A strange coincidence

When I entered the house after a long day at the School, I felt tired, but I was excited to share the day's news with Lily. I saw her waiting for me in the living room, busy arranging the dishes on the table. 

When she saw me, a wide smile spread across her face and she asked curiously, "Hello Rami, how was your first day at the School? Did you pass the test or not?"

"Ah, it's been a long and challenging day," I replied with a smile. "The test wasn't easy, but…"

She interrupted me as she quickly approached me, "But what? Did it work?"

I took a deep breath as if I was in an internal struggle, then said in a low voice, "Actually, things didn't go as I had hoped. There were some problems, and it seemed like I wouldn't be able to join the School."

I watched Lily's face freeze in shock and worry, her eyes widening with every word I said. I continued to pretend to be serious, "But in the end, I got accepted after some extra effort."

I couldn't hold back my laughter, and suddenly I started laughing, and said, "I was just kidding! Yes, it worked. Things went well, and I'm now a student at the School."

Lily sighed in relief, then laughed along with her, but there was a hint of annoyance in her tone. "You prankster! I was really worried, and you were playing pranks on me!"

After dinner, my sister asked me about my school day, and I gave her a brief account, though I left out some details. While I was absorbed in reading the books Christoph had lent me, she collected and cleaned the dishes from our meal. 

As I was browsing through the books, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the mathematical advancement and equations were at a much lower level than my previous life. These subjects seemed to be elementary-grade basis, which made me feel relieved. It seemed that the world here did not rely much on mathematics and scientific advancement, but focused more on magical basics.

In contrast, other books that dealt with history and types of magical herbs, as well as treasures, weapons, and knowledge of magic, were much more complicated to understand. It wasn't because the material was difficult, but because I lacked the basics it. Despite this, I was confident that with some effort and perseverance, I could master these materials.

I also realized that I had forgotten to visit the phone shop. I decided to go to the shop the next day, as it was important to understand the level of technology in this world.

When I felt drowsy and was about to go to sleep, I remembered that I hadn't given Lily any guidance on noble behavior. Despite my exhaustion, I decided to go over some details with her.

As Lily was reading a storybook, I said, "Lily, before we go to sleep, it's important that you learn how to act appropriately, especially if someone comes here or if you meet someone from the School."

Laila looked at me curiously to explain. 

"Nobles are expected to display respectful and courteous behavior, especially when dealing with strangers or in social settings," she continued. "You must show respect for yourself and others, which means acting confidently and politely without being overly so. For example, when you are in social settings, avoid acting rude or overly so. You must show an interest in the conversation, be polite, and show some empathy to others."

I added, "If you are unsure of the appropriate course of action in a given situation, watch how other nobles act and learn from their methods. It would also be a good idea to learn how to handle situations that require diplomacy and wisdom, such as formal meetings or large social events."

"I will help you understand the etiquette of noble behavior by practicing various scenarios and providing examples of how to interact appropriately in different situations. The goal is for you to gain confidence and act like a noble when dealing with others," I said. When I noticed that she wasn't interested and wasn't taking it seriously, I added firmly, "I won't give you the serum until you have mastered these skills completely."

As expected, when Lily heard this, she began to take the matter more seriously. The excitement was evident in her eyes, as she was eager to receive the serum. I decided to postpone the discussion until the next day to think about how to teach her, as I myself am not noble. The reason no one suspects me today is that I have information from my previous life.

---

In a serious setting, there was an old man sitting behind a large desk. His hoarse voice broke the silence, "Is everything okay, or did something happen while I was away?"

The other person replied, "Yes sir, we enrolled the batch of students as usual, and there is nothing special". 

"Oh, it's a pity that there isn't a talented person among this year's students. You may not be aware, but at the World Assembly I just finished, there was a discussion about reducing the number of seats allocated to us to only three, and giving one of them to the Celestial Empire."

His face showed clear astonishment as he asked in disbelief, "Why? How did this happen?"

The old man replied, "It seems that the competition for seats in the empire has been intense in the past years, so they are demanding an additional seat. Their excuse is that the students graduating from our school are not of an advanced enough level."

"Does this mean that our school will only have three seats?" He in asked, surprised.

The old man replied, unfazed, "Yes, I talked to them, and they agreed to give us two years. If no one graduates from us who gets a high ranking in the World School, then the number will be reduced to three."

The old man added, "I had some hope for Kane, but he seems to be below par. So our only chance will be next year. Hopefully, the princess is really as talented as the rumors say."

"Suddenly, the man remembered something and said, "I forgot to tell you something."

The old man asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Today, someone who appeared to be a noble from a powerful family arrived. I knew that he was a noble, not from this kingdom, so I currently placed him in the elite class."

"How come you didn't check his identity? He's probably just a weak noble from the outskirts of the kingdom, acting arrogantly because he doesn't know the situation. This isn't the first case." The old man said in annoyance.

"But this seems different. He also has a red eye, and what I just heard makes me think there's a connection between the two". 

The old man was shocked, but he quickly regained his composure and said seriously, "You mean the Heavenly Empire?"

He nodded.

The old man said, "Hmm, it's not impossible, but the strange thing is that I don't understand their purpose in this move. However, we are not their competitors, so try to ignore it and act like you don't care."

"How should I deal with him?" he suddenly asked.

The old man said after thinking, "First, tell me his name."

"Rami."

"Rami, then. Well, treat him like you would any other noble. Also, send someone to covertly protect him in case he is attacked. He probably has a secret guard, but there's no harm in being on the safe side. The guard can also report any strange behavior to us."

"What if the rest of the disciples attacked or bullying him?".

The old man replied, "Humph, don't interfere. Being beaten by peers differs from being attacked by a powerful person. Although those families are rather rude, there is no way they would take revenge on their sons being defeated by their peers. They would punish their sons."

"As expected of you, sir. You know all these things," he said with admiration.

The old man smiled when he heard that.

Suddenly, he said, after mentioning something, "I forgot to tell you, I sent someone to monitor him. He seems to be staying in a modest hotel in the outer part of the city. There is a girl with him, she seems to resemble him. Maybe she is his sister."

Hearing this, the old man was puzzled as to why two people had come instead of just one. If it had been just the boy, it could have been explained as him being on a mission or coming to compete for a seat in this kingdom to escape the conflict with the other families in his empire. But the presence of another person with him, plus their residence in the outer part of the city, raised suspicions that they might be fake. But remembering the timing of the incident, he quickly dismissed the idea. Coincidences don't happen like that, and as a veteran magician, he doesn't believe in coincidences.

 So, in order not to spoil his prestige, he said calmly, "Perhaps the girl is attached to his brother and is unwilling to be separated from him. As for the residents, perhaps they wanted to experience ordinary life. As you know, nobles like to try new ways. But they can't continue living there. The place might be dangerous. Try to find a reason to move him to a house in the inner area near the School."

"But why not in the central area? Isn't it safer?" He asked in confusion.

"You idiot, do you want someone who might be a spy and has an unknown purpose to be with the important people in the kingdom? Go now." The old man retorted.

"I apologize, sir, I didn't notice." He in said apologetically and scampered away.

After he left, the old man whispered to himself, "I forgot to ask him about this kid's talent, Rami."