Chapter 1: I want to become a master craftsman
Cover folded.
Theodor Holy Empire.
Crown Prince Ergon Magnus Theodor.
And the one called the Steel Lorelei, Sieglinde von Levanfalt.
The background of the novel.
The names of the male protagonist and female protagonist.
That alone was enough to realize that I had been possessed into a romance fantasy.
Romance fantasy.
It was definitely titled “I Will Protect Your Empire.”
Among the countless romance fantasies that treated settings and historical accuracy like cotton candy, this one was classified as relatively excellent, so I remembered the title. But the female protagonist was an extreme aestheticist who committed all sorts of outrageous acts under the guise of being a girl crush, turning her into a walking disaster, so I eventually dropped it.
‘Kailun von Waltenstein? What the hell kind of extra did I get possessed into? A minor character whose name is only briefly mentioned… Since it’s a romance fantasy disguised as a war story, tons of names pop up. Probably just one of the countless extras assigned to the female or male protagonist’s unit.’
Kailun von Waltenstein.
The third son of the Waltenstein Count family that I’ve been possessed into.
An ordinary fief.
An ordinary blessing inherited through bloodline.
The family head and all his children were utterly mediocre class.
The Waltenstein Count family truly symbolized perfect mediocrity, barely hanging on by the skin of their teeth.
Father was a has-been pushed out of politics, relegated to the back room.
The eldest son was a dull, sickly scarecrow.
The second son was a vicious usurer running a ruthless loan shark business.
And the third son—
“Enlist in the Imperial Army. For the sake of our family.”
“Understood. Since both my brothers are complete trash… When exactly should I enter the training camp?”
“The enlistment date is tomorrow. If you leave now, you’ll arrive on time.”
“…Is this guy seriously insane?”
In the noble society of the Holy Empire, there was an unwritten rule that families voluntarily sent their children to serve in the Imperial Army. By sending their flesh and blood as officer candidates and hostages, they proved their loyalty to the Emperor and the Theodor Imperial Family.
Even a third-rate family like Waltenstein was still a noble of the Holy Empire.
They absolutely had to send at least one son to serve in the Imperial Army.
The first son was so weak he’d be returned from training camp in less than half a day.
The second son was an extreme materialist and antisocial element.
It showed that the Waltenstein family’s child-rearing had been completely devastated, like a vineyard trampled by horseshoes.
That was why the family head had delayed the enlistment notice until the third son came of age.
“The carriage has been prepared. Hens will guide you.”
“If I return safely discharged from the Imperial Army… will you appoint me as the heir instead of my brothers? I’m enlisting because of those pathetic brothers, so honestly, I think I’m qualified to inherit the family and the territory.”
“The family and territory are inherited by the eldest son as a matter of principle. If we set aside both the eldest and second sons to name the third son as heir, every noble in the Holy Empire would mock our family.”
“The eldest and second sons being draft dodgers is already a laughingstock…”
A stubborn principled man acting like the village chief in a rural backwater.
That was my current father, Count Waltenstein.
The heir to the count family?
I never had any interest in being the big shot of some backwater village to begin with.
I had absolutely no intention of being satisfied as a frog in a well like the mediocre members of the Waltenstein family.
Even if I ended up attached to an extra, I was clearly a possessor in a romance fantasy. Even if I didn’t aim for the male protagonist role, it was only natural for a possessor to pursue fame, fortune, and a windfall.
Enlist in the Imperial Army.
Succeed as a noble-born officer.
Throughout history, east and west, people of humble origins who overcame social inequality and injustice did so by rising as war heroes.
Moreover, the Theodor Holy Empire had just declared war on the Hanzvaldt City-States of the south, so it was a golden opportunity to distinguish myself on the battlefield.
‘Probably three years would be more than enough? Even a village school dog recites poetry after three years… Still, I’m not a damn dog, I’m a human, so if I roll hard on the front lines for about three years, the shortcut to a jackpot should open up.’
Let the mediocre Waltenstein family members stay satisfied as frogs in a well for life.
I am a possessor who has been possessed into a romance fantasy.
A hidden cheat that awakens in a life-or-death crisis.
Or an encounter with a sealed secret manual or a reclusive master living in seclusion.
The fact that there was no cheat at all for the possessor would be a betrayal on the level of thinking the flat-chested heroine was actually a crossdressing man.
With that smug confidence, I enlisted as a noble-born officer candidate in place of my brothers.
Eight years.
A full eight years rolling on the front lines.
F*ck.
Three years my ass.
I spent nearly three times that.
Cheat?
There was no such thing.
For a third-rate noble that only produced mediocrity, it was an absurd delusion.
Woof woof!
Bark bark bark!
I apologize for foolishly mocking my senior, the village school dog.
The northern Eisenreich Colonial Empire.
The southern Hanzvaldt City-States.
The eastern Deadwater Pirate Alliance.
The Theodor Holy Empire was a war-crazed lunatic beyond imagination. Repeatedly declaring war and signing ceasefires against countless neighboring powers, it scattered death and blood.
Not just lives.
It mercilessly stole vitality and youth as well.
The third son of the Waltenstein Count family, who had been a fresh seventeen-year-old boy from a mediocre noble house, had fermented on the battlefield until he became a twenty-five-year-old man.
“We won! They surrendered!”
“Victory for the great Holy Empire!”
“Now we can go home to our fox-like wives and rabbit-like kids!”
After two full years of back-and-forth stalemate, the Hanzvaldt City-States declared conditional surrender. Upon hearing the news, the soldiers on the front lines raised their spears and swords high, shouting in victory.
They could go home.
And that wasn’t all.
Every knight and soldier was hoping for promotion and rewards.
The Hammerfall Fortress, a key strategic point of the Hanzvaldt City-States, had been captured by none other than our Waltenstein unit. Because we brought the half-year-long siege of Hammerfall to an end, the Hanzvaldt City-States had no choice but to abandon the war and raise the white flag.
We had finally put an end to the dragging war of attrition.
A famous general.
Couldn’t I now confidently claim a place among the famous generals?
It was all thanks to rolling like a dog on countless front lines for the past eight years.
“Sir Waltenstein, won’t you be appointed to the twelve zodiac houses that protect the Holy Empire? Since Magal Palace, who held the tenth seat, fell in battle on the colonial empire front… Sir Waltenstein, whom the imperial capital’s leadership trusts the most, is a strong candidate for the twelve zodiac houses.”
“Magal Palace fell… Then next I’ll probably be called to the colonial empire front?”
The Ecliptic Twelve Houses.
The twelve monsters representing the Holy Empire.
Who,
Just who defeated Magal Palace?
Having personally witnessed the monstrous prowess of those on the front lines, I couldn’t believe one of the Twelve Houses had been defeated.
The aggressively expansionist Eisenreich Colonial Empire was invading the Holy Empire and countless other powers, spreading death and suffering like a plague. Their madness, willing to use any means necessary for conquest, seemed to ride the wind itself.
They adhered strictly to meritocracy, judging solely by results regardless of origin or bloodline? Truly fitting for a faction teeming with ferocious war maniacs.
“Waltenstein, you have achieved splendid military merit. His Majesty the Emperor and the ministers of the capital were greatly pleased to hear of Sir Waltenstein’s accomplishments.”
“You flatter me, Steel Lorelei.”
For war heroes who devoted themselves on the battlefield, proper rewards and honors naturally follow.
As if to prove it, a beautiful woman arrived as an envoy.
Golden hair shining brilliantly like pure gold.
Charming amethyst-like purple eyes.
And dressed impeccably in the Holy Empire’s uniform.
The appearance of the dazzling blonde beauty drew every dirt-covered man’s gaze. Quite a few knights stared at the peerless beauty in a trance.
I understood.
She couldn’t help but be beautiful.
The Steel Lorelei.
Sieglinde von Levanfalt.
The female protagonist of the romance fantasy I had been possessed into.
I never imagined I’d meet the female protagonist like this.
My shoulders lifted with pride that my efforts and devotion had not been in vain.
“I will appoint Sir Waltenstein as my staff officer. Your unit will be temporarily commanded by Prince Stoltz in your place. I hear Hammerfall Fortress has not yet been fully pacified. Your successor, Prince Stoltz, will take care of settling Hammerfall Fortress.”
“…Pardon?”
Her voice was endlessly polite and gentle.
But after going through countless battles, I could not be fooled by my honed instincts.
A reward for merit?
No.
This was a scheme to snatch the credit right away.
She planned to hand over the achievement of capturing the key fortress of Hammerfall and forcing the Hanzvaldt City-States to surrender to the sub-male lead, Valdemar von Stoltz.
Just like the original work, what a f*cking bitch.
The ones who already have just keep taking more.
A count title had been promised.
A promise to be granted newly conquered territory from the Holy Empire.
But with the appearance of the female protagonist, an ominous feeling began to creep up slowly.