The Veloras Palace never truly slept. Even at dawn, servants, knights, and officials were already carrying out their duties throughout the palace. Standing in his room, Kylrus Van Veloras looked at his reflection. His new body was absurdly powerful. Even without consciously using mana, he could feel it naturally gathering around him and responding to his presence.
"Enter."
A moment later, Princess Selene entered the room and closed the door behind her. Unlike the previous day, she wasn't acting cautious or nervous. Instead, she looked at him carefully before speaking.
"You were injured three days ago."
Kylrus nodded.
"Explain."
Selene studied him for a moment.
"You don't remember?"
Kylrus met her gaze calmly.
"I'd like to hear your version."
Selene immediately understood what he meant. She straightened slightly before explaining. "Three days ago, you personally led the 3rd Imperial Legion to the western border. A breach occurred near the Blackthorn Mountains." As she spoke, fragments of memory surfaced inside Kylrus's mind. The location felt familiar even though he couldn't fully remember the event itself.
"It wasn't a dragon attack."
Kylrus narrowed his eyes.
"Then what was it?"
"A cult."
The answer immediately caught his attention. Selene continued explaining. "A group calling themselves the Veil of Ashes infiltrated the border disguised as merchants. Once they were exposed, they activated a large mana detonation array." Kylrus instantly understood the implications. Such an operation required planning, resources, and information.
"This wasn't random."
"No. It was designed specifically to injure you."
Kylrus remained silent as more fragmented memories surfaced. He could vaguely remember smoke, explosions, mana fluctuations, and a strange feeling of pain deep within his body. It wasn't physical pain. It felt as though something inside him had been damaged.
"You destroyed them."
Kylrus looked at her.
"According to the witnesses, you personally killed their elite mages and walked through the explosion itself. The attack failed, but the detonation temporarily damaged your mana core."
Kylrus finally understood what had happened. A damaged mana core could cripple even the strongest individuals. Yet somehow, the original Kylrus had survived.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Six hours."
"What about casualties?"
"Far lower than expected. You protected the legion before the second explosion."
Kylrus couldn't help but smile slightly. Even the original owner of this body seemed far more capable than he had initially assumed. The more information he learned, the more impressive the previous Kylrus appeared.
Selene continued watching him.
"Brother, something has changed."
Kylrus remained silent.
"You always focused only on strength. Yesterday, you laughed."
Kylrus immediately understood.
"Aurielle hit me."
Selene blinked.
"And you allowed it?"
"Yes."
A faint smile appeared on her face. The atmosphere relaxed slightly. Unlike the others, Selene seemed less interested in the change itself and more interested in whether it affected his abilities.
"Whatever changed, it doesn't seem to have weakened you."
Kylrus nodded before shifting the conversation.
"News of my injury has already spread, hasn't it?"
"Yes."
The answer wasn't surprising. Rumors would already be spreading throughout the empire. If the strongest person in the Veloras Empire could be injured, ambitious nobles and hidden enemies would inevitably become bolder.
"Who was present during the battle?"
Selene quickly listed several names including Duke Harland, Countess Mirevra, General Kaedros, and the officers of the 3rd Legion. After finishing, she added one final detail.
"There was also a masked observer among the cultists."
Kylrus immediately focused on that detail.
"Alive?"
"No."
"Body?"
"Destroyed."
The situation felt suspicious. Kylrus walked toward a nearby table and poured himself a glass of water while organizing everything in his mind. Someone had gathered enough resources to launch an attack capable of injuring the strongest person in the empire. That required money, rare materials, information, and knowledge about Kylrus himself.
"There is a leak inside the empire."
"I believe so as well."
Kylrus looked at her for a moment. He appreciated the fact that she reached the same conclusion without hesitation. At least one member of the royal family wasn't naive.
"Prepare a private council. Only people who would never betray me."
Selene let out a quiet laugh.
"That list is shorter than you think."
"I know."
She paused before leaving.
"Brother."
"Yes?"
"For the first time, you seem interested in ruling."
Kylrus looked out the window toward the capital. In his previous life, he possessed knowledge but lacked power. In this life, he possessed power beyond imagination. The only thing he still valued more than power was information.
"I am."
Selene quietly left the room. Once he was alone, Kylrus closed his eyes and focused inward. Deep within his body, he found his mana core. It was enormous compared to anything he had read about, but there was a visible fracture running across it. It wasn't serious enough to cripple him, but it definitely existed.
Instead of forcing mana through it recklessly, he carefully guided the flow throughout his body. Mana circulated through his pathways while he gradually corrected distortions and stabilized the damaged areas. Several minutes passed before he finally opened his eyes again.
"Modern optimization principles work here too."
A faint smile appeared on his face. The fracture wasn't gone, but it felt noticeably better than before. Whatever damage the cult had caused, it could be repaired with enough time and precision.
"If they thought this would weaken me..."
"They miscalculated."
Outside the palace, rumors about the Crown Prince's injury continued spreading. Some nobles whispered behind closed doors, some enemies celebrated, and others quietly watched from the shadows. In a hidden location far from the capital, a cloaked figure sat in silence while listening to reports.
"Phase one was successful."
The figure's voice echoed through the room. What they didn't know was that Kylrus was no longer the same person as before. He still possessed the strength of the empire's greatest prodigy, but now that strength was paired with the mind of someone who had already lost everything once before.