Chapter 2

White clouds floated in the clear blue sky.

Below them stood the emperor's palace with its red-tiled roof, and far in the distance, a pier could be seen meeting the northern sun that scattered golden light.

Through the window, the sounds of daily life created by the residents flowed in along with their smells.

The sound of carriage wheels turning, the voices of people haggling, the air with little humidity, a sea breeze blowing from somewhere, and the faint fragrance of the palace.

When I turned around, an unfamiliar ceiling and an unfamiliar room appeared.

The room, decorated with high-quality silk and gold and silver ornaments, was antique and beautiful.

Like a scene from a medieval European history movie.

A sight like a well-decorated historical drama set.

It was a beautiful place, like a dream.

“Damn it.”

But to me, it was a nightmarish sight.

I had just pressed the character creation button, and suddenly the whole world had been turned upside down.

This was not my room.

It was not a modern place filled with the smell of car noises and the stuffy scent of exhaust fumes.

It wasn't even a hidden camera prank.

But I knew this place well.

The Imperial Capital in .

The starting point of the game, and the capital of the Siberia Empire.

A place so famous that it was simply called the Imperial Capital instead of by a name.

It was a place I had always seen only through a monitor, but I was certain.

This was the world inside the game.

Looking at the scene before me, I had no choice but to accept that this place was real.

“No, isn't it usually a cliché for the game company to at least contact you once?”

No.

“Couldn't they have at least given a word of warning? Where's the justice in doing this without even asking for my consent?”

There is such a law.

“I've never even left a bad review for the game or sent a complaint letter.”

These days, they just kidnap you.

And the proof was me.

I wasn't hit by the isekai transmigration truck, nor did I send a long letter to the game developers, nor did I attract the interest of an alien god interested in humans.

I had just created a character.

I was just playing the game I always did when one day, I was suddenly dragged into another world like a web novel cliché.

It was truly an unlucky turn of events.

It was an absurd outrage, but the problem was there was no one to complain to.

Therefore, my grievances just flowed on as usual.

However, no matter how much I thought about it, there was something I couldn't understand.

Usually, a kidnapper wants something from their victim.

Like money, or their life.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to go through the trouble of bringing someone from another world.

You know, even in novels, when they bring the protagonist over, they usually ask them to save the world or defeat the demon king.

But the person, or divine being, or whatever it was that sent me to this world…….

This kidnapper demanded nothing from me.

Perhaps because of that, it gave me nothing either.

“Log out.”

“Status window.”

“Stat window.”

“Status.”

“Inventory?”

“Shop!”

“System!”

“Settings!”

“Won't anything come out…?”

After spouting a series of commands for a while, I stared into the empty air with a vacant look.

Usually, when something like an isekai transmigration happens, you are given some kind of special privilege.

That's the unspoken rule, the cliché.

It's a rule allowed within the genre.

Usually, they give you a status window, latent abilities, or cheat keys, or at the very least, they toss you a legendary ancestral god or a legendary magic sword.

But I had nothing.

And nothing happened.

“Yeah, I knew it would fail.”

I sighed and gave up waiting for something to appear.

In fact, I had tried this right after I first opened my eyes in this world.

I tried it with the faint hope that maybe this time would be different, but it was the same as expected.

I sighed and moved to the side.

There was a mirror there.

It wasn't perfectly clean like a modern mirror.

But the copper mirror reflected my image quite clearly.

I faced the boy's reflection in the mirror.

“Hmm.”

A boy somewhere between a boy and a young man.

His face was somewhat mischievous, but it held a noble air.

The clothes he wore were also quite luxurious, made of silk.

It was a matter of course.

The original owner of this body was quite wealthy.

And not just on a normal level, but rich among the rich.

The place he lived in right now wasn't just a mansion, but a detached palace of the imperial palace.

Because, he was originally a member of the royal family.

I recalled the facts I had learned while wandering around for the past few days.

“Leon Akardi.”

A distant relative of the emperor of the Siberia Empire.

One of the two remaining survivors of the Akardi family, and a member of the imperial family.

Thus, in this world, I became a person named Leon Akardi and was required to live as Leon Akardi.

The strange thing was that memories of Leon Akardi, which I had not experienced myself, would occasionally surface.

That was the reason I was barely holding onto my sanity.

The problem, if there was one, was that I, who was well-versed in the information of , had no knowledge of a person named Leon Akardi…….

Anyway, it was truly fortunate that the place I came to my senses after suddenly falling into this world was a detached palace of the imperial family.

The people here didn't kick me out for going crazy after seeing the suddenly changed surroundings, but instead protected me cautiously.

If I had been an orphan boy in a back alley, I would have died before I could even accept reality.

The world of was that dangerous place.

“This is a relief, but.”

It wasn't all good news.

Leon Akardi's body was much, much more frail than what I had seen on the character creation screen.

There was almost no muscle on his body, his hands were quite small, and his palms were soft without a single callus.

It was a typical body that had not trained in martial arts.

But no one could be blamed.

Because the reason Leon Akardi had such a body was because of me.

It was purely my speculation, but considering the originally presented traits and stats, it must have been that the results were changed because I messed with them to create a character concept.

“My body is so weak.”

A pang of regret came over me.

As I said, the world of is a more dangerous place than it looks.

In the first place, the title itself is Warlord, in other words, a game where warlords appear.

The appearance of warlords inevitably means a chaotic era, and it means that it's hard to survive with ordinary physical abilities.

So looking at my current body condition, I could only sigh.

If I had known things would turn out like this, I would have rather tailored the traits towards the physical or magical side.

On what whim did I change the traits for a concept, and it ended up like this.

It might be different in a game, but in a real situation, could an all-charm character with garbage stamina easily survive?

It would have been much better if I hadn't touched the traits at all.

As I was sighing like that, footsteps were heard from the hallway, and then the door opened.

Click.

Standing there was a warrior in a vermilion cloak and black scale mail.

The warrior's hair and skin were as white as snow, and he was surprisingly tall and handsome.

A Snow Elf.

A Snow Elf warrior who crossed over to the warm empire from the cold north, dreaming of wealth, glory, and honor, and was hired by the emperor.

In modern terms, they are a race equivalent to the Vikings of the north.

And I knew the name of this Snow Elf warrior.

“Theo.”

When I called his name, Theo, perhaps thinking I was joking, answered in a deliberately exaggerated, theatrical tone.

“That is correct. I am Theo, your friend, attendant, and subordinate since Your Highness' childhood. Did you have sweet dreams last night?”

“Of course, thanks to you.”

For some reason, when I saw Theo, informal speech came out automatically.

It was because of the intimacy left in my original memories.

More importantly, I looked at Theo with envious eyes.

Theo was tall and handsome, and he was also trained as a warrior.

This meant he was a talent suitable for survival in .

So I couldn't help but be envious.

As I was imagining what it would be like if I were Theo, he looked me over and spoke.

“Is Your Highness feeling a little better?”

“Me? Why?”

“You haven't been well for a while. I was wondering if you are okay today.”

“Ah.”

It's an embarrassing story, but when I first opened my eyes in this world, I couldn't accept the situation and was so flustered that I made a scene.

So much so that it wouldn't be strange if people thought I was crazy.

The person who took care of me at my side then was my personal bodyguard, Theo.

Thanks to him, I was able to quickly grasp the surrounding situation.

When I remained silent without answering, Theo tilted his head.

“Are you perhaps still feeling unwell somewhere? Shall I go and call a doctor?”

“No. I'm fine now.”

“That's a relief. We were really worried that Your Highness had gone mad.”

“……Thank you for worrying.”

I was sincere.

Because I knew how devotedly Theo had taken care of me over the past few days.

“Not at all. I'm the one who's relieved. I thought my job was about to fly away.”

“What?”

“You don't know how popular the position of Your Highness' bodyguard is, do you? It's a cushy job where the salary comes in steadily just for playing with Your Highness.”

Even when I glared at him, Theo just grinned.

Seeing that he wasn't scared at all, it seemed they usually played around like this.

Tsk, give me back my sense of emotion.

Still, one thing was for sure.

Although it was a master-servant relationship, Theo and I had an informal and close relationship.

Well, to be able to hang around with the original Leon Akardi, he must not have an ordinary personality.

“Enough, let's go for a walk. I feel cooped up from being in my room all the time.”

“Huh? What's gotten into you today? You usually hate walks.”

“It can happen. What do you see me as?”

“A typical Miklagard person.”

Miklagard was the word the Snow Elves from the north used among themselves to refer to the Imperial Capital.

It was the first time I had heard such an assessment, so I was curious about what it meant.

“What's that?”

“Out of shape, a bookworm, a nerd. Of course, I'm not saying you read books, Your Lordship, but you are that frail.”

Theo unreservedly drove a nail into my chest.

It was a fact, so I couldn't deny it.

“Aren't you being a little too honest?”

“Well, I did nag you so much to get some exercise.”

“……Enough, let's just go for a walk.”

But at my words, Theo didn't move a single step.

Theo was supposed to take the lead.

Instead, Theo seemed to hesitate slightly, then made a determined expression.

Only then did I remember that Theo hadn't said why he came, and I realized that the informal chat just now was to ease my tension.

“So, what is it you have to say that you're beating around the bush so much?”

“Your Highness.”

“Go on, say it.”

Theo hesitated for a moment, then spoke.

“The situation has changed while Your Highness was having a seizure for a while.”

“What?”

“A message came from the imperial palace. His Majesty is gravely ill. They say he won't make it through the night, and they wish for Your Highness to enter the palace as soon as your condition improves.”

My face hardened at the serious news.

In , there is only one person referred to as His Majesty.

The emperor of the Siberia Empire.

At the same time, the emperor was also a key figure in .

Because as soon as the emperor dies, the empire shatters into dozens of pieces.

That is the main scenario that runs through the entirety of , the 'Imperial Civil War'.

In the game, the emperor appears for only a single line in the scenario introduction.

But as the emperor's death is the reason the main story of begins, his influence could be said to be enormous.

However, that is too trivial compared to what will happen later.

The only bloodline of Emperor Michael Akardi, I, the royal Leon Akardi, will be assassinated by someone as soon as the civil war begins, and won't even appear in the game.

In other words, I will die in a few days.

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