1 – Parting
＜Chapter 1 – Parting＞
On the way to the room of Alencia, the second daughter of the vampire duke,
“Hey, isn’t that Lord Elwin?”
“Yeah, Lady Soyoung of the Frontier.”
“Is he heading to Lady Alencia’s room?”
“Tsk tsk. He’s getting scolded again. Men have no pride.”
“Hush. They might hear us.”
At the surrounding chatter,
his head drooped.
‘Why did they call me? Could it be…’
The two letters that came to mind made his chest feel stifled.
The esteemed ancestor, Frontier Duke in the 8th Circle, was an earth mage.
Perhaps that’s why the descendants of Frontier inherited the talent for earth magic.
I thought I had that talent too.
So did others.
Even Alencia, his tacit fiancée, thought the same.
‘But why am I…’
Thump. Thump.
Thud. Thud.
Was the path to the Alencia room always this long?
Even after walking for a while, I couldn’t reach it.
As the walking time extended,
Negative thoughts filled my mind.
You don’t fit in with the nobility.
You lack the charisma of a noble.
You don’t know how to handle people.
You can’t deceive people.
…
You are too passive.
I’ve heard that countless times.
Those words became a flood, piercing my chest.
As thoughts continued,
Two words that I might hear today became even clearer.
“Did you hear the news? Gibson Frontier has learned the 1st circle earth magic.”
My younger brother, Gibson Frontier.
Unlike me, he had talent in earth magic.
“Really? Then what about Lord Elwin?”
“Well, of course…”
“Princess So Young’s Disgrace?”
I also heard the news yesterday.
The contents have already spread among the maids.
In that case, it must be known to everyone in the Vampire Duke’s household.
“Indeed, is it today?”
Knock, knock.
“It’s Elwin.”
“Come in.”
Inside the room, Alencia was alone.
I stood in front of her like a sinner.
Whenever I was with her, I always felt small.
My self-esteem had diminished.
Alencia looked at me with a stern expression.
An emotionless, cold demeanor.
“When did it start? Her not smiling.”
I recalled the day I first met Alencia four years ago.
The adorable little lady of the Duke.
Back then, she used to smile a lot.
No, it seemed like she was always smiling.
But that laughter gradually faded over time.
He became colder in temperament along with it.
“Elwin.”
“Yes, Lady Alencia.”
“You probably know what I’m going to say today, don’t you?”
“…”
He bit his lip tightly.
He felt like a puppy about to be abandoned by its owner.
“Our relationship. Let’s end it here.”
“…Are you breaking up with me?”
I blurted out the two words that tormented me first.
Because I couldn’t bear it otherwise.
“Yes. We’re breaking up.”
“…”
Alencia’s decisive answer drained the strength from my legs.
For a moment, my body wobbled.
I barely regained my balance, turning away.
I didn’t want her to see my expression right now.
Slowly, I opened the door.
I hoped she would call out to me now.
I wanted her to say it was just a joke, to smile at me like she used to.
‘That kind of thing won’t happen.’
The separation of Alwin and Alencia was a predetermined fate.
Every situation flowed towards the separation.
As if the whole world desired our parting.
Yet, why am I doing this?
Why can’t I just open the door and leave?
What am I hoping for, after all?
“Elwin.”
From behind,
Alencia’s beautiful voice reached me.
I turned my body, barely managing my expression.
“Speak, Lady Alencia.”
Please tell me it was just a joke.
Say our relationship is fine.
Tell me you love even the flawed me.
“Leave as soon as possible.”
“…Understood.”
***
The next day.
Elwin left the vampire mansion.
Five guards and a horse.
It was a simple formation for a royal procession.
Beside Alencia, looking out the window,
A maid approached.
It was her personal maid, Mari.
“Alencia, are you feeling uncomfortable?”
“Me?”
“At first, didn’t you like Elwin?”
Alencia nodded slightly.
She recalled the day she first met Elwin.
Her father declared that he would grant the dukedom to one of his three daughters.
Since then, she had been searching for allies.
And the ally she found was the Frontier Writer.
Among the vampire dukes, there were four noble families.
One writer, three marquises.
She moved before her older sister, Venia,
And was able to get engaged to the eldest son of the Frontier Writer.
“I didn’t like him. I was just a little excited. I thought I was getting closer…to the dukedom.”
She realized that her choice back then was wrong.
It took her four years to realize it.
Elwin wasn’t someone who could help himself.
He had no abilities to assist in inheriting the dukedom.
“Did I misunderstand something?”
“You misunderstood.”
Alensia shifted her gaze from the window.
And she sat at the desk.
One must not be swept away by emotions.
You should only look ahead.
That is the path he must take.
***
A dense forest.
I moved along the path that cut through it.
‘How did it come to this?’
I was born on Earth.
Elementary, middle, and high school.
I spent my childhood like any other Korean, focused only on studying.
Then, I got into the economics department of a top university in Seoul.
After military service,
I finished college.
I wanted to use my major and work for a bank or a securities firm.
Or a large corporation would have been fine.
However.
“I apologize for being in the liberal arts” was not just a simple internet meme.
That’s how society really was.
There were few positions available for liberal arts graduates.
The few good jobs were taken by graduates from top-tier universities.
It didn’t reach me.
After wasting a few years like that, I got a job at a small or medium-sized company.
It was a job completely unrelated to my major.
Still, I worked hard.
And died at a young age.
“Why did it turn out like this?”
Transmigration to another world that I had only seen in cartoons.
I was happy when I first came here.
Life in the Republic of Korea with no future.
Rather, this world was better.
Moreover, am I not a noble?
Am I not the eldest son of a novelist?
Even if the novelist is in Monster Island, it doesn’t matter.
Because of magic, are monsters strong? Still, it was okay.
Thanks to that, I could sell monster by-products at a high price.
90% of Ireland is a monster zone? Surprisingly, it was a good thing.
The land occupied by monsters, 90% of it. It could be expanded, so it was fine.
I couldn’t farm because of magic? That wasn’t a big deal.
Still, I managed somehow because I could trade with the mainland.
Understanding the frontier artisans,
when I grasped Monster Island,
I got engaged to Alencia.
I thought this was good too.
If I married the Duchess, I could make more use of capital.
I believed that if my modern knowledge and the power of the aristocracy were combined, I could grow quickly.
However…
It didn’t go as planned.
I lived on Earth for over 20 years.
But even dealing with young Alencia was challenging.
There’s a word called “Igogangi.”
It means a high school student fighting.
Even high school students do it, and I, who graduated from college and had some experience in society, couldn’t do something.
I thought that way.
“Sigh…”
A deep sigh escaped me.
In this place, modern people were like potted plants in a greenhouse.
They were inexperienced in human relationships,
lacking in schemes and execution.
They were not as cruel as them,
nor did they know how to manipulate and handle people.
Alessia was disappointed when she saw me like that.
She said I didn’t fit in with the nobility.
She called me passive.
“Maybe she’s right.”
The people here. At least the nobles,
learned how to manipulate people from a young age.
They studied how to dominate others.
And me? During that time, I only studied at school and academy.
Korean, math, English.
With this kind of knowledge, I couldn’t resist the nobles’ schemes.
At least I wasn’t good at the noble fights
that took place among the vampire dukes.
“Maybe it’s for the best?”
I managed to escape from there.
“That aside… Is that something I can’t complete until death?”
From the moment I arrived in this otherworldly place, I saw the notification floating.
[Mission]
Tutorial (In Progress)
The system ability given when coming to this otherworld.
I had obtained that ability too.
The problem is… it’s been ongoing for six years.
I had done everything to complete that.
Killing monsters,
Building friendships with people,
Learning swordsmanship,
And even studying magic.
I had done everything worthy of being called quests.
Yet, it still continues.
“It’s just needlessly troubling people’s minds.”
.
.
The center of the Frontier Autonomous Territory.
Arrived at the South Castle.
The moment I arrived at the Frontier Mansion,
Many people were lined up at the entrance.
There were knights, and there were wizards.
Gods, including bureaucrats, were also present.
And in the center stood the dignified Countess Breeilda with a solemn expression.
“This is…”
Someone uttered.
There is no paradise in the escape.
The current situation was just right.
A situation experienced several times in the Vampire Duchy.
“A show of power.”
Gathering the gods who follow him,
From Noble mtl dot com
It’s about showing it to the opponent.
I am this strong.
My influence is this vast.
As if an animal raises its fur to make gestures.
As if a bird spreads its wings to make its body appear larger.
Breeilda was doing that.
For me to see.
“Elwin, have you come.”
It was spoken in the words.
Kneeling before Brilda, Elwin spoke.
“I’m back, Mother.”
