Adrian's POV
As I walked toward my destination, an uneasy feeling lingered in my chest. A single 'discussion' with her might decide what kind of life I'm allowed to live in this world.
This new mother is the woman who gave birth to this body.
And I'm not an only child either—I have two siblings.
One is an older sister who turned seventeen this year.
The other is a younger brother, born a year and a few months after me.
As for my father… he is rarely home.
My interactions with him have been so few and so brief that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I've barely seen him at all in these five years.
'Honestly, I don't like any of them, but if I had to choose the one I consider the most tolerable, then it would probably be this new mother of mine.'
After a few minutes of walking through the mansion, I finally arrived before a room marked by an especially grand door.
A maid was standing beside it, but she didn't resemble the other servants who usually worked around the mansion.
Her posture and mannerisms, along with her neat, composed appearance, clearly showed that she was a maid of higher status compared to the rest.
The moment she noticed me approaching, she bowed elegantly and spoke in a tone that was polite rather than submissive.
"Welcome, young master Adrian. The lady has been expecting you."
As she said that, she stepped forward and gently opened the door.
Standing to the side of the now wide open entrance, she gestured for me to enter with practiced grace.
I moved my feet slowly yet steadily.
Upon entering the room, I once again felt a quiet awe at how grand and beautiful it was, even though this wasn't my first time here.
Near the window, a woman sat on a chair with a small round table in front of her.
Her long, flowing golden hair shimmered like real gold as it caught the sunlight pouring through the window.
Her eyes were a clear green—bright, pure, and almost like polished glass crystals.
Her face was beautiful, yet elegant and dignified enough that it commanded respect without needing to demand it.
She held a teacup in one hand and sifted through documents with the other, all while calmly bathing in the sunlight.
Noticing me enter, the woman set both the teacup and the document down on the table, then turned toward me.
With a soft smile, she spoke in a gentle voice.
"How is the young genius of our house doing today? I heard that you spent the entire morning in the library as well.
It is good that you are working hard, but I hope you are enjoying yourself in the process as well, Adi."
The tone of her voice—and especially the word 'genius'—suddenly dragged up old memories.
Memories from Earth.
Old memories surged up—ones I'd deliberately buried.
The recollection stirred a wave of nausea and anger I had long forgotten.
My heartbeat quickened, and I unconsciously started biting my tongue.
But I quickly forced those memories and emotions back down—I had prepared for this moment.
Lifting my eyes toward my mother's face, I saw her still smiling softly at me.
'My expression probably didn't change, so she must not have noticed anything.'
I stretched my lips into a soft smile of my own and replied in a polite, respectful tone.
'It's the same as back on Earth. Smile, agree, and be left alone.'
"I am doing well as always. And I enjoy myself every moment during my time in the library.
But it is a little overwhelming when everyone overestimates my abilities to such a high degree. I am not a genius, and labeling me as such feels like too much responsibility to shoulder."
Hearing my reply, my mother's smile slowly faded, and a faint hint of irritation surfaced on her face.
With a stern expression and a tone that left no room for argument, she spoke:
"It is good to be modest instead of being delusional, but you must always stay self-aware in either case.
Underestimating your own abilities is not a good thing for you, Adi.
Reaching Phase One at the age of two and having affinity for the rare space element is not something that someone who is not a genius can do."
'Well, what else do you expect when a twenty-five-year-old man is stuffed inside a child's body? If a child like that isn't abnormal, something must be wrong with him.'
"I understand my mistake, and I will make sure to reflect on it," I said, bowing my head.
"You always say that, Adi." She sighed softly. "But I did not call you here to lecture you."
Her stern expression gradually shifted into a neutral one. Then, in a more serious tone, she continued:
"Starting tomorrow, you will receive formal education and training related to mana."
"Do children my age really receive that kind of education?" I asked, slightly puzzled.
"No, they don't," she replied without hesitation. "But that is because almost all children reach Phase One around the age of seven, and thus their training begins when they turn eight.
You, however, reached Phase One quite some time ago, so delaying your training any further would serve no purpose."
The 'Phase One' she kept mentioning is simply the first stage for those capable of using mana—the magical energy present in this world. You could even think of Phase One as the awakening stage of mana, similar to how protagonists in web comics awaken their magical powers.
In stories, awakenings are always dramatic. Mine was… not.
Like any other day, I went to sleep without doing anything meaningful, since I was a baby at the time.
But when I woke up, I felt as if my body had become significantly stronger and my mind had become noticeably sharper. I could even sense something foreign flowing inside me.
When a few servants and the medic checked me, they began jumping around and shouting like scientists yelling "Eureka!" after making some grand discovery.
'Too many strange things happen while I'm sleeping. At this point, I'm scared to fall asleep.'
What can you actually do with mana in this world? Exactly what those web comics and games love to show—reality-altering magic and world-destroying sword techniques.
"I understand," I said, clearing my thoughts. "Is there anything else I should know?"
My mother paused thoughtfully. After contemplating for a few moments, she spoke again:
"There is one other matter I wish to discuss with you. However, the entire topic is based on an unverified rumor circulating through noble society.
If that rumor turns out to be false, then the entire discussion would be meaningless. So that matter will have to wait until our sources can verify its credibility."
"I understand. Then may I take my leave now that there is nothing more to discuss?" I asked, already growing tired of staying here.
My mother's lips curved into a soft smile once again as she heard me. In a light tone, she said:
"Why are you in such a hurry to leave, Adi? I have something to discuss with the butler, so why don't you accompany me there?"
I stretched my lips into a polite, soft smile of my own and replied:
"Of course, I will accompany you, Mother."
My mother stood up from her chair and began walking toward the exit of her room, and I followed a few steps behind her.
As we moved through the corridors, my mind wandered back to the basics I'd pieced together about this world over five years:
Aside from humans, other fantasy races like elves, dwarves, and beastmen exist here. Even creatures such as demons and vampires are present. There are many other races too, but their populations are so small that they barely hold any significance.
The demons even have a king, which naturally means there is a demon king.
But no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find a single mention of a hero ever existing in this world.
And this raised another question for me:
'In almost every fantasy world, the demon king tries to conquer the world and the hero is the one who stops them. So if there is no hero in this world, then why hasn't the demon king already conquered it yet?'
I guess that's another unanswered question added to the list.
The family I was born into is a noble family within the empire—though it's not just any noble family.
The empire has three ducal families, and this family happens to be one of them, holding the highest influence even among those three ducal houses.
'At this point, you could even say it's the strongest noble family in the empire.'
A family whose influence is comparable to—even rivaling—that of the imperial family itself.
'The Ravenshades.'
******
As Adrian descended the stairs following his mother, a commotion below caught his attention.
A group of servants were kicking and shouting at another servant.
The one being beaten was a girl who looked barely fourteen. A slave collar clung to her neck and ankles, marking her status unmistakably. Her long, pointed ears confirmed she wasn't human either—an elf.
Adrian observed the scene in silence as he thought:
'Is this one of those scenes where the protagonist steps in to stop injustice and ends up gaining an overpowered harem member?
…Not that I want something like that. But intervening might at least tell me whether this world follows a story's logic.'
He turned to his mother, his face as unreadable as ever.
Pointing toward the commotion happening below, he asked:
"Mother, why are they doing that?"
She stopped descending the stairs and looked in the direction he was pointing.
After observing the scene briefly, she replied in a calm, matter-of-fact tone:
"That one must have failed to do her work properly, so they're punishing her."
"But… aren't they being too cruel?" Adrian asked, his voice lacking any particular emotion.
His mother looked at him with mild confusion, as though the question itself was strange.
"Adi, do you know how we ride horses?" she continued.
"When a horse stops running, we strike its neck with the reins. We don't pat its head and kindly ask it to continue running again.
That is simply how horse riding works; it has nothing to do with kindness or cruelty. Do you understand, Adi?"
Adrian silently met his mother's gaze for a moment, expression unchanging, then turned back toward the elf girl curled on the floor.
He watched her a little longer before speaking again in the same flat, emotionless voice:
"I guess you're right."
Then they both resumed descending the stairs.
As they passed the scene, a quiet thought emerged in Adrian's mind:
'That answers at least one of my questions.
Humans are the real demons in this world.'