Dawn had just broken, casting reddish-gold hues across the horizon as we finished our final preparations for the journey to the territory of the Southern Duke. After a long discussion with my stepmother last night—during which I had to rack my brain to present a logical explanation for my sudden ambition to join the sword tournament—the permission was finally granted.

  This morning, she did not personally see us off due to urgent matters in the mansion. Only little Alyra and a line of servants stood in the courtyard to bid us farewell.

  “Big Brother… you won’t be gone long, right?” Alyra asked, her round eyes already glistening with tears.

  “Of course not. As soon as everything is settled, we’ll come back and play again,” I replied with a faint smile I rarely showed.

  “Promise?”

  “Promise.”

  She fell silent for a moment, then glanced at the white fluffy creature beside my feet.

  “But… can’t you just leave Chorma here?”

  I chuckled inwardly. Look at this child—she seemed more reluctant to part with Chorma than with her own brother.

  “Chorma has to come, Alyra. He’s my guard dog,” I said, gently patting the top of her head before stepping into the carriage.

  The wheels began to turn slowly, leaving trails over the snow. From afar, Alyra’s voice echoed faintly as she waved enthusiastically. “Be careful on the road, Big Brother Rey! Big Brother Alex!”

  This warmth… it felt overwhelmingly precious. In my previous life, I had been an orphan. Aside from my Master and comrades-in-arms, I had never known what it felt like to have family waiting for my return. Now that warmth felt so real it was almost suffocating.

  Leaning back, I opened a wooden box placed on the seat beside me. It had been given to me by my stepmother, Ossana Lucien, the night before.

  “Rey, I heard you’ve begun taking an interest in magic?” Ossana had asked, her tone probing yet gentle.

  “Yes. I’ve come to realize my talents may lie more in that direction.”

  Without much comment, she handed me the box. Inside were several grimoires ranging from beginner to advanced level, along with a worn journal. The moment I touched the journal’s cover, I froze. An unfamiliar longing surged from the deepest corner of Rey Lucien’s heart.

  As far as I remembered, Rey’s biological mother had been a noble closely affiliated with the Magic Tower—a respected mage in her era. It wasn’t surprising that this body possessed tremendous magical potential, long buried beneath the foolish obsession of the old Rey who insisted on becoming a knight.

  “Since you were previously adamant about pursuing the knight’s path, we decided to keep your mother’s belongings safe to prevent misuse. But now that you’ve grown and chosen wisely, take them. Study what she left behind,” Ossana had said before I took my leave.

  I gently brushed the yellowed pages of the journal. In any world, knowledge was the deadliest weapon.

  One day passed—and absolutely nothing happened.

  [How boring. Nothing interesting at all.]

  “You’re right. On journeys like this, shouldn’t we run into a noble convoy being attacked by monsters or bandits?” I replied.

  [Oh? So you’re hoping for a cliché scene straight out of a cheap story?]

  “Well, wouldn’t that be fun? It’d be the perfect moment for Alex to show off his training results.”

  [Agreed.]

  I lay lazily atop the carriage roof while reading a magic book. Yes… I was literally lying up there. With the sun shining brightly, it was the perfect opportunity to continue my routine: absorbing cosmic energy.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Meanwhile, Alex ran alongside the carriage with a sandbag over his shoulder. Chorma sat neatly on his head as extra weight—though the tiny creature weighed less than three kilograms.

  Even during travel, Alex’s training could not stop for a single second.

  [He seems to be adapting to this extreme regimen.]

  “Of course. Even if he’s the son of a concubine, Lucien blood still runs in his veins. He has the natural talent and endurance of a true knight.”

  [By the way, I’ve completed the synchronization system. You may now attempt to open your personal ‘Cosmic Pocket.’]

  “Really?” I immediately sat upright.

  The Cosmic Pocket was a dimensional storage space I had created to safeguard valuable assets from my previous life. With the advanced equipment and technology stored there, I would gain an absolute advantage. Even if this body couldn’t yet manipulate cosmic energy as before, access to my personal arsenal would be a cheat item in itself.

  I jumped down and entered the carriage to open the seal out of sight from Alex and the coachmen.

  Channeling cosmic energy to my fingertips, I touched Apolo’s red lens. Carefully, I traced the unlocking sigil in the air—a rectangular frame with a circular geometry at its center, encircled by intersecting cross-lines. The symbol was called the Athenaeum Sign.

  A dim glow emanated as the sigil was absorbed into Apolo. Its lens flickered rapidly.

  [Seal unlocked, Master.]

  Instantly, a holographic interface emerged, displaying a list of all stored items. There were countless extraordinary things… However—

  “Ahem, Apolo… what do the numbers next to these items mean?”

  [You have only unlocked access. To retrieve an item from the dimension, you require cosmic energy as transfer fuel.]

  “Ah, damn it…”

  A curse slipped from my lips. Who would’ve thought I’d need energy just to retrieve my own belongings? After spending nearly all my collected cosmic energy sunbathing like laundry left out to dry, I was greeted with this bitter truth.

  It felt like falling for a scam investment.

  “In my previous life, I could access the Cosmic Pocket as easily as opening my wallet. Now retrieving an item feels like paying outrageous extra taxes!”

  [Your current body’s constitution differs drastically from your original one. Its energy efficiency is extremely poor.]

  “Damn it…” I muttered again, leaning back in frustration—rich in assets, poor in energy.

  —

  The second day of travel began with completely unexpected chaos. A servant reported with a pale face that all food supplies in the logistics wagon had mysteriously vanished.

  Guards had kept watch through the night in shifts, yet none noticed anything unusual. Of course, I knew exactly who the culprit was.

  “You do realize we still have one more day of travel, and you’ve devoured all our food supplies?”

  woof!

  “Don’t pretend to be confused. Stop playing pitiful—I won’t be fooled by that cute face.”

  awoo!

  Chorma rolled onto the ground with mournful eyes, exposing his bloated belly as if claiming to be falsely accused. This was clearly my fault for failing to train him properly. Alyra had spoiled him like a house puppy. The creature that should have been an apex predator had turned into a lazy pet that only knew how to eat and sleep.

  “Big Brother Rey, is it really possible for little Chorma to eat all our food?” Alex asked incredulously.

  “Be quiet, Alex. In his true form, he could eat you alive as a morning snack,” I snapped.

  Alex frowned at Chorma’s pitiful act and shook his head. He clearly thought I was spouting nonsense.

  Reluctantly, we continued without breakfast. By lunchtime, all we could do was swallow our hunger. Near evening, we rested by a river. Fortunately, the forest here was still rich with wildlife, so we decided to hunt.

  “Alex, take Chorma and go hunting,” I ordered, assigning two novice soldiers to accompany him.

  Our entourage to the territory of the Southern Duke was small—only five novice soldiers and one all-purpose servant who acted as coachman and cook.

  “The rest of you, guard the carriage and gather firewood. I’ll follow the river for additional supplies.”

  “Sir, is it safe for you to go alone?” the servant asked nervously.

  “It’s fine. I won’t go far.”

  With tasks divided, I walked along the river accompanied by Apolo in invisible mode. As it was early winter, the river had not yet fully frozen. The scenery looked almost magical with thin layers of snow blanketing the stones.

  [This world is truly pristine, Master. Not a trace of chemical contamination.]

  “Considering this is a medieval fantasy setting, the air is indeed refreshing.”

  [Indeed. In our former era—post-modern and entering the interplanetary age—an untouched ecosystem like this was exceedingly rare.]

  Apolo was right. In my previous life, science had reached its peak. Humanity had fully harnessed planetary energy, built space colonies, and reached a Type I civilization. But we were not alone in the universe. Extraterrestrial entities emerged, igniting endless galactic wars.

  Humanity survived by adopting alien technologies and even modifying its own genetics to create superhumans like me. That was the dark history I had left behind.

  “People in this world don’t seem particularly interested in science,” I murmured.

  [They possess mana and magic, Master. Their focus is on artifacts. Technology exists, but it is typically relics from ancient eras rediscovered. That is what this world’s data records.]

  “I know. I finished this otome game once—though I only followed the protagonist’s route.”

  We continued chatting while gathering mushrooms and wild plants. Fortunately, Apolo’s sensors identified which were safe to consume. After collecting enough, I returned to camp.

  But I halted when I saw the scene before me.

  The number of parked carriages had increased. A luxurious carriage now stood beside ours—adorned with an elegant crest I immediately recognized.

  It seemed we had just received guests who would shatter my peaceful plans far sooner than expected.