Two days had passed since Jackson and Victoria left the village behind.

  Two days of dusty roads, passing wagons, and endless skies stretching above them.

  They had traveled with merchants when the opportunity presented itself, walking alongside creaking carts filled with grain, cloth, and barrels of ale. At night, they made small camps along the roadside—Jackson gathering firewood while Victoria reluctantly settled onto her bedroll with the quiet dissatisfaction of someone far removed from the comforts she once knew.

  And sometimes… the road fought back.

  A wild boar-like monster had lunged from the bushes on the first night.

  A long-limbed creature with too many teeth had stalked them near the treeline the next day.

  Each time, Jackson had stepped forward without hesitation.

  Each time, the creatures had fallen.

  Now, the road finally opened into something larger.

  A town.

  Stone walls weren't present like in larger cities, but wooden palisades circled the settlement. A wide dirt road led straight through the open gates, bustling with people, carts, and noise.

  Merchants shouted.

  Children ran between stalls.

  The smell of baked bread and roasted meat drifted lazily through the air.

  Jackson and Victoria approached with a merchant convoy they had joined earlier that morning. The wagon driver—a burly man with a straw hat—pulled his horses to a stop just inside the town.

  "Well," the merchant said, stretching his back with a grunt. "This is where I stop for the day."

  Jackson nodded.

  "Thanks for letting us ride along."

  "Bah, wasn't trouble," the man waved him off. "You kept those road pests away."

  The merchant hopped down from the front of the cart with the practiced ease of someone who had done it thousands of times.

  Jackson followed.

  But instead of climbing down the slow way, he simply stepped onto the side rail—

  —and hopped down.

  Light.

  Effortless.

  His body dropped the full height of the wagon, yet his landing barely made a sound. His boots touched the dirt with the softness of falling leaves before he straightened casually.

  Victoria watched him.

  Her eyes narrowed slightly.

  '...Again.'

  It wasn't the first time.

  Over the past two days, Jackson's movements had grown… strange.

  Quicker.

  Lighter.

  More precise.

  Earlier that morning he had leapt over a roadside ditch that most people would have carefully climbed around.

  Yesterday he had reacted to a lunging creature faster than seemed possible.

  And now this.

  He had fallen from the height of a wagon like gravity had simply forgotten about him.

  Jackson himself looked mildly surprised.

  He glanced down at his hands.

  'Was that… mana?'

  Over the past two days he had been experimenting.

  Very small things.

  Circulating mana through his body.

  Trying to move it through his arms. His legs. His core.

  At first nothing happened.

  But now…

  His body felt… responsive.

  Like something inside him had begun to wake up.

  Not enough to cast real spells yet.

  But enough that—

  His muscles felt lighter.

  Stronger.

  More coordinated.

  'So mana reinforcement is actually working…'

  Jackson flexed his fingers slightly.

  Victoria stepped down from the cart more normally, dusting off her cloak.

  "You did that again."

  Jackson blinked.

  "Did what?"

  Victoria pointed at the cart behind him.

  "You jumped off like you weigh nothing."

  Jackson shrugged casually.

  "Just athletic."

  Victoria stared at him.

  Flatly.

  "You're lying."

  Jackson coughed lightly.

  "I prefer the term withholding information."

  Victoria crossed her arms.

  "You're practicing magic."

  Jackson paused.

  Then he gave a small, helpless smile.

  "Maybe."

  Victoria studied him for a moment longer.

  Her sharp eyes lingered on the way he stood.

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  Relaxed.

  Balanced.

  Ready to move.

  'Two days…'

  That was all it had taken.

  Two days of quietly experimenting while they walked the road.

  Two days of fighting monsters and circulating mana.

  And already something about him had changed.

  Victoria looked away with a faint click of her tongue.

  "Ridiculous."

  Jackson tilted his head.

  "What's ridiculous?"

  "You."

  She began walking toward the town's main street.

  "If people improve this fast," she continued coolly, "then every noble child would be a prodigy."

  Jackson rubbed the back of his neck.

  'Well… that's because most people don't know they're in a story.'

  He followed after her as the sounds of the town swallowed them.

  Stalls lined the street.

  Blacksmith hammers rang somewhere nearby.

  A bakery's warm scent drifted into the air.

  Merchants displayed everything from cloth to potions to cheap iron blades.

  Victoria slowed slightly as she looked around.

  "Well," she said.

  "A town means an inn."

  Jackson nodded immediately.

  "I like the way you think."

  She glanced at him sideways.

  "I am not sleeping on the ground again."

  Jackson chuckled.

  "Fair."

  They walked deeper into the bustling street, blending into the flow of travelers and townsfolk.

  Somewhere beyond this town…

  Beyond the next road.

  Beyond the next few days of travel.

  Aurelius Academy awaited.

  And if Jackson's magic kept growing at this pace—

  The future might become very interesting.

  Very quickly.

  The town swallowed them quickly.

  Noise and movement surrounded Jackson and Victoria as they walked along the wide dirt street. Merchants called out from wooden stalls while customers haggled loudly over prices. The smell of fresh bread, leather, smoke, and roasted meat mixed together in the air.

  Victoria walked slightly ahead, her posture composed, though her sharp eyes scanned the surroundings with clear interest.

  Jackson followed beside her, occasionally glancing at the stalls.

  'We should restock while we're here.'

  Two days on the road had eaten through most of the supplies they had bought at the previous village.

  Jackson stopped at a stall selling travel provisions. Dried meats hung from hooks, sacks of grain sat stacked on the ground, and bundles of hard bread were arranged neatly across a wooden table.

  The merchant, a thin man with sun-darkened skin, greeted them.

  "Travelers? Need road rations?"

  Jackson nodded.

  "Dried meat, hard bread, and some water skins."

  Victoria added without hesitation.

  "And preserved fruit if you have any."

  The merchant grinned.

  "Of course."

  They spent the next several minutes selecting supplies.

  Bundles of jerky.

  Hard travel bread.

  Dried apples.

  Two fresh water skins.

  A small sack of roasted nuts.

  Nothing luxurious—just the kind of food that would keep them alive and moving.

  Jackson handed over the coins once everything was wrapped in cloth bundles.

  The merchant counted quickly before nodding in satisfaction.

  "Safe travels."

  Jackson stepped away from the stall while tying the supplies to the side of his pack.

  Victoria stood beside him, watching silently.

  Jackson reached into the pouch at his belt and counted the remaining coins.

  Gold clinked softly in his palm.

  One.

  Two.

  Three…

  Fourteen.

  Jackson exhaled.

  "We're down to fourteen gold."

  Victoria didn't look particularly surprised.

  "Food costs money."

  "True," Jackson admitted.

  He tucked the coins away again.

  "Still enough for a few nights at an inn."

  Victoria nodded slightly.

  "Then let's not waste time."

  They continued walking through the town until they found what they were looking for.

  A large wooden building stood near the center of the main street. A painted sign hung above the entrance, showing a tankard and a bed beneath it.

  The muffled sound of conversation and clinking mugs drifted from inside.

  An inn.

  Jackson pushed the door open.

  Warm air and noise spilled out to greet them.

  Travelers sat at wooden tables drinking ale while a few tired merchants leaned back in their chairs after long days on the road. A fireplace crackled quietly near one wall.

  Behind the counter stood a heavyset woman wiping a mug with a cloth.

  She looked up as they approached.

  "Rooms?"

  Jackson nodded.

  "Two."

  Victoria didn't hesitate.

  "Separate."

  The innkeeper raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing. She simply held out her hand.

  "Two silver each."

  Jackson paid without complaint.

  The woman slid two iron keys across the counter.

  "Second floor. End of the hall."

  Victoria took one of the keys.

  Jackson took the other.

  Without another word, they climbed the stairs.

  The hallway above was quieter, lined with simple wooden doors.

  Victoria stopped in front of one room.

  Jackson stopped in front of another.

  She glanced at him briefly.

  "Do not make noise."

  Jackson raised an eyebrow.

  "I wasn't planning on throwing a party."

  Victoria turned her key and stepped inside her room.

  The door closed.

  Jackson stared at it for a second.

  Then he shrugged and unlocked his own room.

  Inside was simple.

  A bed.

  A small wooden table.

  A chair.

  And a single window letting in the fading afternoon light.

  Jackson closed the door behind him and set his pack on the table.

  'Finally.'

  He sat down and pulled his sword from its sheath.

  The blade reflected the warm light from the window.

  Two days of travel had left faint dirt and grime along the steel.

  Jackson grabbed a cloth and began wiping the blade carefully.

  Slow.

  Deliberate.

  Maintaining a weapon wasn't something you rushed.

  The soft sound of cloth against steel filled the quiet room.

  Jackson rotated the sword slowly, checking the edge.

  'Still sharp.'

  The weapon had served him well so far.

  Monsters on the road hadn't been particularly strong, but a dull blade could still get you killed.

  Once the cleaning was done, he applied a thin layer of oil before sliding the sword back into its sheath.

  Jackson leaned back slightly in his chair.

  Then he stood.

  'Now…'

  He moved to the center of the room and sat down on the floor.

  Cross-legged.

  His hands rested loosely on his knees.

  He closed his eyes.

  Breathing slowly.

  In.

  Out.

  'Focus.'

  Jackson concentrated on the familiar sensation inside his body.

  Mana.

  It was faint.

  Like a quiet current beneath the surface of his thoughts.

  He breathed in slowly.

  Imagining the mana in the air flowing toward him.

  Through his body.

  Into the pathways within him.

  His circuits.

  At first, there was nothing.

  Just darkness behind his closed eyes.

  But Jackson remained patient.

  Inhale.

  Exhale.

  Gradually, the faint warmth appeared again.

  A soft flow moving through invisible channels within his body.

  'There it is…'

  Jackson guided it carefully.

  Through his arms.

  Down his spine.

  Into his legs.

  His circuits slowly opened under the steady rhythm of his breathing.

  The flow of mana became clearer.

  Stronger.

  Not powerful.

  Not yet.

  But steady.

  Controlled.

  Jackson remained like that for several minutes.

  Silent.

  Still.

  Breathing mana into his body and strengthening the pathways that carried it.

  Then—

  Knock.

  Jackson's eyes opened.

  Someone knocked on his door.

  He turned his head toward it.

  A familiar voice came from the other side.

  "Jackson."

  Victoria.

  Jackson exhaled slowly.

  'Well… that's unexpected.'

  He stood up and walked toward the door.

  Jackson opened the door.

  Victoria stood in the hallway, arms folded across her chest.

  Her expression was as composed as always, but there was a faint sharpness in her eyes.

  Jackson leaned lightly against the doorframe.

  "Something wrong?"

  Victoria didn't waste time.

  "We need to reach Aurelius Academy as soon as possible."

  Jackson blinked once.

  "That suddenly?"

  Victoria nodded.

  "Yes."

  Jackson studied her for a moment before stepping slightly aside.

  "You want to come in?"

  "No."

  She remained in the hallway.

  Jackson shrugged and leaned against the frame again.

  "Alright then. Why the rush?"

  Victoria's gaze drifted briefly down the quiet hallway before returning to him.

  "There are rumors."

  Jackson waited.

  She spoke plainly.

  "About the crown prince."

  That made Jackson's attention sharpen slightly.

  "What about him?"

  Victoria answered without hesitation.

  "People are saying he will reveal his engagement during the Opening Assembly."

  For a moment, the hallway was silent.

  Jackson stared at her.

  Then he nodded slowly.

  "I see."

  Victoria continued watching him carefully.

  Jackson crossed his arms.

  "So you want to arrive before that happens."

  "Obviously."

  Jackson gave a small breath of amusement.

  "Fair enough."

  He straightened slightly.

  "I'll find a merchant heading to Aurelius first thing tomorrow morning."

  Victoria nodded once.

  "Good."

  Jackson tilted his head.

  "You trust me with that?"

  Victoria didn't hesitate.

  "It was your idea to travel with merchant caravans."

  Jackson smiled faintly.

  "Point taken."

  A quiet moment passed between them.

  Then Victoria spoke again.

  "We leave early."

  "Early," Jackson confirmed.

  She turned to walk away.

  Halfway down the hallway she paused briefly.

  Without looking back, she said—

  "Do not oversleep."

  Jackson raised a hand lazily.

  "I'll survive."

  Victoria disappeared into her room.

  Her door closed with a soft click.

  Jackson stood there for a moment longer.

  Then he stepped back inside his room and shut the door.

  The latch clicked quietly.

  He leaned against the wood and looked toward the small window.

  The sun was beginning to sink toward the horizon.

  "...The Opening Assembly, huh."

  Jackson rubbed the back of his neck.

  'Yeah… that checks out.'

  He remembered it clearly.

  It had happened early in the story of the game.

  The crown prince announcing his engagement in front of the entire academy.

  A huge scene.

  Students whispering.

  Nobles reacting.

  The protagonist standing there in shock.

  And the person he was engaged to—

  Jackson exhaled slowly.

  'Right…'

  He pushed away from the door and walked back toward the center of the room.

  'So the rumors are already spreading.'

  Which meant the timeline was moving exactly as it had in the game.

  Jackson glanced toward the wall that separated his room from Victoria's.

  Then he chuckled quietly.

  'No wonder she's in a hurry.'

  He stretched his shoulders slightly before sitting back down on the floor.

  Cross-legged.

  Breathing slowly again.

  Mana stirred faintly within him.

  'Guess we'd better get there on time.'

  Because if the story really was starting—

  Then Aurelius Academy was where everything would begin.