As we walked back to the orphanage, I found myself watching the world around me.
It wasn't a grand place, no towering palaces, no breathtaking wonders.
Just a quiet countryside.
And yet…
it felt peaceful.
For the first time, there was nothing weighing on me.
No war, no expectations, no burden I had to carry.
Maybe that was why—
I could finally see it.
The small things.
The way the wind moved through the trees.
The fading light of the sun.
The simple rhythm of life… continuing without me.
In my previous life, I never noticed any of this.
Or maybe… I never allowed myself to.
I've already decided.
The Emperor—
is dead.
What I had to do…
I did.
Now—
only Ray remains.
Just an ordinary child.
This time…
I won't make the same mistakes.
I don't want power. I don't want a throne.
I just want to become someone…
I can be proud of.
Hey, walk faster! If we're late, Miss Sen's gonna kill us!"
Ken grabbed my sleeve and pulled.
"And if we do get caught, I'm telling her it was your fault. You dragged me out. I'm innocent."
I glanced at him.
"You're planning to betray me… before anything has even happened?"
"Of course," he said without hesitation. "I'm not getting scolded because of you."
I stared at him for a moment.
"…Ken, betraying your comrade is a grave sin."
He blinked.
"You should stand together. Face the consequences together. Protect each other's backs. That is what it means to be—"
"—to be what, an old man?" he cut in.
I frowned.
"A soldier. A knight. A warrior—"
Ken burst out laughing.
"Listen to yourself! First you walk like an old man, now you talk like one too!"
He wiped his eyes dramatically.
"And who even cares about all that knight stuff? I'm gonna be a mage, not some armor-wearing idiot."
"That's not the point."
"It is the point," he shot back. "And I'd rather save my life than my 'honor,' thank you very much, oh great knight."
This child.
.....
We did end up late.
And as expected—
we received a lecture.
Ken tried to push all the blame onto me, but unfortunately for him, Miss Sen was far sharper than he gave her credit for.
In the end…
he received what she called "education."
It was quite a wonderful sight to behold.
…Since when did I become this petty?
Even in my previous life, I held onto grudges far longer than I should have.
For someone who claimed to want a normal life…
old habits die hard.
Whoever came up with that saying was a smart person.
"Hey. What are you thinking about?"
Ken narrowed his eyes at me.
"I know you were happy when I got beaten. Hmph."
"It's a misunderstanding, Ken," I said calmly. "I was deeply saddened for you… as your comrade."
"I would've believed you," he shot back, "if you weren't trying so hard not to laugh."
…
Well, it was funny.
It's not my fault I was laughing.
Everyone else was too.
So why is he only blaming me?
And more importantly—
why is he still bothering me about it?
"Look, just forget it. You don't need to be this upset over something like that."
"What are you talking about?" Ken frowned. "Did you seriously forget?"
"Forget what?"
He stared at me like I'd just said something unbelievable.
"…Is your brain the size of a pea or something?"
This kid…
Even the strongest men in my past life wouldn't dare speak to me like that.
For a brief moment, my expression darkened.
I actually considered giving him some education of my own—just like Miss Sen had earlier.
But before I could say anything—
"The academy entrance preliminaries are in two days," Ken continued, his tone shifting.
"You were more excited about it than I was. And now you haven't even mentioned it."
He looked at me carefully.
"You've been acting weird these past few days."
"…Have I?"
"Yeah, you have," he said without hesitation. "You haven't even been training."
That made me pause.
"You never missed a day before," he added. "Not once."
He sounded… genuinely worried.
I glanced at him.
For all his noise and stupidity, he wasn't a bad kid.
But this academy…
I didn't understand it at all.
In my time, there was no such place.
If you were born a noble—or had someone backing you—you were taught by your family.
If not…
you were thrown into war.
You fought.You survived.You earned your place.
That was how you learned.
But now…
things were different.
From what Ken said, I was supposed to already know all of this.
I had even been preparing for it.
Which meant—
I couldn't ask him.
Not without raising suspicion.
So how…
was I supposed to learn about this "academy" without making it obvious that I knew nothing?
"Why are you so worked up about it?"
Ken stopped walking and stared at me.
"What are you saying?" he snapped. "This is our only chance!"
"To do what?"
"To climb up!" he said immediately. "From being just some orphan kids… to actually becoming something. Like the nobles!"
"Like nobles…" I repeated.
"Yeah!" Ken's voice rose, frustration slipping through. "They're rich, people respect them, no one looks down on them. Everyone listens to them."
"But us? No one cares about us. Even the normal kids in the village treat us like we're beneath them."
"I just… don't like it."
He really meant it.
Well… this was how the world worked.
If you were weak, you were stepped on.And if those above you weren't kind—
you were finished.
"There are other ways," I said. "Why are you so fixated on this?"
Ken frowned at me like I'd said something ridiculous.
"Because this is the easiest way!" he said. "If we get into a good academy, we get to learn with the best talents. Important people."
He leaned forward slightly, more animated now.
"We can get stronger. Get recognized. Maybe even work under a noble family… or become something ourselves."
Opportunities.
So that's what it was.
I had a rough idea now.
Time to dig a little deeper—
without making it obvious.
"So… the mage exam," I said casually. "How is it different from the knight one?"
Ken didn't even hesitate.
"It's completely different," he said. "Knights need strong bodies, endurance—stuff like that. They train to awaken aura later."
He tapped his head.
"But mages? They need brains. Control. And a lot of math if you actually want to use spells properly."
"Sounds troublesome," I muttered.
"Of course it is," Ken said. "That's why I'm choosing it."