I’ve always had a knack for sensing trouble, but my gut feeling tends to lean toward the negative.
“Aw, come on,” has never hit the mark even once. But “Shit, seriously?” has hit every time without fail.
Why am I suddenly thinking about this?
It’s because when I came face to face with the knight who visited my room earlier, without even realizing it, a second thought popped into my head.
‘And it slipped out, too….’
It’s probably because of my “asshole” temperament. And on top of that, maybe it’s because of my “thick-skinned” nature that I couldn’t even properly muster an apology.
Even if I’m the second son of the family and assuming the other person’s status is lower than mine, considering their age, it’s still an incredibly rude gesture.
“Please come with me.”
Nevertheless, the knight showed no reaction.
‘This seems to happen often.’
It’s a reminder of how much of a troublemaker the original owner of this body was.
Anyway, what’s important is not that, but the moment I heard about the family’s summons, that damn gut feeling of mine kicked in.
‘It’s probably 100%.’
Now that it’s come to this, there’s only one way out.
‘Walking straight into hell on my own two feet.’
With resolve in my heart, as we reached the family chamber with the knight leading the way, he stopped in front of the main hall and turned his body.
“The master awaits you.”
It seems to imply going in alone.
Nodding to myself, I firmly grasped the handle of the tightly closed door.
Click—
Ignoring the unusually loud creak of the hinges as I took steps forward, the opulent chamber adorned with various lavish decorations came into view.
“….”
A heavy silence filled the spacious room.
Shifting my gaze to the central podium, I noticed four middle-aged men and one woman seated around a square table.
They were all familiar faces.
First, the four seated in the center of the square table were the most prominent figures among the branch family leaders.
They were the four heads of the Aster family, permitted to carry the surname (姓) of Aster among the numerous branch families of the Meteor Sword Clan.
The Ming Wang Family, managing the Royal Knights, known as the sword of the Meteor Sword Family/clan and the most powerful military force in the kingdom.
The Ejeon Family, which oversees the development of various medicinal products and healing techniques.
And the financial and business affairs of the Meteor Sword Family were managed by the Jae-kyung Family (재경가).
The owner of the Secret Pavilion, responsible for the collection and storage of information, is the Bigak Family.
Gathered around the large table were the four pillars supporting the Meteor Sword Family.
As I observed them without letting my guard down, a stern-faced middle-aged man seated on the throne spoke up.
“Have you come?”
He was the head of the family gathered here, the head of the Meteor Sword Family, and the father of the Jin Aster I currently inhabit.
Vergo Aster.
His cold voice pierced through my ears like a spear.
“Yes, Father.”
“Father?”
The master’s eyebrows furrowed.
Sensing the meaning contained within, I quickly changed my words.
“Head of the family.”
As I am now, I no longer have the right to call him father.
In other words, I had been officially disowned and removed from the family registry.
“Yeah. Do you know why you were summoned here today?”
Of course, I knew.
‘It must be to pay the price. To pay for trying to sell the family treasure to the mage Tower.’
It felt unfair.
I had only been inhabiting this body for a few hours.
But that was my situation.
Since excuses like that wouldn’t fly with those who didn’t know English, I simply nodded my head obediently.
“Yes.”
The master, who seemed to see through my inner thoughts, opened his mouth as he silently stared at me.
“At the end of the discussion with the four main family heads, your fate was decided a little while ago.”
It was a voice devoid of any emotion.
“But…”
“Shut up.”
As I was about to say something…
One of the middle-aged men among the four family heads, with wiry, rugged beard resembling a bandit, interrupted me.
Then he turned his head to look at Vergo.
“Brother, can I take over the rest of the story? Looking at this guy’s face makes me want to explode.”
Even though he had interrupted the story of the head of the main family, Vergo showed no particular reaction.
No, he nodded slightly as if it was going well.
“Do as you please.”
“You thought well. Leave it to me.”
As he stood up from his seat, my legs almost gave out, and I nearly collapsed to the ground.
‘Commander of the Royal Knights… Balkan Aster.’
The intense aura emitted by the leader of the Royal Knights, the head of the Ming Wang Family and the strongest military force of the Meteor Sword Family, enveloped me.
My consciousness began to fade, and my vision blurred. It felt like facing a ferocious beast unleashed from within us with nothing but my bare hands.
‘If I pass out here, it’s really over.’
The place where the execution is publicly announced is the point of no return in convincing them. So, to gather my thoughts, I firmly pinched my trembling legs as hard as I could.
In the midst of it, a woman with heavy makeup sitting near the lord spoke out against the Grand Master.
“Oh my. Even if you’re angry, is it necessary to speak like that to someone who hasn’t even held a sword once, despite being a Grand Master?”
At first listen, it sounded like a soft voice mixed with concern, but it was laced with sarcasm.
“Isn’t that right, young master?”
It was as if she wanted acknowledgment of her presence. The woman smiling at me is also a familiar face.
“Pharmacy Sect Leader.”
As our eyes met, a chilling discomfort ran through my spine.
It was a different kind of pressure compared to Balkan’s.
It felt like a venomous snake was slowly creeping up my legs.
“Don’t interfere, old fox.”
“Touchy, aren’t we?”
The leader of the Pharmacy sect stepped back. Shortly after, the Grand Master approached me and pushed his intimidating face right up to mine.
“Hey, young lad. Do you know why you’re standing here?”
“Yes.”
I have to be cautious.
Though not comparable to the leader of the Pharmacy sect, the Grand Master I know is also a dangerous individual.
“Ha-ha, still standing tall amidst all this? You’re shamelessly bold.”
I mustn’t retreat here.
Summoning all my courage, I met his gaze, and suddenly, the Grand Master shoved my shoulder with his massive palm.
Thud!
Despite the seemingly light push, my head rang with shock, and the world spun around me.
“Ouch…”
After tumbling to the ground several times and trembling as I got up, the Grand Master approached like the wind and grabbed me by the collar.
“Does it hurt?”
“…”
The Grand Master lifted me up with ease as if I were a balloon in his hand.
It’s an unbelievable power, even experiencing it firsthand.
“I tried to turn a blind eye to a certain extent. You’re not just the second successor of the Sword Family, but also my nephew, whether you like it or not.”
“…”
Gasping for breath, unable to breathe, I still shifted my gaze behind him.
Despite the life-threatening situation, the lord remained expressionless.
‘Thank goodness.’
Even amidst the agony, I inwardly sighed with relief.
The composed demeanor outwardly displayed perfectly matched the personality of the lord I knew.
“I tried to overlook the extravagant lifestyle of the one who inherited the name of Aster and the life without any effort. But…”
The Secret Pavilion sect leader and financial chamber sect leader remained silent, observing the situation. The sect leader of the Pharmacy covered her mouth, smiling as if finding the situation intriguing.
“I can’t turn a blind eye to something as despicable as being blinded by petty greed, trying to steal the formula of the Gateway Barrier and sell it to the mage Tower.”
His firm palm struck my cheek.
Snap! My head whipped around, and red blood splattered onto the floor.
However, such trivial matters were not worth paying attention to.
‘Crazy.’
I knew better than anyone else the magnitude of the disaster caused by the original owner of this body.
The mage tower might have proposed the trade out of mere. curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, but had it fallen into the hands of demons lurking on the continent…
The monsters lurking within the Abyss would have been unleashed, turning the entire continent into chaos.
‘The first target would undoubtedly be the defensive line established by the Sword Family.’
Although it was only an attempt, I had no words to refute the charges even if my life were to be forfeited here and now.
‘So, that’s why the lord didn’t explain the reason for my execution until the end.’
If this fact were to be known to the outside world… Not just a disgrace to the Sword Family, but to the entire continent’s history.
‘Anyway, why does such a person even exist? At the very least, one should be able to handle the consequences of their actions.’
Slap— Slap—
As I was grinding my teeth at my past self while being repeatedly slapped, the lord who had been silently observing intervened, restraining the Grand Master.
“Stop. That’s enough venting your anger.”
“…Understood.”
The Grand Master obediently stopped his hand, tossing me aside like garbage.
Thud! Thump! My heavy body rolled on the floor, creating a dull sound that reverberated throughout the hall.
As I groaned in pain, the Grand Master, meeting my gaze, spoke with a lowered voice.
“Brother… no, after consulting with the clan head and everyone else, we have decided on this matter, so clean out your ears and listen well.”
He was getting to the point.
“From today, your execution will be carried out in three days. The charge is debauchery, and we will mercifully grant you a painless death on the guillotine.”
As if to prove that I had possessed the body at the worst possible moment, the story I had anticipated flowed from his lips.
“Though your sins are severe, we’re not publicly disclosing the truth out of consideration for you, but to preserve the honor of our family. Understand this and be grateful.”
His firm voice pierced my ears, rejecting any form of rebuttal.
‘Indeed. In the original timeline, this would have been my fate.’
It matched the history I knew.
There was only one way out of this situation.
To survive, ironically, I had to walk toward my own execution.
“…Please grant me a chance to repent.”
With a squeezed-out breath, I felt the chilling air in the chamber.
It was as if the atmosphere had been infused with ice-cold water.
“Pfft.”
Breaking the silence was the light laughter of the pharmacy Sect Leader.
Like before, her laughter was filled with mockery.
‘Crazy woman. Just you wait.’
After carefully suppressing my anger to avoid acting recklessly, I continued to speak calmly to those who were looking at me.
“I will submit myself to the Grand Master’s authority.”
“What did you say?”
“Pff!”
“…?”
The Grand Master looked at me incredulously, and the Pharmacy sect leader burst into laughter again.
The other two remained silent, arms crossed, guarding their positions.
However, the previously expressionless lord’s face began to show signs of intense anger.
“Are you saying… you, of all people, want to join the Order of the Royal Knights? You, who have led a lazy life and never properly held a sword? Do you think the position of a knight is a joke, just because you were born into the direct line of a sword family?”
His anger was understandable.
The requirements to join the Order of the royal Knights, in player terms, are roughly 3 stars.
By their standards, one must be at the very threshold of becoming an expert in handling mana.
Naturally, not even having reached 1 star.
No, a weakling with the strength of a squirrel, I couldn’t even dream of such a position, let alone aspire to it.
Even if I were the lord, I would have thought it was just impromptu nonsense to avoid immediate danger.
Of course, I had anticipated such a reaction.
“It’s not the Royal Knights… I’m referring to the second military force under your command, the Legion.”
“The Legion?”
“I heard that if you’re in good health, you can join the Legion under the command of the Grand Master, even if you’re not in the Royal Knights.”
“Ha-ha!”
The Grand Master chuckled upon hearing my words.
“So… you’re saying you’ll walk into that place on your own two feet? You, who have only grown up weak? Wouldn’t it be better to just be executed nicely?”
Unlike the Knights, the Royal Legion consisted entirely of heinous criminals like me. Their value was less than that of a cheap sword, and everyone considered it a place where losers were sent.
‘Even if I roll like a dog, there’s no other way. Avoiding the imminent death right in front of me is my only option.’
Moreover, joining the Royal Legion stationed at the forefront of the Gate would provide two things: one essential item and one crucial person.
In other words, joining was not just about avoiding the current situation but also a stepping stone for my growth and survival.
“It may sound audacious, but I hope you’ll permit it.”
“To willingly become the most humble of beings…”
The Lord muttered softly as if lost in thought, closing his eyes momentarily.
After a brief silence, he opened his eyes and pointed at the Grand Master.
“Very well. However, if the Grand Master refuses, the execution will proceed as planned.”
“Fine…”
From now on, my fate rested on the decision of the Grand Master.
Looking around, the Grand Master scratched his tousled head, then flashed me a sly smile.
“This is quite amusing. Even if you beg and plead, your words won’t change my mind.”
“I am prepared for that.”
Summoning all my courage, I spoke up, and the Grand Master, with a displeased look, glanced over my bulky frame.
“One month.”
“…?”
“Get rid of that unwieldy lump of flesh attached to you within a month and come find me. Joining will be the next step after that.”
I survived.
Although I had to walk into hell on my own, I had escaped the immediate threat of death.
“Furthermore, once you step into that place, your status will be of no use whatsoever.”
I know that too.
Among them, the only thing that can protect me is not my status but my strength.
‘One month…’
The situation is not as bad as I thought.
I was prepared to be dragged away immediately, but now I have been granted a one-month reprieve.
‘To survive there, I need to focus on becoming as strong as possible over the next month, setting aside everything else.’
First, I need to increase my strength to reach 1 star and unlock my starting traits.
- [Arrogance] Trait slightly weakened.
Looking at the message and firming up my resolve, I looked at the pharmacy Sect Leader, who seemed to find the situation amusing, with sparkling eyes.
‘To do that, I need the help of that lady.’
