Chapter 1
“…So basically, I’m possessed inside a novel.”
For quite a long time, I kept walking while muttering to myself.
“And the body I ended up in… is Kamon Bade?”
At that, a hollow laugh slipped out of me.
“Wow, that’s just freaking hilarious.”
Honestly, whenever I read a novel or comic about regression, possession, or reincarnation, I had imagined, ‘What if I ended up in that situation?’
“But now that it’s actually real, it just feels ridiculous.”
As I mumbled, I unconsciously shoved my hand into my pocket.
“Oh, right. Not there.”
Normally, my trusty smartphone would have been there, clinging to my hand like it belonged. But now its absence just made me scratch my head.
“Haah, I’m seriously gonna lose it.”
The novel I’d been possessed into was Legend of the Hero – The Choice of the Holy Sword.
Just like the title, the story was about the chosen hero of the Holy Sword saving the world. A pretty ordinary setup.
“…Even though the sloppy writing made it infamous for being heavily criticized.”
The story followed the chosen one defeating the Demon King—your standard fantasy template—and it had been right at the final episode when I last left off.
So far, so good.
Ending up inside a book I was already reading sounded fun enough.
The problem was…
“I’m in the body of a throwaway extra villain who dies early on.”
Kamon Bade.
A disposable character who only existed so the protagonist could shine in the beginning. Nothing more than a minor villain with zero significance.
Yeah. I mean, sure, it’s frustrating to end up in the body of someone like this, but okay. Let’s say I can deal with that.
But…
“Why did it have to be this timing?”
The incident was no small matter.
It was the imperial princess.
In other words, a person with power at the level of national authority.
An untouchable existence Kamon just happened to attack.
“And isn’t possession usually supposed to happen right before an important event, not after it’s already over?”
That way, you actually get the chance to fix things!
But waking up in the middle of the absolute worst aftermath—what the hell am I supposed to do with that?
“Phew.”
Shaking my head, I looked up at the vast, blue sky.
“Fine.”
It’s already happened. Complaining won’t change anything.
“The only thing that matters is how I live from here on out.”
With that, I fell into thought.
What had happened to Kamon Bade in the original story again?
“…”
I tried to recall, but nothing came to mind.
‘After the princess-assault incident, Kamon Bade… was never mentioned again, was he?’
Sure, maybe it made sense since he’d been kicked out of his family. But usually, even side villains make a cameo later on, don’t they?
But him? Not a word.
“Wait… did he die?”
That would make perfect sense.
After all, a man who attempted to assassinate a princess, stripped of his family’s protection—what other end could there be?
“Nah, no way. He didn’t die. Why would he?”
I shook my head violently, denying the thought I’d just had.
The novel never explicitly said he was dead.
Which meant—
“…He didn’t die. He won’t die. No, I can’t die.”
I repeated it to myself like a mantra, over and over again, until finally, I shook my head once more to throw off the thought.
“Forget it. Enough of that useless thinking. I’ll just stay positive.”
No point in trembling over something I can’t control.
Who knows? Maybe being Kamon Bade could actually work in my favor.
No obligations, no fate-bound role in the plot, none of the protagonist’s overwhelming burdens.
And besides—
‘Maybe I could even learn magic or spirit arts.’
Sure, compared to 21st-century Earth, this world was lacking in plenty of ways. But if I looked hard enough, there had to be perks too.
“So anyway, for now…”
I looked around. A dirt road stretched endlessly, surrounded by fields and greenery.
The path I’d come from led back to the Bade estate—the place I’d been kicked out of.
It didn’t take long to figure out my next move.
“I’ll go to the Academy.”
This novel was set in a medieval fantasy world centered around an academy.
‘And everything I remember about the story from here on takes place there.’
Not to mention—
“The Academy’s bound to be safe.”
As long as I was a student, the Academy had a duty to guarantee its students’ safety.
Right now, that made it the safest and most reliable place I could go.
“So first, I’ll get there, secure my safety, and then figure out what I can do.”
I’d just firmed up my plan and started walking with determination when—
“Wait a second…”
I froze. A sudden realization struck me.
“How the hell do I even get to the Academy?”
So, I just started walking.
After a long trek, I finally stumbled across a small village.
‘Knew it.’
Follow the roads people use, and you’re bound to find a settlement.
Seeing the village filled me with relief.
Here, I could stock up on supplies and ask for directions to the Academy.
But just as I was about to enter, an elderly man at the entrance spotted me.
“Ka–Kamon young master?”
“…Huh? You know me?”
I tilted my head at the sudden recognition.
The old man quickly nodded.
“Of course I do. How could I not recognize young master Kamon, heir of the Bade family? I am this village’s chief.”
“Ah, so you’re the chief.”
That made sense. A village chief would naturally know the heir of the local ruling house.
…Though I wasn’t exactly the heir anymore.
Well, whatever.
I wasted no time asking him for directions to the Academy.
“You mean the Flines Imperial Academy?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But… why all of a sudden? And you’re traveling without an escort?”
The old man looked baffled.
“Oh, well… I thought I’d take it slow and tour some of the surrounding territories, but I must have gotten a bit lost. Ahem.”
I quickly made up an excuse, imagining what Kamon would’ve said.
“Ah, I see. Then you’d like me to direct you to the nearest town?”
“No, that’s fine. What I need is the fastest and safest route to the Academy itself.”
“…Pardon?”
The chief blinked.
“I thought you wanted to tour the local territories?”
“Well, yes, but after wandering around so much, I’m pretty tired. And it’s kind of dangerous being on my own. I can always continue the tour later.”
“Heh. I see.”
The old man chuckled knowingly.
“If you want the fastest and safest route to the Academy…”
He pointed toward the left fork of a two-way road.
“That way. You’ll have to cross a mountain, but there aren’t really any dangerous threats. You should make it over fairly quickly.”
“Oh, so I just follow that road? How far is it, roughly?”
“Well, we country folk don’t travel on horseback much, so I can’t say exactly. But on foot, it should take about three to four days.”
“…Ah.”
Three or four days on foot?
Sure, for people of this world that might not be much. But for me?
‘That’s gonna be rough.’
I’d have to camp out, avoid wild animals, deal with bugs—ugh.
I hung my head.
“Haha. Anyway, thank you. That’ll make things much easier.”
“Not at all. I only wish I could be of more help.”
The chief smiled, then seemed to remember something.
“Ah, if you’re traveling empty-handed, wait right here. I’ll fetch you some camping supplies.”
“…Huh?”
I blinked.
“N–no, that’s really not necessary—”
“Heh. I couldn’t possibly let young master set out with nothing.”
Before I could stop him, the chief returned with a small bundle: a simple tent, emergency rations, flint, a water flask—everything needed for camping.
“I can’t thank you enough. You’ll be blessed for this, sir.”
“Heh, I’m just glad I could help. Travel safely.”
“I won’t forget this kindness.”
After thanking him several times, I left the village, bowing all the way.
Following the road the chief pointed out, I eventually reached the mountain path.
“People here really are kind.”
Compared to the selfish, cynical world I came from, this generosity brought a smile to my face.
‘I’ll repay them someday, if I get the chance.’
Resolving that, I pressed on toward the Academy.
Thud!
“At… last.”
Dropping to my knees, I whispered in a trembling voice.
‘Ah, warm sunlight.’
The rays of the sun bathed me like a gift, as though cleansing away all the suffering I’d endured…
“…Like hell they did. I nearly died out there!”
The chief had said I’d cross the mountain in three or four days.
But in reality—
“Three or four days? It’s been over a week!”
And it had been anything but smooth sailing.
I’d had to avoid traces of wild animals, donate blood to countless bugs, and finally—
‘I even got chased by a bear.’
In the end, I lost all my supplies and barely escaped with my life.
“He said it was safe! He said there was nothing dangerous!”
I shouted my grievance at the empty air.
Just then—
Clatter clatter!
A carriage rattled past.
“Mom, look at that man.”
“Don’t stare, dear. He’s a strange one.”
I overheard the voices of a mother and child as they hurried by.
‘What? Man?’
Excuse me, lady.
I may look a bit rough right now, but I’m not some middle-aged uncle!
This is a teenage body that hasn’t even gone to the army yet!
Still… I couldn’t really feel upset.
‘Just seeing people again makes me so happy right now.’
Civilization truly is a blessing.
The crowds, the buildings—this was heaven.
If I remembered correctly, this place was the city of Velium, right outside the Flines Imperial Academy.
Sniff sniff!
Suddenly, a heavenly smell hit my nose.
My head snapped toward it before I even realized.
And there—
Sizzle!
On a large grill, juicy meat crackled and popped, alongside all sorts of mouthwatering dishes.
Gulp.
Having lost everything while fleeing from a bear, I hadn’t had a proper meal in days.
Growl.
My stomach roared loudly.
At that moment, one of the cooks leaned out of the open kitchen window, meeting my eyes.
“…Hm?”
I quickly turned my head away, flustered.
But my stomach growled again, betraying me.
“Hey, you there—beggar!”
The cook’s voice made me glance back.
“Here, take this.”
He held out a bowl with some food inside.
“Th–this is…?”
“Don’t know what’s happened to a kid your age, but eat up.”
“But I don’t have any mo—”
“Forget it. It’s on the house. Just take it!”
“Th… thank you so much.”
The moment I wrapped my hands around the steaming bowl, its warmth spread all the way to my chest.
“…I’ll eat well.”
I shoveled it into my mouth, tasting a rich, savory, faintly sweet stew.
The flavor burst across my tongue and I couldn’t help but shout—
“Delicious!”
“…What?”
“Oh—uh, it means really tasty!”
“Heh. Good. I’ve got a kid about your age too, so I couldn’t just ignore you.”
The cook rubbed his nose, then frowned in confusion.
“But seriously, what on earth happened to you? At your age… tch.”
Gulp. “Ah, well… I kinda got lost in the mountains. Ended up losing all my stuff along the way.”
“The mountains? That’s dangerous! Where’d you come from that you had to cross a mountain?”
The cook tilted his head.
“Uh, from the Bade marquisate’s territory. I heard it’d take three to four days, but I got lost and it took me over a week.”
“…Wait, what? From the Bade territory? Why would you cross a mountain? If you just took the main road, you could’ve gotten here in two days max.”
“…What?”
