In a domain not far away from Xendra Viscounty, there is a bustling city with a big manor in the middle of the city. Inside one of the rooms in the manor, there is a noble middle-age man with a shrewd face and a gloomy middle-aged man with a gloom aura around him.

The shrewd nobleman was standing in front of a French window with his left hand gripping his right wrist in his back. There was silence in this room until the calm was broken by the sudden sound that came from him.

“I hear that that brat Wyne is still alive and procuring a lot of iron, is the curse failed?” asked the nobleman while facing a scenery outside from the window.

“No, I’m sure that the curse was successful.” The gloomy man that was sitting on the sofa with his hands clenched in front of his face has an expression of absolute certainty while contemplating and continued, “But I suspect there may be someone helping him cure the curse.”

“Is it the 2nd Rank Magus Apprentice Herman?”

“I don’t think so, he doesn’t have the reason nor the ability to cure the curse, even a 5th Rank Magus Apprentice such as myself needed a lot of time to cure such a curse.” The gloomy man shook his head in disagreement.

“Are you really certain that ‘that’ place is really in the Xendra domain?” With a doubtful expression plastered on his face, the shrewd nobleman turns his face to the back intimidatingly.

“Yes ‘that’ place must be there, I’m certain of it! My only chance to promote to a real Magus located there and of course, there is definitely plenty of magical treasure located in ‘that’ place!” Said the gloomy man full with a blazing desire in his eye.

“Good, if curse doesn’t work then we just need to dispose of him with violence, I will send my private troop with a group of my personal knight that will impersonate as a bandit, I will also sell a lot of iron to him so that he wastes a lot of his funding but it may require some time to do that.” The noble middle-aged man then smiles in shrewdness.

“That’s fine, as long as I got ‘that’ it doesn’t matter.” The gloomy middle-aged man nods his head in agreement.

***

As I am trying to get to the library, I came across a maid with a tied black hair and a quite beautiful face, when I recall her name in Wyne’s memory, I remember that she was Tia the head maid in the mansion. Just as I was about to pass her, she saw me with a surprised look and asked respectfully.

“Good Morning Young Master, may I know where you are going?”

“Oh, it’s nothing far, I’m just going to the library.” I shrug my shoulder as if in ignorance.

“That’s unusual for you to be there! I will show the way.” Tia opens her eyes wide, surprised by my willingness to go to the library.

“There’s no need.” Just when I said that I detect a sharp glint that appears from the corner of my vision and she flinched a little, I recall from Wyne’s memory that she has a little of a sadistic tendency and hate being rejected.

“Then I will be going to instruct the maid to clean the mansion.” Then the head maid left as if nothing happens.

“Yes, do as you may!” I said in a weird feeling as I left the periphery area.

The mansion itself wasn’t that big, it’s only about a hectare in size and around 10 hectares if included the surrounding garden and other places. There are also 20 or so personal guards protecting the mansion and they greet me in reverence as I passed them.

As I arrive at the library, I saw a room with quite a lot of books inside. There should be around five hundred books inside, it was quite a lot if considering how valuable paper is in this era.

‘First I will need general knowledge and common sense in this world!’ Alex searched the book and found several books containing knowledge about history and common sense.

The books explained that Xendra Viscounty is a nobility located in Raivia Kingdom which was just one of the six human kingdoms in the world of Axelion or so it was called.

There was the Human Realm and the Demi-Human Realm, there was also the monster realm which was unexplored and treacherous region, it was rumored that there is a being that controlled the monster or some sort residing there. And there seems to be only one continent found in this world which was named Euporia Continent, the sea monster around the continent is aplenty and a lot of forbidden region surrounded the continent. At least that was what the book said.

There seem to be three Magus Dynasty in the past, The Infinity Dynasty, The Cloud Dynasty, and The Golem Dynasty, Although the book doesn’t state the reason for the fall of the Magus Dynasty.

As I skip through the book, I came across a book with a hide cover and a gem decoration on the side of the book. As I read the title, I swallowed my saliva.

‘Knowledge About Magus and Knight by Astrea Ludwin.’

As I open the book and read it, my eyes shone in excitement for what treasure I had just found.

‘So, it’s like that, huh… no wonder Magus is a very referred and scary existence while there is Knight that has extraordinary strength and capable of crushing stone with hand!’

In this world there are two major paths of cultivation, first is Knight that cultivate qi, they practice martial art with the use of qi to strengthen their body and was very proficient with melee and ranged weapon. And there is also Magus, a strange existence capable of manipulating mana and use magic. It was stated that there are five ranks for every major stage of cultivation, starting from 1st Rank continuously to 5th Rank. It was rumored that the higher their cultivation is, the longer their lifespan is.

‘Such a shame that this book didn’t describe how to attain Knighthood or to become a Magus and other books in this library wasn’t that important, there are way too many knight story and poem in this library and the knowledge just amounted too little.’ I sigh and shake my head in disappointment.

‘I need to gather more knowledge and to gather it I will need power, damn it’s an endless cycle!’ As I was contemplating how to gather more knowledge, I remember that Xendra Viscounty has a Knight cultivation technique manual in its treasury.

Just as I was about to go to the treasury and open the door to outside the library, Sebastian the butler was just about to come in from outside of the room. He was quite perplexed from the sudden opening of the door.

“Please excuse me, Young Master… I’m here to report that it’s time to lunch," said Sebastian elegantly with his right hand holding his upper left chest with a slight bowing.

I was quite surprised by the passing of time and in the blink of an eye, the sun that was just rising from the east already above my head.

‘Sure indeed, time flow so fast just like water.’ I nod with a smile as I remember a proverb from somewhere.

As I told Sebastian to lead the way, we reach the dining hall in the middle of the mansion, if the master bedroom is in the middle-front side of the second floor, the library room is in the right side of the second floor and the dining hall is in the middle back of the first floor.

When I arrived in the dining hall, I see that the food has been prepared. I took the sit in the middle as I was the Viscount.

“The food for lunch today is white bread with grilled pork and cow stew," Sebastian explained with his gentlemanly smile on his face.

‘From Wyne’s memory, this kind of food is quite luxurious, it’s as expected of nobility’s food.’ I swallowed in delight for the food.

Then after I taste all of them, I realize that modern food in my world tastes way better and I start missing the junk food that I usually ate.

“Young Master, the iron in the territory will be completely collected three days from now, as for the ones purchased from outside the territory it may take a week or so.” Report Sebastian reverently.

“Make it faster, used more funding if needed, I need all of that collected in five days!” I ordered as I swallowed the hard meat.

“Yes, as you commanded!” replied Sebastian with a quite worried expression.

After finishing my lunch, I told Sebastian to lead me to the treasury. The treasury is located near the master bedroom and it wasn’t long before we reach it.

What was waiting for me wasn’t a room filled with golds and treasury but some unimportant antique and few golds in the side? My initial imagination of the treasury falls from a fat cow into a half-dead starving cow.

“Why the treasury so empty?” I cursed in disappointment by the exhausted treasury.

“The Xendra Viscounty already lack money, after we purchased a lot of iron, the treasury that was almost empty became like this," replied Sebastian with a condescending look as he bows his head.

“Oh….” I blush in shyness after hearing that I was the cause.

Then I noticed that in the middle of the treasury was placed a meter-tall pillar with a blue book inside a glass case above the pillar. I approached the pillar and carefully take the book inside the case and read the title.

‘Xendra Family’s Knight Breathing Technique Manual.’ As I read the manual, I became energized with excitement.

Seeing I was interested in the Knight technique, Sebastian was surprised without showing it much on his face.

‘Young Master before never take interest in cultivating, did the falling incident change him somehow?’ thinking that, Sebastian became even more suspicious but then he throws it in the back of his mind.

As Sebastian was being suspicious, I was reading through the inside of the book and realize that this technique is only capable of achieving the 5th Rank Knight Apprentice Stage.

“There is no way that there’s a free meal in this world, I will... no, I must gather higher-ranked technique later!” I clench my fist firmly full with determination.

‘After all, only by having strength, could I control my own fate and not be killed like an ant. If not, I won’t even know how I die!?’

‘As for gathering the higher-ranked technique, I will do that later, the only thing that does matter right now was to use what I have to the fullest!’

‘It may take a lot of time but after all, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!’

After pondering all of that, I told Sebastian to gather cultivation resource as it will be needed for my technique, it’s a good thing that Xendra’s territory was near a mountain and a forest, so it will be easy to gather the material needed for the basic.

Just as I was about to left the treasury, I notice a blink in the corner and I see an exquisite sword lying in the corner.

‘I might as well take it; it will do for now.’ Then I take the sword with me as I reach the entrance.

After all that I left the treasury without knowing the danger that will come later.