CH 10

Of course, he knew Nathan’s situation. He lost his family and his hometown of Norbert Barony was poor. Due to the disaster caused by the monster, it must have been a hard life for a young boy to bear alone. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t eat properly. Originally, there was a saying that he was not feeling well and to make matters worse, the situation must have worsened.

Nathan shook his head and dipped himself carefully into the bathtub. It felt good when warm water wrapped his whole body. Nathan’s face relaxed in a drowsy mood. Leaning against the back of the bathtub, Nathan enjoyed the loneliness for a while. How long had he been staring blankly at the ceiling, he raised his hand and swept his face down. Drops of water formed on the chin, the sound of dripping resonated in a quiet bathroom. Suddenly he looked down, and he saw his face reflected like a mirror on the surface of the water.

No matter how many times he saw Nathan’s face, it was still quite unfamiliar.

Every time a drop of water on the tip of his chin fell, a ripple occurred, and his figure was distorted and returned repeatedly.

“How long will I be here as you?”

He glanced at the reflection of the surface on the water. He would get used to this grim-looking boy’s face someday. No, he had to get used to living here.

Splash!

Nathan struck the water surface with his hand. He suddenly didn’t want to see this face. Nathan closed his eyes, hugging his long legs and leaning his cheek over them. It felt great when the surface of the water tickled his cheek.

Will he ever return to where he lived? Did ‘Nathan Norbert’ know something? If he couldn’t come back… He didn’t think it really mattered.

“It’s not bad here either. There were good adults around Nathan…”

In addition, he originally lived in a place where sunlight and warm water did not come out well. He had to keep the cold water running for a long time until lukewarm water came out, so it was hard to wash in winter. But what about this place? In the morning, the room was brightened by sunlight without having to turn on the lights. He could use hot water to his heart’s content without waiting. Nathan had never used a bathtub in his lifetime. So he envied a house with a bathtub. It was his dream to have a bathtub like this at home someday…

‘Now that I have it, it doesn’t really matter.’

If the reality he lived in had been a little better than here, then he would have given up on settling here and instead would have tried to find a way out of this place. He would have hoped to return at any cost. But he wouldn’t do that. He didn’t like either place, but if he had to argue, it was better here.

So, he decided to think positively. Come to think of it, he hadn’t eaten yet, but they would give him time to eat, give him a place to sleep, provide warm water, and provide necessary things from school, so there was no better place than here. Isn’t it better off than where he used to live? Although he had a grace period, he decided to not worry since food, clothing, and shelter were provided right away.

Nathan’s positive thinking was shattered in less than three days.

* * *

Nathan, who had taken a warm shower and went to bed, left the dorm for breakfast as soon as he woke up. It wasn’t difficult for him to find a restaurant. He followed the students who seemed to be Nathan’s age and he arrived on his own. This body didn’t even know it was hungry, even though it had starved for almost two days. Nathan moistened his mouth with soup and ate toast topped with bacon and fried eggs. The food was delicious. It was more delicious than the foreign food he ate during a trip.

After eating, Nathan walked around the academy. He had to take lessons from tomorrow and stay here for a while, so he started to memorize geography and walked wherever he could. He thought it would be nice if he was lucky enough to meet the protagonist.

Nathan knew the future of this world. However, Nathan had just finished figuring out the subject with yesterday’s incident. If this continues, Nathan might die within a few years. The day the world turned upside down was only three years away.

Nathan didn’t seem as talented in magic as he thought. His magic skills were so-so, but speaking of his swordsmanship only made his mouth hurt. But if he had any other talents, he didn’t know them. For now, the only way was to learn magic. But even if he studied magic hard, could he even use it properly in real life? Yes, this is the biggest problem. It was painful to imagine having to deal with a monster.

If so, what should he do? Even if he ran away, there was no such thing as a safe zone. The capital would be safer, but… it wouldn’t last long either. Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

Then wouldn’t it be better to follow the main character?

In <Hazard>, the main character got involved in all sorts of things and went through hardships, but he didn’t die! Of course, it was the same with his colleagues. So, if he became his colleague, he would have a way out. After thinking like that, Nathan’s goal was to become acquainted with Hazard. It wasn’t resolved by just being friendly. He should be his companion.

At this time, there was still a chance. Hazard went on an adventure after being swallowed up in the dungeon on the day of graduation and clearing the dungeon, after which the oracle descended from the temple. There was time until then. Nathan wandered around the dorms, occasionally looking for Hazard. Although he read that Hazard had a secret hideout in the original novel, he couldn’t remember exactly where it was.

After a long walk, this wide academy was so spacious that Nathan often rested on a bench and repeated his walks. He wanted to meet and become acquainted with Hazard, but Hazard could not be found until Nathan had dinner and returned to the dormitory. Nathan was saddened by that fact, but he didn’t care much because he wondered what the big deal was that he didn’t see each other for just one day.

The next day, Nathan wore his school uniform and put the wand into the pocket of his coat. The items Nathan bought at Rupelham arrived yesterday afternoon and filled the room in the dormitory. Nathan didn’t quite know what to bring, but he went empty-handed and left the room with a book that read ‘Understanding Magic’, a quill pen, ink, and a paper notebook.

There were many classrooms in the Magic Department building, but yesterday he wandered around the academy all day, memorizing the path, and was able to find the classroom without difficulty. It was early, but the classroom was crowded with students. As soon as they saw Nathan entering, the classroom became quiet for an instant, but soon they turned away from Nathan because they were busy chatting with each other. It was a relief for Nathan.

No one was willing to approach him first, so Nathan sat alone in the very back seat. Although they were busy chatting amongst them, he could feel their glances as if they were looking at an outsider. Nathan was suffocated by the air in the classroom. Not knowing what to do, he fiddled with his cravat (그에 어쩔 줄 몰라 애먼 크라바트만 만지작거렸다). Eventually, Nathan decided to pretend to be asleep.

Nathan thought he had become a stranger. Being stuck between children felt very strange, and their hair colour and features, far from Asians, were seen countless times during the trip, but they still made him feel like he was on the outside.

Deureureuk. (the sound of the door being opened)

“Is everyone here?”

After a while, a familiar voice was heard as the door opened. At that voice, Nathan lifted his head slightly and looked at the podium. There stood Melkiel with long lemon-coloured hair in braids. Several children even looked at Melkiel and made an ecstatic face. Melkiel was beautiful today. Then Nathan made eye contact with Melkiel, who had been scanning the classroom once, and hurriedly stopped lying face down.

“Everyone is here. There are many familiar faces. I’m Melkiel, who is in charge of you.”

“Who doesn’t know the professor~!”

“That’s right!”

At Melkiel’s words, the students laughed and chatted. There were few people who didn’t know Melkiel, not only in this academy but throughout the world. Nathan thought so, resting his chin in his hand. As the children became noisy again, Melkiel pounded the floor with the staff in his hand.

“Well, today is the first day, so before we start the class, I’m going to tell you a story you’ve been hearing for a long time. Listen and think with the idea of reviewing it again.”

Saying so, Melkiel gave Nathan a look. The children groaned sickly at the words. Seeing this, Nathan felt a bit embarrassed, thinking that he might have brought it up because he didn’t know anything.

“The origin of all magic begins with the great sage, Belganus (벨가누스).”

Melkiel continued, turning over the book he had brought.

“[Give Form to the Written Story]”