Study room

In the carriage, William carefully examined the grains of salt that summarized the conditions of the enchanted oath.

Despite his change of body, the contract was still active. Failing to adhere to its terms would trigger the sixth clause, and he would then suffer the curse of eternal sleep.

Now that he had become William Cedric Moreau, most of the clauses in the contract no longer affected him much. However, one clause still posed a real threat.

"I solemnly promise never to undertake, directly or indirectly, any actions that may harm or cause injury to Mr. William Cedric Moreau, whether by deeds or words."

If the enchanted oath considers that I am now William, I won't be able to publicly reveal the wrongdoings he committed. In fact, my future actions will be greatly limited…

Actions that harm or cause injury... It's very vague; I don't know how far I can go with so little information.

Imagine if I forget my umbrella on a stormy day and end up drenched. Would that be considered harm? If so, the curse might act very quickly.

"Once again, I'm left in total uncertainty," William lamented.

With a wave of his hand, the grains of salt returned to the glass, gradually fading to a pale gray.

After cleaning up any trace of the spell he had just used, William sank into the seat, enjoying the comfort of the carriage.

The contract was still active, and it saddened him that he couldn't reveal that Isaac was the true author of the thesis because of the first two clauses.

"I will never publicly reveal and will strictly keep confidential the true identity of the thesis's author, Isaac Kepler, guaranteeing that Mr. William Cedric Moreau will be recognized as the sole author of said thesis."

"I pledge to support the claim that Mr. William Cedric Moreau is the legitimate author of the thesis and to defend this assertion under all circumstances."

A few minutes later, they finally arrived at the manor. Upon arrival, Alfred was already waiting by the door.

"Sir, I hope your outing went as you desired. The meal is already prepared if you wish."

"Thank you, but it won't be necessary. I'll be conducting research for the rest of the afternoon," William replied. The day had left him with no appetite.

Alfred raised his head and spoke in a measured tone: "Would you like to go to your study?"

I have my own study? As expected of a rich family… no, a super-rich family, William thought, nodding.

"In that case, please allow fifteen, no, twenty minutes for our servants to clean the study," Alfred replied, looking slightly panicked.

"Is the study in bad condition?" William inquired.

Alfred's expression turned awkward as he responded in a quieter voice: "Well, let's just say that over time, dust has accumulated, and you used to work at the academy..."

Oh, I see. William doesn't conduct personal studies on magic or anything else. How shameful that it's him who published my thesis, William fumed internally.

"Very well, in the meantime, I'll rest in the living room. Notify me when it's ready," he declared.

"Thank you, Sir."

With that, Alfred turned around, signaling to the maid who had previously guided William, and the two hurriedly retreated into the manor.

William shook his head in amusement, following them into the manor a few moments later.

He headed towards the living room he had visited earlier, collapsing into the armchair he had liked previously, and fell asleep before he even realized it.

…

He suddenly opened his eyes. He was now in a vast, dark space filled with shadows.

He curiously examined his surroundings, seeing nothing special.

After a few moments, the ground beneath his feet lit up with a golden hue, and as he turned his head to observe the change, an immense force pulled him towards the sky, preventing him from seeing anything.

…

William reopened his eyes; he was still in the chair in the living room, cold sweat dripping down his back. He looked at his arm, which was covered in goosebumps.

"Did I have a nightmare? I don't remember anything..."

Deciding to ignore it, William glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. It read 2:20 PM; he had been asleep for over thirty minutes.

"They still haven't finished; the room must be in a really bad state..."

After a few more minutes of waiting, the now-familiar maid entered the living room.

"S-Sir, we're done, you may go now," she said in a tired voice, her face and clothes covered in a thin layer of dust.

William stood up and walked towards her. The young woman unconsciously took a step back.

"What's your name?"

The maid seemed surprised, pointing hesitantly at herself. William nodded in confirmation.

"I-I'm Tesse; you don't need to remember it," she replied, unable to control the strength of her voice.

William nodded. "Very well, Tesse, you don't need to be shy around me. Call me William. Also, guide me to the study."

He's much more approachable than I thought... Tesse's face was filled with surprise for a few seconds before she nodded. "Very well, Mr. William, follow me."

Once again, with Tesse as his guide, William toured the manor, trying to memorize as many of the rooms as possible. Fortunately, the study was far away, giving him enough time to gather a lot of information about the general layout of the manor.

Finally, they reached their destination. Tesse excused herself and left. She seemed less fearful.

William paid little attention to this and turned towards the room. The door and windows were open to let air circulate inside.

Upon entering, he was stunned. In front of him was a vast library filled with ancient and rare-looking books. There were so many on the shelves that piles of books were stacked directly on the floor.

Several glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the study. At the back of the room, in front of a window, stood an enormous wooden desk.

The old desk looked as if it had been carved by a master. On it were all sorts of items, from magical pens to stones of all kinds, a strange fossil that seemed to beat like a heart, and all sorts of documents.

The gentle scent of books and lavender gave the room a mystical and supernatural charm.

William stood in awe for a few moments at this sight. It was like a child in a candy store. He approached the desk, carefully examining everything on it.

One document, however, caught his attention: a stack of papers labeled "The Use of Natural Energy in Magic. By William Cedric Moreau."

William looked at it for a few moments with nostalgia. He knew this document perfectly well. He was its author, not as William, but as Isaac Kepler.

It was a thesis he had written himself, which William had stolen from him.

--------------------------------------

We're finally at Chapter 6. If you've made it this far without giving up, I think you might be enjoying the story a little (or maybe not). In that case, feel free to give me feedback on the story; you can even rate it. So far, I haven't received any feedback, so I just hope someone is enjoying it. (: