Most would think of lively sunny cities with two story buildings, paved roads and fascinating gothic architecture, but overlook the very pain that was often perpetuated in these cities… And this was a world where magic existed… So, what could be the need for such problems to exist? For such misery? I could understand aether wielding children to not be keen to going back in those forests, away from any major form of civilization but this? Here in the middle of the country?
Not only that, but a single man here could get twice as much work done even without aether compared to one on Earth in the same amount of time… Even if you consider that the economy evolved around this reality, but it didn’t make sense for people to be so poor as to live in such conditions… After all, if they just spent some time working on the houses and tried to care a bit for the space around, the maintenance of such bad atmosphere and conditions would be impossible…
It chilled my heart. Perhaps the other kids would not feel as strongly or as bad about this as I did, after all no one could have my perspective, as a person from a world of science that developed to offer conditions for its citizens, where intricate devices like PCs and TVs would be almost at least one in each household…
Having these thoughts I almost didn’t notice when the atmosphere changed. We entered the true town, the region behind the walls. The oppression, desperation and suffering that hung in the air just moments ago was gone. Furthermore, the quantity of aether in the air was also greater. ‘Is this the effect brought by the gathering of practitioners and people with affinity or the result of a natural phenomenon, or perhaps that which Eld-Mother described in awe and I inferred would be called an array… But she never mentioned arrays for gathering aether.’
Yet the presence of more aether was not a blessing for me… With more aether around, there was more to get entangled in the leaking vitality and more to rush inside the body. This caused me to heal faster but also increased the pain, and my body was getting itchy while I also started to feel as if ants were crawling over me. Individually good signs, well, ignoring the pain of course, but combined it was another hellish experience.
Soon we got to the academy and the shaking stopped. After a few minutes of shouting and excited murmurs someone finally entered the carriage. They wore large black clothes. A big coat with more pockets than I could number was covering most of his body. On his sleeves, down till the bottom, up to the collar and all around still like this were pockets. If not for the fact that he also wore a black mask that looked like a mummified face he’d look comical.
He took out from within his sleeve a silvery rod. ‘Holy shit! There are still more pockets! Is his entire coat made of layered pockets?’ I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in surprise and wonder. He kneeled next to me and started pressing that rod on my body in various places.
“It’s very practical despite how it looks you know?” He said locking eyes with me, but he didn’t stop his probing.
“If you think it’s practical to have your every first discussion with a person start by explaining your appearance then I believe it is…”
“Ooh! A tough one, are you? But your state is indeed pretty bad… Garrick only downplayed it… Tough and reckless, hard to say if this is a good combination.”
“So?”
“Don’t worry you can be treated. First, you’ll be taken to the medicine ward though… Hm… Now where are those useless workers…”
We have sunk into silence. Seeing how we had to wait like this I couldn’t help but ask.
“How come you arrived here so much faster than your subordinates?”
“I was already here… I’m old friends with Garrick and had something to discuss with him, in that regard you are actually inconveniently in need of my help.”
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“You could go talk with him until your men come, no?”
“I could, but now I don’t want to.”
“Hm? Did I catch your eye?”
“Heh, you catch on quick. Garrick might not probe after all he is pretty simple minded, but I can’t help but be curious… The sheer amount of aether in your body is ridiculous. I almost couldn’t get the readings I needed…”
“So? What is it to you?”
“I want to have you as my disciple.”
“No way!”
“Why so decisive?” He asked, with his eyebrows furrowing.
“Because I’ll end up… acquiring your taste for… wearable warehouses… And you’re a medic. I require combat training more now.”
“Kid, take a piece of advice from me. In this town no one capable is as simple as they seem. Those simple either lack the talent to be of use or end up in the slums. Think again, I don’t need you to answer now.”
“So there really is deliberate reason behind the misery I felt there…”
“So, you thought of it? Interesting… But you’re only a village kid, unexposed to the schemes surrounding the society. How’d you think of it so fast?”
“It’s exactly because I’m from a village that I know just how much a man can do. All they need is the will and they won’t live that badly. Unless of course someone purposefully keeps the situation and tricks them.”
“You word it nicely, but many kids older than you came here from the villages, even from Rovandel, yet none figured it as quickly as you.”
“If you’re bent on suspecting me and considering me interesting then I will be, no matter what I say.”
He chuckled. I locked eyes with him, his eyes were deep brown and carried a strong and sharp will, he stared at me trying to see through me.
“But really consider again, backing is important here.”
“Do you believe me that I’ll flip the table if anyone mentions ‘backing’ again? So, what if you have a domain powerhouse behind you, so what if it’s three or four? I’ll flip you over together with your shameless old guys. Some base line rules can’t be crossed even with ‘backing’ or else the country would fall.”
“Hu hu huhu! The more you talk the more I want you as my disciple…”
“Don’t you think I’m boasting baselessly?”
“So, what if you are? The mindset is good, so the rest doesn’t matter. I would not believe others to have the ability… but after sensing your pool… If you don’t flip the game table that this world has become, then… I don’t know who can.”
Some more time passed in silence. ‘Seems like what had to be said was said.’ I kept my mouth shut. No one could convince me to become their disciple. In this world many should be happy if he didn’t start to blabber of all the mechanisms of the universe, I comprehended either through self-pondering or by studying the materials available in his past world. I could make many scared silly if I did. Besides I was not a fool. He wanted me to join him, but I knew nothing about him or his situation. Is that how you tempt people?
Eventually two more guys came in and lifted me on a stretcher and then carefully got me out. I could finally look around! It was about damn time! The place was… huge, or rather… It was way bigger than I could have imagined… There were several castles spaciously arranged. A colosseum that seemed at least thrice as big as the one in Rome and even a little shopping district… And this was all on academy grounds…
To say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement… I could not understand how such grandeur was needed or justifiable compared to the suffering outside… It had a very… fairy tale-like feel. With people flying here and there, with multi-colored light projected into fountains and the mist surrounding them, with beautiful youthful people laughing and talking clothed in expensive luxurious clothes. It was both a very interesting a good atmosphere that made one inclined to forget the troubles elsewhere and sickening considering on the backs of whom this was built on.
The medicine ward was just as grand. However, I was not led into the big fancy rooms I was taken into some remote corner in a room with stagnant air and with high humidity. There were several medical beds lined up to the wall, separated by rough curtains. I was placed on one of the beds.
“Your treatment will take around three to four days. You’ll come out as good as new.”
I nodded. Somehow, I still doubted he’d be able to save the torn muscular tissue… Reconsolidating bones was not very hard with aether however muscles and nerves that had to line up perfectly… No need to start questioning now. As long as this guy did anything to me, I would learn to do it too. As for becoming his disciple? He he… I can enjoy the benefits without that price. If he didn’t find me it would’ve been fine, but since he asked, it means he needs me. And for him to need me… It could only be something bad or hard.
Finally, I was left alone again. I now had time to ponder. But without any extra information I could not deduce much. This pocketed medic probably doesn’t like this place too much. He must have a grudge with some noble or something… What was the point of involving me… Whether it was the social disparity or just a personal conflict, right now I still did not have the strength to deal with it.
So, I could only wait. This fa?ade of happiness in this place… it was the hook, someone deliberately wanted to make aether wielders feel special and above all others… Who knows what the reason was, I only knew that this was definitely a trick. The life in other places was hard, but here it was easy, so why would you go back home to help your parents? Parents that are beings ‘inferior’ to you. And yet it also taught people and drew the line between noble or not. If you were not a noble, then forget about the lavishness openly displayed to steal one’s heart. The room I was in just now was proof of it.
But I despised such a mentality and situation. There was only one way to proceed… Wait these four days then… devour all the knowledge to be found here.
What do you think of this strange doctor?
[LitRPG] [Progression] [Isekai] [Smart MC]
Synopsis (Click to Expand)
Takuya never asked to be reborn.
This life was never meant to be his.
But he refuses to waste it.