Note : if you had read the previous ch then you know the drill
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The rain had stopped by the time the car returned to the Valdric estate.
Gray clouds lingered above, heavy and tired — much like reinhart mind.
He still remembered the scene he witnessed
He still felt the echo of that voice, faint as a whisper in his veins, like a second heartbeat buried beneath his own. No matter how hard he tried to forget it, the memory of that crimson-haired woman refused to fade.
He could still see her eyes — calm, merciless, and far too real.
But the moment he stepped into the his room , reality reclaimed him.
A maid was waiting at the door of his room
She was young, perhaps his age or slightly older. Her purple hair, tied neatly with a ribbon, shimmered faintly under the hall's chandelier. Her violet eyes were soft, her smile gentle — the kind that could disarm even the coldest noble. Her uniform was immaculate, the silver crest of House Valdric pinned neatly to her collar.
When she curtsied, her movements were flawless.
"Good afternoon, Young Master Reinhart. I've been assigned to assist you from today onward."
Reinhart blinked, caught off guard. "Assigned… by whom?"
"His Grace, the Duke," she said softly. "He instructed me to accompany you to the Imperial Academy when the term begins — and to attend to your daily needs until then."
He hesitated. "And your name?"
"Catherine , my lord. " She smiled again, faint and polite. "I hope I can serve you well."
Her tone was light, but there was something about it — a subtle nervousness, maybe fear.
It was the kind of tone people used when talking to someone with a dangerous reputation.
What kind of person does she thinks I am or better what kind of reputation did the original owner had ?
He gestured for her to follow as he began walking toward the sitting room. "Catherine " he said after a moment, "I need to ask you something… about me."
The girl tilted her head slightly. "My lord?"
He exhaled. "i be pretty blunt but do you serve me or my father ?"
Catherine hesitated, clearly unsure if she should answer. Her hands fidgeted with the edge of her apron.
"…" She searched for words carefully, "duke pay me my salaries and give me food and shelter ." She looked down, voice softening. "but i follow you with all I had ."
is she just naive to say something like that upon first meeting or is she just being clever , that's all I had to find before I could trust her , thought reinhart
Reinhart leaned back against a couch in his room , sighing. "alright , but first can you take me to family library"
Her eyes flickered up for a moment. "…yes , my lord just in a moment ."
He smiled faintly. "servants just make life easier for people like me "
Silence stretched for a moment, broken only by the ticking of an old clock. Outside, the rain began again — a quiet drizzle against the windows.
Then he stood. "alright lead the way ."
She blinked. "yes "
"I want to visit The library."
She then hurriedly adjusted herself and started leading the way for reinhart
Reinhart didn't said anything but observed her behaviour and expression throughout the way and then they finally reached their destination which was near reinhart block and it used to be available to high nobles and scholars in the past
The Valdric library was a shadow of its former glory.
Once, scholars from across the continent had studied within its halls; now, it was little more than a mausoleum for forgotten history.
Dust clung to the velvet curtains. Old bookshelves leaned like weary soldiers. Faded banners of black and gold hung still between cracked marble pillars.
Reinhart trailed his fingers along the spines of old volumes. Titles whispered back — Chronicles of the Western Wars, records on industrial revolution, Records of the Mana Awakening.
All these books were atleast dated back to 3 year unlike what i thought would be decades because of it's state
Each told a piece of a history he barely understood.
The maid followed quietly behind him, her hands clasped before her. The way she looked around — reverent, almost sad — made him pause.
"You've been here before?" he asked.
She nodded softly. "No but my mother used to work here in this library and she used to told me about this library.... , she was interrupted by reinhart
" That's more than enough "
Her lips parted slightly, so she just looked down and apologized
Reinhart didn't want to hear things that were not relevant and he did not like indirect things at such crucial moment
His fingers traced the shelves until one caught his attention — a thick, dust-coated volume titled The Known History of the World.
He pulled it out carefully and flipped to the first page.
The book's last update was dated three years ago. That should be recent enough to understand this world, he thought.
He opened it.
"500 to 0 (Before Imperial Years): The world was still trapped in the backward ages. Diseases ran rampant, kingdoms were divided, and chaos was the norm. There were no great powers back then — only countless, fragmented realms."
"Second Ages: 0 to 600 (Imperial Years): With advancements in production, knowledge, and the invention of gunpowder, warfare evolved. Cannons became symbols of power, and slowly the world began to unify across the three continents — Shenxia, Eryndor, and Zetar.
Major powers emerged: the Kingdom of Valdric, Melfast Kingdom, and Sonar Kingdom in Eryndor.
To the south, the Zhou Dynasty rose amidst countless minor states, while Zetar remained fractured among its tribes."
"602 (IY): The Industrial Revolution began — along with the invention of firearms in Eryndor. Demand for resources soared, and expansion became inevitable. The great kingdoms waged wars of conquest against weaker nations. By the end of this period, only four major powers remained: the Empire of Valdric, the Kingdom of Meldor, the Sonar Empire, and the Duvane Empire.
"610 (IY): Two alliances formed: Meldor and Valdric in the West, Sonar and Duvane in the East. A cold war began between them.
The Eryndor powers sought to colonize other continents for resources, but both sides hesitated. Any overreach might leave them vulnerable to their rivals."
"1000 (IY): The Age of Mana began. Three new domains appeared — one on each continent."
Sector 1 — Named by the people of Eryndor. It consisted of mermaids, elves, and beastfolk — all of whom viewed humanity as inferior.
Murim Domain — Appeared in Shenxia. The Zhou Dynasty quickly established a non-aggression pact with the Murim clans. Murim feared Zhou's 700,000-strong rifle army, while Zhou feared Murim's martial artists.
Abyss Domain — Emerged in Zetar, a realm of spirits. The tribes of Zetar formed contracts with these beings. World powers were alarmed, but too entangled in their own conflicts to act."
"1011 (IY): The Kingdom of Meldor suffered a resource crisis. In desperation, they invaded Sector 1 — only to be met by mermaids who attacked their steamships with water-based magic and hypnotic songs. The few ships that landed were ambushed by elves, their arrows glowing with mana.
The invasion was a disaster, yet the short-term spoils lured others to follow. The Sonar Empire soon joined the race to conquer new lands. Both empires secured coastal footholds but failed to advance inland."
"1013 (IY): A mysterious conflict erupted between the colonies — its true cause unknown — but it sparked the flames of a global war. Bound by alliances, all major powers were drawn in."
"1014–1020 (The Valdric Wars): Emperor of Valdric passed away, and his son, Maximus von Valdric, ascended the throne. He launched aggressive campaigns against Sonar and allied with the dark powers of Murim — namely, the infamous Heavenly Demonic Cult.
Meldor and Valdric crushed Sonar, but Meldor soon fell to rebellion after massive casualties. A republic replaced the fallen kingdom, but it too collapsed soon after, leaving Valdric and Duvane as the last great powers.
Duvane, wary of Valdric's aggression, rallied foreign nations to its side. Together, they struck Valdric with overwhelming force. Emperor Maximus was finally defeated and forced to surrender.
The world exhaled in relief. Valdric's lands were divided — half becoming the Independent Trade Republic of Eryndor, the rest annexed into the Duvane Empire."
"1025 (IY): The Empress of Duvane granted titles and estates to nobles from Valdric, Meldor, and Sonar — all former enemies. The gesture was praised by many, though controversial… especially as one of those restored houses was the House of Valdric itself."
"1027 (IY): Mana research advanced dramatically. With awakening orbs, ordinary people could now awaken mana at sixteen. The first academy was established on the ruins of the old Valdric Military Academy."
"1062 (IY): Today, the world enjoys peace under the benevolent rule of Her Majesty, the Empress of Duvane. May this peace last forever."
The End.
Reinhart's eyes lingered on the final line.
Then, his expression hardened.
"God damn it," he muttered under his breath. "Like hell I started 'aggressive campaigns'. This whole section is Durvane's propaganda."
He closed the book.
The words hurt more than they should have — he had spent hours planning every siege and initiating it
He turned to Catherine, who stood quietly by the window.
"Tell me… what do people think of the Valdric Empire"
Her gaze lowered. "...Most call it bad things , my lord."
The room fell silent.
Reinhart's grip tightened around the book until his knuckles whitened.
Brainwashing. And they didn't even realize it.
Thsese people are just like cattles
He placed the volume back onto the shelf, the faint thud echoing through the quiet study. Then, without another word, he turned toward the window — the fading sunlight reflecting in his eyes
Catherine, looked at him — silently
"Come on," he said. "We've got work to do. Tomorrow, I have to start my training."
She bowed her head slightly. "Yes, my lord."
The rain fell harder as they left the library, drumming softly against the old stone paths.
" I wish I was not transmigrated , atleast into this game ..." Reinhart thought