"'Hoh." Nicokel was amazed by the driver's skills. He could easily stop the carriage at the check posts of the city and even maneuver the carriage in a way that the interior didn't shake at all.
'Unsurprisingly, I don't have any guards. Well, no faction supports me in any way and the salamanders are more than enough to fight off any bandits.' Nicokel plopped his cheek on the back of his palm.
borborygmus~
"Sigh..." He could only feel helpless about his grumbling stomach.
Having decided to slim down, Nicokel decided to halve the lunch he had in Blodraid dukedom. He could still vividly remember his uncontrollable hunger, it was almost like bugs were crawling all over his stomach.
'...Thankfully, I am used to being hungry for multiple days, to the point I was once dehydrated in the desert. I can stick with any regiment I come up with due to my resilience.' Nicokel was thankful for that experience.
'I have to eat healthy food for nutrients to grow muscles, but I have no idea about the foods in this world...I have a long series of work ahead of me.'
With nothing to do, Nicokel lost himself in the view outside the carriage's window. Internally, he felt uncomfortable with the peace he had around him.
This peace was too far away from the tense air of the war, it made him remember some unpleasant memories. This was not the first time he felt like this, it happened sometimes in his past life too.
'Sigh...It's almost like PTSD, I can't help but remember about the time before the portal opened on Earth too.' A gloomy light flared within Nicokel's black eyes.
Honestly, he could easily disperse these unpleasant memories if he willed. But once he remembered his comrade's and family members' faces, he just let it happen.
A lot of people came to Nicokel's mind, many of his comrades who fought to their bitter ends, or even random soldiers who respected him.
They say that it was normal for people who experienced war to have some kind of PTSD. It haunted them for a long time.
However, it was different for Nicokel. He was grateful that he experienced such PTSD sometimes. It let him remember all the people who once fought alongside him, they were true comrades in arms.
"Hmph..." Nicole smirked.
Closing his eyes, a certain woman's face appeared before him.
'Sister...' Nicokel couldn't help but feel depressed thinking about her.
Unlike his parents, his sister survived alongside him and was different from him, she was blessed with a talent immensely helpful in combat.
It was reported that she died while fighting in the frontline, this had driven Nicokel, Halbert's fire for revenge even fiercer.
'We were considered a strange duo, me the best in the theoretical part and she the best in combat. If I was the one leading her at the time, I am sure I could have saved her.' Nicokel felt a little regret about that event.
Nicokel's recollection didn't end there, he remembered other familiar people too.
Like that, time passed by without noticing and they arrived at the Verskein dukedom tomorrow morning. In the middle, they took a break in a small city at night.
....
Entering the main city of the Verskein dukedom, Lesvete, Nicokel gazed vividly at the citizens moving around in the streets.
'The city's infrastructure is comparable to the middle age of the earth. Oil lamps suspended on chains, and roads made with cobblestones. There are many bizarre carts pulling animals here and there too.' Nicokel had grown somewhat used to it.
It didn't seem like any new culture was followed in the city either.
The street was a little more crowded with carts and carriages compared to the other cities, causing Nicokel's carriage to move at a slow pace.
Beads of sweat around Nicokel's fat body made him uncomfortable. He wore a formal noble dress code of a white shirt and black pants, he had long thrown away the thick jacket for the coach to carry.
"Hey, isn't there any kind of cooling spell applied to the carriage?" Nicokel addressed the coach.
"C-cooling magic? Yes, the carriage is enforced with such spells, young master." The coach was shaken a little hearing Nicokel's sudden question.
Everyone below Nicokel's social standing reacted the same. It was all thanks to Nicokel's spoiled and foul attitude so far. He had thrown tantrums multiple times in the past.
"Then why is it not working?" Nicokel grew interested in the subject.
The coach responded in a blink of an eye: "It's most likely because young master, you don't have any mana. The magic enforcement in the carriage works by absorbing a little of the passenger's mana to work."
Nicokel grew flabbergasted, 'Doesn't that mean no defensive spell would have activated either? I would have been toast if someone directly attacked the carriage...'
Nicokel was talentless, not being able to awaken mana even after turning 12. After taking over, Halbert tried but he couldn't feel any mana either in his body.
'It's a disappointment that I have no mana even after reincarnation. Tough life.' Nicokel's shoulder slumped.
After multiple minutes, the carriage reached the gate of a mansion. Throughout this, Nicokel suffered from the hot temperature.
The garden of the mansion was huge, with a series of different kinds of flowers and fountains. The environment within gave out a sense of serenity.
Getting off the carriage, Nicokel entered through the gate opened by the two guards.
'It's freaking huge as in my memory...' Nicokel couldn't even see the end of the mansion. It appeared more like a castle with those pure white marble.
The servant working at the garden bowed his head deeply seeing Nicokel walking to the front door. All the servants did the same, freezing in their locations almost like they were acting as part of the background.
Opening the front door, Nicokel found himself in a huge hall with a large chandelier hanging on the top. Following his memories, he began moving towards his room.
The mansion was really quiet, with just servants or knights appearing once or twice in Nicokel's eyes.
"Hohoho, if it isn't the famous women assaulter." A sarcastic voice flowed from behind Nicokel, leading him to stop.
Turning around, Nicokel found a woman in her mid-twenties and a 12-year-old boy, the same age as Nicokel standing arrogantly.
The woman wore a gorgeous purple dress, glistening with jewels particles.
Nicokel tilted his head, rummaging through his head for a second before responding: "Ah if it isn't a pleasant day, Madam Relane. Please excuse me, but I will have to get going."
Nicokel was amazed at his pleasantries, but at the same time, he felt it was natural cause of his memory.
Without giving them time to reply, Nicokel turned around and walked away. His relationship was not good with those people, he didn't have the mood to play around with them.
"How dare he act like that before Mother!" The boy, Gelen, who had the same white hair as Nicokel stamped his feet.
"Quiet. Keep an eye on him closely, he felt different from usual." Trenae couldn't point it out, but something felt different to her.
"Understood, Mother." Gelen nodded his head with his eyes downwards. It was apparent to see how strictly his mother treated him looking at his behavior.