/
“Yeah, the professor asked me to do something, but I forgot because I was sick.”
“But it still doesn’t work… Can’t we do it later? Let’s rest today, rest tomorrow, rest until the day after tomorrow, and then… The professor said you were sick, so won’t he take care of it?”
When he saw Amani holding my arm and shaking gently, Nathan spoke in a warm tone and gently took his hand away.
“Amani, the professor is also a busy person, but if I waste time without saying anything, won’t it cause problems for others in many ways? Look, don’t I look better than the first day? My physical condition is better than ever. If you’re worried, you can come with me. I think it will be faster if you help me.”
Honestly, Nathan himself knew how ridiculous this excuse was. If it was someone else, they wouldn’t have listened to it. But luckily, the person here was Amani, not someone else. The boy in front of him was still naive in this way, and if he was the same as the character in the original story he remembered, he could only deceive him to some extent with these words.
“I’ll be back soon. Is there a tower here too?”
“Yes.”
Amani rolled his big eyes and hesitated with his words. It didn’t seem like something he wanted to say, but he was thinking about it. With Amani on his shoulders, Nathan walked out of the room, even as Amani held onto him.
“Let’s just go to the tower, contact him, and come right back. It won’t take long.”
“You need to rest, and Azar told me to take good care of you.”
As they walked, Amani was anxious and nervous. Nathan just glanced at Amani and didn’t say anything. It would be a big problem if Amani lost his temper and caused a scene. He had to quickly leave the mansion when he was still unsure of the situation. If he left the mansion, the boy wouldn’t be able to stop him anymore.
Nathan, using his long legs, walked faster than usual to the first floor and looked around to find Vascent. The mansion didn’t show any signs of Vascent being present. Did he have to go out like this and find a ride? Just as he was thinking about it, Vascent opened the front door and came in.
“Vascent!”
“Oh my gosh, Mr. Norbert! You’re awake! I’m so glad. But why are you here?”
Vascent, who found Nathan and instantly brightened up, looked at Nathan and Amani standing in front of the front door as if they were about to go out somewhere. Especially behind Nathan, Amani’s anxious face was clearly visible.
“Suddenly, I have to go to the village. Could you please prepare a carriage?”
“Yes?… I’m sorry, Mr. Norbert. You just got up from the hospital bed, are you going outside? Sven said you shouldn’t overdo it, but…”
“Oh, don’t worry too much. I’ve had a good rest and I’m in good shape. I’ll be back soon anyway. I have to stop by the tower. I’ll just stop by the tower and come right back.”
“But…”
“Amani’s going too. There won’t be a problem, right?”
“That…”
While talking to Vascent, Nathan felt his nerves tightening. Unconsciously, he clenched his fist to resist the urge to bite his nails. Nathan maintained the smile on his face from earlier. At first glance, it seemed like a business-like demeanor, and his appearance appeared calm. However, the unexpected words that came out of Vascent’s mouth startled him.
“I don’t think I can prepare a carriage.”
“…What? It’ll only take a little while. It won’t be long, and it’s not too much.”
“No, it’s not that kind of problem. Currently, there is an issue with the carriages in this villa, so I have sent all of them for repairs except for the ones already taken. Therefore, I don’t think I can prepare a carriage right away. I’m so sorry, Mr. Norbert. Why don’t you wait for the master to come back?”
Nathan shook his head at Vascent’s words and swallowed a sigh that was about to escape. It was too late to wait until then… If the carriage didn’t work, he couldn’t do it.
“Then, give me a moment.”
***
Dagda, Dada, Dadada─!
Two horses swiftly traversed the forest path. It wasn’t too difficult to find the way to the village. It was a straight path all the way, so all they had to do was ride on a well-maintained road.
The sky was dim, painted with shades of red, and the world seemed hazy. The passing wind carried a damp scent, and it felt like it could rain at any moment. Nathan urged the horses to go faster. Amani, riding a horse behind Nathan, anxiously opened his mouth.
“Nathan, wait! Aren’t you riding too fast?”
“Amani, bite your tongue!”
Saying that to Amani, Nathan tightened his grip on the reins. He was already exerting considerable force with his hands. He knew it was dangerous to ride at such high speeds, but he was in a hurry. Fortunately, the road they were currently passing through was well-maintained and didn’t have any sharp turns or rocky terrain, so there was minimal risk.
‘…I’m using what I learned from my past.’
It was fortunate that horseback riding was a mandatory class in the academy. No matter how skilled a wizard he was, he couldn’t use teleportation magic to travel through space alone unless he was a high-level magician like Professor Michael. Moreover, the trains and other common means of transportation had limited destinations, so unless he wanted to spend the rest of his life walking or riding in a horse-drawn carriage, he had to learn how to ride a horse.
Of course, the first time he encountered a horse was during a school trip when he was young. After he arrived in this world, he started learning horseback riding in earnest, and now, two years later, he has become quite proficient. Of course, he didn’t have the experience of riding since he was young like everyone else, so he couldn’t do anything else while riding a horse…
Even at this moment, his mind was gradually becoming a mess. Nathan once again recalled how every time he tried to change things, they went wrong, and the outcomes were disastrous. From Nathan’s perspective, whether he intervened or not, the original events seemed to unfold as they were meant to.
Could he not change a future that had already been set? Perhaps his belief that things could be slightly different was just an illusion, and unless he deviated from the major events of the original story, even the slightest change wouldn’t fit into the axis of change. It felt like every situation was blocking his path.
‘…Is it too much of a leap?’
He wished it were just a leap, but this thought led to a spark of inspiration. As they rode for a while, the two of them reached a three-way intersection leading to the town, which was blocked by a group of thugs.
“Stop!”
A burly man with a disheveled beard stood in front of them. As a result, Nathan and Amani had no choice but to quickly pull on the reins and come to a halt.
Hing heeing!
“Whoa, whoa!”
The horses, which had been galloping swiftly, let out a loud neigh before finally coming to a stop after a few more steps. Nathan furrowed his brow at the sudden interruption. He was already on edge, so this added annoyance made his thoughts spill out for a moment.
“What’s going on?”
Nathan was taken aback by his own words and quickly closed his mouth. It was understandable, but the tone of his voice carried irritation. While Nathan scolded himself for getting angry, the man in front of them briefly explained the situation.