The wizard is reincarnated last Time

Chapter 13

“…If you fail the exam, will you try again?”

Clementine asked Wadin, who was sitting across from her, continuing their earlier conversation.

The coachman had started the carriage. The large metal box, pulled by two horses, began to move with a jolt.

“It would be nice if Wady went to the same school as us.”

Clementine spoke innocently, but Wadin choked.

“You’re going to the advanced general school. I want to get into the Knight Academy.”

“Clementine, you just told Wady to fail the entrance exam.”

I chuckled from my seat by the window.  Clementine blinked, looking surprised.

“Oh, did I…? I just thought it would be nice if the three of us could study together.  But general school isn’t bad, is it?”

“Well, except for the part where you can’t join the Knights after graduating.”

“Lots of people can’t join the Knights even after graduating from the Knight Academy.”

Clementine, with an innocent expression, pointed out the harsh reality.

Because the Knight Academy’s graduation exam was notoriously difficult, many students either gave up and dropped out or joined other knight orders without graduating.

I knew this well, having heard Shuren agonizing over his upcoming graduation exam.

“They said the Holy Magic Department is alright.  It’s not supposed to be that difficult.”

Wadin said, pouting slightly.

“Well, that’s good… But I’m a little disappointed that we won’t be at the same school, Wady.”

Seeing Clementine’s dejected expression, Wadin tried to comfort her.

“W-Well. The Knight Academy and the general school aren’t that far apart.  They’re in the same city, so we can still meet up and play anytime.”

“I heard the Knight Academy has a lot of classes and homework.  And lots of festival preparations too.”

“Oh, right, the festival. Liv, Wady, we’re going to the festival together, right? You haven’t forgotten our promise?”

I successfully diverted Clementine’s attention to the festival.

Wadin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

As the carriage descended towards Prion’s central street, we chatted about the events planned for the festival.

The ball at the Arton Memorial Plaza, various performances, fireworks, and the parades representing all walks of life that would take place throughout the festival.

The festival was still a week away, but the entire city, including us, was already caught up in the festive spirit.

“And before that, it’s Liv’s birthday.”

Clementine couldn’t hide her excitement.

The second weekend of autumn, the day before the festival began, was my twelfth birthday.

We always invited many people to celebrate my birthday with a feast, and the number of guests had steadily increased since we moved to Prion.

“Wady, you’re going to sleep over at Liv’s house, right?”

“I was planning to…”

“We’re going to stay up all night this time.”

Clementine’s eyes sparkled at Wadin’s words.

I just smiled.

Knowing full well that the three of us would fall asleep in no time.

On previous birthdays, Clementine, despite declaring her intention to stay up all night, had always been the first to fall asleep.

And the next morning, she would indignantly complain about having missed the chance to stay up all night.

“Huh.”

Looking out the window, I noticed something strange.

Dozens of carriages were lined up in a long queue in the distance.

The traffic jam stretched endlessly from Prion’s central street all the way to the White Knights’ Hall.

Our carriage, too, was moving at a snail’s pace.

What was going on?

Even during peak hours, the streets weren’t usually this congested.

“What’s wrong?”

“Something’s happening.”

Clementine and Wadin crowded around the window where I was sitting.  With three twelve-year-olds leaning to one side, the carriage tilted precariously.

Soon, our carriage came to a complete stop, caught in the traffic jam.

The coachman told us it would be difficult to reach Ervan Medical Center by carriage.

The medical center wasn’t far. We didn’t need to take the carriage anyway.

“Let’s get off.”

Clementine got off first, followed by Wadin and me.  The sidewalks, too, were crowded with people, due to the traffic jam.  Everyone, like us, looked curious about what was happening.

As we walked along the street, we realized that something was amiss.

Something serious was definitely going on.

There were far more Prius Knights than usual, and they all looked tense.

The knights were either moving in formation or standing along the streets, controlling the flow of people.

“I wonder what’s happening…”

Clementine, looking slightly apprehensive, held my hand tightly.

“Maybe the Knights are practicing for the festival parade?”

“No way.”

Although Wadin’s casual remark was absurd, it made me chuckle.

Clementine giggled softly too.

Feeling slightly less tense, we reached the street across from Ervan Medical Center.

Prius Knights stood in formation, lining both sides of the street, leaving only the middle clear, as if for a parade, just as Wadin had suggested.

Some of the knights noticed us and began to murmur.

They recognized Clementine, the White Knight’s granddaughter. Her bright silver hair was easily noticeable even from a distance.

One of them, looking surprised, approached us.

“Lady Clementine? What are you doing here?”

“Oh, hello.”

We greeted the knight politely.

He lowered himself to our eye level and spoke with a troubled expression.

“You shouldn’t be here.  There’s an important mission about to begin.”

“But we have to go to the medical center for a checkup…”

Clementine spoke for me.

The knight repeated, “The medical center?” and then paused in thought.

“Alright.  I’ll escort you, but all three of you must stay close behind me.”

“Yes.  Thank you.”

The knight nodded and started walking.

We held hands and followed him across the wide street.

As we walked through the cleared path, I glanced back.

The long line of knights stretched down the hill, past the plaza, all the way to Prion’s gate.  An incredible distance.

This procession was the reason for the traffic jam.

“Are they really preparing for a parade?”

Wadin muttered again, but the tension radiating from the knights was suffocating. It didn’t feel like a parade at all.

“Here we are.  We’ve arrived at the medical center.”

The knight stopped at the entrance of Ervan Medical Center and looked back at us.

There weren’t many knights at the entrance, but several medical personnel had come out to observe the situation.

“You must not leave the medical center until the Knights’ mission is over. All three of you. Do you understand?”

We nodded obediently. Although our curiosity was piqued, the kind knight quickly returned to his post.

“He just said ‘mission,’ right?  Amazing. I wonder what kind of mission it is.”

Wadin’s face was flushed with excitement and anticipation.

“If they need this many knights, it must be something dangerous.”

I speculated cautiously. But Wadin shook his head.

“If it were that dangerous, Clementine’s grandfather wouldn’t let her wander around. Besides, he wasn’t there earlier.”

“That’s true…”

Petron Lesis, Clementine’s grandfather and the White Knight, was incredibly protective of his granddaughter.

He wouldn’t let Clementine leave the manor if there was any danger.

“I hope it really is just festival preparation.”

Clementine said anxiously.

“A really important festival preparation mission?”

“Yes, something like that.”

Clementine laughed at Wadin’s words, and I managed a smile as well.

“Alright, we’re done.”

As soon as Grain finished speaking, I quickly redressed.

There was a large, full-length mirror in the examination room, and my large, unsightly scar was clearly visible in its reflection.

The red scar stretched long and wide across my left shoulder and chest, reaching almost to my right side.

A wound so severe that my survival had been a miracle.

Even though I had grown, the scar hadn’t faded much, and neither had its aftereffects.

“So, how often do you cough these days?”

“About twice a day.”

Grain sat at his desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper.

I answered his questions honestly.  They didn’t seem very important.

How much I ate, how many hours I slept, whether I went outside to play often, and so on.

Because Grain asked these questions casually, as if they weren’t particularly important, I was almost fooled into thinking they weren’t.

“Hmm, I see…”

Grain stopped writing and studied what he had written.

My attention wandered, and I listened to Clementine and Wadin’s conversation outside.

The waiting room outside the examination room was filled with holy tools collected by Grain.

Wadin and Clementine were happily looking around at them.

“You need to eat more, Liv.  Don’t skip breakfast.”

“Yes…”

“And you need to exercise regularly. I know it’s difficult, but try your best. That’s how you’ll grow tall and strong, like Shuren.”

I nodded.

My stamina was lacking. Every seizure drained my strength.

Grain was worried about the long-term effects of repeated seizures.

“I’ll prescribe some medicine. I’ll give it to your father, so make sure you take it.”

“Oh…”

I stared at him, surprised.

“Is it that bad?  Bad enough that I need medicine?”

Anxiety and worry flooded me.

Grain hadn’t prescribed any medicine for a while, not since the first year or so after we arrived in Prion.

Seeing my surprise, Grain was startled and came closer.

“No, it’s not that… it’s just a tonic.  Medicine to help you grow healthy. You can take it, right?”

Although I wasn’t entirely convinced, I forced a nod.

Grain smiled, as if pleased.

“You need to take it morning and night.  Eat well, sleep well, and you’ll be fine in no time.”

So, my condition wasn’t good after all.  I felt deflated.

“Okay…”

“Good, we’re done. Are you going home?”

As Grain stood up, his long, white robes billowed around him like a cloak.

“No,” I said, getting out of the chair.  My trousers had become loose, so I tightened the straps of my ankle braces.

“I have to go to the tower.”

“The tower? Do you have a lesson?”

“Yes.”

Grain went to the window and peeked outside, parting the curtains.

He thought for a moment, then turned to me.

“I’ll take you.  I have to go out anyway.”

“Because of the Knights’ mission outside?”

“…Yes.”

Grain smiled wryly.

“It’s not a good time for children to be wandering around without a guardian.”

“What’s happening?”

I seized the opportunity to ask.

Grain looked troubled. He seemed like he wanted to tell me something, but he hesitated, then left the examination room without answering.

Clementine and Wadin, who had been lounging on the sofa outside, jumped up.

“Liv, are you done?”

“Yes.”

I couldn’t hear Grain’s answer, as Clementine started peppering him with questions about my condition.

“It’s not something I can comment on, as I’m not part of the Knights.”

Only after we left the medical center and stepped into the hallway leading to the White Knights’ Hall did Grain finally speak, after much deliberation.

But before I could argue that Ervan Medical Center was also under the jurisdiction of Prius… we realized what the Knights’ important mission was.