front seat of the carriage and urged the horses forward. With a creaking sound, the carriage slowly began to move.
As the carriage traveled along the road to the outskirts of the Academy, I glanced out the window and saw the school grounds where I had confronted Iris earlier.
Out of reflex, I turned my head, and my eyes caught a certain sight. There, I saw Iris and… Eugene, handing her a handkerchief.
‘…Why did they meet so soon?’
Judging from the circumstances, Iris had been crying on campus since our separation. It was likely that Eugene, who happened to pass by and found the source of the commotion, met her there.
However, this place and time were not where Iris and Eugene were originally supposed to meet.
In the original story, Iris, who had a troubled relationship with her fiancé Edwin, had taken a break from student council activities before returning.
Eugene, on the other hand, faced various incidents from the beginning of the semester, handled them exceptionally well, and eventually became a new member of the student council as a ‘special case’ after he was promoted to a higher class. Only then did the two of them formally meet for the first time.
In other words, they meet each other much earlier than in the original.
Now, the two of us were drifting further and further away.
Iris was wiping her teary eyes with the handkerchief Eugene had given her.
Just looking at her made my heart tingle again; it’s not a pleasant thing to see someone you’ve had feelings for, twisted as they may be, in love with another man.
Especially when I know what the future holds for their relationship.
“Ugh…”
I let out a small sigh and pulled the curtains on the window shut.
━━ ••●•• ━━
Outside the window, darkness had stealthily descended.
The coachman hadn’t been lying when he said it was safe, and I could see several carriages passing on the boulevard besides ours.
The torches hung on the carriage were swaying like will-o’-the-wisps, dancing around.
-Huhu-uh
Seated in a meditative posture, I stimulated my Mana Heart, circulating mana throughout my body. It had been quite a while since I had practiced this mana circulation technique. I struggled to recall it, finally finding it buried deep in my memory.
Mana circulation within the body was as demanding as intense exercise, requiring a considerable amount of energy. That’s why well-trained mana users, regardless of gender, usually maintained well-toned, strong physiques. Yet, looking at me, it was clear how much I had neglected training — my body was in a state of disrepair that belied my status as a mana user.
Just climbing three flights of stairs in the dormitory earlier had left me panting and sweating profusely. Getting onto the carriage, I had strained and huffed my way up, and even sitting down, I’d felt a dizzy spell clouding my vision.
As I continued circulating mana, I realized my body was soaked with sweat. It was tough to practice the mana technique after such a long hiatus, but with time, I would surely get accustomed to it.
-Gasp!
Amid the mana circulation, a sudden pang of discomfort surged from deep within my body. It felt as if the mana coursing through my veins had hit an obstruction somewhere. I tried moving mana in that direction several times, but something kept blocking it.
“Ah, right…mana sclerosis…ha.”
Just like in my previous life, a terminal illness had taken up residence within my body in this life as well; though not as life-threatening as the illness in my past life, it was still an infuriating situation.
Mana Sclerosis was, by nature, a terminal illness. It blocked vital meridians throughout the body, preventing a person from fully utilizing their innate potential. This illness had probably played a significant role in shaping my character, my gluttonous personality.
Despite being kept secret for my reputation’s sake, there was still no proper cure for this illness that afflicted mana users from time to time. What to do? While it was not life-threatening, I’d rather avoid living with yet another terminal illness. Is there no way…?
As I grumbled to myself, a sudden thought crossed my mind. It’s there. Although risky, there is a way, potentially.
If the knowledge I possess holds true in this world, there’s a certain method that can undoubtedly cure this illness.
……I’ll think about it when I get back to the manor.
But how on earth did I manage to get assigned to Class-B in the entrance exam? Being just below the top-tier Class-A meant it wouldn’t have been an easy feat.
It’s not like the academy was a place where external pressure works. If that’s the case, could it be that I possess more talent than I thought?
If that’s true, there might be room for further improvement once my body returns to normal. Though I wasn’t holding high expectations on this front, I couldn’t help but feel like I’d received a surprise gift.
Even possessing considerable talent, I was designated as a minor villain, merely exiting the scene after causing trouble in the original story.
Fate is truly something both unknowable and familiar.
━━ ••●•• ━━
As midnight approached, the carriages that had been passing by vanished, leaving only the one I was on. The sound of hooves clattering rhythmically became my white noise as I lost myself in thought.
Outside the window, it had darkened to the point where nothing was visible. The Coachman in the front seat remained focused on guiding the carriage, undeterred.
Deciding that the moment was right, I resolved to address a matter of great curiosity that I had put off for a while. Despite there being no one to see, I hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a hushed tone.
“Sta…… Status Window?”
I waited patiently for a few moments, hoping something would happen, but as if it were the most natural thing in the world, nothing occurred. Feeling somewhat unsure whether my lackluster pronunciation was the cause or my lack of confidence, I enunciated “Status Window” once more, this time more clearly and precisely. Yet, once again, nothing happened.
A pang of embarrassment stung my cheeks. My skin probably turned a shade redder. Thankfully, there was no one around to witness this.
‘Well then…’
No matter how much this was another world in reality, it was still the place where I’d first encountered through novels and games. That’s why I called out, just in case…
‘Normally, in a situation like this, a status window or something should automatically pop up, right…?’
I grumbled softly, inaudibly, to myself. In the end, all I could make use of now was the knowledge I possessed.
I shifted my gaze and looked down at the stack of papers in my hand.
I’d asked the staff to bring me some papers, and during the carriage ride, I’d jotted down a rough sketch of what I knew about the original work.
At first, I couldn’t remember much of it, but once I started thinking about it, quite a bit came back to me.
These papers were essentially my lifeline.
From now on, I resolved to cultivate a habit of consistently recording my knowledge.
━━ ••●•• ━━
-Thump! Thump! Thump!
A loud tapping on the window jolted me awake.
Groggily, I opened the curtains and looked out the window to see the pale light of dawn breaking.
I must have dozed off while lost in thought. But why would the carriage driver be waking me up like this… Could it be that we’ve already arrived in Westbury?
I distinctly remembered being told we’d arrive around noon. While I had asked him to arrive as quickly as possible, I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
“Welcome to Westbury, Young Master. As you requested, I have brought you here as quickly as possible, and How satisfied are you with the journey?” The carriage driver smiled as he opened the door.
There was no need to say anything. I was more than satisfied. He wasn’t wrong in saying that he was the top three carriage drivers when it came to speed.
“Satisfied. To say the least, I didn’t expect you to arrive so quickly, yes. But if your skill is this good, how fast must the two individuals you say are even faster than you be?”
“Oh, you mean that?” The coachman chuckled.
“Actually, at the moment, Schönne is the fastest. Those two fellows left to be with the Lord last year after a fortunate carriage accident.”
The coachman said in a casual, nonchalant tone as he set the luggage down, as if it were no big deal.
My goodness.
Despite the comfortable ride and various stray thoughts, I completely missed the danger that the journey of last night might have posed.
“In any case, thank you for your service. I wish you well on the rest of your journey to my Maidenheden.”
I thanked the coachman for his prompt arrival and handed him twice the agreed amount, as promised.
Leaving behind the Coachman who had a cheerful grin, I headed to the guild’s reception area to book a stagecoach.
There were approximately four more days left until I reached my hometown.
(End of Chapter. . . . . . . .)
𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙
Author’s Note :-
The Academy won’t appear for a while…
Still, I’ll do my best to return there as quickly as possible.
𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙
Translator’s Notes:-
The Author has made some changes in the novel, the majority of them being in the first 6-7 chapters. The original first 5 chapters – titled ‘Awakening’ – have been reduced to 4 chapters, with changes made in them.
I will update them according to the updated raws soon. That said, there probably won’t be a new chapter for this one in next 2-3 days since I have to do the edits and we got a small festival too tomorrow.