Three months had passed since Melicas Nova learned how to read.
He still couldn't write—his baby hands were simply too clumsy—but reading? Reading was his domain. With Mayvelin's help, he reached for the more complex tomes from the royal library nestled inside her bedchamber.
He read about the continent. The empire. The world.
And then… his mind was blown.
This… this is the fantasy world I've always dreamed of!
Magic existed. Dragons existed. Races of power and beauty, monsters of myth, and laws written in strength—it was everything he'd ever imagined and more.
And now, it was his reality.
He didn't waste his time questioning how or why he reincarnated. He didn't think about death anymore or ponder where his Earth family was. He'd come to terms with it. This was his life now—and a pretty damn luxurious one at that.
He had a mother who doted on him like a living goddess. A sister who came to play with him every other day. He didn't know where his father was, nor did he care. His only thought now?
"I need to learn magic. I need to grow stronger. So I can protect them."
Because if there was one thing he knew from all his fantasy novels and isekai anime—it's that weakness is a curse. And in this world, power ruled above all else.
---
The world was called Elvenorah.
And it was massive.
Humongous.
Each of the nine continents was said to be at least ten times the size of Earth. Eight of them were dominated by the major races: Demons, Angels, Humans, Vampires, Werewolves, Elves, Dragons, and Witches.
The ninth? A neutral continent in the center of the world. Governed by all eight races together, it was the hub of commerce, diplomacy, education, and trade. A "peace zone"—as peaceful as you could get in a world where the strong ruled over the weak.
The species distribution was mind-boggling. Undead creatures, fiends, and cursed spirits lived alongside demons. Goblins, trolls, and druids lived with elves. Skeletons in armor. Fallen angels. Talking slimes. You name it—it existed.
And here, death was not the end.
Resurrection was common.
Each race had its own resurrection system. The Demons had their Nine-Floor Hell and the terrifying 666-Floor Abyss, which housed their Overlords and resurrection chambers. The Angels had Heaven. Even individual warriors could create resurrection phylacteries using materials that weren't super rare—just expensive.
The economy was simple too.
Bronze
Silver
Gold
Amethyst coins.
Each tier was 100 of the previous, and Amethyst was the currency of empires.
But what truly shook Melicas was—
The technology.
This world wasn't medieval.
It was modern—if not more advanced than Earth!
There were crystal-comms that worked like smartphones but with magic. Holo-projection screens for entertainment. AetherNet—essentially magic internet. Movies, series, webnovels, even fantasy-themed reality shows.
My god, I can be a lazy bum here and still stream anime all day!
Cough, I mean—learn magic and protect my family. Obviously.
All of this, Melicas learned from books. He hadn't seen any of it yet. He hadn't even left the palace room in his entire one year of life. But now… now he had a goal.
---
He closed the heavy tome in his lap and looked up.
Mayvelin was standing in the corner, arms crossed under her ample chest, smiling warmly as she watched him read.
Melicas blinked.
How long has she been watching me...?
"Done reading, my baby?" she asked with a chuckle.
He nodded.
Mayvelin swooped in and hugged him tightly. He snuggled into her soft robes and burrowed his head into her chest like a koala latching onto a sacred tree.
"Such a good boy. So smart," she whispered lovingly.
Melicas didn't say anything. He just hugged her tighter, and she lifted him into her arms, carried him to the bed, and gently laid him down beside her.
"All that reading must have made you hungry, huh?" she asked.
Without responding, Melicas casually pulled down her robe and latched onto her breast, greedily drinking milk. With one hand, he fondled the other side, accidentally making a little milk spray onto his face.
"Getting hasty, are we?" Mayvelin giggled, wiping his face clean. "Don't worry. Mama's not going anywhere."
When he was done with one, he gave her a firm pinch on the other nipple to indicate round two. Mayvelin rolled him over with expert hands, and he continued his feast like a noble warrior returning to his favorite tavern.
After a while, he looked up at her.
She looked back with the same beautiful smile.
"Mama…" he began. "Melicas… go… walk? Outside?"
She blinked. "You want to go outside, dear?"
He nodded.
"Do you not like being inside with Mama anymore?"
He shook his head quickly. This woman… did she really think a one-year-old wanted to stay in one room for a year? It might've been fine for her—but for him, it was a mental prison.
He tried again. "Walk. Mama. Melicas. Fun."
Her eyes lit up. "Oh! You want to go for a walk with Mama and have fun?"
He nodded like a chicken on turbo mode.
The next thing he knew, Mayvelin had scooped him into her arms and blurred toward the door in a flash of light.
...Huh?!
She didn't even close her robe—but a second later, it was already wrapped tightly around her again.
What the hell was that speed?!
But the thought left his head the moment he saw the outside world.
It was breathtaking.
The skies were dark but not gloomy. A massive silver moon with a crimson corona loomed in the heavens. The trees had blackened trunks and glowing golden leaves. The grass was silver-blue, and the distant peaks shimmered like lava-lit mountains.
Everything looked like a dream.
My race…?
No way humans could live in this environment.
So he looked up at his mother and asked softly:
"Mama. Me… race what?"
Mayvelin smiled and leaned in, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"What else, dear? You're my precious little Dragon. A child of the Sunblood."
Melicas blinked.
Dragon?!
I'm a dragon?!