BSS 03

chapter 03

Sunlight streamed through a hole in the ceiling, dazzling my eyes.

I was staring blankly at the clouds drifting across the sky when someone called my name.

I knew who it was, so I didn’t bother looking directly. She placed a large book on her lap and gently asked me:

“Jini? Aren’t you going to read?”

Only then did I slowly turn my gaze toward her.

Her golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, her eyes a faint blue-green jade. The girl had the soft, delicate skin of a child and a perfectly cute little face.

People around us used to fuss over how much she looked like me, like we were twins.

Not that we really looked alike—it was probably because two small girls of similar age were always together that people said it.

We both had the appearance of typical young noble ladies, so side by side, it was quite a sight.

But there were a few things about us that didn’t resemble each other at all, the most obvious being our eyes.

My eyes slanted upward, giving me a fierce, somewhat rude appearance, while hers drooped slightly, making her face look gentle.

And most importantly, unlike this girl, I wasn’t a true genius.

I was more like a seven-year-old with the intelligence of a seventeen-year-old.

“Yeah, I don’t like reading books.”

Even in my past life, I had painfully realized that studying was not my thing. And somehow, here I was, fully conscious, enrolled in a prestigious boarding school—a truly unfortunate situation.

I was definitely unlucky, and the safer path in life was to keep a low profile.

“Then why are you in the library?”

“Because it’s quiet. Perfect for naps.”

The only reason I liked going to the library, despite hating books, was exactly that.

Especially the central hall—it was so comfortable that it was perfect for napping.

It was always peaceful here.

I would lie down between the chairs in the hall, gaze at the clouds drifting through the hole in the ceiling, and eventually fall asleep. That was my second favorite activity. My first was skipping class.

Today, Mia had followed me and ruined my nap.

“I thought you were going to read.”

“No way. I can fall asleep fine without reading.”

This innocent, adorable girl—full name Camia Drilla, nicknamed Mia—now flipped through a thick book that had reached the latter half, wearing a completely bewildered expression.

“I just don’t understand! How can anyone sleep with something this interesting?”

“Really? What’s so interesting?”

Ah, even the title was impressive:

“A Brief Study on Alchemy”

It was so thick it could match the width of a human head—it intimidated me just to look at it.

With a book like that, the title should probably be “A Long, Long Study” rather than “A Brief Study.”

Moreover, the book was written not in the continent’s common language, but in the original ancient tongue.

If that girl reading it wasn’t a genius, then who was?

Of course, I could read it too, but given my mental age of seventeen, I was an exception. Or, if I added the seven years from my actual age, twenty-four?

“Hmm, first, the author, Dona Verser, is a very great alchemist. He succeeded in turning gold into copper, which implies the reverse—turning copper into gold—is also possible. His reflections on this are highly systematic and logical…”

The thing is, I found that utterly boring. The gold-to-copper thing seemed dumb.

Whatever expression I made, Mia continued enthusiastically explaining the difficult content as if it were the most exciting thing in the world.

Geniuses really do make studying look fun.

I started dozing off after a short while.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, I heard Mia’s sharp nagging:

“Jini! Are you listening to me?”

“Uh, yes, I am. Uh-huh… so interesting.”

I quickly wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth and nodded toward Mia.

She had a tendency to sulk if ignored. She liked me too much and followed me everywhere, and if I half-heartedly listened to her, she couldn’t stand it.

“You’re mean! Why do you always fall asleep when I’m talking? I didn’t even use any sleep magic!”

“Oh, didn’t you know how?”

I couldn’t even joke.

Seeing her on the verge of tears, I licked my lips. Even geniuses could feel vulnerable as children, and Mia was no exception.

“Mia, I’m not majoring in alchemy, so I don’t really know about it. Even if I hear it, I wouldn’t find it interesting. And very few children under ten decide their major, like you. How could I possibly keep up with your knowledge?”

At Drike Academy, children were basically expected to choose a major before age ten.

If a student was exceptionally skilled in one area, they would be enrolled in that major. But in cases like mine and Mia’s, we were brought early to the academy for gifted education because of our prodigious intellects.

But even by age ten, I probably wouldn’t be able to pick a major.

I was always a kid without strong desires. In that respect, I had been consistent both in my past life and now.

“Jini, you’re good at everything. Why don’t you choose a major?”

“Well… I don’t really know yet.”

“Then do alchemy with me, okay? It’s so fun!”

Mia’s sense of fun was always unusual.

Alchemy was one of the most difficult subjects, and more importantly, not my style.

If you mixed chemicals wrong, it would “BOOM!” and burn your hair, and sometimes even destroy buildings.

It was too dangerous for an ordinary, cautious person like me.

I preferred something safer, like breathing exercises.

“Alchemy is better suited for a calm kid like you, Mia. So do your best and cover for me too.”

She immediately giggled when I said that.

She was a good child, straightforward and secret-free, occasionally a bit eccentric, but fun to be around.

As an old soul trapped in this young body, I couldn’t help but feel like I had to watch over her.

Mia seemed to sense this, so she relied on me heavily.

“Okay! I’ll work hard for both of us!”

“When you become the greatest alchemist on the continent and can turn copper into gold, make sure to save a share for me.”

“Okay! I promise!”

“Really? I’ll live long just trusting you.”

“Then, Jini, will you learn magic for me? I can’t feel mana, so I can’t do magic! The teacher said it’s something you’re born with. And your mana sensing is the best among our classmates. If you try, you’ll surely become a great magician!”

Wow, a give-and-take.

Even as a child, she was using advanced techniques. Who had she learned from? Always me, since we stuck together—but still…

I flinched at the praise, but didn’t overreact.

My specialty was shaking my head and lying down to breathe.

“It’s impossible, Mia. I’m not good at calculations. You know I’m weak at mental math, and magic is for smart kids anyway.”

I was impressive for a seven-year-old, but in a place full of geniuses, I barely hit average.

Real geniuses could do four-digit multiplications in a blink. I gave up after three digits.

“Then, could you become a cleric instead of me? I want to help the hero as a cleric! How cool is that!”

“Clerics are for nice kids. Look at my personality.”

“That’s true.”

“…Somehow, that feels bad?”

“Why? Because you said out loud that I’m clumsy, bad at mental math, not smart, and mean?”

Mia’s lack of malice was her most dangerous trait.

Sometimes I fell into her little traps and was reminded that this tiny girl was a genius.

“Jini, aren’t you worried? If you don’t choose a career by ten, they say you’ll become a squire. Do you want that?”

“Ugh, absolutely not. Moving my body is sheer torture.”

There were rumors at the academy that children who hadn’t chosen a career by ten would become squires—young servants with very short lifespans.

But I thought it was just nonsense, adults trying to scare kids. Why would they waste gifted children like that?

“So, what do you actually want to do?”

“Nothing.”

“Huh?”

“I want to do nothing! I decided that a long time ago!”

“…But you can’t just do nothing, right?”

Mia’s words often hit the core of the matter.

“Well… I will do something.”

I counted off a few criteria with my fingers.

“Something that isn’t difficult to study, doesn’t require moving your body, isn’t dangerous, and earns a lot of money. If it meets these four conditions, I don’t care what it is.”

“Wow, is there really such a thing? I want that too!”

I could only hope such a thing existed.

“Do you know where to find it?”

“Where?”

“In dreams.”

In other words, I needed a nap.

For a lovable child like me, napping was a very important part of the day.