Thought Notebook
by Afuhfuihgs
Because it was long past breakfast time, I took some food out of the space warehouse and had breakfast with Luna. Since food doesn’t spoil or get cold when stored in the space warehouse, we could have a delicious meal even in bed.
After the meal, she seemed tired and was dozing off, looking so cute that I laid her down on the bed so she could rest well, and then used space magic to return to my room without being noticed.
With nothing much to do, I was spending time organizing the space warehouse when someone knocked on the door. Opening it, I saw Luna’s third older brother, Ruivel, who had been drawing a line across his neck with his hand whenever our eyes met since yesterday.
Ruivel quickly scanned the inside of the room with a look as if suspecting Luna might be inside, then sat down on a chair. As I sat down on the chair opposite him, Ruivel spoke right away as if he had been waiting.
,”I came to tell you something in advance about my sister.”
It was a commanding tone as if addressing a subordinate, but since he was Luna’s brother, I didn’t feel particularly bad. I replied with a polite attitude.
,”I’m listening.”
Ruivel frowned for a moment, crossed his arms, and after a long silence, opened his mouth.
,”Luna is awkward at dealing with other people because she’s been at home for a long time. But she’s kind by nature, so she won’t be abrasive wherever she goes, but the world is so grim, and she’s not suited for a world of survival of the fittest like Transcendence Academy. She’s actually experienced bad things too.”
I realized that Ruivel was genuinely worried about Luna, his voice full of concern and affection. Luna’s family seemed to care a lot about her. It wasn’t just excessive family worry; if I had a kind and lovely child like Luna, I would naturally have the same worries.
Ruivel paused for a moment, cleared his throat deliberately, and then subtly lowered his gaze.
,”I looked into you briefly before. And I think you’ll protect my sister well. So… well, welcome.”
He was the guy who glared at me with fierce eyes and drew a line across his neck whenever I got near Luna, but it seems he’s acknowledging me as Luna’s boyfriend after all.
,”Thank you.”
,”Well… it’s true that Luna has become much brighter since she met you, like before. It’s only natural that an older brother wants his beloved sister to be happy.”
Despite his fierce face, he’s surprisingly shy. Is he the *tsundere* of Luna’s brothers? Still, I was glad that there was another person who cherished and supported the person I loved.
***
It was past noon when Luna finally woke up from her nap, and we headed to the mansion’s banquet hall where Luna’s family was waiting.
It seemed we were the last ones, as all the other family members were already seated. We hurriedly found empty seats with Luna. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to want to separate us this time, so we were able to sit together.
As soon as we sat down, the meal began. There were various kinds of food on the table, which reminded me of the academy’s banquet hall. This much variety even though it’s not the academy… the food costs alone must be quite high. I guess nobles are nobles after all.
Unlike yesterday, when he maintained a solemn expression, Luna’s father, Ruinen, had a gentle smile on his face, so much so that I wondered if he had always been like this. He was cutting Luna’s steak for her and asked me about our afternoon plans in a friendly voice.
,”There are many nice places for couples to visit in the East. Lots to see too. How about I provide a carriage so you can have fun?”
At Ruinen’s words, Luna’s family, who had been eating silently, looked up in surprise and glanced back and forth at Ruinen. They seemed flustered by Ruinen’s suddenly smooth attitude towards me.
,”I appreciate the offer, but I plan to return to the capital as soon as the meal is over.”
,”You’re already going back? Hehe, without spending more time with Luna.”
Ruinen seemed very disappointed, and Luna’s mother, who was sitting next to him and giving Luna and me affectionate glances, agreed.
,”Yes, why don’t you spend a little more time together since it’s still vacation? Luna looks so happy with her boyfriend, it makes me happy too.”
Honestly, if I hadn’t met the Saintess, I would have stayed here for a few days. Time flew by so quickly when I was with Luna. A few days would have passed in no time.
But right now, I wasn’t even Confession, and I was so weakened that I had to weigh the possibility of winning even against a follower of the Order. I couldn’t afford to relax like this if I wanted to recover what I had lost right away.
,”Of course, I’d love to, but I have a lot of things to do. Actually, I barely made time to come just to see her face….”
When I said it as if I was really disappointed, Ruinen nodded as if he understood.
,”Yes, this is a very busy time for the Imperial Princess. It’s a sensitive time when even the nobles of the capital are secretly making political overtures to the Grace family….”
Ruinen trailed off, cleared his throat with a *keum keum*, and then gave me a sly smile.
,”And we need to discuss the details of the portal station that we promised the Imperial Princess.”
At those words, the eldest, Ruivil, who was sitting across from me and subtly threatening me with a steak knife, tilted his head.
,”Portal station?”
I was sure Ruinen said yesterday that he would talk to his family about the portal… but judging from Ruivil’s reaction, who seemed to be hearing about it for the first time, I wondered if it was just an excuse to give us some space.
Unable to follow the story, the bewildered gazes of Luna’s family eventually turned to me. Luna, who was sitting next to me, was also hearing about it for the first time and gave me a curious look. How should I explain this? I scratched my forehead, pondering, when Ruinen stepped in at just the right moment.
,”Yes, it’s a great gift that our proud son-in-law brought to the East. Hahaha!”
Whether he didn’t see Luna’s brothers glaring at me with distorted faces at the mention of “son-in-law,” Ruinen continued to pat me on the back with a cheerful face, and I let out a hollow laugh.
It seems the [Proposal Operation], where the strategists put their heads together, was a great success, hitting MAX affinity with my father-in-law.
After the meal, I was seen off to the portal station by Luna’s family. I promised Luna that we would meet again as soon as possible and said goodbye. She teared up a little, but sent me off with a happy face.
Arriving at the capital’s portal station, I headed straight to the academy. Opening the door to the clubroom, for some reason, the clubroom was filled with books, unlike before. Kane, looking very tired, appeared between the books that were stacked precariously high, as if they were about to fall towards the ceiling.
,”Oh, you’re here?”
,”What have you been doing? You look like shit.”
In response to my question, Kane gave a satisfied smile, unlike his face, which was very tired with dark circles under his eyes.
,”How can I stay still when alchemy knowledge is floating around in my head? I thought I’d just take a look at one book, but when I opened it and alchemy unfolded in my head, I couldn’t resist and immediately ran to the library and borrowed as much as I could.”
It was an enormous amount, easily over 100 books. I shook my head in disbelief, and then I saw the camping gear that Kane had packed for his trip next to the table, still there. With a “no way” feeling, I asked.
,”…Don’t tell me you haven’t slept a wink since you got back from your trip?”
,”Huh? How much time has passed?”
At Kane’s answer, I rubbed my face wearily. No wonder he looked more sickly than usual; it seems he was so engrossed in the books that he didn’t even realize how much time had passed.
,”Get some sleep. You’ll suddenly collapse.”
,”Hearing you say that, I suddenly feel really hungry and sleepy. Then should I rest a little?”
Saying that, Kane yawned widely and headed to Aria’s personal bed, where she usually lived. Before long, the sound of snoring echoed through the clubroom. He must have been very tired after all.
Using Kane’s snoring as white noise, I sat down at the table and took out a notebook and pen from the space warehouse.
I couldn’t decide what to do right away, so I paused for a moment to think. I stared blankly at the empty space in the notebook. Finally, I moved the pen and began to organize what I had lost and gained.
I lost the Spear of Destruction, which I used as my main weapon, but the Shadow Spear was still left. Judging from the fact that the Saintess didn’t say anything about the Shadow Spear, it seems there’s no problem continuing to use it.
Next was the issue of magic power related to space magic.
I lost the magic power amplification that compensated for my lack of innate magic power, so magic power became a problem for me once again. I was restricted from freely using space magic like before.
However, if I used the knowledge of magic power amplification and magic engineering recorded in the magic book left by Master Rotten, I judged that I could re-use magic power amplification by imprinting it on my brain, just like when I learned space magic.
However, imprinting formulas on the brain was a time-consuming repetitive task, so I had no choice but to put it on the back burner.
Unyielding Courage, which I used effectively depending on the situation, was also gone, but it wasn’t needed right away, and it was difficult to find a replacement. I also put this on the back burner of things to do.
I gave up on Berserker, which I used as a set with Unyielding Courage, without any regrets. It was a choice I thought was the best at the time because I could use it in conjunction with Unyielding Courage.
If I didn’t have a natural combat sense like Lacar, Berserker, which made me lose my mind, would obviously be poison to me, who uses space magic by recognizing space coordinates during combat.
The loss of Combat Continuation, which I used most effectively, was also a big regret. It was a powerful ability that shortened my lifespan, so it couldn’t be helped, but it was also true that I had received a lot of help until now.
Since I no longer have Combat Continuation to escape from life-threatening situations, I now have to fight even more safely. I also have to change my fighting style, which was tailored to Combat Continuation, right away. Now I can’t regenerate if my arms and legs are cut off. I need Master Lycan’s help with this.
I tapped the notebook with my pen, lost in thought.
For now, the magic power problem can be covered to some extent with elixirs if I ask Estelle and Bella. Then, the top priority is what to fill the void left by Combat Continuation.
As the Saintess said, there were quite a few ways for me to become stronger. It was also possible to use discarded settings with powerful forces like the Emerald Tablet. But most of them took too long to find or required special conditions.
…Then, the fastest way for me to become stronger right now is― something flashed through my mind.
Just the return of my memories of Ellie filled in the empty puzzle pieces, and a large picture began to take shape.
I can be sure with the writer’s sense of being able to read the flow of the story. Now is the time to use Quantum Jump.
But it was impossible to use Quantum Jump right away. If Roel were to get what I got, it would obviously be a loss. Choosing something unnecessary for Roel, like magic engineering knowledge, is too roundabout.
Before using Quantum Jump, I have to sever the connection between Roel and me. And I had a feeling that there was only one person who could make that possible.
Ellie, the future Archmage and genius of magic… maybe she can use the clues I found to find a way to sever the connection with Roel.
Closing the notebook, I asked myself a question.
What are my feelings about Ellie? What kind of relationship should we have?
After a long deliberation, I couldn’t find an answer after all.
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