“Lord Edgar, it’s Ray.”
When I heard that low, but pleasant voice, only one thought came to mind.
‘Who is Ray?’
I wanted to tear my hair out at my cursed memory.
I couldn’t properly remember anything.
It was partly because my memory wasn’t great, but a bigger reason was that, ten years ago, I was such a piece of trash that I couldn’t even remember the names of the people around me.
I spent all day lazing around, wasting time, and doing nothing meaningful, so I didn’t remember what other people were doing or how they treated me.
The only things I could vaguely remember were my father and my siblings…
And some brief information about the continent and the family?
Just as I was racking my brains, I heard another knock.
Knock knock knock—
“Lord Edgar, may I come in?”
“Come in.”
I couldn’t keep her waiting, so I called her in.
Then, a woman entered the room.
Her short, flowing navy-blue hair and beautiful appearance, along with her gentle expression, immediately caught my eye.
Her voice had been so low that I imagined her to have a slightly androgynous appearance, but she looked a little different from what I expected.
“Lord Edgar, you have an appointment with the head of the family in an hour. I came early because I thought you should prepare.”
She spoke in a formal tone.
Her way of speaking was completely opposite to her appearance.
Although I had a rough idea after hearing her, I still asked just in case.
“Who are you again?”
Even I thought that was an incredibly trashy question.
It was ironic—she knew me, but I didn’t know her.
But Ray, as if used to this situation, sighed and said,
“You’ve forgotten again. I thought you’d be used to seeing me by now.”
“…Again?”
“You forgot last time as well. Both my name and my position. You even mistook me for a maid and asked me to bring you alcohol.”
How could this guy have more and more horror stories the more you dig?
Mistaking her for a maid and asking her for alcohol.
Even a homeless person on the street wouldn’t say something like that.
But in a way, I was lucky to have been trash ten years ago.
Since I enjoyed playing and loafing around so much, and wasn’t interested in those around me, I must have often not known any information about the people in my life, just like now.
Thanks to that, even now, my seemingly strange questions after returning were surprisingly accepted as a natural occurrence, like, ‘Oh, he’s doing this again.’
“It’s Ray. Lord Edgar’s personal butler. You probably don’t remember, but I’ve been serving you for over a month now.”
“…I see, Ray. My butler. I momentarily forgot. Haha….”
As expected, Ray was my personal butler.
I had a rough idea when she came to my room to report my schedule.
But is it common for women to be butlers?
There hadn’t been any in the other world I spent ten years in, but I guess it’s a rare occurrence in this original world.
“I need to see my father?”
“Yes. I believe he wants to talk about your future path, which was discussed earlier.”
Brandon Mulick.
My father, and the head of the Marquis Mulick family, a great mage lineage.
Among those born with the fate of a mage, he was known to be one of the most skilled, and his contributions during the Great War on the continent made him a popular hero within the kingdom.
I remember my father’s accomplishments well, as they were drilled into me from a young age through education, so even now, despite the passage of time, I recall them clearly.
A meeting with him.
Although I had forgotten many things, I was a little nervous. But now that I had returned, it was a task I had to face eventually.
“I thought it might be best to go about 30 minutes early and wait, so I came to check. Shall we leave immediately if you’re ready?”
“Sure. Let’s go.”
I nodded at Ray’s question.
In fact, since returning, I hadn’t yet stepped outside.
I had spent my time in the room trying to adjust to reality, and aside from a brief conversation with the maid who came earlier, that was it.
Now that I was back in my original world, where I had to live my new life, it wouldn’t hurt to familiarize myself with the family buildings and the people.
“Has Celine done something wrong to you, Lord Edgar?”
But as we were walking down the hallway after leaving the room, Ray suddenly spoke.
It was an unfamiliar name.
I cleared my throat a couple of times and cautiously asked,
“Celine… who was that again?”
“…She’s a new maid who joined the Mulick family this month. She’s mainly in charge of preparing your refreshments.”
“Ah.”
I immediately realized who she was talking about.
The first person I met after returning to this world.
It was only when I saw that maid from the family that I truly felt I had returned.
Of course, she had brought refreshments earlier, but a few broken biscuits had caught me off guard.
“I saw her briefly earlier, and she was crying. I was wondering if something happened.”
Ray stated the reason for her question plainly.
She cried over that?
It wasn’t even a mistake worth mentioning. But thinking about how terribly 10-year-ago me must have treated her for her to react like that, I let out a hollow laugh and shook my head.
“There was no mistake. Just a few of the biscuits she brought were broken, that’s all….”
But mid-sentence, I suddenly felt a chill.
Something seemed off, so I tilted my head and looked back.
For a moment, there was a slight trace of contempt in Ray’s eyes.
Something was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“…Did you scold her again over something like that?”
“I told you, it’s a misunderstanding.”
“I’ll continue guiding you.”
She wasn’t convinced at all!
This is so unfair.
“I swear, I’m not the one who made her cry.”
The family mansion I stepped out to see was massive.
The sheer width and height of each building radiated grandeur.
There were vast gardens, fountains, and greenery flourishing all around.
Various facilities were built for the enjoyment of the family members.
It was practically the size of a small village.
Even the annex I had just come out of was as large as the main residence of most duchies, which says it all.
As I took in this immense scene, forgotten memories began to resurface.
‘That’s right. Our family was incredibly wealthy.’
Originally renowned as a great mage family, our reputation was already high, but my father, Brandon Mulick , was elevated to a marquisate after his exploits as a war hero.
With his rise in rank, it was only natural that the family’s wealth accumulated, and that’s likely why this grand estate was built.
I could confidently say that even during my time as a duke in the other world, I had never owned an estate of this size.
Though the economic differences between worlds might explain it, Mulick was simply exceptionally wealthy.
No wonder my younger self wanted to spend all his time doing nothing but lazing around.
“…Hmm?”
Then, my eyes caught sight of a peculiar building.
I stopped walking and fixed my gaze on it, prompting Ray, who was beside me, to ask with a puzzled expression,
“Is something the matter?”
“That building looks unusual.”
Tall walls and pillars, with no roof to speak of—just an open ceiling.
Weapons and armor hung around in various places.
Anyone could tell it was a training ground.
‘Was there always a building like that?’
But the structure didn’t quite fit the vibe of the Mulick family, known for its magic.
It wasn’t in my memory, probably because it was something outside of my interest.
“It’s the training ground used by the knights of the family. They usually practice tactics and spar there. You might not have been there before, Lord Edgar…”
“I’d like to see it.”
“…Pardon?”
Ray looked surprised at my sudden remark.
I met her eyes and gave a slight smile.
“Isn’t it strange that the heir of the family hasn’t seen one of its buildings? I want to go, Ray. We still have time, don’t we?”
“…That’s true, but…”
“Then give me just a moment.”
In truth, as a noble, I didn’t need her permission, but since we had a scheduled appointment, and for some reason, it felt like I should seek her approval.
She nodded.
And perhaps due to my confident demeanor, Ray seemed flustered and, before she realized it, nodded her head in agreement.
Seeing that signal of approval, I quickly moved toward the training ground.
Luckily, it seemed that it wasn’t the time for the family’s knights to train, as the training ground was completely empty.
‘…There it is.’
As soon as I reached the interior of the training ground, I spotted the one thing I wanted to see.
A sword, roughly and crudely forged.
It was too short to be called a longsword and too long to be a dagger.
A gladius.
‘It’s good to see you, my comrade.’
This was the sword I used when I first landed in the otherworld 10 years ago, during my time on the battlefield.
It was light, easy to handle, and being a one-handed sword, it allowed for the use of a shield as well.
The perfect weapon for a common soldier.
That’s why I used it for so long and had grown attached to it.
“…It feels good.”
Swish, swish.
I swung the gladius through the air a few times.
It felt great.
The sensation of cutting through the air, and the familiar weight in my hand, was overwhelmingly satisfying.
Among all the weapons stored in the training ground, I choose this one.
Perhaps it was because of this feeling, as though I were reuniting with an old friend.
“…Huh?”
But then.
Fate swirled in an unexpected way.
「The compass of fate is shifting!」
「You have been chosen by the destiny of a <Swordsman>. The fifth crossroads of the <Swordsman>, the <Sword’s Understanding>, is stirring within you.」
Even after attending the Hero Academy for three years, I had only ever reached the first crossroads of the <Mage>, remaining as an <Apprentice Mage>.
I had so little talent for magic that I was even mocked as being an illegitimate child of the Mulick family.
But now, a second destiny was finding its way to me.
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