Chương 15: I’ll be your first friend

Rachel Hustler had a twelve-year-old sister. Their mother had passed away shortly after giving birth to the younger girl, and the two sisters were taken into an orphanage run under the name of the Church. Later, when Rachel's exceptional talent was discovered, they decided to train her as a shadow guard to serve the Royal House. Every trace of her former identity was erased. No one remembered the name Rachel Hustler anymore, not even her sister, seven years her junior.

"Sophia doesn't even remember our surname; she only knows me as 'sister.' How on earth did you come across that name?" I replied, half-joking, "Goddess Halunar told me in a dream."

"... They wiped my existence from this world, yet they still insist on holding Sophia hostage. I suppose the people at the top can't stand it if they don't have every little thing held firmly in their grasp." I asked, "Was the plan to steal the Hero candidate title Claire's idea, or someone else's?"

"It was Claire. She was the first to discover I bore the Holy Mark, all because of that damn light..." Rachel cursed under her breath.

"She took the idea to the King and Queen. They agreed that letting the Hero title go to a low-born nobody like me was a waste, so they gave her the silent permission to do as she pleased."

"Does anyone else know about this?"

"A few of the Princess's inner circle. But they are loyal and tight-lipped. Or perhaps, like me, they are being kept in line by their own weaknesses."

"Your sister, Sophia, is she still at the orphanage?"

"No. They were afraid I'd sneak in and rescue her, so they've hidden her away. I haven't been able to find her."

"Have you tried asking anyone else to help with the search?" Rachel turned to me with a look that suggested I had just said something both incredibly stupid and deeply insulting.

"I don't know anyone else. I have no family, and I have no friends." I scratched my head apologetically.

"Then... I'll be your first friend. It might take some time, but I will help you find where they're keeping Sophia." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. For a fleeting moment, I saw Rachel offer a very gentle smile. But the words that followed were enough to make my skin crawl:"I'll be watching you, Asher Griffin. If you breathe a word of what I just told you to anyone else, you'll be my first friend to take a trip to hell."

After that, I headed back to the manor the same way I came. Perhaps I was just being paranoid, but I felt as though a pair of eyes was burning into my back with every step I took. I had a sound sleep. The next day, I obediently observed my house arrest by staying in bed until the first bell of the morning rang. Once I was certain Jullius had left for the Academy, I began my physical conditioning. I started with my morning routine: ten laps around the manor grounds.

However, due to sheer exhaustion, I could only complete seven before collapsing onto the ground, gasping for air. Next came push-ups, planks, and squats. Five minutes for each set, three times a day. I planned to increase the duration gradually in the coming days. I also needed to practice my swordsmanship. This body already had a foundation in the blade, and since I had trained seriously during my previous isekai life, I still remembered the basics.

However, if I wanted to progress further, I would eventually need a proper master. The Academy taught swordsmanship; I intended to take full advantage of that. Speaking of the Academy, Imperia would be welcoming several new students today. Aside from those with fixed duties or titles they couldn't abandon - like Henry McCaley or the Princess - the other Hero candidates would be enrolled at Imperia Academy for the coming year.

This arrangement was designed to provide the candidates with better training facilities and to streamline their deployment whenever monster attacks occurred. I tried to recall the events of my first isekai. Since class sizes were limited, the candidates were still split among various classes. It seemed they were allowed to choose the ones they wanted to join. From what I remembered, Class F had no new takers, leaving Iris as its only remaining candidate.

And if I wasn't mistaken, after a few months, even Iris transferred to Class A to "facilitate teamwork with the other candidates." Oh, and the candidates were required to move into the dormitories as well. Without me there to remind him, I wondered if Jullius would even remember that. Sure enough, by early afternoon, the family coachman came rushing to my room.

"Master Jullius has ordered you to quickly pack his belongings and move them to the Academy dorms. He is required to stay there starting today." I shrugged with a feigned look of regret.

"But I'm under detention. The order came directly from the Young Master; I wouldn't dare disobey him." The coachman, at a loss for what else to do, had to drive all the way back to the Academy. I took that opportunity to do some yoga to loosen up my body. About an hour later, the coachman returned, drenched in sweat.

"Master Jullius says... the detention is revoked. He said if you aren't finished packing by tonight, you... you'd better prepare to pack your own bags and get out of the Academy for good. Those were his words, not mine..." There was no way I could leave the Academy. I still had a mountain of work to do there. And so, I began to pack. I even made sure to take a final, quick soak in the Mana pool; I probably wouldn't have many chances to come back here in the near future.