Episode 1.
Arriving at the office, I looked at the mirror placed on one side. Dark circles and rough skin made him look ten years older than his original age.
“I regret becoming a count.”
Due to the constant rush of work, the aging of the face has worsened. When I was young, I had a decent appearance, but now I can say that I am not at all.
smart.
A knock was heard outside the office.
“Come in.”
A maid holding a tray opened the door and entered. On the tray was a pill and water.
“Countess Caldert, these are the nutritional supplements you are going to eat today.”
It is a nutritional supplement that I have been taking steadily since I suffered from severe fatigue at work. It was a type of stimulant that energized the body just by taking it.
I put the pill in my mouth and drank water. When I took the medicine, I felt a little vigor.
“Now go out.”
The lady-in-waiting greeted me and left the office.
His gaze naturally moved to the desk. A lot of papers were scattered and piled up. It’s something that needs to be done by today.
Just seeing what I had to do made me sigh and get tired.
“You’re tired.”
While I was thinking I didn’t want to do my job, I collapsed with excruciating pain in my head. In my fading consciousness, the word death from overwork came to mind.
‘To be able to die because of work after working all my life… I can’t help but laugh… .’
***
When I woke up, there were brothers from my childhood in the large palace used for official events of Count Caldert.
Looking around, all the retainers were also gathered.
It’s time for a successor race.
It was a dream I had at the end of my life, so I felt an excessive sense of reality.
“Count, it seems everyone has gathered.”
My father, Count Caldert, sat on a high spot and looked down at me, my brothers, and my vassals.
I knew what my father would say next. As I remember, I am still young… .
“I am still young. but!”
It was the same.
“You will never be young.”
I studied the expressions of my brothers with a sidelong glance. It seemed that all the brothers knew what was to come next.
“So, from this time on, we will start a competition for successors.”
successor race.
If I had to go back to this time, there was something I really wanted to say. At that time, I was unaware of the many tasks I had to go through after becoming the family head. That’s why I really wanted to say that if I could go back to the past.
When I raised my hand, my father looked a little flustered. It was a natural reaction.
‘I was always quiet with low self-esteem because I grew up on my own. Expressing my opinion in a place like this is something I wouldn’t do in the past. but!’
It was only me in the past who had low self-esteem, not me who became the owner of a family.
My father stroked the beard on his chin, pondered for a moment, then gestured for me to speak.
“I will give up the race for successor.”
I spoke out what I had in my heart. His father as well as his brothers and retainers were visibly embarrassed.
But a few nodded their heads in agreement.
I put on a calm expression, leaving them behind.
‘I hate hard work. I just have to live in a quiet place, resting.’
On the first day of my return, I gave up the race for successor in front of everyone in the illusion of a dream. Dreaming of a healing life.
A week has passed since the announcement of the successor competition. In the meantime, I thought about what had happened to me.
“This is all a dream, not a reality.”
I thought it was a dream, so I gave up the competition on the spot. If only I knew it wasn’t a dream… .
“Even if I knew, I would have given up.”
Even if he realized that it was reality, he would have told his father separately that he would give up the race for successor.
“But I never thought that regression would really exist.”
Before the regression, I had seen those who occasionally regressed.
But all of them were either liars or psychopaths. That’s why at that time, I regarded it as an absurd story that could never happen.
But what happened to me had no explanation other than regression. So I can say for sure.
I did a regression.
“Then I would have given up the race for successor. What do I have to do to make a living?”
My wish was roughly like this.
“Getting a big house in a remote area and keeping two pets. and… .”
If possible, I want to marry the woman of my ideal type. Two children are good. Before returning, I had no children or even marriage.
In a way, this is a shameful story. but… .
‘I didn’t have time.’
It wasn’t an excuse. There really was no time at all. He was so busy with work that he didn’t even have time to get married.
smart.
As I was thinking about the future, I heard a knock outside.
“Suhar, my brother.”
It was Dave Caldert, the eldest son of the Caldert family.
I opened the door and greeted my brother.
“What is your brother here for?”
“Does he need a reason for going to see his brother?”
Before returning, I thought all of his older brother’s words were pretense. I thought my family would hate me because I was an bastard. So I distanced myself from my family first.
But the reality was different. My family gave me all kinds of affection, but in the past I didn’t even notice it.
“lie.”
Anyway, there is definitely a reason why Dave came here this time. It’s something you can understand just by looking at Dave’s expression. From a long time ago, when Dave hyung lied, his face got stained.
“Why did you come for no reason with such an awkward expression on your face?”
“hahahaha, I’m sorry I couldn’t manage my expression.”
“So, why are you here?”
Dave looked at me for a while and then grabbed my shoulders and said,
“Suhar, why did you give up on the heir race? I hope you… .”
“It’s not because I’m a bastard.”
“Then why… .”
Dave’s expression showed compassion for me. Dave had always been worried that I would be discriminated against because I was the son of a concubine. I was kind of worried, though.
I responded with a smile at Dave’s warm heart. Dave seemed a little taken aback by my smile.
Well, I’ve never shown my brothers a smile. He lived without even meeting his brothers eyes.
“Honestly, it would be nice to be the head of the family.”
“Then why!”
“But I hate it. There are a lot of things to do I want to spend the rest of my life in peace.”
Dave was taken aback by my words.
“really?”
“Yeah, really.”
I put on a serious face. Seeing my sincere expression, Dave finally seemed to realize my sincerity. Dave said with a laugh.
“Rather than going home, it’s rest… In a way, it is like you.”
Dave’s cheerful appearance overlapped with his father’s. At the time of giving up the race for succession, my father called me separately and asked the reason for giving up.
And I shared my thoughts exactly as I had told Dave. Then, the father also made the same expression as the older brother and said the same words as the older brother.
“I’m sorry for coming to you while you were resting.”
“no.”
Dave left my room behind me. Dave’s steps seemed lighter.
“If nothing had happened, Dave would have been the head of the household.”
Dave was a man of good character and full of talent. That’s why numerous vassals also gave strength to Dave.
More than that, I was curious that the break Dave hyung talked about was like me, but I decided to put up with it for now.
“hmm… Who will be the successor to Count Caldert?”
I had no intention of participating in the succession race. I was planning to leave the county when independence became possible. In a way, I, who will be an outsider, shouldn’t get involved in the successor race.
but… .
“I’ll have to warn him to keep his temper.”
There was one person who could be said to have contributed the most to becoming the family head.
However, his method was very messy, so I thought to warn him.
“For now, you should be able to go outside freely.”
A certain amount of capital was required for independence. To do so, they had to engage in economic activities outside, and they needed freedom to do so.
In a way, he is an overprotective father. There’s no way they’ll allow me to go out freely.
I felt my head hurt from thinking so much. As was my habit before returning, I headed for the gymnasium with my sword in hand.
***
I don’t know how many times I’ve swung my sword. He was drenched in sweat and his vision was blurry. There was no strength left in my body.
When my thoughts became complicated and I couldn’t organize them, I always swung my sword.
Vertical cut, horizontal cut, stabbing. If you repeat the three basic movements, your thoughts will be organized.
“after… .”
After clearing up his thoughts to some extent, he put down his sword. Now, as I was about to go back to my room, I met someone’s gaze.
He was Ort, the leader of the Iron Sword Knights, who could be said to be his father’s right-hand man.
“Hello, Captain Ort.”
“Ah, are you Master Suhar? .”
Director Ort was perplexed. I wondered if I was caught doing something suspicious, but the leader Ort I knew wasn’t such a suspicious person.
“Captain Ort’s expression is not good. Are you not feeling well?”
“Oh, no. I’m alone.”
Director Ort hurriedly left. I was just puzzled by Captain Ort’s appearance.
***
Director Ort entered Count Caldert’s office without knocking. Count Caldert looked bewildered and frowned, but soon after confirming that he was the leader of Ort, he approached the leader of Ort.
“You enter the office without knocking, Captain Ort, it’s not like you.”
Excited, Captain Ort spoke to Count Caldert with a reddened face.
“Count, do you know what I saw?”
“What did you see, are you so excited?”
Count Caldert, who seated Captain Ort on the chair, poured water into a cup and handed it to Captain Ort.
Director Ort drank water at once and continued talking.
“genius? daemon? no… What should I explain?”
Director Ort tried to think of an appropriate word, but couldn’t find one.
“A genius, a noble. What the hell are you talking about?”
“Literally, a genius with a sword, a genius. Those are the words of Master Suhar.”
“Suhar?”
Count Caldert even thought that Captain Ort might have gone mad for a moment. The Suhar that Count Caldert knew didn’t have talent for swords at all, but he knew that Captain Ort didn’t have enough talent to run wild.
“What I saw were cross cuts, vertical cuts, and thrusts.”
“It’s a basic move.”
“Yes, that’s right. It’s a basic move. But these three movements unfolded in Master Suhar’s hands… .”
Director Ort paused at his words.
“So what about the three movements?”
“It was perfect. More than anyone I’ve ever seen.”
“How does it compare to you?”
“There is no comparison like that.”
Count Caldert couldn’t help but be surprised at Captain Ort’s answer without even thinking about it. Director Ort was a clogged human being. That’s why he was a person who would never tell a lie.
Director Ort said to Count Caldert with twinkling eyes.
“I beg you, Master Suhar, to learn the sword professionally at the academy.”
“Academy… .”