Chapter 2: The Young Master Of The Heroic Lineage (1)
There was a family in this land that was endowed with a mission.
The Great Prient Family.
How extraordinary must they have been to be adorned with the descriptor ‘great’?
A question anyone might have, but the world had no doubts.
500 years ago, the feat of sealing away a demon and saving the world from destruction was certainly worthy of bestowing them with such a grand title.
However, yesterday,
The eldest son of that illustrious Prient lineage was knocked unconscious by a girl of unknown origin.
Word spread in no time. For the serene and secluded castle’s servants, it was the talk of the day.
Suspicion, worry, sorrow. Eyes brimming with various emotions were darting everywhere in the hallways.
The Prient household’s Dawn Castle, inside the deepest chamber…
“Is this some kind of joke?”
The room’s owner was a young boy.
The boy, Shiron Prient, recalled the moment of his possession.
He was overpowered by a girl, not even ten years old, and was left utterly unconscious. The memory was fresh since it happened only a day ago.
“That damned brat.”
He ground his teeth.
Shiron remembered his newly adopted younger sister. Her true identity was none other than Lucia Prient, the protagonist of the game “Reincarnated Swordmaster.”
“To think the first person I meet after possession is Lucia… this is absurd.”
In some ways, he was lucky. There was no need to wander around searching for the main character.
However, Shiron was displeased to be thrown into the situation so abruptly.
Had he been given just one day, or even just an hour, he wouldn’t have provoked her, nor would he have been knocked out.
“Did I seriously lose it over such a petty remark?”
The more he thought about it, the more his frustration grew.
“This must be someone’s scheme. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense. Why do all these unlucky events keep happening to me?”
The death of his childhood friend and then being reincarnated as a character from her created game was a whirlwind of unsettling events. On top of that, he got beat up by a kid who looked like she was less than ten.
He always considered himself mentally strong, but maintaining composure now was challenging.
“I’m not even in my puberty…”
Of course, it was true that he said something inappropriate to her.
One simple comment about her seeming friendless. Anyone with some sense would realize it wasn’t said with good intentions.
Yet, even Shiron didn’t understand why he said that to her, which angered him even more.
Mistaking the game’s character for his late childhood friend had thrown him off balance.
“Damn it.”
Was it due to unresolved regrets? Or the realization of venting out pent-up emotions on an innocent person? Either way, Shiron felt his face burn in embarrassment.
“But… why reincarnate me as Shiron and not the protagonist?”
Shiron recalled a scene he watched on the monitor before his reincarnation.
An adult Shiron being tormented by a red-haired girl, Lucia. This was when his in-game character, who resembled his real self, was sacrificed for the main character and exited the game after being used as a target for revenge.
If that was all, he could’ve just cursed it off. After all, he remembered dozens of scenes where Shiron died at the hands of Lucia.
Shiron looked up to a mirror in the corner.
A youthful face and somehow a familiar one. And it wasn’t just because he had seen it in the game.
Shiron Prient resembled his past self as if it was intentionally modeled that way.
“…….”
He suddenly felt goosebumps.
Unlike before, he frantically scratched his arms with his now smaller hands.
It had to be Shiron he reincarnated into, not the protagonist Lucia.
And as Shiron, he became someone who could never clear the game.
This meant that if he continued this way, his half-sister would inevitably kill him. Even if that didn’t happen, he doubted that Shiron could overcome the upcoming crisis.
Shiron recalled the predatory gaze directed at him.
Whether it was because of his red hair, it looked like a red aura was flowing out, and maybe due to his golden eyes, there seemed to be a piercing aura emanating from them.
To be honest, it was scary.
“…What should I do?”
Shiron, a mere extra, a disposable villain, couldn’t beat Lucia. That stark reality weighed heavily on his mind.
Shiron rubbed his neck.
It wasn’t the time to be upset about losing a fight to a girl who looked around elementary school age. No matter how young she seemed, her past life was a hero who defeated demons.
On the other hand, what about ‘Shiron Prient’?
Shiron Prient was a descendant of the hero’s family.
But so was Lucia.
What else was there…
“… There’s not a single thing where I’m better than the protagonist.”
Neither in swordsmanship nor magic talent. Not mana, stamina, or even the holy power one could receive from baptism!
Could it be due to the desperate situation? Shiron heavily washed his face.
In the game’s scenario, Shiron always felt inferior to Lucia, his younger half-sister, by two years. He believed there was a significant difference between himself, who trained with good resources and elixirs from the main family, and his sister, who lived in the countryside digging potatoes with her single mother.
‘At least it’s a relief that I’m not the real Shiron.’
With this thought bringing him relief, Shiron could find some peace. He felt grateful that he wasn’t the real Shiron Prient, so he didn’t harbor any inferiority complex towards Lucia.
‘Shiron gets defeated by Lucia, just like yesterday, so brutally. It’s not just because it’s right after reincarnation. Even if Shiron showcased his full strength, it was impossible to win against Lucia.’
It was just a bit earlier than expected. It was predictable that Shiron would be brutally defeated by Lucia.
Inferiority complex? There was none. Why envy and be jealous of someone destined to rule the world?
Regardless of being born that way, in the game scenario, Shiron was a child, but now he was mentally an ‘adult’. Even if his body became smaller, his mind remained the same.
However…
‘That being said.’
Shiron unbuttoned his clothes and looked at his chest.
Strangely, despite receiving a hit that could knock someone out, there wasn’t even a single bruise or the slightest pain. Maybe because, according to the settings, he was a descendant of Prient and possessed innate dragon power, so he was quite resilient.
But that didn’t erase the fact that he was knocked out abruptly yesterday.
A flame surged inside Shiron Prient’s chest.
The boy forcefully stood up.
He prided himself on being an adult. However, he was an adult who did not forget grudges.
“Ten years old… Just ten.”
“Yes, that’s right. There’s a two-year difference between you and the young lady who came with the head of the family a while ago.”
“Thank you, Yuma.”
Shiron nodded as if satisfied. Yuma, the head maid of Dawn Castle, blinked with a questioning look.
“Why do you suddenly ask about your age? Are you concerned because of the recent shock? Do you think something might have affected you?”
The housemaid leader, Yuma, who oversaw the overall work at Dawn Castle, seemed to be worried about her young master.
Her hair, red and cut at shoulder length, faded into a deeper shade of red towards the ends. The slight tilt of her head and the horns protruding from beside her hair indicated that she was not of this world.
“No, it’s just… nothing really. You know my father brought a younger sister home this time, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
“I always wanted a younger sibling. But who would’ve thought that father planned this surprise for me? Isn’t he really amazing?”
“……Is that so?”
With a playful smirk, Shiron responded, and Yuma started to grow more worried for her young master.
Was it about a week ago? The Lord of the Prient family, Glen Prient, visited Dawn Castle for the first time in a long time.
Glen, who seldom stayed in one place, had returned to Dawn Castle, this time with a young girl who resembled him with her red hair.
‘Young Master….’
Yuma, having watched over Shiron since his infancy, noticed something different. Shiron’s face was undoubtedly filled with resentment when he first met his half-sister.
However, the young boy didn’t show it externally. Shiron was well-educated, after all.
Still, subtle gestures, the way he walked, and fleeting glances revealed his true feelings. How he distanced himself from what he perceived as dirty waste had made Yuma fall deep into thought.
‘Poor child.’
From a young age, the young master had lost his mother. Since that day, seeing a smile on his face was rare. Yuma could easily guess how he must have felt meeting his half-sister before he could even overcome his grief.contemporary romance
‘And then, the young master collapsed yesterday. A maid who was watching told me that he was defeated so miserably without a chance to retaliate…’
Yuma, who had a cold and haughty appearance but deep sensitivity, felt a pang of sorrow.
“Young master…”
“What is it?”
Caught off guard by Yuma’s sudden embrace, Shiron was taken aback.
“Please let me know if you ever need help. I’m always on your side. You don’t need to bear everything alone, young master.”
“…Alright. If I need help, later on, I’ll ask.”
“Oh.”
Unable to hold back her tears, Yuma wept, and Shiron offered her a handkerchief.
Accepting the handkerchief with her fern-like hands, Yuma, with blushing cheeks, carefully wiped her tears away.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Mm.”
Having somewhat regained her composure, the head maid of the household politely bowed to Shiron and turned to leave. Her steps seemed hurried as if she wanted to quickly leave the scene.
done.co