After Lord Artemio Cañares left the room, I slowly slumped my body against the black couch, my right hand gently grasping my forehead as I let out a sigh of regret.

"Raising this backwater town into a dazzling one within six months, huh..."

Yeah, that was the stupidest thing that I've ever said in my whole life. Relying on the memories floating inside this child's mind, there is no way that I can raise the level of this region in such short time span. Realistically speaking, it would take me 2 to 3 years to elevate the standing of this poor fief into a "so-so" condition.

I wonder why did I said such foolish words?

I clutch my chest with my left hand and realized that my heart was beating violently. Though even I managed to calm my mind, my emotions were still in turmoil with the sudden confusing situation I was placed in. Usually the moment I put my mind in a state of tranquility, my heart would follow suit.

But that did not happen here.

Is it because the severity of the current situation was too great that my emotional state cannot keep up with my mental one? 

Then there's my odd behavior towards that middle-aged man.

That's quite odd.

I happen to be a person who always accept everything without any remorse or contempt despite the misfortune that it caused me. So for me to show a sign of dislike towards Lord Cañares behavior, which I usually don't pay no mind at all considering that I fully understood (mentally) how his upbringing may have influenced his attitude and character, it was quite a surprise.

Could it be that my customarily neutral emotional state is currently influenced by Cielo's immature one? If it is then, it should explain my sudden behavior earlier.

I've heard that children tend to be more emotionally superior than adults, so maybe that explains everything. Perhaps.

Once I've managed to pacify my swirling emotions, I started analyzing my current predicament using the boy's memories as my base.

First off, I am now mysteriously living the life of Cielo Comunero, the 10 year-old son and sole child of the late Baron Andres Comunero who unfortunately died in battle 2 weeks ago. The kid unfortunately doesn't have a mother...no wait, his mother died 10 years ago while giving birth to him. So that would mean that Andres was a single parent to begin with.

The kid happens to be born as an aristocrat, a lower-ranked noble to be specific I suppose. He had been educated in reading, writing, and arithmetic by a hired tutor. So he is an erudite eh, that's good to hear.

The boy also happens to be taking swordmanship lessons under the tutelage of a knight who swear fealty to the barony. I think that info isn't out of context considering this is the Middle Ages, so that's understandable. Oh, the knight who happens to be his tutor also perished alongside his father.

That...is quite unfortunate.

Second, the place I'm currently at is called the Barony of Comunero which is located at the easternmost region of the Kingdom of Braganza, a country situated at the eastern part of the Southern Continent known as Enrica. Using Cielo's memories as my foundation, then this location would be best describe and function as an outpost of the kingdom.

It may be surprising at first that the boy knows a thing or two about geography though most of it came from the word of mouth of other people he had met. But if one would think logically, this knowledge should be necessary especially for a noble like him. This would be beneficial and might come in handy for him in the years to come.

Though since I'm currently living his life, then I think that should apply to me as well.

I tried to probe any information regarding this world by relying on this child's memories, like for example, the name of the surrounding countries and the name of the planet. Unfortunately, I couldn't extract any necessary information. I suppose that this world doesn't have any name or that the denizens haven't thought enough about it.

And lastly, which caught my attention by surprise, is that Magic is prevalent in this world. Having the ability to use magic is quite the norm in the society and pretty much affects the life of every individuals. From Cielo's memories, it seems that his knowledge in regards to mystic arts is minimal. It appears to be that he wasn't educated in magic.

I wonder why though?

Putting aside that question, it also seems that Magical Races like Elves, Dwarves, and others do exist too and they have built their own kingdoms.

With this intel I gathered then, I strongly incline to believe that somehow I got transported to a fantasy world in a body of a child and now living his life as if it was my own.

"So that means starting from today, I am now Cielo Comunero huh...?"

Sometimes I wished this was a dream or even a Virtual Reality game that I was forced to participate into, but judging on how realistic everything is I doubt that this is a virtual reality simulated game.

I wonder, how I got transported to this world? If I recall, before I closed my eyes, my chest was aching... Could it be that I got cardiac arrest or something?

...Hmm. Oh well, since I'm already in this state of affairs, might as well accept this reality and moved on.

With that in mind, I try to put all of my mental focus on the pressing problem that needs more attention.

Now, how can I pull this one off?

As far as I know, running and administering a city or in this case, a barony, isn't a walk in a park. Back then, there are major issues and problems confronting a community in my previous world—health disparities, fiscal and environmental problems, teenage pregnancy, crime, hunger, job inequality and many others. However, if I convinced myself of the reality that I mysteriously transmigrated on this world during its medieval period and came to accept it (which I am currently embracing as of now), then it would be easy for me to narrow down the most important things that this fief currently needs in order to survive.

That would be food, water and sanitation, transportation, and trade.

As I try to plan out realistic solutions to this pressing issues, there was a sudden knock that came from the other side of the door.

"Come in."

As if it was habitual, my mouth uttered those words on thier own as if it have a life of its own. There was an air of authority laced into it. I supposed that this was Cielo's habitual response that was already ingrained in this body.

"Pardon me for my intrusion, Milord."

A slender old man whose age I presumed to be between his forties and fifties, entered the chamber. Wrinkles were evident on the parts of his face and his hair have grayish strands on the each sides, suggesting his seniority. He was wearing a medieval version of a modern butler clothes.

If I remember it correctly, then this person would be...

"Oh, Celso. I believe that you want to inform me about Lord Cañares departure. So how was it?"

Celso Barrera. He is the late Andres' right-hand man who was assigned to manage the Comunero Noble House in times where the former Baron was out from his territory. To put it simply, he is our Chamberlain.

The man did first a bow before replying,

"He left without any words, Milord. But if I may be blunt, he was rather emitting a vibe of displeasure as he set off with his carriage."

"Hmm. I see."

I can't blame the guy though. Any adult would be pissed off if they would encounter a child with an ill-mannered mouth.

With a slight nod, I stood up from the couch and approached the door with light steps. Sensing my intentions, Celso gracefully opened the door for me. Soon both of us were outside the room and were currently walking down the hallway.

As we walked along the corridor, we were greeted by several females dressed in a maid outfit. Ah, these people should be servants employed by the house to do some household chores and other important things. In addition, I just realized that the people around me were quite taller than me.

I guess that means I am really a kid now, aren't I?

I respond their greetings with a nod of my head, giving them a silent response that says "Good job. Keep it up". Some of the maids were slightly taken back for a second when I did that though. Even Celso who was following me from behind was slightly surprise though he did a good job on hiding his reaction.

I suppose that was foreign for them, huh.

A few minutes later, Celso and I both arrived in front of another room. This room, if I trust Cielo's memories, should be his father's office. We both entered the room, with Celso opening the door for me.

As soon as I entered the office, I took the scenery around me with my eyes. With couches, a wooden desk table, and several bookshelves placed on the walls, the room itself was very simplistic. There were windows, though they were made out of planks of wood rather than glass.

Hm? Is it that this world hasn't discovered how make a glass yet?

As for ornaments, there are potted green plants placed on each corners of the room. Though it doesn't look extravagant, the plants did colored the dryness of the simplistic design of the office.

My eyes then wandered onto the wooden desk at the other side of the room. Approaching the onyx black-colored table, I traced the edges of the desk with my fingertips. And as soon as I did, my mind was once again flooded with Cielo's memories. Most of them were images of his father doing some paperwork on this very table.

I could feel a particular emotion gaining momentum within my heart which I'm quite used to in the past.

It was longing and sadness.

"I declined Duke Vargas' proposal of handing this land to him."

As I said those words, I looked at the old chamberlain. I tried to see if it would cause a reaction to him but in contrary, his expression remained the same. Perhaps he have some idea about the purpose of Lord Cañares' visit.

"I see, Milord. I think that would explain Lord Cañares displeasure earlier."

"Are you aware of their intentions beforehand, Celso?"

"Indeed, Your Lordship. In fact, when your father was still...around, the Duke's messenger frequently visits here with the same proposal. Lord Andres, however declined their proposal every now and then."

Ah... So this situation had already happened many times in the past. Though it got me thinking. Why is the Duke so eager in gaining this poor fief? I doubt that they can gain any profits in this impoverished town.

They were several theories already popping in my head though I want to hear another person's input in regards to the Duke's proposal.

"Do you have any ideas as to why the Duke of Vargas wanted this fief incorporated in his domain?"

I asked the chamberlain to which he responded with a shook of his head.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea as to why Milord."

So he had no idea then. The more and more I focused on this subject, the more I am convinced that this Duke Vargas is plotting something. Yet still, I could not pinpoint the duke's main objective.

I guess I need to know more about this Duke Vargas person.

"I see. Then can you tell me more about Duke Vargas?"

"My knowledge about him is very limited, Milord. All I know is that his territory is located in the northern part of the kingdom. Moreover, the Noble House of Vargas is said to be the descendants of the prince of the Royal House in the distant past."

So this Duke Vargas in question is somehow a distant relative of the ruling family of the kingdom, huh? Then it is safe to assume that they have strong ties with the current royal family. However, hearing such piece of information a sudden feeling of uneasiness becomes apparent within me.

...Hmm. A certain idea sprouted in my head. Perhaps that could be the reason though since I have no valid proof or evidence in regards to that, it would be better to be mindful about it in secret.

"That's a valuable information, Celso."

"My pleasure, Milord. Is there anything you need?"

In response to his question, I nod my head as I reached out for a piece of paper and a quill pen which was placed on the table and started writing. My hand began to move on its own as it translated the words in my head into the native scripts of this world which surprised me for a bit.

Once I'm done, I hand over the paper to the chamberlain. Listed on the parchment were itineraries that I have in mind.

"I want those on the table tomorrow afternoon."

With a nod, the old chamberlain began reviewing the contents of the parchment. As he was occupied in reading the contents written on the paper, I walked towards a flattened sheet of metal that was placed at one corner of the room in a stand.

The metal itself was made out of copper. Its surface was smoothened and polished to the point that one can see their reflection like how a regular mirror would work.

And there for the first time, I finally saw myself or to be more accurate, the reflection of my current body. Brown eyes, onyx black hair mixed with a few strands of brown, light brown skin, and garbed in clothes made out of silk...the image that I saw on that polished metal wasn't my own but rather of a small boy.

I guess this should be enough proof that I did transmigrate to another world... So that means, starting from now on, I will be Cielo Comunero. Rest assured young one, for giving me this chance, I will protect this land which is undeniably close to your heart.

As I was checking my current appearance using the copper metal plate, my ears heard a sudden cough prompting me to avert my gaze from my very young reflection towards the culprit of the noise.

"Y-Your Lordship..."

"Yes, Celso? Is there any problem?"

"Um, there are no problems in fulfilling the other demands... except for the last one."

The last one? If I'm right, the last itinerary that I've listed is for hiring a Magician to be my tutor. Considering that magic is part of the daily life of the people in this world then it is only reasonable for me to learn it for future sake.

"Why? Are Magic Tutors that rare?"

"No, Milord. In contrary, they are very common. It's just that..."

"It's just that?"

The old chamberlain was silent for a while. I could see from his face that he was pondering whether he should explain himself or not. After several seconds, he decided to speak out his mind.

"I would like Your Lordship to forgive me for what I'm about to disclose. The reason why Milord hasn't been introduced to a Magic Tutor up until now is because..."

From where I stood, I can see beads of sweat forming on Celso's aged forehead.

"Because of what?"

"B-Because Milord has no talent in magic."