At last, Reka was truly alone in the unfamiliar room.
He turned toward the large window in the left corner of the chamber. Slowly, he pushed himself off the bed while enduring the pain still spreading throughout his body.
“Fuck, everything hurts.”
Every step felt heavy. His neck was still stiff, the back of his head throbbed, and even his legs felt as though someone had beaten them repeatedly.
After finally reaching the window, Reka pushed it open.
Cold air immediately brushed against his face.
Reka froze.
The view before him was absolutely insane.
From his bedroom window, he could see a peaceful village stretching across the land. Houses with wooden roofs stood neatly beside dirt roads filled with servants going about their work, while several armored guards patrolled the grounds surrounding the enormous estate.
There were no sounds of vehicles.
No tall buildings.
No factory smoke or suffocating city air.
The air here was incredibly clean and refreshing. Even the sky looked far brighter than anything he had ever seen on Earth.
Reka had sometimes imagined what it would be like to live in an age resembling the medieval era.
A world of swords, castles, nobles, and villages untouched by modern technology.
But seeing it with his own eyes felt entirely different.
Reka stared at the scenery for several moments before muttering,
“Damn. Is this the medieval life so many people dream about?”
A few seconds later, he shook his head.
“This isn’t the time to admire the view, idiot.”
Reka closed the window and turned back toward the room.
Directly across from the bed stood an ornate dressing table with a large mirror mounted above it. He walked toward it, still limping slightly because his body felt as though an entire village had taken turns beating him.
The moment his face became clear in the mirror, Reka stopped.
“Whoa.”
He leaned closer.
The body he now inhabited was surprisingly handsome.
“Hmm. Based on the fragments of memory I received, this body just turned twelve.”
He straightened himself in front of the mirror and examined his new body more carefully.
His hair was pitch black, his eyes were yellowish, and his face looked sharp and slightly slender. Despite being only twelve years old, his features were already well-defined.
Reka looked at himself from head to toe.
“I don’t know the exact height, but he’s definitely taller than one hundred and sixty-five centimeters.”
He compared it to the height of his body in his previous life.
“He’s even taller than I used to be. Maybe around one hundred and sixty-eight centimeters.”
Reka stared at his reflection in disbelief.
“He’s already this tall at twelve? How tall is he going to be when he grows up?”
However, his amazement did not last long.
After examining his face more closely, Reka realized that this body was far from healthy.
His face was battered.
Several bruises covered his cheeks, jaw, and the area near his temples. Some were red, while others had already turned bluish purple.
Reka frowned.
He slowly removed his shirt.
The moment his entire upper body appeared in the mirror, his expression changed.
Zeldryn’s body was not athletic. He was unusually tall for someone his age, but his muscles were barely developed.
What stood out most were the injuries covering his body.
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Red and blue bruises spread across his chest, stomach, shoulders, and arms. Several areas were marked with long scratches, as though he had been cut by broken glass or another sharp object.
Some of the wounds had already dried and formed scabs.
Reka remained silent for a long time.
His hand touched one of the wounds near his stomach.
“What the hell did this kid do?”
He examined the injuries one by one.
Some looked recent.
Others seemed much older.
Reka slowly clenched his fist.
This body had not simply been injured from falling down or getting into a single fight.
Something was clearly wrong.
Reka looked at his reflection once again.
The wounds covering the body left him with countless questions, but he did not have enough information to reach any conclusions.
The fragments of memory inside his head were still far too disorganized.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“All right, Zeldryn. You miserable fucking bastard.”
Reka opened his eyes again.
Zeldryn’s reflected face stared directly back at him.
“Since I’ve inherited your body, I’m going to live this life to its fullest.”
His hand slowly tightened into a fist.
“And I’m going to bring out every bit of potential this body has.”
The corner of his lips gradually rose.
It was not a happy smile.
It was the smile of someone who had just received an opportunity he had never been given in his previous life.
A chance to begin again.
A chance to fix everything.
“From now on, I am Zeldryn!”
His voice echoed loudly throughout the room.
Several seconds later, Zeldryn looked at his reflection with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“Fuck. Why did I yell that out loud?”
He shook his head and put his shirt back on.
The moment the fabric touched several of his wounds, his face twisted in pain.
“Fuck. Slowly.”
After managing to put on his clothes, Zeldryn walked toward the bedroom door.
His body still hurt. Even walking a few steps forced him to endure the pain in his waist and legs.
However, he could not stay inside the room forever.
He knew almost nothing about this place.
The memory fragments he had received only contained several faces, names, Zeldryn’s terrible habits, and random events that were not arranged in any clear order.
He did not know the layout of the mansion.
He did not know who lived inside it.
He did not even know where his own bedroom was located within the estate.
If this continued, sooner or later, someone would notice that something about him had changed.
Zeldryn grabbed the door handle and pulled it open.
Creak.
The large wooden door slowly swung outward.
Zeldryn was about to step into the hallway when his gaze stopped on a servant standing beside the door.
The girl immediately lowered her head.
Zeldryn fell silent.
“Hera?”
The name surfaced inside his mind on its own.
Along with it, several more fragments of memory flashed through his head.
Hera standing outside the bedroom door for hours.
Hera bringing him food.
Hera kneeling while begging for forgiveness.
Hera being struck simply because she had arrived a few minutes late.
Hera had even been forced to stand outside the bedroom for an entire night because the previous Zeldryn had been angry for no clear reason.
Zeldryn stared at her for several moments.
Both of Hera’s hands were still trembling. Her head was lowered so deeply that her face was almost completely hidden.
Zeldryn felt even more disgusted with the former owner of this body.
However, he immediately restrained his expression.
It was not time for him to change yet.
He did not understand the situation inside this mansion.
He did not know who he could trust, who might be watching him, or whether someone would try to exploit his sudden change in behavior.
For now, he needed to remain the Zeldryn everyone knew.
At least on the surface.
Zeldryn hardened his voice.
“Oi, Hera.”
Hera’s body immediately tensed.
“Why are you still here? Didn’t I order you to leave?”
Hera panicked.
She lowered her head even further and pressed both hands together in front of her stomach.
“P-please forgive me, my lord.”
Her voice trembled violently.
“B-but you previously ordered me to always wait outside your bedroom until you personally told me that I no longer needed to remain here.”
Hera paused before continuing in an even quieter voice.
“I thought your previous order only meant that I should leave the room, not that I should leave this place.”
She immediately dropped to her knees.
“Please forgive me if my actions have offended Lord Zeldryn.”
Zeldryn stared at Hera kneeling before him.
Inside his mind, he immediately began cursing.
“Wait outside the door? What the hell for? The previous owner of this body was completely absurd. What a bastard.”
He wanted to tell Hera to stand up normally.
However, suddenly treating her gently might seem even stranger than allowing her to remain like this.
Zeldryn eventually clicked his tongue.
“Tch.”
Hera began trembling again at the sound.
“Enough. Stand up.”
Hera looked slightly surprised.
Normally, Zeldryn would not have stopped after merely ordering her to stand.
However, she did not dare question his command.
She immediately rose with stiff movements.
Zeldryn looked down the long corridor before him.
The floor was made from smooth, expensive-looking stone and covered by a red carpet. Several paintings and decorative ornaments hung from the walls, while sunlight entered through the large windows lining the hallway.
In the distance, several servants were carrying cloths and cleaning equipment.
The moment they noticed Zeldryn leaving his room, their steps immediately slowed.
Some lowered their heads.
Others tried to avoid him.
Their reactions were enough to explain the reputation of this body.
Zeldryn looked back at Hera.
“Show me around the mansion.”
Hera slowly lifted her face but still did not dare look directly into Zeldryn’s eyes.
“S-show you around the mansion, my lord?”
Zeldryn narrowed his eyes.
“Yes. Introduce me to every room, every important place, and anything else I need to know about this mansion.”
Hera looked even more confused.
Zeldryn never asked anyone to show him around the mansion.
He usually summoned servants by shouting things like, “Oi, lowly creature!” or simply ordered someone to retrieve whatever he wanted.
Even when he left his room, he usually went wherever he pleased without caring about anyone else.
When Hera remained silent, Zeldryn raised his voice.
“Do not tell anyone about this.”
Hera flinched.
“And don’t ask any questions. You only need to follow my orders.”
Zeldryn leaned his face slightly closer.
“Understood?!”
“Y-yes, my lord!”
Hera answered immediately.
She turned around and stood stiffly in front of Zeldryn.
“Please follow me, my lord.”
Zeldryn slowly nodded.
Hera began walking down the corridor while Zeldryn followed behind her, enduring the pain coursing throughout his body.
Every step was torture.
But the pain was no longer his greatest problem.
He needed to learn what kind of place he was living in.
He needed to find out who Zeldryn’s family members were.
Most importantly, he needed to discover why this body was covered in wounds, as though someone had beaten it nearly to death.