On the academy's path, many students gathered around, watching the scene unfolding before them.
A young man in academy attire knelt on one knee.
The man was handsome, with well-defined features, his eyes as bright as sapphires, and his dark hair accentuating his mysterious aura.
At that moment, he held a bouquet of fresh flowers, half-kneeling before a cold, armored woman with a ponytail.
Suddenly, the man on one knee trembled, gazing at the flowers in his hands with slight confusion.
He had just been sleeping at his desk moments ago.
Where am I? Am I dreaming?
Before he could process what was happening, the woman in front of him furrowed her brow and spoke slowly.
"Rien, I am not considering marriage at this time, and as for your proposal... does your father know?"
Hearing her words only deepened his confusion.
Rien? A proposal?
Am I really dreaming?
But the feeling of the flowers in his hands and the noise of the crowd made everything feel so real.
"Move aside, please."
Several calm voices mixed with the sound of clinking armor came from behind the crowd.
Soon, a few guards, their armor marked with a lion's crest, appeared among the students.
Without a word, they seized the still-kneeling, somewhat dazed man and began dragging him away.
The flowers slipped from his hand as he was taken.
Suyu felt the pain as his arms were gripped by the guards.
He realized he wasn't dreaming... he had transmigrated.
As the students watched Rien being escorted away by the family guards, they gradually dispersed, murmuring only to treat the event as dinner conversation.
After all, this was Rien, a notorious rogue, capable of anything strange and bizarre.
...
Crash!
In a luxurious and elegant room, a burly middle-aged man suddenly stood up from his chair, angrily smashing his ceramic teacup beside Rien, who was kneeling at the desk.
"Look at what you've done! You publicly confessed your love to Lala Sidia in the academy!? Of all the people you could like, why her?"
The man shouted, slamming his hand on the desk.
The final strike shattered the desk into dust, yet didn't harm the floor, showing the man's impressive control over his strength.
"I, Diba Stan, Sixth-level Moonlight Knight, the fiercest tiger of the Stan family, how did I end up with a useless son like you!?"
As he grew angrier, the power unique to Diba Stan began to emanate from him, like a mature, furious tiger.
"Master."
The sharply dressed man standing beside Diba Stan reminded him.
He was Pantison Stan, the family's head butler.
Pantison's reminder allowed Diba Stan to calm slightly, taking a deep breath and retracting his overwhelming presence.
Meanwhile, RienStan, still kneeling, was confused and disoriented, listening to the angry tirade of the imposing man before him.
He had just transmigrated, been dragged to this place by a group of people, and was now being scolded by this man.
Diba Stan, seeing the confusion and bewilderment in Rien's eyes, grew even angrier.
"Do you have no idea what a mess you've caused today!?"
Suddenly, a sharp pain surged in Rien's head, a massive flood of memories rushing into his mind.
He clutched his head, pressing it hard against the wooden floor in hopes of easing the pain.
Seeing this, Diba Stan angrily yelled, "Damn it, pretending to be sick again! You always pull this act when you get in trouble. Can't you do something else?"
Seeing that Rien's pained expression didn't seem like an act, Pantison furrowed his brow.
He stepped forward and placed his hand on Rien's head, using his aura to sense his condition, before shaking his head at Diba Stan.
Pantison's shaking of the head left Diba Stan silent, his brow furrowing in confusion. Was this kid really in pain?
Rien gradually lost consciousness, his body collapsing weakly onto the floor.
The two men exchanged a glance before Diba Stan lit a cigar and spoke to Pantison.
"Pantison, take him back to his room, and get a few palace physicians to check on this scoundrel. He's truly a headache."
Pantison nodded, lifting Rien and pushing open the door to take him upstairs. Soon, he had placed Rien on his large bed in his room.
He then instructed the maids nearby, "Don't move Rien, the palace physicians will be here to examine him soon."
The maids quickly nodded.
When Pantison returned to Diba Stan's side, the desk in the room had been replaced with a new one.
Diba Stan was sitting at the desk, furrowing his brow, thinking about how to handle Rien's mess.
Lala Sidia, the most brilliant talent of the Sidia family, had reached Second-level Intermediate Knight at only 18 years old.
She had broken the record for the youngest Second-level Knight in Nasali Independent Nation and was one of the empire's brightest talents.
The Sidia family, like the Stan family, was a marquis family.
Both families were among the most powerful in the Nasali Independent Nation, each commanding several knight and warrior corps.
Although neither family held the title of duke, their power was on par with that of dukes.
As for Rien's declaration of love for Sophia,
At best, it was a young boy's admiration for a girl.
At worst, it meant... the Stan family was looking to ally with the Sidia family.
If Diba Stan were the emperor, he would certainly be full of suspicion about Rien's actions today.
After all, the combined power of the Stan and Sidia families could rival even the royal family.
Sigh, the real task now was figuring out how to make the emperor let his guard down.
Pantison silently stood by Diba Stan, brewing tea for him.
Knock knock knock.
A rhythmic knock sounded at the door.
"Enter."
A plump woman, elegantly dressed, opened the door.
Seeing her, Diba Stan's usual fierceness softened, revealing a touch of tenderness.
"Bosa, what brings you here?" He gestured for Pantison to provide her a seat.
Bosa Russell nodded as she took the chair offered by Pantison.
Gracefully sitting down, she addressed Diba Stan.
"Darling, I see you're still troubled by Rien's actions today."
Diba Stan nodded. "Yes, that scoundrel is always causing trouble. This time, he's really gotten us into a big mess."
Bosa took a few papers from her magic ring and handed them to Diba Stan.
"Dear, you're worried the emperor might misunderstand and become suspicious of the Stan family."
"While things are still calm, we should find a wife for Rien, and stir up some conflict with the Sidia family. The emperor will understand our intentions and won't be swayed by rumors."
"This is the information on Adele Hill. I've had her investigated, and I think she's suitable. You should take a look and see if she's a good match. If so, we can arrange an engagement as soon as possible."
Bosa's words brightened Diba Stan's eyes, and he immediately put down his teacup to review Adele Hill's information.
Upstairs, in Rien's room.
"Rien is not seriously injured, just some temporary blood flow congestion. This calming potion will help. He should be fine in a week if he takes a small bottle every day."
Freya Julie, the head maid of the Stan family, took the potions from the elderly physician and nodded in thanks before escorting him downstairs to his carriage.
Still dressed in academy attire, Rien turned to his surrounding maids.
"Everyone, leave me alone for a while."
"Yes, Young Master." The maids bowed and quietly left the room.
Rien leaned back onto the soft bed, staring at the ceiling of his room.
The evening sunlight poured through the large windows, bathing the room in golden hues.
As someone from Blue Star, who graduated from a third-rate university with government aid,
He had actually transmigrated.
He had crossed over to this world of swords and magic.
But magic in this world had long since withered away, referred to as the Age of Decline.
Centuries ago, when the Soltis continent was unified under a powerful empire, the king, for reasons unknown, ordered the mass slaughter of mages and the destruction of magic books.
This led to the near extinction of the magical profession on the continent.
Currently, the dominant combat strength on the continent was the cultivation of fighting qi through various breathing techniques, forming knights, warriors, or assassins.
Of course, a few still practiced magic, but it was rare.
One reason was the lack of magic books and meditation techniques, and the other was the extremely low proportion of people with magical talent.
Perhaps one in ten thousand people could learn magic, but this was only referring to humans, not elves or half-elves.
In the case of the Brisley Royal Academy, there were several thousand students, but only a handful studied magic.
As a scion of a knight family, Rien also wanted to cultivate fighting qi, but... he couldn't.