Genius Wizard Conceals His Origins

Just as knowledge gained through experience differs from knowledge gained through study, familiarity with something doesn’t necessarily diminish the freshness it brings.

The iron horse that had just arrived and stopped at the platform was like that.

Its majestic appearance, spewing smoke and blaring its horn, was the same as four years ago, but my heart was still pounding.

“It’s impressive.”

“I agree. How trains have changed.”

A strange tone.

Julia was looking around the body of the train with eyes full of curiosity, like a child seeing a train for the first time.

“……”

Well, she probably didn’t have many chances to use a train while in a wheelchair.

It wouldn’t be strange if this was her first time riding since coming of age.

Only when I tapped her shoulder did Julia look up at me with an “Ah.”

“What is it?”

“About the train tickets. Which car do we go to?”

“Hmm, that way? Since it’s first class, it should be easy to find our seats.”

“First class?”

Good heavens.

As I stood there in shock, Julia tilted her head with a smile.

For a moment, I was curious how she would react if I told her, “I once performed as a clown at the train station because I didn’t have 15 pounds for a third-class ticket,” but I swallowed those words. 

Instead, I smiled slightly and said:

“Do I, who was forcibly dragged along, have to pay for the ticket too?”

“…Lena and I split the cost, so it’s fine. I sometimes think, Eugene is surprisingly stingy.”

“It’s how I was born.”

“Born?”

Oops.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Well, let’s go. We might miss the train at this rate.”

Indeed, finding the first-class car was very easy.

We then boarded the train.

Although it’s a shame for my four-year-ago self, the first-class seat I entered with anticipation was a bit disappointing, as what I had just seen was the Müller family’s carriage.

It would be too much to compare this first-class seat, which needs to make a profit, with that carriage, which must have had money poured into it.

“The carriage seats and first-class seats are both softer than my bed…”

“What? I didn’t hear you clearly. One more time, please?”

“No, just talking to myself.”

“Eugene. On a trip, we should converse together. Not talk to yourself.”

Julia, sitting across from me, chided me like that.

Her expression and curved eyebrows seemed almost like she was pouting. She’s been doing so continuously since we first sat down in first class.

As I was awkwardly trying to read the situation, not understanding the reason at all…

“So, sit here.”

Julia patted the seat next to her.

Does she want me to sit beside her? [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

The interior of the first-class car was very similar to that of the carriage, with long seats facing each other in a similar structure.

It seemed Julia wasn’t happy with me sitting diagonally across from her.

“Here. Please?”

“……”

I subtly ignored that plea.

There was a reason.

Unlike the carriage, the first-class seats were just big enough for two people to barely sit, and so if I sat next to Julia, our shoulders, knees, or hands would brush against each other.

Julia would likely attribute that, or perhaps even more, to the train’s vibrations.

It would become quite an embarrassing situation to face in broad daylight.

My choice was to avoid it.

“Ah. Looks like we’re about to depart.”

“…You must sit next to me on the way back.”

“Alright.”

Soon, with a thunderous horn blast, the train began to pulsate.

Clank, clank.

The pulsation cycle gradually quickened, and soon, the train started speeding along rapidly.

Within that, we both looked out the window at the scenery.

The view of Frauzen City faded into the distance.

Finally, when the large city had turned into a small dot and the noisy train sounds had faded into background noise, we slowly began to converse.

Despite the usual 15-minute conversation time extending to two hours, the conversation didn’t break. Probably because we both had a lot to share, being busy with our own affairs.

On the other hand, I also had this thought.

I had heard that the World Expo was literally a place where new cultures and customs from all over the world were brought in.

But no matter how interested I was in the Federation’s culture, the basis of that interest was limited to magic studies.

Could I really spend some meaningful time here?

If I couldn’t enjoy myself despite Lena and Julia’s kindness, it would create a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

I realized that this worry was completely unfounded even before getting off the train.

I opened my eyes wide and looked at the scenery outside the window.

An iron tower soaring high into the sky.

A palace of iron and glass spread out nearby.

Even a huge circular something spinning round and round.

“This is…”

“Lutenberg, where the World Expo is being held.”

Julia also seemed somewhat surprised, pressing her head against the window, and suddenly, we found ourselves stuck to the window side by side, exclaiming in admiration.

Neither of us thought that two hours had already passed.

Screech―

The train came to a stop. This also meant it was time to do that again.

Escorting, that is.

I got off the train halfway after opening the first-class door.

In that state, I extended my hand. Awkwardly.

Wow.

Even I thought I had an impressively stiff posture.

I thought I had learned almost all the Federation’s etiquette as Frauzen was becoming my second hometown, but to think there was such a blind spot…

My current appearance closely resembled that of my boyhood days when I first tried to spread marmalade on toast, imitating Benjamin and Dorothy.

It was nothing more than roughly following the demeanor of gentlemen vaguely remembered.

Inevitably, Julia burst into laughter.

“Pfft―”

She even made a sound.

I asked, ‘What’s this all of a sudden?’ with my eyes, but Julia couldn’t stop laughing.

“Sorry, I’m sorry. It’s just written all over your face how completely awkward you feel, hehe…”

“……”

“Well. Actually, you don’t have to try so hard. I don’t really know much about ladylike behavior either.”

Saying this, Julia lightly placed her fingertips on the hand I had extended and slowly got off the train.

There were quite a few couples like us ―much more natural in terms of manners― on the train platform.

Perhaps because it’s a very suitable place to visit for tourism.

But despite there being many gentlemen and ladies, my back felt particularly hot.

The reason was obvious.

Julia Müller’s pitiful elegance stood out even more than other ladies adorned with various decorations and colorful makeup. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

In contrast, the color of my hair was unparalleled in its vulgarity.

While the latter was, of course, not a pleasant gaze, even the former wasn’t very kind, causing even Julia to stiffen her expression. I said, personally shielding her small frame:

“Julia, what time is it now?”

“Oh. Just a moment.”

Julia was about to look at the clock hanging on the platform when she met my eyes directly.

“Ah.”

Her shoulders trembled slightly, then slowly lowering her gaze to check her wristwatch, Julia answered.

“Exactly eleven o’clock in the morning. We arrived earlier than expected.”

“It’s not mealtime yet.”

“Then…”

Julia turned her head towards the wide-open space on the opposite side of the platform.

It was directly connected to the exhibition hall.

Julia said.

“The exhibition hall. Shall we go in?”

“Sounds good.”

Soon after, we were satisfied with that quick decision.

After paying the entrance fee of 12 pounds, which was expensive for an admission fee, the interior of the exhibition hall we entered was pleasantly lively.

Various street vendors and sights to see. People laughing joyfully. A landscape where even majestic buildings seemed to blend into one.

Among them, something particularly caught the eye.

“What could that be?”

Julia seemed to feel the same way, pointing at the building I was staring at, and asked.

It looked like a large single-story building entirely covered with a tent.

More eye-catching than its exterior was the crowd surrounding the building.

As we approached right in front of the building, the letters embroidered on its outer wall were revealed.

[ Motion Picture ]

[ Le Voyage dans la Lune ]

[ Georges Méliès ] *1

“It says ‘Motion Picture.'”

“Huh?”

Julia clapped her hands.

“Shall we go see it first?”

For me, who wasn’t even familiar with pictures, photographs were an astonishing invention. My goodness, who would have thought to preserve vision?

Now, I was astonished once again.

The photographs move.

The building that looked like a huge tent was, so to speak, a kind of theater, and inside was a dark room that could accommodate dozens of people.

We purchased tickets as if attending a play and sat inside waiting when suddenly the room brightened—

《A Trip to the Moon》

—This phrase appeared on the wall and began to move, true to the name ‘Motion Picture.’

I gripped my hands tightly while Julia clutched the hem of my suit as we watched the moving pictures.

The plot was quite interesting. They calculate the orbit to the moon, then fire a cannon carrying people to land on the lunar surface, have a skirmish with strange life forms living on the moon, and then return to Earth… *1

It was only natural that thunderous applause erupted when the picture went off after about ten minutes.

A moment later, I came out mixed with the excited audience.

At this time, I had to focus on the original meaning of escort, which is protection, because Julia, who walks using [Walk Assistance], could fall even if her foot got caught slightly.

Fortunately, we were able to get outside quickly.

Only then did I take a deep breath and speak, finally catching my breath.

My impression, that is.

“Whew, to think such a thing has come out.”

“So, how was it?”

“How was it…”

Julia was reading my expression with an apparently calm face, but it looked more like one-half expectation, half worry.

It seems she was subconsciously concerned about forcibly bringing me here.

Julia had no need to worry at all.

“Thank you for bringing me out.”

Only then did Julia smile with satisfaction.

However, that expression soon turned to bewilderment again.

“Ah, wait a moment. My hair has come loose… Can you wait here for a bit?”

Her hair was slightly disheveled from being pushed by the crowd.

Julia hid it from me as if it was something very embarrassing.

While I didn’t understand that psychology, I nodded.

I couldn’t offer to fix it for her, as I could barely comb my own hair properly.

Having received permission, Julia trotted off somewhere. Probably in search of a mirror.

So, I was left alone in the exhibition hall.

Immediately after, a problem arose.

Being alone itself wasn’t the problem. There was no time to be bored, thanks to the eye-catching sights spread all around.

But.

“……”

They began to creep in again.

Gazes.

It had been like this since we arrived, but the moment I was left alone, people stared at me without even trying to hide their gazes.

Among them were quite a few gazes close to glaring.

The World Expo. As the name suggests, it must be an expo where envoys from all nations gather.

Not only people from Frauzen, but also from Berleu, Oslovya, and even countries outside the Federation would be mixed in.

There would likely be quite a few people who remember the Empire’s infamy.

I stood still, not minding.

It had been quite a while since I became insensitive to such gazes.

However, contrary to expectations, my brow gradually furrowed.

“…This is harsh.”

The crowd at the exhibition hall began to keep their distance from me and passed by.

Soon, a rough circle with a radius of about 15 feet (T/N: approx. 4.6 meters) formed in the middle of the exhibition hall.

It had been quite a long time since I was this stimulated.

Words of contempt breed conflict, but ignorance breeds loneliness.

I was weaker to the latter than the former. [Only on Galaxy Translations! / Axiomatic]

They say crowds are usually stupid, but right now, they seem smarter than ever. I doubted if it was possible to remind me more clearly that I was a foreigner.

Did I get angry inside at such treatment a few years ago?

Now, I just felt sad.

It seemed to confirm that only I thought, ‘Frauzen here is my second hometown,’ and that they would never accept this fact in the future.

Loneliness is often accompanied by a chill.

Unable to overcome the sudden cold that swept over me, I let my strength go and dropped my arms to quietly acknowledge that fact.

It was then.

Swish―

Turning my head at the sudden sensation, I saw Julia standing next to me on my right, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

Arms intertwined.

Human arms are not ropes, so they don’t intertwine well. Not unless you’re actually linking arms.

Thinking that might be a bit much, Julia changed her approach.

She firmly grasped my hand.

In the circle created by the absence of the crowd…

In the very center of it, Julia, who had finished tidying herself up neatly, asked casually.

“It’s almost noon, shall we go get something to eat?”

It was truly an ordinary invitation to a meal.

It probably looked that way to the people around who had been glaring at us, too.

But I saw other things.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly. Through this, I could feel that Julia was taking no small amount of courage.

Her clear skin had turned slightly red. It must mean that she, who pretends to be bold usually but is secretly shy, is inevitably feeling bashful.

Warmth is transmitted from that delicate hand.

An honest warmth with no room for misunderstanding or misinterpretation.

It was so warm that I.

Ah.

I see.

I, to you…

“Sure. Let’s go.”

“Yes. What should we eat?”

“Anything.”

T/N

Georges Méliès was a French magician, actor, and film director, and the motion picture mentioned in this chapter, Le Voyage dans la Lune, is a real motion picture produced and directed by him and was made in 1902. I found a video of it online, and it basically features a plot of some men launched by a cannon in a bullet-shaped capsule and landing on the Moon (to be more specific, the Moon’s eye, the iconic scene of the film), exploring the Moon, discovering some Moon men, being captured by those Moon men and presented to their leader, poofing the leader of the Moon men, then escaping back to Earth in the same capsule but with one of the Moon men held captive who clung to their capsule on the way back. The summary Eugene provides is essentially that. It also featured some editing tricks like cutting between scenes to transition, like cutting when objects were held up high and returning to the same scene, but with chairs replacing those objects.

Hello! Axiomatic here.

Thanks for reading this set of five! It seems that Eugene finally realizes Julia’s feelings for him and I’m glad it’s finally happened. I hope I’ll have time to fix the earlier chapters as promised, but I never expected my break to be when I’d be the most busy. See you in the next set!