“The entrance exam is in fifteen days. Make sure you arrive on time.”
Leaving those words behind, Kaisel vanished from the mansion.
He must have returned to Ars Magna Academy using long-distance teleportation magic.
Go to the academy?
Not once in my life had I considered going to the academy.
I enjoyed reading books about magic, but only to satisfy my intellectual curiosity.
I’ve never even thought about becoming a mage.
Mages.
The ones who monopolize vast amounts of knowledge and accomplish extraordinary feats.
Could I really become one of them?
Go to the academy and become a mage…
For some reason, even though I’d never considered such a future before, my heart began to race.
Besides, living leisurely in the territory, just reading books, isn’t an option anymore.
The family was already ruined.
The future where I would inherit the estate and live a peaceful life was long gone.
That meant there was only one path left for me.
If I truly have a talent for magic… then starting a new life at the academy is the right choice.
Kaisel had said I had a talent for magic.
Since those words came from a great mage like him, there had to be some truth to them.
Then I wanted to put that talent to use.
To carve out a new future for Eriol Valencia.
And besides… if I become a mage, I’ll be able to read spellbooks that aren’t available to the public, won’t I?
The magic-related books in circulation were merely ‘general knowledge’ books.
True ‘specialized’ books for learning magic could only be found at the academy.
Some books, known as ‘forbidden tomes,’ were even restricted from public access without special permission.
If I become a mage, I’ll gain access to books I’ve never been able to read before.
The academy would be filled with books I had yet to lay my hands on.
The thought of going there just to read them made my heart race even more.
Alright, let’s go.
Kaisel had said it himself.
If I became a mage at the academy, I could build a library of unimaginable scale.
To make that future mine, I had to go to the academy.
But…
There was just one thing that weighed on my mind.
I would have to leave my parents behind in our ruined home.
“Eriol, don’t worry about us. Go to the academy.”
“…What?”
But my father and mother reacted in an unexpected way.
“If Kaisel says so, then you must truly have a gift for magic.”
“That’s right, you can’t afford to miss this opportunity.”
“But still…”
“Don’t worry about us, Eriol. We’ll manage.”
Kaisel was surely a wealthy man, yet he hadn’t paid off even a single coin of my father’s debts.
All he had given was a small sum to cover my travel expenses to the academy.
Perhaps that reality had finally jolted my father awake—his eyes looked different from before.
“I have a relative in a distant city. We plan to start anew with their help.”
“…Father.”
“I won’t gamble anymore… I’ll work diligently.”
After saying that, my father turned to my mother.
“I’m sorry, dear.”
“There’s no other choice.”
My mother let out a long sigh.
“We’ll sell the mansion and move to the city together. We have to rebuild our family somehow.”
“…I truly am sorry.”
My father bowed his head to my mother.
He seemed to be sincerely reflecting on his actions… There was no need to worry anymore.
“Understood.”
It seemed my parents had resolved to start anew in their own way.
That meant I could move forward with my own fresh start.
“Then… I’ll go to the academy.”
To seize my new future.
I made up my mind to enter Ars Magna Academy.
Ten days later.
After a long journey, I arrived at a coastal town where the blue ocean stretched endlessly before me.
“Is that Ars Magna Academy?”
Beyond the sea, a massive island was visible.
Long ago, an enormous underground dungeon had been discovered on that island, attracting mages from all over the continent.
To conduct joint explorations of the dungeon, they had formed an organization, and as they shared their magical knowledge, the ‘Ars Magna Magic Institute’ was born.
Over time, the institute evolved into Ars Magna Academy, now renowned as the greatest magic academy on the continent.
“At least I won’t be late for the entrance exam.”
I headed toward the pier.
There was no bridge connecting to the island, so I had to take a boat.
“The next boat… is in twenty minutes.”
After checking the schedule, I took a seat in the waiting area.
Around me were many other boys and girls of similar age.
Since they weren’t wearing academy uniforms, they were probably here for the entrance exam, just like me.
“….”
I took out a book from my bag.
It was a novel I had purchased with the money Kaisel had given me.
A volume from The Youngest Son of a Political Family series, a long-running story about a noble who defies tradition to forge his own path. Today was its release day, and I had been lucky enough to find a copy at a bookstore that morning.
There are bookstores inside the academy, but new releases take at least a week longer to arrive.
I started reading, savouring every word.
Of course, I made sure not to get too absorbed—if I lost track of time, I might miss the boat.
However, because I remained aware of my surroundings, I became conscious of something odd.
…What’s this?
Beside me, a girl of about my age was sitting.
She had long black hair and a composed, refined expression.
There was a distinct elegance in her demeanor, and her expensive-looking attire suggested she was of noble birth.
But… she was staring straight at me.
She’s making me self-conscious.
Normally, I would have ignored it and focused on my book.
I had long since mastered the ability to block out distractions and immerse myself in reading.
However, since I had to keep track of time for the boat, completely tuning out my surroundings wasn’t an option.
I’ve made similar mistakes before.
I pondered how to handle the situation.
Snapping at her with “Why are you staring at me?” didn’t seem like a good approach.
So I opted for a more subtle solution.
“…Ah.”
At the sound of my voice, the girl flinched slightly.
I ignored it and casually walked over to the trash bin, tossing away a small scrap of paper from my pocket.
Then, without hesitation, I took a seat near the trash bin.
As if I had simply moved while disposing of my trash.
It wouldn’t be polite to outright avoid her.
Before I left, my mother had repeatedly reminded me to be considerate of others.
Perhaps she was worried that, having spent most of my life buried in books, I wouldn’t know how to interact properly with people.
But she needn’t have worried.
After all, I had already learned the fundamentals of social etiquette—through books.
“…?”
But.
Just because I showed consideration didn’t mean others would do the same.
The woman sitting next to me suddenly stood up and walked toward the trash can.
Then, despite holding nothing in her hands, she acted like throwing something away… and sat down next to me.
What’s with this woman?
Novels depict all kinds of characters.
But I had never seen anyone pull a stunt like this.
What was she trying to do?
“U-Um.”
“Yes?”
“When did you buy that book?”
“This morning.”
“Oh, today was the release date, right? You got it in the morning. I couldn’t get a copy…”
It seemed this woman was also a fan of the Political Dynasty’s Youngest Son series.
“You like Political family’s Youngest Son, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“I-I like it too.”
“I see.”
“……”
An awkward silence fell between us.
I had shown her a bit of consideration earlier, but I had no intention of engaging in idle chatter.
But her constant glances were starting to get on my nerves… so I let out a sigh and spoke again.
“Would you like to borrow the book?”
“Huh?!”
“I have another one to read anyway.”
I handed her the book I was holding and pulled out a different one from my bag.
It was A Field Guide to the Creatures of the Southern Jungle by Dr. Gort, a renowned biologist.
This wasn’t a newly purchased book. It had been buried in a corner of my library, which was lucky—it had managed to escape confiscation.
“Ah, um…”
“You can return it when we disembark. Oh, and—”
“Yes?”
“Let me know when it’s time to board the ship.”
Making it clear that I didn’t intend to continue the conversation, I opened the thick biology book.
Now that I’d asked her to let me know, I wouldn’t have to worry about missing the boat.
I shut out my surroundings as much as possible and focused solely on the book.
Hmm… So, the red-spotted frog preys on the tadpoles of other frogs…
When immersed in a book, one loses all sense of time.
I delved deeper into the ecosystem of the southern jungle, forgetting everything else.
“U-Um.”
Just as I was getting lost in the life cycle of the long-legged salamander, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.
“It’s time to board the ship…”
“……”
Looking up, I saw that everyone around me was standing and moving.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, here.”
She handed the book back to me.
“You could’ve returned it after we got off the ship.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Alright.”
I slipped the book into my bag and got up from my seat.
Then, to avoid any further conversation, I quickly boarded the ship.
“Phew…”
The vessel was large enough to accommodate dozens of passengers.
I took a seat, pulled out my book, and—
Almost immediately, someone sat down beside me.
But this time, it wasn’t the woman from before.
It was a man.
“Wow, I almost missed the boat.”
He was a strikingly handsome young man with gleaming blond hair.
Tall and lean, he had beads of sweat on his forehead, as if he had been running.
“The hot dogs they sell at the dock are just too good. I went back for another one and nearly missed boarding.”
“……”
“Hey, have you ever had a hot dog?”
At first, I thought he was talking to himself.
But no—he was addressing me.
Why was a complete stranger starting a conversation like this?
I wanted to quietly change seats like before, but the ship was already packed.
“Oh, you’re here for the entrance exam too, right? Same here! I’m Cain Trigger. What’s your name?”
His social skills were unreal.
Between him and that woman earlier, was the outside world more dangerous than I’d expected?
“Eriol Valencia.”
“Eriol Valencia! That’s a great name!”
I wished he wouldn’t announce my name so loudly.
“Wait a second. Eriol Valencia? Are you… related to Professor Kaisel Valencia?”
“……”
At that moment, I felt several nearby gazes shift toward me.
Kaisel Valencia was a legendary archmage.
Anyone aspiring to enter the academy would, of course, recognize the name.
Fantastic.
I let out a deep sigh.
It seemed reading on the ship wouldn’t be possible either.
“Wow, this is amazing. I really respect Professor Kaisel.”
“Good for you…”
“Did you know? Professor Kaisel took the academy’s entrance exam too. Back then, he also had to cross the sea on a ship like this.”
Cain Trigger spoke excitedly.
“But do you know what happened then? Right in the middle of the journey—”
That was when it happened.
“On the ship—”
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion rocked the vessel.
Passengers screamed, and chaos erupted in an instant.
“It’s… an anti-magic terrorist attack…”
Cain muttered with a discomfort.
Meanwhile, I let out a short sigh and closed my book.
Reading on this ship was officially out of the question.
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