Just as I had clearly set my goals, the door was knocked on once again.

  Knock knock

  "Young master, it is time for breakfast."

  The same woman’s voice from earlier spoke, and at the same time, the door opened.

  A pale hand gripping the doorknob, a slender arm, a shoulder—my gaze traced upward until it reached the person’s face, and I gasped in shock.

  "Young master?"

  Cute.

  Huh? What the—?

  With Cresentia-tan undeniably in first pce, this girl had to be the second most beautiful face in the world.

  Her hair was the color of a raven’s wet wings—glossy bck, tied into a side ponytail, with long bangs partially obscuring her dark, bewitchingly gleaming eyes.

  She stood around 150 cm tall, slightly on the shorter side, with a figure that didn’t leave much of an impression. To put it bluntly, her chest and hips were on the smaller side.

  But for a youthful appearance like hers, that was actually an advantage. It only amplified her criminally adorable charm.

  Back in Japan, I’d seen countless idols, models, and actresses, but none of them could compare to this overwhelming cuteness.

  (—Though I only learned this ter, it turns out that the personal maids assigned to noble boys are exclusively hired for their beauty, as they are expected to eventually become their mistresses. The girl before me was one such example—a beauty handpicked by the nobility.)

  Of course, unaware of this at the time, I was left utterly bewildered by this encounter.

  "Young master?"

  "Ah, no, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it."

  "......"

  The bck-haired maid gave me a suspicious look.

  *Was there something off about that short exchange?

  I don’t have any of Norwin’s memories, so how the hell am I supposed to know how to act?!

  Damn it, Norwin, you bastard.

  Why were you just a background mob?

  You could’ve at least been important enough to get some backstory, you useless waste of space. You’re even worse than those brainless, battle-crazed meatheads whose only role was to kill Cress-tan.

  Well, not that it matters now—since I’m Norwin.

  *Sigh.

  Seriously, what do I do now?

  My goal is lofty, but here I am, stumbling at the very first step.

  Ugh, come on! What am I supposed to do?!

  Well, for now, she did say breakfast, right?

  So… where do I eat? Here? Or is there a dining room?

  "Uh… breakfast, right?"

  Muttering to myself, I fidgeted nervously, trying to gauge the situation. The bck-haired maid then gestured for me to follow her as she stepped out of the room.

  Alright.

  I left the room and trailed behind her with light steps.

  As expected, this pce was a massive mansion.

  Once we stepped out into the hallway, it stretched long in both directions.

  Given how long it’s been since I st exercised, my estimation might be off, but it felt like it could fit a 50-meter sprint.

  The evenly spaced furnishings, paintings, and chandeliers lining the walls only reinforced the reality that I was truly in another world now.

  "Right this way."

  Eventually, we arrived at a small room with a dining table set up.

  For a noble’s mansion, it was surprisingly modest—none of the extravagant atmosphere I’d seen so far.

  And sitting there, waiting for me, were my parents—

  —Just kidding.

  Only the dishes of food sat lonely on the table.

  Hmm. Not a great family retionship, huh?

  Can’t really judge based on just one day. For now, let’s eat.

  "Itadakimasu."

  My first meal in this world was… pretty average in taste.

  But considering this was probably high-css noble food by this world’s standards, I could kind of understand.

  The bck-haired maid standing by the wall had been staring at it with envy, after all.

  That said, my pate had been honed by Japanese cuisine.

  A few centuries behind in culinary development just wasn’t going to cut it.

  You really don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. All this meat is fine, but I miss white rice already.

  Now that breakfast was over, it was time to get serious.

  Time was limited. I had no intention of wasting these ten years.

  "Excuse me. What’s on the schedule for today?"

  "Pardon?"

  Huh?

  For the first time, the bck-haired maid—who had been efficiently attending to me despite her cold demeanor—tilted her head in confusion.

  "I mean, I just wanted to confirm my schedule."

  You know, swordsmanship, etiquette, magic, studying—there’s gotta be something, right?*

  That was my assumption, but the maid only furrowed her brows hesitantly, not answering.

  *Wait… don’t tell me—

  "Young master… I find this very difficult to say, but… you have no scheduled activities."

  I see. So that’s how it is.

  In the world of *Alque*, it was common for nobles to undergo rigorous training to fulfill their duties as leaders.

  The fact that I wasn’t even allowed that spoke volumes.

  The solitary breakfast was another clue—Norwin was clearly being neglected in this household.

  *Heh… hehehe…*

  "Young master?"

  I couldn’t hold back the ughter bubbling up inside me.

  Because this means… I’m free.

  I didn’t know how many restrictions there were, but within those limits, I was effectively unrestricted.

  No noble obligations. Just an environment I could exploit to prepare for Cresentia’s salvation.

  *Me—an elite NEET who ruthlessly leeched off my parents despite their cold stares.*

  *I never left a single scrap uneaten. A good boy like that wouldn’t let this mansion’s resources go to waste.*

  *Hell yeah!*

  First up—magic training!

  Let’s make this a period of self-improvement!

  Having decided that, I energetically returned to my room, shooed out the bck-haired maid, and locked myself inside.

  No one’s watching. Perfect. Now I can practice magic to my heart’s content.

  Normally, you’d need textbooks or an instructor.

  But I had over a thousand pythroughs of *Alque* under my belt—knowledge of every spell imaginable.

  I’m basically a walking strategy guide. Nothing’s impossible for me!

  Fwoosh!

  I thrust my right hand forward and slowly recited the incantation in my mind.

  "O spirits of fme, grant me—"

  A faint warmth spread from within my body.

  An unfamiliar sensation—nothing like anything I’d felt back in Japan.

  Instinctively, I knew this was mana.

  I had to nurture it, let it grow.

  Circute it through my entire body, gather it in my outstretched hand, and—

  "Ugh—!"

  Suddenly, nausea and exhaustion overwhelmed me, shattering my concentration.

  The pain was so intense, there was no room for confusion—just pure, unfiltered suffering.

  This had to be *mana depletion*, a condition I only knew from game mechanics.

  It felt like the misery of a flu multiplied by several dozen.

  And just like that, my consciousness slipped away.