Riezel Brynhart was a genius.
Not because of his keen insight or exceptionally high innate skill, but simply because the world had favored him, giving him a natural advantage over many others.
He wasn't some influential figure with a background that reached the skies. On the contrary, he hailed from the ignored countryside, where generations of his family were farmers, and even his grandfather was a slave. One can easily imagine how humble his origins were.
Yet, Riezel was undeniably fortunate.
He was born with an abundance of magical energy.
Recognizing this, unwilling to be just a farmer or a slave, he abandoned the plan to be handed over to a lord by his grandfather and family. Escaping from the obscure rural territory of his childhood, he made his way to the estate of a great noble. There, he participated in the entrance test for the National Magic School, which happened to be held there.
His naturally powerful magical energy effortlessly caught the attention of the higher-ups at the magic school. He was smoothly ushered into the continent's most prestigious academy, becoming a sensation in the renowned institution.
Riezel Brynhart's reputation as a genius stemmed precisely from this.
His insight wasn't extraordinary, and his innate skill in magic wasn't exceptionally high. Still, because of his outstanding innate magical energy, he became the envy of many.
All of this was because in this world, though everyone had magical energy, its quantity was a natural talent determined at birth and couldn't be changed through effort later.
In other words, the amount of magical energy one's body possessed at birth determined their magical ability throughout their life.
This meant that many people were destined from birth to never become magicians, no matter how hard they tried. Conversely, some who were blessed with an abundance of magical energy could effortlessly become magicians, performing high-rank, high-powered magic that others could only dream of, making them so-called geniuses.
Riezel Brynhart was one such person.
He was praised by many.
He was complimented by many.
People gathered around him, and even some highly influential figures tried to win his favor. The kingdom itself valued him greatly; it was said that even the king remembered his name.
Now, the question arises.
What happens to a humble, inexperienced country boy, who has been living a simple life, when he comes to the big city and is showered with compliments, support, and praise from everyone? After experiencing the temptations of the dazzling world, what does he become?
Will he, like the main characters in some novels, strive hard, resist all temptations, and become the strongest, fundamentally changing his fate?
No.
At least, Riezel could confidently say one thing.
—In this kind of environment, the possibility of a person turning bad is countless times greater than the possibility of turning good.
The original owner of the body knew this well.
Amidst the praise, compliments, flattery, and support from those around him, the original owner easily forgot about hard work, forgot about diligence, and fell into the sugar-coated bullets of others, unable to free himself.
The result was that the original owner became completely ignorant and incompetent, relying on the so-called 'talent' as an excuse. He spent his days indulging in pleasure with some noble children. Although he didn't reach the point of bullying and oppressing others, he gradually became so arrogant that no one else mattered. He became self-conceited, thinking he had surpassed everyone else, unwilling to associate with those of humble birth, and spent his days fooling around with a group of noble children.
Finally, the calamity that would wake the original owner from his dream arrived.
On a night just a month ago, after fooling around with a group of noble children and preparing to return to the academy, he was attacked. He not only suffered severe injuries but also had the 'Gate' in his body destroyed, rendering him unable to use magic.
From here, the fall from grace of this genius began.
Understanding this, the original owner met a tragic end.
His final thoughts were not of regret for everything he had done so far, but rather an unwillingness to accept the future of returning to the days as a lackey.
In such a situation, Riezel arrived and replaced this world Riezel, then brought by Yuri, who mistakenly thought he had been successfully rescued, back to her mansion.
For this body's original owner, Riezel had no sympathy or pity.
'This outcome could be considered self-inflicted...' Riezel remarked inwardly.
In his previous life, Riezel's environment was somewhat similar to the original owner's, filled with sweet words and flattery.
However, unlike the original owner, Riezel saw through the true faces behind the smiling facades of those people, feeling disgusted by their ulterior motives and the environment he was in.
Now, having left his original world and entered another world was a kind of liberation for him.
With this in mind, Riezel originally had no intention of investigating the attack on his body's original owner. However, the problem seemed to be not as simple as he had imagined.
"I've ordered an investigation." Yuri said while slightly furrowing her brows.
"No results?" Riezel asked calmly.
Seeing her reaction, he immediately guessed the outcome.
Sure enough, she nodded.
"The attacker is deeply hidden. Whether it's the attack that injured you a month ago or the assassination attempt half a month ago, the attackers are hired underground figures. Investigating them leads nowhere."
Yes, just half a month ago, Riezel once again faced an attack.
Initially, he thought that the reason for the attack on the original owner was simply due to offending someone or being envied by someone.
But during the time he was recuperating in Yuri's mansion, someone infiltrated this mansion. Taking advantage of the night when everyone was asleep, they attempted to assassinate him.
Fortunately, although this mansion belonged only to Yuri, the security measures were well in place. There were always guards patrolling, and a magic alarm was set up. She was able to reach his room at the first sign of the assassin infiltrating and apprehending them.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be lying in bed now; he would probably be in a grave.
This was clearly abnormal.
"To hire an assassin who can infiltrate even this mansion, the other party is not only deeply hidden but also has a complicated identity." Riezel commented calmly, making Yuri somewhat surprised.
However, his observation was correct.
Even though it was just a mansion, the ability to infiltrate here meant that the other party had significant skills.
After all, this was where she, Yuri Frenzel, resided.
Someone who could hire such a skilled assassin would undoubtedly have a strong background, both in identity and ability.
"I really want to know what reason could make such a figure target me..." Riezel said while smiling calmly at Yuri, seemingly unaffected by his precarious situation.
Yuri deeply looked at him before speaking.
"I will continue to investigate. Before that, you can rest assured here. Although rare, there are methods to temporarily mend the completely damaged Gate. I will watch for you temporarily; I hope you don't give up on yourself."
"I won't." Riezel nodded without showing approval or disapproval. "Thank you."
"No need." Yuri smiled lightly, as graceful as an orchid in full bloom.
After a few more exchanges, she stood up.
"I won't disturb you; you rest well."
With that, Yuri gracefully moved away, leaving behind a faint fragrance as she exited the room.
Riezel watched her depart, but his mind was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.
'Who could it be?'
He tried to recall the original owner's memories, suspecting one person after another among those the original owner knew. Nobles and commoners ignored by the original owner, even the people from the countryside when the original owner was still living there—all fell under suspicion, yet without any concrete result.
'The clues are too few.'
The original owner's memories might not be reliable.
Maybe, the mastermind behind the scenes was someone the original owner had overlooked, perhaps a person so easily forgettable that he didn't even bother to remember.
'If it was me, I would never allow such a thing to happen...' Riezel thought to himself.
Life experiences from his previous life had instilled in him the habit of suspecting anyone, never intentionally ignoring anyone. Also, because of these experiences, he deeply understood one thing.
'The other party surely hasn't given up; they will continue to target me, sending people to kill me again and again...'
Yuri's identity was prestigious, and the environment she was in was extremely sensitive and crucial. The fact that the other party was willing to send someone to assassinate him showed their strong determination.
This lack of security left him, who had similarly suffered from such situations in his previous life, feeling very uneasy.
'Next time, who will they send?'
'Will they be more powerful than the last assassin?'
'Will Yuri be able to come to my rescue in time?'
Each question told Riezel how unstable and unsafe his current situation was.
Moreover, Yuri saving him wasn't without reason.
If not for some reason, given the lack of interaction between his body's original owner and her, who even seemed to be in a somewhat formal relationship, she would not have sheltered him for a whole month for free, considering it good enough to save his life when he was near death.
Riezel didn't want to entrust his life and death to someone else's hands.
He had to protect himself.
He had to find a way to escape this powerless situation.
But this was a difficult task.
With his 'Gate' completely damaged, Riezel couldn't even use the most basic magic. In this world of swords and magic, how could he protect himself?
Fortunately, he wasn't entirely helpless.
Closing his eyes, Riezel sank his consciousness into his mind.
In a trance, he seemed to see something in the ocean of consciousness.
A shining, dazzling 'Magic Cube' radiating a brilliant glow, transparent throughout.
He allowed his consciousness to make contact.
The next moment, a thought was directly sensed by him.
[Dimensional Magic Cube, Start.]