Early morning.
Thanks to the disciplined routine I had maintained while living in the castle, I managed to wake up before sunrise despite having gone to bed rather late the previous night.
“Yaaawn. Did you sleep well?”
As I sat on the bed in a daze, still half-asleep, I heard someone yawning beside me.
“…You seem remarkably energetic, considering what happened yesterday.”
“Ugh! I might look that way, but I'm actually exhausted. You could call it a side effect of pushing myself too hard with magic yesterday.”
By magic, did she mean the spell she had used to capture the Void Frog?
From an observer's perspective, all she had done was grab the Void Frog with her bare hand.
“Creatures that resonate with Aether can't be captured through ordinary means. You absolutely need a mage who can resonate with Aether to catch them.”
Had she read the confusion on my face?
She looked at me and answered the question I hadn't even voiced.
“Even the sturdiest prison is useless if it isn't imbued with Aether. The best way to deal with a Mystery is with another Mystery.”
“I see.”
“Exactly. Do you think the Empire forcibly conscripts people who show signs of magical potential for no reason? When someone like you, a noble, demonstrates an aptitude for magic, they're immediately conscripted into Academia without exception. Do you have any idea how much political trouble that causes?”
She had a point.
The wording of that black letter, whether I called it an admission notice or a conscription order, had certainly been intimidating.
It had explicitly stated that everyone summoned to Academia, whether commoner or noble, was required to enroll. Anyone who refused would be prosecuted by the Imperial Supreme Inquisition.
For commoners, the opportunity to attend the Empire's finest educational institution without paying a single coin might seem like a generous welfare benefit.
But for nobles, especially those who possessed territories of their own, having a child conscripted into Academia could be a considerable inconvenience.
They might even welcome it if the child in question were someone other than their eldest son. But if their eldest son was summoned, disputes over the family's succession would naturally become a serious concern.
Disregarding the insular traditions of the nobility and forcing their children into service would undoubtedly impose a significant political burden, even on a nation as powerful as the Empire.
Even with the Emperor's immense authority and influence throughout the Empire, it would still be a considerable undertaking.
Looking at it another way, that only demonstrated just how desperately the Empire needed to cultivate mages.
While I was occupied with these thoughts, we left our room and returned the key at the inn's counter.
Instead of the girl from yesterday, a middle-aged man who appeared to be her father was standing behind the counter. He bowed politely and wished us a safe journey.
JINGLE!
“BAAAAA!”
The moment we opened the inn's door, we were greeted by the sight of an enormous flock of sheep stretching as far as the eye could see.
Apparently, the shepherds were moving their flocks at dawn, when there were fewer people on the streets.
“Ugh, of all things. Looks like we're stuck here until they pass.”
“I suppose the cheese we ate yesterday came from those sheep. It was sheep's milk cheese, after all.”
“Ah, that was delicious. It's rather difficult to find food made from sheep's milk in the Imperial Capital, so it was quite a delightful culinary experience.”
With no choice but to wait, we leaned against the entrance of the inn and chatted while watching the sheep slowly make their way down the street.
Then, amid the endless sea of white wool, we spotted a black dog darting rapidly back and forth between the animals.
“Oh, so that's a sheepdog! I've never seen one before.”
Its glossy black fur contrasted beautifully with its adorable white face. It was such a charming creature that anyone, regardless of age or gender, would have found it endearing.
It rather resembled a breed called the Border Collie from my previous life.
Ever since my reincarnation, whenever I encountered something that resembled an element of Earth from my previous life, I couldn't help feeling nostalgic.
It gave me a powerful sense of déjà vu, almost as though this world were the very Earth where I had once lived.
Of course, that feeling never lasted long.
“I suppose its owner must take excellent care of it. There aren't any patches missing from its coat, and above all, it looks remarkably healthy.”
“You know how to judge dogs, too?”
“My family kept hunting dogs. Although my father handled the actual hunting, tracking prey and retrieving the animals after they were caught were the dogs' responsibilities. I've been familiar with them since childhood.”
“Ah, come to think of it, I have heard that nobles outside the Imperial Capital enjoy hunting as a pastime. When I first heard about it, I thought they must lead much healthier lives than the nobles in the capital.”
PANT, PANT.
The sheepdog, which had been concentrating on herding the sheep together, suddenly stopped and turned toward us, apparently having heard our conversation.
Then it raised the corners of its mouth as though smiling and stuck out its tongue in greeting.
“Hello there, little black dog. Aren't you adorable?”
When the mage waved at it, the dog perked up its ears and wagged its tail enthusiastically.
Anyone could tell that it was a dog that loved people.
“Oh, just look at that! Isn't it precious? I wish creatures that resonate with Aether were as friendly toward humans as this little fellow.”
“Are they not?”
“Don't even get me started. Why do you think the Empire puts so much effort into training mages? Most creatures that resonate with Aether, or Mystical Creatures for short, are either hostile toward humans or simply ignore them.”
“I see.”
Well, the Void Frog she had captured yesterday had certainly thrashed about violently the moment she caught it.
It had been so ferocious that I suspected it would have attacked her immediately if it had possessed any means of harming a human.
“Mystical Creatures are particularly dangerous because, unlike ordinary animals, they aren't limited to attacking with teeth and claws. You never know what extraordinary method they might use to kill someone. Of course, they also provide things that ordinary animals could never offer.”
After saying that, the mage took something resembling a small pellet from her pouch and tossed it toward the black dog, which was still watching us.
SWISH! CHOMP!
Despite receiving food from a stranger, the sheepdog opened its mouth and caught the pellet with practiced ease.
CRUNCH, CRACK.
It began chewing and gnawing on the object, working it between its teeth as though enjoying a dog treat.
“What did you give it?”
“Just a simple nutritional supplement. Its shoulder seems to be hurting a little, so I thought I'd treat it.”
“You could tell that dog was injured from this distance?”
“Hmm, yes. I happen to possess that kind of magic.”
She could tell the dog was in pain just by looking at it, even though it showed no outward signs of discomfort?
She hadn't even touched it to examine its reaction.
Did magic give people X-ray vision or something?
“If we stay here much longer, that adorable dog might neglect the work its owner gave it. Shall we get moving?”
As she pointed toward a particular spot, the end of the seemingly endless procession of sheep finally began to come into view.
JINGLE, JINGLE!
At the very end of the flock appeared a shepherd carrying a staff adorned with bells.
He was responsible for tending the sheep, and when he noticed us waiting patiently, he bowed his head in apology for blocking the road.
I bowed in return.
The shepherd looked utterly flustered by my response. He hurriedly scooped up the black dog, which was still chewing on the pellet the mage had given it, and rushed away.
His frantic movements made him look like someone fleeing in fear of being reprimanded for something.
“How peaceful.”
“…My greeting seems to have caught him off guard. Why does everyone I meet look so startled?”
“I'm not particularly familiar with life outside the Imperial Capital, but even I know how unusual it is for a noble to bow to a commoner. Most nobles would sooner die than lower their heads to commoners they consider beneath them.”
As I scratched my head, wondering whether that was really so strange, she took my free hand and led me down the road.
“Come now, let's get going. We still have plenty of time, but wouldn't you feel better if we arrived as early as possible?”
“Certainly.”
And so, with the mage holding my arm, I slowly retraced the road we had traveled before.
STEP, STEP.
It was still early enough that the sun had yet to rise, and we were the only two people walking through the streets.
Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of our own footsteps, we made our way out of the territory.
The guard stationed at the entrance glanced at us as we passed, but perhaps he had received instructions from the guard on duty the previous day, because he stepped aside without saying a word.
STEP, STEP. STOP.
How long had we been walking?
By the time the previously hidden sun began to peek above the horizon, we had reached a clearing surrounded by forest, concealed from the eyes of passersby.
“Hmm. This should be far enough away from prying eyes.”
“I assumed you had something in mind, so I haven't asked until now, but how exactly are we going to travel? I don't think I could manage such a long distance without a carriage.”
“Hehe. Don't worry. We'll be riding something much faster than a carriage.”
Something faster than a carriage?
Was she planning to pull a car out of that mysterious pouch of hers?
“Now, it's about to appear, so don't shout or make any sudden movements. It doesn't have the best temperament, and you might get kicked.”
“…What exactly is it?”
“A Mystical Creature.”
She gave me that short, playful answer before drawing a long, white, wand-like object from inside her clothing and waving it through the air.
Ah, that looks just like the wand from Harry Pott—
“Come forth, White-Winged Herald, bearer of wings as pure as snow. Carry us upon your steps to our destination.”
The incantation, if that was what I should call it, was surprisingly ordinary.
She hadn't muttered in some incomprehensible ancient language or delivered a dramatic declaration like something out of a comic book.
Her tone and gestures were calm and natural, almost as though she were simply addressing a friend.
Yet despite the mage's composed manner, the moment she waved her wand, an extraordinary spectacle unfolded.
RIIIP.
The air split open along the path traced by the white wand, revealing a world of pure white beyond the opening.
Was this what heaven would look like if someone brought it into reality?
There was a brilliant blue sky, vast plains of snow-white clouds, and a vivid rainbow suspended overhead.
Through that heavenly landscape, an enormous creature emerged with light, graceful steps.
PRRRR.
A white horse appeared, shaking its head as it regarded the mage who had summoned it.
The rift she had opened then closed as though an invisible hand were stitching a wound shut, leaving only the three of us in the clearing.
She greeted the white horse, which was staring at her, before turning toward me, whose mouth was hanging open in astonishment.
“Say hello. This is the 'Heavenly Horse' that will take us to the Imperial Capital.”
SNORT!
The enormous winged horse turned its head toward me as though it understood the mage's words, then regarded me with an unimpressed expression.
It reminded me of an ill-tempered senior glaring at a newcomer, as though to say, 'So you're the little brat I'm supposed to give a ride to?'