Chapter 1: "Rige"

Summer, the weather is clear.

The warm sunlight shone down from the clear blue sky, passing through the window and illuminating the somewhat luxurious room.

Rige was sitting on a large bed that clearly cost a fortune, half of his body covered by the blanket. His face was slightly pale, but he looked relatively well, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.

Beside the bed, a person stood there.

It was a priest.

"You look much better today, Mr. Rige," the priest said, holding a notebook in one hand and a quill pen in the other, casting a scrutinizing gaze at Rige and giving him a friendly smile.

"Is that so?" Rige nodded, seemingly unaware of the gaze, and said, "I do feel much better today. I should be able to get out of bed."

"That's good news," the priest said. "Mr. Rige's recovery is much faster than I expected. Although we still need to observe, if there are no complications, you should be able to walk around soon."

As he spoke, the priest used the quill pen to write on a parchment bound into a book.

Strange and mysterious symbols, resembling special characters, were quickly written on the parchment, catching Rige's attention.

Upon closer inspection, similar symbols were also found on the priest's body.

The priest was wearing a long robe with golden edges, and these runes were depicted at various corners of the robe, making him appear both mysterious and intellectually profound.

"Out of caution, I will use 'magic' to examine you again, Mr. Rige," the priest said gently. "Please bear with me."

The priest put down the parchment and quill pen, and raised his hands in front of Rige's chest.

Soon, incomprehensible incantations began to flow from the priest's mouth.

A faint but warm light immediately shone from the priest's hands.

In the next moment, Rige clearly felt his body gradually warming up.

It was as if an invisible warm current was flowing into his body, making him feel as if he were soaking in invisible warm water. Not only did his body become warm, but his spirit also felt increasingly better.

After a while, the priest stopped his actions and withdrew his hands.

"Your body has fully recovered. All your injuries have been healed. If you rest for one more day, you can start moving around from tomorrow," the priest said, with a hint of sympathy and pity in his eyes that was hard to detect.

With such feelings, the priest hesitated for a moment before giving a final warning.

"Your body is fine, but it's best if you don't use magic, Mr. Rige," the priest said tactfully. "The 'gate' inside your body is severely damaged and cannot produce magic power. If you use magic carelessly, it might cause a disruption in your magic power, and then—"

The priest did not finish his sentence.

However, Rige gave the priest a faint smile and said, "I know my condition. I won't act rashly."

"That's good," the priest smiled slightly. "Since that's the case, I will take my leave. Miss should be coming to see you soon. Please rest in bed for now."

After giving a few more instructions, the priest quietly left.

The room was left with Rige alone, sitting on the bed, silent for a long time.

"Ah—"

A few seconds later, Rige let out a barely audible sigh.

"Magic, huh?"

Looking at his slightly pale, much younger hands, Rige muttered to himself.

"Even if you let me use it, I probably wouldn't be able to do much with it."

After all, in the time and world where Rige lived, so-called "magic" was just a concept of fantasy, something that did not exist.

But in this world, it seemed to be a natural part of life.

Rige couldn't help but recall what happened a month ago.

He remembered waking up in a strange world, seeing "magic" for the first time.

The shock, confusion, and bewilderment of that time seemed like a long time ago.

At least, Rige had now fully accepted that he had been transported to this world.

Over the past month, Rige had also come to understand the situation in this world.

In short, it was a world of swords and magic, a world of extraordinary and mysterious powers.

A month ago, Rige came to this world and gained a new identity.

The original owner of this identity was a native of this world, with the same name as Rige.

The difference was that he was a modern young man named Rige, while the original owner was not.

The original owner's full name was Rige Brihaut, who had just turned 17, much younger than the nearly 30-year-old Rige from his previous life.

Perhaps it was precisely because of his youth that the original owner ended up in a situation where Rige could take over his body.

"Knock, knock, knock—"

Just as Rige was lost in his memories, the door was suddenly knocked on.

"Rige, are you awake?"

Outside the door, a voice as light as the wind and as clear as water interrupted Rige's thoughts.

"I'm awake," Rige replied, coming back to his senses. "Come in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened.

A girl, about the same age as Rige, appeared at the door.

She was dressed in a more practical gown, exuding a noble aura, with a delicate appearance and a slender figure. Her waist-length silver hair adorned her, making her look even more noble and elegant, giving the impression that every movement she made was a pleasure to watch.

She walked in from the door with a natural grace, revealing an indescribable beauty that even Rige, who had seen her many times, felt the urge to exclaim in admiration.

Of course, Rige did not do so.

As the girl slowly approached him, Rige's face remained with a faint smile.

"You're here again, Miss Yuli."

Yuli Franzel.

This was the girl's name, and she was the one who saved Rige's life and brought him here.

At least, to Rige, she was just that.

If it were the original owner, he would probably be too nervous to speak.

Unfortunately, Rige was not him. Even though he knew from the original owner's memories how noble and unattainable the girl was, he only felt grateful.

Yuli shook her head and said, "Just call me Yuli. No need to be so formal."

Her voice was as light as the wind and as clear as water, truly pleasant to hear.

Rige even thought, somewhat impolitely, that with such a voice, the girl would be a waste if she didn't become a singer.

"From the looks of it, you seem to have recovered quite well," Yuli said, sitting down beside Rige's bed and observing him. "How are you feeling? Can you get out of bed?"

"Tomorrow should be fine," Rige replied politely. "Thanks to your care, Miss Yuli. I will repay this kindness someday."

"Stop being so formal," Yuli sighed. "Your current situation is partly my fault. I'm not used to such formality. Why don't we go back to how we were at first?"

Perhaps recalling those times, Yuli's mood seemed to improve.

This left Rige somewhat speechless.

After all, his attitude back then was far from good.

At the time, Rige had just been transported to this world. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying in bed, severely injured, with a girl standing beside him. His first reaction was naturally filled with hostility and caution.

If he hadn't realized that something extraordinary had happened to him, Rige might have thought he was caught in another dirty plot, with some people trying to harm him.

Memories from his previous life flowed through his mind, causing a slight pain in his heart.

"Thinking about it, the situation I've encountered in this world isn't much different," Rige thought to himself, somewhat self-deprecatingly.

Unaware of Rige's thoughts, Yuli saw him fall silent and, whether intentionally or unintentionally, changed the subject.

"Your 'gate' still can't be repaired, can it?"

Although she changed the subject, the topic she mentioned was even more sensitive than the previous one.

"No," Rige said calmly, his expression unchanged. "It seems to be completely damaged, with no signs of recovery. I was just warned not to use magic at all."

"I see," Yuli said, somewhat regretfully.

In this world, the ability to use magic directly determined a person's social status.

To use magic, one must have a certain amount of magic power.

Magic power is the fuel for magic.

Without magic power, one cannot use magic at all.

Fortunately, people in this world are born with magic power, the difference being only in the amount. Some have enough to use magic, while others do not.

The 'gate' refers to a magical nerve in the body, which acts as both a switch and a channel, as well as a storage for magic power, serving as the source of magic.

If the 'gate' is damaged, it can result in difficulty in accessing magic power, or even the complete loss of stored magic power.

Rige's 'gate' was damaged.

It was destroyed by someone.

"Have you found out who it was?" Rige asked, his voice devoid of emotion. "The one who tried to kill me?"

This was the reason Rige was here.

He, or rather the original owner, was killed a month ago, suffering severe injuries and ultimately not surviving.

Rige was transported here, saved by Yuli, and has been recovering in this mansion for a whole month.

First day of the new book! Please follow and support! (ノ^_^)ノ

(End of Chapter)