“Come to think of it, I think I vaguely heard that I’m attending the academy. What do you learn there?”
“Valhalla Academy adopts a system where you can freely choose the subjects you want, so you can learn a great many things.”
“So, which subjects did I take last semester?”
“Probably theory-based courses like history, philosophy, and political science.”
“You don’t know exactly, do you?”
“If you check the belongings Young Master brought back from the academy, I think I could give you a precise answer. What would you like to do?”
“No need. It’s not that important.”
I had expected as much.
There was no way the attendant would have a clear answer.
After all, the original work directly stated, ‘Karbaldr had not a single person in the family to whom he could grow attached.’
There were plenty of mentions of this character’s unfortunate circumstances, especially in stories related to Hard.
Because of that, there were quite a few comments like [No one cares about a bully’s sob story] or [You’re not trying to whitewash his image by selling his tragic past, are you?].
‘With readers like that flooding the comments, why on earth did I end up possessing this novel……’
Thinking about it only makes me frustrated, so I’d better stop.
Anyway, to return to the main point, the attendant in front of me is polite and respectful, but that’s all.
It’s closer to treating me as a guest than as the young master of the family.
So it’s only natural that the attendant doesn’t know which subjects the possessed body took last semester.
I’m not someone he needs to build a relationship with.
He probably judged there’s no need to know such personal details.
If Hard, the master of the house, wanted to know, it would be different, but such an assumption is meaningless.
“Prepare a document summarizing only the essential core knowledge I must know as the son of the ducal family, organized by field. For any part that requires detailed explanation, include notes and references to good sources.”
“Excuse me? How could I possibly……”
“I’m not telling you to do it yourself. This is the ducal family—we can just hire experts in each field, can’t we?”
“Ah, yes…”
“Why are you just standing there? Do you know why I asked you to bring writing materials? There are a few more things I’ll have you do, so hurry and write them down.”
Recalling the depiction of the possessed body from the original work, I furrowed my brow and gave my instructions in an arrogant tone.
Watching the attendant hurriedly scribble with his pen, I felt a little uncomfortable.
I felt like I was being a jerk to a mere child, barely in his mid-teens.
I can’t keep acting like this forever. I’ll have to gradually change.
But I mean ‘gradually’.
Not right away.
“If there’s organized material, I can cram the knowledge into my head on my own… What’s urgent right now is self-defense, I suppose? The family doctor claimed I procured poison and took it myself, but who could trust that…”
The doctor’s words are probably true.
Even so, I deliberately muttered to myself, feigning anxiety.
If a patient with amnesia prioritizes building up strength over recovering memories, there needs to be a reason.
“In September, your Familiar will be born, so there’s no need to worry about self-defense.”
Since the attendant mentioned the keyword ‘Familiar’, I’ll explain what I couldn’t in Episode 1.
According to the worldbuilding of 《Nas-e》, there is a tree called ‘Yggdrasil’ growing in the center of the imperial palace.
The fruit that grows from it is the Familiar Egg.
Direct descendants of the Imperial Family of Midtråd and the four ducal families receive a Familiar Egg upon turning 17, and the egg hatches on their 18th birthday.
That’s why, when I asked the attendant the age of the possessed body, instead of simply answering seventeen, he said something about the upcoming September.
It shows just how special the birth of a Familiar is considered by the imperial family and ducal houses.
“A Familiar? Like that White Lion from earlier? I suppose it’d be reassuring to have such a being at my side. But since it’s a living creature, it’ll take quite some time for it to grow enough to guarantee my safety, right?”
I’m both very much looking forward to the birth of my Familiar, and not expecting anything at all.
Because I already know what kind of Familiar will be born to this possessed body.
All the Familiar Eggs come from the same tree, but the species that hatches from each egg differs by family.
Just look at Hard’s Familiar: in the case of the Austri Ducal Family, white-furred feline beasts are born.
For reference, Karvald Austri’s older sister and brother have a Leopard and a Cheetah as their Familiars.
And this possessed body’s Familiar has inherited the traits of the feline with the highest hunting success rate.
The only problem is, that beast is the ridiculously adorable Black-footed Cat.
Its body isn’t even 50 centimeters long, let alone a meter, making it small even among felines.
Hard’s White Lion is over 2 meters long (not counting the tail), and in battle mode, it supposedly grows beyond 5 meters.
If you can’t quite imagine those numbers, just think of it as almost elephant-sized.
In contrast, Karvald Austri’s Black-footed Cat, even in battle mode, barely exceeds 1 meter in length including the tail.
About the size of a typical Maine Coon.
‘It might be able to heal my heart in the future, but it definitely can’t protect me.’
After that tiny, cute Familiar was born, many people started mocking Karvald Austri behind his back.
Not only the person himself, but even his Familiar didn’t live up to the prestige of the Austri Ducal Family, so as soon as he graduated from the academy, it was obvious he’d be kicked out of the family.
There was even a scene in the original where a student was gossiping about this in the dormitory lobby, only to get caught by Karvald Austri himself.
That student ended up being whipped by the furious Karvald Austri and had to quit the academy in disgrace.
At this point, some of you might be wondering where the ‘whipping’ came from, so let me explain—
“In that case, I’ll arrange for a teacher to instruct you in Whip Technique as well.”
That’s right. Karvald Austri’s weapon of choice is the Whip.
As a side note, everyone in the Austri family uses whips.
‘What was the author thinking?’
It’s not like they’re an old circus troupe or animal welfare activists.
The combination of feline predators and whip-wielders is just…
“Speaking of which, there are some practical skills I’d like to learn before returning to the academy… But since I don’t even know what I don’t know right now, it’s hard to give clear instructions.”
“I’ll report that as well. You may have to undergo several tests to assess your current level—will that be all right?”
“Tests are fine, but exclude any classes that won’t be useful in real life. We don’t have much time!”
“Understood.”
The attendant nodded and began writing a list on the paper.
I quietly watched, then spoke up.
“I think that’s enough about education… Are there any tasks I absolutely must perform, or important rules I need to follow?”
“Nothing in particular… Ah! You must supply Aether to your Familiar Egg every day.”
“How?”
“Just touching it should be enough. While you were unconscious, we supplied Aether by bringing the egg into contact with you.”
“That’s simple enough… Hmm, Aether… Aether…”
Expecting a reaction, I crossed my arms and muttered the word ‘Aether’ with a troubled look.
But the attendant simply stood there in a polite posture.
He didn’t seem the least bit curious about why I was acting this way.
“Aether… What was that again? And how do you use it…? I can’t remember at all.”
“I’ll prepare materials on Aether and add Aether manipulation classes to your curriculum.”
“Yes, don’t forget that. I can’t remember what it is, but I get the feeling it’s very important.”
I emphasized again.
There are Aether-related lectures at the academy, but they assume you already know how to use it.
That’s why I wanted to learn how to use Aether in advance.
It’s a necessary skill for getting stronger.
Having achieved my objective, it was about time for the meal I’d postponed.
“Then go out and bring me my meal.”
“May I ask one question before that?”
He’ll have to come back with the food anyway.
‘Couldn’t he just ask then?’
That thought crossed my mind, but I nodded anyway.
Even earlier, when I pretended to be deep in thought, the attendant showed no reaction.
I was curious what question he’d ask now.
“Why did you stay still when His Grace the Duke hit you earlier?”
‘Is this a question the attendant asked out of personal curiosity?’
‘Or did he recall that Hard had wondered about it and wanted to report back?’
‘Or maybe, before the doctor left, he whispered to the attendant to ask me this?’
New questions arose, but I had no desire to ask the attendant directly.
Either way, my answer would be reported to Hard.
Whatever his reason, I had to treat this as a kind of test and answer accordingly.
“So he really was my father? Considering he entered my room without knocking and his age, I figured as much, but to think it was true.”
“Did you stay still because you realized he was your father?”
“Rather than that… He may be my father, but he doesn’t treat me like a son. Still, he went out of his way to come hit me, so he probably thought I’d disgraced the family’s honor and dignity.”
“‘Went out of his way’…?”
The boy repeated the everyday phrase as if he’d never heard it before.
‘Maybe he doesn’t know Hard’s character very well yet?’
He looks quite young, so maybe he hasn’t been working for the Austri family for long.
Or maybe my tone was so matter-of-fact that he was stunned into silence.
“He’s the kind of person who, after his son nearly died, didn’t say a word and just complained about wasting his time as he left. So from his point of view, it was a big effort.”
I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh at the absurdity.
Then, remembering this too would be reported, I wiped the expression from my face and continued seriously.
“In other words, it was a matter serious enough to warrant that much effort. If I died and the culprit was family, the house would be condemned as cruel. If it was an outsider, the house would be mocked as incompetent for not being able to protect its child… And if it became known I took my own life, they’d have to endure all that criticism and ridicule.”
There’s a limit to how much you can cover up a death.
Word has already spread that the possessed body returned to the ducal estate, and after the break ends, I’ll have to return to the academy.
I can’t claim to have died of a sudden illness.
Too many people saw Karvald Austri attending classes in perfect health last semester—even bullying the protagonist.
“Whether the truth was revealed or hidden, the family’s reputation would have plummeted. That’s why he probably wanted to warn me never to do something like this again.”
“…Are you all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“His Grace the Duke is your father, isn’t he? But instead of asking what was difficult for you, he just used violence…”
“If you’re asking whether I’m hurt by it—not at all? Maybe because I have no memories, or maybe because I’ve completely lost all affection for him… I don’t feel like he’s my ‘father’ at all. So I feel nothing.”
To me, Hard is a complete stranger.
So although being hit out of nowhere was unfair, I don’t particularly resent it.
But however the attendant interpreted my attitude, I saw pity flicker in his expression as he looked at me.