Chapter IV - The Working Class

Few days passed since Arthur reincarnated. Thanks to Sophie's efforts, he managed to adjust to a great degree. Her nightly sessions helped him gain insight as to how the world is nowadays. While he still lacked in many aspects, going to the store wasn't going to get him scammed, nor will he burn the house down by accident while cleaning.

Missing school for so long was bound to have an impact on his grades. However, Doctor Miller advised Arthur to stay at home for a week or two to regain his strength and awareness, giving him a permission slip. Sophie made sure to sort out his school books and told him to look over them before even thinking of returning, warning him that he can't wait forever. Arthur took it to heart as to not disappoint his younger sister and proceeded to study throughout the day while she was away. When asked, he claimed that it would only take him two or three more days before he felt confident stepping into the vast world that was high school.

Sophie prepared him the best she could. Luckily for both, they were attending a private school, making the absence less noticeable to some degree. It was more lenient at the very least. Arthur knew that to truly understand how schools were, he'd need to attend one.

While there were many subjects that he needed to go over, some provided him with great insight, especially geography and science. Due to these two, he was able to confirm that this indeed was not the same world as the one he left behind. Many subjects on the other hand were fairly similar, if not even easier than before. One such example would be physics. Due to the lack of magic, there was a lot less variations. Science as a whole seemed a lot more complex and in-depth within this world. Magic made these kind of progressions impossible.

English was also one of the major classes in school. It was probably because both Sophie and Arthur had family origins in the UK that they've learned English while young. This knowledge is something that Arthur kept. It was unknown to him if all the basic knowledge such as language is imprinted on him, or if it was because of a special gift he acquired in his past life. However, the fact remained that he knew both languages fluently, something that would be of great benefit in the future.

Returning from his morning runs, Arthur encountered Sophie on the doors leaving for school earlier than usual.

“Soph, you’re leaving earlier than expected, I thought we could have breakfast together before you leave.”

“I’m sorry Oppa. . .” she seemed down. “I just got to get to the school quickly.”

“Everything OK?”

Something was off and it has been that way since she returned from school the day before.

“Yeah! Don’t worry about it,” she said with an upbeat yet fake voice.

Arthur chose not to push the subject further.

“Ah, boy troubles already?” he teased.

“No, no! Nothing like that,” Sophie shook her head, blushing slightly.

“Well alright, see you tonight then. I hope you’re ready for another study session because tonight I shall be mastering the remote!” he joked trying to ease the tension.

“Of course!” she said genuinely happy. “If I’m being honest, lately that’s been my favorite to-do thing. I like spending time with you. . .”

“I like it too.”

“Well, I’m off,” Sophie waved goodbye before taking her leave.

“Bye Soph,” Arthur said, but before she could leave he spoke up. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Yeah. . .” she mumbled.

“Alright then, have fun at school.”

Arthur waited a bit before reentering the house until Sophie was out of sight. He sighed and looked up into the sky.

I wish that girl would rely on me more.

Arthur proceeded inside and meditated a bit within his room. It was in dire need of a makeover if he was to be asked. Sophie agreed as well. Maybe even getting a plant or two wouldn’t have been such a bad idea. The various boxes still resided in the room filled with what he was informed were manga. He had no intention of throwing them away and even planned to read them down the line. In truth, he wished to learn who Arthur was before he reincarnated in the body. Part of him wondered if maybe he would understand him better if he read all of them.

Making his way downstairs to get a glass of water, he realized that his grandfather forgot lunch. With his long shifts, it wasn't ideal for him to go without eating anything. This wouldn’t have been a real issue if he was the type to buy food, but the food at the mall was probably a bit more expensive than what they typically ate at home based on what Sophie taught him. Park Ryung wasn’t the type of man to spend more than necessary on himself.

Packing up the food, Arthur sighed and prepared to venture outside the house. He never left further than a few miles from home, which was pretty much his morning run pathing. However, he did know the name of the mall and the bus stop which took him there. It wasn't that far away.

Approaching the bus stop, Arthur noticed a map of the bus’s pathway, and seeing just how close it was, he didn’t mind the half an hour walk it would take to get there. It was a simple pathing, and Arthur was an expert navigator during his long campaigns.

Walking through the city proved to be quite the experience. When Arthur ran, his focus was always on himself, and when he walked with Sophie, there was just too much information to take in and not a lot of room to sightsee.

Arthur couldn't help but appreciate how peaceful the world was in this day and age. While history would disagree from what he read up on, compared to the bloody history he witnessed in the old world, this world could very well be called the golden age in comparison.

Finally, after a long walk, Arthur reached his destination. The shopping mall was enormous. Compared to other places Arthur had visited in the past, other than the royal market of Notish, nothing really compared to the sheer scale and wealth that surrounded the place. It was unimaginable to him that so many commoners could just walk around such a place.

He didn't take the time to admire the full extent of the mall, as he wanted to find his grandpa before his lunch break. He searched around aimlessly for a while before ascending the first floor. The escalator shocked him at first, but surprisingly he felt like a kid riding up. He always found moving without effort and being given the ability to simply observe things an awe-inspiring experience.

I better ask around, there are just too many people here. . .

Arthur took a deep breath and sighed. Luckily there was a security guard stationed a few meters past the stairs. He was fairly large and seemed out of shape.

Is the world such a peaceful place that there is no need for fitness when it comes to security?

In his former life, only those who were genius tacticians or members of a well-off family could get a job regardless of their competence, but it was obvious that this man didn't fit that category.

“Excuse me,” Arthur approached the guard. “May I ask if you know an older gentleman by the name of Park Ryung? He works as a janitor at the mall.”

“Ah, old man Park? I know him,” his voice was a bit flat. “Though who is looking for him?”

“My name is Arthur, I’m his grandson. He forgot his lunch, so I decided to bring it to him.”

“Ah, you must be Arty! The old man never stopped talking about you and your sister.”

Arthur smiled, their grandpa proved time and time again to be nothing short of a gentle soul.

“Anyway. . . He's on the third floor near the cinema. Around this time is when it opens up.”

“Thank you,” Arthur said before waving goodbye.

“Ah I wish my children would come and bring me food like that when I forget,” the security guard spoke to himself but was overheard regardless.

Making his way up the stairs once more it felt magical. Even Arthur who typically was impossible to embarrass would fail not to shy away from admitting the joy he felt from such a simple thing as an escalator.

Looking around, he still had difficulty spotting the old man.

“Arthur! What are you doing here?” a surprised yet excited voice appeared from behind.

Though Arthur failed to spot his grandfather, he caught a glimpse of him even in such a heavily obscuring crowd.

“You forgot your lunch, so I decided to bring it to you.”

“Oh, there was no need for you to do such a thing! Let me give you some money so you can at least take the cab home. Was the bus too crowded?”

“Oh please grandpa. . . There is no need for such a thing. It’s not as if I had other obligations that have suffered. Besides, it felt nice walking here. I got to view the city in a new light.”

“Ah, youth. . . I remember when walking that distance was a pleasantry as well.”

Arthur handed over the bag to Ryung.

“Thank you, but sadly I must get back to work my child.”

"No worries. I'll see you at home Grandpa."

"Good. . ." he whispered with a smile before going back to work.

Though it wasn’t much, Arthur felt like for the first time he truly attained peace. Something that he believed impossible. If it had just gone that way for the rest of his life, he’d be the happiest person, but sometimes a trivial thing such as a spilled drink could shatter that peace in an instant.

The sound of a spilled drink and yelling caught Arthur's attention. He watched as his grandfather slipped and fell on a couple that was making their way to the cinema. With coke spilled all over the man’s suit, Arthur instantly knew it meant trouble. The situation was treated no differently from a peasant ruining a nobleman’s attire.

“You insolent pig! How dare you spill a drink on me?” the man yelled viciously.

“I apologize, sir. It was an accident,” Grandpa pleaded.

“I should have you fired, you low-class mule.”

“Darling. . . People are watching,” the man’s wife spoke up.

“You’re right, I should discipline this old man myself for everyone to witness.”

“I beg you. . .”

Arthur was shocked to see Park Ryung bowing deeply in front of the man. At that moment he couldn't stop thinking about why he was frozen in place, unable to act. Deep down he knew that he just wished to avoid escalating the situation. If Arthur got involved, that would destroy his grandfather’s pride even more. More so it might not even solve the issue. However, he could not quell the rage within him and the glare that has been cast upon the man who dared humiliate his flesh and blood.

Sometimes a spilled drink could signify the end of peaceful times, but it is thanks to those who refuse to take action over something as trivial, that such situations don’t always end in tragedy.

“Enough,” the woman spoke up. “If you have any reason to further humiliate this poor man, then you can do so without me. . .”

Everyone observed the scene unfold. The awkward silence surrounded them.

“Fine. . .” the man said angrily, taking his leave along with the woman.

As the couple walked past, Arthur lowered his head and in a low tone whispered.

“Thank you. . .”

Though it was unheard of by others, the woman however acknowledged his words. Today, thanks to that woman, Arthur maintained his peace yet another day, but it was at that moment that he realized just how fragile that peace was. Not only is grandpa among the working class, along with low salary and no social standing, there is also the hidden issue with Sophie that Arthur was yet to uncover. He was aware of this and deep down, he was always ready. . .

Such is the life of an old soldier.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.