A New Awakening?!

World Era 1904.

Ian finally graduated from the Traveler School, which he had attended since the age of eight. It was essentially the end of his primary education. A significant milestone—and at the same time, a moment signaling a new beginning.

Now 14 years old, he had to enroll in high school, and the school he would attend was called Rodliss High School. He would remain there until he turned seventeen. Naturally, Armin also enrolled in the same school.

It seemed Armin, clinging to the bond they’d shared since childhood, still wanted to stay by Ian’s side. So they entered high school together and started their student life—but, as expected, interest in him only lasted at the beginning.

At first, students who had come from different schools were curious about him because he was a prince and tried to get close. But once they realized he was the Ninth Prince and that his maternal family lacked power, they quickly lost interest and stopped approaching him.

It was a more blatant kind of disregard than he had experienced in lower school, but Ian still found this lifestyle perfectly satisfying. Oh—and something truly meaningful happened: he finally regained the full extent of his power from his previous life. At the age of fourteen, he reached the level of mastery he had attained just before dying.

‘Now that I’ve come this far, how much more will I grow in the future?’

It was a psychic ability full of promise. And while going through his daily classes, a sudden new awakening came out of nowhere. He had already felt strange before dinner, and by late night, he had a splitting headache and a nosebleed streaming down—then a new ability awakened.

‘Damn it—an awakening of a different ability?’

In his previous life, he had only ever used telekinesis. He had never even heard of anyone using two abilities simultaneously. Perhaps someone out there on Earth had done it in secret, but the important thing was: he had now unlocked such power.

‘Is it a mind-related ability?’

Since it had just awakened, things were still unclear. Mind-related powers included ability manipulation, telepathy, and even mind control or mental interference. Among these, which one had he awakened?

‘It’d be great if it was something useful.’

Like telekinesis, he hoped it would be something invisible but highly practical for his current life. But mental powers were unfamiliar territory to him, and just figuring it out and training it seemed like it would be a challenge.

‘Unlike what I’ve done before, this is a new beginning. Sounds fun.’

With that thought, he hurried to wipe the blood off his face, spending a chaotic early morning before managing to return to his usual routine. However, he didn’t expect to figure out what the new ability was so soon afterward.

Rodliss High School, Class 1-3.

“So here’s what happened. I told him I didn’t want to, and then he…”

Next to him, Armin was passionately ranting about what had happened. The story was this: while passing through the hallway to go to the bathroom, someone called out to him and ordered him to buy bread from the school store.

‘So that kind of kid exists here too, huh? Even bread? Different world, same antics. I guess moving up to high school really does show you new things.’

“I told him that I would never follow anyone’s orders except those of Prince Ian. I’m your loyal subordinate, after all.”

Though he said it with sincerity and seriousness, to others it probably made him look like nothing more than the prince’s pet. And not even a powerful prince—just one with no real standing. Naturally, that wouldn’t go over well.

“I—”

Bang!

Before he could finish speaking, the classroom door burst open with a loud slam, and a group of students walked in—five of them, with hair in colors ranging from green to blue to orange. They all gave off a rough and menacing aura, and seeing them, Ian couldn’t help but think:

‘Of course they didn’t just let it go. This is going to be a hassle.’

Their presence alone said they didn’t care that he was a prince. Ian glanced to his side and saw Armin looking frightened. Though Armin had matured a bit, he was still timid and lacked inner strength.

Still, refusing to buy bread showed that he had some pride. The group walked straight toward Ian and Armin, their footsteps heavy. Everyone in the class watched with interest, wondering what was going on.

They stopped right in front of Ian. From their expressions, it was clear they were angry and annoyed. Ian, resting his chin on his hand, looked up at them as if to ask what they wanted. Given what had happened before, no one would dare lay hands on royalty.

Anyone who understood the implications wouldn’t dare touch Ian.

‘Now that I think about it, that guy up front is from a pretty high-ranking family.’

The rough-looking one with the purple hair and sharp features belonged to a marquess family. Though he wasn’t the eldest son—he was the third—he still flaunted his family’s status among the first-years.

He immediately pointed at Armin and said:

“Prince Ian, I have business with this guy.”

“Oh? What business?”

“Must I explain that to you, Your Highness?”

“If you’re not going to explain, just leave.”

At Ian’s dismissive wave of his hand, the boy’s eyes twitched. Irritated, he snapped:

“I said I have business with him.”

“And I said, if you won’t tell me why, then go.”

“Are you mocking me right now?!”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Ian asked, as if he were the confused one. The boy’s face flushed red with anger. His hand twitched as if he were about to strike, but he held back—because he knew exactly who he was dealing with. Ian thought the kid at least had some self-restraint, though the way his hand had risen in the first place revealed plenty about his character.

“Prince Ian’s dog is rather ill-mannered. I think I’ll take him and teach him some discipline.”

“My dog, is it? I wasn’t aware you were rude enough to say that out loud. Has Marquis Aberia been teaching his children such manners?”

“Wh-What?!”

“‘What’ is quite the informal tone. So you’re saying you want to go all the way, then?”

“Ahem! That was a mistake. But how dare you speak that way about my father? Are you out of your mind?!”

“How dare I? Can a prince not speak such words to a marquis? More importantly, I am perfectly sane. The one who seems out of their mind here is you. Since when did noble children behave so disrespectfully to royalty?”

Billy felt like he was being dragged into something he couldn’t escape. As the third son of the Aberia marquis family, he had never been so thoroughly outdone by anyone before. Maybe that’s why his anger kept rising. Looking to the side, he saw the boy who had caused him all this trouble smiling foolishly.

Was he really laughing? Was he enjoying the humiliation Billy was suffering? Of course, the truth was that Armin was moved—touched by the fact that Prince Ian, who usually acted indifferent, had stepped in to defend him.

‘As I thought, Prince Ian likes me. He just doesn’t show it!’

Unaware of Armin’s delusions, Ian was thinking about how best to punish this arrogant boy without making a scene. He couldn’t resort to violence in front of everyone.

‘Even if this guy is clearly in the wrong, any scandal wouldn’t benefit me.’

As someone who preferred a quiet life, drawing attention was poison. But that didn’t mean he would just sit quietly while being insulted. That too wasn’t in his nature.

‘What’s the best option?’

As he debated, a certain feeling rose in his mind. It was related to the new ability he had recently awakened. He instinctively felt the desire to activate it on the boy in front of him. And to his surprise, he could now sense how the power worked.

‘Oh? So this is what it does?’

Zrrrk—

It was completely different from using telekinesis. A new mechanism activated in Ian’s mind. For a brief moment, his red eyes gleamed brighter. His gaze locked with Billy’s—and the boy visibly flinched.

‘There’s some resistance, but it worked.’

Ian could feel himself taking control of the boy’s mind. He could also sense the range of influence he had: [Affinity Increase], [Loyalty Boost], [Intelligence Drop], [Physical Enhancement], [Physical Decline], [Trust Increase]—he could manipulate these things.

‘This is amazing.’

It felt like gaining a cheat ability in a video game. Of course, he knew it wasn’t omnipotent. If he could just use it freely, life would be too easy. Still, now that he had access to it, he figured he might as well try it.

In truth, mental manipulation was a dangerous ability. If it failed, the backlash could hit him instead. But that also meant it was powerful. Just like now—he could lower intelligence or forcibly boost or weaken someone physically.

‘Let’s go with this one.’

He chose to lower Billy’s intelligence. If he could provoke the boy into doing something foolish, it would be quite a spectacle. With that anticipation, he activated the power. He felt his will penetrate Billy’s mind—and altered his brain.

As soon as Ian used the manipulation, Billy’s behavior shifted drastically.

“Ugh! Your Highness, this isn’t right!”

“What isn’t right?”

“You know exactly what I mean! You’re just the Ninth Prince!”

“And what does me being the Ninth Prince have to do with the current situation?”

‘It’s working, huh?’

Billy was clearly reacting differently than before. He seemed flustered, irrationally angry. Ian could tell that just a little more would push him over the edge.

“You’re really crossing the line now. Does your family know how you behave like this?”

“Shut up! Know your place! Soon enough, you’ll be kicked out of the palace, and yet you’re acting like you’re something special! You’re nothing!”

“……”

Ian said nothing. Billy, thinking he’d won, looked triumphant. What he didn’t realize was how silent the room had become. The third son of a marquis had just insulted a prince in front of dozens of witnesses. That was a serious offense.

‘Perfect.’

Ian released the power. Billy’s intelligence would now return to normal. It hadn’t been easy. Even causing a temporary mental slip took a lot of energy. Using telekinesis would’ve been much easier and less taxing.

‘So the other abilities must be even harder.’

The ones like Trust or Loyalty Boost probably required consistent use over time to take effect. Still, the potential of this new power was incredible.

“Huh?! I… I don’t know why I said that!”

Now back to his senses, Billy looked utterly panicked. Seeing this, Ian put on a grave expression.

“Hmph. I didn’t expect you to think that way. I’ll be lodging a formal complaint with the marquis family.”

“W-Wait! I misspoke!”

“There are things that cannot be excused, even as a slip of the tongue. What you’ve done brings disgrace to the royal family. You’d better prepare for the consequences.”

There was a world of difference between subtle insults and public defiance. Even if Ian forgave him, the royal household would not. Unless every witness kept silent, what had just occurred would spread quickly.

“Leave. I’m uncomfortable being around you any longer.”

“Wait, no… this isn’t how it’s supposed to go.”

“Are you still here? Or are you about to say something else inappropriate?”

“I’m sorry! Please forgive me!”

Billy bowed deeply. Ian simply waved his hand, dismissing him. With that, the boy bit his lip and turned to leave the classroom. His followers left too, looking bewildered.

‘Kids will be kids.’

Just then, Armin cautiously approached him, looking concerned. After all, it was because of him that this happened.

“Um… are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“What that guy said to you… I figured it must’ve made you feel awful.”

“There’s no need to worry. All he did was say aloud what everyone else already thinks.”

“I mean, yeah, but still. Didn’t it make you angry?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just used to it.”

Seeing Ian tilt his head casually, Armin couldn’t help but think—he really was a unique kind of prince.