Raul's POV
Oh, I really hate my life.
I was born into the Vance Barony, the illegitimate son of Viktor von Vance, the baron himself.
What they don't know is that I'm a reincarnator.
I was aware of everything from the moment I opened my eyes, born with both a blessing and a curse.
I could control the concept of Aether, yet I had no mana. Because of that, people thought I was someone who couldn't use magic at all.
But Aether is trillions of times denser than mana. With it, I can manipulate space and time.
There are gods in this world — gods whose names I recognized from my previous, modern world. But the truly terrible part?
I was reincarnated into an otome game.
Here, demons aren't the real enemies — the true threat is the Demon God, the being who endangers the entire continent.
I had something similar to a system.
Instead of handing me power directly, it taught me things.
From a young age, I secretly studied the important aspects of using Aether, learning to keep it hidden.
Being the third son of a baron — and a bastard — I knew I'd be cast out soon enough. I'm fifteen now.
I started training in secret at the age of five. My powers reached a point where progressing any further became difficult.
Then, the system suggested something: to take souls in exchange for contracts.
By collecting souls, I could create new abilities for myself, and the so-called system would assist me.
It even educated me about souls; the system acted like a teacher to me, or perhaps a secretary.
Knowledge didn't appear in front of me as a glowing blue screen — it simply surfaced in my mind.
This world is called Arcadia, made up of five great empires.
Each empire is ruled by a dominant race:
In the north, dragons and demons; in the south, elves and dwarves; and finally, in the west, humans.
Humanity rules the largest empire. Though their lifespans are short, they reach their potential quickly — and their ability to reproduce far surpasses all other races.
Counting the number of religions in this world would be madness.
There is just one great mainland — a single landmass that, based on maps and my modern knowledge, is at least a hundred times larger than Earth. It's insane.
There are more races than I can count, and of course, the famous academy, where this story takes place.
Academy stands at the center of the continent, open to all races: demon, human, dwarf — it doesn't matter.
This world is filled with magic.
With Aether and my system, things I couldn't even imagine became possible.
Of course, I have limits.
To claim someone's soul, the contract must be completed; how it's completed doesn't matter.
For example, I had waited a long time for Andre, the man whose soul I took a month ago.
I already knew he would come to that tavern. I paid the innkeeper a large amount of gold to hang up an old sign and rename the place Florence Inn.
When it comes to swordsmanship or anything else, I believe only the gods surpass me.
The continent calls me The Entity.
It all started five years ago, when I was ten. I appeared to my enemies as calm, like a smiling merchant.
But when I stood before them, feeling their desires and emotions, none could ever refuse my offer.
A dwarf who wanted to forge the greatest weapon, yet created a cursed blade and was turned to stone by the gods.
Vampires who longed to walk under sunlight but, in the end, found only agony in the dark.
In every case, I took their souls.
When that dwarf turned to stone, I took his.
The vampire begged me to take his — ashamed of what he had become.
Stories like these spread across the continent.
People who knew they would die or turn to skeletons often left behind diaries.
They feared that if they spoke my name, I would hear them; that's why they called me The Entity.
Among humans, there were immortals, those who stopped aging after a certain point, whether they were master swordsmen or archmages.
It was fascinating.
There are ten levels of mastery for both sword and magic.
No one on the continent has ever reached the tenth. The oldest living masters barely touched the ninth level.
But for someone like me, that doesn't matter.
From what I've learned, Aether existed even before the universe itself.
The gods, on the other hand, are beings born from concepts, most of them primitive in nature.
The energy they wield is called Divinity.
It's a complex world, but I was enjoying myself.
I used Andre's soul to strengthen my own.
The abilities I wanted to create, I already had.
Things like the sixth sense, or the craftsmanship of a master blacksmith.
Their experiences became mine, but not their personalities — I only absorbed their skills, not their memories.
The concept of greed is fascinating. Most beings have it for power, money, women, or anything else.
I simply learned to use those desires.
Even if I can't enter the divine realm, I can understand what the gods are thinking; they aren't omniscient.
But I'm certain the gods of the underworld despise me.
And Zeus probably does too, since I manipulate time itself.
As for Odin… I don't know, but I'm sure that if he ever saw me, he'd try to erase me.
I sighed.
In this game I found myself in, the main character's name is Lara Lightbringer, a supposed peasant girl who later discovers she's descended from an ancient hero.
By the end of the story, she's surrounded by a harem of men and women, and yes, there's yuri too.
Thinking about all that, I took a deep breath and gazed out the window.
This world was beautiful. Even though there are devices similar to phones, the architecture and fashion are distinctly medieval.
Such a strange world…
In the middle of my thoughts, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened behind me. I didn't turn around, but I recognized the old butler's voice.
"Master Raul, Lord Viktor wishes to see you."
I sighed. "So, it's finally time?"
I could already guess what this was about.
The old butler liked me — he'd watched me grow up, though he never truly saw everything. Most of what he saw was an illusion anyway.
Even if I appeared to be a lazy noble, I never stopped training.
Even now, Aether flows within me.
"Yes, Master Raul. It's time to leave."
I smiled faintly. "Then let's go, old man."
When I turned, I saw him wiping his tears.
I gave him a gentle smile — and followed him out.