Ch. 51

When I responded without much enthusiasm, Bright shouted in surprise.

“Kenian! I said Kenian! You don’t know the Kenians?”

I don’t. What is that? A family that makes chocolate or something? We already have Iruze for that. As I kept reacting disinterestedly, Iruze quickly whispered in my ear.

“Geenie, the Kenians are the only mage family in our country! They were granted nobility for their magic lineage.”

“Ah.”

“Did that jog your memory?”

“I think it came out in a test. That mage family.”

I remembered ranting about how ridiculous it was to memorize stuff like that.

There was this extremely useless class called noble genealogy, where they made us memorize the history and achievements of prestigious families.

Being mentioned there basically meant it was a big-name family.

Still didn’t feel like something I should care about, though.

“My apologies. So what brings the great son of the Kenian family to me?”

Bright seemed quietly pleased that I acknowledged his greatness.

Perhaps thanks to the prestige of his family, Bright was a boy who exuded confidence from head to toe.

Actually, calling him a boy didn’t quite fit. He looked more like a young man.

He was much taller than me, and his face had already lost most signs of youth, looking neat and mature.

He had soft-looking chestnut brown hair, and his eyes were a deep violet, like the finest amethyst…

“Ahem, well… I saw it yesterday, you know.”

“That?”

“The duel with the combat class kid. I was at the cafeteria.”

“So?”

“Well… um…”

It was because of his eyes. They were really pretty.

As I stared at Bright, he only fumbled his words more.

“…?”

He was my senior at the academy, so he was doing a decent job being polite, but I still had no clue why he was acting like this.

Why did he come up to me out of nowhere, awkwardly opening and closing his mouth? And why were his cheeks turning red?

Those jewel-like violet eyes were trembling more and more.

His fairly handsome face quickly turned red.

While I tilted my head, completely lost in this situation, Bright Kenian took another step forward.

We were standing far too close.

What’s he trying to do? If it’s another duel challenge, I’d really rather not.

Just as my confusion reached its peak, Bright finally took a deep breath and shouted.

“Geenie! Will you go out with me?”

“…Huh?”

“I fell for you at first sight!”

“Whaaa?!”

“I’ve never seen anyone use magic so elegantly like you… so…”

Damn it, what kind of kid is this…

“Since then, I keep thinking about you. Isn’t that what they call having a crush?”

At first, I was so flabbergasted I couldn’t speak, but soon I started to take it positively.

Well, objectively speaking, I am pretty good-looking. It’s not surprising that this body would be popular.

As proud as I felt, I couldn’t help but wonder—why is it that I went my entire past life without a single confession, only to get one now when I’m stuck in the body of a ten-year-old?

What were you doing, past me?

Ah, right. Studying.

“I’ve never felt like this before! When I saw you yesterday, I got goosebumps all over. My heart was pounding…”

“Maybe it was just fear?”

“No! It’s different!”

Bright Kenian yelled in panic.

I stared up at him.

No acne whatsoever, clean skin, intellectual looks, mysterious violet eyes, and sharply drawn features.

Let’s admit it. He’s definitely good-looking.

“Hmm…”

“I’ll treat you well, Geenie!”

“It’s tempting, but… sorry, I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”

It was a bit of a shame, so I couldn’t help licking my lips.

“W-Why? You don’t like me?”

“It’s more that it’s a hassle.”

“I won’t be a hassle!”

“But I don’t even know what dating is supposed to be… I’m not interested. And most of all, there’s too big of an age gap between us.”

I was only ten, way too young to date anyone.

If I added my past life’s age, I’d be twenty-seven, in which case Bright would feel way too young.

No matter how you looked at it, it just felt criminal.

“There’s only a six-year difference between us!”

“That’s still a lot.”

“…My parents are fourteen years apart, though?”

Sure, that was normal around here. Still, not something I could get used to.

There were kids my age who were already engaged, and in prestigious families, engagements were arranged at birth.

“Mm. Still not happening.”

“Do you already have a fiancé or something?”

“I don’t, but I’m not interested.”

“What is it you don’t like about me? I’ll fix it!”

He was floundering so much it was kind of cute.

“It’s not that I dislike you, senior. I just don’t know you very well…”

“Then let’s start as friends!”

They say charm is all in the face, and I guess it’s true.

With this handsome kid begging, I couldn’t help feeling a little flattered.

Those moist eyes made me soften a bit.

“Hmm? Geenie!”

“Alright… I suppose, just that much.”

Maybe I really am weak to good-looking faces.

“Thank you!”

But even now, I couldn’t picture myself dating, getting engaged, or getting married to anyone.

* * *

Just a few hours ago, I’d received my first-ever confession and was full of a strange confidence—but now, I was drowning in despair.

I just wanted to die from the worst motion sickness of my life.

“Uuueegh…”

My stomach churned so badly it felt like torture.

“Some people don’t handle warps well. They get symptoms like that…”

“…Why me, though?”

“Sorry, Geenie. I didn’t know you were that type.”

Ms. Iritho’s attempt at consolation did nothing for me.

I had to discover, through firsthand experience, that I had an awful reaction to warping. Couldn’t they check for this sort of thing before the fact?

“Ugh…”

I clutched my mouth, ready to hurl, but even that motion made me dizzier.

It felt like being stuck in a car doing figure eights for three hours—pure horror.

Calling it motion sickness didn’t even begin to cover it.

I felt like I was about to vomit up my entire digestive system.

[Are you alright, Master?]
[No, I’m not.]

Rai tended to disappear whenever Iruze was around.

That was because Iruze, who treated Rai like a rare creature and research specimen, was practically a natural predator to him.

But maybe because I was in such a terrible state right now, Rai didn’t run off and instead stayed by my side.

I must’ve looked pitiful enough to earn sympathy even from a clueless spirit.

“I-I think I’m going to die…”

“Oh dear! It must be really bad. We have to warp again tomorrow. Will you be okay, Geenie?”

“Ms. Iritho… can’t I just take a carriage by myself…?”

“But the festival would be over by then…”

I wanted to cry. I wanted to sob my heart out.

The warp wasn’t even over yet. We had only arrived in Remalli, a city between Vailan and Elan, which meant we still had to warp once more tomorrow to reach Elan’s capital, Neikal.

That meant there was one more warp to go.

‘Wait… if we have to go back to Dmitri afterward… doesn’t that mean three more in total?’

I completely forgot this was a round trip!

The realization of this horrifying truth sent a chill down my spine.

This was a nightmare!

The worst part was that out of all the kids, I was the only one suffering from “warp sickness.” This was not something I needed to be special for!

Clap clap.

“Alright! Has everyone packed their things?”

“Yes, Ms. Iritho!”

“We’ll be heading to the inn now, so go to the carriages.”

“Okaaay!”

“You’ll have free time after you receive your room assignments. And don’t forget to bring a knight with you when going out.”

All the kids, except me, followed Ms. Iritho’s instructions in perfect order.

With her help, I managed to barely climb into the carriage.

My entire body had gone limp. Warp sickness was truly inhumane.

What really drove me into despair was knowing I still had to endure three more warps.

[Master! You must not lose focus!]

Trials always came from the most unexpected places.