[Age of Heroes]
A simple name for a not-so-simple novel.
That was the title of the stupid novel he had read on something ancient humans called a "smartphone."
The world of this novel was fun and addictive to little Kayden—no, wait, little Kael Ryuu.
His real world was black and white: you either lived wealthy or died poor.
But this world offered opportunity.
Even though it was dangerous, it was vibrant and filled with all sorts of crazy stuff.
From elves to dragons, humans to Atlanteans and so on and so on...
It was addictive.
As its name suggests, the novel is about heroes who rise to fight against an ancient civilization that had vanished long ago but was now resurfacing.
Heroes from diverse backgrounds and classes, all united to combat evil.
It was a novel that filled Kael Ryuu with hope.
But who was this Kayden?
He was merely a plot device for the author, a typical arrogant and talentless young master in an academy arc, serving as a brief progression point.
"Young master?"
Emilia's voice snapped him out of his stupor.
"Nothing, nothing. Just a headache."
Emilia nodded in understanding.
"Young master, you have to eat something. You're only drinking and drinking. Without proper food, you'll make yourself sick."
She continued, annoyingly.
"I've prepared your favorite, young master. A nice meat pie with hot soup."
Emilia lifted the cover of the plate, revealing a pie with steam rising from the top.
Growl~
Kayden's stomach betrayed him, emitting a loud growl, and a flush crept into his face.
He didn't know why he felt embarrassed. His stomach had been growling all the time back in his world.
'I guess this is the young master's pride getting hurt.'
'Tsk, tsk.'
"This humble maid is delighted to hear that, young master. Please, do enjoy."
With a gentle push, she positioned the cart closer to him.
"Then I'll be on my way. Just ring the bell, and I'll be at your service."
As usual, the woman didn't even pause for his response. She hummed a merry tune as she danced away.
'What a peculiar woman. Is she truly happy to serve someone as useless as this Kayden?'
Strange indeed.
Back in his world, he had seen servants for the wealthy, but most of them were Robots and Synthetics.
His eyes swept to the smoking hot food, and his mouth watered.
For Ryuu, this food was heaven. It already looked better than any food he had eaten back in his world.
He rubbed his hands together eagerly and quickly took the spoon, diving into the meat pie.
"Hot, hot, hot!"
His tongue was burnt from the heat.
'Dammit.'
But it was delicious.
Not only did it look appetizing, but it was also the best meal he had ever had in his entire life.
Not even caring about the tongue-burning hotness, he devoured the pie in minutes.
After finishing the pie, he quickly gulped down the soup.
His stomach was full, a rare occurrence indeed.
Back in Rusty Ridge, he had to survive on protein balls just to sustain himself. Only the wealthy could afford a proper meal.
He burped, and at the same time, he heard a voice near the door.
"By the way, young master, the lord has ordered to see you. I'll prepare the bath right now."
Emilia was once again inside his room.
He hadn't even noticed her entering, nor had he heard the door creaking.
'Ah, almost forgot. This is a world filled with magical beings. You can find them anywhere and everywhere.'
Indeed, he remembered this woman. There was a chapter from this Kayden's point of view, and he recalled that he had mentioned her briefly.
'A mother by heart, not by birth.'
That was how Kayden, the arrogant young master, described her.
She sauntered into another room, which he assumed was the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of water pouring could be heard.
He took the opportunity to recalibrate his new body.
It reminded him of the time he had used the Titan suit, an armored exoskeleton that allowed people to pilot it like a mech.
Surprisingly, there wasn't any lag or delay. It was smooth. Of course, it was smooth; how else had he devoured the food?
He hadn't even thought about calibrating for that.
He flexed his fingers and toes, and it felt good.
"Young master, your bath is ready. I'll prepare your attire now."
He nodded and stepped into the bathroom.
And was, understandably, shocked.
The bathroom was opulent. Like, beyond luxurious.
'No, luxurious doesn't even do this place justice.'
'This place is fit for a king.'
Kayden's mouth hung open as he looked around.
There was no bathroom like this in Rusty Ridge. This looked more expensive than the entire city of Rusty Ridge combined.
He peeled off his shirt and pants and eased into the bathtub.
And was almost melted into the bath. It was the best experience of his entire life.
'This is just awesome. Like, what the heck. I've never even imagined in my dreams that I would have a bath like this.'
The water was warm, which was comforting. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment.
'A bath like this? If my brother were to see this, he would be extremely jealous.'
For a moment, he thought about his brother fondly, but then anger quickly replaced the warmth.
He took a deep breath and sighed, trying to calm his emotions.
'I need to prepare for that. In two days, the world will change forever, and before that, I need to gain some power if I want to survive.'
In two days, the world will come to know about the resurgence of the ancient civilization.
How do they know?
The current heroes of this kingdom will face off against an unusual humanoid monster in two days.
The outcome? Well...
'I need to go there if I want to steal that power.'
Not to mention, he also already knows where he can obtain the second power.
And these two will only be the easiest to obtain compared to the others, which will require him to put in some work.
'Now the question is, what do I truly want to do?'
That was a good question.
Now that he was free and rich, he could do anything he wanted.
His new family was wealthy.
Well, a dukedom like Ashbourne's was indeed rich beyond words.
'Not to mention, since this guy knows neither Mana Arts nor Weapon Arts, he's basically useless.'
'Nobody expects anything from him anyway.'
A smile formed on his lips for the first time.
'I can just live like a young master for the rest of my life.'
'I've worked non-stop for the entirety of my life.'
'Don't I need some rest? Yes, I indeed need some rest.'
The only thing was, that rest would be for the rest of his life. At least, that's what he hoped for.
'I really need those powers if I want to survive.'
'It's going to be wasted on a dead body anyway, so I might as well take it.'
After a few more minutes in the bath, he rose again, and then he saw it.
A mirror on the wall.
He had never even given a thought to how he looked.
Even though he had partly identified Emilia due to the excessive description from the novel, he had never considered Kayden's appearance.
And now that he saw it.
"Holy shit!"