"How much was this?" Cedric asked.
"Five copper," the shopkeeper replied.
Cedric handed over the coins without hesitation. The warm chocolate roll in his hand was already half eaten. He finished the last bite as he stepped away from the small stall and began walking down the street with his hands in his pockets.
It had been about one day since he woke up in this unfamiliar body.
After reading the letter the previous day, he had spent several hours simply sitting in the room, trying to accept the situation. No matter how strange it felt, there was no denying reality. He was alive again, but he was no longer Count Arden Kaelthorn. The body he now possessed belonged to someone named Cedric.
Eventually he left the room and went outside to gather information.
After asking a few people, he learned that he was currently in the governing city of Etherlight. The city itself existed to support the academy and the large number of students who traveled here every year.
The current date was March 25.
That meant the academy would begin in exactly two days.
During the first day, Cedric focused on examining the condition of this new body.
He circulated his mana through his body slowly, testing the flow of energy along his veins. What he discovered surprised him.
His current strength was Mid Rank One.
Inside the storage ring that Cedric found on his finger, there were a few simple belongings. Some copper and silver coins, a sword that looked slightly worn but still usable, and several scrolls containing Rank One sword techniques.
That alone told him quite a lot about the boy's background.
In this world, children formed their core at the age of ten. The grade of the core determined the potential of a cultivator and how far they could progress on their path.
In his previous life, Arden had possessed a C-grade core.
It had been decent but far from exceptional.
However, Cedric's body possessed a B-grade core.
At first glance the difference between the two seemed small, but in reality it meant everything. With enough time and training, a B-grade core could allow someone to reach Rank Six without much difficulty.
It was far better than what Arden had once possessed.
That realization gave Cedric a strange sense of relief.
For now, though, strength was not his immediate concern.
There was something more important he needed to understand.
What had happened during the thirty years after his death.
That was why Cedric was now walking toward the Central Library.
After several minutes of walking through the busy streets of Etherlight City, the enormous building finally came into view.
The library was massive.
A wide stone staircase led to the main entrance, and people constantly moved up and down the steps. Scholars, students, and travelers came and went without pause.
Cedric climbed the staircase slowly and pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
Inside, the library felt quiet and ancient.
The architecture followed a medieval style. Towering wooden shelves stretched toward the high ceiling, filled with countless books and scrolls. Long tables were arranged across the hall, where people sat reading in silence.
Tall windows allowed beams of sunlight to enter the room, illuminating dust particles floating lazily in the air.
Cedric walked through the aisles until he found the historical section.
After searching for a few minutes, he pulled out a thick book titled "Current History Update."
He sat down at one of the long wooden tables and opened it.
Then he began reading.
Slowly and carefully.
At first, most of the information was exactly what he already knew.
This world consisted of four continents.
One continent belonged to the dwarves and elves.
Another continent belonged to the beastkin.
The third belonged to humans.
And the last one belonged entirely to demons.
Among the beastkin there were countless tribes. The whale tribe ruled the deep seas. Sharkmen and mermaids guarded the coastal waters. On land there were the lion tribe, the tiger tribe, vampires, werewolves, and many other powerful races.
All of these tribes had united together and formed a nation known as the Beastkin Alliance.
The dwarves and elves each possessed their own kingdoms, but they shared a powerful alliance known as the Elf-Dwarf Realm. Their continent was closed to outsiders, and no other race was allowed to enter.
The demon race controlled an entire continent as well.
Long ago the demons had suddenly appeared in this world, bringing chaos and destruction with them. Over the centuries many wars had been fought against them. Several Demon Kings had been slain.
Yet demons always returned.
Eventually they managed to claim an entire continent as their own territory.
The final continent belonged to humans.
There was one large empire along with several smaller nations.
The most powerful of them all was the Moonlight Empire.
Etherlight Academy existed within that empire.
None of this information was new to Cedric.
He flipped through the pages calmly until he reached the section concerning the Kaiser Kingdom.
Then his eyes stopped.
Current Ruler: Alaric von Kaiser.
Cedric leaned back slightly in his chair.
"So he became king."
He was not surprised.
That outcome had always seemed inevitable.
But as he continued reading the historical record, his expression slowly changed.
Shock appeared in his eyes.
The book described an event that had occurred thirty years ago.
According to the official record, a greedy count had attempted to break the seal of a demon and use its power to overthrow the kingdom.
However, Sword Saint Alaric von Kaiser had stopped the conspiracy and personally killed the count to protect the kingdom and its people.
The record further stated that the count had once been the prince's most loyal follower, but when the truth of his betrayal was revealed, Alaric had no choice but to kill him and his soldiers for the safety of the realm.
Cedric's hands began to tremble.
That count…
Was Arden.
The very same Arden who had served the prince faithfully for twenty years.
The very same Arden who had trusted him.
The very same Arden who had died believing he had been sacrificed for something far darker.
A burning rage rose inside Cedric's chest.
His breathing grew heavier with every second.
Without warning, he slammed the book shut.
The sound echoed loudly across the quiet library.
Several readers glanced toward him, but Cedric didn't notice.
He stood up and walked out.
He kept walking through the streets of Etherlight without paying attention to where he was going.
Eventually he reached a quiet corner of the city where almost no one passed.
A large tree stood alone in the empty space.
Cedric stopped in front of it.
For several seconds he said nothing.
Then suddenly he shouted.
A raw, furious cry tore from his throat.
He clenched his fist and punched the tree.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
And again.
His fists slammed into the trunk with brutal force. The bark cracked under the impact as small fragments scattered across the ground.
His knuckles quickly turned red.
But he didn't stop.
Each punch carried the weight of his anger.
The betrayal.
The humiliation.
The lies written in that history book.
All of it burned inside him like fire.
Cedric kept striking the tree until his arms grew heavy and his strength began to fade.
Finally his body gave out.
He collapsed to the ground beside the tree.
And then the tears came.
He cried harder than he had in years.
His throat grew dry and painful.
His eyes turned red from the strain.
The rage slowly dissolved into something deeper.
Pain.
The pain of betrayal by someone he once trusted more than anyone.
Minutes passed.
Then longer.
Eventually the crying stopped.
Cedric wiped his face slowly and lifted his head.
The weakness in his eyes had disappeared.
In its place was something colder.
Something sharper.
Something far more dangerous.
A quiet determination.
His voice was low but firm.
"I will kill him."
The words carried absolute certainty.
"I will kill him."
Cedric slowly tightened his fists.
"I will kill him…"
"…even if it is the last thing I ever do."