The morning light glazed over the bedroom; Wei An's attendant knocked and then went inside, only to see his young master gracefully asleep on his bed.
"Young master, I prepared your breakfast. Please wake up." The sound of his attendant's firm voice stirred Wei An awake, slowly getting up while sighing.
...
Haaa... I guess I really am alive now.
Now that I look at him, he looks quite old... Maybe in his 60s? Ah, whatever, let's not think about it.
"Young master? Are you alright?" His attendant asked, looking somewhat puzzled by his young master's eccentric behavior.
"Alfred...right?"
"Yes? Young master?"
Thank the gods I found a book containing the identities of the staff and my new family. I don't know what I would've done without it.
"Prepare a bath for me; I'd like to wash up before I eat."
"Yes, sir."
Well... At least I can enjoy life without having to worry about money. I heard the Marion Duchy is quite rich.
Minutes after washing up, Wei An proceeded to change and eat his breakfast. Alfred left soon after, and Wei An spent his day looking for clues, letters, diaries, or anything that would help him understand the owner of his current body. For a short while Wei An felt helpless until he spotted a small book hidden in a small corner near the bed.
Hah. No wonder I couldn't find it.
He reached for the book, opening and reading its contents. Memories of the original owner of the body flooded Wei An's brain. Due to the overflow of emotions and memories, Wei An had dropped the book, clutching his head in pain. Moments after the pain subsided, Wei An reached for the book again, turning to the last page. This time, there was no sudden flooding of memory, only a letter written down.
Hah... What the hell.
-January 5th, 20XX, I had secretly been working on a magic scroll like no other; it had the power to transport someone to another world. I thought this creation was a fluke, that it could never work, until one day the scroll glowed, and it gave me the hope I needed to carry on this discovery. After a few months of working on the scroll, there had been side effects, and my health declined. Now, on November 3rd, I had decided to use the magic scroll on myself; my health was declining severely, and I figured I had nothing to lose. On December 6th, 20XX, I had been transported to another world. This world had no magic; however, it was ruled by mathematics and science. I had spent 5 years there; the side effects are still unknown. The following year came, my health improved a bit, and I decided to research and create an alternative to the magic scroll, as it destroys a human's vitality. Again, I continued to explore various worlds; each time I went, it was different. However, there is one clause: my actions took a toll on my body, and I had made a deal with an immortal from another world. For years I let my greed for a new evolution to magic get the best of me; now I would have to pay the price—
The following text written in the letter was blurred with ink that could not be salvaged.
Just my luck. How ironic that something like this happens. I'll be fine...probably.
_______________________________________________________________________________
A week had passed since Wei An had woken up in this strange world. Surprisingly, he had gotten used to the customs.
I'm worried about that letter, but I can't really do anything about it. For now, I'll just ignore it.
"Ah...this is really me now." Wei An looked at himself in the mirror, still not used to seeing himself look so different from his past appearance. Just then his attendant, Alfred, knocked on the door.
"Young master, your food is here; are you awake?" Alfred went inside, seeing his Wei An sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at his reflection.
"Young master, is there something wrong? You've been staring at the mirror quite often nowadays."
"Is that so? I've just been thinking, aren't I quite handsome?"
Silence followed Wei An's statement; after that, Alfred gave a small smile and agreed with his young master. "Our young master has always looked his best.
"Right..." Chills ran down Wei An's spine as he did not expect the old man to compliment him. He turned his head to the food that Alfred brought. A silence followed, and Alfred served the food to him. After eating, Wei An had changed his clothes, looking at his reflection again in the mirror.
As expected, this body really has a handsome face, though I look quite thin... Are these the side effects the letter mentioned?
"Young master, the duke would like to meet you today."
Wei An turned his focus onto his attendant and then nodded briefly, "Alright."
Wei An stepped away from the mirror, adjusting his cuffs before leaving his room and proceeding to his father's office. The hall was somewhat silent; there were a few instances when the servants were chatting, but it was rather peaceful. Reaching the duke's office, a guard opened the door for Wei An; stepping inside, he greeted his father.
"Father, you called?" he greeted, somewhat respectfully but still casual.
"Yes, how have you been, Wei An?" the man spoke, gesturing for Wei An to come closer and sit down.
"I have been well. Can you tell me why you called?" Wei An spoke as he sat down.
"I called to check on your progress with swordsmanship; although you are gifted in magic, I can't have you lacking in other skills."
"I have been training well, Father." Wei An spoke calmly to the man, though in truth he was barely listening to the man. Wei An continued to listen to the duke until he was given the pass to be excused.
"Ah, right. Before you leave, is there anything you'd like? You will be leaving for the academy in a few weeks; everything will be arranged for you, but I'd like to know what you would like as a reward for passing."
Wei An stayed silent for a moment, staring at the duke, looking calm like he was thinking.
Ah. Right, I almost forgot I'm 16 right now. I completely forgot I had to attend the academy. It looks like this old man is quite reasonable aside from being a typical aristocrat. What would I need anyway?
After a while something came to Wei An's mind; he let out a subtle smile and then spoke, "Please give me money."
"Money?" The duke asked, puzzled by his son's request.
"Yes, sir."
The duke nodded at Wei An's request. "You can get your allowance through Alfred or the accountant. You're dismissed."
"Yes, Father, thank you." Wei An happily left the duke's office, delighted that he would be receiving an allowance. He made his way back to his room, staying at the terrace and admiring the view of the garden.
Looks like I have to think about the magic academy soon... Though I wonder if the magic here is the same as my world's magic. Ah, let's not think about it; it'll come up eventually anyway.