Night had fallen, and the sky, dark as the mouth of a wolf, was full of stars. The moon, round and grayish-white, peeked out from between scattered clouds that drifted slowly, pushed by the night wind.
In one of the mansion's rooms, the atmosphere was serene, illuminated by the soft light of an oil lamp.
"Daughter, what did you think of your fiancé?" Agnes asked curiously as she folded her hands in her lap. "He's very different from those other nobles, don't you think?"
"Hmm…"
Selene gently touched her chin as she thought. The first thing that came to mind was Adam's painful, deep gaze... but the memory of his smile soon replaced it as they walked together through the garden.
"I would say it's... unique."
"Unique?" Agnes raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Selene nodded gently.
"Yes. He's not like the nobles I've met before," she replied. "He doesn't try to impress or pretend to be something he's not. I would say he's... special."
Finally, a slight smile appeared on her face.
Without realizing it, her mind began to wander. She imagined a future still vague: quiet conversations, days spent together, perhaps children running in the gardens.
Would Adam ever rise in rank? Viscount... count... marquis?
But then, something stirred inside her.
The way he had looked at her still weighed heavily on her chest.
It wasn't a look of desire or simple interest. There was something deeper in it... something she couldn't quite understand.
Selene slowly lowered her hand from his chin.
She still didn't know what the future held for them.
But for some reason, she felt that her life had just taken a turn from which she could no longer easily deviate.
Selene snapped out of her thoughts.
Just in time to meet her mother's gaze.
Agnes watched her with a dangerous smile. It wasn't an ordinary smile. It was the smile. The one that heralded unnecessary comments.
Selene's face turned red in a matter of seconds.
"Fufufufu~" Agnes laughed, resting her chin on her hand. "So that's the kind of look you give your fiancé..."
"MOM! NO!" Selene took a step back as if she had been attacked. "Don't say anything! Not a word! Not a syllable!"
"Not even a little innocent comment~?" Agnes insisted, clearly enjoying every second of it. "You know, something like, 'Oh, my daughter is already thinking about her future husband.'"
"STOP!" Selene covered her face with both hands. "I'm going to die of embarrassment!"
"Hahahaha~" Agnes let out a satisfied laugh.
Selene clenched her fists.
The image of Adam appeared in her mind.
And, without really knowing why, she blamed him for everything.
"…I hate him," Selene whispered.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion...
"Achoo!"
Adam sneezed loudly.
He blinked a couple of times, confused, and rubbed his nose.
"Hmm... that's strange."
Asterin, floating calmly beside him, looked at him with a half-smile.
"That usually means someone is talking badly about you."
Adam frowned.
"I haven't done anything to deserve that."
"Exactly," she replied with an amused tone. "It's when you least deserve it that it happens the most."
Adam thought for a second.
"...Just in case, let's close the window."
He got up, carefully closed the window, and returned to bed.
...
February 20.
It had been one month and nineteen days since Adam returned to the past. He spent all this time adapting his body and strengthening it.
In addition, he was training with the knights of his family; with his SSS-rank talent in fencing, it would be a waste not to use it to strengthen his father's army.
That would help prevent a future in which everything is destroyed. He was also developing a new fencing technique, but he was still imitating and copying the sword techniques he had seen in his past life.
He was drawing on his past life for inspiration to create something entirely new.
Although in this life he would also walk the path of magic, perhaps he would become a magical swordsman.
In addition to his daily training, which increased every day, Adam attended compulsory classes in history, dance, and etiquette. After all, he was also a nobleman and had to learn the basics.
Her mother kept in touch with Agnes Tubor, sharing information about what was happening in the kingdom, and they started a business together. However, Adam offered her only a few ideas.
Alisha had a keen business sense, which surprised him a little; if he hadn't gone back in time, he wouldn't have known that his mother had that talent.
His growth had been relatively rapid, and thanks to the daily missions, the time he had planned to strengthen his body had been reduced by more than half. Now he was finally ready to access mana.
Adam looked at the mission window that appeared after completing the daily mission.
[Daily Mission #50]
Push-ups 250: Complete (250/250)
Sit-ups 250: Complete (250/250)
Squats 250: Complete (250/250)
Pull-ups 250: Complete (250/250)
Burpees 100: Complete (100/100)
30 km run: Complete (30/30)
And then came the rewards.
[You have completed daily mission #50.]
[You received 1 stat point.]
[You received 1 EXP]
Adam Hall
Low-ranking knight [EXP: 100/100]
Talent: A
Trait: Fencing (SSS) Hand-to-Hand Combat (D) Tracking (C) Mana Manipulation (C) Magic (SSS)
Strength: 18 +
Stamina: 16 +
Agility: 17 +
Vitality: 20 +
Mana: 6 +
Statistics points: 49
I've finally reached 100 EXP; I'm curious to see what happens next.
Adam was eagerly awaiting what would happen.
[You have accumulated enough EXP to become a Novice Knight]
[Do you want to become a Novice Knight?]
[Yes/No]
A smile appeared on Adam's lips, and without hesitation, he clicked [Yes].
[You have become a Notavo Knight!]
[Your mana channels will open.]
"...!!"
Adam's eyes widened in surprise at the news. He hadn't expected it at all!
At that moment, he felt his heart begin to pump with an energy that had been dormant all this time.
However, according to history, this was not something that had come out of nowhere; they all came from the Creator God, better known as Omnimana, creator of everything.
But that was not important at this moment.
Adam could feel the mana making its way through the complex network of veins that ran through his body, through the constant flow of blood that coursed through them.
He could even sense the platelets traveling through his bloodstream.
He could feel the mana coursing through his body and opening new channels through which to move.
The knights at the training ground were stunned by what they witnessed. They could feel the fluctuations of mana in the air.
Then, Adam finally came to his senses; officially, he had become a Novice Knight.
Adam Hall
Novice Knight [EXP: 0/ 500]
Talent: A
Trait: Fencing (SSS) Hand-to-Hand Combat (D) Tracking (C) Mana Manipulation (C) Magic (SSS)
Strength: 18 → 28 +
Stamina: 16 → 26 +
Agility: 17 → 27 +
Vitality: 20 → 30 +
Mana: 6 → 16+
Statistics points: 49