Kingdom Valor
The Wrong Guy in the Right World
I didn’t die.
There was no truck, no lightning bolt, no dramatic sacrifice to save a child or an old man’s cat.
One moment, I was at home…
The next, I woke up with dirt in my mouth, a sword strapped to my back, and someone yelling,
“ William! You’re awake!”
Which was strange.
Because my name is John Kennedy.
I’m 35 years old, an engineer.
I’ve never held a sword in my life, never led an army, and the only kingdom I’ve ever built was on a Civilization VI save file that I rage-quit after barbarians wiped out my capital.
But somehow, I ended up in the body of a 16-year-old kid named William Kurtberg, in a world that looks like a medieval theme park collided with an anime convention.
They tell me it’s called Valdros.
They say it’s ruled by warring kingdoms, arrogant empires, and mysterious Elves who treat humans like ants.
The thing is…
I don’t remember any of it.
All I know is that when I woke up, two people stood over me—Miri and Torrin, my so-called “companions.”
They looked at me like I was a brother returning from the dead.
They told me I’d gone into the ruins to prove my strength. That I was reckless, ambitious… that I wanted to protect them.
I didn’t know what to say.
Because none of that sounded like me.
And yet, somehow… it also did.
Now I’m stuck in a body I don’t recognize, in a world I don’t understand, surrounded by people who know me better than I know myself.
They think I’m recovering from memory loss.
They think I’m still William Kurtberg.
They don’t know that I’m John Kennedy, and I’m pretty sure telling them would only make things worse.
So for now, I’m playing along.
I’m listening.
I’m learning.
And I’m trying really, really hard not to die.
Because something tells me…
This world didn’t bring me here by accident.