The second chance of the uncrowned king - (Isekai)

I returned to the building where the teleportation platform is located. The security had increased noticeably due to the special occasion we were about to experience — a teleportation to such an important city, with a great cost, and only attended by people from ridiculously rich or influential families.

All the way here, I couldn't stop thinking about what I talked about with the girls. I have a bad taste in my mouth when I think about actively looking for someone else, or indirectly meeting another person. I'll try to avoid as much as possible having feelings for someone else. I know how difficult that is when you are in a place full of young, hormonal people and where alcohol is something usual. I'll just do my best.

They are respecting me, and I must respect them too. At least, I have a free excuse if something happens... No, focus on other things as much as possible. This city has thousands of types of entertainment, and as a last resort, I can dedicate myself to training until exhaustion. The Ruby rank is still very far, and shortening the distance a bit won't make much difference.

"Passengers for Skyblue River City, please come closer. We will depart in two minutes." A beautiful blonde lady with blue eyes made the announcement. Everyone in the hall stood up and walked toward the place where we were called to enter the platform.

A quick look shows the difference between our clothes and jewelry. Most of them wear quite extravagant and luxurious clothing. They all have many jewels like chains, bracelets, and rings with different bright gems. I feel out of place with my clothes. I'm not dressed like a commoner or anything like that — it's just simple clothing that any noble would use on a normal day.

Especially, one woman who has a rather intimidating presence gives me the feeling that she is at least Diamond rank. Black silky hair down to her waist, bright yellow eyes, almost my height, and a charming smile that can captivate you if you stare too long. I already saw how someone got caught staring; his friend hit him with his elbow and whispered something in secret.

She's not the only one. There's another man around forty years old, bald, with a presence just as strong. He seems like a proper, hardened soldier. His dark brown eyes have scanned every part of all the people on the platform as we gathered. Is he looking for possible threats? I simply ignore both of them. I don't want to earn any problem on my first day in this new city.

"The teleportation to Skyblue River City will start in ten seconds. Everyone, please be ready." Everyone nodded, then the lady started counting. "Five, four, three, two, one... have a good trip, we hope to see you soon."

Immediately, I feel the sensation of "traveling" through the fabric of space. You can tell the difference in distance, because more than a second has already passed and we haven't arrived yet. Not being able to see anything is always a problem in this kind of situation; you easily lose track of time when you are teleporting. Finally, I feel the fabric start to rebuild little by little until it stabilizes quickly — at that moment, the sensation of a space jump disappears, meaning we have arrived at our destination.

My vision clears quickly. When I check the watch on my hand, only five seconds have passed. Still, I must adjust it to the new hour of this city; being so far away, the time zone is totally different. I look at the watch and it's almost ten, though I don't know if it's morning or night. "Is it just two hours ahead?" I'll check it once I see whether it's day or night outside.

"Dear passengers, you are now in Skyblue River City. Please follow this path to check that you are not bringing anything prohibited." This reminds me a lot of the airports in my previous world. This world also has ships that fly to shorten distances like airplanes; so far, I haven't seen any, but I hope to soon.

No one seems angry about following the protocol. No one complains or makes any annoyed expression. I get in the back of the line. I can see a golden artifact shaped like a door frame, about three meters high and almost three meters wide — very similar to the ones used in airports. Everyone passes without problems. As I've heard, you must be a complete idiot to cause trouble in this city.

"Thank you all for your cooperation. We hope you have a long and pleasant stay in our city." Another lady, with black hair and eyes, equally beautiful as those in Primaver City, says goodbye to us. I make a small bow before leaving.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I follow the exit signs of this huge building, similar to an airport. I already knew a bit thanks to the Marquis. Certainly, this place has many teleportation platforms connected to different cities and towns, most of them nearby or very important. There's also a huge airfield behind this building.

I'm grateful that this continent has an official language. I wouldn't have been able to come to study here if they spoke a different tongue. Certainly, some cities, towns, or tribes have a second official language, but in the end, you can communicate with everyone using the official one. A food stall catches my attention for a moment, but I resist entering.

"Don't get distracted by food..." I remind myself. I'm just here to take a quick look around and then head to Skyblue Academy. I walk through some stores, go up a few floors, then down the other side, and after almost an hour I can say: this place is ridiculously huge and very similar to an airport.

Finally, I decide to look for the exit. It's time to head toward my new home for the next few years — or so I hope. I can already see the sunlight striking through the day. When the doors open, I'm greeted by a cold breeze that makes me shiver a little. "Around twelve or thirteen degrees?" Thanks to my affinity, I don't have much trouble with the cold; I just take out a small jacket from my storage bracelet to cut the wind.

The sunlight is useless — there's no warmth at all. "Wait, sunlight?" So, it's morning. At that moment, I realize the time difference between each city. It's not just two hours — it's fifteen hours between the Empire and Skyblue River City. I'll have to check the map of this continent again soon.

Since I have no idea how to get to the school, I decide to take a carriage. I don't want to get lost on my first day. The coachman charges me a price that seems a bit high but acceptable. I sit down, and the trip begins. The city has many tall buildings, wide streets, and an exaggerated amount of people.

"Where are we going?" I ask the coachman because he's taking a route that leaves the city.

"First time in Skyblue River, young man?" I nod slowly, confirming his question. "Understandable. The school is outside the city — it can be considered a smaller city beside it. It's not the only building separated from the main city." The coachman laughs, and I'm left very surprised.

When we leave, I see enormous walls, very well decorated, looking extremely resistant to any kind of attack. Certainly, it's a gigantic city. Primaver City is considered big in the Empire, but compared to this one, it's just a normal town.

What little I've seen already left me amazed. I can't wait to walk through the streets and discover all the food, games, and entertainment spots. My mouth waters thinking about all the new opportunities this city has to offer — especially because of the fish. I've only eaten freshwater fish all my life, and now I'll finally get to try saltwater ones.

The huge river that runs through the middle of the city and connects to each large outer structure seems to flow toward a nearby sea. I've already read about some typical seafood dishes I want to try, and I'll finally be able to recreate my favorite meal from my previous world — something I've been dreaming about eating again ever since I adapted to this body.

We cross a small bridge, and I lean out the window to see the academy growing larger as we approach. It's bigger than my three towns combined — much bigger. It's definitely a small city on its own. I hold my jaw to stop it from dropping — the academy looks magnificent.

The colors blue, green, and white stand out the most across all the architecture. I can see many carriages entering and leaving my new destination. As we get closer, I notice most of them are supply wagons. Only a few are for students. It's normal — classes won't start for more than a week.

I haven't forgotten to keep healing my cube with my Life affinity. I'm excited and surprised, but not stupid enough to forget the most important thing — recovering completely. I keep sending mana little by little, closing each crack patiently.

We keep moving until only two carriages remain before ours.

"Young man, I imagine you are a student. Please hand over your plate so we can let you in and drop you off." Of course, I am a student — but I don't have any plate to prove my identity or authenticity.

I nod slightly. The coachman looks at me with a bit of curiosity but says nothing. My mind races to find a solution. I only have the ring Susan gave me — that will have to do... or so I hope. I don't want to cause any problems on my first day in this place. While my mind keeps trying to find another solution, it's finally our turn.

A guard dressed in a full leather suit speaks to us. "Welcome to Skyblue River Academy. Identification and reason for your visit, please." The coachman hands something that looks like a small notebook, the guard checks it and returns it. Then, he slowly approaches my window. I take out Susan's ring — I have no other choice.

"Hello, I don't have my student plate at the moment." The guard raises an eyebrow. Before he can reply, I continue speaking. "Here, I have a ring that proves my identity." When he sees the ring, his eyes almost pop out of his head. Not only him — another guard and the coachman have the same reaction. They look at the ring, then at me, and repeat that several times.

"I'm a guest of Susan. She is waiting for me." The guard opens his mouth to say something, but he just can't find the words. He takes the ring with the greatest care to scan it with his small device. His jaw drops instantly.

"Call someone with the required rank! The young man here is a direct guest of Director and Eminence Susan!" the guard shouts, and everyone freezes.

What did I just do?