Alaric whipped around to see Elara gazing at him with concern in her eyes. For a moment, he didn’t know what to do. It felt awkward. A part of him lit up from the inside when meeting the kind woman who always took care of him, cheered him up, and told him fascinating stories of adventurers who conquered dungeons. Another part became paralyzed, not knowing how to answer her question in fear of getting caught. He did the only thing he could — flashed a sweet smile.

“Come here, now.” Elara approached him swiftly and raised him up by the arms. Placing him down on the bed, she bent down and wrapped the blanket around him, and continued, “Why are you out of bed so early? Especially when you are so sick.”

“I…feel fine. I’m more sick of staying in this bed.”

A look of disbelief crossed her face. “Nonsense. The physician said you would have to rest for another week.” She pressed the back of her hand against his forehead and raised her eyebrows. After quickly checking the temperature of his cheeks and arms as well, she paused for a moment. Suddenly, her eyes gleamed with barely constrained tears. She continued, “Thank the Radiant Flame. Your fever is finally down.” She wiped a single tear that leaked around the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.

Alaric placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “I’m really fine now. You don’t need to worry anymore. Thank you for taking care of me all this time, Ms. Elara.”

Elara gasped and covered her mouth with a hand. “Young master, you never called me by my name before.” Alaric winced internally. Did she notice I’m not the same kid?

She beamed at Alaric. “It fills my heart with joy to be acknowledged.” Elara leaned closer and pulled him into a tight hug. Alaric noticed that she called him ‘sweet child’ when he was barely conscious and addressed him as ‘young master’ now.

After a moment, she released him with an impassive expression on her face and stood up.

“The fever could still return, so you need to take your medications and rest for a few more days,” Elara said softly. “I’ll inform the maids to bring you your breakfast. Might as well have it now since you are awake. The physician will check on you later.”

Alaric raised his hands in mock surrender. “As you say. I’ll be a good child and stay in bed.” Elara sported a look of confusion and doubt. Then, she shrugged and released a smile. “You mischievous boy, I’ll be watching you with my powers.” Alaric mentally snorted but kept his face playful and nodded. Yeah, right. Okay.

Elara left the room and he settled down on the bed. Alaric liked his personal maid. She didn’t disrespect him for being a bastard and genuinely performed her duties. He had no doubt that Elara was mocked, maybe even shunned since she was responsible for raising the bastard.

Alaric didn’t notice any type of wedding ring on her fingers. It looks like she is not married, nor does she have kids of her own. If that is so, it makes sense for her to form an attachment to the only child she is raising. I wonder what her story is.

Putting that thought aside, Alaric decided to revisit the issue of not being able to sense his subtle body and his chakras. After probing his mind for a few minutes, he reached a conclusion. The concentration of this mind is abysmal. I have to train it properly and get control over it before I can concentrate and visualize the subtle body and chakras. Alaric was not happy with that fact.

Of course, it was to be expected, him now being trapped in the body of a child. The more concerning thing was that he had no idea how long it would take to develop sufficient concentration. In his first life, Alaric started training on the path of ‘Chakra Cultivation’ when he was 16 years old. Back then, the difficulty of visualizing and detecting his subtle body came from not understanding exactly what his master instructed and not knowing what to expect. However, his mind was sharp and willpower strong.

Now, his problem was completely reversed. He knew exactly what he wanted and how to achieve it. Alas, his mind was dull and filled with distractions. It refused to obey. No matter. I have overcome tougher obstacles. Alaric settled down into the lotus position. To his annoyance, even crossing one leg over the other was difficult at this stage. It strained his knee joints. And, he couldn’t keep his spine straight without experiencing discomfort.

When he closed his eyes to meditate, the pain in his joints and the discomfort in his body added to the distraction. Alaric decided to ignore it but he quickly realized his capacity for withstanding pain and discomfort was also not as strong as before. After only a few minutes, he couldn’t maintain his posture. And, as if that was not enough, he couldn’t focus on his breathing for more than a few seconds before his mind was pulled toward another thought.

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He relaxed and ended his meditation session. This will have to be enough for now. He was distracted when somebody knocked at his door. It was the maid who was supposed to bring him his breakfast. The maid looked much younger than Elara with her bright blue eyes and golden hair. She was quite short and approached his bedside timidly, avoiding eye contact.

Hmm…probably about 20. An introvert, I guess.

“A very good morning to you…Ah, Miss Iris.” Alaric grinned at her.

The maid looked unprepared for the interaction. “I…uhm, I..” She slightly bowed her head and mumbled, “Gud’ mornin.”

After placing the food on his bedside table, Iris bowed again and left the room in a hurry. Alaric smirked. What am I…a tiger? He shook his head and eyed the food. A large plate included two hefty slices of buttered bread, two boiled eggs cut in the middle with some pepper sprinkled over them, some type of cheese, and an assortment of fruits like oranges, apples, and bananas cut into thin slices. Along with it, there was also some tea that smelled delicious.

His stomach grumbled at the smell of food. Alaric cheerfully picked up the fruit plate and bit into the bread slices. He popped an entire egg slice into his mouth. The combination of soft, chewy buttered bread and the eggs tasted heavenly. He sampled the cheese which carried a slight tang and then tried the fruits one by one. Once he had devoured the food, he sipped on the warm tea, relishing its sweet and complex flavor. The tea tasted distinctly different from what he was used to in his homeworld. There were hints of spices, and he got a slight kick out of it.

Once done with his breakfast, he released a burp, feeling satisfied and content. The food was great. During his childhood, he belonged to a poor family, and that meant rationing food. More than once, he had to leave his home for work on a half-empty stomach. It was only after he became a powerful cultivator that he got to enjoy delicious meals every day.

Alaric contemplated his new life for some time. He couldn’t help but replay the battle with the Anomaly in his mind for a while. His life in his village as a child, the memorable moments spent with his friends, becoming the disciple of the ‘Chakra Sage’, spending time under the care of the ‘Elder Witch of Night Peaks’, and more.

One by one, all the memories of his past life flashed by in his mind and he suddenly realized, there might come a time when he could forget about his previous life. It would have been great if he could document the thoughts and memories of his previous life, but that would be too dangerous and risky.

A simple curious thought by somebody to check his peculiar habit of writing could expose his secrets. Alaric released a sigh. I’ll have to settle for reviewing the memories in my mind.

Settling that thought, Alaric tried to recall the memories of his childhood years — his life as a young bastard. For some reason, his memories as a young child were a lot more fragmented and mainly consisted of mental impressions compared to the vivid memories of his previous life. Images, voices, and faces flashed through his mind. He got lost in it for some time, trying to unwind the tangle of memories from his imagination.

Apparently, the bastard’s name was Alaric as well. He couldn’t help but chuckle at that coincidence. For some reason, he had a suspicion that the system had a hand to play in this coincidence. Well, I’m happy about it. Digging deeper into his memories, all he could discern was that his father was a Count and he was mostly left to his own devices by the servants and maid. He spent most of his time and interacted mainly with Elara.

Everybody else simply opted to ignore him, unsure of his status in the mansion as the bastard. He faintly remembered seeing some guards training on a practice field. Trying to recall the layout of the mansion led him to nowhere. It seemed that baby ‘Alaric’ mainly kept to himself in his room after being scolded by the Countess once for ‘crossing his boundaries’ while exploring the mansion.

This is getting me nowhere. I have to figure out the layout of the mansion. Alaric propped a fist under his chin. I have to learn the hierarchy of the servants, the schedules, and their attitudes towards the ‘bastard’.

He caught the faint sound of shouting from a distance. It was coming from outside the windows. He pulled himself up from the bed and shambled towards the large window.

Outside, he observed a sprawling, well-maintained garden. A gazebo stood in the middle with an assortment of beautiful flowering plants adorning the sides. Two exquisite fountains lay to the north and south sides. He noticed a few gardeners tending to a few plants — cutting branches, clearing the fallen leaves on the ground, watering the shrubs, and so on.

Beyond that, close to the estate boundary wall and a line of small buildings — barracks — he could see a mass of people clad in light armor practicing sword swings. A larger man in heavy armor and a crimson feather affixed to his helmet barked orders as the group of people followed his every command. That must be the training grounds, and those must be the houseguards. Alaric leaned on the window sill and observed the training for a while.