The Prologue of the Prologue

For a decade, the western empire of Obertas suffered under the Archdemon. No matter the effort of man, they could never defeat him. That was until a certain hero's party came together.

Radeus, the eldest son of House Falkenoff, is the Sword Saint hero who landed the final blow against the Archdemon. 

Kah'Rin, the saintess of the Holy Empire, is a lady of the purest heart and a proficient wielder of divinity.

Melanie, the youngest daughter of one of the world's few Grand Masters, is a seventh-circle sorceress from the desert nation of Alcad.

Then, there was Choi. Choi Min-jun. At least, that was his previous name before he was reincarnated into this world. He was a simple office employee who worked himself to death. When he opened his eyes again, he saw ruined farmland. Flames burned buildings made of wood and stone. The field, once surely vibrant, was now covered in ashes.

He knew not of what transpired there, nor did he recognize the woman who called him "son" as she was stabbed in the back by a blackened creature. 

This land was unfamiliar. So too was that woman. He only knew his name.

Lahn.

With nowhere to go, no knowledge of this world, and nothing but a dirt road to guide him, Lahn could only look one way: forward. Wherever that led him, he had no idea.

Days later, fatigue and hunger caught up to him. He collapsed on the side of the road, where Radeus found him. Despite protests from Kah'Rin and Melanie, who said he was too young and incapable, Radeus personally trained him in swordsmanship to fight against the Archdemon.

Lahn didn't want to. He had no motivation... except for one. By any means possible, he needed to return to his world. As much as he hated being an office worker, living every day with his life on the line was a fate worse than that.

And so, their journey began.

Amid the chilly winds of autumn, the party made camp by a lakeside, where Lahn sparred against Radeus.

"Weak," Radeus said, blocking a strike before parrying another one. "Slow."

Lahn went for a horizontal slash, yet what occurred next was a blur. His sword went flying in the air, landing upright next to the rock that Melanie was perched upon.

"Careful, Radeus," she scoffed. "At this rate, the kid's gonna give up before we can face the Archdemon."

"As he is right now, he won't even make it that far. If I go any easier than this, that gap will only widen by the time we make it to the Dark Lands, let alone the Archdemon's throne."

"That's if we make it."

Radeus sighed as he turned back to Lahn, who was kneeling on the ground with his face down.

"Well, Lahn? What'll it be? If you have even the slightest hint of relinquishment, then leave. I won't force you to keep going, but I am not willing to waste my time on someone who cannot handle this much."

For a moment, Lahn didn't move.

He hated this. He hated all of this. But hatred in and of itself was his fuel. So, he stood and trudged toward his sword, pulling it from the ground and facing his opponent once more.

"...Good," Radeus said. "Let us continue."

The journey pressed forward into the harsh snowfalls of winter, leading them to a village that was being overrun by demons. Despite fear holding him back, Lahn struck down a beast that was just about to kill a mother and her child, but not without sustaining a corrosive injury.

When the sun was setting, and the demons were nearly eradicated, Lahn sat against a building while Saintess Kah'Rin was tending to his wounds.

"You shouldn't have done that," she chided. "Look at this wound... You would've lost your entire arm if you didn't make that last-second decision to dodge instead of parry."

"Are you saying I should've let that family die?" he muttered.

"W-what? Of course not, Lahn. You know that's not what I mean. I just... Be more careful next time, okay? You're a member of this party now, and you'll be facing the Archdemon with us soon. You shouldn't be throwing your life around on a whim."

Lahn bit his lips and glanced away.

"You don't need to worry about me," he said. "Whether I live or die... shouldn't concern you."

Unable to say anything else, Kah'Rin kept quiet as she continued to heal his wounds with divine magic.

As spring came blooming, the party approached the outskirts of the Dark Lands. The surrounding forest was quiet and murky. Dense mist crept in from all directions.

Was the sun out?

They had no clue. Nonetheless, they continued till they were ambushed.

Radeus, one of the only few recognized Sword Saints in the entire world, served as the vanguard. With his gilded blade, no monster was able to reach the sorceress and saintess behind him.

At least, that was what he thought.

From above, a demon lurked in the black foliage, waiting for its moment. As soon as Radeus made just one step too far, it lunged, pointing its claws at Melanie. What would've been a grave injury was halted by Lahn parrying it.

"Whoa~" Melanie whistled. "Thanks, kid. Didn't think you had it in you to jump in like that. You could've been seriously hurt, you know."

"As if you have any right to speak on that matter, being the one who would've been seriously hurt," he mumbled. "Had it not been for me, that is."

"Hey! Where did you learn to talk back to me?!"

"Please, pay attention. There are more around us. Sir Radeus,"—he glanced at him—"I will cover the rear. Let us press forward."

Radeus was surprised. In just a little under a year, his pupil had accomplished much, now able to face demons without fear. That alone was enough to put a proud smile on his face.

"I leave it to you, Lahn," he said.

Under the blaze of summer, they made it to the demon city at the heart of the Dark Lands. Every second yielded a chance of dying. Sleep was never comfortable, but they managed. After fighting their way through the city grounds, the party approached the massive gates of the palace.

"Well... This is it," Radeus said. "Beyond these doors lies the Archdemon."

"Didn't think we'd make it this far," Melanie chuckled. "Honestly, my heart's pounding."

"Mine, too..." Kah'Rin gulped. "Do you really think we'll be able to defeat him?"

Radeus stepped forward, pressing his hand against the gate.

"It is not a matter of whether or not we can," he muttered. "We simply must. For the sake of the people. Everyone... Are you ready?"

"You know I am," Melanie said confidently. "How about you, Rin? You're not shaking in your boots right now, are ya?"

"N-no! I mean—! I'm... I'm okay..."

But she clearly wasn't.

"Hehe~ Just stay behind me, love," Melanie grinned. "I'll keep you safe. What about you, Lahn?"

They all turned to the disheveled young man. As always, his eyes were downcast and without emotion, but the grip around his sword was tighter than ever.

"What drives him?" they wondered, but he never did give them a real answer.

"...Yeah," he replied.

With that, the hero's party shared one final glance before Radeus pushed open the gates.

Thereafter, the news spread like wildfire. The hero's party, led by Sir Radeus, defeated the Archdemon and brought peace to the Obertas Empire. His name, along with Sorceress Melanie and Saintess Kah'Rin, became the subject of praise and glory.

As for Lahn, no one was aware that he was a member of the hero's party, much less that he even existed. After the war, he quietly disappeared into the backdrop of the empire.

The Archdemon was dead, yet he remained. For a while, he wandered from place to place before settling down as an escort knight for a noble son. He strived for a goal in hopes that he could return to his world, only to realize that he couldn't have been more wrong.

One day, while he was patrolling the estate's garden, something flashed before him. It was a square, flat and blue, with a string of words... much like the computer screens he used to deal with every day back then.

[Congratulations on completing the prologue!]

[Now starting Episode One: My Fair Lady.]

"...What the fuck?"

[Significant story deviation detected.]

[Analyzing...]

[Analyzing...]

[Error.]

[Analysis failed.]

"Wait, hold on. What's—"

[Story integrity corrupted.]

[Rebooting...]

[Reboot successful.]

[Analyzing...]

[New story generated.]

Suddenly, footsteps came from behind him. Or rather... It was the clacking of high heels. He turned to meet a woman in a lavish dress holding a parasol.

"A head of mesmerizing pink hair, a sharp pair of turquoise eyes, and a beautiful smile that could charm any man."

Those words repeated themselves in his head. It was a very memorable line due to how cringeworthy he thought it was. As for that woman, he'd only ever seen her once before — not in this world, but the last — on the cover of a novel he stumbled upon online.

"Oh my," she said, her voice soft yet elegant. "It seems I lost my way after going for a short walk. If I could bother you to guide me back to the manor, sir knight, I would greatly appreciate it."