Reincarnated as Duke’s Heir
Copyright© 2025 by TheSmartOne
Chapter 5: Tael
Five Years Later...
In the grand Crimson Library of the Ignis estate, a young boy sat cross-legged on a velvet couch, his small fingers idly tracing the golden embroidery on its surface.
Lucas Ignis, now five years old, exuded an aura far beyond his years.
Draped in a regal black robe lined with crimson fire patterns, he looked every bit the heir to House Ignis. On his back, the symbol of his family—an upraised hand engulfed in flames—burned proudly, flickering with ever-changing shades of fire, like trapped stars fighting for freedom.
His hair, a cascade of living embers, wasn’t just red; it glowed. Like a fire refusing to be tamed, shifting in intensity depending on his mood. Right now? It smoldered dimly, reflecting the state of his soul.
His ruby eyes—deep, almost liquid, like molten gemstones—flickered faintly as he stared at the ancient tome in front of him. Then, with a sigh, he shut it.
‘ ... Five years. Five whole years. And not even a hint of a system... ‘
Lucas leaned back, eyes fixed on the high ceiling of the library. Since his reincarnation, he had been expecting something—a cheat skill, a golden finger, at least a damn progress bar.
... But no. Nothing. Not even a tutorial screen...
All he had was talent, potential, and an overprotective mother who acted like he’d spontaneously combust if left unattended for more than five seconds.
‘ ... Mother hen... ‘he muttered.
The world called her many things—Ester Ignis, The Untamed Flame, The Crimson Empress, The Phoenix Sweetheart—but in reality?
She was just a paranoid mother hen.
His father, Noah Ignis, the Duke of Fire, was rarely home due to his duties, but he still sent him gifts. The most memorable?
A Fire Essence on the day of his birth.
Not just any, but one extracted from a Scarlet Infernal Wyvern, a beast so rare that its existence alone was enough to make seasoned adventurers cry in either terror or greed.
Lucas had absorbed it eagerly, expecting an immediate, earth-shattering transformation.
And for a moment—just a moment—he felt something shift.
Like a presence deep within him had stirred, stretching its limbs after a long, long slumber. Fire flooded his veins, his entire being resonating with power.
He had never felt more alive.
‘ ... Is this it? ... My golden finger?... ‘
Then—just as suddenly as it had come—the feeling vanished.
Gone.
Like an itch he could no longer reach, like the taste of something sweet that faded before he could savor it.
Lucas sat there, utterly betrayed.
“ ... What?”
He tried to summon it again, to grasp whatever had awakened inside him, but no matter what he did...
Nothing.
Not even a spark.
His mind raced.
‘ ... Maybe I need another Fire Essence... ‘
Since then, he had devoured every single one his father sent. From fire lizards to flame hounds to lava serpents—he ate them all like a starving man at a royal feast.
But nothing worked.
No matter how potent, no matter how rare, no matter how expensive—the feeling never returned.
Little did he know...
That first Fire Essence had come from a Grandmaster-level beast.
And beasts of that level were already considered among the strongest known to man.
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