Time passed quickly and the day of admission came.
Because everything had already been planned a few days before, all I had to do was check the suitcase, and the carriage had been reserved in advance. All that remained was to bid my parents farewell.
"My dear Isaac. Will you publish the book even when you go to the academy?"
"…Mother, the book is more important to you than me, right?"
"Of course."
"… …"
"Fufu. It's a joke. Don't make that face."
It wasn't a joke, in my opinion. I laughed bitterly. Nonetheless, she hugged me because she adored her children.
"Isaac. Your father has got something for you."
My father then approached me and handed me a pen.
It looked similar to a 'fountain pen' from my previous life, and the gold frame on the black background caught my eye.
It was giving off a beautiful figure that made my eyes wide open for me, who had always used only the nib.
So, as I alternated between the fountain pen and my father, he explained with a happy smile.
"It's called a magic pen. It has magic that replaces mana with ink. If you can recharge only mana, you can use it for the rest of your life."
"Hey, isn't this expensive?"
Instead of science, magic flourished in this world. Magic could be used to replace complex things like machines and engineering.
However, because magic was not popularised or widely used in this world, it was mostly used by the upper classes.
Even these magical items required meticulous craftsmanship, so the majority of them were created by Dwarves.
As a result, the cost of this magical pen, which my father gave me as a gift, would be exorbitant. It would easily exceed a commoner family's annual living expenses. Even if my father was a baron, it was a massive expense.
"This is insignificant in comparison to the money you have earned. And since it was a gift for you, this was all I could come up with. Your father sincerely apologizes."
"Father…"
"I don't mean to say that you should write hard when you go there, but don't neglect your studies. If there is something difficult, ask your older brother and sister there."
My father gave me advice in a warm voice and held the magic pen in my hand. As he had worked as a knight for most of his life, I could feel his hardened hands.
Then he stroked the bump between my middle finger's first and second knuckles. The calluses I've developed while writing had been dubbed 'pen-hooks.'
"You could even call them scars of glory. Dad is proud of you."
"… …"
"This is an honor you have earned for yourself, not through the efforts of others. So act as if you are proud of yourself."
"…yes."
Being born and raised by such wonderful parents was an honor and a blessing. Nothing was more important than growing up with loving parents.
Even in my previous life, my family vanished before I could repay the favor, but not in this one. I boarded the pre-booked carriage after sharing a deep hug with my father.
"Then I'll go!"
"Take care of yourself! When it's vacation, come back with your brother and sister!"
"If there's anything, call us! Stay healthy!"
My parents watched me until the end, even after I boarded the carriage. They entered the mansion as the distance increased, but I kept looking back.
'I'm leaving now.'
In the rattling wagon, I gazed out the window at the scenery. My father's estate was nearly empty enough to qualify as a rural village.
Instead, there were almost no monsters, and young people lived happily every day, making it a lively place. And because my father was a knight who had previously achieved terrifying feats, some young men sought training from him.
Occasionally, whenever I wrote, there was quite a lot of noise outside, but most of them were aspiring knights who were being trained by my father. Perhaps some of the best of them were sent to the academy under their names by their fathers.
'I won't be able to see that anymore.'
What should I say about this feeling right now… I couldn't describe it in one word.
I was looking forward to it, but I wondered if I would be able to adapt well, as I'd never had a lot of interpersonal relationships. It was a completely different world from the one I knew.
It was said that people live in the same place, but it was unclear whether common sense would work here. There were too many variables because it was a world where status exists.
'What am I doing now that I am so worried?'
I made the decision to take it easy. People won't believe I wrote Xenon's biography, and all I had to do was to act as a sincere student.
I'm not sure what I'll learn at the academy, but my goal was to work hard and earn a scholarship. If something bad happens in my life, I tell my brother or sister.
'I have to go and find my brother and sister first.'
My sister's hair was indigo blue, but my brother had red hair like my father's, so it would be easy to find them. Because red hair was rare in this world. Especially the golden eyes shining like a wild beast.
I leaned back comfortably on the backrest, and then a question came to mind and I asked the driver.
"Mister Coachman. How many hours does it take to get to the academy?"
"If the weather is good, it will take about ten hours."
"It's shorter than I thought. I thought it would take at least a day."
"The estate that Baron Michelle manages is close to the capital. Besides, this estate has not been developed yet, but it will be fully developed in 5 years."
10 hours was the perfect time to read a book or take a nap in moderation. Still, it didn't change that it was a very long time.
When I was reincarnated for the first time, I was unsure how to spend my time to the fullest. The outcome was a book.
But there were times when I felt science could have been invented a little more. Even dwarves, who were more dexterous than humans, devoted their time and energy to creating superior weapons and items, but transportation was primitive.
'Should I put it in Xenon's biography? A masterpiece created by the Dwarven craftsmen together.'
This will also be beneficial. At the same time, dwarves were shrewd geeks who created bizarre magical weapons. So, if there was a goal for transportation and supplies, as well as a moderately bleak past, the likelihood was sufficient.
A teacher and a disciple were the same as parents and children, especially among Dwarves, so I heard from my father that there was a tradition that when the master leaves the world, the disciple would follow.
Even if it was something that everyone pointed at, it was something that they endures to the end. This explains why dwarves had so many geeks.
'The unfortunate past had to end. I can set it up as a moving steam locomotive by burning mana.'
I scribbled in my notebook with the magic pen that my father had given me. In my previous life, I had a habit of recording things so I wouldn't forget them, but now I used a notebook instead.
'Anyway, I don't even know how it works, so should I really make it?'
As I would tell you in advance, I am a literati. I don't know anything about machines.
I'll just express what I can roughly imagine in my head, and if it's really difficult, I'll add an illustration.
Aside from that, I'm surprisingly good at drawing. When Xenon's biography was first published, a world map was included to aid readers' comprehension.
Of course, I don't claim to be an expert at drawing, but it was enough to keep me immersed. It was also enjoyable to draw by hand, so I included several illustrations with each edition of the book.
'It just feels like an old novel.'
Before web novels became a hit in a previous life, paper books had several illustrations for understanding the worldview (setting). Thanks to that, I was able to immerse myself more.
I jotted down the steam locomotive's settings in a notebook and checked to see if the ink was dry. As expected, the ink in the notebook dried up quickly because it was expensive.
It made me feel better knowing that my father had given me something really nice. I then focused solely on reading until I arrived.
"Patron?"
"… …"
"Patron?"
"yes?"
While I was concentrating on reading, the driver called me. I closed the book for a moment and lifted my head.
"We'll be arriving at Halo Academy soon."
"Huh? Already?"
"Heh heh heh. Not already. Ten hours have passed. Your concentration is terrific."
The coachman said with a wide smile. I scratched my head at the redness and glanced out the window.
"Wow…"
It was both a city and the capital. There was a noticeable difference from a distance.
When I went out on the streets in my hometown, it was mostly fields or farmland, but this place was densely packed with buildings. The architecture of the building and the people walking down the street transported you to Europe.
I saw a knight in iron armor and a wizard with a staff on occasion, but he seemed to be in charge of security.
"If you look ahead, you will see the Halo Academy."
"Where… oh."
As the coachman said, looking ahead, I saw a building with a unique structure. My review of seeing it.
'…Is it Hogwarts?'
I'm not lying when I say that Hogwarts from Harry Potter was standing up. Up to a castle-sized conical roof. It had the same Hogwarts appearance that I was familiar with.
Of course, it wasn't exactly the same; there were some differences, but they are minor.
'Don't tell me there are magic spells like Abracadabra?'
I've never seen a wizard with my own two eyes, so I even thought about it.
"We've arrived. I hope you have a good life then."
"Thank you. You worked hard."
When I got off the carriage, the driver greeted me like a gentleman. I also greeted according to the etiquette I learned at home.
After that, the coachman smiled once and turned around. I turned my back to watch the coachman walk away.
"Hey…"
Even though I didn't want to show it, admiration naturally escaped my lips. Anyone who had ever lived on Earth could understand how I felt.
Everyone would be impressed by this fantasy civilization, which previously existed only in cartoons and novels. I could feel it from afar, but it was more like a castle than a university.
"…this is not the time."
I quickly regained my composure and looked around. People who were presumed to be freshmen were already making their way towards the gate.
I occasionally saw people wearing uniforms, presumably school uniforms, and they were most likely enrolled students. School uniforms were only provided to incoming students.
So, calming my pounding heart, I walked towards the gate. As I moved my feet, I heard the sound of the luggage being dragged in the suitcase.
"Oh! Oh! Look over there! Isn't that Prince Leort?"
"That's true. He looks great whenever I see him…"
"Is that Princess Rina next to him?"
"Perhaps so? The princess is pretty too. I'm envious."
Then, suddenly, the atmosphere became noisy. People heading to the entrance to the academy stopped in the middle and looked in one direction.
I also turned my head to see what the fuss was. And a man and woman who showed off their dazzling beauty were walking side by side.
"…Oh."
That is how people can be. I was also proud of my face right now, but in front of that man, I felt like I needed to take a step back.
Also, how about a woman walking side by side with a man? Wearing a pure white dress, she was exuding her beauty as an elf who were called the incarnation of beauty.
The peculiar thing was that both of them were blonde, although their impressions were slightly different, anyone could see that they were siblings.
"…More than that, the Crown Prince and the Princess?"
Those two people who said they will catch me and kicked me in the newspaper? As I was thinking about it, someone grabbed them.
She was a cute girl with wavy brown hair and round eyes, and she had the body of a squirrel.
"Leort-sama! Long time no see!"
"Hm? You…"
It would not have been an illusion that Leort's expression was cracked for a moment.
Either way, the girl with brown hair was more attached to Leort. Seeing that she was even sneaking her arms around him, it seemed that she was trying to emphasize her friendship with Leort to the people around her.
But Leort had a grave response when the girl held her arm. In the meantime, the girl said in a sonorous voice.
"I'm Sophia! Do you recognize me?"
"…ah. It's Sophia the little girl. I know you well."
It was a lie. Anyone could tell by the artificial smile. The Crown Prince was now very displeased.
It's understandable that anyone would be angry if someone they don't know approached while walking down the street. Even more so if it's a trick where you can see the purpose clearly.
Unfortunately, however, the young girl named Sophia was ignorant of whether or not she had two lives and brought her body even closer.
She looked impressed.
"Gee, you remember! I honestly thought you wouldn't know…!"
"How can I not know a little and cute woman like you?"
"Ahh…!"
Wow. Look at her shamelessly lying without saliva in her mouth. Still, anyone with that voice and that face would be worthy.
Of course, acting wasn't a difficult task.
'It's not easy for the Crown Prince.'
I grinned inward with some sort of pity and stepped back. It was a story in a faraway country for me, so meddling was just poison.
"Oh, that's right! Did you read Xenon's biography that was published this time, Leort-sama?"
When Sophia asked him that question. I stopped in track and looked back at Leort.
As soon as the story about Xenon's biography came out, Leort's expression brightened. He liked me enough to threaten to lock me up in the imperial palace, so it might be natural.
"Of course. Have you read the new book?"
"Of course! But the ending… I was angry because the author seemed to be playing with people's hearts. You agree, too, right?"
"That's why the author is so talented that he can move people's hearts. I also got angry after reading the ending. The same goes for my brother."
"Rina-sama too?"
Sophia's gaze turned to the princess, that is, Rina. Rina replied with a smile.
However, her gaze was not on Sophia, but on Leort.
"Brother. Do I even have to say such a thing? It's embarrassing."
Why do you make me splash the fire? It sounded like this.
But Leort wasn't easy either.
"Hobbies are fun when you share them."
Let's suffer together. It sounded like this.
Although he spoke mildly and used noble language, the essence of the siblings did not seem to change wherever they goes.
"How did you two feel when you read the ending? It's really like what I saw in the newspaper…"
"Oh, you mean that? I wrote it out of anger, so you don't have to worry too much."
"Me too. Miss Sophia doesn't have to worry about it."
That was very fortunate news for me. I breathed a sigh of relief in a relieved mood.
Seriously, who would write such a thing in a newspaper in their right mind…
"Well, I'm half-serious that I want him locked up in the Imperial Palace. Hahaha."
"… …"
I'm never going to get involved with or run into any of these bastards.
I moved my legs quickly, wanting to hear nothing more.
'No. But wait. Is it possible for the princess to enter the school too?'
When I thought about it, the situation seemed to have gotten worse.
I'll never get caught.