Chapter 3 : A New World
It was 7 o'clock in the morning when Conrad opened his eyes. Last night felt like a distant dream shrouded in haze and mystery. Even after experiencing a near-death situation, he had slept well through the night.
"Anira," Conrad called out calmly.
His nerves had calmed down now. After accepting his situation, he was able to think clearly and organize his thoughts well.
It's morning, so she will not be able to respond to me. Interesting...
Conrad glanced at the clock.
I have two hours before class. I feel much better. I think that's because my brain is not hurting from two memories now.
"Phew!" Conrad took a sigh of relief.
I should first get ready for breakfast.
He stood up and went to the attached bathroom to clean his face. Looking in the mirror, he smiled.
Well, well, aren't you a handsome fellow.
Conrad fixed his medium-length dark hair with patches of chestnut. His house was neither small nor big. Before his demise, his father had held a good job. They were not rich, but the Valor family didn't lack much in day-to-day life.
Looking at everything in the morning does feel different. Everything is like a Victorian and modern hybrid design. I don't know what to call these. This coat has a Victorian pattern, but the way it's designed and the simplicity of it could really pass in my era as well. This is fascinating. The desk and chair feel more modern-styled with a focus on comfort for students like me.
Conrad adjusted his well-worn, knee-length coat, a faded charcoal garment with subtle hints of Victorian tailoring in its high collar and slightly flared hem. Though the fabric showed signs of age, the patchwork repairs along the cuffs and seams hinted at his resourcefulness. Beneath the coat, he wore a simple button-up shirt in an off-white shade, its collar slightly askew, paired with a loosely knotted narrow scarf that doubled as a tie—practical and stylish in its simplicity.
His waistcoat, though plain and slightly frayed at the edges, fit snugly and bore the telltale marks of careful mending. It was dark gray with a few mismatched buttons, a nod to both his modest means and his determination to present himself well. His trousers, slim and practical, were a sturdy wool blend, their dark hue concealing the wear and tear of daily life. They ended just above his scuffed leather boots—serviceable and sturdy, with low heels and faintly Victorian buckle accents.
Now you look somewhat presentable. Conrad, you're better than me. See, this is how you use your good looks. As someone older than you, I can teach you one or two things.
Tuck! Tuck!
A knock on the door grabbed Conrad's attention. He stole a glance at the mirror's reflection, then with a faint smile walked towards the door.
"Big Sister, is there anything I can help you with?"
Isalde looked at her younger brother, who now had an air of maturity around him.
"Oh my, when did my Con learn to dress himself up so well? Maybe it's true that a girl really does change a man's life," she chuckled.
A girl? Oh yes, I recently had a girlfriend. I mean Conrad did. Well, with his good looks, it's only natural. But I don't have much memory of her because they just started dating one week ago.
"Sister, it's not a good thing to tease your younger brother," Conrad replied with a slight smile.
Isalde looked at him with warmth in her eyes. "Con, can you do some work for me?"
"Sure, anything you can ask."
"We have to make breakfast, but it seems like we need some bread and honey for oatmeal."
The food is as expected a little behind, but I also have to remember the Valor family hasn't much wealth left. Only this house that was left by their late parents can be called some kind of asset. In front of society, they may be upper middle class, but in actuality, they are poorer than it seems. Conrad himself has a huge debt to pay for his education. He only gets the loan because Isalde works in a bank. So much to worry about.
Isalde gave Conrad 25 Sili: two 10-sili notes made of paper and one 5-sili coin made of silver.
Money. Usually as somebody who worked as an IT professional, I didn't have that much lack of money, but still, I was from a humble background in my previous life, so I appreciated it more than anybody—in fact, the happiest moment of my life was supposed to happen because of this money, but alas.
Conrad felt somehow sad deep in his heart.
Seeing her brother's reaction, Isalde was lost for some reason; she had never seen her brother show this much calm. Then she said softly, "Con, don't worry, I received a big bonus recently. Now go and buy these things for me. It will be late otherwise. Take care on your way."
Conrad took his cane and walked out of the room. In the hallway, he saw a girl walking towards him.
Leona.
Leona Valor was the other pillar of the house. She dropped out of her class early due to her worthless brother. She applied for national guard service through application. She was always a very strong-willed girl. Leona got rejected two times but didn't give up. Instead, she tried once more. She is now an official civil guard who is well respected. She usually comes late due to her job.
Leona Valor, in terms of earning, she is the main source of income for our family. She is also two years younger than me.
Conrad looked in her direction to say his morning greetings, but before he could speak, Leona passed by him without even looking at him.
The hatred and disgust runs deep. I see.
Conrad gave a self-deprecating laugh.
7:30 am. Prismara, Prime State, Crystalline Republic of Aurealis (Technocratic Democracy, member of UG), Freya (Largest continent by land mass)
Looking down at two notes in his hands, Conrad felt somewhat curious. There was a strange man's picture on the note. He was the first president of the country Aurealis.
It's very interesting—even though everything looks Victorian with little marks of modern style, they have a democratic party as the ruling party.
Conrad put the two notes into his pocket and tried to recall something.
There seem to be a total of five continents in this world: Freya, Athena, Aisa, Lupus, and Anterca. I don't have much information on those, but from the memories of this dummy, I can see there are 50 nations recorded in books. There is a Unified Government (UG), which is an organization of 15 different nations. They are more or less the most powerful entity in this world.
Walking through the market, Conrad noticed many things that left him speechless. Multiple girls were standing there wearing scanty clothes despite the extremely cold weather. This year is even colder than last year. Yet, these girls wore such small clothes. A guy wearing a hat went towards one of these girls; they discussed something before entering the shop behind them.
A carriage passed by Conrad. The road was neither empty nor full. On the other side was a beautiful place with an exquisite design. Two couples were sipping some beverages. One of the guys tossed a coin towards a man who was performing some kind of dance in outlandish attire.
"Meat! Fresh Meat!"
"Fish, Fish, Fish!"
"Please come this way, sir..."
Countless voices competed for attention. Year 12001 in the Linear calendar—or year 4001 of the 7th epoch (modern era) in the modern calendar—has been really tough on people. With the rise of technology, industry, and religion, there has been astonishing growth in the pages of history books, but poverty, prostitution, and crime have been at an all-time high.
Conrad passed through the road, taking a small turn, witnessing countless lives before him.
They are also humans like me. Right? Everyone has their own story, their own struggle, and their own conclusions.
After buying honey and bread, Conrad returned to his house. Before entering, Conrad looked around a bit. His house was somewhat of an isolating place, a little further than the actual market. There were very few neighbors. There was quite a distance between one house and the other. Only in front of his house, across the road, was the home of a newlywed couple who had just moved in.
I believe they have talked to my sister one or two times. I didn't get the chance to greet them as I generally stay inside my room. I should greet them at least once when I get the chance.
Ring!
The doorbell rang. A beautiful woman with emerald eyes and blonde hair opened the door with a warm smile. Her face was as beautiful as ever. The morning glow made her look like some aristocrat noblewoman.
"Con, where were you? I was getting worried. I was just about to send Leona to look for you."
"Hi hi hi, the air was beautiful, so I was taking my time walking through the market," Conrad replied with a small chuckle.
Isalde frowned a bit but then smiled at her brother.
"Okay, now come in quickly. Let's have a good family breakfast."
There was a table set in the middle of the room with five chairs surrounding it. Two girls were sitting on one side of the table in silence. They didn't even look in Conrad's direction.
After she prepared the breakfast, Isalde sat in the middle seat meant for the head of the house. Previously their father used to sit in that chair. Conrad took his chair opposite his two sisters, close to Isalde.
Sigh.
Conrad looked at his two sisters, then sighed quietly.
There was an uncanny silence during breakfast. Conrad felt really awkward in the silence.
Clara Valor, my youngest sister who is three years younger than me. She has been attending free schools which have recently been opened by Churches.
The main religion in this world is Aaka, which worships the sun god as the center of everything. It is said that he is the supreme being who created eight pantheons of gods who oversee our existence. But most people in this world are not religious at all. That's because after the invention of the telescope and other technologies, people were able to discover the planetary structure, and there were no such gods—just some planets revolving around a star.
Isalde broke the silence at the end of their family breakfast.
"I will be a little late today. Clara, you're in charge of taking care of your older brother."
Taking care of me? My sisters are younger than me. Do they think I am that worthless?
"Sister, don't worry. I will be fine. Make sure to take care of yourself," Conrad said softly.
Leona and Clara looked at their older brother, who was now neatly dressed unlike before and had a calm expression and faint smile on his face.
"Okay, Isalde," Leona said with a strong tone.
"..."
After that, they all fell silent.
At 8:15 am, Conrad took his notebook and readied himself to go to the university for the first time in weeks. Tomorrow was Sunday.
It's really fascinating that there are some terms and similarities like dates and weekdays from Earth. Also, the term 'sun' is used on Earth. This world is not totally different from Earth after all.
I figured out at least one question I had before. Why did I understand Anira even if she was speaking some other language? It seems like because she was using a native language of this world. Even before I inherited Conrad's full memory, I could understand the language that Conrad knew. The primary language used in this world is Heraphant, which has a structure similar to Sanskrit and Latin in our world. But there are also many nations which have other primary languages, such as the Lupus continent's Wolfhaven mainly using Polyphant. Monoglif is used by Aisa's most countries, and so on and so forth.
Conrad was walking through the hallway of his house towards the door when suddenly he noticed some space around the stair that leads to Clara's room on the upper floor had some kind of distortion.
This... Conrad squinted his eyes as if focusing on the stairs.
"What are you looking at?"
A sudden voice startled him. Leona was standing behind him, ready to leave for her duty. She was holding a sword. Her deep blue eyes held no emotions. They gave chills to anyone who looked into them.
"Nothing, I was just thinking our house needs some renovations," Conrad said calmly.
Leona looked at him deeply, then turned around to open the door as if saying 'ladies first.'
Shouldn't it be me doing this for you?
Conrad gave himself a sarcastic laugh inwardly.
Walking through the road, he stopped suddenly and looked up to the sky, which was more pale than blue. The trees were quietly preparing for the winter. The air was as cold as before.
I need to ask Anira about that strange space.