Time flows differently when you are an infant. Days bleed into nights,as his life continues repeatedly on feeding, sleeping, and pooping.
It really might be boring for others just by spending time like this
But for me, it has been a week of intense observation, and you might ask what?.
In simple terms, I was sightseeing this place because this is one of his dreams to be living inside in his own novel and now he is visually seeing the texture, the wall, the magnificent Architecture and the magic.
Yes, the magic I wrote in my novel Magic has been a daily part of life like electricity in my world " Earth" , here mana is the Source, and by refining with incarnation spell or rune make is usages.
I have witnessed various types of magic device that are used in daily life , for example the
I was currently lying in my crib—a masterpiece carved from Spirit Wood that likely cost more than the entire net worth of a minor noble house. The mattress was stuffed with the down of Cloud Geese, ensuring I felt like I was floating on a literal cloud.
'Rich people really live like this, huh?' I thought, staring at the ceiling painted with moving magical murals of dragons and knights.
But I wasn't just idling. My eyes darted around the room, analyzing every shadow, every servant, and every corner of my new domain: The Reinhart Estate.
[Ding!]
[Skill Activated: The Writer's Mind]
[Analyzing Target...]
The door to my nursery opened with a silence that was almost unnatural.
A man stepped in. He wore a pristine black tailcoat with white gloves that didn't have a single speck of dust. His hair was gray, slicked back perfectly, and he had a monocle over his left eye. He stood with a posture so straight it looked like he had a steel rod for a spine.
This person is the simple definition of being elegant and disciplined .
This was Marcus, the Head Butler of the Reinhart family.
He approached the crib, his movement making no sound against the marble floor.
"Good morning, Young Master Alex," Marcus whispered, his voice deep and smooth like aged wine. He bowed perfectly at a 45-degree angle.
To the outside world, Marcus is just a loyal servant who has served the Reinhart family for three generations.
But I know the truth. I wrote his backstory in a special Halloween side-story. A person who trains the protagonist as he gives him a hard time teaching him the Secret Swordsmanship Art of Reinhart as a token of being grateful.
' You might ask what makes the Reinhart Duke family to be grateful and teach him their secret art. It is because he brings something that the Reinhart family don't have ...yep it's another advantage I wrote that makes Reinhart Duke to be his backer for lifelong and I gone change that ,by making a move before the protagonist can make it.'
Alex ' Sigh~', ' where might they may be at this point of time'
Then he looked at Marcus , he chuckled.
'Marcus dealing with diaper duty...' I internally chuckled. 'If the criminal underworld knew that the "Silent Reaper"—the retired S-Rank Assassin who once took down an entire kingdom's leadership in a single night—was now checking a baby's diaper, they would vomit blood.'
Yes, My butler is a retired assassin. In the original novel, he dies in Volume 7 protecting the estate. But not this time, old man. I'm going to make sure you retire peacefully.
Marcus leaned over, his sharp eyes scanning me.
"The Young Master is awake early," he noted, pulling out a pocket watch. "And he is strangely observant. His eyes... they track movement with the precision of a warrior, not a newborn."
[Ding!]
[Observation by High-Level Entity Detected.]
[Passive Skill 'Acting' generated seamlessly by 'Writer's Mind'.]
I immediately let out a bubbly, innocent gurgle and waved my chubby hands aimlessly. "Ahhh~ Baaa~"
Marcus softened instantly. The cold assassin's aura vanished, replaced by a doting grandfather vibe. "Oh, forgive me. You are just a precious child, I shall inform the Head Maid to prepare your bath."
He turned and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the double doors swung open, and a regiment of maids marched in.
Leading them was a woman who looked like she could scare a dragon into submission just by frowning. She wore a strict, traditional maid uniform, her hair tied in a severe bun. She was tall, stern, and radiated authority.
Liya, the Head Maid and my mother's personal guard, as she is an assassin and her Aura core rank is A- , if I remember correctly because she was introduced in my novel at Volume 7.
"Girls, move! The Young Master needs his morning bath. The water temperature must be exactly 38 degrees Celsius also use the Soap made from Holy Herbs. And if any of you didn't do the work diligently, then I will punish all of you by scrubbing the stables for a month!"
"Yes, Head Maid!" The three younger maids behind her chirped in unison, looking terrified.
I recognized the younger maids too.
There was Nina, the black long hair with freckles. She's the gossip queen. If I need information spread to the other nobles, I just have to "accidentally" let her see something.
There was Sarah, the clumsy one with glasses. She drops things constantly, but in my lore, she has a hidden talent for Beast Taming.
And Martha, the quiet one who is actually a spy for the Royal Family.
'I see you, Martha,' I thought, my eyes narrowing slightly as she prepared the towel. 'I'll have to deal with you later. But for now, you're useful.'
( Note: In this world, commoners have Black hair, black eyes only some specific people have changed their colour of hair, eyes after Awakening.
Here Royals or Noble have different characteristics from their birth because of their lineage.)
Liya approached my crib. Unlike Marcus, she didn't cook. She scooped me up with efficient, practiced hands.
"Come now, Young Master. Let's get you clean."
As she lifted me, I decided to test my body's limits again. I tried to stiffen my neck and hold my head up on my own.
[Ding!]
[Action: Physical Resistance]
[10x Gain Activated]
[Neck Strength +0.2]
[Balance +0.1]
"Oh my," Liya murmured, her stern face showing a crack of surprise. "Marcus, look. The boy... he's holding his own head up. He's only a week old."
Marcus adjusted his monocle. "A genius. Truly a genius worthy of the Reinhart bloodline."
They carried me out of the nursery and into the hallway.
This was my first time seeing the castle proper.
Reinhart Castle wasn't just a home; it was a fortress. The hallways were wide enough for cavalry to ride through. The walls were made of Star-Steel infused stone, capable of withstanding siege magic.
Knight Armor up the walls and they are not for decoration, but functional Golems that would activate if an intruder was detected.
'Yes ,this also one magical Artifact made by Rune Master..this truly magical '
'Even the author never gave this much detail of this world and none the less it still surprises me.'
'I designed this place to be impenetrable,' I thought with satisfaction. 'But in the novel, it falls because of betrayal from the inside. Not on my watch.'
"Where are Father and Mother?" I wondered.
As if answering my thought, we passed the grand balcony that overlooked the training grounds.
"Hah!"
BOOM!
A sound like thunder shook the castle windows.
Liya stopped walking, immediately we looked outside of the window.
Down in the training yard, a shirtless giant was swinging a sword the size of a spear and each & every swing created a vacuum blade of wind that tore up the earth.
Also the person is none other than his father, Garrick.
He was sweating, his muscles bulging as he destroyed training dummy after training dummy.
"The Master has been training non-stop since your birth, Young Master," Marcus explained softly, standing beside Elena. "He wishes to regain his peak strength as quickly as possible to protect you."
I watched my father. He looked exhausted. His aura was flickering. He was pushing himself too hard to compensate for the aura he lost protecting me in the womb.
'Dad, stop,' I thought, feeling that pang of guilt again. 'You're going to injure your core.'
Then, I saw another figure sitting on a bench near the training ground. It was my mother, Lillian. She was wrapped in a shawl, looking frail, but she was reading a book on magical theory, taking notes.
She used to be a Grand Mage. Now, she could barely cast a heating spell without coughing.
My tiny hand clenched the cloth of Elena's uniform.
'I need to grow up faster,' I told myself. 'I need to fix this.'
[Ding! Strong Desire To Save His Parents Is Detected From The Host ]
[Quest Generated: "The Restoration of the Reinhart Dukedom Glory"]
[Objective: Find a cure for Lillian's Mana Veins and Restore Garrick's Aura Core Potential .]
[Time Limit: 10 Years (Before the Main Plot Begins)]
[Reward: ???]
[Failure Penalty: Death of Parents in Chapter 1 of Main Story.]
The System screen hovered in front of my face.
'Challenge accepted,' I thought, a fire lighting in my eyes.
Liya looked down at me. "Is the Young Master hungry? He looks... angry."
"He has the eyes of a warrior," Marcus said proudly. "Just like his father."
No, Marcus. I have the eyes of an Author who realizes he made his own story too difficult, and now has to speed-run the tutorial.
"Babu!" (Let's go!) I shouted, pointing my hand forward.
Liya blinked. "I think... he wants to go to the library?"
Marcus gasped. "He pointed at the West Wing! The Library is in the West Wing! Direction....that means...A scholar! He is a scholar too!"
The two head servants looked at each other with sparkling eyes.
"To the Library!" Marcus declared. "We must not let Young Master's curiosity! Go"
Liya nodded agreely with Marcus and said " Yes, who knows when he grow up he might just become a great scholar like his Aunty "
Unknown to them, Alex was not listening at all because in his mind, he was screaming, as they had misunderstood his direction.
'Wait, no, I just wanted to go to the kitchen for milk,' I thought. 'But... actually, the Library works too. I need to find books on ancient mana theory.'
And so, the legend of the Genius Baby of the Reinhart family began.
(To be Continued)