'Shit… I'm really inside Academy Valkyrie.'
Albert finally grasped the full weight of his situation and began thinking carefully.
His worried father approached, noticing the strange expression on his face.
"Albert, why are you so quiet? Please tell me you're alright."
Then Albert quickly reassured him, blaming his dazed state on having slept for so long.
He decided to handle the immediate situation first and leave everything else for later.
After calming his father and convincing him that he was fine, the Count left the room to call the doctor for a proper checkup.
Once the examination was over, the doctor found nothing wrong with Albert's health and departed.
When his father returned, concern still lingered in his voice.
"Son, are you sure you're fine? If not, we can delay our departure to the Academy."
As more memories of the game returned, Albert realized something important.
Judging by his father's words, this should still be before the main storyline began.
To confirm, he asked,
"Father, what date is it today?"
"Date? It is currently the year 609 of the Holy Time."
Albert fell silent for a moment, processing the information.
The main storyline wouldn't start until the following year.
"There's no need to delay the departure, Father," he said firmly.
After talking a while longer and further reassuring his father, Albert was finally left alone in the room.
Now that he had time to think, the situation still felt strange… but looking at it from another angle, wasn't this the perfect opportunity to experience the game firsthand?
A naughty grin spread across Albert's face as he thought about all the heroines he knew.
However, a sudden realization quickly dampened his excitement.
"Damn… there's no way I can woo any of them looking like this," he muttered, feeling dejected about his current appearance.
Still, Albert refused to give up.
If looks wouldn't work, then he would simply have to stand out through his abilities.
"If appearance doesn't work, then I'll make my abilities shine instead!" he declared.
In Academy Valkyrie, becoming a Gifter was a path many dreamed of.
But even among Gifters, there were ranks and differences in potential.
Albert remembered that this body's original potential was quite poor.
Not only would it be difficult to attract a True Valkyrie, he probably wouldn't even be able to obtain a normal one if he remembered the game correctly.
"In that case… I need to get that item."
He recalled a special limited item that appeared very early in the game.
He had missed it during his previous playthrough, only learning later that it was an extremely overpowered item that bound itself to the player.
Its effect was simple but crucial... it greatly improved the user's potential and constitution as a Gifter.
And that was exactly what the current Albert needed.