16:00 in the afternoon; March 24, 1586.
The now reincarnated adopted son of Duke Julius was in the library of Barastrosa's house, where a vast collection of the most diverse books awaited someone to study them.
Apparently the locality was not very popular even among the noble members of the family.
After all, the sheer volume of books made the entire process of obtaining a credible result extremely tedious and exhausting.
But for Lughys, that lonely, calm atmosphere was a great opportunity to improve himself.
However, things weren't as modern as they used to be in his former home-world, so Lughys quickly ran into some problems with the organization of the place.
It wasn't as if he could just go to a computer, available in some corner of the room, to be able to search through a tool and find out where the desired products were.
Also, for some reason, there was no one responsible for the administration of the library, as the only person present in the place was Lughys himself.
That's why of the three and a half hours he was in the library, more than two were just discarded so that the little boy could reach, obtain, and sort the books he wanted to make his personal comparisons.
''Hmm...''
Sitting peacefully in that enormous room, which would easily equal the size of an ordinary suburban house, Lughys carried a book called 'The Keishin Concepts and the Workings of the World' in his pale little hands.
A name labeled to the far left of the book's armored cover read: 'Written and edited by Beyonder'.
The writing of that mysterious author, known by the namesake of 'Beyonder' was clear, careful and extremely direct in her explanations.
That was why, strangely, Lughys felt as if he could hear a woman's voice in his ears as he read.
'I see…' He thought, admiring the grandeur of the concepts of that weird magical planet he now inhabited.
Interest had plunged him into a never-ending well of curiosity as his beautiful blue eyes navigated through the words in the book.
Not missing a single chance, Lughys' temporary epiphany led him to take his notes as he read without much trouble, making his job a lot easier than it really should have been.
Surely, if Alfred saw him studying so diligently like that, the man responsible for tutoring Lughys in matters relating to mathematics, business, and etiquette would have a heart attack of happiness.
'Let me check if things are looking good.'
The little brown haired boy commented internally, closing the book and leaning it against the side of the wooden table.
His eyes once again changed direction, fixing on a worn and dusty looking notebook he had secretly requested from Dorothy some time ago.
Memories of the day he received the object came to his mind as he recalled the occasion.
''Y-young master, don't you think I should buy one in better condition?''
The woman asked with such obstinacy, trying to convince him as best she could.
''E-eh... You understand that as you are now part of one of the most important houses in the kingdom...''
The boy couldn't take so much bullshit and cut her off mid-sentence.
That day he was at the limit of his patience.
He needed the notebook as soon as possible, and the more the deteriorated condition worsened, the better for Lughys.
So maybe, even though it was flashy in the midst of so much wealth, it lessened the chance that Jasmine or any other clan member would snoop through his stuff while he was distracted or out of the house.
So there was no need to ask for something expensive looking.
''You don't have to worry about that.'' He answered her. ''Just do what I asked you to do, if possible, of course. I will thank you immensely if you can do it, Miss Dorothy.''
Without making a single peep against the boy's request, the housekeeper quickly pulled some strings and got the notebook so coveted by the Barastrosa child.
Lughys was more than grateful for the help of the middle-aged woman with the red, gray hair and went ahead with his plan, thanks to obtaining his notebook.
'She's really helpful and kind.' He stated to himself. 'She even becomes extremely foolish if you push her too hard.'
Narrowing his eyes, his pupils dilated more than usual but not to the point of shock, the little brown-haired boy opened the notebook and studied it nimbly.
He only had to squint a little to judge whether his notes were going well or not.
The lad needed them ready as soon as possible, after all.
''Just as planned. A good and simple disguise.''
The first few pages were just notes on some subjects that Alfred was giving the boy in his classes, so that if anyone found the notebook, they thought it was no big deal.
Hastily turning a few pages with his hands, the true content was revealed.
There, words ordered in title, subtitle and underlined topics in bold italics made it clear that Lughys had not wasted his time in a futile activity.
The first few pages were just notes on some subjects that Alfred was giving the boy in his classes, so that if anyone found the notebook, they thought it was no big deal.
Hastily turning a few pages with his hands, the true content was revealed.
There, words ordered in title, subtitle and underlined topics in bold italics made it clear that Lughys had not wasted his time in a futile activity.
''Let's see, then.'' He said.
'Where am I?' The headline question read, accompanied beneath a procession of painstakingly handcrafted information.
— Reincarnated in a game my ex-girlfriend, Diana, played non-stop before I died in my past life. It is worth mentioning that the established form of reincarnation could not be described due to lack of information regarding it.
Other notes, some made rudely so the process wouldn't take much longer, were followed along with other questions.
They summarized the story of The Wheel of Fortune, and the things that Lughys could assert and assume through his knowledge of his life on Earth.
Also, as an added bonus, there was a comparison section regarding things described in the game and what he learned on the planet itself.
There, the notes said that the main plot of the game revolved around a mighty Empire called Babilar, one of the most powerful nations in the world of Keishin.
Despite what some scattered sentences said, like 'Why in this boring world?' and 'Why couldn't I have ended up in a world with nice things?', the other notes soon proved the opposite and led Lughys to believe that Keishin had spetacular monsters, magic and other very interesting concepts.
''But what about races?'' The little boy read aloud.
According to his research, both from his memories when he was still Harlan Jiro, and from the author's books 'Beyonder', there were about six main races that reigned absolute in the continents after the 'Great Unification'.
They were:
→ Geo-Humans, of which Lughys himself was a part, as one of their own.
→ Night Elves, who were the last remnants of the elf species.
→ Beastmen, whose characteristics referred to the most diverse beasts.
→ Demons, who were naturally hostile.
→ Epics, which were some of the only ones with links to Elementals.
→ Dragons, the most powerful creatures capable of equaling gods.
''Nonetheless, what the hell is the 'Great Unification'?''
Although he still did not understand what the 'Great Unification' was all about, which dictated how many years had passed in the currently used imperial calendar, it was frequently cited in texts and studies.
Shaking his head, he resumed the main focus. A contemplative expression on his face.
The page on magic was basically neat blank, as the library books he'd chosen hadn't helped him much in the quest to discover how magic works itself.
Some quotes in the corner of the page only said things about the elements, being them, water, fire, wind, earth, light, dark, and neutral (when connected to healings and the like).
Flipping the page once more, he came to the last part of his notes, so far.
A detailed summary, with some illustrations that he had done in pencil, brought together everything that had been described on the other several pages and highlighted them, with little detail as possible.
The most striking section at that point was the part that named each of the characters important to the story.
At least those Lughys was able to remember the name of, at that moment.
'Characters and their roles to the world', it was written.
— Taliyah Katran, the main protagonist of the WOF plot.
— Asher Fou Rose Babilarus, the crown prince and first love interest in history to be introduced.
— Noelle Fou Rose Babilarus, Asher's sister, who later becomes a faithful friend to the commendable Taliyah.
— Virgo Fou Kura Linjol, the heir to the house of Duke Linjol, and also the descendant of the legendary Sword Saint Leon Kura Linjol.
Further back, a few other names of other capture targets, which he had not yet actively detailed, could also be seen.
"Cecil Yulhon, Najin Goldheart, and the cloying Leonard Crownguard." The little boy uttered aloud, closing his notebook as he realized that was the end of the notes.
Lughys came out of his trance, sighing deeply.
Focusing once more on reality, Lughys packed his things and tucked them under his arm, making no pretense of continuing to gather mildew in that old hall.
Despite what he thought at first, it was basically impossible to finish listing all the important things in a single day.
Since, surprisingly, Keishin's story was much more detailed than shown in the game.
That made him wonder where so much history had come from, if the world were to follow WOF's script in the end.
"Well, whatever. I better get back to my room before dark."
With light steps, the brown-haired child left the library smiling, carrying with him the wonderful fruit of his efforts - a reliable backup that would serve him well, from now on.
'Alright, alright.' He said, affirming to himself. 'Later I'll make sure to put more emphasis on a few things.'
Wasn't he the one who said in his last life that he would fulfill his duties, whatever they were?
So there was no reason to soften his method of acting, especially when he had privileged information.
'I promise myself and the former Lughys, that I will save this family from inevitable ruin.' With sharp eyes, he opened the door to his room. 'Jasmine and the others can hardly wait.'
Closing the door, his lips curved into a devilish grin that was scary for someone his age.