"Calm down, calm down," Arther said to himself internally.
He inhaled and exhaled deeply and slowly.
"It seems like I need to adapt to this reality, whether it is a coma or something else. Right now, I just need to get out of this situation," Arther thought to himself, trying to find a way to solve his current awkward predicament.
He couldn’t communicate directly, and it made the situation even more uncomfortable for him.
"System, can I have the authority to show my stats board to others at my will?" Arther asked the system through his mental world.
[You already have the necessary authority to do so, since this body’s original owner had already awakened a manual system in the past.]
The system spoke coldly, its tone carrying a faint, almost invisible trace of sarcasm.
Arther was shocked—not because of what the system said, but because of a possibility that came to his mind.
*"What if the previous owner didn’t have a system in the past? Would I have been a system user with no authority other than the system itself?"*
He pondered deeply.
"System, this level 30 universal passive you mentioned—does everyone know about the language barriers?" he asked.
Stolen story; please report.
He had already anticipated that the term *‘universal’* might mean it affected everyone. It was likely that the butler in front of him would know too. His plan was to show his stats board to the butler.
[Yes.]
The system answered bluntly again, wasting no words.
"Then it is!" Arther clenched his fist and stared at the still-kneeling butler, who looked deeply concerned.
[Level: 15
Name: Cristus
Stats: Unknown – Highest are Endurance & Agility
Achievement: Goblin Slayer]
A short stats board manifested in front of the butler at Arther’s will.
**Boom!**
The butler’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping even faster—in utter shock, as if he had witnessed something beyond imagination.
He slammed his hand into the ground.
"How is this possible? Impossible!" the butler shouted.
Quickly regaining his composure, he stood up slowly and bowed slightly.
"Young Prince Cristus, I didn’t expect you to be demoted by the poison in the strayfish."
"The strayfish, whether at its prime or its oldest stage, can force one’s body to release mana essence to its peak in an attempt to resist it," the butler continued.
"This process can cause your mana essence to be continuously drained, leading to either a mild or sharp level drop."
"And when the body fails to regenerate it in time—usually within four days—it leads to the body stopping essence regrowth entirely, causing a permanent loss of level, called a *demoted state*."
"I assume my lord has lost some of his memory, since your essence seems to be drained more than half. I shall introduce myself," the butler said, bowing a little more.
"I am the seventh royal butler, Harin Lovarno. My lord may call this butler by any name that you find comfortable."
Even though he stated his name with slight elegance and royal discipline, he was deeply respectful toward Cristus.
"The reason for my earlier explanation of the demoted state is because I suspected my lord’s memory loss might be at least mild, if not severe. If this butler has said anything that offends you, please forgive me, Lord Cristus," Butler Harin Lovarno said, explaining his reasoning and goodwill.
Arther looked at Butler Harin Lovarno with a serious but indifferent expression.
He asked through his system panel using his will, "What is my status in the royal family?"
He had noticed that both he and the butler could perfectly read and understand the text displayed on the stats board he had shown earlier.
Thus, he suspected that the system panel might possess a feature similar to auto-translation, much like those in his original world.
At that moment, Butler Harin Lovarno had already stood up straight, returning from his bow.
Harin froze, not expecting such a direct question so soon. For some reason, his expression turned grim and solemn. His head lowered as he struggled to meet Arther’s eyes.
Sweat began to slowly flow down from his forehead…
End of Chapter 6
