Chapter 3

Time flowed like a river. Four years had already passed since Rian was reborn as a child of the Aster family. Past the helpless days of infancy, he could now walk freely around the manor on his own two feet.

“Rian, were you in the study again?”

His stepmother Serena asked in a gentle voice and stroked Rian’s head. It was a place unfit for a four-year-old to be in, but it was a familiar sight to the Aster family. From the moment he began to speak, Rian had shown an unusual obsession with books.

“Yes, Mother. There are so many interesting stories.”

Rian hugged a thick history book he had taken from a shelf taller than himself and answered. Serena smiled with a mix of pride and wonder at his fluent speech. At an age when other children played with toys, Rian had already read more books than many adults. The family simply thought he was a quiet, bright child who especially loved books.

But contrary to their assumptions, Rian’s reading was not mere pastime. It was knowledge acquisition for survival and a process of analyzing this world.

‘The founding history of the Kairos Empire, the continent’s geography, the basic principles of magic… knowledge truly is power.’

He had the powerful weapon of scientific knowledge from his previous life, but to utilize it he had to fully understand this world’s laws. He absorbed every piece of information like a sponge soaking up water.

In the afternoon, his older brother Kaion, having finished training and sweating heavily, entered the study. At nine years old, Kaion had already grown far beyond his peers.

“Rian! So you were here. Father taught me a new sword technique today!”

Kaion looked desperate to boast to his younger brother. He led Rian to the small training ground behind the manor. He assumed a proper stance and swung a wooden sword. Swish, swish—the sound of air being cut was sharp enough.

“How is it? Pretty cool, right?”

Rian studied Kaion’s posture for a moment. The innate talent remained, but he still tended to rely on brute force.

“Brother, when you swing the sword your heels lift a bit. If you plant your feet more firmly, won’t your power come through better?”

It was advice born of an adult mindset and experience. Kaion tilted his head in puzzlement, then corrected his stance as his brother suggested and swung again. A much more stable, weighty strike erupted than before.

“Wow! It’s true! Rian, how do you know this? Is it because you read so many books?”

Kaion hugged him in genuine admiration. Rian smiled quietly in his brother’s arms. Yes, this would do. He would support his brother from behind. That was his role going forward.

That winter, a new life arrived in the Aster family. His stepmother Serena gave birth to a healthy baby girl. With reddish-brown hair and looking exactly like her mother, the adorable child was Lily Aster.

“Baby…”

Watching Lily sleeping soundly in her cradle, Rian felt something warm swell within his chest. One more being to protect had been added. He felt he would do anything for this small, fragile life.

That night, while everyone slept, Rian quietly closed his eyes in his room. He recalled the mana-sensing method he’d read in books. But he did not follow it exactly. The books described mana abstractly as a “mysterious force dwelling in the world,” but Rian defined it as “unknown energy particles present in the atmosphere.”

‘Assume it’s particles, not waves. Use my body as a medium to create resonance. Use heartbeat and breathing as triggers…’

He marshalled his physics knowledge from his previous life and began sensing mana in his own way. After some time, a faintly shimmering blue particle rose from his fingertips.

It was a historic moment: a four-year-old who didn’t even know the word “magic” properly had manifested mana through self-study and his own theory, let alone perform first-circle magic.

The blue particle circled Rian’s fingers and then gently faded. The power was vanishingly weak, but a satisfied smile graced Rian’s face.

The shadow’s first step had been successful.

Outside the window, the immense monster forest bordering the estate revealed a menacing silhouette in the darkness. As long as that forest existed, the Aster family’s peace could be threatened at any time.

Rian looked down at his small hand. With this little hand, he had to protect everything precious from that looming darkness.