Chapter 39
A few weeks later.
Ugh, I feel like I’m going to die.
I let out a long sigh, completely exhausted. I genuinely felt like I was dying. Since then, from the moment I opened my eyes in the morning until just before dinner, I had been in lessons with Theodore. All other tutors and etiquette lessons had been indefinitely postponed until I was fully immersed in Theodore’s training.
At first, I had wondered why only Theodore’s lessons were kept while the rest were delayed… but the moment we started in earnest, I understood the reason.
It was just too intense.
The training regimen consisted solely of bodyweight exercises and punching a training dummy. There was no instruction in the secret martial arts of Sylekar, no special breathing techniques like those found in novels or plays.
But the intensity was incredible. The day after my first session, I experienced muscle pain like I had never felt before. It was as if every single muscle in my body was screaming.
…Still, humans are creatures of adaptation.
It did seem like the soreness had gotten a little better since then. I swallowed a sigh and picked up the equipment we had used in today’s training. The lesson didn’t end just because training was over. Theodore made me clean up all the equipment I used. Even carrying everything to the storage room myself was considered part of the lesson.
“Come on, bring it in.”
Theodore grinned, pulled a key from his pocket, and casually opened the storage room door. Then he gestured for me to enter. I blinked and looked around, realizing it was a storage room I had never been in before. It was a shabby building tucked away in the farthest corner of the eastern training grounds. Normally, we would use the large storage a bit further away… Just as I was glancing around at the unfamiliar place—
“You’re officially this old man’s disciple now. It’s time you saw this place.”
“Where is this?”
“This is the training storage passed down by my father and grandfather—used for generations of Sylekar. Now it’s a personal training vault for all the things I’ve practiced.”
“Oh, this place?”
I looked around with new understanding. I had always thought it was just some rundown shed we passed by. Honestly, I used to think it ought to be torn down. But it was my grandfather’s personal storage? No wonder. I had been curious earlier since the punching dummy we used looked different from the usual—now the mystery was solved.
“While we’re here, I want to give you a few martial arts manuals. First, leave the punching dummy over there.”
Theodore pointed to a corner near the entrance. He must have arranged things so that frequently used items could be taken out easily.
After setting the dummy down as he instructed, I glanced around the storage room. I immediately realized—this wasn’t just a place to stash equipment.
I had thought it looked old and worn, but inside, it felt different. The usual training storage in the Duke’s estate was grand and supported by ornate stone pillars and sturdy wooden beams.
But this place, though a storage room, was cozy. There was more equipment than expected, a corner lined with military strategy books, and weapons neatly organized. In the center were physical training tools and sparring gear. There was even a sandbag—one that looked far better than the one I had crafted in my past life. It was proof of the hidden effort put in to uphold the family’s honor.
Though I had followed Theodore in, I soon found myself eagerly exploring ahead of him.
“Wow! This is amazing!”
I stopped in front of something unusual. There was a magic circle etched into the floor. Huh? …What is that? I furrowed my brow and stepped closer. The white light of the circle was glowing vividly.
“Grandpa, what is this?”
“Hm? What are you talking about?”
Theodore approached, carrying two punching dummies—one under each arm. I pointed at the glowing light I saw.
“This.”
Theodore’s eyebrows rose.
“What is it?”
“Huh?”
“I don’t see anything.”
“What?”
He couldn’t see it? I stared at the glowing magic circle. There was no way he couldn’t see something this bright and clear. But I quickly realized he wasn’t lying. His eyes were focused and his gaze flicked between me and the empty floor, clearly puzzled.
And then—
—“It’s a magic circle only visible to those who possess me.”
Comet said. At least now he was speaking at a normal volume after I told him to stop shouting. A magic circle only visible to those who owned him?
Wait… did you make this, Comet?
—“No, the first head of the family did. He made it for his own convenience and limited its use to the family head. Back then, when I was in this house, my owner was usually the head.”
So it’s a magic circle for the family head? I nodded, beginning to understand. It made sense. But since I had contracted with Comet despite not being the head, I had stumbled upon this circle by chance.
But what exactly does this magic circle do?
—“Ah, that is…”
Just as Comet was about to explain, I locked eyes with Theodore, who was watching me with a curious look. Oops. I had gone silent for too long. I quickly said the first thing that came to mind.
“Oh, no—I meant the floor material.”
“The material?”
“Yes, it feels different from the bricks we usually see.”
I blurted it out instinctively. Theodore finally laughed.
“This place isn’t the mansion, so of course the flooring will be different. Now, come on out. If you’re curious, ask the chief steward later.”
“…Okay.”
—“I’ll explain later. The circle is made with a fairly complex magical circuit—multiple ones, actually.”
Comet replied smoothly. I gave a small nod. Wait—did he say “circles”? So there’s more than one, and not just here in this storage room… I’ll definitely ask him more when we’re alone.
10 PM. I sat up in bed the moment Heve said goodnight and left the room. I blinked to adjust to the dark. The reason I suddenly got up was clear: it was time to uncover the magic circle’s secret.
The one I saw earlier in the training storage—the one only those contracted with Comet, the family heirloom, could see.
“Tell me now. What is it?”
I spoke aloud.
—“Were you that curious, Master? Enough to skip sleep?”
Obviously. Now tell me.
—“Hmmm.”
Comet seemed to ponder for a moment, muttering to himself.
—“…I wonder if it might help me too if I tell you…”
Help how?
Just as I frowned at that strange phrase, Comet finally responded with resolution.
—“It’s a teleportation circle.”
“A teleportation circle?!”
I shouted before I could stop myself and immediately clapped both hands over my mouth.
Still, I couldn’t calm down. A teleportation circle? A circle that lets you teleport?
A teleportation circle!
Even though I retained all my memories, I couldn’t act freely—because I was still trapped in a seven-year-old’s body. More precisely, because I was still a child and hadn’t been granted permission to travel on my own, my movements were restricted.
I couldn’t exactly summon my own carriage or ride a horse. Especially after the kidnapping incident, security around the estate had tightened significantly. I couldn’t go anywhere freely. Being a child meant maids would always follow or question me if I tried.
Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?!
—“Well, I was a bit disoriented too.”
Oh, come on! I glared at my right hand as if it were Comet’s face. I just couldn’t understand. Why would you hide something like that? Why only bring it up now?
I asked with a pounding heart.
Where can it teleport me to?
—“Hmm… if I remember correctly, there are about… six or seven preset locations. The ones I clearly recall are the west and east back alleys of Otern.”
The back alleys of Otern?
Thanks