Uncle started walking towards the carriage. With his back towards me, he said,
"I was close to the academy city. I only had to detour a little to come here. So I came."
I removed the dust from my closed quickly and followed him to the carriage, quickly catching up with him. After we both reached the carriage, he turned and looked at me. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again.
I was confused, but what happened next made me even more confused. His eyes filled with tears, and soon they started to flow.
I slowly grew a little afraid, wondering if he had caught me. But then I noticed he wasn't looking at my face. I followed his gaze and soon discovered the answer. He was staring at the locket I was wearing. But why cry?
I searched my memory for an answer. And I found it.
My body had been unnaturally weak since birth. I often fell into comas—sometimes for a day, sometimes two days, a week, or even longer. This was a huge problem for my family. They summoned many great healers, alchemists, and other powerful people. Finally, when I was six years old, they discovered the cause: my soul.
They couldn't identify the exact problem, but they did figure out that it was a soul-related issue. Because of it, I had what was called a "zombie-type body," and falling into comas became a regular occurrence. Since I couldn't do much physically, Adrian (myself) read many books. That was also why he had already studied most of the academy syllabus.
But how did I get admitted to the academy despite being so weak?
All nobles are allowed to attend the academy. An equal number of commoners are also admitted each year. The commoners compete fiercely for those seats in tournaments. However, if a noble or a commoner couldn't enroll for some reason, those empty seats were called "gold seats." Why? Because they were bought by only the richest families—like mine.
So my seat is a gold seat. That's also why, after one month, the rank evaluation exam is held.
My family spent a huge fortune searching for a cure. Unfortunately, no cure was found. But after ten years, when I turned sixteen, we finally discovered the locket.
This locket was extremely expensive—even for us. It cost money, favors, and everything in between.
But what was so special about it? It bound and strengthened my soul. That was only half the reason, though. The bigger reason was that it required a large power source.
Obviously, being so small, it could only use small mana stones, which wouldn't last long. At any moment, the energy supply could cut off. But this treasure was different—it was an ancient relic that absorbed natural mana.
Natural mana is the energy that flows freely around us, but we humans cannot normally use it. Even other species or national treasures can't use natural mana. This locket, however, could. It absorbed natural mana, healed my soul, and created a continuous loop. While absorbing, it blinked with light.
But right now, the locket wasn't blinking. That meant it wasn't supplying power. And that was only possible if my soul didn't need healing anymore.
Which meant one thing: my soul was no longer damaged. Ofcourse it wasn't now I was residing in this body not Adrian.
From my uncle's perspective, I was healed. And those tears were tears of joy—or so I hoped.
One of the escorts, who looked close to my uncle, also looked happy. In his excitement, he spoke with regret:
"Master Lewin had only one wish, but he couldn't fulfill it. God plays cruel pranks."
That sentence instantly caught my attention—and my uncle's too. His eyes were still wet with tears, but he glared coldly at the escort. If looks could kill ,this escort would have died by now.
In our family, "Master Lewin" was a title reserved only for the one who owned the business. Everyone else was addressed by name. For example, my uncle would be called "Master Belhart."
After my grandfather's death ten years ago, my father was given the title of Master Lewin. So, the escort's words could only mean one thing: my father was dead.
I looked at my uncle. He sighed and said,
"Let's go. I will tell you in the carriage."
Once we settled inside, he remained silent. I also stayed quiet. After we left the academy city, he finally spoke:
"Brother is dead. He died a month after you left."
I had left a month before the academy started, to get used to the city. I stayed at a hotel, as many nobles did. So, his death had happened around the time the academy began.
Uncle continued,
"I thought informing you would only burden you."
He was right.
Then he added,
"I'm thinking of transferring the business to you. Making you the head."
I stayed silent, but I understood.
My grandfather had five sons. Before my father's death, three had already died in just two years—two murdered, and one mysteriously disappeared. Now, with my father gone, it was obvious someone was targeting the Lewin family's fortune.
My uncle could become head, but then he too might be killed. If I were to inherit later, it would be difficult while stuck inside the academy. Someone powerful and hidden was pulling the strings.
That was why it was better for me to inherit now. Once inside the academy, I would be under the protection of the principal. No one in their right mind would go against him. Even if my uncle died, as long as I lived, the family would continue. Transferring property without my death would be impossible.
And after I graduated from the academy, who knew how strong I might become—or how many connections I might have? It was the best possible plan for now.
But there was a problem.
I wasn't safe inside the academy either.
Let me explain. If I hadn't inherited, we would have followed my uncle's plan, and I would've been killed—either before entering the academy or during the rank evaluation exam.
How do I know this?
Well, in the library I noticed Adrian had already completed the first-year syllabus. He should have easily topped the theory exam. But in the novel, he wasn't even in the top two. The first and second ranks in theory were occupied by members of the main cast.
So something didn't add up.
Lewin was doomed. And I was in danger.
Wait...
I suddenly remembered something from the novel.
In the second year, the MC fought a duke from my kingdom. Like every villain, the duke bragged about his achievements. One thing he mentioned was how he had absorbed many merchant families.
If my memory served right, one of those families was Lewin.
So now I knew who was behind this. At least the bigger picture.
But that wasn't the main problem.
The real problem was that there must already be many spies in my family. And I couldn't fight a duke. Even the MC had to fight him indirectly in the second year.
I had no physical strength. My family never involved itself in wars, so we had no strong warriors. That meant we could somehow defend against a direct attack, but against indirect schemes? We stood no chance.
Even going to the king was useless. Though the king didn't fully support the duke, he was aware of what the duke was doing.
Why wasn't he stopping him? Because the duke wasn't just any noble. And without solid evidence, the king couldn't confront him directly.
Besides, the duke wasn't hoarding wealth for himself. He was buying equipment for his army, gathering treasures, and preparing for war—and what came after. In the long run, this was good for the kingdom.
If we had military power, maybe the king would've helped us. But we didn't.
Why was the duke doing this?
Because he knew the world was on the brink of chaos. Huge wars were inevitable, and the kingdom might even split apart. He planned to create a new, independent kingdom and crown himself king. Until kingdom split like an ideal nobel he would support king with his army. Him becoming king was just one possibility.
But honestly? None of that mattered to me.
I just wanted to survive.
Even if I went to the duke and said he could have all the money if he spared me, it wouldn't work. Only an idiot would leave behind such evidence.
Going to the royal family wasn't an option either. The king already knew and turned a blind eye.
I was weak, cursed with a zombie-like body. What could I possibly do?
Was simply wanting to live a crime in this world?
I could leak sensitive information about the duke. But most of the powerful nobles had good relationships with him. In that regard, he was truly smart. And as soon as he discovered that someone had uncovered his secrets, he would hunt down the culprits.
It wouldn't take him long to find me. And then, I wouldn't just be a weak, zombie-like merchant… I would become his mortal enemy.