Two years. It had taken Kaito Ren nearly two years to fully accept the impossible reality of his situation. He wasn't Kaito Ren, the respected employee, analyst from Tokyo, anymore. He was somehow inhabiting the life of Lian Vance – no, scratch that, he was inhabiting the role of "Kaito Ren," a commoner scholar, formerly Lian Vance, illegitimate son of a powerful Caelum noble. He was inside Aelric the Last Flame (The Chosen Light), five years before the story's flow beginning. Initial panic had given way to cold analysis. He'd scoured the Academy's libraries for any mention of reincarnation, transmigration, or parallel worlds – finding only myths and dismissed philosophical tracts. He'd probed inwardly for any sign of a 'System' like the book's protagonist possessed, finding nothing but his own sharp, analytical mind. He was a side character, maybe even less than that, armed only with knowledge of a future doomed to fail. Fine. If he couldn't find the rules of this transmigration, he'd master the rules of this world. He played his part diligently, the quiet, bright scholar. Only Lord Vance and perhaps the Academy's highest echelons knew his true connection, a secret kept for his own protection. He had adapted. He would survive. He would win, even without a System; without mage; or any combat skills. (He had never fought in his past real life.) But sometimes he thinks: What Ayane is doing now? has she grown up? Safe? Happy?...
* * *
Today's grand exercise in the Advanced Strategy Hall involved simulating the political and logistical response to a sudden blight spreading through Caelum's western farmlands while managing potential border tension with the neighboring Iron Concord. Teams were assigned roles representing different factions within the Royal Council. Kaito, as expected, was assigned a supporting role – data analysis and record-keeping for the team nominally led by Lord Cassian Thorne, representing the interests of the landed nobility. Crucially, Lady Annelise Devereux was also on their team, tasked with representing diplomatic channels.
"The blight requires immediate resource allocation!" Cassian declared loudly, slamming a fist onto the large map table where tokens represented grain stores, troops, and afflicted regions. "We must secure the granaries near the border first, assert Royal authority! Send the Silver Legion!"
Several other young nobles on their team nodded vigorously. Annelise frowned slightly. "My lord," she began hesitantly, "committing the Legion leaves the capital vulnerable, and seizing local granaries might incite panic or resistance from the western lords..."
"Nonsense," Cassian interrupted. "A strong response is necessary! They'll fall in line." He looked pleased with his decisive stance, glancing at Annelise for approval she didn't give.
Kaito remained quiet, observing the flow of information, cross-referencing the simulated resource reports scrolling on a nearby enchanted slate. Cassian's plan was bold, flashy, and disastrously inefficient. It ignored the blight's projected spread rate and the Concord's likely opportunistic reaction to troops moving west.
Leaning forward slightly, Kaito addressed Cassian respectfully, keeping his voice neutral. "My Lord Thorne, the latest agricultural reports indicate the blight spreads fastest in damp conditions. If the models are accurate," and my adaptation of regression analysis is correct, "the southern riverlands will be hit hardest within the week, threatening the capital's primary food source." He highlighted the relevant data on the slate. "Securing the western granaries first might leave the capital's supply fatally exposed."
Cassian frowned, momentarily thrown off by the data contradicting his bold move. "The riverlands? Are you certain, Ren?"
"The projection has an 85% confidence interval based on current spread vectors and historical climate data, my lord," Kaito stated calmly. He didn't offer a solution, merely presented the problem his analysis revealed.
Cassian stared at the data, then puffed out his chest. "Of course. The riverlands. A crucial point! Very well! New plan! We'll establish a quarantine zone around the initial outbreak, divert half the Silver Legion to secure the riverland granaries immediately, and," he glanced at Annelise, "initiate diplomatic talks with the Concord, assuring them our troop movements are purely internal." He beamed, presenting the revised strategy as his own brilliant insight.
Annelise looked thoughtful. "Securing the riverlands first is wise, my lord. But splitting the Legion might weaken both fronts..."
"A calculated risk, my lady!" Cassian declared.
Kaito subtly slid another report onto the enchanted slate – local militia readiness levels in the riverlands. He didn't say anything. Cassian glanced at it.
"Ah! And!" Cassian added quickly. "We'll mobilize the Southern Riverlords' militia to support the Legion's deployment there! Excellent synergy!"
Kaito watched impassively as Cassian continued to 'lead', incorporating the data Kaito fed him piece by piece, always framing it as his own decision. Kaito acted merely as the efficient analyst, providing the numbers that just happened to support the strategically optimal (and often less aggressive) path. Cassian, eager to impress Annelise and secure 'victory' in the simulation, readily took the bait, presenting Kaito's carefully seeded strategies as his own decisive leadership.
The simulation concluded hours later. Their team had contained the blight's economic impact, secured the capital's food supply, and avoided conflict with the Iron Concord, all while minimizing resource expenditure. Professor Lyra praised Lord Thorne's "dynamic leadership and sound strategic adjustments." Cassian preened, accepting the accolades and casting triumphant looks at Annelise.
As they were dismissed, Cassian swaggered over to Annelise. "A decisive victory, wouldn't you agree, my lady? Proof that bold action tempered with strategic foresight carries the day."
Annelise offered a polite, noncommittal smile. "Your adjustments proved effective, Lord Thorne." Her gaze, however, flickered past Cassian for just a second, meeting Kaito's across the room. There was a spark of understanding, perhaps even amusement, in her eyes before she turned back to Cassian.
Kaito merely gathered his notes, his expression placid. Cassian got the glory. Cassian felt indebted (whether he realized the extent of it or not) to Kaito's 'useful' analysis. Annelise saw more than Cassian realized. And Kaito remained safely in the background, his influence growing subtly, his position secured not through confrontation, but through careful manipulation. The pieces are moving, he thought. Progress continues.
* * *
The silence of the Academy's Upper Library was a welcome refuge after the performative chaos of the strategy simulations. Here, surrounded by towering shelves of restricted archives – census data, noble lineages, regional histories – Kaito Ren could finally do his real work. Access hadn't been easy, requiring careful justification and leveraging the 'recommendation' he'd subtly engineered from a grateful (and unwitting) Lord Cassian Thorne after the blight simulation success.
He hunched over a heavy tome detailing the demographics of Caelum's southern territories, cross-referencing it with a faded map. Three years. According to the fragmented timeline pieced together from Aelric the Last Flame, the protagonist was due to appear near a small village called Oakhaven in roughly three years – Year 742. Kaito needed every available detail about the village, its surroundings, and any noble families – including Vance – with holdings nearby. He also searched fruitlessly for any record, any hint, of Aelric's existence prior to his appearance in the book's narrative. Nothing. As expected, perhaps. The hero often appeared from nowhere in such tales.
A soft rustle of skirts pulled him from his concentration. Lady Annelise Devereux stood beside his table, holding a slender volume bound in dark leather. Her presence here, in this restricted section often ignored by students more interested in courtly pursuits, was mildly surprising.
"Hi Ren," she greeted him quietly, her voice a low murmur that barely disturbed the library's hush. "Deep in study, as always."
Kaito inclined his head politely, masking his internal calculations. "Lady Annelise. Just reviewing population shifts in the southern territories." He gestured vaguely at the dense text. "Dry, but necessary for understanding world."
Annelise glanced at the tome, then back at him, a knowing glint in her eyes. "Necessary, perhaps, but access to the Royal Archives isn't usually granted for basic resource study. Lord Thorne must hold your analytical skills in very high regard indeed to facilitate this."
Kaito detected no malice, only sharp observation. Cassian had likely boasted about his 'brilliant analyst'. "Lord Thorne values thorough preparation, my lady,"
"His family is one of the most prestigious families, just like the Vance family, and has a lot of influence. But he is not a king. Everyone here treats him like a king."
"Maybe in the future he will really be a king", Kaito responds but internally knowing that will not happen. According to the book, he will be died in an attack by Lord Pane after 4 years. The entire family will be wiped out.
Kaito deflected smoothly. "I merely provide the data. And you, my lady? What brings you to this dusty corner?"
She held up her book. The title was faintly embossed in silver: Introduction to Sympathetic Bindings. "Just pursuing a minor interest," she said, a touch self-deprecatingly. "My own aptitude for the arcane is regrettably limited. Simple charms for amusement are the best I can manage."
"A sentiment I understand completely," Kaito commiserated, seeing a strategic opening for connection. "I confess, the workings of mana remain a complete mystery to me. It seems such a... random blessing. Some are gifted, others are not."
Annelise smiled faintly. "Perhaps. Though sometimes I think rigorous study can achieve more than unfocused talent." Her gaze was thoughtful. "Speaking of talent, have you heard the whispers from the Grand Council of Mages recently? They say some Initiate – possibly from Tenraku Academy, though no one's certain – has been causing quite stir. Developing entirely new spell forms, apparently. Quite the prodigy, though rather disruptive, the rumors claim." She frowned slightly, trying to recall the detail. "They mentioned a name... Mizuri? Mizono? Something like that. Associated with... ruin magic, perhaps? It was all very vague and quickly hushed up."
Mizono? Ruin Mage? The name, the description – it snagged Kaito's attention sharply. He searched his memory of the book's text, the appendices, the fan forums he'd devoured. No such character existed. A powerful, disruptive female mage creating new spells? That wasn't part of the story he knew.
"Interesting," Kaito said, keeping his voice carefully neutral. "As I said, some are blessed. With magic, with combat prowess..." He hesitated, then added, almost unconsciously, "...with a System."
"A system?" Annelise tilted her head, curious. "What sort of system?"
Kaito froze internally. Slip-up. Careless. "Ah, never mind," he said quickly, waving a dismissive hand. "Just an abstract thought. A system for categorizing talent, perhaps. Forget I mentioned it." He forced a polite smile.
Annelise looked intrigued but didn't press. Instead, her expression softened slightly. "Well, Kaito, all this talk of talent and study is rather dry. I was about to seek some tea. Would you care to join me?"
Kaito considered it for precisely half a second. An opportunity to build rapport with Annelise, daughter of a Duke, clearly intelligent and observant. But Cassian Thorne's jealousy was a known factor, a useful tool but also a potential complication. Antagonizing his unwitting 'patron' over tea wasn't strategically sound. Not yet.
"Thank you for the kind offer, Lady Annelise," he said, adopting a regretful tone. "But I'm afraid I must delve deeper into these records before the archives close for the evening. Duty calls."
A flicker of disappointment crossed her face, quickly masked by polite understanding. "Of course, Kaito. Duty first." She gave a small nod. "Perhaps another time." She turned and walked away, her footsteps silent on the thick carpet.
Kaito watched her go, then immediately turned his attention away from the Caelum demographics. Mizono. Ruin Mage. The name echoed in his mind. It wasn't in the book. He was certain of it. Was this a divergence? A previously unknown element? Or... another variable like himself? Someone else pulled into this world? The implications were staggering. His carefully constructed plans based on the book's narrative suddenly felt fragile.
He pushed aside the histories of Oakhaven Village. His priority had just shifted. He needed information on this Mizono. Now. He accessed the library's main index through a nearby enchanted slate, his fingers flying across the surface, initiating a new search.