Many times I have imagined a hypothetical future of mine in this world; if I'm not mistaken, I started thinking about it when I realized I couldn't return to my world, but perhaps even earlier.
In most of the scenarios I imagined, I died—sometimes gloriously, other times like a pathetic idiot. Other times, I managed to survive but ended up becoming a hermit living alone. There were only a few scenarios where I managed to get married and lived a pretty good life overall.
But there is one thing all these scenarios have in common: in all of them, I never fully accept having been reincarnated and having changed not only my family but also the world and the society I live in. Many times, I told myself to accept it, that I couldn't do anything about it unless I decided to dedicate this life to finding answers to my many questions. But that would be a waste of time because I am sure I'll never discover anything, and those questions will forever remain unanswered.
So why can't I accept it? Why can't I just move on?
I thought I had managed to do it, but I was simply deceiving myself. There is such a huge gap between me and my current "family" that even Gerald has probably noticed it.
After spending half an hour thinking about all this, I finally decided to stop with these paranoid thoughts and went to the bathroom to take care of my needs before going to bed. While heading to the bathroom, I passed by Arrick's room and could clearly sense what was happening inside: he and Mary were flirting. Flirting at this hour? Are you serious? But after a few seconds, I remembered it was only seven-thirty in the evening, and I was going to bed early because I had to wake up early the next day to go to the forest with Gerald. Still, seeing them together didn't sit well with me at all.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad she's here instead of that bitch Nelly, but seeing Arrick so happy while I'm reduced to this because of him didn't sit well with me. In the end, though, it was helpful because it opened my eyes to this whole matter. Yeah, all thanks to him.
After less than five minutes, I walked away from his room and continued heading to the bathroom. Meanwhile, I thought back to everything that had happened today, especially after the arrival of Arrick and company.
TEN HOURS EARLIER
Well, it seems I've ended up in the middle of a love triangle. Great. Although I don't think "love triangle" is the right term because I'm sure Nelly doesn't love Arrick but has some ulterior motive. What? I have no idea, but I don't believe someone like Nelly is capable of love. Just look at her behavior. Someone might say her behavior isn't wrong, that it's just how nobles behave. Even Lady Dwile acts like that with almost everyone except the Noimar family, probably because the two families are close friends. But I'm not very experienced with these things since I've seen like five nobles in my life.
As for my theory that Nelly is evil, I might be wrong, but I still want to investigate since I have nothing better to do. Spending what should be my "vacation" just training magic is not something I want to do at all.
"Hey Leo, could you hand me that jacket? Thanks."
"Sure."
Right now, I'm in Arrick's room, helping him choose what to wear for today's lunch, which I'll also be attending. I decided to help him to understand what kind of person he is, and also because I have nothing better to do: Tom and Ryan are playing like two kids, and for obvious reasons, I don't join them. The few times I do play with them, it's to seem like a child because if I acted like a 16-year-old, everyone around me would probably realize something's wrong. Even so, I'm behaving much more maturely than a 4-year-old.
The other choices were to go to the Dwiles, but I didn't know what to do in their company; or spend time with either Nelly or Mary, but neither of them is in the right mood. My parents are hibernating, and I don't think they'll wake up before noon.
"So, how does it look on me?"
"Good. You look really handsome. You're so lucky to have been born this way."
"Nah, I'm not that lucky. Compared to someone of my status, I'm below average in both looks and abilities. I think anyone, even commoners, could easily achieve what I have—so could you!"
"Arrick, dear Arrick, what the hell are you saying? I can't speak to your abilities since I've never seen you in action, but you're objectively handsome, you have a very high status, you have more money than all the adults in my village combined, and to top it all off, you have two babes who want to blow you. And I'm supposed to reach your level? Give me a break."
At least that's how I wanted to respond, but I managed to hold back and didn't say anything.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you—"
At that moment, Lady Dwile knocked on the door, saving me from an awkward situation.
"Hi, Arrick."
"Hi, Mom. You're looking good."
"You're so witty."
As she said this, Lady Dwile's face was stiff, giving her a terrifying aura.
"Why would I be witty? I don't get it."
"I think you know very well the situation you're in. Make sure not to make such mistakes again."
"You wrote that to me in a letter months ago! How was I supposed to remember it?"
"And so, you had the brilliant idea to bring your whores to my house, right?"
When Lady Dwile called Mary and Nelly "whores," Arrick got very angry, summoned his courage, and faced his mother head-on.
"Mother—"
"211."
"What?"
Arrick didn't even have time to start his sentence before his mother threw out a random number.
"Do you know what 211 is?"
"I don't know, a number? I mean, I'm pretty sure it is."
"It's the number of slaps I'll give you if you dare say another word."
Okay, Lady Dwile has lost it. All the composure she had maintained until now vanished, replaced by a raging beast. In the end, she managed to keep Arrick in check because he immediately withdrew and didn't say anything.
"I'm not here for you but for Leonard."
"For me?"
"Yes, I'd like you to come with me."
"I'm already busy here."
"Trust me, I'm sure you'll like what I'm about to show you."
I smelled trouble, but after seeing Lady Dwile like that, I had no intention of going against her. Plus, she said I'd like it, right?
When we were far enough from Arrick's room, I decided to ask her what it was about.
"So, what is it you want to show me?"
"More than showing you something, I'm going to introduce you to someone."
"Who?"
"Your magic teacher."