This chapter is brought to you by Start Over by Gaho.
Edited by: bafflinghaze
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In the early morning, servants have already woken up for work. Their footsteps could be heard throughout all four corners of the manor halls and its outer grounds.
In the West Wing of the Manor, the eldest Young Master remained deeply asleep in his bedroom, eyes shut like a corpse beneath his covers.
The door to his bedroom opened up.
Rainier entered the room with a polite greeting on his lips, "Good morning, Young Master Nazareth."
He drew the thick window curtains wide apart and pushed the window open, allowing the light to filter inside. After tying the curtains to the side, he turned to the ridiculous mound on top of the bed.
Under a cocoon of blankets and luxurious fur laid an unmoving lump that deeply wished to remain where he was for another hour or two.
"Young Master?"
The servant heard a groan.
Unbothered by the appearance, Rainier approached the bed and skillfully began removing the covers one at a time.
The cocoon slowly disappeared, its layers discarded to the side. Finally, the Young Master was revealed lying underneath. It was a wonder how he hadn't suffocated.
Black messy hair was exposed, covering the Young Master's face like a wraith. He was lying flat on his back like the dead, hands on his stomach and clasped together.
Coffin?
Rainier couldn't see the Young Master, but his other senses offered this image to his head.
It was a hilarious sight, but he was nothing if not a professional. He kept his own thoughts to himself and gently shook the Young Master, rousing him from his sleep.
Vermillion eyes snapped open wide. The Young Master sat up automatically like a stiff doll.
He almost headbutted Rainier in his haste.
With quick reflexes, the servant caught the Young Master by the forehead with the palm of his hand, holding the other still so he wouldn't hurt himself so early in the morning.
"Good morning, Young Master," Rainier smiled brightly.
---
Neo blinked. He squinted when he saw the way sunlight reflected off of Rainier's pearly white teeth. It was too early to take in his unusually charming smile.
He grunted.
Rainier manhandled him into a sitting position on the side of his bed.
Neo yawned into the back of his hand, his eyes still half-lidded from sleep.
This body did not have the same biological clock as the one he had in the modern world.
Last night, the ruined anti-emblem needed to be burned and disposed of quickly before the Warrior Blood Blossom Extract could fully infuse with the outlines.
Talisman work was a bit like pseudoscience. You either burnt down your house or you didn't. There was no middle ground to these things.
When he finally managed to burn it to ash, he had to remake the emblem in preparation for his next attempt.
Unfortunately, halfway into working on the outline, his inner perfectionist decided the design wasn't good enough and scrapped about half the initial markings. He spent another three hours reworking a new outline and lost sleep.
Remembering the cause of his death, Neo reminded himself not to pull too many all-nighters in the future. He couldn't afford to die early in this lifetime.
He needed to cherish this life as much as he could, even with all the shit and chaos happening within it. Besides, there was so much he had to fix first.
"Your foot, Young Master." Rainier drew him from his thoughts when his hands carefully took his feet and dressed them in his socks.
Neo didn't flinch when the other touched his feet. He was not used to being catered to like this anymore, but he'd lived this life before.
Who cared if he was a sixteen-year-old teenager capable of dressing himself? Not nobility!
There was a knock at the door and a maidservant came inside with a bowl of warm water and a small towel.
Rainier took it from her and she quickly left in a hurry, unwilling to stay in his presence any longer.
Neo allowed Rainier to wash his face, his body compliant to the servant's actions as he swallowed his pride.
It was normal in this world for servants to be so intimate in the dressing and preparation of their masters. Even Nazareth, who disliked being touched, willfully allowed the servant's care, as it was a part of the nobility.
The height of true luxury was when a full-grown man is treated as an infant, unable to dress himself.
There were some exceptions to his ridicule, of course. Many noblewomen in the Empire had elaborate wardrobes consisting of several layered skirts.
Guinevere required three maidservants for her day-to-day outfits—which was a bit of a pain—but until she could enter the Knight Academy or the military, her clothes would remain as complicated as society willed it.
On the other hand, there were some women like his stepmother who chose to look quite heroic in pants and long coats.
It's what happens when you go to war and come back with the title—Battlefield Serial Killer.
During the Lesser Krieg War, his stepmother slaughtered her way through No-Man's land with a saber. Not a sword. A saber.
According to the recent history books, this was how his father and her met. It was love at first kill.
"Young Master, it is time to get dressed."
The pale youth nodded and stood up.
Rainier made him stand in front of the closet mirror and proceeded to dress him in his school uniform.
Neo stopped him from buttoning his shirt too high.
Pulling on his sweater vest and donning a black blazer, he looked in the mirror and saw a teenage schoolboy.
Ah yes, the epitome of hormones. It still took time for him to recognize himself in the mirror. He didn't feel as young anymore.
Adjusting the cuffs slightly, Rainier patted off the invisible dust on his shoulders and began pushing him toward the dresser.
The servant sat him down and took it upon himself to tame his bed hair. Even with the haircut, the mop was still as unruly as he remembered it to be.
Rainier's fingers deftly moved through black inky locks and gently combed from root to tip.
Neo felt that it was very comfortable having his hair combed by someone. It was hard not to fall asleep again.
His hair was pulled into a small half-tail. A red ribbon fastened it together. He stared at the mirror for a long moment and showed a perplexed expression.
This... he didn't look too girly with this hairstyle... right?
"This way, Young Master."
Neo put on his shoes obediently and didn't comment on Rainier's sudden familiarity.
He didn't believe the servant was warming up to him.
Rather, it felt like he was trying to understand the current playing field.
In the past, the man had always been quiet and meek, never revealing anything beyond his initial facade of a Capable Servant.
Perfect. Charming. Polite.
Adaptive.
Now that Neo has changed, the awkward tension between them had heightened to a higher degree.
There was apprehension in the air and clear suspicion.
He feared if he wasn't careful, he may find himself in a pit of his own making.
Or be burned by the Church, though the chances of that were incredibly unlikely.
Rainier pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. The question of how he even managed to read the watch face was a mystery in itself and Neo wasn't sure if he wanted to know.
"Breakfast is about to start."
"En."
They quickly left for the dining hall.
"You're here," His father was first to greet him the moment he stepped inside.
Neo gave him a discreet nod and made his way over to the table, immediately settling in to eat.
On cue, Rainier brought him a cup of coffee.
Like most mornings, when the family was able to get together for meals, Gareth and Aurelion conversed idly on the matters of the House. Guinevere chimed in once or twice about the recent rumors circulating around their family's opposing political faction.
Vespera and Neo ate in silence.
The servants watched as Young Master Nazareth managed to finish three plates worth of food.
Between the eldest Young Master's sudden gain in appetite and the way Madam Vespera always looked like she was slowly dissecting her bacon with a butter knife, the silent pair were a strange sight in comparison to the rest of the cold and icy family.
From across the table, Gareth and Aurelion watched Nazareth.
Both of them were thinking of two completely different things.
Neo wiped his mouth and requested one of the servants for a glass of water.
As he was gulping it down, he accidentally made eye contact with both his father and younger brother. Meeting their eyes nearly made him choke.
"Cough... cough..."
"Are you dying?" A chilly voice from beside him asked bluntly.
His stepmother looked at him seriously, her ax-murderer-like face way too close for comfort.
"N-no... mother..."
His answer had caught him off guard.
And by the looks of the woman's face—which was becoming more and more frightening—it had startled her as well.
This was her happy face.
Or maybe her surprised face?
He really couldn't tell.
After a few moments of silence, his stepmother finally spoke.
"Leave. Or be late."
Her frost-like words reminded him and his siblings.
Guinivere, being the least socially awkward Odum in the family, calmly stood up. She nodded at their father and mother and left the dining hall in haste.
Seeing her leaving figure, Aurelion and Neo followed suit after, also bidding their parents goodbye.
Three Odum children waited outside for the carriage to pull up.
It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke.
The servants working at the front ground stared curiously at this never-before-seen sight.
It was rare for all three siblings to gather at the same spot.
Neo deliberately ignored their gazes and stood ramrod straight.
"Rainier."
"Yes, Young Master?" The servant appeared from behind him like magic, his timing ever so perfect.
"Can you prepare another carriage for me?"
The servant complied, "As you wish, Young Master."
In the past, Guinivere and Aurelion were the only ones who took a carriage together. Nazareth always left early in the morning and often missed breakfast because he didn't want to ride with his younger siblings.
Obviously, said-younger siblings noticed the change in their older brother and felt mildly uncomfortable with his presence.
Aurelion, in particular, had already begun calculating the probability of whether or not he can protect Guinivere from whatever impact might result if a skirmish breaks out.
It would be improper to not allow their older brother to ride the carriage with them, but at the same time, neither sibling wanted to ride the carriage with him.
Aurelion wouldn't trust Nazareth to share a carriage peacefully.
Even with Guinivere's presence, the bastard was still likely to try something.
He felt himself picking at his thumb and quickly clenched his hand into a fist. This was not the time to be nervous!
Neo had already sensed the discomfort coming from his younger siblings.
For this reason, he will step back and give them room to breathe. He didn't want to scare them.
Aurelion looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown.
Or turning into an iceberg.
Whichever came first.
After a few more minutes of tense silence, two carriages pulled up to the front of the mansion.
As Aurelion and Guinivere boarded the one at the front, Neo took the one in the back.
Rainier helped the Young Master into the carriage.
Neo looked out the window.
"I'll see you when I come back."
"Of course, Young Master."
The siblings departed in separate vehicles.
Inside his carriage, Neo thought back to what he remembered about the Noble Academy. Not only was this the place he died in, but many schemes and evil plots had been dispatched here by him.
The Noble Academy was opened as an educational facility for children of noble birth. Every once and a while, in an attempt to cater to the common people, the school allowed one or two common-born children to attend on a scholarship—if they showed immense potential, that was.
The process was unlike the other various academies in the Empire.
The Servant Academy—where students entered through a recommendation of their employers to become what was known as a Capable Student—didn't allow common people straight from the villages and towns and cities. The students must first be employed and below the age of eighteen.
The Knight Academy required an intensive exam with a passing rate of one to twenty, and the Magic Tower only selected their students through invitation if they showed talent at a young age, or found graduate apprentices through recommendations.
There was also the Alchemy Tower, the Culinarian Academy, the Tailor School, the Military, the Church of Rhine, and many others.
In summary, going into a career required a specific school.
Now, what made the opportunity for Noble Academy unique to the low-born commoners selected for the scholarship was not actually a chance for a better education.
On the surface, this seemed to be the case. Having a better education did give the commoners better opportunities in their chosen field, but that was not the reason they were selected for the academy.
It was actually a chance to enter the Noble Society.
In other words, to provide new blood for the aristocracy.
Neo expressionlessly looked out the window. As the carriage drew closer to the Academy's city, the scenery changed, becoming richer in color and wealth.
Sometimes, a noble house might die out, or people have to stop marrying each other due to familial relations.
In order for Noble Society to continue functioning and leading the Empire, it required fresh blood.
The Royal Family tried to fix this by rewarding titles to soldiers who've proved themselves during wartime, but this process of adding new lineages couldn't completely rely on war.
This was why the scholarship system was introduced.
Chances of the low-born students marrying into nobility or starting their own noble house due to personal merits were high once they entered the academy.
And as long as they achieved value or had great talent, they were practically set for life.
Neo allowed himself a self-deprecating smile.
The only caveat for these new nobles was such–once they stepped into the snake pit of the aristocracy, there was no way to turn back and run.
The carriage arrived at the Academy gates.
The carriage driver opened the door to help him down.
Neo snapped away from his daze and stepped out.
The white and blue structure of the Noble Academy was so familiar, yet not. There were treelines behind the school—the large forest, used by students for training exercises or outdoor excursions. Students were told not to wander too deep into the woods since there was a cliff beyond it.
The school took up acres and acres of land, with the best facilities and teachers available, divided into two sectors.
The Junior High and Senior High divisions–each sector consisted of three grade levels and were the second and third stages of schooling noble children required.
Prior to the Academy, children could either be taught at the Royal Primary Institution–which was a program offered in the Royal Palace–or be homeschooled.
At the Noble Academy, students spent six years of their education being taught their responsibilities, making connections, and finding something of interest to pursue as a career.
Starting at the Junior Level once they reached eleven, students moved to the Senior Level by fifteen. The students were expected to graduate at seventeen or eighteen after their third year in the Senior Division.
Ah, he was so close to graduating, too...
---
Aurelion stepped off the carriage first and lent a hand for Guinivere–as was per custom.
The gazes of their peers could be felt on them as they unboarded the carriage.
The two siblings quickly shifted their demeanors and openly appeared cold and unapproachable.
The true epitome of an Odum.
Guinevere elegantly made her way toward her group of friends while he was left to instruct the bid goodbye to the carriage driver.
During this time, the gazes of their peers fell on another Odum carriage.
Aurelion also turned to watch his brother step out.
Someone inhaled sharply. Another gasped.
"Did... did he cut his hair...?"
And that was the moment all things fell into chaos.
Frantic whispering began to form in the crowd of students near the gates.
Aurelion could already guess what type of rumors he'll be hearing by noon.
The students' eyes followed his older brother as he calmly–and obviously–walked past him and... stood in front of the gate.
He just... stood there.
Unmoving and staring.
At a closer look, Aurelion was able to see a strong emotion in the other boy's eyes and couldn't quite understand why.
From Rainier's report, Nazareth's activities have been quiet. He spent his days working on his school work and drinking coffee.
The servant also reported something strange regarding poison and magic, which had him paranoid for a few days.
When no attacks came, Aurelion had been caught off guard.
Was he taking a break? Or biding his time? All these questions swirled together in his mind.
Before Aurelion could stop himself, he approached his brother from behind and spoke.
"Are you going in?"
Immediately, Nazareth turned his gaze to him, making him regret ever speaking to him in the first place.
But then, Aurelion watched as the corner of his brother's lips suddenly lifted slightly into a small smile.
His mind went blank for a moment.
"Yeah," Nazareth finally turned to him. And in a quiet voice, he answered, "I will," The way he said those words–as if he was handling something fragile and made of glass–made Aurelion unable to comprehend his strange behavior.
So, he snorted coldly.
"Whatever. You better hurry, or you'll be late for class."
Having said this, Aurelion turned away from his brother and headed past the gates.
---
Neo was expressionless when Aurelion walked past him. The boy was slowly turning into an ice cube the closer he approached the main building.
He sighed, shaking his head slightly. He couldn't be too cowardly. After all, he still needed to repent.
Clenching his hands into a fist, he took a deep breath and followed after Aurelion.
The moment he entered the gate, he felt the gazes on him intensify–a mixture of disdain and resentment–from all the students and teachers.
The whispers grew louder as he walked past.
Students quickly got out of his way.
Wow.
He sure missed this.
In the past, he had ignored those looks in favor of trying to ruin Aurelion. Whenever he caused trouble for him, he garnered a lot of ill will from the rest of the school, especially when his brother managed to foil his plans.
He didn't pay much attention to his reputation, which in turn, would have also potentially damaged the Odum reputation.
Thankfully, he was a bastard, so the damage wouldn't have affected the Odum House as much as it could have.
People actually began to pity the rest of his family after it was revealed that his mother was a whore...
And then when it came to the point where he offended the wrong people... well, that was a story for another day.
Neo was deep in thought and walked straight towards the school building aimlessly, tuning out all the voices speaking–or cursing–his name.
However, before he could even touch the steps leading to the door, he heard someone call him by an old nickname.
"Hey, Naza, wait up!"
A hand was placed on his shoulder, making him nearly jump out of his skin.
He turned and met lavender eyes.
"Woah! I almost couldn't recognize you. I had to follow everyone's eyes. Did you know they start whispering louder the closer they are to you? Rude, am I right?"
A boy with strawberry brown hair and lavender eyes gave him a cunning smile, looking like a wily fox who found a hen.
Neo sucked in a breath.
"Tybalt..."
The boy suddenly frowned.
"What's wrong, Naza?"
He felt like he couldn't breathe.
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Step 9. Education is important, so go to school. You may meet some people along the way. Plan your next steps accordingly.