Chapter 3: Chapter 3 – To War

Thirteen years later...

As the morning sun's gentle light entered his room to mark a new day, Ethan's sleeping body unconsciously rolled over to avoid it. Unfortunately, as he turned, the sensation of his damp clothing clinging to his skin made any attempt at more sleep futile. And once his eyelids begrudgingly parted, his empty gaze fell upon the empty chamber pot in the corner of the dimly lit room.

"I can't do this anymore..." He bemoaned as he wiped away the beads of sweat trailing down his forehead.

He rolled over onto his back while his blank expression distorted into one of angry desperation as if pleading his case to no one in particular.

"How the hell do these people live like this?!" He whined in a hushed tone so as to not alert the servants.

"I miss my A/C. I miss having a normal fucking toilet. I miss…" He continued to spew his list of complaints that had been building up since he found himself reborn into this new world. He had done his best to appear like an average child for the past thirteen years but constantly wearing that mask had taken a toll on him.

The world Ethan now found himself in was called Nithe, and its level of technology was similar to Europe in its high-medieval period. His name in this world was Arthur Revan, the firstborn son of Marquis Edward Revan, a vassal of the mighty Ollerin Empire.

Unfortunately, it was hot and humid all year round in his father's territory, and during the summer months, he felt as though he was living in the bounds of a never-ending sauna.

He hated the heat. He used to believe that his body ran hot, but clearly, it was a psychological issue considering he now had a brand new body and still despised the heat with all his heart.

Once his futile rant ended, Arthur found his throat parched and motioned his hand toward a glass of water sitting atop an end table. The glass lifted into the air in a jittery manner spilling some water as it magically levitated into his hand.

"Heh, barely spilled any today." He said in a smug tone as his disgruntled expression disappeared as though it were a lie.

After chugging its contents, he practiced levitating the glass until a sudden knock resounded from the bedroom door. The noise startled him, momentarily causing him to lose focus. In response, the glass fell straight down as if the magical strings suspending it in the air were suddenly cut.

"C-come in!" Arthur shouted back.

The door opened, revealing the kind-eyed lady he had met on the day of his rebirth. Her name was Senna Crost, and she had initially served as a maid to Arthur's mother, but after she died giving birth to Arthur, Senna began to serve as his personal maid.

She wore her usual attire: a sleeveless, knee-length white dress that loosened up at the hips. It certainly wasn't the most practical of garbs for a maid's work, but it was tied to Ollerin traditions displaying her purity or some other nonsense.

She was now in her late twenties, possibly early thirties, but he had sense enough not to ask a woman her age, so he could only guess.

"Good morning, young master." Senna said with a warm smile as she entered the bedroom and placed a small washbasin on the vanity top across from his bed. "Breakfast will be ready in an hour. Should I bring it to the study?"

"Yes, please. Thank you, Senna." He replied cheerfully in a manner befitting a thirteen-year-old.

That would be the end of their morning interaction on a typical day, yet Senna stood rooted in place today. She opened her mouth but hesitated to speak.

Arthur shot her a questioning look. "Is there something else?"

"...Lord Revan has asked you to come to his office after dinner tonight." Senna replied with a concerned voice.

"My father?" Arthur muttered as his brow furrowed. "I thought he was in the capital?"

"The messenger stated that the lord would return this afternoon, but I wasn't told the reason for his sudden return. I'm sorry young master."

Arthur understood why Senna seemed so distraught. It was no secret that Edward favored Arthur's younger brothers more than him, but the empire's laws were strict regarding inheritance. So if Edward wanted to legally replace Arthur as heir, he would need to proposition the emperor and make a valid case against him.

Senna likely believed that Edward's trip to the capital was for that very reason. However, Arthur wasn't too concerned about it. He had already mentally prepared for such an outcome years ago, and part of him almost wished he would be disinherited.

He was tired of being cooped up in the mansion and even more tired of feeling restricted in how he behaved. But regardless of his feelings, he didn't want Senna to worry about it, so he decided to lighten the mood.

"Don't worry. If my father kicks me out, you'll just have to find a loving husband who won't mind an ex-young master freeloading off him." He announced shamelessly as he stuck out his tongue.

His playful demeanor had the desired effect as a momentary smile crept up on Senna's face. However, the smile was short-lived, and her expression quickly returned to one of deep concern.

"There's no such man in the empire. If—" Senna attempted to rebuke him, but Arthur interrupted her before she could complete her thoughts.

"—Then we'll just have to look for one elsewhere. Ollerin isn't the only country in Nithe, after all." He declared playfully.

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"Young master, you must take this seriously. What are we going to do if you're disinherited?"

Arthur didn't know what to say to quell her unease, so he opted to exercise his rights as a reincarnator and shamelessly steal the words and ideas of better men.

"A man who suffers before it is necessary suffers more than necessary. We don't know what my father wants yet, so let's not worry about it until we do." He reassured her with the wise words of the Roman philosopher Seneca.

"Hah... What am I going to do with you? Make sure to call for me after you meet with the lord. I'll be going now." Senna said before walking towards the door and stopping as if she had suddenly remembered something important.

"Oh, that's right, I almost forgot! Your magic tutoring begins today. He seems like a nice man, so be sure to be on your best behavior!"

Senna left the bedroom after those words, and his cheerful expression distorted the moment she was gone.

She had stumbled upon him reading a book on magic a few months ago and taken it upon herself to ask the family steward for a magic tutor from the capital. She surprised him with the announcement last week after the tutor had already arrived. It was a nice gesture, but Arthur didn't want any more eyes on him than necessary.

"Great!" He shouted in a self-deprecating manner as he got up from the damp bed.

His bedroom was lavish compared to his previous life, but he lived rather frugally when compared to the other rooms within the mansion. Most of his furniture was second-hand, but he didn't mind. No one other than the maids entered the room anyway, so he didn't feel the need to spend money spritzing the place up any more than it already was.

He made his way to the vanity to wash up and analyzed himself in the mirror. The reflection staring back at him was that of a skinny young boy with short black hair and sharp violet eyes. He thought his new face was handsome; however, his eyebrows arched in such a way that he appeared to wear a permanent scowl.

It wasn't so bad now since he still had a bit of his baby fat, but in a few years when he matures, he would have to actively soften his expression else people may get the impression that he was an ever-serious stoic type.

After checking himself out in the mirror, he quickly splashed cold water on his face before brushing his teeth with a paste he had secretly made. The homemade toothpaste consisted of a large amount of salt and a plant called Klire that was often used in baking for its minty-menthol flavor. It wasn't perfect, but it reminded him a little of Earth.

After brushing his teeth, he walked over to the wardrobe and threw on some fresh clothes before leaving his bedroom. As he made his way to the study, he noticed a small commotion out the window.

About a dozen men appeared to be huddled around listening to one of the guards recount a story. Of course, that alone wasn't anything of note, but their expressions as the guard spoke seemed rather violent and unsettling.

He recognized the guard speaking as Horin, one of his father's guards who had left with him to the capital a few months ago. Curious, he quietly opened the window and tried to listen in, but the guards were simply too far away for him to make anything out.

Feeling disappointed, he closed the window and proceeded to make his way to the study. As usual, the door to the study was guarded by a man named Foster Welt. He didn't wear armor, but the sword on his hip was more than enough indication that the contents of the study were considered valuable.

Foster himself had a well-maintained body that was on more of the skinny side, at least for a guard. In addition, he had short black hair styled in a soldier's cut and a somewhat effeminate clean-shaven face that seemed to draw troublesome women to his side no matter where he was.

Foster's eyes darted to Arthur as soon as he turned the corner. "Well, if it isn't the young master!"

Foster was always a bit eccentric and hyperactive but appeared especially so today.

Arthur curiously raised an eyebrow. "What has you all uppity this morning?"

"You didn't hear about what happened in the capital?" Foster asked excitedly.

"No, I was just about to ask you if you heard anything. I saw Horin outside talking to the other guards. It seemed serious."

"Hmm, I really shouldn't say then..." Foster mumbled as he looked towards the ceiling and rubbed his chin in an exaggerated manner.

Arthur rolled his eyes at Foster's performance. "All right, I'll see you later then." He said as he walked past the guard.

"WAIT, wait, wait! I was just kidding, young master." Foster shouted desperately as he chased after him.

"You're too serious. I feel sorry for your future wife." He added.

"Thanks, but I don't think it wise to take marital advice from a man who was nearly beheaded for being overly friendly with a baroness... You know what, never mind. Just tell me what happened at the capital."

"We're going to war!" Foster said being purposefully vague for dramatic effect.

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