[Back when Antonio had his memories of his past life sealed away. 3 years ATAB]
After young Antonio got his memories sealed away by the Ultimate Conqueror System, he had continued to live his life like usual, the only exception being that now he had a private tutor that will be teaching him the entire mandatory curriculum for a commoner and then start teaching him the Noble curriculum.
Antonio was now having his first lesson with his private tutor, but since it was the first day, it was decided that he will be able to ask the tutor some questions and then continue to improve his reading and writing in Midorian and then Elvish.
Midorian is taught before the native language because it is seen as a sacred language, the one used by the Deities and then added upon by the Heroes. There are conflicting accounts among the species on Yvon for who among the Deities actually created the language, but the majority of people have decided that Campbell was the one that created Midorian.
The Ultimate Conqueror was now inside a spacious study room alongside his private tutor, an unassuming male elf that was chosen by his father. The room was illuminated with the help of the glowing fruits of the Lumos trees.
[The Lumos are a species of tree that predominantly grow in areas that have little to no natural light, such as caves or overgrown forests with tall trees. Its fruits are bioluminescent, which makes them look appetizing to the animals that have evolved to live in environments with little to not night.
They have small but extremely tough seeds, resistant to strong stomach acids, which are eaten and the excreted out by the animals, away from the parent.
They live by either stealing the nutrients from other trees, corpses or even fungi, thus giving them the more popular name of 'Vampire Tree']
There were only two desks, one for the tutor and one for Antonio, a greenboard for writing, a map of the continent of Yvon, a wooden globe which had carvings of the other known landmasses on Midor, a large statue of Natir and several, smaller statues of the other deities from the elvish pantheon.
Antonio almost raised his hand to ask a question but quickly stopped himself, masking the movement by coughing into his hand.
-"Why do I need to learn so much? In stories, your mandatory education is over once you learn how to read, write and do math!"
'Ugh, I hate acting like a kid so much... Acting like this in front of my parents is one thing, but in front of someone that isn't even royalty?'
Over the years of living as the only heir to the throne of one of the strongest Empires on the continent, Antonio had started to feel like he was fundamentally better than anyone that isn't from a royal family. If you were to ask him what the ranks of the people on Yvon are, they would be:
1.Me(Antonio)
2.Midoro Royal Family member
3.The Elder Council of Midoro
4.The Royal Families of the other Empires.
5.Pets
6.High Rank nobles
7.Low Rank nobles
8.Commoners
This mindset was facilitated by his parents, his System, his servants and everybody else. Due to being used to having his lowest servants be either the children of high rank noble of low rank nobles, he had begun to see Commoners almost like animals.
His teacher, whose name he had already forgotten, lightly cleared his throat and then started to explain to him what he already knew.
-"It is because Nobles are fundamentally better than commoners, my lord, and so it is only natural that Royalty, like yourself, which are fundamentally better than Nobles, will have to learn even more.
A low-rank noble might be able to afford to have uneducated children, but proper nobles cannot, and so your mandatory education is of much higher quality."
His teacher didn't have any air of arrogance or contemptuousness in his voice, speaking as if he were speaking a basic fact of life.
Antonio did not feel anything about what he said either. Yes, he had come from a world where such a view might be seen as illogical or immoral, but on Midor? Now that he was actually someone that was above people? He saw it as something logical.
His mindset, while not the best, was still one of an arrogant narcissist. Someone that truly thinks they are above others, and that is why he was chosen among the candidates for Natir's request.
He put on a proud and happy smile and then nodded to what his teacher said, acting like a child that was being praised for something inconsequential.
-"But why did I learn Midorian before I learned Elvish? I want to learn what language my parents use!"
-"It is because Midorian is a sacred language, my lord. It had been the language that the Deities used and the one that the Heroes improved with the guidance of the Deities."
Antonio put on an intrigued and curios face, but this time it was a genuine one as, for some reason, he couldn't remember the things his system had told him about the world before, so this was a useful piece of information.
-"Who created Midorian then?"
His teacher had a conflicted look on his face as he started thinking about how to properly explain it to a four year old child, which by Elvish standards was basically still freshly born.
-"That is...a complicated subject, my lord. May I suggest that you wait to learn more about it after you had finished learning basic math? Your history lessons will include it."
Antonio started pouting and looked frustrated about now being able to learn something now, but relented and instead asked for his lesson to start, wanting to get a head start.
[A few weeks later. 3 years ATAB]
His lessons continued like this for many weeks, where he would get some time at the start and end to ask various questions, those that a child would ask, and then study.
His knowledge of math felt fragmented, which helped him learn much faster than a normal child while still having to learn the needed information. This led to him not managing to some particularly difficult questions in his tests, which his teacher put there in order to give him the option to get 'Extra points'.
Besides such questions, he would also hear his teacher speak in some familiar but odd language from time to time. When asked about it, his teacher would simply say that he was just reciting some words in one of the ancient languages, wanting to test out various incantations.
Antonio felt like it made sense but it also didn't, with a small part of his brain telling him that incantations for rituals weren't said in the ancient languages but instead in Magical Script, but this voice was locked away, and left unheard.
Today was his free day so he spent most of his time either in the library or walking through the palace, getting greeted and bowed at by the various servants that were walking around and also going to visit his parents, acting like a child that didn't understand how busy his parents were.
As he walked into one of the dining rooms that was reserved for his use, prepared to enjoy his meal, he noticed something that irked him greatly. It was a small stain on the tablecloth.
As he sat down at the table, he saw that the other servants also noticed the stain and were nervously staring at both him and the stain.
Of course, a good enough Water mage would be able to remove the stain with no problem with their Water Manipulation but that was not possible as the usage of magic inside the Royal Palace was prohibited.
Any use of magic, whether it be the strengthening of the body or to cast even the smallest of spells, is punished by immediate execution on the grounds of attempting to harm a member of the Royal Family.
It was a very harsh rule but a necessary one. The usage of magic can be picked up by various talented people and so circulating it consciously in order to cast a spell or to strengthen the body can be used as a hidden signal among assassins, activate hidden artifacts and many more things.
Antonio calmly looked at the stain and then slowly looked at all of the servants present within the dining room. There were five in total, with one being in charge of bringing and carrying the dishes to the kitchen, one in charge of preparing the table, cutlery and to make sure that Antonio was comfortable, and the other three were in charge of cleaning.
His gaze continued to move until it reached the one in charge of bringing the dish, which was a bowl of Feijoada, a type of stew that is seen as a staple food among the nobility of the Midoro Empire. It was served with high quality, steaming noble bread, freshly baked, and two pitchers of water and freshly juiced fruit juice.
It was middle aged elvish man, around 450 years old. He did not look to be the child of a high ranking noble so he was most likely a low-ranking noble that had managed to get hired. Judging from his trembling hands, panicked look and awkward posture, he was most likely the one that caused the stain.
Typically, such a mistake would be fixed by cutting the salary of the servant until they pay for the damage plus around 15% more, this being seen as one the most lenient punishments. The harshest would be immediate execution, but this was used only by foolish Royals that do not understand how to properly rule.
Antonio let out a small mental 'tsk' as he saw the servant's appearance, his disappointment hidden behind his neutral facial expression.
-'Why couldn't you have been a young woman instead? I could have used this as an excuse to get my own personal maid...'
While Antonio had his own nanny, which he did not really care about, he wanted his own maid which would be blindly loyal to him simply because he pardoned a small mistake of hers. It was something that he saw a lot in some of the novels he read, and although he found it unrealistic, he still wanted a personal maid.
Unfortunately for him, a personal servant can be given only once he comes of age or until he leaves on official matters, with his nanny being responsible for him until then. The problem was that elves 'come of age' when they are around 150 years old.
It was when they were seen as true adults as they would have had enough time to experience the death of someone that wasn't an elf. This was something that was invented by the first Emperor of Midoro, with him saying that true maturity comes only when one learns of the lonely nature of elves.
'Lonely nature my ass... Just because elves weren't as numerous back then doesn't mean that just because we live longer than some humans, we will be lonely for life.
Still, now I have to think about how I should punish him.... I am still a child, so a large punishment will be seen as unnatural or uncharacteristically cruel.
If I were to give him a very lenient punishment, it might lead to other servants learning of my 'forgiving nature', with them now becoming much more lax, not being as worried about making mistakes.'
He purposefully waited and thought more about it, making the middle aged elf more and more uncomfortable and nervous. Seeing an adult, that was clearly much stronger than him, feel uncomfortable and squirm, knowing that he cannot do anything to harm Antonio, pleased him greatly.
"What's your name?"
The servants flinched and the middle aged man slowly stepped forward and introduced himself, kneeling down in front of Antonio in the process.
-"My name is Saulo, my lord."
Saulo did not bother to apologize or make excuses, he was simply asked for his name and that is all that he was going to say. If he were to speak out of turn then his punishment would only worsen. Still, the fact that the young master decided to ask for his name, this must mean that the punishment wouldn't be so bad, right?
Antonio nodded and then looked at the tablecloth, then at Saulo as he put on the expression of an innocent child.
-"It is alright, everybody makes mistakes. Papa taught me that small mistakes don't....warrant severe punishments."
He made a purposeful pause in his speech, as if he were not sure about the proper word while Saulo's expression noticeably brightened.
"And so, since you are bad at bringing food, you will be....be...demoted! Yes, demoted."
Saulo's face went pale as he simply nodded once and then went back to his position. The other servants looked at him with pity in their eyes while Antonio started eating his meal.
Later that day, Saulo was demoted from being a servant in charge of the kitchen to one in charge of the latrines, providing mana and ether to the plants so that they may process the 'fertilizer' in a more efficient way.
Antonio did not care about Saulo, forgetting everything about him by the time he went to sleep, but Saulo did not forget Antonio.
[Royal bedchambers]
Helena was slowly putting her night gown while her husband, Ademir, looked on with a mesmerized expression on his face. He would do that every time Helena would change, acting as if he was looking at the most beautiful sight in the world, and it made her smile.
Once she was done, she slowly walked towards the bed, making sure to slightly sway her hips in the process, and then slowly put her hands on Ademir's face, bringing him closer to her.
He still had that mesmerized look on his face, his eyes slightly unfocused, all while her fingers traced the edges of his face until they stopped at his lips.
She dragged her finger against his lips and then brought it to her mouth, tasting it as she gave him a playful wink.
Just as Ademir was about to continue, both of their expressions turned neutral as their gazes went to the locked doors of their bedchamber. They both felt a subtle presence there, even with their abilities weakened with the help of artifacts.
After a small, inquisitive look towards her husband, Helena only received another look. They both were silently asking each other if they were expecting a guest.
-"Pity, if it had been a guest of yours, you would be getting a severe punishment afterwards."
-'Well now I am starting to hope it is a guest of mine.'
Ademir had a slightly excited look on his face as he went towards the door, covering himself with a light shawl as he walked, but when he opened the door, his excitement quickly turned to disappointment.
"It is yours, dear."
Helena was slightly surprised as she wasn't supposed to get any reports today, this being the reason for why she decided to have some fun, but now that her excitement had been extinguished, she put on a shawl as well and then walked towards her 'guest'.
It was Saulo, the man that was demoted that day by their son, Antonio, and immediately Helena's expression went from relaxed to serious. Ademir noticed this as well and gave her a small look, silently asking her if he should leave.
Helena gave him an almost imperceptible nod, which caused him to let out a small yawn and stretch.
"I am gonna take a walk through the garden now, I am in great need of fresh air."
He then left the Royal bedchambers and started walking towards the Garden section of the Royal Palace, leaving Helena along with Saulo.
She slowly walked inside, with Saulo following behind, closing the door shut behind him. He then waited until Helena went to the night lamp and activated the silencing artifact, only then did he take a knee and spoke up.
-"I greet your Imperial Majesty."
Helena looked at him and asked one simple question while she sat on the extremely soft bed.
-"Is he a Demonic Spirit?"
Saulo answered immediately, but his answer only served to frustrate the Elvish Empress even more.
-"I am unsure, but I think that the chances are low. The dishes given to him were those that were invented by the Heroes but there was no look on confusion or remembrance on his face, but that can be excused by him simply not knowing about them.
After I deliberately dirtied the tablecloth, he had not acted with unjust cruelty nor with much kindness, he instead opted to demote me. The way he tried to find the current words was awkward so it could be possible that he was faking it, but I doubt it."
Helena massaged her temples as she also thought of the reports given by Antonio's tutor. He had not been shown to know any words in any Demonic Language's nor any popular phrases and the questions to which he could not have known the answers to with his study material were either incorrect or left unanswered.
He did not correct his teacher when he incorrectly said that the ancient languages were used during rituals either, so the chances of another, older being possessing his body are also low.
-"If you were to give me a percentage on how sure you are that he isn't a Demonic Spirit, what would you give me?"
The middle aged elf pondered for only a few moments, which to Helena felt like hours, and then answered.
-"I would say 70% sure your Imperial Majesty. He could still be acting or hiding away his true knowledge but it had been for a long time and also while he still had a very young body."
-'That's not good enough...'
Helena didn't like to let things to chance, she needs to be absolutely certain or she won't forgive herself.
'Do I need to request the Elder Council's help? No, I have already spent most of my time hiding the presence of my spies near Antonio and the small tests, if I were to bring unnecessary attention, then he would surely be subjected to torture or mental prodding.
How can I be 100% sure? What things do most Demonic Spirit's have in common? Some don't know Demonic Language, some can act like the most famous actors, some possess incredible powers...
That's it!'
"Hire an Assassin to kill Antonio."
Saulo did not ask for clarification, neither did he ask Helena if she was sure, he was her royal servant, and so all he had to so was obey.
-"What Rank should the assassin be? The highest rank we can hire is Peak Ascended."
-"I want a low Enforced Assassin, someone that will have no trouble killing a child but also one that takes their time with their target."
Saulo nodded and then got up, bowing deeply before he left. He would then contact a famous organization from the Aurora Empire that was specialized in assassinations and gathering information.
Helena simply looked at the closed door and then covered her face with her hands, letting out a deep sigh. She wasn't actually tired or frustrated due to her constitution and Existence Rank, but that did not mean that she wasn't frustrated.
She lightly scratched her palms, wanting to take her mind off of things but it was not working as well as she would've liked.
'With this it will all be over Helena. Ademir doesn't have to know, he Cannot know.'
She then deactivated the silencing artifact and then slowly stood up, walking out of the Royal Bedchambers, picking up a pair of slippers, and then went towards the Royal Garden. She didn't want to worry her husband too much, and she knew that he enjoyed walking barefoot in the garden.
[Several weeks later, after Antonio's fifth birthday, 4 years ATAB]
Antonio was sleeping peacefully in his bedchamber, his bed now much bigger than before. It was a moonless night for Midor and countless clouds hid the starlight, leading to a pitch black night.
Rain was slowly falling down on the capital of the Midoro Empire, silencing the steps of the hidden figure watching Antonio from the balcony.
They were a medium-rank assassin from the Aurora Empire that was hired to take care of the prince of the Midoro Empire. Normally, such requests would be ignored or even reported directly to the Royal Family of the Empire involved in order to show that they weren't involved, but this time it was different.
With the request, there was a talisman which would enable the assassin to safely go through the several protective barriers and even protect against low-grade divinations along with 10 Gold Coins.
The fact that Gold Coins were used was what gave this organization their courage, thinking that if anything were to happen, the Royal Family would give them at least a small bit of protection.
Their specifications, while a bit odd, were understandable if one were to remember what happened during the Rain Rebellion, and so they sent Callous, one of their more cruel members.
Callous was a woman in her late 40s of the Low Enforced Existence Rank with a reputation of taking requests that target young children, with her getting the most requests during conflicts of territory between nobles or inheritance conflicts.
She was currently watching on as Antonio was peacefully resting in his room, slightly hesitant about entering the room, fearing an ambush or a hidden protective measure, but after her tongue went to the metal capsule inside her tooth, she calmed down.
Her gloved hand went for the handle of the door and then opened it slowly, a bit weirded out by the odd door.
She slowly went inside and then placed a silencing artifact beneath Antonio's bed, making sure to hide it from sight while also placing it near the center of the room, and once activated, she took out a bladed Bagh Nakh, the curved blades being placed so that he fingers can be put through them in order to better grip the dagger blade.
Callous took out a vial of sleeping agent which she put near Antonio's nose, making him go into deep sleep before she started restraining him, binding his feet and hands and then put an adhesive solution on his lips.
Her Bagh Nakh blade slowly went towards his cheek and then she slice, leaving a small but painful cut which stirred Antonio awake, his panicked eyes darting around the dark room while his lips painfully tried to open in order to let out a scream, but all that could be heard was a muffled whimper.
-"Shhhhh, be a good boy and listen, alright? All I want is to play a small game, and if you win, I'll let you go.
The game is simple. For every sound you let out, you get cut.
The game
Starts
Now!"
Callous then started slowly moving the blades of her bagh nakh towards Antonio's eyes while a large smile slowly formed on her masked face.