The heavy oak door of the study closed behind me. Holding the letter of authorization, still smelling of ink and bearing the bright red wax seal of Grand Duke Shirakawa, I let out a long sigh of relief. The agreement was signed; at the very least, the first stepping stone to successfully completing the upcoming mission and my wish of being sponsored by a sugar patroness had become a reality.
Waiting outside was a neatly dressed maid. Seeing me step out, she bowed with a posture perfect down to every angle.
"Sir Zero, Lady Aiselin has given her instructions. Please allow me to give you a tour of the estate and show you to your quarters."
"Sorry to trouble you, please lead the way," I smiled in return, keeping my tone as gentle and humble as possible.
Walking along the immense corridors, I began gathering data about my new living environment. The maid walked ahead, her soothing voice glossing over the introductory information for each area: from the magnificent main hall with its giant crystal chandeliers, the vast royal gardens, to the massive family library.
Through my lens, this place was not just a mansion flaunting wealth, but an architectural complex designed with a highly optimized spatial structure. The layout of the intersecting corridors, the checkpoint positions of the guards, down to the blind spots, all created a tight and highly systematic security network. Truly worthy of the nerve center of a powerful family.
After passing through the central area, the maid's footsteps stopped before a wooden door situated in a relatively quiet corridor, facing the West flower garden.
"Sir, this will be your quarters during your stay at the estate," the maid carefully pushed the door open and stepped inside, taking a step back to yield space for my observation. "If you need any additional items, please feel free to command me."
I stepped inside and quickly scanned the room. A large, soft bed, a delicately light-grained wooden wardrobe, and most importantly—my eyes immediately locked onto the spacious desk placed next to the window to catch the natural light. On the desk, ink, paper, and a high-quality magic lamp were even prepared in advance. A perfect environment for creating planning charts, researching magic equations, and processing the piles of complex upcoming problems. The amenities here far exceeded any expectations for a guest's quarters.
I turned around, bowed my head slightly, and offered a sincere smile.
"This room is truly wonderful, far beyond my expectations. Please relay my deepest gratitude to Lady Aiselin for her thoughtfulness, and thank you very much for your hard work in guiding me just now."
"It is my honor and duty, sir. I wish you a comfortable rest."
The maid bowed one last time before gently closing the door. When the sound of footsteps in the corridor had completely faded, I finally relaxed all my muscles, slowly walking over to lean my back against the edge of the desk.
I looked down at the coarse cloth garments on my body and unconsciously sighed. Currently, I bore the title of tutor to the eldest lady of the Shirakawa family. This shabby interface not only devalued my words but also directly affected Lady Aiselin's prestige.
I walked over and opened the door of the large wooden wardrobe. Sure enough, the meticulousness of the nobility never disappointed. Inside, a series of garments made from high-end fabrics had been prepared. Sweeping my eyes for a quick evaluation, I carefully selected a crisp white dress shirt and a pair of dark trousers.
Holding the outfit in my hands, I thought to myself: "The last time I wore this combo was to defend my doctoral dissertation. I never expected there would be a day I'd have to pull this outfit out to use in another world."
But before changing clothes, I needed to wash up and get clean first.
I draped the clothes over the edge of the bed and proceeded to open the small door in the corner of the room. As soon as I stepped into the space inside, I suddenly froze. My eyes widened, blinking a few times to confirm I wasn't hallucinating from overwork.
Striking my eyes was a shiny metal faucet and showerhead, permanently mounted on the marble wall.
"What the... is my vision blurring?" I muttered unconsciously.
According to the data I had collected since arriving here, the scientific and technological level of this world clearly stopped at a medieval level. So why were sanitary fixtures characteristic of the modern world appearing here?
I immediately stepped closer and tried turning the rotary valve. Water poured out of the showerhead with steady pressure, its temperature even perfectly adjusted to be warm. The reflexes of an engineer caused me to instantly bend down, rummaging around to search for a piping system, pressure valves, or anticipating the whining sound of some water pump.
But there was absolutely nothing.
Holding out my hand to catch the stream of water, I narrowed my eyes to carefully observe the base of the metal fixture. Through the crystal-clear screen of water, I faintly recognized exquisite carved lines radiating a pale light beneath the alloy casing.
So that was it. They used water-element magic circuits to create the flow and fire-element magic to heat it, directly simulating the functionality of modern equipment.
I smirked, laughing at myself. Right, if in this world with its poor physical engineering foundation I had dug up a tangled underground plumbing system combined with an electromechanical booster pump, that would truly be insane. It seemed the upper class here used the design of magic circles to compensate for the lack of mechanical technology.
The feeling of the warm water washing away the dirt and fatigue on my body was truly a blessing. Enjoying the faint scent of the high-end soap bar, I unconsciously recalled the days in the countryside. The late afternoons gritting my teeth to submerge myself in the bone-chilling river water, scrubbing my body with bare hands. Compared to then, right now I felt as if I had just been isekai'd all over again.
After drying myself off, I put on the suit I had just chosen. Having buttoned up the dress shirt and smoothed out the wrinkles, I stepped in front of the large crystal mirror placed on the wardrobe door.
The reflection in the mirror was a neat, mature teenager, far removed from the muddy, scruffy look of a few hours ago. The perfect fit of the stitches accentuated my figure, which, combined with my still slightly damp black hair, actually made me look quite like an elite intellectual.
I raised a hand to rub my forehead, sighing softly to mock myself. "Did the extreme stress cause hallucinations, or why am I starting to show signs of narcissism?"
Dismissing the wandering thoughts, I returned to the wardrobe to find a belt. Lying neatly in the drawer was a strip of soft leather, its shiny metal buckle engraved with the shield-shaped crest of the Shirakawa family.
I threaded the belt through the trouser loops and slid the latch, hearing a smooth click.
And right at the moment that sound echoed, the reflex of someone used to living under the pressure of deadlines surged up. I needed to know what time it was to prepare for the next steps. Looking up around the room, my gaze stopped at an elegant, exquisitely carved ebony wall clock placed above the fireplace.
The hour hand pointed slightly past the ten, the minute hand lay exactly on the sixth mark after the seven. 10:36 AM.
I stiffened, my breathing unconsciously skipping a beat.
What was displayed before my eyes was not a strange timekeeping system, nor a primitive hourglass or sundial. It was precisely a twelve-hour operating mechanism with three coaxial hour, minute, and second hands. The numbers, although stylized in this world's artistic font, were still completely recognizable. This method of dividing time, this method of display... it was identical to Earth.
A flash of logic sparked across my brain, stringing all the fragmented data from earlier into a complete system.
The grand piano with its complex hammer mechanism in the main hall. The shower and hot-cold water system simulated by magic in the bathroom. The suit tailored to modern standards. The leather belt with a mechanical sliding buckle. And now, this clock.
All of them... were products heavily imbued with modern world designs.
I frowned, my brain beginning to review the information. If I only considered the clothing, I could perhaps brush it off. The fashion aesthetics of a world could completely develop and randomly converge onto this form.
However, the foundational scientific and technological level of this world was clearly at a low level. They used magic to compensate for mechanics, but where did these concepts themselves come from? Where would people who had never seen a water pump get the concept of a wall-mounted showerhead to simulate it?
The probability of a medieval civilization naturally spawning a series of specific designs from the 20th and 21st centuries on Earth was a number approaching zero.
Unless... there was an intervention from outside the system.
I slowly released my hand from the belt buckle, my gaze turning sharp and cold as I looked at myself in the mirror. The most logical, and also the craziest hypothesis right now: I might very well not be the only one to enter this world carrying memories of a past life. There had been, or currently were, other isekai'd people existing here.
I stood silently before the mirror for a few more seconds, allowing those crazy hypotheses to swirl deep in my mind. However, I quickly extinguished that train of thought by my own hand.
As someone accustomed to processing mountains of data and complex variables, I understood the fundamental principle of risk management: Never waste resources on problems with insufficient data.
Whether there were other isekai'd people or not was a variable outside my current control. If I blindly focused on seeking an answer to that problem right now, not only would I gain no benefit, but I would also risk alerting the snake by beating the grass, pushing myself into the crosshairs of unforeseeable factions.
The ultimate goal right now was survival and solidifying a firm position within the Shirakawa family. To do that, I could not keep scanning everything through the hazy lens of an outsider. I needed to input foundational data.
I took a step back, straightening my shirt collar neatly.
The task priority system was immediately established in my head. To survive and master magic, I needed to clearly grasp its history and operating principles.
First was World History and the History of this kingdom's formation. Next was the Legal System—the life-or-death boundary that I must absolutely not step on. Then came Military History, to clearly understand the structure of military power and how armies fought. And finally, the most important: The History and Elementary Principles of Magic in this world.
I could not delay any longer. Time was the most luxurious resource right now.
I smoothed the creases of my shirt one last time, turning around and walking swiftly toward the door. The first target had been clearly defined: the massive family library the maid had mentioned earlier.
"It's time to begin the days of cramming this pile of new knowledge," I thought.
End of Chapter 9.