Chapter 2: A World That’s Not So Ordinary (They Already Have Steam Engines!!!)

Eros was somewhat surprised by how well he was doing in this new life. 

Sure, his small body housed the soul of an adult, so pretending to be a math prodigy to fool the people of this ancient world wasn't too hard—after all, he hadn't skipped out on nine years of compulsory education.

But excelling in other areas as well? That was beyond his expectations.

He had discovered that his memory was now astonishingly sharp. While it wasn't exactly photographic, he could remember about 70-80% of what he read after just one glance. 

This made him wonder, "Could this be the golden finger of a transmigrator?"

Putting those thoughts aside, today he had made a significant discovery.

He had found clues about the mystical side of this world—or rather, the ancient mystical side.

While reading The General History of the Croatia Continent, he came across a passage that roughly translated to:

"After the elven race left the Croatia Continent, the nations fell into chaos, leading to a war that lasted over three hundred years. This marked the end of the Second Era and the gradual rise of the Third Era."

The Croatia Continent was the land he now called home.

And elves? According to his memories from his previous life, elves were inherently tied to the mystical side of things. They didn't seem like an ordinary race at all.

A historical book like The General History of the Croatia Continent wouldn't just fabricate an entire race, right?

Unfortunately, the Second and Third Eras were so far in the past that records of what happened during those times were scarce.

One era spanned ten thousand years, and they were now in the Fifth Era. 

The elves had left twenty to thirty thousand years ago. For such a vast stretch of time, even fragmented records were a miracle.

What puzzled him, though, was that if humanity had been developing for fifty thousand years in this world—far longer than on Earth—why was the most advanced invention still the steam engine?

On Earth, fifty thousand years of progress would have taken humanity far beyond the Milky Way. It didn't make sense.

Sighing, he shook his head. At least he had found a clue. This world did have a mystical side—or at least, it had one in the past.

This discovery excited him. Being a lazy, do-nothing duke was boring, and this world was dull.

If it took them fifty thousand years to invent the steam engine, he'd be long dead before they even dreamed of smartphones and the internet.

Feeling pleased with his discovery, Eros hummed a nameless tune as he walked, his steps confident and carefree.

 He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the voice calling out to him until it broke through his reverie.

"Little Eros! Have you seen your sister?"

Eros turned to see a woman with flowing platinum-blonde hair cascading over her shoulders.

She wore a voluminous white dress, her features delicate and her eyes as gentle as a calm lake.

This was his mother in this life, Estelle Yurika Nos.

The sister she was referring to was, of course, Wendini Lenka Nos. According to the laws of this world, she was his only legitimate sister.

The other half-siblings, being illegitimate, were treated politely but distantly by Estelle.

Eros shook his head. "I've been reading in my room all day. I'm on my way to the library now. As for that...bratty... sister of mine, she hasn't come to see me today, so I don't know where she is."

He had almost called her "that bratty sister" but caught himself just in time.

Estelle didn't seem to notice anything amiss. She glanced at the book tucked under Eros's arm, bent down, and kissed his forehead.

"My little Eros is so well-behaved. Not like your sister. Mr. Boroka just told me Wendini skipped class again today. I have no idea where she's run off to."

Eros felt a slight twinge of embarrassment at being treated like a child, but he couldn't deny it felt nice.

He replied, "She's still young. It's normal for her not to like studying. When she's my age, she'll definitely change."

Estelle gave him a strange look.

"She's still young? When she's your age? Eros, she's two years older than you." She couldn't help but chuckle at her son's precociousness.

Straightening up, she patted his head and continued her search for Wendini. Skipping class wasn't becoming of a young lady.

As he watched her graceful figure disappear into the distance, Eros couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Estelle was undeniably stunning, a woman of unparalleled beauty. Yet, his father still couldn't resist chasing after other women.

He sighed. Men were truly incomprehensible.

Shaking his head, Eros continued his leisurely stroll toward the library. But before he could get far, a shadow leaped out from the flowerbed and tackled him to the ground.

Eros looked up to see Wendini sitting on his waist, leaves clinging to her clothes. Ah, so that's where she'd been hiding.

No wonder Estelle couldn't find her.

Wendini glared down at her little brother, her expression fierce (or at least, as fierce as a cute girl could manage).

"Was it you who told Mom that I ruined her carefully arranged flower arrangement yesterday? Because of you, I had to stand in the corner for an hour!"

Eros looked up at her. Despite her angry expression, her face, which had inherited their mother's beauty, still looked adorable. 

Her voice, though trying to sound menacing, was soft and sweet. Who could resist teasing such a cute golden-haired loli, especially when she was his sister?

So, without a hint of remorse, he replied, "Yes, it was me. Wasn't it you who broke it?"

Wendini's eyes widened in fury.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of ink, clearly intending to use it to draw something on Eros's face.

But before she could act, Eros calmly said,

"If you do that, I'll tell Mom that you were the one who lost her necklace—the one Grandma gave her."

"You know how sad she was when she couldn't find it."

Wendini froze, the ink bottle suddenly feeling much less satisfying.

But looking down at Eros's smug face, she felt her anger boiling over.

She tossed the ink bottle aside and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him violently. 

"You little snitch! Aaaaaah!!!"

Despite being shaken like a ragdoll, Eros couldn't help but smile.

He loved seeing her so frustrated, unable to do anything about it.