A few days passed quickly, and the moment of admission to the academy finally arrived.
As I adjusted my outfit and prepared to head to the academy’s entrance ceremony, a voice called out from outside.
“Young master, the carriage has arrived.”
“I’ll be right out.”
At the head maid’s words, I grabbed my luggage and stepped outside.
The head butler and head maid of the count’s estate, along with the rest of the servants, bowed their heads in unison.
As I passed them and walked down the corridor, they followed behind me in step.
When I exited through the front gate of the count’s estate, I saw Count Nehemoth standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
He looked at me and spoke.
“You’re here.”
“…Yes.”
Since it wasn’t a secluded place with just the two of us, we spoke in a manner befitting a normal father-son relationship.
“Then, let’s go.”
“…Yes.”
With those words, I followed Count Nehemoth toward the carriage standing beyond the main gate.
The head butler, the head maid, and the servants bowed deeply and said in unison,
“Have a safe trip, young master.”
Hearing their farewell, I arrived at the carriage with the count.
As I climbed onto the carriage, Count Nehemoth left me with one final word.
“…Then, go. And… don’t forget your duty.”
“…Yes.”
I gave a brief reply and got onto the carriage.
It had been about a week since I possessed this body.
Now, I was heading to the academy.
Leaving the count’s estate, where I had spent my entire life, and moving to the academy didn’t stir any feelings of regret or longing.
The only things filling my mind were plans for the future and thoughts of revenge.
Clatter.
I fiddled with the pendant hanging around my neck and closed my eyes.
When I closed my eyes like this, it felt as if I could see the scenery of that day.
The memories of that day were still painful.
This was an unchanging truth, even before I had obtained the memories of Lee Hyun-joon.
The cold blood emitted a metallic, nauseating scent.
The images and scents of two people who always brought me comfort and happiness became tainted with the color and stench of blood.
My mother, and my younger sister Lucia.
Looking at their cold, lifeless bodies, I felt a chill, in stark contrast to the warm spring sunlight.
In my hand was a grotesquely twisted black blade.
And as blood dripped from its edge, I slowly drove it into my own chest…
“Master! Master!”
As I was lost in the painful recollection of those memories with my eyes closed, the coachman’s urgent voice reached me.
Hearing it, I opened my eyes slightly and read the situation.
[Hyper-Sensitivity] – MAX. LV
‘…There are twelve of them. One of them can even use mana.’
Using my heightened senses to read all presences, I stood up and stepped out of the carriage.
The coachman, drenched in cold sweat, was waiting for me at the door.
He lowered his head and spoke.
“I apologize. While passing through a nearby village, bandits suddenly…”
“It’s fine. I understand the situation.”
Bandits occupying a nearby village, it seems.
Most likely, they’re trying to extort a toll.
Thinking this, I passed the coachman and moved forward, where I saw twelve rough-looking men with menacing expressions.
At their center, a large man with a burly frame grinned at me and spoke.
“Oh, a young nobleman, is it? No wonder your carriage looks so fancy. My apologies for the misunderstanding.”
“Now, now, we’re not looking to cause trouble with nobles. If you’d just pay a reasonable toll, we’ll let you pass peacefully.”
He didn’t seem particularly wary of me.
It made sense.
The carriage I rode in had only myself and the coachman.
A noble’s carriage with not a single escort?
It wouldn’t be strange to think it belonged to some weak border noble.
Perhaps they assumed I was the child of a declining family who sent me off in an expensive carriage, desperate to maintain a shred of dignity.
If that’s the kind of noble they think they’re dealing with, they probably believe they can squeeze a decent toll out of me without blowing things out of proportion.
How amusing.
An escort…
I didn’t have one because I didn’t need one in the first place.
I stretched out my hand into the air.
As I did, my hand disappeared as if it had sunk into thin air.
“?!”
The men flinched, startled by what they saw.
Without much concern, I retrieved an ordinary iron sword from the spatial rift.
“…Y-you’re planning to fight?”
Sensing something was off, the burly man, who seemed to be their leader, forced a laugh and tried to speak, but…
Shwick!
By the time he realized it, I was already behind him, my sword drawn.
“Ah… ah…”
Those were his final words.
Like a piece of glass shattering, a crack appeared on the leader’s neck.
Thunk.
His head fell to the ground.
Splash!
Blood sprayed out like a fountain from the stump.
“Ah… ah…?”
“Wh-what…”
The others stared blankly at the scene, frozen in disbelief.
Then, all at once, they panicked.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“W-what’s going on?! What the hell?!”
“S-shit! The boss is dead!”
“Damn it! He was supposed to be skilled with mana, wasn’t he?!”
“H-how could this…?”
They descended into chaos, stumbling over each other in fear.
Turning my back to the leader’s bleeding corpse, I looked around at the rest.
Shwaaaaak!
With swift, fluid movements, I cut down the remaining eleven men, who were now running around in a frenzy.
I moved so quickly that not a single drop of blood stained my body.
Sheathing my sword, which had swung too fast to catch any blood, I turned back toward the carriage.
“Explain the situation to the villagers as you see fit.”
“Ah… y-yes, sir!”
The coachman, who had been staring at me blankly, snapped out of it and nodded furiously.
Returning to the carriage, I leaned my chin on my hand and turned my gaze out the window once more.
“…..?”
And yet, I felt something.
Lowering my eyes, I noticed my hand trembling atop my trousers.
I stared blankly at it for a moment.
“…I see.”
Soon, I gently clasped that trembling hand with my other hand.
“…It’s your first time killing someone, isn’t it?”
Lee Hyun-joon.
He had been nothing more than an ordinary citizen on Earth.
Moreover, he had lived in South Korea, a relatively peaceful country with excellent public safety.
It was his first time seeing someone die, let alone killing someone himself.
The smell of blood, the sensation of slaughter, and the cold, unflinching self that carried it out…
I found myself harboring an unfamiliar fear toward that part of me.
“…I won’t forget.”
And I vowed not to forget it.
This was my humanity.
The journey resumed quickly.
The men had indeed occupied the village under the guise of offering protection while exploiting the residents.
They extorted money and shamelessly harassed the village’s women.
When the villagers heard that I had dealt with them, they wanted to express their gratitude, but I declined, citing my urgent journey.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you… I don’t know how we can ever repay you…”
“There’s no need to worry about it, elder.”
The village elder, who had introduced himself as the headman, kept bowing his head repeatedly, his gratitude overflowing.
The burden on his heart seemed to have been immense.
“Normally, we’d love to host you for a day and treat you properly, but…”
“It’s really fine.”
When I noticed the village women blushing and whispering among themselves as they glanced at me, I shook my head.
“I’m pressed for time, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“Y-yes! If you ever return someday, please allow us to repay you!”
As the carriage set off, the villagers bowed their heads and bid me farewell as I departed.
And so, I resumed my journey toward the academy.
Carriages in this world were unlike the typical medieval ones.
They were more akin to automobiles powered by magic.
To be precise, most carriages were still horse-drawn, but nobles generally used magically powered carriages.
These magical carriages boasted a speed incomparable to their horse-drawn counterparts.
After only a few hours of travel, the academy’s scenery came into view.
It was closer to a grand metropolis than a simple school.
Numerous buildings lined the beautifully decorated walkways, and at the center stood a massive black tower, surrounded by a castle-like structure.
A view reminiscent of the imperial capital…
perhaps even more magnificent.
In truth, the academy wasn’t just an educational institution.
It was the site where the Evil God was sealed, as well as a place where nations and factions from all over the world collaborated to train heroes who would one day defeat the Evil God.
Just the fact that the academy admitted the children of key figures from various nations demonstrated its significance.
Despite being built solely with the Empire’s resources, the academy functioned as an industrial, political, economic, and cultural hub for nations and factions outside the Empire.
It was a place more developed and advanced than any major city or capital in the world.
The resulting scenery was so majestic it left an impression unmatched by any other place.
‘…The academy.’
I felt a hint of admiration at seeing this view in reality rather than as graphics in a game.
If Lee Hyun-joon’s consciousness alone had been present, he probably would have stood there dumbfounded, endlessly exclaiming in awe.
After all, he had been an ardent fan of Elysion Academy.
I gazed at the academy’s scenery for a while before asking the coachman.
“Do you remember the address of the lodging prepared near the academy?”
“Ah, yes! Of course, my lord.”
“Good.”
Naturally, one does not arrive at the academy city in a carriage just before the entrance ceremony.
There was not only the entrance ceremony to attend but also the entrance exams to complete beforehand.
It was common to secure lodging in advance and wait there for a while.
‘In that case, would it be possible to seek out this world’s protagonist in advance?’
Thinking this, I leaned back against the carriage as it continued toward the lodging.