Marcus Allen has just finished his schooling at the Holdstead Academy. It was a small ceremony that took place on the same day as the welcoming ceremony. He wasn't the highest scoring student, but he made due with what he had.

  Majoring in Runeworking with a Minor in Enchantments, he was third scholastically among the academy's Mages. Being a reincarnator just means you know what going to happen while you get a boon for being a soul that wandered in from outside.

  His boon was his right eye. His eye was born with the augment called [Mystic Eye]. Don't look much into it. It just means that he has extra blood vessels and nerves that allow him to see the flow of Mana. Nothing truly special, but very useful for things like reading runes and seeing people's blood/Mana ratio.

  "What are you going to do now that we're out?" A young man said next to him.

  "Nix, hey. How's the wife?" Marcus said tiredly as he turned to his only friend in the academy.

  Nicholas Belfast, or affectionately called 'Nix' by Marcus, was the only other student that majored in Runeworking in his year. It was remarkable how Nix went from tired and mopey to upbeat and happy in just six short years.

  "Well, it looks like I'm left in charge of the Barony when I get back. I was hoping to kick back as the youngest, but the Raine went and joined the Ashen Paladin order. A Paladin must give up their title and/or heirship so that nothing interferes with their faith..." He took a breath as they watched young and impressionable line up for their ceremony.

  "My three sisters are all married and under different names and can't take over the land. Imperial law states that each Noble title is only allowed up to a certain amount of land, so the three Counts can't take it. So it's all left to me."

  "I am so glad I'm not part of the nobility." Nix shook his head. "My condolences."

  "What worried me is that I haven't gotten any letters since Raine joined..." He stopped as he saw a young girl in the line.

  Elena Drapnir, the heroine of this world.

  Despite her fancy name, she is listed as a commoner in the school directory. She won't learn of her foreign royal blood until halfway through her school term. She was allowed admittance for the same reason Nix was, they both had high affinity for Magic and was thought to be a missed opportunity to be left alone.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  She is an even better mathematical genius. She will be the person who will either banish the dark, or join it. She is the player character, and the one with infinite possibilities in front of her. Whether it be the way of the Knight or Mage, she will grow to the top.

  With his [Mystic Eye], he could see that she was already a Mage. With two rings of Mana orbiting her heart, it looks like someone already taught her the basics. But he also saw a Spirit fly around her head.

  Spirits are the mysterious lifeforms that dwell within Mana. They operate on a different frequency from everything else in this world. But if one takes a liking to you, you will most likely find good luck.

  Like today.

  "Hey, silver haired girl." Marcus said as she got close to their railing. She looked up to see him waving a book above her head.

  "Y-yes?" Obviously, she was nervous. That girl with a commoner background already got hassled once. And this one was a graduate if the robes told her anything. His right eye glowed intensely.

  "Word of advice. Don't stand out too much. You're a Mage, and a good one at that. Professor Statten likes to take credit for his student's advancements." He handed her a handmade leatherbound journal and then shooed her away to her fellow classmates.

  After a few minutes, the two young men headed to the train that will take them to their homes. "Was that a good idea?" Nix finally asked once they sat down. " That was your Grimoire."

  "Yeah, it's fine. She was already at the second ring. I wanna see how far she goes." He laid down on his side of the room. "And my Grimoire was already finished and bound to me. That was the prototype, filled with my scattered notes from all six years." A blue leatherbound book with his family's crest on the back appeared. "This bad boy has the completed and organized library of all my tested and confirmed magical knowledge. I would never give this thing away."

  A Mage's Grimoire is their lifeline once out of school. Because they are required to enter the workforce shortly after. A Grimorie is filled with preloaded spells and cheat codes that make them quick responders to any emergency. But a Mage can only have one, as well as only one familiar and one artifact, in their lifetime.

  He desummoned his Grimoire an quickly fell asleep.

  The Allen territory is pretty modest, as far as he remembered. A river that flowed through the bountiful fields in the east and a decent sized Iron vein in the south for mining. They could be more or less self sustaining. With a couple tweaks and a 4% decrease in taxes should make everyone happy and hardworking.

  At least that what he thought before he rode his carriage into the town.

  Buildings were run down. Roads were in disrepair. He could barely see any people at all in the streets. He needed to have a word with his father.

  But seeing him proved impossible. The house was empty. The treasury was empty, save for a few crates of unrefined Mana crystals. The territory's Knight Guard was undermanned and under geared.

  "What the heck happened in the past two years for it to get this bad?" He found his old bedroom. A small chest sat on his bed containing a letter and the Allen Family crest.