An Old Friend

When Colt raised his head and saw the face beneath the cloak, he couldn't stop himself. "Hei?" he blurted out.

He had straight, chestnut hair that was styled to fit a noble.

He was a bit on the shorter side, but he was only 15. When they grew up, he would be only a finger or two shorter than Colt.

He had sharp features that could attract most girls' attention.

The moment the name left his lips, he realized his mistake and fell silent. But it was already too late.

Even if he had known the boy in a past life, he shouldn't know his name now. That alone was enough to raise suspicion.

"Hush! Don't say my name out loud," the boy—Hei—hissed. Then, lowering his voice, he added, "You must be bold to call me by name so casually, even after realizing who I am."

What? Colt was taken aback. Why wasn't he questioning how Colt knew his name at all? They hadn't met before, not in this life.

And why did he not want his name spoken?

Ah—he's a noble! Colt suddenly remembered. Hei was a noble, and not just any noble. He was the son of Count Kei Ramgan.

It all made sense now. Colt hadn't realized it earlier, but he was currently in one of the small cities ruled by Count Ramgan.

So, it was normal for the commoners living here to know the young master's name and appearance.

But calling a noble by their name without a title, especially for a commoner, could be considered a crime.

He hadn't cared about noble customs before—but that was back when he wasn't truly living in this world, only visiting it for fifteen hours a day.

Now, he had to play along at least a little.

Well, not with Hei.

Especially not now, when he was clearly trying to hide his identity.

"My apologies, young lord," Colt said, suddenly shifting tone. "I was simply too shocked to see you here. Of course, please sit. What would young lord Hei like to order? I'll handle it."

He was clearly mocking him, and Hei could feel it. "Enough! Don't call me that... you'll draw attention."

"I understand your order, Hei!" Colt replied with an innocent smile and snickered internally.

He wanted to drop the title, but that was almost too easy. "May I buy you a drink?" he offered, still keeping up appearances.

Hei had been a friend in Colt's past life. A friend who had died young—whose death, ironically, had brought Colt great fortune.

But this time, things would be different. Hei wouldn't have to die. Colt would claim that fortune with his own hands.

Not from Hei—but alongside him.

That could come later, once they got into the academy.

"I know we're legally allowed to drink at our age," Hei said, shaking his head, "but there's no need. Alcohol only brings trouble."

He'd never been good with alcohol, but this time, Colt had to agree.

Coming of age at fifteen didn't make anyone an adult. If he weren't actually forty-five inside, Colt wouldn't be drinking either.

"You're right," Colt nodded and flagged down a waiter. "Excuse me, could you bring something cold to drink for both of us? And please take this—I won't be needing it."

He slid the almost untouched beer mug toward the waiter without a second thought.

He might look fifteen right now, but he also needed to act fifteen.

After the waiter walked off, Colt leaned back and added casually, "I just turned fifteen. Thought I'd try it out. Turns out, I don't like it much. I guess I thought it'd make me look cool..."

That really had been his first thought when he first tried alcohol.

"I see. It doesn't matter, you can drink if you want. But you said you were fifteen, right?"

"Yes, I just turned fifteen," Colt lied smoothly.

"I'm fifteen too. Actually, I was on my way to the academy, but I wanted to visit the towns first—to see them through our people's eyes."

Colt had always thought Hei would've made a great Count if he hadn't died in the last timeline.

Hei had always been modest, never one to look down on commoners.

He regularly checked on the state of the fief and made real changes when things weren't working. Even now, on his way to enroll at the academy, he was still taking time to understand the people.

"Ah, I see. That's why you have guards with you."

Hei flinched, eyes widening. "How did you—"

"Hehe, I'm also heading to the academy." Colt couldn't help showing off a little.

Ever since tearing up that old photo of him and his friends, he'd decided to find them again. And the first one was sitting right here.

He'd already noticed a few guards subtly stationed around the tavern, clearly there to protect their young master.

Of course, the Count wouldn't let his son roam around unguarded. Hei had probably told them to stay hidden so his identity wouldn't be revealed.

And now Colt had told him he could see those guards, something no ordinary person should be able to do—unless they were high level.

"So, you're a candidate too. I see. Still, for a commoner to see through my guards' disguise—ah, I didn't mean that as an insult."

Colt raised a hand. "It's okay. I get what you meant."

It was a normal reaction. Commoners didn't usually have the resources to level up or access proper training.

The academy wasn't exclusive to nobles, but they made up the vast majority.

Even just the enrollment cost was far too high for most. But anyone who managed to graduate would come out filthy rich.

Assuming they survived to graduation.

But Colt continued, "Still, you're wrong about my skills. It was just a shot in the dark. I figured someone like you would have guards nearby, so I took a guess."

Of course, that wasn't true.

But Colt didn't want to draw too much attention to his abilities and his unusually high level—it would only make things harder later.

"Oh! So I've been deceived," Hei said with a laugh. "Seems I'm not as sharp as I thought. I'll need to work on hiding my expressions better. Still, deception is a skill in itself."

"You flatter me. It's nothing compared to the real thing."

"Haha! And modest, too. It really must be fate that brought us together," Hei said. "Would you like to travel with me to Lofpus City? We can enroll in the academy together."

Yes! Colt cheered inwardly.

He could've made the journey on his own without issue, but this was the perfect chance to become friends with Hei again.

"I'd be more than happy to join you," Colt replied.

And they left the tavern, five men in disguise following behind them.

---

"Are you from this town? You knew my name the moment you saw me," Hei said, walking toward the far corner of the town.

"Ah, no. I'm from a small country. I came here just for the academy."

"Really? I know Lofpus Academy is the best in our country, but may not be the top academy in the world."

Hei was clearly starting to question him. Colt was an outsider, and in times like these, that meant he could even be a spy.

Good thing the workers at the identification office weren't as nationalist as Hei.

Not everyone was, of course. The noble governing Harton happened to be particularly laid-back.

"Haha, I don't know about that. I heard it's one of the top two academies in the world."

He wasn't lying. With no wars happening, countries now competed through their academies—or more precisely, their students.

The academy in Cedoria, one of the three major countries, had always been in a fierce rivalry with Lofpus for the number one spot.

Of course, the other academies weren't just for show either. They all played their part in the global competition.

But that was something to worry about later.

"Well, I think so too," Hei replied. "But we haven't seen the other academies yet."

Meanwhile, the five guards protecting Hei were quietly investigating Colt's background.

Their young master had invited him to travel together, so it was their job to be thorough.

But what they found stunned them. All of Colt's records were marked as confidential in the identification office.

It made them uneasy, but the fact that the files were hidden by the government meant the boy likely wasn't a threat.

So, they chose not to intervene.

By the time Colt and Hei arrived at the Manor Hei was temporarily staying in, the five guards were already there, waiting.