He was somewhat surprised by how well he was doing. Sure, there was the fact that his tiny body housed the soul of an adult.
Being a "genius" in mathematics to impress these ancient folks made sense to him—after all, he wasn't some straggler who had slipped through the cracks of a nine-year compulsory education system.
But the fact that he excelled in other areas as well left him astonished.
He discovered that his memory was extraordinarily sharp. While "photographic memory" might be an exaggeration, being able to recall 70-80% of something after just one reading was a certainty.
This made him wonder, "Could this be the transmigrator's golden finger?"
Setting those idle thoughts aside, today he had made a major discovery.
He had found evidence of the supernatural—or, more accurately, clues about the ancient supernatural.
Today, while reading A Comprehensive History of the Croatia Continent, he came across a passage that roughly translated to:
"After the Elves departed en masse from the Croatia Continent, the nations descended into chaos, waging wars that lasted over three centuries. This era of conflict marked the end of the Second Age and ushered in the rise of the Third Age."
The Croatia Continent was the very land he now inhabited.
And the Elves? From his memories of his previous life, that race was practically synonymous with the supernatural. They were far from resembling any normal human ethnicity.
A historical text like A Comprehensive History of the Croatia Continent wouldn't fabricate an entire race, would it?
Unfortunately, the Second and Third Ages were so far back in time that there were very few records of events from those eras.
One must understand that each Age spans 10,000 years, and now it's already the Fifth Age.
The Elves had left this world some 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. Given such an immense span of time, it was remarkable to have even a few fragments of information preserved.
What puzzled him deeply, however, was this: If measured by these Ages, humanity in this world had been developing for 50,000 years—far longer than Earth's civilization.
Yet the most advanced invention in this world was still the steam engine.
He couldn't wrap his head around it. On Earth, if humanity had 50,000 years, they might have already left the Milky Way!
Sigh! It was baffling.
Still, he was thrilled to have finally found a lead—this world did indeed have a supernatural side, or at least it once did.
This discovery excited him. After all, what was the point of being a duke if all he could do was laze around waiting to die? This world was utterly boring.
Judging by the glacial pace of progress—taking 50,000 years just to invent the steam engine—if he waited for them to develop smartphones and the internet, his grave might be long forgotten by then.
Thanks to this discovery, he was in quite a good mood today.
With a book tucked under his arm, he hummed an unrecognizable tune while strutting along with an air of smug self-confidence.
Lost in thought as he walked, pondering all sorts of random things, he was suddenly jolted back to reality by a voice calling out to him.
"Little Eros! Have you seen your sister?"
Eros—that was the name he had in this life. His full name was Eros Lenka Nors.
Eros turned his head and saw a woman with long platinum-blonde hair cascading over her shoulders.
She was wearing a white, flowing gown, her features delicate and beautiful, her gaze soft and gentle, as if holding water.
This was his mother in this life, Estelle Eureka Nors.
As for the sister she mentioned, naturally, it was Wendine Lenka Nors. According to the laws of this world, she was the only sister he had.
As for the other half-siblings born to different mothers, they were merely illegitimate children. Estelle, while not treating them harshly, certainly didn't show them much affection either.
Eros shook his head and replied, "I've been in my room reading, and I was just about to head to the library to find a book. That brat—cough, cough! My sister didn't come looking for me today, so I have no idea where she is."
He had almost let "that brat" slip but quickly caught himself and smoothed it over.
Estelle didn't notice anything amiss. She glanced at the book tucked under Eros' arm, bent down, kissed his forehead, and praised him:
"My little Eros is so good, not like your sister. Mr. Boroka just told me that Wendine skipped her lessons again today, and no one knows where she's wandered off to."
Hearing her tone, which sounded like she was coaxing a child, Eros felt a little embarrassed. But, honestly, it felt pretty great.
Eros immediately responded, "Sister is still young. It's normal for her not to like studying. Once she reaches my age, she definitely won't be like this anymore."
Estelle gave her youngest son a strange look. Why did that sound so odd?
Sister is still young? Once she's your age? Your sister is two years older than you, you know.
Looking at Eros, who spoke with the demeanor of a little adult, she couldn't help but find it both amusing and exasperating.
Straightening up, she patted Eros on the head. She needed to continue searching for Wendine. Skipping lessons all the time was certainly not something a proper lady should do.
Watching the elegant and beautiful figure of Estelle gradually disappear into the distance, Eros couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
Estelle, no matter how you looked at her, could easily be described as stunningly beautiful, someone capable of toppling kingdoms. And yet, despite having such an extraordinary wife at home, his father still enjoyed fooling around outside.
Really can't understand! Sigh!
He sighed, then continued strutting toward the library in his usual self-assured gait. But before he got far, a shadow leapt out from a nearby flowerbed and knocked him over.
Eros found himself pinned to the ground by Wendine, who was sitting on his waist. Noticing the leaves stuck to various parts of her clothing, he instantly understood.
No wonder Estelle couldn't find her—she had been hiding in the flowerbed by the roadside.
Wendine glared at her younger brother with a ferocity that didn't quite match her angelic face, her tone fierce (really fierce):
"Spill it. Was it you who told Mom yesterday that I messed up her carefully trimmed flower arrangement? Because of that, I was punished to stand for an hour!"
Eros looked up at Wendine sitting on top of him. Despite her angry expression, the fact that she had perfectly inherited their mother's stunning looks made it hard to take her seriously.
So, even though she looked fierce, to him, she was still incredibly adorable. He couldn't help but want to reach out and pat her on the head. Her tone, while sounding angry, couldn't hide the soft, sweet undertones in her voice.
Such a cute little blonde loli—and his sister, no less. Who could resist teasing her a little?
With complete confidence, he said, "That's right, I told her. Wasn't it you who broke it?"
Wendine, glaring down at her brother, who lay beneath her not only unapologetic but even defiant, felt her anger flare even more. She roared:
"So it really was you! Let's see how I'll deal with you!"
As she spoke, she pulled a bottle of ink out of her pocket. Clearly, she intended to use it to draw something on Eros's face.
But before she could make her move, Eros calmly said:
"If you do that, I'll tell Mom that the necklace she couldn't find last time—the one Grandma gave her—you're the one who lost it."
"You know, she was really sad for a long time after that."
Wendine froze, her expression stiffening. Suddenly, the ink in her hand didn't seem so appealing anymore.
But looking at Eros, who was still smugly defiant beneath her, she felt so, so mad—mad enough that she thought her lungs might burst from sheer frustration.
So, with absolute confidence, he said, "That's right, I told her. Wasn't it you who broke it?"
Wendine, glaring at her brother pinned beneath her, became even angrier. Not only was he unapologetic, but his attitude was downright arrogant. Her fury boiled over as she roared:
"So it really was you! Let's see how I'll deal with you!"
As she spoke, she pulled a bottle of ink out of her pocket. Clearly, her intention was to use it to draw something on Eros's face.
But before she could make her move, she heard Eros say calmly:
"If you do that, I'll tell Mom that the necklace she couldn't find last time—the one Grandma gave her—you're the one who lost it."
"You know, she was heartbroken for a long time after that."
Wendine froze, her expression stiffening. Suddenly, the ink in her hand no longer seemed so appealing.
But looking at Eros, still smugly defiant beneath her, she became even angrier. So angry, in fact, that she thought her lungs might explode.
Frustrated, she tossed the ink bottle aside and grabbed Eros by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously as she gritted her teeth and growled:
"You wretched little tattletale! Aaaaahhhh!!!"
Even as he was being shaken back and forth, Eros was in quite a good mood.
He just loved seeing that look on her face—the one that said she wanted to get back at him but couldn't do anything about it.