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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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I woke up to the distinct sensation of a presence in my dorm room. An amateur, clearly, judging by their inability to mask their presence.
‘…I didn’t sense them?’
Me? The one who’d lived a life of killing, attuned to the presence of others?
Even considering my recent lapse in training, this was alarming.
‘I’ll deal with them first, then worry about it later.’
The intruder seemed oblivious to my awakening. I reached for a dagger, ready to silence them, when…
“Eek?!”
A familiar face and voice.
Ella.
I stopped the dagger just short of her throat.
“Y… You scared me! Young Master!”
“I apologize… I thought you were an intruder…”
“Even so, you can’t just point a knife at someone without even looking!”
So, not only had I woken up earlier than usual, but I was now subjected to Ella’s scolding.
…Wasn’t she the one who’d entered my room without permission?
“Ella, how did you get in? I locked the door…”
“With a key?”
“…Where did you get a key?”
“I explained the situation to the Headmaster, and she gave me one!”
“What did you say…?”
I’d brought Ella with me to the academy, so she had clearance to enter the grounds. But the dorms were segregated by gender. Entering the opposite gender’s dorm was against the rules.
And the Headmaster, a stickler for rules, had granted her access?
“I just told her you didn’t have any servants, and she gave me a key. She’s nice!”
“…”
…That didn’t seem right. The Headmaster was the strictest enforcer of the rules.
“Ella, you’re a servant of House Reinhardt…”
“Not anymore!”
“…I mean, leaving your duties without permission reflects poorly on the family…”
“…Well…”
“And I told you to come find me only after you’d secured a new job and some savings…”
“I’ve already taken care of it! I’m a hard worker, and I’m popular with the local shops!”
“…Is that so?”
“And I planned to leave House Reinhardt the moment you did…”
“…Why?”
“Because we’re family!”
…Family.
Why did that simple word resonate so deeply within me?
I’d always been alone, always lonely. No matter how much I tried to deny it, it was the truth.
In all my lives, I’d never had a family. Friendships were fleeting, betrayals commonplace.
I’d learned to distrust people, to forget the meaning of connection. I pushed everyone away. I didn’t want to be close to anyone. No one understood me, and I’d stopped expecting them to. I thought I’d be alone forever.
But this life…
What was so different about this life that someone would care about me like this?
“Young Master…?”
Ella peered at me, concerned by my silence. I chuckled. This small, fragile girl was worried about me. She had no idea who I really was.
I pushed aside the emotions stirred by our reunion. I had to attend class.
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Meanwhile, Isabella, the academy’s rising star, could think of only one person.
Jenison, the scoundrel of House Reinhardt, the fool who’d been disowned and reappeared after 50 days of absence. The boy whose lack of talent made him a laughingstock.
News of his duel had spread throughout the academy.
Some said he was still a force to be reckoned with, despite his foolishness. Others claimed they could have defeated Leon.
But everyone agreed that Jenison’s strength had increased dramatically. No one had expected him to win.
And that final magic circle…
No one had thought to use a homing spell like that. Homing spells were designed to track specific targets, not to guide weapons.
Some alchemists specialized in creating artifacts that imbued weapons with spells, but such artifacts were considered inefficient. It was better to create other types of magical tools.
‘How did he…?’
She’d never seen anyone use that technique in actual combat.
She was growing increasingly curious about what he’d been doing during his 50-day absence.
The back door opened, and a boy entered. Black hair, black eyes. Dark circles under his eyes, but his handsome features made him look more world-weary than gloomy.
Jenison.
All eyes turned to him, the whispers intensifying.
Professor Vector, the magic instructor, reprimanded him for his tardiness. He apologized and took a seat in the back corner. No one would dare approach him anyway.
Isabella watched him throughout the class, then returned her focus to the lesson.
As soon as class ended, she approached him.
Why had he left his family?
What had he been doing for 50 days?
What was the source of his newfound strength?
She had so many questions.
“Why did you leave your family?”
She decided to start with the most pressing question. Why had House Reinhardt, who’d tolerated his behavior for so long, finally disowned him? What could he have possibly done?
She expected a delayed response, but he simply stared at her, then walked past.
‘…He… ignored me?’
Annoyed, she stepped in front of him and asked again,
“…Would you mind answering my question?”
“Ah…”
He seemed to finally notice her. He sighed, then spoke.
“…Were you there?”
He sounded completely indifferent.
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‘…Why is she talking to me? This is awkward…’
She’d never spoken to me before. I didn’t know why she was talking to me now, but I didn’t have time for this. I was running out of money and needed to find a way to earn more.
‘It’s probably nothing. She hasn’t said anything else…’
I looked at her, her head bowed, and decided to end the conversation.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“…Brother.”
I turned to see Aria standing there. I didn’t know why she’d come.
Brother…
It felt strange. The last time she’d called me that was seven years ago.
‘…It’s best not to associate with her here.’
I was the disowned scoundrel, and she was the cherished youngest daughter of House Reinhardt. Any interaction between us would reflect poorly on her. The Duke would be furious. I didn’t want to cause her any trouble.
‘…Honestly, it’s just awkward now…’
“…Brother.”
“Move.”
“…”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said move.”
“…Brother, can we talk…?”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“…”
She looked hurt, and I felt a pang of guilt, but nothing more.
‘…Seven years is a long time…’
We’d been close once, laughing and playing together. But that was over.
Everyone here knew I was no longer a Reinhardt. And the family wouldn’t approve of her associating with an outsider.
I didn’t want anything to do with them either. The Duke was as good as my mother’s murderer.
‘…Aria will be fine… We’ve been apart for seven years…’
She was a resourceful girl. She’d be fine. The family would make sure of it.
I walked past her, my face impassive, using the front door instead of the back where she stood.
The classroom was silent, the other students watching.
The rumors about me would only get worse.
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I also don’t like his sister