Shirone knew that those who called themselves experts frequented those places and ended up losing their money. Of course, with Eruki's wisdom syndrome skill, no one could compete in probability calculations, but there's a reason why people call it a game. Probability is just probability, and winning in the game required the cunning of a winner who knew how to do it. It was clear that Eruki had been stripped of his money once while accumulating it little by little.
"I'm not going. Are you going out?" he said. "I don't gamble or anything like that."
"You don't need to bet," he heard. "Pretty girls serve you drinks and give you massages. Are you sure you don't want to go?"
When he heard that, he became even more reluctant to go.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm really tired. I'll keep sleeping. Have a good time."
As Shirone apologized, he couldn't change his mind. In other words, Shirone was the most tired person as he prepared for the presentation. Neid and Eruki also lacked sleep, but the work they focused on was divided between manual and intellectual work.
On the other hand, Shirone, who had to increase the photon output level, had to continue high-level training for a month that consumed both body and mind. Furthermore, in the end, he entered the realm of infinity and poured out his mental strength, so it was natural that his mind and body were weakened.
"Yes, I understand," he said. "So, rest well. Anyway, we'll be back, we know that."
"Yes, go and get lots of things. Buy me something delicious."
"Hahaha! Don't worry! When we wake up, we'll be rich as if by magic."
Upon hearing the door close, Shirone buried his face in the bed again.
"Anyway, you're rich, but you're getting all worked up..."
Shirone fell back into a deep sleep.
***
That night.
"Well, well, well," Shirone muttered as he tossed and turned in cold sweat. A nightmare that didn't appear when he fell asleep as if he were unconscious rose in his consciousness again as it filled his consciousness.
"Well..."
Shirone frowned and shook his head from side to side. In the vast universe, humans were nothing. The empty feeling of deprivation enveloped Shirone in a powerful shock.
This time, the nightmare focused on a single point. Time rewound and reached the beginning of the universe. Light was visible, and the light was a swinging thread, which turned back into a bubble and filled Shirone's vision. There was only light. And in the next moment, a powerful explosion erupted in the empty space of nothingness.
"Gasp!"
Shirone sat up. His wide-open eyes continued to look at the residual image in his memory. Only after he realized that his pajamas were sweaty did he slowly turn to the window.
It was a crisp morning, and birds were singing.
"Oh, I thought it wasn't a dream."
There was no doubt that he had had a nightmare. His body trembled as a strange sensation completely enveloped him.
But Shirone was no longer afraid.
He heard Armin's explanation, and on the day of the presentation, he exited the realm of infinity at will.
When he could control his power to some extent, Shirone calmly observed what had happened to him.
"The universe you see in your dreams. It certainly is a sight marking the beginning of the universe. And the gauge symmetry."
Although there was no logical information, he felt a vague sense of being caught. Perhaps it was the work of organizing information that happened unconsciously. When he thought of Armin, who said he had realized himself, his mind calmed down, and his feeling of being trapped disappeared.
Shirone entered the bathroom. How he had slept so deeply that he didn't even know how many days had passed, his condition was quite good. While brushing his teeth, he recalled his memories, and it seemed that Eruki and Neid had passed by.
"Was it a dream? Or were they really here?"
The faces of the two men who said they would go to the casino and win the jackpot were blurry.
"I'd prefer to go with them," he thought. "What should I do alone now?"
After leaving the bathroom while brushing his teeth, Shirone suddenly looked back at the bed and stopped. Dust floating on the bed was spinning. The window was closed, so it wasn't convection.
He forgot to rinse his mouth, and Shirone rushed, foam in his mouth. When he looked closely, he could confirm it. It was definitely happening. He reached out to the center of the revolution. At the moment he thought he couldn't feel anything, he suddenly felt a strong sense of portraiture.
"Oh my God!"
Shirone leaned forward, spitting out the foam from his teeth.
What could it be?
He felt as if he had touched the nerves of the point where a tooth had been extracted from him for the first time, as if he had confirmed what he knew.
"This is it! I already know, but I don't know its name. But what is this?"
Shirone moved frantically in the air. But he couldn't feel the strange sensation anymore. After calming down, Shirone went back to the bathroom and washed with hot water. Meanwhile, he kept thinking about the phenomenon he had just discovered.
"It's not the wind, it's not the air, it's not the temperature. But how can the dust move?"
It wasn't floating randomly. Clearly, it was moving in a rotating fashion by some force.
Shirone, who had been lost in thought for more than an hour, changed his clothes and went out. There were no students outside the building because classes were in full swing.
Feeling strange, Shirone headed towards the front door. He had been suspended for a week and had four days off ahead. The milk had already been spilled, so Shirone decided to take this time as a break after special training.
"But where should I go?"
The first thing that came to mind was his home. When he remembered his parents' faces, he felt a strong desire to go.
"No, that's ridiculous."
It would take half a day to get there by carriage, and there was no justification. "Mom, Dad, I'm suspended," he would say, and he wouldn't be allowed into the house. However, it would be awkward to pass by the Ogent House in Rian and Reina's absence.
"Oh, yes!"
Shirone suddenly realized where he was going and snapped his fingers.
It was a bookstore.
Of course, there were many books in the school library, but it had been Shirone's cherished dream for a long time to buy books in a bookstore.
Suddenly, when he remembered how happy he had been with the old book his father bought him as a child, he smiled.
He enjoyed a book, but in reality, he had a possessive desire to buy more books.
But now he could do it thanks to the considerable allowance that Temuran sent him every month.
If he bought a book in a common area, he could have put the book in a basket even if he used it a little less.
"This is the first book I've bought, my own book."
It wasn't bad to borrow a book from the library, but Shirone, who loved books, had a unique possessive desire
.
Having made up his mind, he quickened his steps. In an instant, he went from the noble district to the common people's district.
The city he used to visit often in his father's cart when he was a child remained the same. Shirone slapped his bag of gold coins and confidently entered the bookstore. The owner recognized Shirone. Every time he came to the city, his face was memorable because he was a child who stood and looked inside for hours.
"Welcome... Oh, isn't that Shirone?"
"Good morning, ma'am."
"Good morning, Shirone. You've grown so much that I thought your dad had gone to another city because I haven't seen him much lately. He used to buy me a book every time he came."
"He won't come anymore. So I'm going to buy it myself."
"Yes, you still love books, I see. Pick one."
"Alright, I'll take a look."
Shirone walked around the bookstore with a happy smile. There were price tags everywhere where books were stacked, but from what he saw, books in good condition were expensive regardless of the content.
There were few commoners who could read, but in large cities like Creas, the number of people was quite good.
However, there were also many novels that sold better than academic books, and the occasional academic books only covered basic fields. Shirone could see that the books in the Alpheus School of Magic Library were much more advanced than he had expected. Although he didn't have a book related to his specialty, he liked all books anyway, so he looked at this and that and bought a novel with a magician as the main character.
There were several books that seemed quite popular, and according to their quality, they were divided into high, medium, and low prices. Shirone, who had the money, chose the cleanest new book and offered a gold coin. It was a bookstore where common people went, so the prices were low, but the books themselves were valuable. Moreover, since it was a new book, the price was ten times higher than the lower-quality ones.
"Oh, how can you buy such an expensive one?"
"Are you here for an errand?"
"No, actually, this is my first book. So I'd like to read something clean, even if it's a bit expensive."
"Well, I'm proud of you. Not many people spend money on books. Anyway, do your best to read it carefully. That's how you'll become smart. If you're smart, you won't marry later and make your wife suffer."
The woman, who had no idea that Shirone attended a magic school, the cradle of geniuses, delivered a speech with the pride of the bookstore owner. But Shirone seemed to be in a good mood and listened with pleasure, and left with a book.
"This is my book."
My own book, neither borrowed nor read by others. The weight of the book made his heart beat like that of a child.
"Eh? Isn't that Shirone?"
Shirone looked to the side at the voice calling him. A group of children was gathered on a cart. He widened his eyes as he looked closely at the familiar appearance.
"Oh, is that Althor? Martin? Lumina?"
They were children from the village of Hwajeonmin who had been childhood playmates.
"Is that really Shirone?"
The children crowded around Shirone. Most of them were the same age, with one or two years older at most. However, their size had changed completely. In particular, Altor, the leader of the country children, had become a giant that not even adults could handle. Martin, who had always been smaller, was now similar in size to Shirone.
Altor put his arm around Shirone's head and shoulder.
"Kid! What the heck is going on? It's been years since I've seen you. When I asked Uncle Vincent, he just said you were living in the city."
"Hahaha."
"Sorry. That's how it was."
Their greeting was rough after a long time, but Shirone was also happy. Martin, whose front teeth stuck out like a rabbit's, looked admirably at Shirone's clothes and said:
"Wow. You've come a long way. To me, you look like a noble."
"Really? I didn't know."
Shirone was surprised to hear that he looked like a noble. He had never thought about it before. However, while living in a magic school through the Ogent House, it seemed that the scent of the aristocrats had soaked into him.
said Lumina, the only girl in the group.
"Shirone has always looked like a noble. Anyway, I'm glad you're okay."
"Well, thanks, Lumina. You've become more beautiful too."
Lumina's face turned red. As far as Shirone remembered, Lumina was a girl with many freckles and chubby cheeks. However, now her skin had darkened slightly, her freckles had disappeared, and she had lost weight, so she looked like a perfect woman.
Altor burst into laughter.
"You're telling more lies, Shirone! Really? There were no kids who could endure his horse's hoof. What's beautiful about this walnut?"
"Shut up! Who are you to judge me by calling me a walnut?"
When Lumina got more angry than ever, Altor felt uncomfortable.
"No, I was just kidding..."
"Well, I don't want to talk to you."
"Yeah! Don't say it. You embarrass me to be with a girl like you."
Shirone felt better after a long time as he remembered his old memories. At first glance, it might seem like a fight, but this was the daily life of children in Hwajeon Minchon.