I had even been kicked out for disgrace.
With no ambition, all I wanted was to graduate.
But the world just wouldn't let me be.
Prologue:- It's time to accept it.I'm screwed.
I no longer acknowledge you as the heir of the Rothtaylor family.For the crime of uttering frivolous curses before the noble Princess Phoenia,for the shame you brought upon the family's name with your petty jealousy,and for your disgraceful involvement in ceating during the Sylvania Academy's entrance exam.All of these are not to be taken lightly?
There was no need to read any further.
It was a personal letter from Crebin Rothtaylor,the patriarch of the Rothtaylor family. While full of all sorts of ceremonial words, the bottom line was clear:
We're disowning you.
My life,once reigned like a king backed by a powerful family,had come to an end.
It felt as though the gods of fate were mocking me.
Did you have fun? Now, your hellish life begins.
It seemed as though they whispered such taunts to me.
I wanted to retort with indignation because I was not Ed Rothtaylor-the arrogant figure who shielded himself with the family's influence and led a haughty life.
"Your belongings are packed here. Thank you for your time at Sylvania Academy."
With polite farewell, the maid responsible for Ophelius Hall, Sylvania Academy's most luxurious dormitory,handed me over two large wooden suitcases.
With a dazed face,I accepted them,realizing that my once magnificent room boiled down to a couple of suitcases when my personal belongings were packed.
In other words, those grand rooms were never truly mine to begin with.
Cut off from my family's support,this was my plight.
"May you live well in the life you have left."
Even if I was someone thrown into the gutters at the moment, the courtesy shown to a former noble was still there-a dignified treatment that felt like salt on my wounds.
-Bang
The massive doors of Ophelius Hall closed, and I was left alone in the beautiful garden.
Ah. It's time to admit it.
"Am I...In the game, perhaps?"
My one true favorite game, 'Sylvania's Failed Swordsman.
I had transmigrated at the worst possible time into the worst possible character.
I set down the suitcases and ran my hands over my face.
I'm done for.
The name Ed Rothtaylor resonated with an old fragrance.
Even I, having cleared 'Sylvania's Failed Swordsman' over five times,barely remembered the name. It was obvious why.
He was a third-rate henchman villain who left the scene as soon as the game started.
- 'Look over there,isn't that Ed Rothtaylor?
-'Shh! Don't stare! He'll notice!'
-What's there to be cautious about now?He's been expelled,right?'
- 'Just yesterday, a friend from Ophelius Hall told me they cleared out his room.We won't see him next semester.
- 'He was laughing high and mighty without knowing his place. Looks like people don't know when their luck will turn.
- 'Exactly. Why did he pull such a trick during the freshmen's entrance exams?'
- 'I knew from the start he would end up like this!He had no real skills, just pretentious posturing!'
During lunchtime, I overheard these pleasant comments as the students flocked to the student hall. Surrounded by my suitcase-sized wooden baggage,it was not the nicest thing to overhear.
People love to gossip about the rise and fall of others. I understood that but felt wronged.
Who was I before becoming this character?A humble and simple person, living without ambition, dedicated to my own responsibilities.
It felt excessive to suddenly make me, a decent person,pay for such sins.
"Sigh.."
I craved a smoke.
Looking around after exhaling deeply,the gossipy students had disappeared.
It had been about two hours since I was thrown out of my residence.
My brain froze in shock at this sudden turn,and reality left me dizzy, but eventually,I calmed down.
It was an utterly surreal situation, but I could somewhat accept this sudden change. Perhaps my ability to regain composure so swiftly was due to the influence of my new identity as Ed Rothtaylor.
Regardless,I needed to plan my next move immediately.
I opened one of the wooden suitcases and took out a lavishly decorated personal mirror. Staring back at me was not my old selfbut a blond youth with distinct features who could be considered quite handsome.
It was the indisputable reflection of my current self.
[Name:Ed Rothtaylor]
Gender:Male Age: 17 Grade: 2 Race:Human
Achievements: None
Strength 3
Intelligence 4
Dexterity 7
Willpower 7
Luck 6
Combat Skills Details>> Magic Skills Details>> Daily Skills Details>> Alchemy Skills Details>> This information display was all too familiar to someone who had played 'Sylvania's Failed Swordsman' five times.
In the game, the pop-up menu for character stats worked like this:When looking at a reflection of oneself in a mirror, stream, pond, or windowpane,you could use magic to see your own abilities.
To have such a detailed element replicated so authentically felt like a dream.
And truly, I wish the visible stats I saw were just a bad dream.
Enrolled in the magical department of Sylvania Academy, yet my intelligence stat was abysmal.Born and pampered as a noble, my physical strength was pitifully low.
A typical farmer's strength rating might be between 5 to 6,while the protagonist,focused on combat by the story's end, might have had a strength rating just over 20. My stats were utterly dismal.
My dexterity and willpower weren't bad-though not particularly outstanding, either. With just these mediocre attributes, it's no wonder I would be nothing more than a brief obstacle for the protagonist.
Indeed,I was cast as a third-rate, dispensable villain only to add a bit of early drama to the plot.
What happened to that character afterward remained unknown.
No,I remember now.
After all the scenarios concluded,he made a brief appearance during the staff roll.Cloaked in rags,he was sitting on a city street begging for coins.
Ah,I should have never recalled that.
"Ugh.."
I heaved yet another heavy sigh and leaned back.
The end was inevitable. A noble, clueless about the world, suddenly cast out onto the streets with nothing.
At the very least, I needed to avoid dying penniless on the street.
But how?
I struggled to find an answer to that question.
After a long consideration, my conclusion was simple.
Somehow.