The azure sky was boundless, like an endless sapphire, without a single cloud.
A few black birds shrieked as they flew across.
Below was a vast, lush green forest. A winding path snaked out between the trees, and a carriage laden with golden hay slowly advanced, the rhythmic sound of hooves echoing on the path.
Lying on the golden hay was a half-grown boy, appearing to be thirteen or fourteen years old, with short brown hair. He wasn't particularly handsome or striking, just very ordinary.
The boy's eyes were tightly shut, as if he were sleeping.
The coachman, driving the carriage, carefully guided the old horse, trying to keep the ride as steady as possible, seemingly worried about disturbing the boy in the back.
Bang!!!
With a loud bang, the carriage wheel hit a sharp stone, and the entire carriage jolted abruptly before quickly coming to a halt.
Simon's whole body shook, and he instantly woke from his slumber.
His somewhat sallow face wrinkled into a frown, and then he slowly opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" The boy's voice was weak, lacking strength.
He sniffed, catching the fresh scent of green grass.
Only then did he look around in confusion.
"My apologies, Mr. Valentine, the carriage hit a stone and disturbed your rest." The coachman was a sturdy, strong, middle-aged man, though his clothes were merely dusty linen.
Seeing that Simon had woken up, he immediately turned around and apologized. At the same time, he took out tools to check if the carriage wheel was damaged.
"Mr. Valentine?" Simon was stunned, looked around, and, confirming no one else was there, pointed to his nose and asked, "Are you talking about me?"
"Yes," the coachman replied honestly, nodding while checking. "You just fell from your horse and were quite injured, so you should rest more. I'm the only one left in town, and I couldn't find a good carriage for a while, so I had to make do." The dark-skinned middle-aged man smiled good-naturedly.
Simon's expression suddenly changed, as if he realized something.
"No..." he whispered, quickly glancing at his body.
The black hunting suit fit perfectly, a red belt wrapped around his waist, with a black leather whip tied to the side.
A thin body, fair hands. And a throbbing pain from his knees and the back of his head.
Suddenly, a violent pain surged into his head. Scenes of memories flooded his brain.
Simon's eyes rolled back, and he fell straight down, lying on the hay. Vaguely, he heard the coachman's anxious and panicked shouts...
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Simon slowly woke up again.
His mind now contained memories that were not his own.
This was the second son of a rural noble named Arthur Valentine. An utterly ordinary minor noble's son.
He had fallen from his horse while out riding with companions during leisure time, which allowed Simon's Transmigration.
At the same time, some memories of his life also flooded into Simon's mind.
This was a world very similar to medieval Europe.
The place he was in was a country called the Luton Kingdom. It was a very large nation. The Valentine Family was considered a relatively wealthy minor noble family in the countryside within the Kingdom, better off than some, but not as good as others.
The Family territory was located on the edge of a large forest in the Aris Province.
In Arthur's memory, he only knew that his father, Baron Valentine's territory, included three knightly fiefs, encompassing five villages and towns, with an annual population count of at least five thousand people. Riding a horse from one end of the territory to the other at top speed would take at least an hour. This was a very, very large domain.
Arthur Valentine, the second son of Baron Valentine, was also the highest-ranking among the younger generation of the Valentine Family. The eldest son had left to join the army and had not returned, so the legitimate inheritance of the Family was very likely to fall to Arthur.
"A minor noble... I actually Transmigrated..." Simon rubbed his head, then realized he was lying on a small bed, his clothes replaced with a white nightgown, covered by a thin white blanket.
This was a spacious and bright bedroom.
A bed, a white-painted desk, two high-backed chairs, also white.
The window facing the bed was open, and a faint murmur of noise drifted in, seemingly from a street or similar place.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of pancakes.
Simon took a deep breath, immediately feeling his stomach rumble with hunger.
"Is anyone there?" Simon checked Arthur's memories, confirming this was one of the Family's residences in town.
With a creak, the door opened.
A solemn-looking middle-aged man in red noble attire strode in. In his hand, he carried a small silver bowl, from which an enticing aroma of meat wafted.
"Arthur, are you feeling better?" The man walked to the bed with a frown. He placed the small bowl on the bedside table and reached out a large hand to touch Simon's forehead.
"No more fever. Drink the meat soup first. Your body is too weak."
Simon quickly recalled memories of the man in front of him.
Caius, the current Clan Chief of the Valentine Family, and also the Baron Valentine who governed the territory. But in front of Arthur, he was merely a father who loved his son.
"I remember telling you," Baron Caius said, lowering his voice, "to mix less with those little rascals in town. Even if you are classmates studying knightly lessons together, don't get too close to them."
"It's my fault, Father," Simon unconsciously lowered his head and whispered. But this wasn't his intention; it seemed to be the original body's conditioned reflex.
"To fall from a runaway horse and not even break a bone, it seems your luck is quite good." The Baron's tone softened slightly. Seeing his son's head bowed in guilt, he, too, felt a pang of heartache.
"Your elder brother left to join the army, and whether he'll return is an open question. The future hope of my Valentine Family likely rests entirely on you. If anything else were to happen to you, I can't imagine the consequences..." The Baron sighed, then said no more.
In Arthur's memory, Simon also knew that his father had this personality.
To outsiders, he was the powerful Baron Valentine, cold and unfeeling. Not a few servants in the Family had been executed by him for minor offenses. And as a lord with many subjects, the Baron would take in beautiful women from his territory every few years, resulting in many children.
More importantly, last year, after a series of plans and schemes, the Baron sent troops to annex a neighboring barony, nearly doubling his territory.
People outside spoke of his brutality and arrogance. His cunning and deceit. His cold-heartedness.
But unfortunately, the Baron's affection for Arthur was unique. Or rather, his feelings for Arthur's deceased mother were very special.
Therefore, Arthur's status among all the children was the highest.
Whatever he desired—be it objects, pets, wealth, or even people—the Baron would do everything in his power to fulfill it.
"You must remember, Arthur. No matter what, as the future heir of the Valentine Family, you should not lack reason. You must think carefully before doing anything," Baron Caius said gravely to Simon.
"I remember, Father," Simon nodded solemnly.
"Eleanor Kaine is out of the question. As for the other girl, the one you wanted before, I've already sent her to your room. Your body is still young, so you can play around, but if I find you getting too deeply involved..." The Baron paused, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, "You know what will happen."
"I understand," Simon's heart tightened, and he quickly nodded. Although the Baron was very fond of him, the trouble he had caused this time was quite significant.
"Alright, drink the soup and rest. I still have matters to attend to. Old Ward will send someone to take you back to the castle later. I'll be leaving now." The Baron nodded and turned to leave.
The moment the bedroom door closed, Simon's gaze caught sight of a knight in full plate armor standing outside the door. He recognized him; that was Knight Auden, the Baron's strongest warrior. He liked to crush enemies' heads with his heavy armor, like watermelons.
People in the territory called him the Demon Knight.
With a thud, the bedroom door closed.
From the courtyard outside, the Baron's low voice and footsteps could be heard, gradually fading until they were completely inaudible.
Simon turned to look at the meat soup on the bedside table.
He knew that if it were just ordinary meat soup, the Baron wouldn't have brought it himself.
The meat inside came from a type of fish called Ringfish, rumored to be children who had gone missing and were transformed into fish by evil sorcerers. He had also drunk it when he was injured before.
Simon picked up the silver bowl and looked inside.
In the milky white broth, a small silver fish, about the length of an index finger, was faintly visible. The fish's head, strikingly, was a human face that bore an extreme resemblance to a child's.
"A fish with a child's face..." Simon murmured, looking at the pained expression on the child's face in the bowl. His stomach immediately churned.
"This world really isn't the world it used to be..." This thought flashed through his mind.
Sitting on the bed, Simon hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he pinched his nose and poured the soup down his throat. As for the fish head with the child's face, he tore it off and left it in the bowl. He dared not eat such a thing.
After drinking the soup, he lay back on the bed to rest for a while.
Only then did Simon begin to sort through the memories in his mind.
The original Arthur, due to his father's doting, was submissive and lacked initiative in personality, but in terms of entertainment, he was no worse than other young masters. In fact, he was much more privileged.
Whatever he desired—be it objects, pets, wealth, or even people—the Baron would try every means to satisfy him. This also led Arthur to become increasingly reckless, wanting to grab anything he liked.
In other words, he was a typical profligate young master.
After all, as a barony, its area was equivalent to a county-level city in Simon's previous world, Earth. Although the population was much smaller, the power it wielded was far greater. The Baron, as the lord, could easily control everything.
In this chaotic era, with the current internal unrest in the Luton Kingdom, nobility, after all, represented power and wealth.
However, no matter how terrifying Baron Caius's power was, the spoiled Arthur had truly gone too far this time.
While being sent to study knightly lessons, Arthur had taken a liking to a noble girl who was also studying there.
The girl's name was Eleanor Kaine Candon. She was the favorite granddaughter of Viscount Candon, who nominally governed Baron Caius's territory.
To show off in front of Eleanor Kaine, Arthur accepted a horse race challenge from another boy. The result was that his saddle had been tampered with, and in a moment of carelessness, the original Arthur disappeared from this world forever.
"It was because of a rivalry for affection..." Simon reread the memories speechlessly. "This world truly is... speechless... he's only fourteen and already knows how to compete for affection and strike down love rivals...."