《Machiavellian's Stratagem》


 Introduction: The Pregame

    My name is Mark, and I¡¯m currently in the void.


    You heard me right. I¡¯m in a pitch-black void, surrounded by nothing. No one else is here with me. It all started¡ªwell, it¡¯s hard to say where exactly it started, but let¡¯s go back to the beginning.


    I was just an average teen, living an average life. I did well in school, got exemplary grades, but wasn¡¯t exactly the popular kid. I was in 10th grade. My parents died in a car crash when I was five, and I¡¯ve been living with my grandparents ever since. My grandfather passed away two years ago from a heart attack, and after that, I moved in with my foster parent. They act as my guardian, but it¡¯s all in name. The only thing they do that remotely qualifies as useful is paying the taxes and keeping up the charade.


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    For the most part, I¡¯ve felt like I had nothing left to live for. So, I threw myself into my studies. I became a hidden genius, a quiet prodigy. I know 20 languages, I¡¯m studying Theoretical Physics, Differential Equations, Game Theory, and more. I¡¯ve built a monotonous life around my schoolwork, and that¡¯s how I¡¯ve been surviving.


    That was until March 30th, 20XX. After studying for ten hours straight for my Human Psychology and Organic Chemistry exams, I decided to take a walk to clear my head. I was completely exhausted, barely functional, but I needed a break.


    When I crossed the street, I was too tired to notice the approaching car. The last thing I felt before everything went black was a sharp pain on the left side of my body. Then, I woke up here. In this void.

 Chapter 2 - The Board

    "Give me a child until he is seven, and I will show you the man." ¨C Aristotle


    Darkness. Endless, suffocating darkness.


    I floated in the void, devoid of hope, devoid of feeling. Despair coursed through me like an unshakable curse.


    Then, suddenly¡ªlight. A brilliant, blinding light erupted in the distance. Before I could react, a wave of scorching heat surged toward me, consuming everything.


    And then¡ªnothing.


    "Hello? Elliot? Wake up! Are you okay?"


    A voice¡ªsoft yet urgent. Something cold and wet dripped onto my face.


    I blinked, my vision hazy. The sky above me was dark, thick with storm clouds. Lightning flickered in the distance.


    A girl hovered over me, her brows furrowed in concern.


    ¡°Elliot,¡± she sighed, exasperation slipping into her tone. ¡°This is why we shouldn¡¯t have gone out in the rain.¡±


    My mind reeled. Elliot? She keeps calling me Elliot¡­?


    And then, Wait¡ªwhy is there rain?


    Dizziness set in, but I forced myself to think logically. If I¡¯ve truly been reborn, I need to gather as much information as possible. First, I need to determine where I am.


    I sat up, shaking off the dampness. "Can we go back home? I¡¯m kind of wet right now.¡±


    The girl folded her arms. "You¡¯re the one who dragged us out here, remember? ¡®Want to see something cool?¡¯ Sound familiar?"


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    I hesitated before nodding. "Yeah, I¡­ forgot. Sorry for dragging you out here."


    She gave me a skeptical look before sighing. ¡°Your memory is so unreliable. Remind me to never follow you outside in the rain again.¡±


    She turned, stepping onto a muddy path that led toward a towering mansion in the distance.


    I followed, my gaze drifting toward the dense forest beside us. Movement caught my eye¡ªa creature unlike anything I had seen before. It was large, its fur dark and matted from the rain. A single jagged horn jutted from its forehead, glistening under the stormy sky. Its red eyes gleamed in the dim light, watching¡ªcalculating.


    A chill ran down my spine. This isn¡¯t Earth. Or, if it is, I¡¯m in an era where creatures like that exist.


    No. That thing is no ordinary rhino¡­


    Theories flooded my mind. A different planet? An alternate timeline? A far-off future? I would need a clear night to study the constellations¡ªthen I could narrow it down.


    For now, I walked in silence, my wet clothes clinging to me as we neared the estate.


    The girl knocked on the grand oak doors. Within moments, they swung open, revealing an older man in a butler¡¯s uniform. His posture was straight, his expression unreadable¡ªan aura of quiet authority.


    "Welcome home, Young Master Valens. Miss Alexia," the butler said with a slight bow.


    The girl¡ªAlexia, was it?¡ªstepped inside without hesitation. ¡°Mister Hawthorne, have the bath warmed and tell Head Maid Necia to set out my clothes.¡±


    The butler nodded. ¡°Of course, Miss Alexia.¡± His gaze then shifted to me. ¡°And you, Young Master Valens?¡±


    I pieced things together quickly. The butler called her Miss Alexia which means that either her first name or last name is Alexia but since this seems to be a european form of aristocracy, this most likely means that both of us are nobility and the same nobility lives in the same house so it means that her first name is Alexia. and last name Valens. If the butler called her "Young Miss" and me "Young Master Valens," then we were siblings. That made my full name Elliot Valens¡ªan identity I would need to grow into.


    Matching Alexia¡¯s tone, I responded, ¡°The same as my sister. I¡¯d like a warm bath and fresh clothes.¡±


    Hawthorne bowed. ¡°As you wish.¡±


    Stepping into the grand mansion, I took in my surroundings. This would be my new home. And if I wanted to survive¡ªno, thrive¡ªI would need to learn everything about this world.


    This was the start of my second life. And this time, I will use my intelligence from my previous life to carve my own path through this world.

 Chapter 3 - The First Move

    "The more I read, the more I acquire, the more certain I am that I know nothing." ¨C Voltaire


    As I was taking a luxurious bath in the warm, soapy water, I thought about what had happened so far.


    I thought, I¡¯ll need more information about my surroundings, particularly where I live and if the world map is the same as the one I had on Earth.


    They must have some sort of library or a place where there''s a wealth of information in this mansion. I could consult the library as my first priority. My main goal is to figure out where I am and how developed the technology is in this world.


    Then, a person knocked on the door and announced, "Young Master Valens, your clothes are ready."


    I responded, "Yes, I''ll wear them after I''m done with my bath."


    I turned off the bath and looked in the mirror for the first time since arriving in this world.


    As I looked into the mirror, I saw a child who appeared to be about five years old, with black hair and brown eyes staring back at me.


    I then left the bathroom and saw the clothes the maid had left hanging on the door. I sighed, I don''t exactly know how to wear this.


    Since I only wore hoodies and jeans in my previous world, I had no experience wearing trousers with suspenders or stockings.


    I lamented the fact that I wasn''t aware of how to wear these clothes, and so, I struggled for the rest of the evening with these unfamiliar garments.


    After struggling with dressing, I decided to explore the house where I¡¯d be staying and to find the library.


    I stopped a butler who was walking past and asked, "I¡¯ve seemed to forget, but where might the dining room and the library be?"


    The butler led me to the library and said, "I''ll wait outside for you. When you''re done, I''ll take you to the dining room."


    I nodded and went into the room. I was greeted by the sight of a vast library filled with books. Then, I realized, Wait, how do I even know if the language written here is one I¡¯m familiar with? It¡¯s already a coincidence that these people speak English, but if they don''t write in a language I recognize, how am I supposed to read any books?


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    When I approached the nearest book, I noticed it was in a language different from English.


    I sighed, unsurprised. However, as I took a closer look, I realized that it was actually written in something resembling Japanese, with some unfamiliar characters.


    I was relieved that I wouldn¡¯t have to learn an entirely new language from scratch, but I would have to master this altered version of Japanese.


    The Japanese text read: "Fire Magic Basics and Tricks to Woo Your Peers."


    I gasped in shock as I reread the sentence. Magic?! I thought in surprise.


    I looked inside the book, and what I saw shocked me: diagrams and research about fire magic and how to master it.


    In my previous world, magic was impossible. If this is true, it threatens everything I know about physics, I thought.


    I then looked at the book next to it and gulped in shock. It was a book about Earth magic, and as I flipped through it, I found an explanation on how to create dirt and rock.


    This confirms it, I thought. I¡¯m not on the Earth I was used to anymore. This directly contradicts the Law of the Conservation of Mass. Mass cannot be created or destroyed. I¡¯m either in an alternate reality or universe, or something happened to the universe I lived in that caused this to happen.


    I kept that in mind as I searched for a geography book that could explain more about the rules and states of this world.


    Soon, I found a book titled "Geography Guide 101."


    As I saw it, my mouth twisted into a grin. The exact book I¡¯m looking for, I thought.


    I opened the book, and what I saw only confirmed my suspicions while raising even more questions: Wait, why does the map look the same as the one from my previous world? I sighed in frustration.


    I organized my thoughts and realized this book confirmed what I had been suspecting for a while now. This was the same Earth I had known, but there either seemed to be a catastrophic change that fundamentally destroyed human civilization, or this was an alternate universe or dimension where one of my old universe''s fundamental laws had been broken.


    I took a closer look at the map and saw a pin that read, "You are here." It was placed near the coast of North Carolina in the U.S. However, in this universe, this land belonged to the Kingdom of Eastern Alecia, with everything from the Mississippi River westward, except for the Texas coast, being ruled by the Demonic Nation of Western Alecia.


    I flipped to the chapter describing the Kingdom of Eastern Alecia. The overview read: "The Kingdom of Eastern Alecia, commonly known as Eastern Alecia, is both a republic and a kingdom in which the King rules by royal decree, dealing with the larger picture, while the Senate focuses on civilian and daily life, including taxes and drafts. The borders stretch from the Tumbler River to Lake Challenger."


    I then flipped to the chapter describing Western Alecia. The overview stated: "The Demonic Nation of Western Alecia is ruled by the Demon King and is populated by demi-humans, demons, and barbaric animals who consume the land and slaughter anyone who lives on it. They¡¯re contained by Western Alecia and the Coalition, which includes Southern Alecia, Narnia, and the Intermanium Empire."


    I closed the book and decided, I¡¯ve gathered enough information so far, as I pulled out the pocket watch from one of my pockets, which had been in the clothes I''d been given. It was now 7 p.m.


    I placed the book down, walked out of the library, and closed the door behind me. I then asked the butler, who had been standing outside patiently, "Now, where might the dining room be?"