My older brother Lucius's 9th birthday was coming and it was destined to be marked by a grand celebration.
I was not looking forward to the inevitable gathering of noble swine in this other world, held solely to show off their children.
Being still young, I naturally didn't have to attend, but the entire Anglus Family household had been as busy as ants on a hot pan these past few days, and my personal maid and butler were no exception.
It was just a child's birthday party, yet such a wasteful activity took "formalism" to the extreme.
Would Aisha, Lia, and I all have to go through this one day? No way, that would make me depressed.
In any case, today I'll watch with an amused mindset to see how these otherworldly nobles squander their wealth. And maybe Lucius will make a fool of himself, hehehe.
At night, many high-ranking adults arrived, and I secretly observed their faces from the shadows, feeling that few of them seemed benevolent.
There's an idiom, "Birds of a feather flock together," and considering Marquis Bahod's character, truly upright nobles probably wouldn't attend this banquet.
"Marquis Bahod, it's truly good to see you again."
"Marquis Bahod, we are truly indebted to your assistance with the Dronval matter..."
"Marquis Bahod, the Gustove Merchant Guild is grateful for your long-standing patronage..."
"Is this your esteemed son? He is truly a talented young man; we eagerly anticipate his future."
Such flattering and obsequious pleasantries were everywhere. After all, the Anglus Family family was one of the most prominent noble families in the country, so most attendees were nobles and merchants seeking to curry favor with my father.
Some even brought their young daughters, their intentions clear: to form a marriage alliance with the Anglus Family family. The noble society of this otherworld, with its arranged marriages treating children as political commodities, was truly nauseating.
Still, I felt a bit envious of Lucius. As the center of attention today, being called "Lord Lucius" by so many young ladies, he must be so proud his tail would be wagging to the heavens.
I am also a son of the Marquis Family, and I'm sure I'll experience this one day.
Damn it, just thinking about such marriages, which disregard the feelings of the children, feels truly scandalous.
Oh, Lucius seemed a bit nervous under the gaze of so many adults.
Though I couldn't hear what he was saying from a distance, his hands kept rubbing against his pants, just like when I gave my first speech on the stage in Elementary School.
Keep it up, young man. That's how people are forced to grow up.
After observing the decadent customs of the nobility for a while, I felt tired of it and decided to return to my room.
Due to the lack of entertainment in this world, reading became my only hobby. Books were extremely precious in this world, but being the Marquis Family, there was no need to worry about that.
When I first told Volth I wanted to read, he brought back several children's storybooks the next day.
Reading these children's books under the butler's supervision was, to put it mildly, a form of mental torture. So, one day, I quietly followed him and found the room where the books were stored.
Since I knew too little about this world, most of the books there satisfied my strong thirst for knowledge. However, the most essential books to read right now were naturally those concerning the world geography, history of this country and surrounding countries, as well as research knowledge related to magic.
These books would surely be useful to me in the future. And since I couldn't read them all at once, I secretly took one back to my room, read it, then returned it and took another, repeating the cycle. This was now the third book, titled "The History of the Antasia Empire," seemingly a defunct nation.
According to the author whose name isn't mentioned in the book, the Antasia Empire was built 300 years in the early days of Chaotic Era which began after the end of Origin Era.
It is said that more than 10,000 years, the World of Trestria was extremely prosperous. Rich Magic heritage, Rune System, Martial Arts, and Technology prospered. In that era, Gods walked down the Earth and all races lived in harmony under the governance of the Gods.
Dragons, Elves, Dwarves, Elemental Spirits. Fairies, Orcs, Beastmen, Humans, etc. The number of the fantasy species and power races existing in that distant Era were numerous.
But one day, it's unknown what happened but the sky changed colour and the Gods disappeared together. Countless Powerful Mages and Martial Artists searched but they found nothing. People began to ask a question —Why did the Gods abandon them?
Some said they have gone back to Heaven and some said they are fighting an unknown enemy to protect the world. Some even gave out malicious accusations against the Gods.
From then on, the World became Chaotic and the ambitious people suppressed by Gods Majesty and power, began to emerge like bamboo shoots after spring rain.
Dragon, Elves, Dwarves, Humans, etc. The powerful races began to fight, causing worldwide suffering for the common people of every race.
It was during the Chaotic times of suffering that many legendary figures appeared on the continent from nowhere and rose up rapidly.
Among them was a King who was like a myth. Riding a white horse, holding the Holy Sword, he was known as the child of Sun, ever glorious and ever victorious. With one sword and one man, he suppressed the Chaos wherever he went. Bards sang praises for him and the common people loved him.
Encouraged by his deeds, both humans and fantasy species followed him and a new profession called Knight came into being.
Together with the king, the knights led an army of elites, suppressing the surrounding Chaos, and Evil Spirits, creating a pure land, during the Era of Chaos. They established the current Antasia Empire which has continue till now which is 10,000 years later.
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