"I thought there was no one here."
"Sir Bernz already told us, Young Master. Should we move somewhere else?"
"No need. After thinking about it, it's good to meet face-to-face like this once in a while."
The two people in front of him were a young boy who looked about 10 years old and a teenage maid standing beside him. The young boy had slightly long bright blond hair, partially covering his ears, clear emerald eyes, and was wearing a light gray fancy shirt with black leather shoes. Meanwhile, the teenage maid beside him was wearing a typical maid outfit, with dark blue hair touching her shoulders, sharp black eyes, and dark brown leather shoes.
"Do you know who I am?"
"Uh-Umm...I'm sorry. I don't know you."
"Hm...My name is Ardyn Emerdine. The first son of Victor Emerdine. In other words, I am your brother."
Winfred was surprised, because apparently the man with a dignified demeanor standing before him was his eldest brother. He knew that a noble family like the Emerdine would have several children, and he kind of expected them to behave like ordinary children, not like his older brother. Based on his eavesdropping towards his mother Olivyn and Helina, his father Victor had three wives, including his mother. Seeing that Winfred was still staring at him silently, Ardyn then shifted his gaze to Nina.
"You are Nina, right? Does Winfred always visit this place?"
"Pardon me, Young Master Ardyn. Young Master Winfred doesn't visit this place every day. Usually, Young Master Winfred walks around the garden."
"Hmm...I see. Is that really true, Winfred?"
"Y-yes, Brother Ardyn. I just wanted to take a quick look at the flowers in this greenhouse..."
Seeing his brother's flat voice and blank stare, Winfred felt strange for some reason. How could a child that is a few years older than him have such a presence. In the midst of this awkward situation, the four of them faintly heard the greenhouse door open and footsteps walking towards them. Sure enough, three people approached them with determined steps.
"Haha! Here you are! I knew you'd come here, Brother Ardyn! My guess was right, wasn't I, Karl!?"
"Indeed, Young Master. But you should have at least waited for Sir Norrit before rushing over here."
"Sir Norrit surely knows where I am, that's why I left first! You can catch up, right, Sir Norrit?"
"Young Master Gerdan, I beg you to at least inform me if you want to go somewhere."
The young man with a fiery tone of voice, spiky red hair, piercing green eyes, and an expensive dark gray suit with a maroon tie seemed to be giving orders to the two people on his right and left. To his right was an adult male butler named Karl with shiny brown hair combed neatly back, dark yellow eyes, and dressed like a typical butler in a black jacket and white shirt, smooth white gloves, and black shoes. To his left was a middle-aged knight wearing full armor covering his entire body except his head, with short black hair, sharp deep blue eyes, and a scar on his right eyebrow.
The arrival of those three startled the four people around the table, but only for a moment, with Ardyn being the quickest to adapt to the situation. After talking to his two followers, Gerdan turned his attention to the four people in front of him.
"Hmm? Brother Ardyn, who is that little boy?"
"As usual Gerdan, you always do as you please. Let me introduce you, this is Winfred and his maid Nina. He is Lady Olivyn's son."
After being introduced to Ardyn, Nina bowed to Gerdan and Winfred nodded his head. He saw that his newly appeared older brother was quite eccentric.
"Heh, Lady Olivyn's child? That means he's the youngest among us! Hahaha! Hey, little brother! You know who I am, right!?"
"You...are Brother Gerdan?"
"Hey, you know me, little brother! Hahaha!"
Since Gerdan called Ardyn "Brother", Winfred safely assumes that Gerdan is also his brother but hearing Gerdan's loud laughter, Winfred was confused about how to respond to this absurd situation. His business with Ardyn was not yet finished, but now his other brother had appeared.
"By the way, Brother Ardyn. Are you done lounging here? This is your favorite spot, right?"
"Hmm...you could say that. But I think it is already occupied."
"Huh? That's too bad, then!"
While looking at Winfred, Ardyn spoke to Gerdan with a solemn expression. Winfred was startled because it turned out that this was Ardyn's favorite spot. He then tried to invite his two older brothers to sit down.
"How about... you both sit here?"
"No need. I'm done with my things here."
"Hah! Me too! Actually, I came here to ask Brother Ardyn to spar with me. Come on, Brother Ardyn!"
"No, after this I'm going to the library. You'd better spar with Sir Norrit."
"Tch! What a pity, I just wanted to see your magic!"
Ardyn nonchalantly rejected Gerdan's challenge. Then Ardyn and Garden prepare to leave the place.
"See you later, Winfred. We shall go, Zune."
"Understood, Young Master Ardyn. Please excuse me."
Ardyn and his maid Zune began to take their leave, with Zune bowing to Winfred and Gerdan. Seeing them leave, Garden scratched his head and clicked his tongue.
"Tch! How boring! In that case, we will go too! Karl and Sir Norrit, come on! Hey little brother, don't be a dull person, you hear me!?"
"Understood. Young Master Winfred and Miss Nina, we're leaving first."
"..."
Karl said goodbye to Winfred and Nina, then bowed to them. While Norrit just stood silently, bowed, and then left, following Gerdan and Karl.
Winfred stared blankly as they came like a storm. After they left, he slumped in his chair and took a deep breath.
"Hahhh...Brother Ardyn and Brother Gerdan, huh? They are complete opposites."
"Are you okay, Young Master? Should we go back to your room?"
"No, I'm fine, Nina. I'm just...shocked and surprised. Let me rest here for a while."
"Very well, then."
Nina stood beside Winfred, watching him. She was worried that he was pushing himself too hard by going for a walk today. But like most children, Winfred was lively and full of curiosity, even though he was a little shy and quiet.
"Huh, by the way, the knight who was with Brother Gerdan earlier. He was wearing full armor and looked strong."
"Yes, Young Master. Sir Norrit is a knight from the Whitemount family, Madam Berthy's maternal family. From what I hear, he is the training instructor for Young Master Gerdan and his power is at High-rank."
"Rank? Can you explain that in more detail, Nina?"
"Yes, the rank I am referring to is a measure of each individual's ability. In this world, especially in the nation we are in now, there are several ranks to determine the extent of an individual's strength. From the lowest to the highest, they are as follows: Apprentice, Expert, High, Master, and finally Grandmaster."
Winfred's heart was pounding, yet again he felt familiarity with these ranks. If what Nina said was true, then Sir Norrit was a High-rank knight whose power was in the middle range and quite strong as an individual.
"Which means Sir Norrit is a powerful knight, right, Nina?"
"That is right, Young Master. Sir Norrit can be considered a formidable force in front of his adversaries. I think he is suitable to train Young Master Gerdan, who is rumored to have abundant physical talent."
"What about Brother Ardyn? I hear Brother Ardyn is talented in magic."
"Hm...? Ah, regarding Young Master Ardyn, I don't really know about his true abilities or rank. Given that his mother's family is famous for their water magic, he could inherit the trait."
Magic! Winfred still couldn't fully believe that the world he now lived in had the concept of magic like the entertainment media he used to enjoy. With renewed enthusiasm, Winfred asked Nina.
"Magic, huh... I want to see it once..."
"Um... Young Master. Actually, I am a mage, although I am only at Apprentice-rank."
"Really!? Show me your magic, Nina!"
"But... Young Master. I'm not allowed to use magic around you..."
"Please, Nina! Just a little! Even in a blink of eye is fine! Please... Nina!"
".... I - I understand if that is what you ask, Young Master. Keep in mind that I will only demonstrate basic magic."
"Yeah, yeah!"
Nina stood a little way from the table, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Winfred watched with starry eyes, for the first time in five years, his heart was pounding at the sight of something rare. Stretching her right arm slightly, Nina opened her eyes, furrowed her brow, and a few seconds later, droplets of water appeared floating above her hand. The droplets merged into a ball of water around the size of her palm. The ball of water floated briefly above her opened palm, and then she let it burst as if it had lost its shape, and the water flowed down to the ground.
"Wow! What was that, Nina!?"
"Haahh...what I did just now was one of the basic water magic, Water Ball. I apologize for the crude demonstration."
"No, Nina! That was amazing! Wow, water suddenly appeared from your hand!"
While maintaining his pretense of being a 5-year-old child, he praised Nina's demonstration. He wondered how the magic had been performed, what factors influenced the power of magic, and so on.
"Thank you for your compliment, Young Master Winfred. But compared to other Mages in Noggen Empire, that was still underwhelming."
"Wait, wait. What did you just say, Empire?"
"Oh, pardon me. The nation where we live right now is called Noggen Empire. This may be a little presumptuous, if Young Master wish to know more about our Empire, you must wait until 7 years old for at that age your official education began, just like other young masters in noble families."
Once again, Winfred felt familiar with the name Noggen Empire. With each passing second, he became more convinced that the strange feeling he had had since visiting this garden was not just an illusion. To confirm his feelings, he asked Nina again.
"Ni-Nina. Tell me everything you know about this world!"
"U-Um? Very well, Young Master. The short version is that according to legend, this world was created by the Goddess of Light Frellia, the God of Knowledge Khromatos, and the God of War Dioscuria. Actually, there are many more divine figures worshipped in this world, but those three are the most famous. Then, the Noggen Empire where we live is an empire with a very long history dating back to the Demigod Era. Hmm...oh yes, perhaps Young Master doesn't know about this, but in this world there are very powerful beings called Demon Kings, whose appearance in history marks the beginning of a new era. The first Demon King was defeated by the Hero of Light and Justice named Arthur Silvermane, then-"
"I- I think that's enough, Nina. Thank you..."
"Certainly, Young Master."
Winfred sat with his eyes wide open, his back straightened and his posture rigid. The familiar plants, flowers, the ranks of power, the name of the Empire where he was, the events and major figures Nina had told him about all pointed to one thing. Taking a deep breath and grabbing his head, Winfred came to one conclusion... that he had been reborn into a game like the protagonists of the novels and comics he had read. And among the many games he had played in his previous life, there was one series that explored the themes of heroes, mythology, and the Demon King: Reaneus Saga. As this thought crossed his mind, a wave of heat once again enveloped his body.