After running away from the training hall, I fished out the paper slip that the old man had given me from my pocket and began searching for the address written in it.
Finding the address proved more challenging than I thought. No, I was kidding. With my sense of direction, I knew it would be difficult.
As such, I started asking a few passersby for directions.
One of the people I asked for directions was a very familiar-looking young man who appeared to be my age, perhaps a year older, with short silver hair and eyes of a matching dull hue.
His porcelain skin was as immaculate as the finest of jade, and his entire demeanor exuded an air of haughtiness, as if he was some kind of a prince.
At first, it looked as if he was about to ignore me and continue on his way, but when I showed him the paper slip, something clicked in his mind.
He stopped and inspected the address written on the slip with a furrowed brow.
After a long, uncomfortable silence, the young man shifted his dull silver gaze to meet mine and posed a question, “Why are you going to this place?”
I furrowed my brow in return, clearly confused. “The owner of this place offered to let me stay there for a few months.”
The young man curled his upper lip in what could only be described as a look of distaste and voiced another query, “Wait, are you that Morningstar boy?”
The frown creasing my forehead deepened as I responded with a question, “You know me?”
“Hardly,” the young man scoffed, muttering to himself as he passed by me, deliberately bumping his shoulder against mine.
“That old fucker would teach that trash and an outsider but not me, huh? Fool!” I overheard him mutter under his breath as he walked away.
Observing his retreating figure, I couldn’t help but voice my thoughts, “Now, what’s his problem—”
But suddenly, in the midst of speaking, a realization dawned upon me. I clapped my hands together and exclaimed, “Oh, wait! That guy! It was Alfa Zenith!”
Alfa Zenith! He was the one of the many participants of the King’s Tournament. So, what made him so different?
Well, he won his Triple Threat match against Amelia and Alberto but lost to Nero in the Semi-finals! That was why I found his face lost… more than three times… before arriving at my destination.
I had to ask directions from a couple of people even after running familiar!
“Yes! I remember him now,” I mumbled to myself. “He’s also the head of the Disciplinary Committee.” 𝞸𝓋𝓵xt.𝚌𝑜𝑀
If I remember correctly, he once scolded me for not wearing my uniform correctly. Judging by his reaction, it seemed like he knew me as well.
“Oh, well,” I shrugged again and resumed my search for the address.
†
To my utter surprise, I managed to find my way without getting lost… more than three times… before arriving at my destination.
I had to ask directions from a couple of people even after running into Alfa, but in the end, I did it!
It took me around half an hour to reach an estate that could very well be described as a small manor.
The manor, much like the other building and housing structures on Mount Hua, was constructed from dark wood.
The manor itself was very luxurious. It had a sizable porch, three balconies facing different directions, two entrances – one main and one at the back – and a lush garden filled with blooming plum blossoms in the middle of this cold snowy mountain if it was spring right now.
I walked up to the main doors after crossing the porch, and to my surprise, the door knob turned easily. The doors were unlocked.
With a casual shrug, I swung open the main entrance and stepped inside the manor.
The interior was filled with furniture crafted from the most expensive rosewood. I curiously wandered around, exploring the space. The layout of the manor was elegant and plain.
A gallery extended from the entrance, leading into the main hall. To the right of the main hall, there was a kitchen, while on the left, two more galleries branched off into various rooms.
At the end of each gallery was a lavish bathroom. And by the side of the main entrance, a staircase led to the floor above.
The second floor also had a layout similar to the first floor, just not the kitchen and entrance.
“Hmm, this place is pretty good”
Yes, the manor was indeed good, but the layer of dust covering surfaces of all the furniture and appliances told me that no one had been using it for the past six or seven months.
The old man only said that his great-granddaughter lived here. But after looking at how big the manor was, I thought there were more people living here.
It turned out I was wrong. “So she lives alone in such a big mansion? Doesn’t she get lonely?”
Well, with modern entertainment options, living alone wasn’t necessarily boring, and some people even liked solitude, so I shouldn’t judge anyone.
In fact, in my previous life, I myself liked to live alone. I didn’t even move in with my girl… Damn…
Suddenly, as I was remembering my past life, a wave of nostalgia struck me. Just how long has it been since I died?
My parents, my siblings, my girlfriend, my friends… they must be doing fine without me, right?
Huh, normally I wasn’t the type of person to get all emotional but when it hit me that this was the first time I was remembering my parents, siblings, friends, and girlfriend in months, I couldn’t help but feel a little hollow inside.
I forgot about all of them so easily. Only a few months had passed but at this point it felt like my old life was just a dream.
Perhaps… in a few years I will start thinking of it as just a dream.
“Haaaa~”
Letting out a sigh, I walked around, took an unlocked room, and immediately set to work. I was exhausted so I shouldn’t think of all this stuff right now.
I had to clean, set-up my room, and rest.
I brought my wrist to my face and looked at a black band there. Yes, it was my smart bracelet but it’s screen was shattered.
I could maybe fix it with my Edit Pen later, but for now I needed to get my things.
I inspected it and saw that all the magical enhancements engraved on the band were still intact.
I could still use the dimensional storage function of my smart bracelet. Nodding, I willed mana into it and just like I thought, the engravings began to shine in a bright violet hue.
A cascade of ethereal light sparks flowed into my hand and collassed there, instantly materializing into a set of clean clothes.
“Okay, let’s get to work.”
