In the heart of Gilmatan was a hill believed to have been formed by a meteorite strike. The hill stood over seven hundred meters, and above it was the largest estate in the city, owned by the Carefree Duke.

Surrounded by imposing earthen walls equipped with mana-powered ballistas, the estate was like a giant fortress.

To the residents of Gilmatan, the estate was a sacred place for it was the home of the hero who once helped the empress bring peace to the nation.

At this moment, inside the master’s bedchamber of the Carefree Duke’s estate.

An old man with long, wavy, and graying hair, sat on the rattan wood chair beside the bed. His eyebrows were knitted into a frown as he read the secret letter he received from a messenger bird.

Having read the contents of the letter, he crumpled it and burned it with his mana.

The letter combusted and turned into ashes that disappeared into the air.

"The time has finally come for me to take what is supposed to be mine." He muttered, his aged voice filled with immense vigor.

He rose from his seat, his aura radiating with unbridled power.

Unknown to the world, the Carefree Duke who was believed to be on his deathbed, had now stepped into the realm above the Venerables. It was a realm that was thought to be impossible to achieve with no recorded history to be found even in the archives of the ancient period.

However, Namgung Ilsun, by some stroke of luck, broke through his shackles on the verge of his death and stepped into this fabled realm.

With no ancient knowledge of the realm, he took it upon himself and gave it a name.

Carefree Knight

He called it as such in honor of himself as the first ever to have stepped into this realm.

"With the recent battle against the heretic cult, the imperial palace’s power is currently at its weakest. Now is the best time to attack."

He clenched his fist as he looked at the city view beneath the hill through his window.

"Soon, this nation will be mine!"

He had secretly cultivated his own force over the past few decades for this very moment. This was also why he only sent a symbolic number of a few thousand warriors to help the empress during the battle against the heretic cult.

...

In the estate of House Silversword in Sorl, Alaric was writing. It was about the detailed steps on how a Myhical Knight could turn their energy core into a mana heart.

To himself, this knowledge wasn’t of any use since he already had the system that could help him advance with no bottlenecks. However, to the others, this knowledge was very valuable.

He could already imagine the storm it would cause once the book was made known to the public.

Alaric put a significant amount of effort into writing the knowledge that Bellator had imparted to him. This was already the fifth day since he had written the book and he was finally close to completing it.

An hour later, Alaric wrote the final lines, his face breaking into a satisfied smile.

"I’m finally done!" He exclaimed as he casually tossed the quill pen.

Suddenly, as if remembering something important, he grabbed the quill pen from the table and wrote on the front page of the book.

Mana Heart Transformation

It was a book with a simple title, but it would soon shake the power structure of the surrounding nations.

Of course, Alaric was still unaware of the commotion that this book would cause since it would be a story for later.

Looking at the title, Alaric let out a grin.

"This should be good." He chuckled.

He then beckoned to Mathilda who was standing by the door, silent as a wooden statue.

"I have a task for you."

Hearing this, Mathilda perked her ears and approached him with a respectful expression. "Anything for Your Highness."

Alaric handed her the book and said. "Find someone tight-lipped from our most trusted servants and have them transcribe a few copies of this book."

Mathilda knew that this was the book that he had been working on for almost a week. Realizing its importance, she volunteered to do the work. "If Your Highness permits, then this lowly servant will transcribe it for you."

Alaric looked at her and shook his head. "No. I have another task for you so this must be done by someone else."

Hearing this, Mathilda no longer insisted. "I understand."

"For when would Your Highness need the transcribed copies of the book?" She asked tentatively.

Alaric thought for a moment and replied. "As soon as possible. We need to disseminate this to our Transcendent Knights so it must be done in the shortest time possible."

Mathilda nodded, understanding the importance of the task. "Your servant obeys."

Alaric waved his hand. "You are dismissed. You can return once you complete the task."

Mathilda bowed, turned around, and left.

Creak.

As soon as she stepped out of the room, she looked at the book.

Mana Heart Transformation

It was written in bold text without any superfluous styles. Despite the simplicity, she felt that whatever was written in the book was something of immense significance.

To whom should I entrust this book?

Thinking about this, a few people flashed in her mind.

On her way down the staircase, she encountered a servant hurrying toward the main hall.

Seeing this person, Mathilda’s eyes sparkled.

She’s the one!

Having made a decision, she quickly chased after the maidservant. "Miss! Wait!"

The maidservant jumped in fright, startled by her call. "Ah! You scared me!"

Mathilda quickly apologized. She jogged toward the other party and grabbed her hand with a serious expression. "Miss, I have an important task for you."

Elena frowned. "I still have something to do so it might be..."

Seeing her hesitating, Mathilda solemnly added. "This is a task from His Highness. You are the perfect person for this! You are the only one I can trust!"