The sun was half-covered by the clouds, and the sky was painted a dull baby-blue. Crows cawed an ugly symphony as they flew in flocks.
I walked to my usual place, the wooden bench located at the Royal Academy’s Garden. It was quiet and peaceful, there was no one here to ruin the silence. I laid down and closed my eyes with a light smile.
“Oi. Why the hell are you up so early..”
I immediately recognized her voice. Of course, I ignored her and pretended to not hear anything.
“This is my bench, y’know??” She talked like a landlord.
“This is school property, you don’t own this bench… Choi Yeong-Ja.” I yawned.
I expected her to walk away, but she sat down beside me and started eating something.
“What are you doing?” I sat up instantly.
She was eating from a black rectangular lunch box…cookies plated with a large steak, and she munched on the cookies first. Talk about a strange girl.
“Hah? I’m eating breakfast.”
I could tell.. but she was eating dessert before the meal. The steak was untouched.
…Her eyes looked the same as ever. Sphynx-like and sharp—also a little aggressive.
Hey. Eat your steak before eating your dessert.
“Don’t watch me eat, fucking weirdo.”
“Ah…. sorry.” Yet again, I stared for too long. This was awkward.
Let’s just head to the Grand Hall...I barely remember my mother’s face, I could view it again in the hall of portraits.
“Bye.” I stood up from the bench and walked away.
I felt a murderous glare behind me. There wasn’t even a need to look back, I could easily imagine what Choi Yeong-Ja looked like. I moved towards the east side of the garden. If my memory serves me right, that was where the Grand Hall of Warriors was. It allowed students to freely exit and enter. I saw that the trees and flowers in this garden all still looked the same, some a little outgrown, but the academy kept the place clean. I walked along the stone path leading to the Grand Hall.
When I reached my destination, there was a large white gate bordering the entry of the Grand Hall of Warriors.
A wooden fence stood tall at the side of the path I was on, displaying,
“RESTRICTED ENTRY.”
Restricted entry…. why?
“You there! No entry!” a knight guarding the gates yelled at me.
“I want to see my mother’s portrait, Park Elize!” I yelled back.
“I don't care! Read the wooden sign, brat! What does it say?”
It clearly said “Restricted entry”.
… Sigh. I’m not even gonna bother. I’ll sneak in another time.
“Exactly! Go the other way!”
I walked the opposite direction and headed to the center of the garden. Typically, the school’s student architects would build a new, large statue of the nation’s emperor every thirty years. So I’d expect the same statue since I last left this school.
I looked for the large statue. The statue always fascinated me because of how complex and detailed its structure was. It truly reflected our country’s glory. When I found the large statue, I noticed a big difference. “So where’s the large statue of our cool emperor… what?—empress?”
Did the emperor die? That was a totally new statue; I’ve never seen this empress before.
“Sometimes I feel a little repulsed, too.”
I jumped. It was Choi Yeong-Ja. I thought she was busy eating and staring daggers at me back there.
“You scared me half to death.”
“I don’t care, but anyway, I still can't believe that a dark mage really used genderbending magic on the emperor…. I mean, genderbending?? What was that even gonna do?”
Genderbending? I would’ve liked to be in denial, but the two new lumps on the statue and the thinner body shape could not be denied. I was starting to not feel like exploring the academy again.
“I mean, the dark mage wasn’t even acting like a dark mage, she was just a lunatic who….”
Her voice faded away as I stopped listening. Where else should I go now?
“You’re not responding? Talk about a rude bastard. Fine then. I made the effort to communicate with you and this is how you act?” Yeong-Ja was preparing to walk away.
“Hold on, I..”
A new idea sprang up. I could just ask her about the new renovations the academy made. That should be easier than walking everywhere to check.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“What? Say it. I don’t have much time.”
“When I left, what new features did the school..” I paused.
It was tough to find the right words to say. How should I word it? My brain stopped working, so I left the unfinished question as is, hoping she’d understand.
“Why should I tell you… ya gonna pay me?”
“Sure. A hundred coins.”
She nodded. “There’s new rules, a few places such as the ballroom, east side of the garden, this statue, and some other school event stuff had new builds on it.”
“Nice..” Drowsiness suddenly blanketed my body.
I want to lay down.
I had two days of sleep, which should’ve helped me recover, but then.. I haven’t eaten for two days, either.
“I’m gonna take a nap.”
“…??”
Exploring could wait. Sleeping as much as I could before class starts comes first. What was my schedule again?
[The illness, ‘??? Lv. ???’ has weakened your memory!]
Ugh.. I shoved the paper in my pocket, but I didn’t feel like getting it out. I have no choice.
“Ah.”
- First. Magic & Elements Mechanism and the System, Lecture A (Seniors)
- Second. Magic Training, Lecture B (Seniors)
- Third. Strength Training, Physical Education B (Seniors)
- Fourth. Diplomacy & History, Lecture A (Seniors)
- Fifth. Language & Arts, Lecture A (Seniors)
- Sixth. Elective. If you do not have one, Free Period. If you want one, see the front office.
“I’m gonna go to the front office instead. See you later, Yeong-Ja.”
“Wait. The front office….” a mischievous smile formed on her face. “Kay, bye bye!” She snickered behind me as I continued to the buildings.
What about the front office? I turned around to look at Yeong-Ja.
“...”
She was smiling suspiciously. She was definitely hiding something important. I think I might need a school map.
“Hey. If there’s something about the front office, tell me.”
“No, there’s nothing.”
I guess there was no helping it. I should go see the Head Nurse and ask him for help.
…
Oswaldo usually hung around the Nurses’ Building. I predicted that he’d help me if I knocked on its door.
The pink door opened before I could even knock. A short girl with black hair appeared below me. She looked about six years old.
“Auntie told me to give you a map. She was afraid you'd be confused and lost, and I was about to run away because I didn’t want to find you, but how convenient. Thanks, oppa.”
I grinned awkwardly. This kid was bold. “Little girl, how old are you?”
She glared at me upon hearing that question. Her attitude... Where did she get it from?
“You’re so thoughtless. I’m seven! There are seven stars on my dress, you should know! Hmph.”
She was the same age as Mi-Cha. That’s cute. Hold on, Mi-Cha?—I should get Mi-Cha something from this school. A souvenir.. No, they call it a gift. My little sister from a different mother deserves all the love in the world, so I should find something valuable.
“Hey, oppa…. Can you grab the paper already? I’m getting tired.”
“Ah, sorry.” Things got pretty convenient for me. Must this be because I had good luck? I’m blessed.
[Reminder: Your luck score is -16540.]
What? Since when has there been a luck…
[Joking. There is no such thing as a luck score.]
I thought so. Alright, let’s look at the map.
“... office.. mm.. where is it..” I mumbled to myself.
There it was. Located on the other side of the school, behind the front gates. I half-forgot that the Nurses’ building was built at the back of the school to prevent escaping. The walking looked bothersome. I couldn’t use magic to speed myself up. Talking about magic–I need to get stronger to make Mi-Cha the happiest sister alive, but the stupid unidentified illness was blocking my progress. Wait.
- Strength equals a happy sister.
- Illness equals no strength.
- No illness equals …
Sometimes.. My genius is almost frightening. I need to find out more about the ??? and cure it. My life was stumped because of the..
Urk.
“Oppa?”
I felt sour, acidic substances erupt from my throat. I instinctively ran to a nearby bush.
“Hey–oppa, hey are you oka.. Ew!”
Bleurrgh!
[You have used your legs more than usual! Your body cannot handle the aerobic exercise!]
That system notice seemed too familiar. ..I should train my body and sword. I couldn’t use magic anyway, and most of my magic-related skills are blocked.
“Younger sister, may you ask Madam Servela to get me into the swordsmanship department? I can’t really train magic right now..”
“Okay. Anything else??”
“My elective.. Ask her … to get me into one that builds up my body.” I still felt terrible.
“I can't remember all of that!”
Sigh..
I ripped off the empty portion of the map that was handed to me and scribbled sentences down on it.
“Hand Madam Servela that paper. I’ll give you a lollipop when I visit again.”
“Deal!” She darted back inside the building and slammed the door on me.
Come to think of it, why was Madam Servela still in the building? Whatever, that’s none of my business. I’m gonna head to my first class of the day and sleep there for now. Magic understanding class wasn’t that far from here. So if I walked west from here, I’d reach Hall A soon.
…
Great, nobody was here. I picked a random seat in the top left corner of the class and rested my head on the tables.
Snore..
.
.
.
I had a nightmare. In that nightmare, I took the form of my younger fourteen-year-old self and was walking happily on a stone path. Wooden fences bordered the paths. My surroundings were a blinding white.
…
As I walked, I suddenly came across my dead family members. My father and younger sister were left bloodied on a stake.
“Father!.... Mi-Cha!” mini-me cried out as my face turned ugly filled with snot and tears.
…My mother was behind them, watching me with a melancholic expression.
“Mother, I’m sorry! Please come back… father, Mi-Cha!—”
“Min-Jun.” Her face was darkened by her black bangs, and her small frown showed her misery. She looked upset at me.
Knights in full Royal armor appeared around me and pushed me away with their spears.
“Back off! This is a restricted area!”
“I’m sorry…” I sobbed, “for being weak–” I looked back at my mom. “.. and our debts! I’ll fix it–”
“... Min-Jun, wake up.” Mother’s brown eyes shone orange.
“Wake up..?”