“Goodness, where is your mind wandering, young student? Hurry and get on.”

“!”

“If we leave now, we’ll arrive just in time for the curfew. It’s a good thing the distance is short.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

The coachman naturally demanded that the man board the carriage, as if it were a matter of course. Even without saying it, he had realized it through his experience. The man promptly tried to climb into the carriage but remembered he had left his luggage behind. He hurriedly grabbed his bag and boarded the carriage.

“Then, we’re off.”

The carriage set off with a clatter. The ride was worse than the train. The relentlessly swaying interior made him feel slightly nauseous. The man’s attention was briefly captured by the passing scenery outside the window, and then his thoughts extended to Aurora Academy, their current destination.

‘Aurora Academy.’

That familiar yet unfamiliar term didn’t exist in the reality where the man lived, but it did exist in the novel he had read. The man once again recalled an absurd hypothesis. The notion that this place seemed to be inside the novel. The man slowly closed his eyes. His head, already dizzy from motion sickness, throbbed even more intensely.

<Azar> was both the title of the book and the name of the protagonist.

‘Azar Erasmus’

The fifth prince of the Shekira Kingdom and the man who would become a hero in the future. An attractive prince with golden hair that looked as if it had been melted from pure gold and blue eyes resembling the clear summer sky. His personality was also amiable, a typical exemplar of a prince that people adored.

And <Azar> was a common adventure fantasy novel that chronicled the life of such a prince. In this world, monsters called magical beasts existed. There were also magicians, and swordsmen who wielded sword energy using mana. Sword masters who stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship also existed. Dungeons also existed, but they were incidents that occurred thousands of years ago in ancient times and were currently sealed. Moreover, gods truly existed in this world. They no longer existed now, but they did in the past. Thus, the authority of temples was powerful, and in the present, the royal and religious powers were in opposition to each other.

And this is where Aurora Academy comes into play. The most prestigious academy in the Shekira Kingdom that produced knights, magicians, and other professions. <Azar> begins right at this academy. Azar, now in high school, becomes entangled in various incidents at this place. In the process, he gains comrades and acquires various powers through fateful encounters. And all of this served as a stepping stone for the future. Around the time Azar graduates from Aurora Academy, the world undergoes a drastic change.

Dungeons that had been sealed for thousands of years begin to awaken one by one, and the world becomes a place where magical beasts run rampant. And a divine prophecy is delivered.

‘Among those who inherit the blood of Erasmus, only one shall save the world and become the true king.’

…That was the story. Prince Azar embarks on a long journey with his friends to reseal those dungeons. Something like that. And within that story, a character with red hair like withered roses didn’t appear. So the man couldn’t be certain.

Thump thump.

Startled by the sudden noise, the man straightened his body. The coachman was knocking on the door from outside the carriage. The carriage that had been rattling must have stopped without him realizing it.

“Student, we’ve arrived. Get off.”

“Ah. Yes, yes…”

The man gathered his luggage and stepped out of the carriage. After bidding farewell to the coachman who told him to be careful, the man looked at the academy. The academy was immensely large. Seeing the massive buildings that resembled a Western castle he had once seen in a photograph, the man felt disheartened.

While looking at the iron gates that were much taller than his height, he noticed a boy standing in front of the entrance as he searched for it. The boy with orange hair was restlessly checking his pocket watch, as if waiting for someone, pacing back and forth in that spot. The boy only stopped his actions when he spotted the man walking slowly and unsteadily. The boy’s face contorted, followed by an angry voice.

“Nathan Nover!”

The boy ran over with loud, pounding steps.

“You! Why did you arrive so late! I was worried sick, thinking something had happened to you!”

The boy’s orange hair was very short, and unlike his youthful appearance, he seemed to have a good physique. Seeing that he was wearing the same clothing as the man, it seemed that these clothes were indeed a school uniform. The boy approached as if he was going to hit the man. Judging by the twitching of his fingers, it seemed he really was about to hit him. Their heights were similar, but the difference in build made it threatening. As the man instinctively cowered, the boy abruptly stopped and clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. With that wretched look on your face… Hurry up and follow me. We need to go to the dorm and then straight to the professor. Professor Melchiel is looking for you! I got scolded for nothing!”

With that, he turned his body and started walking first. The man had no choice but to follow the boy. His pace was slow due to the heavy luggage. Seeing that, the boy became even more irritated. To make matters worse, the worn-out bag couldn’t withstand the contents and the lock broke off. The contents burst out in an instant.

“Ha! You really are a piece of work!”

Indeed. Even amidst his perplexity, the man inwardly agreed with those words. Putting aside his bewilderment, the man hurriedly swept up the luggage scattered on the ground. Of course, the boy didn’t help. He just folded his arms and tapped his foot in annoyance. The man stuffed the luggage back into the broken bag. The bag with the damaged lock couldn’t be closed. He had no choice but to hug the huge bag against his chest. Seeing that, the boy started walking again. The man quickly followed after him.

His arms ached from the heavy bag that made his body want to fall backward, but he had to endure it, gritting his teeth. The boy acted as if he knew the owner of this body. However, judging by his tone and expression, it seemed their relationship wasn’t particularly good. A seemingly eternal amount of time passed. In reality, it was probably just over 10 minutes, but the man’s knuckles turned red and sweat poured down. It was hard to breathe.

He had walked quickly in an attempt to catch up with the boy, but the gap between them only widened, and at some point, the boy was far ahead. It was the same now. The boy opened a door and slipped inside. It took a while for the man to enter the room.

“Put the bag anywhere. Come back and organize it later. Well, it’s not like it’ll make much difference since you’re not good at organizing anyway.”

At the boy’s words, the man was finally able to set the bag down on the floor. He was out of breath, and his arms and legs trembled.

“Cough, cough…!”

This body was trash. He hadn’t moved much and had only carried this much weight, yet the world turned yellow. He felt dizzy. Still, seeing how exhausted the man was, the boy let him rest for a bit. He didn’t bring him water, but he did tell him where the water was, so he could drink a glass of water.

“Phew, I think I’ll live.”

“Done resting? Let’s go. We’re already late!”

“Ahem! …Okay.”

The man awkwardly spoke. But the boy didn’t seem to notice anything strange and just went outside first. In the spacious corridor, there were occasionally boys and girls who appeared to be around the same age. And those boys and girls would sometimes glance at the man and whisper.

Their gazes varied. Some looked at him as if he were pitiful, some seemed to find him distasteful, and some would smile slightly if their eyes met. The man found it odd but decided to pretend not to know for now.

The boy stopped in front of a door, which had a sign that read [Magic Room 2].

‘Magic room!’

Those words excited the man. Magic… There couldn’t be a more thrilling word than that. And the boy, who had been watching him, thought that for a moment, light seemed to enter those lifeless eyes.

“You better speak well of me! Explain to them properly that you arrived late because of your own delay. Phew, I was so relieved to not have to share a room with you anymore… What a mess this is. I’m so sick of it! Nathan Nover. It was filthy being with you, and let’s never meet again.”

With that, he dashed off. The man awkwardly scratched the back of his neck with his raised hand, unable to bid a proper farewell.

‘Nathan Nover’

The boy had called the man Nathan Nover twice. Then that would become his name from now on. But it was still a name he had never heard before.

Knock knock knock.

For now, putting aside the matter of the owner of this body, Nathan stood in front of the door and knocked.

“Excuse me. Nathan… Nathan Nover here.”

The name he uttered felt extremely unfamiliar. After a moment, a refined voice came from beyond the door.

“Come in.”

Nathan carefully opened the door. Well-oiled, the door opened smoothly without creaking. Nathan stepped into the room, rubbing his sweaty palms on his clothes due to nervousness. The first thing that hit him was the smell of medicine, somewhat reminiscent of a traditional medicinal clinic. Moreover, unlike the cold outside, the inside was filled with a warm air that was strangely cozy.