Chapter 1: Renatus enrolled in the academy.

Renatus was almost fourteen years old.

Due to the strange occurrence of having started his life over, he had formed a new personality that was neither the villain prime minister of the original story nor the office worker. 

It was thanks to the love and affection his foster father and foster brother showered on him from an early age. 

Renatus, who wanted the two of them to be happy, behaved childishly. Since he had started as a three-year-old, it was not surprising. 

Thanks to his overprotective upbringing, Renatus had hardly ever been outside of the house. The house was large and the garden was vast, so it was completely different from the perception of a ‘house’ in his past life.

If you were noble, you were required to enter the Royal Academy of Edelbard at the age of 14. 

So far they had learned from private tutors, but now they would be away from their parents and live in a dormitory.

Incidentally, there were also preparatory schools. 

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(Fufu. I look weak in every way. Cause if I did any muscle training, I’m afraid I’d be muscular immediately.)

I had decided to become a court mage. 

Many mages were said to be holed up in a magic tower. Many did not like to engage in communication and did not get involved in politics very much. 

If I could stay out of politics, it meant I could eliminate the potential of becoming the villain. 

That’s why I strongly requested for my foster father to let me choose the magic department as my study at the academy.

In the novel “The Heroic Legend of the Wolf King,” the original Renatus attended the Knight department. It was there that he met the main character, Bradley Wolf. 

The two competed for the top rank in the same department. Renatus harassed Bradley Wolf in various ways. He had been a villain since he was a student.

“And Bradley is super cool for bouncing back from that and graduating at the top of his class.”

If I enrolled, I might be able to see Bradley Wolf from a distance, even though we were in different departments. I was a bit excited about that. 

For a fan of the original novel, the living protagonist was a coveted object.

__________________________________________________________________________

“Who’s cool?” 

“Uwah!”

Before he knew it, his foster brother Clarence was standing behind him.

“Big brother, did you knoc…” 

“I did. I was worried because you didn’t answer. I was afraid you had collapsed again.”

He said he’d collapsed, but Renatus was in excellent health. 

Because he was too energetic, he would stay up all night reading magic books and sleep in places other than his bed. His special skill from his days as an office worker was the ability to sleep soundly anywhere. 

His foster father and foster brother were under the impression that it was because ‘Renatus is physically weak that he often collapses.’ Maybe it was because he looked feeble.

“I’m fine. Big brother, I’m sorry for causing you to worry.” 

“Haha. It’s okay. As a brother, I’d like to pamper you even more.”

Clarence smiled as he told Renatus that. 

His gentle smile was much like his foster father’s. He was well built, having graduated from the knight department. He was the splendid heir of the duke family.

“The uniform looks good on you.” 

“Thank you.” 

“…You are still going to wear a mask.”

Clarence’s fingers gently touched the mask. 

Renatus had been told many times that he could remove the mask, but he had not been able to.

“Yes. Isn’t it cool? I’ve made the design more mature.”

Renatus made a deliberate effort to sound cheerful and showed off his mask. 

The mask that his foster father had prepared was fluffy and looked like it was made of lace. To put it simply, it looked like something you might find in lolita fashion. 

He now wore a simple, black mask. It seemed like the office worker inside Renatus suffered from eighth-grader syndrome. 

It was a mask that hid the eyes as well but allowed for good visibility. Although it was made from cloth, it was a kind of magical tool, and only the mouth was exposed.

Incidentally, he had learned that there were a few students in the school every year who would wear masks. 

Some of the more prestigious magic families were said to have had magic crests carved on their faces. Children who needed to keep their crests secret would wear masks for their entire life. 

So even if Renatus wore a mask, if he was a mage, people would not think he was strange. He could wear his mask boldly.

“…Yes, it is. The mask also looks good on you.” 

“Fufu. I designed it to match the uniform.”

Contrary to Renatus’s cheerful voice, Clarence’s eyebrows were lowered. 

Clarence was worried that he was the cause of Renatus’ inability to take off his mask. His kind foster brother had always been concerned about Renatus’ emotional scar.

One reason why he couldn’t remove the mask was that ‘I won’t be able to recover if my favorite family members show disgust to me,’ but another reason was that ‘I don’t want to expose the face of the villain to the public.’ 

So every time Clarence looked at him sadly, his heart ached, thinking, ‘I’m making him feel guilty, even though it’s for my own reasons.’

“…Don’t take off your mask at the academy, Rena.”

Renatus was surprised by Clarence’s words. It was the first time he’d been told he should wear a mask. 

Renatus tilted his head in confusion.

“Big brother?” 

“And don’t get too close to the knight department. Some of them are violent.” 

“I heard that the magic department and the knight department have joint exercises…” 

“Ah, now that you mention it…I’m really worried. Don’t follow anyone strange.”

Clarence’s concerns were similar to that of a mother for her baby. 

Renatus was an office worker. He would never do such a thing as recklessly following a suspicious person.

Did he say to not take off the mask because of that? Was he worried that Renatus would be bullied or something because of his eerie appearance? 

Even if Renatus was taken into the dark and got harassed, he could deal with it. 

He may look weak, but he was the last boss. He could use magic that was outside of the norm.

“It’s okay. I’m not a child anymore.” 

“I’m worried because you’re not a child…Talk to me right away if you have any worries.”

After having said that, Clarence hugged him tightly.

It was warm in Clarence’s arms. 

He also wanted to stay in this gentle world forever. However, his desire to become independent, work hard, and return the favor to his kind foster father and brother were stronger.

And, he was also excited. 

It was the anticipation of diving into the world of the original novel “The Heroic Legend of the Wolf King.” As a fan, he would like to experience the novel’s scenes.

“Yes. I’ll do my best, big brother.”

Renatus strongly expressed his feelings.

◇◇◇

During a lunch break on a certain day, four months after he had entered the academy. 

Renatus was heading to his favorite rose garden. The roses were beautiful and smelled great, the gazebo provided shade, and there were no people. 

It was strange that the place was always empty, even though it was quite elegant and well-maintained. 

Reading there had become a way for Renatus to spend his lunchtime.

“Huh…”

In front of the rose garden, a half-naked man was diligently washing his shirt in the water fountain. His back, facing Renatus, was sunburnt and very sturdy. Judging from his physique, he was most likely a student of the knight department. 

It looked like he was doing laundry. 

However, the academy dormitory collected the laundry every day. He didn’t have to wash the clothes himself, but the way the man in front of him washed the clothes looked like he was going to damage them.

(Maybe I should help him…)

Removing stains from clothing could be done by magic. Renatus decided to call out to him.

“What happened?”

The man turned around in response to his call. 

Wolf-cut black hair gave off a wild feeling. He had a sharp face with black almond-shaped eyes. The handsome man he had often seen in the illustrations was there in the flesh. 

Renatus trembled in shock as if he had been hit by an aura.

(It’s the protagonist, Bradley Wolf!)

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TN: Renatus is such a sweet child. Enjoy reading.