A Night of Reflection on the Road
Good evening, young master. Is this the driver I called for?
I stepped out of the dormitory and found a coachman already waiting. He doffed his cap in greeting.
“The one who summoned me, yes. Heading south, are we? Which city shall I drive to?”
“Forgive me, but may I ask for the exact destination?”
“Maidheaden. The farthest eastern edge of the south. Have you heard of it?”
Maidheaden was the name of our family’s ancestral city, located far from this academy fief in the empire’s central-west.
“Oh dear… You’re traveling a long way. Maidheaden…” The coachman rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
“The road is clear all the way, so riding my carriage straight through shouldn’t cause much trouble. But at this distance, the horses will tire somewhere in the middle. In my opinion, take my carriage to Westbury first, then change there. Westbury has a guild relay station, so you’ll save on fare by using our horses consecutively. If you have the time, switch to a four-horse team; the route is a bit longer, but considering how tired the horses get, this way will get you there far sooner.”
He offered his suggestion after a moment of consideration.
There was nothing obviously wrong with the coachman’s words.
Anyone could see that horses would tire on a long journey.
Westbury lay northwest of our estate in the south.
Though it meant a slight detour from the direct route to the academy, it would definitely save time compared to dragging exhausted horses all the way.
Without hesitation, I decided to follow the coachman’s advice.
“I’ll take your word for it. Then how long until we reach Westbury?”
“The roads are well-maintained and safe here, so we can travel day or night. From now on, we should arrive by noon tomorrow.”
“I see. Then let’s leave at once. And if we arrive early, I’ll add a little extra. Can you make sure we get there as fast as possible?”
Considering the round-trip would take about ten days, I had roughly fifty days left. That wasn’t much freedom at all.
And there was still a mountain of work waiting for me.
Time was best spent hoarding every spare moment.
“Ah, you must have urgent business. Leave it to me. Even if I do say so myself, I’m one of the top three carriage drivers at the guild. Come on, get in. I’ll deliver you to Westbury as comfortably as possible.”
I confirmed he had loaded my luggage, then climbed aboard.
The coachman took the reins, and as we began to move with a gentle creak, I felt the carriage roll forward.
Along the road, heading out of the academy grounds, the courtyard where I had met Iris flashed past the window.
I instinctively turned my head. What I saw there was Iris… and Eugene handing her a handkerchief.
‘…How did we meet so quickly?’
From the situation, it seemed Iris had been crying in the courtyard since our parting, and the noisy Eugene had run into her while searching for the source of the commotion.
But in the original story, the place and time of their first meeting was completely different.
Iris, who had suffered so much because of her engagement to me in the novel, had returned to the student council only after a long break from activities.
And Eugene, the protagonist, experienced various events from the very beginning of the semester, brilliantly concluded them, and then entered the student council as a Special Admission student along with his class promotion. Only then did the two first exchange words.
In other words, we had met far earlier than in the original timeline.
Now the two of them were walking away in the distance.
Iris kept dabbing at her eyes with the handkerchief Eugene had given her.
Watching her made my chest ache sharply once more.
It wasn’t a pleasant sight to see someone who had once loved you end up with another man.
And as someone who knew their future, it pained me even more.
“Sigh…”
I let out a small breath and yanked the curtain shut on the window.
Outside the window, night had already fallen.
The coachman’s claim of good safety turned out to be true. I could see several carriages traveling the same road.
The torches hanging on them swayed like will-o’-the-wisps, dancing in the darkness.
-Uwoong
I sat upright and stimulated my Mana Heart, circulating mana through my body.
So long had it been since I last used the cultivation technique that I had to endure a long struggle before I finally remembered it from memory.
Just as intense physical training required enormous caloric burn, so did the mana circulation method.
That was why well-conditioned mana users, male or female, always maintained a solid physique. Looking at my own body, it was clear how much I had slacked off.
My body was in a mess, far worse than the state of any ordinary mana user.
Even after just climbing three dormitory floors, I was already out of breath and sweating as if it had rained.
When I climbed into the carriage, I panted and exerted every ounce of strength. The moment I sat down, dizziness spun my vision blurry.
As I kept circulating the mana, sweat soaked my body.
Using the method after a long absence wasn’t easy, but I would get used to it eventually…
-Uck!
While circulating mana, a sudden, unpleasant pain shot through the depths of my body.
The mana flowing along the blood vessels felt as if it were blocked somewhere.
I tried moving it again and again, but it was always halted.
“Ah, right… Mana Sclerosis… hah.”
Just as in my previous life, this body also carried an incurable disease.
The difference was that it didn’t threaten life itself, yet the situation was no less infuriating.
Mana Sclerosis was fundamentally incurable. It blocked vital blood vessels, preventing users from reaching their full potential.
Perhaps this disease had also contributed to hardening my own worthless personality.
I kept it secret for appearances’ sake, but even though it was a common affliction among mana users, no proper treatment existed. How to deal with it? I didn’t want to live with another incurable disease, no matter how harmless it was. There was no way…
While I groaned alone, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
Yes. Even if it was somewhat dangerous, there was a way.
If the knowledge I possessed worked the same here, there was indeed a method to cure this disease.
…First, I’d think about it after returning to the estate.
But how had I ended up with Class B on the entrance exam? Right below the top A class, it shouldn’t have been easy.
The academy wasn’t a place where external pressure would work. So did that mean my talent was better than I thought?
If so, perhaps more room for growth would open once my body was restored to normal.
I hadn’t expected much in that direction, yet I felt oddly blessed with a surprise gift.
Despite having considerable talent, I was only meant to appear as a villain extra, cause mischief, and then exit the stage. What a twist of fate.
By midnight, the carriages we had been traveling with had vanished. Only mine remained on the road.
I let the rhythmic clop of horse hooves become white noise and sank into thought.
Outside the window it was dark; nothing was visible. The coachman up front was too busy driving to notice anything.
Seeing my chance, I decided to resolve a curiosity I had postponed for so long.
Since no one was around, I glanced around once, then whispered in a low voice.
“S-Status Window?”
I waited patiently for a while, but nothing happened, as expected.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, I tried calling it again with perfect clarity, but still nothing occurred.
My face grew warm.
Perhaps my skin was even flushed.
Thankfully, there was no one around to see.
‘Well, of course…’
Even though this was another world, this place had first come to me through novels and games. I had just called out in a moment of doubt…
‘Usually, the Status Window appears automatically in these situations…’
I grumbled softly to myself, unable to be heard from outside.
In the end, the only thing I could use was the knowledge I already possessed.
I shifted my gaze to the bundle of papers in my hand.
These were rough notes I had scribbled about the original story while traveling in the carriage, requesting sheets from the servants.
At first my memory was hazy, but as I started recalling, more and more details came back.
These papers were my lifeline.
From now on, I would make a habit of recording everything.
-Kung kung kung!
I snapped awake from the sound of someone knocking loudly on the glass window.
Rubbing my eyes as I pulled back the curtain, the first pale light of dawn greeted me.
I must have dozed off without realizing it while lost in thought. For the coachman to wake me like this… had we already arrived in Westbury?
I thought we were supposed to reach there by noon.
I had asked for the fastest possible arrival, but I hadn’t expected it to happen this quickly.
“Welcome to Westbury, young master. I drove as fast as I could per your instructions. How may I assist you?”
The coachman opened the door with a cheerful smile.
There was no need to say anything. I was completely satisfied.
I could proudly claim to be one of the top three in the guild.
“I’m satisfied. I didn’t think we’d arrive so quickly. If your skill is this good, how fast must the other two be?”
“Ah, you mean the other drivers?”
The coachman chuckled.
“Honestly, right now I’m the fastest. The other two left last year after a friendly carriage accident and went to work for my lord.”
He lifted my luggage with casual indifference.
Of course. Thanks to the surprisingly comfortable ride and all my thoughts, I hadn’t noticed. The journey might have been more dangerous than I realized.
“Anyway, thank you for the ride. I hope your journey to Maidheaden goes smoothly as well.”
I expressed my gratitude for the quick arrival and handed him double the promised fee as agreed.
Then, with a smile, I left the coachman behind and went to the guild reception to reserve a four-horse team.
Only about four days remained until I reached home.