One month.
Only thirty days, and I'll stand before the gates of the great Academy of Greatonia, the heart of this world's elite, home to heroes, sorcerers, and future kings.
Cassius, originally, needed no preparation. He was a genius from birth, a natural master of swords and magic.
But... I'm the one inside him now.
I know that knowledge alone isn't enough.
In this world... you either become strong or you get trampled.
I began my morning with a meditation session to regulate my mana flow, as I'd read in a memory. It was painful at first—like teaching my muscles how to breathe again.
Then I moved to the shelves of the private library in the west wing of the palace. There were books on advanced magic and mana theory, on the history of the Empire, on the strategies of the Wars of the Seven Kingdoms, on ancient monsters, and on the Great Fall that shaped the modern world.
"The entrance exam won't be easy... but I can't fail."
Just as I was reviewing a chapter titled "Chapter Five: Theory of the Inner Magical Field," I heard a soft knock on the door.
"Who?" I asked, with a harshness I didn't mean to use.
"It's me, young sir, Miranda."
A girl's voice was soft but professional.
"Come in."
Miranda, Cassius's personal maid, entered. A young woman dressed in the formal attire of the Gracie family butler, her hair neatly tied back, a small book tucked into her apron pocket.
"It's time for lunch, young sir."
She said it with respect and a slight bow.
I nodded quietly, but inside... I tense up.
Lunch today is with my parents.
As Cassius recalls, his father, Geren von Gracie, was unsmiling. A steely-eyed man, he viewed his son as a "human sword project," not a person.
As for his mother, Cynthia von Gracie, she was... the warmth of this mansion. Gentle, soft, and spoiled by her only son, she considers him more beautiful than a thousand princes.
Suddenly, Miranda asked me, "Would you like me to make you special clothes for this meeting? Your father is returning from the border today, isn't he?"
I nodded again, thinking, "I have to look like Cassius. No, like a better version of him.
Part Two: Dinner with Shadows
Cassius walked through the long corridors of the palace, his footsteps echoing on the polished marble floor.
The walls were decorated with portraits of the ancestors of the Von Grecian family—all holding swords or giving you a defiant look, even in oil shadows.
"Breathe, don't show your fear."
He told himself, but he couldn't deny the truth: he was nervous. Very nervous.
Gerrin Von Grecian.
Not just his father... but a Count of the Gretonia Empire, and one of the greatest magic swordsmen of his generation.
In Cassius's memories, his father's shadow was always taller than any light.
He was the man who could do no wrong, who could not forgive.
When he entered the dining hall, his mother, Cynthia, was there, waiting for him. She rose as soon as she saw him, smiling a warm smile the likes of which he hadn't seen since he had been incarnated.
— "Cassius, dear, are you okay? You look a little pale..."
Her voice was soft, like a breeze through fires.
He sat quietly and nodded politely.
— "I'm fine, Mother. I've been studying a lot lately."
She laughed lightly.
— "As usual... don't overexert yourself."
A few minutes later, Geren von Grese entered.
The servants stood respectfully, their heads lowered.
He was tall, imposing, and wore a dark military tunic, his sword strapped to his waist as if he were going to a battlefield rather than a banquet.
He sat in the main seat in silence, then looked at Cassius with a look that held neither warmth nor harshness—just cold appraisal.
— "Cassius."
— "Yes, Father?"
— "You have two months until you enroll at Greatonia Academy. Are you ready?"
A moment of silence.
Then he answered firmly, hiding all his nervousness behind a steely tone:
— "Yes, I'm ready."
Jeren looked at him longer, then said with a sharp edge:
— "If you bring shame upon our family name... you will regret it."
His words were simple, but charged with a deadly energy. A faint mana pressure filled the room.
Cassius didn't blink. He didn't flinch. He didn't bow.
He answered calmly:
— "I won't bring shame. I will only bring glory."
His father said nothing. He just nodded slowly.
The look in his eyes said: "This is how it should be. This is what's expected. Nothing more."
But inside, Cassius—or whoever now inhabited his body—was thinking something else.
"He doesn't see me as his son... I'm just an investment, a military project wrapped in blood and dignity. But that doesn't matter."
"I won't live his story. I won't face the same ending. I'm the one who knows the ending... and I'll rewrite it."