I Was a Dropout Who Couldn’t Use Magic for 16 Years, but Then I Remembered My Past Life as a Scientist and Became OP in Another World - Chapter 3

Knock knock.

After a moment of silence, a low, curt voice answered.

“Enter.”

“Excuse me.”

Opening the door, I saw my father in this world, Dawson F. Narazario, sitting at his desk. He glanced at me briefly before returning his attention to the papers in front of him.

“…How’s the injury? You seemed to have been out for quite a while.”

“Thanks to your concern, I’ll likely just have a small scar. I apologize for worrying you.”

“I see. Well, that’s good. You are, after all, the eldest son of this family. It would be a problem if something worse had happened.”

“Yes, I’ll be more careful to avoid such things in the future.”

“See that you do. —Is that all?”

Still looking down, Dawson cracked his neck slightly.

“Huh?”

“Was that all you had to say? I have paperwork left to finish.”

“…Yes, that’s all. Did Mother say anything as well?”

“Your mother, Elia? Of course. She’s been worried. She checked on your room a few times, but I’m sure she’s still concerned that you hadn’t woken up. You should go say hello to her.”

“I understand. I’ll do that. Excuse me.”

After a short exchange, I left Dawson’s office. As I closed the door, I glanced over at him. He never once looked up from his papers.

—

In the courtyard, I spotted a woman sitting on a bench in the shade of a tree.

It was my mother, Elia F. Narazario.

“Excuse me, Mother, I hope I’m not disturbing your rest.”

“Oh my! Isn’t it Ronnie?”

“Father told me you were worried. I’ve recovered, as you can see, so I wanted to greet you and ease your concerns.”

“Oh, no need for such formality. As long as you’re well, that’s all I care about.”

“I apologize for making you come by several times while I was asleep.”

“Come by? …Yes, of course. You’re my son, after all. Naturally, I was worried about you. But are you really sure you’re okay? Shouldn’t you rest a bit more?”

“There’s still some pain, so I plan to take it easy for a while longer.”

“If you need anything, just let Carla know. You should have your meals in your room for the time being.”

“Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

I bowed and turned to leave, but then Elia called out to me.

“Say, Ronnie.”

“Yes?”

“Have you seen Johann? It’s almost time for his lessons, but he hasn’t shown up yet. His tutor will be arriving any moment.”

“I haven’t seen him yet, but would you like me to tell him you’re looking for him if I see him?”

“Would you? Next month, a famous magician from the royal capital is coming to visit after hearing about Johann. He needs to keep practicing so he’ll be prepared. He’s so talented—who knows, he might even get scouted by the magic academy! What should we do then?”

“That’s impressive. But isn’t the academy’s minimum age 16?”

“Yes, I may be getting a bit ahead of myself. Still, if you see him, please send him along.”

With a smile on her face, Elia resumed her sunbathing on the bench under the tree.

Though she mentioned the age 16, it didn’t seem to trigger any recollection of my birthday.

—

“Nii-sama!”

As I was heading back to my room, climbing the stairs, I heard a voice call down to me.

“Ah, Johann. There you are.”

“I was just looking for you in your room, but you weren’t there!”

My 12-year-old brother bounded down the stairs energetically.

“I was just reporting to Father and Mother about my injury.”

“Are you really okay? I heard there was a lot of blood.”

“I’m fine now. With a little more rest, the wound should heal.”

“I was so bored while you were asleep for three days! I thought you might’ve died!”

“…Sorry about that. But you couldn’t have been that bored, right? Mother’s been looking for you in the courtyard. Isn’t it almost time for your lesson?”

“Oh, really? Is it that time already? Aw, I don’t want to! That teacher’s so boring!”

“Once you’re done, come visit me in my room.”

“Okay! I’ll finish up quickly then!”

“Good luck.”

Johann grasped my hand and shook it vigorously before dashing toward the front entrance.

Watching his retreating figure, I suddenly remembered something and called out.

“…By the way, Johann, there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“While I was unconscious, what were Father and Mother doing?”

“Huh? What do you mean? Well… I tried to get them to come check on you, but they were busy. So, I don’t really know.”

“I see. That’s all then.”

“?”

—

Having finished my greetings with Father, Mother, and Johann, I returned to my room.

At some point, the bed sheets had been changed. Carla must have done it. I let out a sigh and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Walking around the mansion after being bedridden for three days is tiring.”

Each conversation with my family had been short, but in a way, it helped me reaffirm my place in this household.

Even after hearing that I had regained consciousness, Father and Mother didn’t seem particularly interested. The idea that they had checked on me while I slept was, apparently, a lie.

The only person who had truly been concerned was my younger brother, Johann.

But I wasn’t upset by it anymore.

For 16 years, Ronnie had repeatedly failed to meet his parents’ expectations. Considering that., I suppose it’s a relief that they at least pretended to care on the surface and hadn’t completely disowned me.

Besides, I no longer felt burdened by their lack of affection.

In fact, now that I wasn’t being forced into endless lessons like Johann, I actually felt lucky to have all this free time on my hands.

—

Knock knock.

The door opened again behind me.

Carla entered carrying a tray with sandwiches and tea.

“I brought your breakfast.”

“Thanks, perfect timing.”

“Oh, I saw you coming inside from the courtyard, so I thought I’d bring it right away…”

“Just leave the tray on the desk over there.”

“Will you rest again after you eat?”

“No, actually, I need to visit the library.”

“The library? If you’d like, I can bring a book for you.”

“It’s fine. You wouldn’t know which ones to grab—actually, wait. That’s not a bad idea.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll be taking a lot of books. Could you help me carry them?”

“A-a lot of books…? Of course, I’d be happy to help, but why so many…?”

“If I get results, I’ll tell you. But it’s a mistake to make predictions before the work is done. For now, just help me carry them.”

“……”

Carla didn’t respond right away. She put her hand on her chin, furrowing her brow.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, you really don’t seem like your usual self, Ronnie-sama… Are you sure you’re okay? Your injury…?”

Her second question made me laugh.

I stood up from the bed and placed a hand on Carla’s head, which she had tilted in concern.

“I’m really fine. In fact, my mind feels clearer than ever, like a fog has lifted.”