'Duke?' Alex thought in surprise. 'That ans that this world, or this country at least, operates on an aristocratic basis probably. As far as I rember, a duke was pretty high up in the chain of command.'
'Additionally, he said he was a High Mage. He said Mana Sources are important for Apprentices to beco Adepts. I can guess with quite so certainty that Apprentices probably reflect Mages in the First Realm, while Adepts are Mages in the Second Realm. The Third Realm should logically be a Mage, which would make the Fourth Realm a High Mage, probably.'
'According to what he said, the hedgehog and the octopus are creatures of the Third Realm. The fact that he is in the Fourth Realm also explains how he could take care of them.'
'This is probably a real big-shot! Fuck, I can't believe I greeted him with a yo!' Alex thought.
"I'm sorry for my earlier disrespect, Duke Whirlwind," Alex said with a respectful tone.
Duke Whirlwind smirked a bit. "You know, it's customary to refer to a duke as your grace," he said.
"Oh, I'm sorry, your grace," Alex said. "I haven't talked to any nobles before. Please, excuse for my negligence."
Surprisingly, the duke chuckled for a bit.
"You really don't get under people much, do you?" Duke Whirlwind asked.
"No, I don't, ehm, your grace," Alex said.
The duke chuckled again.
"You know, the your grace thing is antiquated. No one talks like that anymore. Referring to with my title or simply by sir is already enough," the duke said with a slight smile.
The duke had been rather cold towards Alex at the beginning, but after he saw how innocent, gullible, and naïve Alex was, his mood brightened a bit.
It was rare to see a youngster that didn't try to lick his boots to get into his good graces.
"Oh, okay," Alex said, uncertain of how he should proceed.
"What's your na, young man?" Duke Whirlwind asked.
"I'm aargh!" Alex tried to say, but before he could even think about his na, a pain ca from his mind. Alex grabbed the side of his head in pain.
Duke Whirlwind was surprised when he saw Alex's actions. The young man was genuinely in pain. Even his veins were seemingly popping out of the side of his head. This was a sign of pain and stress, and sothing like that couldn't be faked.
"Are you injured?" Duke Whirlwind asked neutrally. The young man obviously wasn't critically injured, which was why he wasn't very worried about him.
"No, it's just sothing that happens from ti to ti," Alex said as he took a deep breath.
"My na is Shang," Alex said.
"Shang?" Duke Whirlwind repeated with interest. "I've never heard of such a na. What about your last na, or is that your last na?"
"That's just my na," Alex said with a defeated voice.
He really didn't want to abandon his old na, but there was really nothing he could do.
How long could he even rember his old na?
By now, Alex hadn't thought of his actual na in forever. Whenever he thought of it, the pain would return.
This ant that essentially no one, not even he, had spoken out or thought about Alex's na in half a year.
When Alex wanted to introduce himself, his mind automatically went to the part in his mind where his actual na was located without even thinking about it.
It was like a closed door, suffused with powerful electricity.
Alex knew what was behind the door, but whenever he touched it, he would get hurt.
How long would it take for him to forget what was behind that door if he could never check it?
How long would it take until the door seemingly vanished into obscurity?
Alex knew that he still knew his na, but he actually didn't truly rember his na since he couldn't think about it.
This feeling was difficult to describe.
"Shang is my entire na. I don't have a first or last na. I am only Shang," Alex said.
Duke Whirlwind combed his beard in interest. "Soone with only one na. Are you from a farr's or criminal's family?" he asked.
Alex sighed.
"I don't think I have a family," Alex said. "Ever since arriving in this world, I have been alone."
These words sounded very different to different people.
To Alex, it was the truth. This body had probably been created out of nothing. So, logically, this body couldn't have a family. He also hadn't t a human since arriving in this world, making him alone.
However, these words would be interpreted by different people differently.
Soone might think that Shang had had a clash with his family in the past, separating them.
Soone might think that Shang's family had died.
Soone might think that Shang was an orphan.
Soone might also think that Shang was simply a weak-willed child drowned in misery.
How did Duke Whirlwind interpret Alex's words?
He wasn't sure, but he guessed that Shang had probably lost his family in the past.
"That would explain why you don't have a last na. Who gave you the na Shang?" Duke Whirlwind asked.
"It was a man. I talked for him for a bit, and he bestowed the na upon . There was no other na I could use, so I accepted his na," Alex said, carefully navigating the question with deceptive truth.
Maybe the God was known in his world?
Maybe the God was not very popular in this world?
What if soone knew the God and tried to experint on Alex to find out more about the God?
Alex didn't want to talk about the God.
There were simply too many unknown variables.
Duke Whirlwind combed his beard in thought. "That's quite an unbelievable story, but I can't sense any falsehood coming from you."
"There's no reason for to lie to you," Alex said.
Duke Whirlwind nodded.
"Why are you in my garden?" he asked.
"That's a difficult question to answer," Alex said. "The first thing I rember of this world is this wilderness. It's like this was where I started existing. I don't know anything about the world beyond this garden."
"However, I think I know the reason why I am here."
"I think I'm supposed to train in this wilderness and beco more powerful before entering human society again," Alex said.
Alex had decided to go with a mixture of mory loss and training.
His answers were vague enough that a lawyer could interpret Alex's word in many different ways, allowing him to get out of any future questions by continually adapting the aning of his words.
Duke Whirlwind raised one of his eyebrows as he kept combing his beard.
Then, Duke Whirlwind spoke more confusing words.
He was casting another spell.
Alex beca more nervous since he didn't know what that spell would do.
When the Duke finished his spell, Alex felt so Mana enter his mind.
Casting the spell hadn't taken more than a second.
After a second, the Mana left Alex's mind again.
Duke Whirlwind's expression changed into a concerned one.
"Sothing's wrong with your mind," Duke Whirlwind said. "I don't have enough knowledge in the field of Soul Magic, Mind Magic, anatomy, Flesh Magic, or any other related Magic Category to pinpoint the issue."
"I can just say that sothing doesn't feel right when I glanced at your mind."
Alex's eyes widened.
"You can read my mind?!" he asked in shock.
Duke Whirlwind slowly shook his head. "No, I'm not nearly powerful enough to do that. I also don't specialize in these fields. The spell I used simply sends Mana through your mind. I can see what form the Mana takes when it goes in and when it cos out."
"I don't know what happens inside your mind, but I can infer so things based on how the Mana looked when it ca out again. So of the Mana ca out differently than expected, which ans that so things in your mind are not as they are supposed to be. That's the extent of what I can find out."
"So, I lost my mory?" Alex asked.
"That's a possibility," Duke Whirlwind said. "Your mind has been changed, either by a person, by an injury, by trauma, or by whatever."
Alex looked worried, but he was actually ecstatic inside!
pᴀɴdᴀ nᴏveʟ This was just the excuse he needed!
With this, he could simply say that he lost his mory, and even doctors and powerful Mages would be able to confirm his words.
It was perfect!
"Can my mory be recovered?" Alex asked.
"Unlikely," Duke Whirlwind said. "You would need soone very proficient in Mind Magic and Soul Magic. Such powerful Mages only work for the truly wealthy Mages. It would even prove to be a heavy strain on my finances to summon soone like that."
Alex sighed again, but he was actually happy that basically no one could take his excuse away from him.
"Anyway, you said you wanted to beco more powerful?" Duke Whirlwind asked.
Alex nodded. "Yes, sir," Alex answered. "I think I can't practice Magic, but I also don't want to be a normal person. I want to beco powerful!"
Duke Whirlwind nodded.
"I think you made a very wise decision in the past," he said. "I don't know if you have been born in my territory or not, but whatever the case, you are in the best territory for your goal."
"What do you an, sir?" Alex asked.
"My close friend is the most powerful Physi in the world, and he has an academy for warriors and similar jobs not far from here. My presumption is that, before you lost your mory, you probably ca here to train your combat experience before applying to the academy. It's a good decision."
"The academy's entrance exams are notoriously difficult for a reason."
Alex beca a bit uncertain. "Should I train more for the entrance exam?"
Duke Whirlwind scoffed.
"You took down a High-Rank Ice Spear Bear."
"That's more than enough to join the academy."
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