Lucien sat still on the toppled chair. His hands rested on the table, his right hand pressed against his forehead. His posture spoke volumes about how troublesome his situation was.
He had too many questions—so many that he didn't know which one to ask first.
'How did I wake up as Lucien? Did someone put me in this body? If so, why? How will I survive now? What if the person who killed the real Lucien comes back and kills me again? Would I be transmigrated again, or would that be the end? Is it possible to go back to my original world, even though I already died there?'
'I have to calm down.'
'For now, I'll focus more on what I can do.'
Though the memories he'd received earlier were foggy, they were clearing up as minutes goes by. It seemed his mind and heart were finally adapting to the sudden rush of memories and emotions.
Lucien looked back at what happened before the original Lucien died. His head still hurt, so it took a while to process everything.
It seemed the person who killed Lucien was his personal knight—the one who had been with him since he was twelve.
'No wonder my heart aches so much. His personal knight, who acted as if he truly cared about Lucien, betrayed him in the end.'
'But why would his personal knight kill him? He wouldn't gain anything from it... unless someone ordered him.'
His expression grew more intense.
"But who?"
Lucien dug deeper into his memories, ignoring the headache as best as he could.
There, he saw the original Lucien—emotionally lifeless, like a hollow shell. About a month before his death, he had fallen into a depression.
He couldn't bear all the failures and judgment he had received. Lucien was a kind-hearted man who always tried his best to meet others' expectations, yet he always fell short. In the end, he faced only judgment and criticism.
He tried and tried, despite the disappointment and constant negativity. Despite his declining mental health, he kept pushing forward—until he couldn't anymore.
That's when he spiraled into a month-long depression.
One day, his personal knight, Verric Halden, entered his room carrying a bottle of alcohol and two glasses. The man had a soft, deceptive smile on his face.
He claimed he had been appointed as one of the lieutenant captains in the Royal Guard Army and came to say goodbye, as he was being dispatched to the royal palace. A new personal knight from the Royal Guard would replace him.
He seemed trustworthy and genuine. But the alcohol was already poisoned. He spoke kindly, as though he was truly trying to help Lucien overcome his pain.
Recalling that memory made Seojun's heart ache as well.
'It's getting harder to assess the situation with the original Lucien's emotions interfering.'
Nevertheless, he did his best to push through the pain. Verric poured the alcohol into a glass and handed it to Lucien.
Lucien then drank it.
Moments later, he died—killed by someone he trusted the most.
Lucien turned his head toward where the event had occurred. He placed a hand over his heart and clenched it tightly.
"Lucien... you went through so much, huh?"
Slowly, he released a deep sigh. His soft blue eyes, which had seemed hollow moments ago, now gleamed with determination.
'First, I must focus on surviving.'
'After all, if I die, I won't be able to move forward.'
Lucien leaned back, releasing a heavy sigh. He crossed his arms and stared up at the ceiling.
'According to Lucien's memories, this world isn't just any ordinary world. I wasn't simply sent into the past; I was transported into a realm where magic exists.'
'Which means, I could try to get stronger, and maybe... no, that won't work.'
His thoughts trailed off into silence.
'I need a loyal companion. Someone willing to put their life on the line for me.'
'Not just someone loyal, but someone strong as well.'
Lucien raised his right hand and rested two fingers against his chin, deep in thought.
"But how...?"
Once again, he let out a heavy sigh. For some reason, he already had an idea of what to do. He just wasn't ready to go through with it yet. Everything was happening too quickly. Physically and mentally, he still felt unwell.
He could collapse at any moment if he acted recklessly.
'Should I rest first and act later?'
'As long as Knight Verric and whoever ordered him to kill me don't find out I'm still alive, they won't come after me.'
'But I can't stay stagnant for too long. I have to act fast.'
'Who knows if there are other spies here, giving information to the mastermind.'
Lucien fell silent as he gathered his thoughts for a while.
However, as he was deep in thought, he noticed that the book in front of him seemed to have moved by an inch.
He didn't really notice it earlier, as he was too busy coming up with a plan for his next move.
However, the book seemed to move by an inch every minute, as if asking to be opened. (The book had a lock.)
Lucien squinted his eyes, curiosity filling his heart.
His focus then drifted toward the book on the desk.
"Are my eyes tricking me? Well, I am not feeling that well mentally after all."
However, Lucien was still suspicious of the mysterious book and couldn't help but observe it for a while.
The things he had seen in the original Lucien's memories had changed the way he viewed this world.
Then, suddenly, as Lucien observed the book, it slightly moved by an inch once again.
Lucien was startled by the strange phenomenon.
'Huh?!'
'It really moved!'
Lucien's eyes became fiercer. He looked back once more to the incident before the original Lucien died. The book was never on his desk. This meant the mysterious book could have appeared right after he woke up as Lucien.
'Perhaps this book could be a companion for me, sent by the deity, or by whatever being transferred me into this body, to guide me in this world'
He hoped.
Slowly and cautiously, he reached for the book on the desk. After all, he wasn't sure what kind of trouble this book might bring. He wasn't sure if it was something that could be of use to him, or an obstacle that was going to bring him trouble.
Then, he held the book tightly, as it was slightly shaking and moving within his grasp. He then stared at it with caution, gathering his thoughts and making sure his decision wasn't something that would give him more challenges.
He then unlocked the book.
Suddenly, the book lit up in a golden light, startling Lucien. Then, as it lit up, it flew up from within his grasp, floating in front of him, looking like it was staring at Lucien eye to eye, despite the book not being capable of having one.
Then, the book opened its pages, sliding each page one by one at a rapid speed.
Lucien stared at the strange phenomenon happening in front of him, his eyes wide and focused, with sweat dripping down his forehead every second.
"What the...?"
Lucien was staring at it with disbelief, pages sliding up at a rapid speed, then slowing down moments after.
Then, suddenly, a voice could be heard, startling Lucien even more. He couldn't exactly tell where the voice came from. It felt like the voice came from everywhere. The best explanation for it would be like a voice inside his mind.
"That was a beautiful entrance!"
Lucien's face turned blank, as if all the disbelief and confusion he'd had earlier suddenly disappeared.
'It was putting on a show...'
"I looked cool, didn't I?! I bet you were so fascinated by my beautiful entrance that I left you speechless!"
At this point, Lucien was having doubts.
'There's no way this weird book is a gift for me, and a guide for me, from whoever sent me into this body.'
All the hope Lucien had earlier had disappeared.
Lucien's expression was filled with disappointment.
"Huh? What's up with that face, you incompetent prince?!"
"You should be kneeling down right now and worshiping me!"
Lucien's eyes, which were full of determination earlier, had now gone back to being hollow.
Lucien leaned forward, elbows resting on his desk, fingers pressed against his lips.
"An obstacle that would make my journey harder, I see..."
"This is hurting my head even more."
"Hey, what did you say?!"
"Say that again, you fool!"
The book burst out in rage.
Lucien released a heavy sigh, then leaned back on his chair. Then, a smug look formed on his face.
'Well, sometimes it's not about the weapon, but the one who uses it.'
'Also, I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. That's common knowledge.'
"Hey, what's up with that smug look?"
Lucien remained silent for a while, then finally spoke.
"Hey, I remembered earlier that you weren't on my desk," he said, then added,
"How did you get here? And what's your purpose?"
The book fell silent for a moment.
"I was sent here by someone."
He said, then added:
"Also, if you're going to ask me about how you transferred into Lucien's body, I don't know the answer to it. And to confirm your suspicions, yes. I was sent here to guide you and help you."
Lucien's eyes widened in shock. Although he had a vague idea behind the sudden appearance of the mysterious book, he didn't expect it to actually be true. After all, those ideas came from reading tons of novels and comics.
'Then, someone really did transfer me to this body.'
Lucien's eyes became fiercer.
"You were sent here by someone to guide me? Then, wouldn't that mean that whoever sent you here also transferred me into this body?"
The mysterious book went silent once again.
"I can't confirm that. I am simply one of his humble servants. I was created to be of use to him, and was suddenly ordered to come here. He never told me anything about how you transferred into that body, aside from the fact that you were transferred into it."
Lucien's expression was indifferent from before. He still looked both puzzled and confused. After all, shock after shock was ramming into him every minute.
From waking up in someone's body, to discovering the demise of the original owner of this body, and to this mysterious book, sent by someone who could be responsible for his transmigration.
A hint of tiredness could be seen in Lucien's eyes.
"I see... then, I have one last question. Who sent you here? Tell me something about him."
"Sorry, but I can't tell you that. He told me that if you are eager to know, then come find him yourself. And in order to do so, you must do your job. Fulfill your destiny."
Lucien's expression became more intense.
"Fulfill my destiny...?"