A little boy stood in front of a large mirror in his room. The little boy fiddled with the small bow tie he was wearing, then shifted his gaze to his dark brown hair, which he tried to tidy up with his tiny hands. Shortly after, a maid came and helped the little boy get dressed.
"I have finished tidying your room, Young Master. Now allow me to get you dressed."
"Okay, Nina."
The little boy in front of the mirror was Winfred, wearing a soft white shirt with a small brown patterned bow tie, black shorts, and fancy dress shoes. Nina approached him with a comb, then knelt beside him to help him comb and tidy his hair. From the reflection in the mirror, Nina's small smile can be seen, showing her wholehearted care for Winfred. After finishing tidying up his hair, she then straightens Winfred's slightly crooked tie.
"Excuse me, Young Master Winfred. Let me fix your bow tie."
"Oh? Winfred, my dear son! You are ready to go I see!"
"Yes, Mother! Good morning. Hello, Miss Helina!"
As Nina adjusted Winfred's tie, there was a knock at the door and Helina and Olivyn entered Winfred's room. As usual, Olivyn and Helina visited his room. He greeted them both, with Helina remaining silent and bowing in response, while his mother just chuckled as she approached him.
"Thank you for your hard work, Nina. I never imagined my son would look so neat and cute right now!"
"No, Lady Olivyn. I should be the one thanking you for giving me the opportunity to work here and become the Young Master's maid."
"Hmm, hmm. Don't say that. I have a feeling that Helina's daughter can be trusted to take care of my son. Is that right?"
"Thank you for your praise, Lady Olivyn. In any case, Nina. Have you prepared the Young Master for his formal education today?"
"Yes, Mother. I have prepared the Young Master, and he is ready to go."
Winfred stared at the three of them with a curious expression. It had been two years since the sudden fever he had experienced in the greenhouse, and Winfred was now seven years old, which meant he was entitled to an education like other young masters from noble families. As his mother gently stroked his head, Winfred still thought that what had happened to him was an extraordinary coincidence. He was reborn into the game he had played in his previous life, and he still remembered clearly that in this world, many things beyond human comprehension could happen. Was there someone involved in his birth, or was it the strange laws of the universe that brought about this strange occurrence? Winfred didn't know. Olivyn spoke to him, breaking him out of his musings.
"Ah, today is your third day, right? If there is anything you don't understand, don't hesitate to ask Sir Alcott, okay?"
"I understand, Mother. Today I will study hard!"
"That's my son!"
Indeed, today would be Winfred's third day of education as decided by the Emerdine family. For the previous two days, he had studied mathematics, language arts, and a little history about the Emerdine family and the Noggen Empire. Feeling confident, today he would ask many questions about this world and its history to confirm that he was indeed in the world of Reaneus Saga.
"There's still time, but it would be better if we depart now. Shall we go?"
"Yes, Mother!"
"Very well, Lady Olivyn."
"Understood, Lady Olivyn."
At Olivyn's invitation, the three of them left the room with Olivyn and Winfred walking in front, followed by Helina and Nina behind them.
***
The room where Winfred received his education was located on the third floor of the east wing of the mansion. It was quite spacious and furnished with large, luxurious chairs and tables, as well as teaching aids such as a blackboard, bookshelves, and other equipment placed in the corner of the room. It didn't take long for Winfred's group to arrive at the room, where they chatted while waiting for the teacher to arrive. Shortly thereafter, the teacher knocked on the door and entered the room.
"Excuse me. Oh? It seems you have already arrived. Please forgive me for my tardiness and for keeping you waiting, Young Master Winfred, Lady Olivyn."
"It's all right, Sir Alcott. Besides, my son and I haven't been waiting too long."
"That's true... Sir Alcott. We just arrived."
"I'm glad to hear that. Once again, I apologize for being late."
The teacher was Alcott Forrest, who had been hired to teach Winfred for the next few years. He wore a white dress shirt, a dark cerulean long-sleeved jacket, dark smooth trousers, and gray shoes. He apologized to Winfred and Olivyn in a gentle, friendly tone while bowing.
During the two days Alcott tutored, Winfred easily grasped the material he taught. He also thought Alcott was a relaxed, patient, and smiling person.
"In that case, I don't want to take up too much of your time. Please begin the lesson, Sir Alcott."
"Understood, Lady Olivyn. Very well, Young Master Winfred. Let's begin today's lesson."
"Okay, Sir Alcott. See you later, Mother! I'll wait in the garden!"
"Oh dear, focus on your study first! I'm leaving now. Come on, Helina, Nina."
"Understood, please excuse me."
"Good day to you, Young Master Winfred, Sir Alcott."
Helina and Nina bowed to Winfred and Alcott, who responded by nodding his head and smiling. After watching his mother and the two maids leave, Winfred turned his gaze to Alcott, who was tidying his orange hair and adjusting his glasses.
"Please sit down, Young Master Winfred."
"All right, Sir Alcott! What subject will you be teaching today!?"
"Ahem, that's a good question! Today we will learn about this world and some important events in it."
Winfred walked over to a relatively small table and sat down on a chair. Meanwhile, Alcott prepared the learning materials by placing the papers and books he had brought on the table near the blackboard. After that, he approached Winfred's table and handed him two books.
"Now, Young Master. Before we begin, it would be good to review yesterday's lesson. Do you still remember it?"
"Yes, Sir Alcott. Yesterday's topic was about this family, the Emerdine, and the Noggen Empire."
"That's right. Can you help me summarize yesterday's lesson?"
"Umm...okay. The Emerdine family is a noble family with the title of Count that has been around for 350 years. The agricultural products they offer include wheat, fruits, and vegetables. The Emerdine family's territory borders directly with the Whitemount and Ponthema family and is crossed by the great Brightdew River. And then... oh yeah! The Emerdine family is known for their Wind magic! The current head of the family, Father- I mean Lord Victor earned the title 'Zephyr Knight' for his swordsmanship and Wind magic, with his personal strength reaching Master-rank."
"Very well. I think that's enough of a summary for the Emerdine family. So what about the Noggen Empire?"
"Okay. The Noggen Empire was established after the defeat of the first Demon King Malum by the first hero Arthur Silvermane. The Noggen Empire was founded in 295 by His Majesty the First Emperor Erdyon Noggen, who was an ally of the First Hero. The hierarchical structure of the nobility in the Noggen Empire is Emperor, Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron, and finally Knight."
"That's enough, Young Master. Hmm... excellent! You explained the key points of yesterday's lesson accurately. In that case, allow me to inform you of today's lessons. After this, I will conduct a small exam covering mathematics, history, and geography. This will be followed by a lesson on ethics and dining etiquette. Is there anything you wish to ask?"
Winfred exhaled calmly, and with that, a part of him was convinced that he had indeed been reborn and entered the game Reaneus Saga. In a loud voice, he asked Alcott.
"Sir Alcott, if the Noggen Empire was founded in 295, then how many years has our Empire been in existence?"
"Hm? Oh yes, forgive me for not explaining that far. Since it is now the year 1288, that means our Empire has been in existence for 993 years."
Winfred's heart was pounding, and his eyes widened. If what his teacher said was true, then Ryan or Winfred had entered this world almost 1000 years after the creation of the Noggen Empire, which meant he had entered the third installment of the Reaneus Saga.
***
After completing the small exam given by Alcott, Winfred prepared for his next lesson, which was theology. He doodled on a piece of paper while waiting for Alcott to check his exam results. He thought that if it was indeed the year 1288, which was after the years 200 and 700 when the first and second games took place, then major events must have occurred. He also wasn't entirely sure about the impact of the first and second games on the present time, but he still remembered the setting for the third game, which began in the year 1296, meaning it was still eight years away.
"Hmm... hmm... Perfect, Young Master Winfred! You received full marks on today's exam."
"Ohh! Thank you, Sir Alcott! All my studying has paid off!"
"I'm glad to hear it. Please keep up the good work!"
Alcott smiled warmly at Winfred. Seeing Alcott and his dark blue eyes behind his glasses, Winfred felt a little guilty because everything he had learned so far, he already knew completely in his previous life, whether it was mathematics, science, or language arts. Added to that was his knowledge of the world of Reaneus Saga, a game he played wholeheartedly, which made the test feel very easy.
"Then let's continue today's lesson about the gods in this world. Do you know who they are, Young Master?"
"Um... Nina told me about them once, but I forgot."
Winfred pretended to show his innocence to Alcott. In fact, he knew the names of the gods and their domain, but he kept his knowledge to himself because he wanted to make sure first whether the knowledge in the game and in the real world were similar.
"It's okay, Young Master. That is precisely my role here as a teacher. Ahem, in our world there are three gods who are worshipped, namely the Goddess Frellia, the God Khromatos, and the God Dioscuria. Actually, there are many gods and goddesses in the world, but only these three figures are the most famous and have many followers. Goddess Frelli, whose domain is Light, is the main goddess worshipped in the Holy Kingdom of Sephera. God Khromatos, whose domain is Knowledge, is worshipped by scholars in the Algen Alliance. Finally, God Dioscuria, whose domain is War, is widely worshipped in the Kingdom of Fordden. Please remember this well, Young Master. The followers of these three gods are spread across the entire world, including the Noggen Empire."
"Um, among those three divine beings, which one has the most followers and is the most influential in the Noggen Empire?"
"Good question, Young Master. The rules in the Noggen Empire itself allow all citizens to worship anyone as long as they do not violate the applicable imperial laws. Additionally, each deity has a main temple built in various parts of the Empire, and as for which one is the most influential... perhaps we should save the answer for when you are a little older, Young Master."
"Ohh, I see. I understand, Sir Alcott."
Sure enough, his knowledge of the game turned out to be the same as that in the real world. With this, Winfred became even more convinced that several major events would occur in the future, considering that the third game was no less thrilling than the first and second games.