A day had passed, but nothing had changed.
Only then did it feel real.
That he had really come into the world of a novel.
'I don't hate it.'
There were no regrets over his previous life.
His parents, who argued constantly since his childhood, ended up divorcing when he was in middle school.
He went with his mother without much thought, she remarried, and his new stepfather disliked Lee Myunghyun.
In a living hell, at least novels were his only solace.
At twenty, he immediately entered the army, and after his discharge, instead of returning home, he found a job at a small-to-medium company that accepted high school graduates.
And then, the cycle repeated: home, work, home, work, home...
His life was the color of cement, nothing more.
But now?
This was the fantasy world he had always dreamed of while reading novels, and his face was so beautiful that even comparing it with celebrities felt almost apologetic. On top of that, he even had the advantage of knowing what was to come.
The best part was being thirteen—he would finally be able to enjoy the school life he never could before.
However, there was a prerequisite to enjoying all of this...
'How do I change the future?'
He had to change his predetermined, gruesome fate.
Given the nature of this novel, major destinies are impossible to prevent for the most part.
For example, incidents like the 'Aldnoa War' would happen no matter what.
'I can't stop the war, but... I can change the little things. Like making sure a certain territory isn't burned to the ground.'
If the Traverse family isn't destroyed, Luca won't end up being dragged away as a slave.
'The only thing that bothers me is that, in most loops, Willow the Masked Swordsman always appeared...'
After the protagonist first heard Willow's detailed story during a loop, the protagonist never asked him anything personal again.
Yet even if the Hernan Empire hadn't suffered massive war losses, he still joined the protagonist's party. And he always dreamed of revenge.
It bothered Myunghyun that he teamed up with the protagonist for revenge even though the chaos hadn't spread as far as the eastern region, where the Traverse family lived.
'And yet, is it possible that Willow's younger sibling is supposedly weak?'
Willow the Masked Swordsman, whose real name was Wylde Traverse, is always a top contender when discussing the strongest in this novel. That means Luca, his blood relative, also has some talent.
'If Luca has some talent, why did he never once appear as a named character?'
A sudden sense of foreboding struck. Maybe, no matter what, the Traverse family is destined to fall for some unknown reason, and that's why Wylde inevitably joins the protagonist's party...
'... If that's the case, all the more reason.'
A look of determination appeared in Luca's eyes.
'I have no choice but to work to twist that fate.'
While major destinies are nearly impossible to stop, that doesn't mean they can't be stopped at all.
It would take a lot of effort, but it could be done.
'No. I must do it.'
Luca made up his mind. He would struggle against fate.
'No matter how things go, he definitely don't want to live as the perverted noble's sex slave, get sold to a brothel, and die of a venereal disease...!'
He would have no part in such an ending.
'There were three major ways the protagonist found to change the future: rooting out the seeds of trouble sown in the past, overwhelming fate with unmatched power in the present, and lastly, forging new connections to create a new future.'
Of these, there was only one route open to Luca.
'Looks like overwhelming power is the only way.'
Destroying the seeds of trouble in advance was impossible.
The protagonist had already proven that clearly.
And neither 'Luca Traverse' nor 'Lee Myunghyun' were characters personable enough to form new relationships.
In the end, there was only one option: obtain overwhelming power.
'Power strong enough to distort fate, like a great soul or an ancient weapon—but he probably can't get his hands on such things right away.'
His memories of the original are a bit hazy, but he do remember most of the ways or conditions required to obtain the strongest powers.
So for now, his top priority should be to get just a moderately strong and useful power, one that's easy and convenient to obtain.
'The problem is, he have to avoid running into the protagonist. Luckily, if this is the very first loop, there should be limits to what he knows.'
The protagonist has straight-up cheat-level abilities, so any direct confrontation would mean certain defeat. So it's important to get as strong as possible while avoiding his path.
'What's the fastest way to grow stronger right now?'
Something that doesn't overlap with the protagonist, works reasonably well right away, and is still useful in the late game—something easy to get, if that even exists...
'There are some restrictions, but maybe he should try that.'
There is. A conveniently strong power.
'It's a bit tricky to get, though... Is there no way?'
Thinking that, Luca looked at Bella.
Sensing his gaze, Bella greeted him with a bright smile.
"Do you need anything else, young master?"
"... Yeah."
Right now, the only one he can trust is Bella.
* * *
― Bella. Go to the place I'll name and buy something for me.
― Yes!
"What's gotten into the young master all of a sudden?"
Bella wore a perplexed expression at Luca's strangely changed attitude.
Of course, lately, Luca's behavior had been a bit odd.
No—ever since he was admitted to Hernan Royal Academy, he had changed a lot.
"Well, I guess nobody likes being compared to the great Abel's second coming."
Abel Traverse, the founding head of the Traverse family and the 'Fang of Hernan'.
A founding hero and always mentioned among the Empire's greatest swordsmen.
Then there was Wylde Traverse, the current heir to the Traverse family, who was said to possess comparable—or even greater—talent than even Abel Traverse.
He, too, was enrolled at Hernan Royal Academy and, of course, was doing exceptionally well.
"It might have been better if he'd failed... He's not untalented, but compared to that child, he just can't measure up."
Despite his delicate appearance, Luca had dedicated himself to swordsmanship. He actually had considerable talent and, for his age, possessed extraordinary skills.
But he was always overshadowed by the mountain that was Wylde Traverse.
"Young master looks more like his mother than the family head. Maybe he should have pursued her path. Or maybe it's because he was compared ever since he was little."
Bella sighed again and shook her head. She regretted not having protected him from the start.
"Still, I wonder what made our young master—who used to be as sharp as a wounded beast—act so gently today."
To outsiders, Luca might still seem rough and cold, but as someone who had served him for a long time, Bella could tell he was acting much more gently than usual.
Asking for help itself was humiliation for Luca.
"Change is good, but why would the young master ask me to fetch these sorts of things?"
The list contained things Luca had requested.
Bella glanced over it again and shrugged her shoulders.
"There's no point thinking about it. A servant's job is to do as they're told."
With that, Bella headed out of the mansion to carry out her order.
* * *
While Bella was out buying what he needed for several days, Luca spent his time in the training ground, swinging a wooden sword to get used to his new body.
He immediately knew how to train, thanks to his memories.
At first, even just swinging the sword felt awkward, but he quickly adapted.
Whoosh! Thump! Thump! Thump! Bang!
After days of practice, Luca had completely adapted to his body, soaring through the air like an acrobat.
His wooden sword struck moving targets in the air with pinpoint accuracy and stabbed a final blow into a training dummy on the ground.
'My body feels as light as a feather! And I'm full of strength! I've never felt like this before!'
Unlike Lee Myunghyun, who barely managed a passing grade in P. E. by faking illness to avoid exercise, Luca Traverse's body, despite its beauty, held lethal strength.
"Hmph. I guess this is about it."
After finishing a round of training, Luca muttered out of habit.
Once he realized he'd said something, he looked annoyed.
'What did I just say?'
A phrase he'd uttered without thinking. Memories flashed once again.
― Young master is amazing too. At that age, to move like that...
― But... he's still no match for the heir.
― Hey, don't say that. What's the point in comparing to the second coming of Abel?
The whispers of the knights who helped with his training.
There was no malice—they, too, must have felt a wall when facing Wylde Traverse and were simply making honest observations.
But to young Luca Traverse, it always sounded like he was useless compared to his brother.
So he tried even harder, striving to gain everyone's recognition.
But the more he tried, the more he realized.
He could never surpass his brother.
'Tsk, is this all I can do?'
'If it were his brother, he would do even better...'
'Hmph. How pathetic.'
In the end, Luca Traverse downplayed all his achievements.
He considered everything as meaningless and thought the harder he worked, the less value he had.
"......"
Lee Myunghyun, who possessed the body of such a Luca Traverse, looked down at his hands.
His palms were unusually scarred, especially compared to the back of his hands.
Bella, who always worried that his slender hands would be ruined, would secretly apply ointment whenever he collapsed in exhaustion after training, but there were still scars from the countless training sessions.
And yet, he could never surpass his brother.
Crack.
Luca gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and swung the blade lightly.
Whoosh!
The wooden sword made a savage noise—one hard to believe came from wood alone.
The blade effortlessly cut through a lingering thought.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Luca resumed swinging his sword.
With each swing, another stray thought vanished.
Bang!
Before long, there were no thoughts left and no sounds—at that moment, the wooden sword in his hands shattered.
Luca collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
Sweat poured down on him like rain, and his limbs were numb.
But his heart still pounded fiercely.
"... I can do it. I will."
Luca whispered to himself, as if repeating a vow.
Maybe he was talking to the lingering spirit of 'Luca Traverse', if such a thing even existed.
'Now, I have another goal added to changing the future.'
To surpass the strongest.
That would be the only way to repay Luca Traverse—the one who gave him a new life.
"Young master~ I've brought what you asked f... Young master!"
"... You got it faster than he thought."
"Wait, are you okay? Oh my—let me see your hands!"
That was when Bella appeared. She was startled, rushing up to him, then hesitated.
"..."
"...."
A strange silence hung between the two.
It was only natural. If this were the original Luca Traverse, only one line would be spoken here.
But the current Luca was different.
"What are you doing?"
"!"
The current Luca was different.
He stuck out his hand with a gruff expression.
"The ointment—where is it?"
"Young master...!"
Bella's eyes filled with emotion at the unexpected request, and she pulled out the ointment she always kept in her front pocket.
Fragments of the shattered wooden sword were lodged in Luca's palm, but Bella deftly removed them and applied the ointment.
'I'm not used to this kind of thing, damn that Luca Traverse bastard.'
Back when he was 'Lee Myunghyun', he hadn't received much favor from women, so he didn't want to do stuff like this—but the lingering regrets of 'Luca Traverse', whispering inside, spurred me to act.
'Bella's the only trustworthy person in this mansion right now, so he might as well get close. But honestly, why was Luca Traverse so cold even to someone like Bella?'
And he believed that those who worked hard deserved to be rewarded.
It was pretty sad to see someone as devoted as Bella always being shunned.
Thinking that, Luca changed the topic.
"You got back faster than I thought."
"Hehe, this is nothing if it's for you, young master."
Bella smiled gently and shook the package she'd brought.
Luca reached for it out of habit but ended up dropping his arm weakly.
"Young master, why don't you rest for today and look through this later?"
"... Okay."
With some regret, Luca nodded.
His drooping gaze was fixed on the bundle Bella had brought.
'Still, I got it faster than I expected. I want to open it right away, but I'll need my strength to use it anyway.'
First thing tomorrow morning, I'd take care of it.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Luca tried to stand, but his legs would not cooperate.
"...."
"...."
The strange silence returned yet again.
Bella glanced furtively at Luca.
With a sigh, Luca spoke.
"Take me to the bath."
"Yes, young master!"
Her face beaming, Bella lifted Luca with surprising ease and carried him off, while Luca, awkwardly cradled in her arms, smiled so she couldn't see.
Whose smile it was—Luca himself would never know.