C1: To the Capital of the Empire (1)
This is the novel I’ll translate since I’ve caught up with Rogue Lord raws.
I got a fake job at the academy it a korean fantasy novel and the schedule will be 3 ch/week(Monday, Wednesday, Friday)+sponsored ch(if anyone decides to support the novel). Happy reading!
When most parents dream of their children’s future jobs, they would recommend higher-level jobs such as doctors or judges since all jobs that end in the letter ‘sa’ are well-recognized. Or at least a civil servant called a stable iron rice bowl. No parent wants their children to go down a difficult and difficult path.
However, in my case it was a little different.
“Son. You become a shaman.”
“Yes?”
It was the words my mother told me when my father passed away early and I was growing up together with my ferocious little sister.
Although my family wasn’t very lean or poor, I still wanted to earn money by studying hard and becoming a doctor, a scientist or a developer.
However, what my mother recommended to me, who had meticulously crafted such a scientific route, was not a liberal arts route, nor even an artistic or physical education, but a path on a completely different level.
What should I say about this Theology major?
“Uh, what?”
“You didn’t hear me well, so I’ll say it again. You have to become a shaman.”
“I don’t like it.”
My answer was adamant.
I’m not going to be a shaman. Why all of a sudden in the first place?
In response to my bold answer, my mother raised her eyebrows once, and spoke in a strong tone.
“You have the qualities of a shaman. All kinds of spirits are watching over you. There is no other way for you than a shaman.”
Hearing that, I was stunned. Do you have such talent? Beyond the absurdity, I just didn’t think about it.
From then on, my mother mostly said things that shouldn’t be said to her son, such as that I have unique qualities, that I am destined to be harmed if I don’t become a shaman and do not receive divine guidance.
What did I reply back then?
“Never, I won’t.”
“You will get hurt one day. They are all worried about you.”
“If it’s for me, you should support me on the way I go!”
I remember saying so firmly and locked up in my room.
To be honest, it just made me sad and angry. You can’t make a child who has properly designed his life since middle school to give up everything and become a shaman.
At that point, I studied even harder with a sense of repulsion.
My mother constantly bothered me and forced me to do religious things, and she taught me all kinds of bizarre knowledge such as poetry, magic, and witchcraft. But I didn’t give up. The more I did it, the more I acquired all kinds of rational knowledge to make my head stronger.
When more than 10 years passed like that, and as an adult, I finally settled down as a member of society but I died in a car accident.
‘It was really absurd.’
Was this what my mother said about getting hurt? And what was even more surprising was what happened after that.
‘I’m alive.’
To be precise, I died once, but it would be correct to say that I was born anew.
Does the afterlife exist? I thought everything my mother said was a lie, but it was all the truth. Through the experience of death, I felt deeply that human beings do not fully realize what they have not experienced until they experience it.
What am I doing now?
“Open the textbook. Continuing from last time, I will teach you how to draw a magic circle.”
“I am a teacher at the Magic Academy.”
……How did this happen?
* * *
A mechanical engineering locomotive emitting pure white steam arrived at the station. The sound of compressed steam spewing out as iron reverberated.
The passengers waiting at the station got on the train one by one, and watching the scene, I took a deep breath before boarding the train. It felt like my body was becoming clearer as the fresh air seeped into my lungs.
The sky was clear without clouds, and in the cold air of winter that was just coming to an end, I could even feel a pleasant refreshing feeling.
The departure time of the train to the Exilion Empire was short.
I raised my hand and lightly brushed my face. A strange sense of alienation felt between the gloved hand and the skin.
‘The mask is firmly attached.’
I had to hide my identity, so it was unavoidable.
I got on the train at a natural pace so as not to cause suspicion.
“I will check the ticket.”
As I got on the train, the conductor spoke to me.
I took the ticket out of the pocket of the frock coat I was wearing and handed it over.
“It has been confirmed. Mr. Gerard. Have a nice trip.”
After receiving a courtesy greeting from the conductor, I responded with a light nod of my head.
When I checked the ticket that was handed over to me, there was a number 403 written on it. In other words, it was the 3rd room of the 4th wagon
The hallway was narrow but long enough for only one person to walk through, and there were large gaps in the door on one side. The magic engineering train I was on was not called a luxury train for nothing, so all the seats in the long corridor were divided into rooms.
401.
402.
403.
‘Here it is.’
After checking the nameplate, I opened the door and entered. The moment I opened the door, I could smell the old wood.
The inside wasn’t that fancy, but it had everything. The soft seats are divided on the left and right and the storage space where luggage can be put. And even a signal bell installed so passengers can call the staff if they need anything.
‘Not bad.’
I didn’t have a heavy luggage bag, so I moved my body and sat down lightly. Even the seats were soft because it was a luxurious train.
As I looked out the window, the vast landscape of the northern mountains caught my eye. The peaks of the soaring steep mountain range are covered with pure white snow, like giants wearing white cone hats. The train will soon pass through the crevices of that mountain range.
‘Now that I’m here, I can relax.’
My name is Gerard. I was once an ordinary member of society living in Korea. Of course, it was my previous life, and I died in a car accident.
After that I woke up in the present world, a mysterious world where magic and science coexist, completely different from Earth. Here I was starting a new second life.
‘I’m on the train for the Empire, so I can rest until I get there.’
Exilion Empire, the largest and most powerful country on the continent. It is the birthplace of magic engineering, where magic and machinery coexisted equally, and where wizards and magic towers exist.
I am heading to the empire now.
‘Is the stop in the middle of a big city Leathervelk?’
I pulled out an informational pamphlet stuck next to my seat and checked the contents. The final destination of the Magical Engineering Train, which is currently scheduled to depart, is the capital of the empire. However, there is no way that there is a train going directly from the border of a country to the capital of another country.
There are two stops along the way. Leathervelk is the first of them, and in some respects it can be seen as a more famous city than the capital. It is the place where the magic academy, the dream of all aspiring wizards, is located.
‘A magic academy? What an amazing world.’
Decades have passed since I started living a second life, but there are still many things I can’t adjust to. There must be a sense of separation from my previous life but the academy has nothing to do with me anyway. I don’t need to worry about it.
Rumble.
While thinking that, the train vibrated slightly.
’Are you going to start slowly?’
Paaaang!!!
As expected, the train honked its horn to signal its imminent departure. In as little as a minute, the train will run through the vast northern mountains.
‘Am I going alone in this room? I hope it’s comfortable.’
The moment I had such a futile thought, the door of room 403 creaked open as if it had been waiting.
The one who came in was a well-dressed man in his mid-20s. He’s tall and wears a brown frock coat similar to the one I’m wearing. There is no way the train staff would wear such clothes, so it was obvious that he was a passenger in the same room as me. Even a tiger comes to me when I say it.
As I was sighing inwardly, the other person looked at me and greeted me.
“Hello.”
“…….”
The other side greeted me first, so I nodded my head slightly and accepted it. I didn’t want to talk for a long time, so I responded as if I had a quiet personality.
The man didn’t care too much about my behavior and sat down on the seat opposite me.
Paaaaaaaang───!!!
The train departed with a loud horn. At first, it was the locomotive that rattled and swayed, but as the speed started to increase, the shaking disappeared.
It was not for nothing that the tickets were expensive. The common people could not even afford to pay such a high price, the speed and convenience were different from the general steam locomotive.
The scenery outside the transparent window passed by quickly and the appearance of the pure white snowy mountain that covered everything was so beautiful that it automatically took your eyes off it. But after 10 minutes or 20 minutes, if you keep watching it, you’ll get tired of it because it’s monotonous.
I took out the newspaper that was placed next to the pamphlet and unfolded it. Because there are no laptops or smartphones in this world, there is nothing other than books and newspapers that can kill time.
[End of Civil War in the Utah Kingdom]
[It ends with the victory of the princess faction]
On the front page of the newspaper, such an article was published in a wide open space.
Not long ago, a civil war broke out and the Utah Kingdom was recruiting mercenaries from all over the world. It is also the country where the train station that this magic train departed from a while ago was located.
Black and white photos were embedded between the articles printed in black letter font. It was a picture of the princess group announcing their victory in the war.
“The civil war in the Utah Kingdom is over.”
A voice came through the newspaper. I pulled down the newspaper that covered my face and faced the man opposite. Since he spoke to me directly like this I couldn’t ignore him.
“Yes, it seemed to have ended unexpectedly, so I’m glad.”
“It’s been a while since the Prince’s faction gathered forces from all over the world, but I’m glad it ended early.”
“Still, it is not without damage.”
“Is that so? Ah. My introduction is late. I am Rudger Chelici.”
“Are you an aristocrat?”
However, he does not show the arrogance or arrogance characteristic of aristocrats.
“I am Gerard.”
No last name, this shows that I’m a commoner.
“Ah. It’s okay you don’t need to feel too uncomfortable because I am from the Fallen Nobility.”
“Oh.”
If you’re a fallen nobleman, it’s understandable because they are nobles but not nobles.
“Where are you going, Mr. Gerard?”
“I am going to Lindebrugne, the capital of the empire. I have business to do there.”
“If someone like Mr. Gerard has a business, it must be a big deal, right?”
I laughed and shook my head at Mr. Rudger joke.
“It’s not a job, it’s just a visit.”
“That’s good too. I was just listening, but I heard that the Exilion Empire has a lot to see because of its advanced mage engineering.”
“Where are you going, Mr. Rudger?”
“I’m going to Leathervelk.”
“Leathervelk is where the academy is. Do you have anything to see there?”
“Yes. Well, I’m not proud of it, but I’ve been appointed as a teacher at Theon Academy.”
“Hoo.”
I was purely amazed.
The Empire’s largest magic academy <Theon> it’s the place where all the talents that exist on the continent gather and is a hotbed of the future where the gemstones that will carry this world are carved into jewels.
Naturally, the students who gather there are made up of only the most talented children, and the teachers who teach them are strictly selected.
The man in front of me was also said to be one of them.
“You seem young, but you have great skills.”
“No. It’s just that the public gave me a high rating. In fact, I narrowly passed the selection.”
“I heard that there are a lot of people who fall, you should be proud of yourself.”
“Thank you for such a rating. Oh, more than that, it’s because of the civil war in the Utah Kingdom, did you hear the rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“It is said that there was a protagonist who made this civil war lead to the victory of the princess faction.”
“Hmm. You are the protagonist.”
“But surprisingly, he said that he was a wandering mercenary, not a high-ranking wizard or a high-ranking knight.”
A wandering mercenary who made a significant contribution to ending a nation’s civil war. It hasn’t been revealed in the newspaper yet, but word of mouth was spreading among people.
“Mercenary Machiavelli. He said that was his name.”
“I see.”
I answered him in a slightly sarcastic tone.
“Aren’t you very surprised?”
“Haha. I thought it was just a rumor.”
I said I didn’t know, but it’s actually a lie.
The name of the mercenary Machiavelli is familiar to me because it was the identity that I was using before I became Gerard.