What? I Actually Reincarnated As Stepping Stone In Another World?

"Is it morning already?" Arthur opened his eyes and immediately looked toward the window outside.

The sunlight was already bright enough to enter his room.

However, Arthur didn't get up immediately; he sat down and leaned his back on the bed.

He was still a little dazed because of the pain he received last night. The excruciating pain was deeply imprinted in Arthur's mind.

He pointed his palm towards his chest and muttered lightly, "That pain reminds me of when Charlotte stabbed me with a knife."

Arthur would not forget that moment for the rest of his life, even after he reincarnated.

His former fiancée, whom he felt was an arrogant and strong girl, suddenly stabbed him directly.

Moreover, due to his stupidity, he did not sense Charlotte's strangeness from the beginning of her sudden arrival.

Arthur mocked himself, questioning whether the title of 'perfect human' truly applied to him, considering he was once stabbed to death by his former fiancée.

He realized that his past self was too arrogant to be considered perfect.

Arthur shook his head and quickly stood up, intending to visit Elena and win her over as an ally.

He knew that the future Elena was a powerful and terrifying figure, and it was better to have her on his side.

After taking a shower, he opened his closet and found it filled with luxurious clothes, crafted with materials of infinite value.

Arthur selected an outfit that he thought would be suitable for today, as tomorrow was a special day, and he planned to enjoy this day to the fullest.

After dressing up, Arthur headed out of his room, intending to find Elena first.

But as soon as he opened the door, a small, shadowy figure hugged his waist tightly, taking him by surprise.

"Hero!"

He heard a sweet and gentle voice calling out, "Hero!" Arthur looked down to see a cute little girl with chubby cheeks and a blue butterfly bow in her short black hair.

It was Alicia, whom he hadn't interacted with since their first encounter in the park at Duke Asvold's mansion.

"Alicia?" Arthur was a little surprised and called her name.

Alicia stopped rubbing her face against his clothes and looked up at him with a happy expression.

Arthur smiled gently and rubbed her hair, asking curiously, "How did you find me?"

"I heard the maids at the mansion talking about you, hero!" Alicia spoke excitedly to Arthur.

Hearing this, Arthur nodded his head as if he had guessed it.

Arthur's arrival at the mansion must have caused a commotion, and it was inevitable that everyone knew about it.

Immediately, Arthur pinched Alicia's chubby cheeks and asked with a teasing expression, "So, little lady, what are you looking for?"

Sometimes, he felt a sense of familiarity in her presence.

"Of course, I came to meet the hero!" Alicia exclaimed.

"And to play together!" She released the hug around Arthur's waist and began jumping up and down happily.

Her innocent face and cheerful demeanor reminded Arthur of Chloe when she was a child.

"Am I overthinking things?" Arthur frowned and shook his head.

Alicia noticed the change in his expression and stopped jumping. Her happy expression quickly turned to one of sadness.

She immediately lowered her head and said sadly, "Doesn't the hero want to play with Alicia?" She held the hem of Arthur's shirt, looking up at him with big, sad eyes.

As soon as Alicia spoke, Arthur's attention was drawn to her.

He saw her face, which moments ago had been beaming with joy, now twisted with distress. The corners of her eyes were glistening, and her lips trembled as if trying to hold back tears.

Arthur realized that Alicia had misunderstood him, and he immediately smiled faintly.

"Of course I want to play with you, little girl," Arthur said, chuckling at Alicia's cute behavior.

He really liked this little girl now, and seeing her reminded him of Chloe when she was a child. He didn't hesitate to love Alicia like he loved Chloe.

"Really?" Alicia asked hesitantly.

"Of course."

"I wouldn't lie to a good girl like you," Arthur replied with a smile, rubbing her hair gently.

"Um!" Alicia smiled happily and nodded excitedly.

"However, before we play, would you like to accompany me to see someone?" Arthur asked, pinching Alicia's cheek lightly.

"To see someone?" Alicia asked, looking confused.

"Yes, she's a girl like you," Arthur explained. "But she's injured and unconscious. Would you like to help me save her?"

"Of course I would!" Alicia nodded excitedly and immediately hugged Arthur's arm.

Seeing this, Arthur smiled and led Alicia to where Elena was being treated.

...

"Where is this?"

"Am I already in heaven?" Elena opened her eyes and saw that her surroundings were full of various luxurious objects.

The place where she was lying down was also very soft and comfortable.

She tried to move her body, but she felt very weak.

After all, she hadn't eaten for several days and had passed out without eating a single loaf of bread.

So, naturally, she was unable to exert her strength at all.

"Pfft, you're not dead yet."

As she attempted to move her body, a burst of soft laughter from beside her caught her attention.

Turning her head, she saw a handsome boy sitting beside her bed, accompanied by a curious little girl.

Elena was dazed for a moment when she saw the face of this handsome boy because she remembered that he was the one who saved her before she lost consciousness.

She initially thought it was a dream and a prince from heaven was coming to pick her up, but she seemed to know that it wasn't a dream.

Thinking of this, her face immediately turned red with embarrassment, and she asked with a stammer, "You? Were you the one who saved me?"

The handsome boy was Arthur, and the little girl was Alicia.

They had only just seen Elena, who had been unconscious, and shortly after sitting down beside her, she woke up.

"Of course, who else saved you?" Arthur said with a seductive smile, speaking lightly to Elena.

"Thank you,"

Embarrassed, Elena turned her gaze to the side and thanked him in a low tone.

Arthur shook his head and said, "You don't need to thank me."

"It was just a coincidence that I was there when I wanted to clean up those criminals."

He spoke indifferently, hiding his true intentions from Elena. He didn't want to reveal that he had come to look for her specifically, as he needed to control the situation and make sure that Elena became his ally.

He couldn't risk Abel coming and ruining his plans with the armor plot, and he had to prevent that as early as possible.

Elena was surprised by Arthur's indifferent answer and felt a bit sad that she was only found by him by chance.

However, she quickly remembered her own identity as a poor girl who couldn't compare to the handsome boy in front of her. She felt a pang of hurt, knowing that her hopes hadn't been realized.

Elena forced a smile and turned to face Arthur. "I still have to thank you for saving me," she said in an almost forced tone.

As a four-year-old girl facing inhumane torture, she had been grateful to see the prince she had dreamed of come to her rescue, just like in the fairy tales her mother often told her.

But the reality of the vast gap in their identities and status made her feel very inferior.

"It's okay," Arthur waved his hand as if it were no big deal.

Elena bit her lower lip as she watched Arthur's relaxed face.

"However, you should be my prince,"

"But why don't you behave according to the fairy tale? Is it because I'm just a shabby girl that you don't care about me?" Elena wondered in her heart and felt hurt at the thought.

Seeing that he had spent enough time with Elena, Arthur stood up and looked at her lying on the bed. "Well, I still have some business to attend to," he said.

"You rest well, and if you need anything, just ring the bell on the table, and a servant will come to help you." Arthur pointed to the bedside table and explained it to Elena.

Elena bowed her head and nodded slowly, not answering.

"Alright, Alicia."

"Let's go." Arthur spoke gently to Alicia beside him, and Alicia, who had been watching their conversation, immediately smiled happily.

"Um!"

"Let's play, hero!" Alicia jumped happily and held Arthur's arm with affection.

Soon, the two left the room, leaving only Elena lying on the bed.

"Hero? Why do you treat that girl so considerately but not me?" Elena bit her lip until a little blood escaped without realizing it.

The word "hero" that Alicia mentioned pierced Elena's heart, shattering her hopes because her expectations did not match reality.

"If I were stronger than you, you would definitely be my hero and mine, right?" Elena whispered, her eyes gloomy.

Unknowingly, Arthur had already dug his own grave.

...

Arthur walked out of the room with a faint smile on his face, feeling satisfied with the outcome.

"It looks like I succeeded," he thought to himself.

However, he couldn't help but wonder about Elena's mental state now that she had realized her dream didn't match reality.

He had intentionally made her feel inferior, but he didn't know what effect it would have on her in the long run.

"It shouldn't matter, right?" Arthur muttered to himself, but he felt a nagging sense of anxiety.

"Hero!"

Alicia's soft voice interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to see her hugging his arm with excitement.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Arthur smiled and pinched her cheek. "We're going to Rozen to play all you want!" he replied.

Alicia's eyes lit up with happiness. "Rozen! Let's go to Rozen!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Arthur smiled at her enthusiasm and nodded.

Soon, the two were walking away.

...

In the throne room of Duke Asvold's mansion

"Butler, is everything ready?" Asked David, who lounged on the throne lazily

Suddenly, the space in front of him fluctuated, and a figure of an old man in servant's clothes appeared.

"Everything is ready, Lord!" The butler spoke respectfully.

David nodded and immediately continued, "Ensure the child's safety until he grows up."

"He is a very useful tool for my plans," David said in an emotionless tone.

"Yes, Lord!" The butler spoke respectfully.

David nodded, and as if thinking of something, he asked, "Will that woman be returning from her trip?"

"Yes, Lord!"

"The first lady will come about a week from now." The butler replied without hesitation.

Hearing this, David narrowed his eyes and nodded lightly.

"Alright, you can go," David ordered.

"Okay!"

Suddenly, the butler disappeared.

David leaned back again and closed his eyes.

"Tomorrow will determine whether or not you are worthy of being my tool, Arthur," David whispered.

----------

Well, the next two to four chapters should be the much-awaited climax.

After that, the story will focus on how Arthur carries out his plans and layouts because there will be a time skip from his current age.

Moreover, after he awakens the core, there will be many battle scenes between the Elementals and warfare.

Also, there will be a lot of focus on the other Empires, and the map will be opened wide gradually.

Thus, I will really focus everything on that.

Oh, and also, there will be many surprises ahead.

Also, the women who were close to Arthur in his previous life will definitely appear because that's the plot I've set up, so don't worry.

And how they appeared, stay tuned!

( Damn I'm so tired from speeding up the chapter update! (Sad)(Sad) )