We Meet Again
I stepped out of the carriage without waiting for the coachman’s reply.
“We’ve arrived, young master.”
“...You’ve worked hard. Go on ahead.”
‘I hope I didn’t arrive too late.’
It felt a little early, but the sight of carriages packed everywhere proved otherwise. If I had been any later, those coaches would have had nowhere to turn around. This annual carriage chaos was a regular occurrence at this time of year.
“Son, you’ll do well at the academy, right?”
“Of course. I won’t bring shame to our family!”
“Hng… what if I can’t make any friends?”
“It’ll be fine, miss. I’m sure you’ll meet wonderful people.”
“There are too many nobles…”
Well, of course there were. This was Solbera, the holy city that served as the academy’s sanctuary.
One of Solbera’s unique features was that travel within the city was strictly on foot. The logic was simple: since the city existed for the students, there was no need for carriages to enter the inner areas except for authorized vendors.
‘When you consider that one of those “authorized few” is the imperial family, it’s really just a way for them to protect their own prestige.’
Still, it was an effective way to demonstrate the academy’s ideal that everyone stood equal beneath the imperial family. Even high-ranking nobles who lived for their own arrogance, or rural nobles unused to crowds, would experience walking shoulder-to-shoulder like at a flea market and finally understand their place.
And the building that drove that lesson home was right before me.
“Whoa…”
“So that’s the one they only ever talk about…”
Known as the Sun Gate.
Constructed of silver and gold, lavishly adorned with jewels, it was both a symbol of authority and the entrance to Solbera. The fact that the main materials—soft metals like gold and silver—remained undamaged was proof that the empire itself was healthy.
‘Unlike the academy terrorist incidents, touching this place guaranteed thorough retaliation.’
The story of the black magician who had only died after a hundred days was far too famous to need repeating.
“It’s seriously gorgeous.”
“Be careful. I heard a noble got fined ten million gold for touching it and tarnishing the metal.”
“No way, that has to be an exaggeration.”
“Son, stand in front of it! Hurry!”
True to its role as a famous landmark, the area in front of the gate was packed with sightseers.
‘Lots of families here.’
Since it was the enrollment period, that was probably the normal thing. In contrast, I had slipped in alone. My family was all buried under the mountain of work I had created for them, and more importantly, I didn’t want to draw attention.
Not when I still couldn’t use mana. It was too early for that.
‘If only I could use mana.’
Clench.
Thinking that the end of my long wait was finally in sight made my hands tighten on their own. The day I could shake off this inferiority complex and sense of inadequacy was truly close at hand.
“……”
Imperial knights stood before the gate, but they paid no attention to me as I passed through. The Sun Gate only prohibited carriages; there were no inspections. It truly lived up to its name as a sanctuary of learning.
It was rather ironic that the academy’s actual main gate was inspected so strictly.
“...So this is what Solbera feels like.”
Academy Great War wasn’t a game that allowed free movement. The best you could do was select destinations inside the academy or shops within the city. While certain quests let you visit hidden fields, the places you could actually go were fundamentally limited.
Especially somewhere as ordinary as this—it hadn’t even been implemented. Seeing the real Solbera was deeply moving.
“Does this actually count as medieval…”
The clean appearance of a meticulously planned metropolis didn’t lose out even when compared to modern cities. Everything was properly divided into districts centered around the central plaza, and the ground was paved seamlessly with bricks.
Even the slight queasiness in my stomach suggested that each individual brick had magic cast on it.
‘It’s a shame a place like this gets blown up two or three times a year.’
But what could you do? It was imperial policy.
“There really are more weapon shops and potion stores than I expected. I guess the ones that appeared in the game were the most trustworthy?”
I walked the unfamiliar streets as if taking a casual stroll, noting the differences from the game. Nothing was completely different—just minor, realistic changes.
During that walk, I spotted a few familiar faces.
‘The Saint and the Sword Saint are paired up here too. Oh, and there’s Silwin.’
Their distinctive illustration traits made them easy to recognize. The Saint, the Sword Saint, the Spear Saint—second-tier characters—along with the 1.5-tier resource sink Hans, and Silwin Celestine, the community’s eternal idol.
They all existed here as more realistic versions of their beautified illustration counterparts.
‘Maybe I should go say hello to one or two of them in advance.’
“Kyaa!”
For example, Silwin Celestine, who had just tripped over a stone and let out an adorable shriek that completely clashed with her cold expression.
Silwin’s gap moe and somewhat lacking performance had captured the hearts of the most vicious fans, making her the superstar with the highest number of challenge clears in the game.
I also passed by a few other connection characters and important figures like shop owners.
‘They’re definitely prettier than their illustrations…’
Just like I had felt when I saw Diana, all the connection characters were stunningly beautiful or handsome. A few even matched Diana’s level by objective standards.
But there was none of the same shock I had felt that day.
‘Maybe the imprinting happened too early?’
I felt nothing beyond simple appreciation for their beauty. As I continued my walk—
“Hey. Aren’t you Helio?”
A voice called out to me. I knew exactly who it was. The voice was all too familiar.
‘This is why I left my family behind.’
Clicking my tongue, I turned around. Just as I expected.
It was Anki Dunas, the eldest son of the Dunas family—rivals to my father’s domain, the one my father had beaten thoroughly.
“It really is you. How surprising to see an impotent bastard like you here.”
In truth, he had every right to hold a grudge. My father had beaten him mercilessly. And since I was the one who had set that in motion, this could be considered karma coming back around.
‘Should’ve done a proper job from the start, then.’
Still, wasn’t the first sin theirs for ruining everything in a way that made it easy to incite others?
“What? Answer me. Is the academy really letting a mana-less loser like you attend?”
His lack of creativity meant the same old repertoire.
“I mean, it’s impossible for a noble not to be able to use mana when even commoners can. Right?”
“……”
Mockery aimed at my mana incapacity. He used to make disgusting comments about sexual dysfunction too, but after getting a good look at my lower body he had stopped.
‘Ah, fuck. This is really pissing me off.’
In this era, a petty bastard close at hand was more infuriating than a distant mass murderer. I genuinely wanted to beat him like a dog, but I had no choice but to endure. The risk of a low-class piece of trash like me throwing punches was too high.
He had a short fuse and might throw the first punch at any moment. To me, someone who couldn’t use mana, that would be a fatal blow.
If it was a scale balancing pride against survival, wasn’t it obvious which way it should tip?
“Hey, you mad? Why are your hands shaking? I’m just trying to talk. Where do you keep trying to run off to?”
Once I entered the academy I would never have to see him again…
“Hah, you impotent fuck. What do you think will happen once you enter the academy? You’ll still just be the king of the toilets, you pathetic loser.”
I wouldn’t have to see him again…
“In the end, isn’t a man’s worth his ability? Who would fall for an impotent bastard like you? Acting all high and mighty when you’re just a—
“……”
“So I’ll kindly help you disappear myself—”
“You fucking son of a bitch!”
A flash of white shot past my eyes in an instant.
Bam!
“I told you! Not to show your face! In front of me! Didn’t I?!”
“Kek, kuek, cough.”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Whatever it was had pounced on Anki and was now throwing punches with every word.
“Did my words sound that funny to you?!”
“Ugh, ack, ek, ek.”
Even from the side, the punches looked brutally powerful. The sounds of skin and muscle bursting mixed with the crunch of shattering bones echoed pitifully beneath her fists.
“……”
Anki couldn’t even talk back. He couldn’t even scream properly. They say extreme pain can even swallow screams, and that was exactly what this looked like.
“Die! Die! Just die already!”
In less than a minute, Anki had lost his human shape. Yet her fists showed no sign of stopping as she continued pounding him into a bloody pulp.
“Uh… huh?”
I recognized her at a glance. The way she had charged in like a wild animal and beaten a man half to death—it had to be the infamous Mad Dog Duchess.
“Huh? It wasn’t this guy.”
“…………”
The way she tossed aside Anki’s half-corpse with such a ridiculous comment left no doubt.
“Um…”
“Oh. Right.”
But her appearance was exactly as I remembered.
“Diana… Archduchess?”
“My, Lord Helio. How have you been? It’s been a long time.”
A gentle smile and an almost fairy-like aura. Hair that looked spun from silver and clear blue eyes. A calm yet distinct voice.
Most importantly, she had responded to my call, so she was definitely the same person I had met eight years ago.
“Ah, yes. Nice to see you again. …Thank you for the help.”
But two things were different.
The bloodstains on her cheek and—
‘Were her eyes always like that?’
Her eyes had changed somehow. The first time I saw her, they had been as clear and blue as the pond in that garden… but the eyes I saw now were… strange.
‘They look like Reincarnation Eyes?’
That was the only thought that came to mind. Countless concentric circles filled her eyes, giving off an eerie feeling.
“Hehe, it was nothing. I simply couldn’t control my temper. It was just a coincidence.”
Even so, she was still beautiful.
“Since we’ve met after so long, would you spare me a moment of your time?”
“...Of course.”
The period of my one-sided love had been far too long to turn down her invitation.