Acaethira Empire

'Whew... this should be enough for today. At the rate I'm going, I should be able to reach Rank I by the time I'm 8 months old.'

It has been five months since Sethos started his cultivation. Throughout the time in his crib, aside from cultivating, Se-hun tried his best to gather information about the Silvermoon Duchy, his family members, and the general political situation around the world. In this regard, he was actually able to acquire quite a lot of details from the gossips of the servants. 

The world Sethos was in is called Lumena, and it is separated into five continents; the chilly Northern Continent where the Tunesea Kingdom was located; the Southern Continent where many desert tribes roamed the barren lands; the luscious Eastern Continent where the Shulyra Dynasty was located; the Western Continent where the Othoston Kingdom was located; and the Central Continent where the resplendent Acaethira Empire was located, and also the place Sethos was residing in.

According to the many rumours Sethos heard, the Acaethira Empire is currently at war with the Othoston Kingdom, with the Empire winning by a large margin. On the contrary, Northern Continent's Tunesea Kingdom had a friendly relationship with the Empire. As for internal conflicts, although there aren't any major problems, there have been competition and infighting among several noble families, mainly the six ducal houses.

As one of the longest-standing kingdoms in Lumena, the Acaethira Empire naturally had a stable system for both commoners and nobles. The nobility were sorted into five ranks based on their contributions and accomplishments, which comprised of barons, viscounts, counts, marquises, and dukes. The Silvermoon House, alongside the Emberflare House, Asturias House, Skyblade House, Ironheart House, and Starcaster House; were the six prominent ducal families in the Empire. 

Aside from all the usual nobility duties, each of the ducal houses also represent a certain magical element, and they are responsible for recruiting commoners who have talent in magic. Wandering mages are also free to apply for a position within the ducal house as long as they are proficient in that specific element and have no serious criminal records. 

As one of the six ducal families, the Silvermoon House was mainly in charge of recruiting mages who could wield dark magic. Over the past year, they have invited a staggering amount of seven hundred mages just to manage the various affairs of the duchy. And that didn't even include those who came to join the military, instructors who were recruited to teach at the training camps, and the people who were hired as personal butlers. 

Now, you may ask, why does the Silvermoon House need to recruit that many people in a single year?

The answer is surprisingly straightforward. It is because there are simply THAT MANY people who need to be tended to. 

As a duchy with an extremely long history, the Silvermoon family had expanded to the point where the main estate alone already housed tens of thousands of descendants. As someone who was born this year, Sethos was the 101,101st descendant of the 101st patriarch of the house. The reason Sethos was described as such was because he wasn't the direct son, but the grandson, of the current patriarch. 

The current patriarch of the Silvermoon House, Alexander Silvermoon, was an extremely stern and unforgiving leader who was not only strict to others, but to himself as well. At a young age, Alex had served the Acaethira Empire well; he won hundreds of duelling competitions, fought in several major wars, and defeated many other powerful mages from other kingdoms. And at the age of 103, he was crowned the new patriarch after he defeated the former leader, Dimitri Silvermoon, in a duel. He then led the Silvermoon family faithfully for hundreds of years, dealt with many crises, and bore many talented descendants to ensure that the family would not fall after his reign.

In this world where magic reigned supreme, one could increase their lifespan by increasing their strength and mana capacity. Unlike ki, mana had the ability to constantly rejuvenate vital organs, heal injuries, and even cure fatal diseases. After one activated their mana heart, their lifespan would generally increase by around 8-10 years. And if one continuously trained their body and allowed the mana heart to grow, their lifespan would increase even more. 

'When I find more materials about mana, I must definitely learn this form of power called magic!' Sethos thought to himself as he clenched his tiny fists. 

Just when Sethos was lost in thought, a voice suddenly came out from nowhere. "Wow! Did young master Sethos just clench his fists? I wasn't seeing things right?" 

Sethos looked to the right, and saw the young maid covering her face with her palms.

"I'm so proud of you young master! When did you learn to do that?" 

The young maid looked at Sethos with sparkling eyes, while the baby continued to put on an innocent expression. However, Sethos was inwardly staring at her with contempt. 

'Goodness, usual Myra being so noisy and talkative again. Why can't she just stay in a corner and sleep the entire day just like the other nannies? If it wasn't for her staring at me the entire day, I would've had more time to cultivate.' 

'Also, I mustn't keep such a dangerous entity with me when I grow older. That talkative mouth of hers would definitely put me in trouble in this war-ridden world. I should dispose of her when I get the chance.'

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"Young master! Happy birthday!" Myra shouted.

Indeed, Sethos Silvermoon had officially turned one year old. Throughout these months, Sethos had only stayed inside his room with his personal maid, Myra. Due to the strict rules of the duchy, and the constant dangerous competitions, everyone under the age of three weren't allowed to go outside or meet any of their family members. Their family members weren't allowed to meet them either. But of course, even for the strictest rules, there were always exceptions. 

"Young master! Madam Aurelia is coming to visit you today! We have to make sure you are dressed properly and handsomely!" Myra exclaimed with a grin on her face.

Sethos stood himself up, walked up to the mirror, and admired his beautiful face with exquisite jawlines. Even though he was only a one year old baby, you can tell from his bright blue eyes and tender skin that he's going to be an extremely handsome gentleman in the future. 

*knock knock*

"Please come in, Madam!" 

"Ah, it has been ages since I've last seen my dearest son. It seems that you can stand and walk properly now. Your progress befits one who holds the Silvermoon name."

Sethos couldn't help but gasp at his mother's appearance when she walked in. Though he had seen her once when she was giving birth to him, Sethos had never seen her in her peak state. She was dressed in a beautiful, well-tailored blue dress, with expensive jewels adorned on it. Her sapphire eyes sparkled even more than last time, and her golden hair flowed elegantly amidst the slight breeze. 

"Myra, you did well taking care of my child. However, don't forget, Sethos' Mana Heart Ceremony starts in 2 years. Make sure that he can listen and talk properly by then. We don't want him falling behind other children, do we?"

"Anyways, now that I've completed the duty of visiting my son, I shall head to the library. Retainers, bring me to the second floor of the main building."

Sethos' eyes immediately lit up when he heard the word 'library'. He had been hoping to find one during his time here, but he didn't manage to find any clues about it. Moreover, he couldn't even ask people about it since it would arouse suspicion. 

'I should sneak out tonight when everybody is asleep. I doubt anybody would care about my wellbeing except Myra anyways. I thought my mother would be kinder to her own son, but it seemed like she didn't really care much.'

'Either ways, being born in such an uncaring family is actually beneficial to me. I could have more time alone without being under anybody's watchful eyes. Except Myra's, of course...'

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Alongside her retainers, there was a gorgeous lady strolling around the corridors in the Silvermoon Estate. She constantly wore a smile, and each of her steps were graceful and full of poise. With her mysterious demeanour, nobody knew what she was thinking. However, despite the calm look on her face, her mind was going wild with different thoughts.

'Oh my dear Sethos, I'm sorry that I couldn't stay with you. I'm sorry I couldn't give you the motherly love you deserved. I'm so, so sorry...'

'I'm sorry that you had to learn that parental love didn't exist in this cruel family. I hope that you can become strong and defeat all those who stand in your way. And even if you hate me wholeheartedly in the future...'

'I pray that you don't end up with the same fate as Sebastian...'