Chapter 1. Reincarnated And Enrolled
One day, I died and was reincarnated into another world. I don't know why I died or how I was reincarnated. I recognize myself as a man who was born and raised in a civilized country called Japan and died in some way in my past life. No one can prove that I am myself. So I just left it without thinking deeply about it. There's no conclusion to be reached even after thinking about it for hours, and there's no way to prove that my past life was real without testimony from a third party.
I couldn't remember my name. It's as if that part alone has been intentionally obscured, unable to be recalled. When I was reincarnated as a baby, I was given a name.
"Theodore... this child's name is Theodore."
"Oh... may he grow up splendidly."
I chew on the name Theodore, which my parents named me with a smile.
Theodore is derived from Theodorus, but it's quite ironic to give such a name to a child who feels like he has a past life. My parents probably didn't think about such things when they named me.
Six years have passed since I was reincarnated as a baby.
Walking, running, and speaking fluently at an age where it's not strange at all... I just kept staring at the sky.
"Theo! Where did you go?"
"...Mom, I'm here."
"Theo, you climbed onto the roof again... It's lunchtime."
"Yeah."
The country I was born in seems to be called the Kingdom of Kouria. As the kingdom name suggests, it is a country ruled by the royal family, but I was born into a relatively ordinary family within that country.
My father is a low-ranking member of the Magic Knights who protect the Kingdom of Kouria. The Magic Knights are said to be assigned positions based on pure strength rather than seniority, and my father was at the bottom of the Magic Knights.
My mother works on farms near our house, busy harvesting vegetables when the time comes and selling them.
It's not like we're starving, but it's not like we're wealthy either. That was my daily life.
While still not used to my red hair, I jump off the roof. It's only a few meters high, so I can land on the ground without much impact.
"Indeed, Theo has the talent of a Magic Knight."
"But isn't your dad at the bottom?"
"Don't say such things. Magic Knights are amazing people who fight to protect the country, you know? Even in the Chronos Magic Knight Academy, only the best people receive the title of Magic Knight..."
"Your dad is considered excellent by normal standards, right? I've heard that many times."
"Really..."
My father said he was at the bottom of the Magic Knights, but just being able to call himself a Magic Knight in this country is considered elite. After all, even in the Chronos Magic Knight Academy, where thousands of people enroll every year, it's a title that only about a hundred people can get.
Well, that doesn't mean their salaries are high without a war, but they are respected by the people... even if they are at the bottom of the knights.
"You are your father's child... Because you already have the talent of a Magic Knight at your age."
"Mother, that's exaggerated. I'm just a little precocious."
I've been saying Magic Knight so casually, but magic exists in this world.
It seems that something called "mana" flying in the air that is transparent and invisible to the eye, and by inhaling it into the body through breathing, it is converted into "magical power" inside the body, which can be used to artificially create miracles. This is called magic.
The talent of a Magic Knight that my mother has been talking about is the ability to efficiently convert this mana. If you can convert mana into magical power well, your physical abilities will be enhanced. This is because the more magical power you have in your body, the more your physical abilities will be enhanced. So even if I jump from a few meters high with the body of a six-year-old, I don't feel any shock.
"Since your mother can only use household magic, I admire her a little."
"...Is that so?"
I don't say it explicitly, but I don't think it's a good thing.
Although Magic Knights are admired by people, it isn't such a great occupation. They may sound cool, but they're just soldiers, right? From my perspective, who originally lived in Japan, soldiers are too far removed from everyday life. I definitely don't want a job where I might be sent to war.
Even if you're going to deal with magic, there are people other than Magic Knights who study magic itself, and there are people who develop simple magic for everyday life, as my mother said, so I think there are various job options.
"Mother also admired being a Magic Knight... But she didn't have the talent."
"After all, the Chronos Magic Knight Academy is a tough school... I don't like tough things."
"That's right... Your father said he had more painful memories than fun memories at the academy."
If Magic Knights are soldiers, then the Chronos Magic Knight Academy is a military school? It's natural for it to be strict. But isn't the glittering admiration just from an external perspective? To modern kids who are mentally spoiled by convenient machines, the strict discipline of a military school is like hell.
"Even so, Theo has excellent talent... Don't waste it."
"..."
Talent, huh?
Somehow, I don't like it.
"Even though I said I didn't want to..."
Fifteen years have passed since I was born in this world. My body has already grown up, and I've surpassed my mother in height. But then, a letter arrived for me.
I didn't care about the contents, so I handed it to my mother. But it was an invitation to the Chronos Magic Knight Academy. I don't know how news about me being able to use magic leaked, but I tried to refuse. and ended up being persuaded by my mother and father, who happened to be at home at the time, after a long time.
My father, originally a Magic Knight, probably persuaded me with the feeling that if his son could become a Magic Knight. My mother probably thought I wouldn't have any trouble if I became a Magic Knight. Even if I couldn't become a Magic Knight, the Chronos Magic Knight Academy has a policy of accepting anyone, so it would be useful for my future just to attend.
"Sigh... Can I still transfer to the regular department?"
The Chronos Magic Knight Academy is only called that because it has a long history. In reality, there are departments for magic and regular studies. If that were the case, I would have preferred the regular department over the Magic Knight department. But since the invitation that arrived at home was limited to the Magic Knight department, there was no choice.
"Examination number 984... Theodore Anthem."
"Yes."
I was lined up in order of examination numbers. I never thought I'd be at the very end. I thought people would come from behind until halfway through, but there were still people lined up behind me. Maybe there are a thousand people here.
I look at the exam paper that was handed out to me in order. It seems that it is an elementary-level exam on the ability to use magic, and it is a problem of converting mana into magical power. The content is the same as what my parents were teaching me at home, so there should be no problem.
"Please gather mana into your body and convert it into magical power. At the signal, please fire the magic at the target in front of you."
"Yes."
I concentrate the mana in the air into my body and convert it into magical power. The physical sensation of magic flowing through my body is a feeling that I have become accustomed to since I was small, so there is no particular sensation of discomfort.
The target in front of me is a water balloon-like object. I wonder if it is to test the power of the magic fired? It will explode if hit by magic, so it's brutal.
"...Begin!"
At the signal, I release the magic. When I aim my palm at the target and imagine the magic being fired, a transparent light is released from my palm. The water balloon-like object in front of me is hit and explodes.
"Wow..."
The spectators who were observing from behind me made a surprised voice. It wasn't such amazing magic, but they were impressed by the power.
"Next!"
I move out of the way at the prompting of the examiner and line up at the end of the line again. The person who was next to me moves forward and is examined, and the next person after him also moves forward. By the time the number of people in front of me decreased by half, I realized something.
What is this? The line of people in front of me is not moving at all. Is there a problem with the examination?
"Next!"
When the person before me moved forward, I understood the reason.
It was just an elementary-level exam, but some people failed to convert mana into magical power. There was a problem with the rate of mana conversion and the amount of magical power.
"...Next!"
At last, it was my turn.
"Please gather mana into your body and convert it into magical power. At the signal, please fire the magic at the target in front of you."
"Yes."
I reply to the examiner's words, concentrate mana in my body, and... convert it into magical power. After confirming that I have done so, I look at the target before me. I aim my palm at the target and imagine the magic being fired.
"...Begin!"
At the signal, I release the magic. The transparent light is released from my palm, and the water balloon-like object in front of me is hit and explodes.
But when I look at the examiner's face after firing the magic... I can't understand it well.
Is it just my imagination? It seems like he's surprised... or rather, he seems to be in a daze.
"Examination number 984... Theodore Anthem."
"Yes?"
I was called out with a voice that seemed to be trembling slightly. For some reason, the examiner, who seems to be the same age as me, is staring at me with an indescribable gaze.
"Congratulations. You passed the entrance exam for the Chronos Magic Knight Academy."
"Yes?"
I couldn't understand the meaning of his words. So I just stared at him blankly.
"Theodore Anthem. You passed the entrance exam for the Chronos Magic Knight Academy. You will be enrolled in the academy from next month. Congratulations."
"Yes?"
The examiner hands me a letter with the school's seal and walks away without saying anything else. The other nearby examiners whispered something, but I couldn't hear them well.
"Congratulations, Theo!"
"Yeah."
I didn't understand the meaning of my mother's words, so I just absentmindedly accepted the letter from the examiner.
Theodore Anthem. From next month, I will be enrolled in the Chronos Magic Knight Academy as a student.
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