Chapter 1: Return

Actually, I don’t really remember much about the distant past.

I just vaguely recall that even among the nobility, I had an especially nasty personality, and because of my foul temper, many people tried to avoid me.

But even that memory is faint, so honestly, I’ve somewhat sugar-coated my own past.

Was I really that bad?

Such a complacent thought.

After all, people tend to be endlessly lenient with themselves, right?

But now, those faint memories of landscapes, buildings, the atmosphere, and smells are all blurred.

It was only after meeting a person in the flesh that I finally realized something.

The me of the past, no, more accurately, the me before my return… was truly a piece of trash.

“P-please forgive me. If you give me thirty more minutes, I’ll bring you a more perfect biscuit…”

“No, calm down. I’m not going to punish you just because the biscuit crumbled.”

When faced with a problem that has no solution, the confusion doubles.

And that’s exactly what my current situation was like.

I hadn’t even fully adapted to my body after my return, yet I found myself in this inexplicable crisis, feeling deeply flustered.

Elegant teacups, a soft fragrance, and a variety of biscuits.

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary tea time… but for some reason, the maid who brought me this tea was trembling with fear, her head deeply bowed.

And there was only one reason.

It was because the biscuits she brought were crumbled.

It’s absurd, but it was reality.

And I understood exactly what this implied.

It clearly meant, ‘This has happened before.’

“Shit, this is ridiculous.”

I wanted to shake my head vigorously and deny the reality.

No way… Was I really that much of a piece of trash?

Sure, my life was a mess, but not that much of a mess, right?

Maybe the reason I don’t remember the past is that I’ve simply romanticized it.

But even in my confusion, the crisis continued.

“I-I’ll bring the chocolate chip cookies you like, Young Master. Please wait a moment.”

“…I like chocolate?”

“Y-yes? Ah, yes. Last time you said if I was going to serve bland snacks, I might as well throw them all away…”

What kind of life did I live?

How could I manage to sound so barbaric even when saying the same thing?

It was fascinating to hear.

Moreover, my tastes had changed considerably.

Now, I can’t stand sweet things, but it seems I used to be obsessed with them.

I’ve heard that taste is the hardest thing to change in a person, but I guess after rolling around on the battlefield, even tastes you never had before can develop.

Anyway, I was slowly gathering more information about my past self.

Unfortunately, the expression on the maid’s face, who was the one providing me with that information, wasn’t looking good.

She hesitated, glancing up at me before bowing her head deeply as if realizing something.

“S-sorry!”

Enough.

Please, stop apologizing.

I asked again, my face filled with unease, unsure of what else this delinquent version of me could have done.

“…What else is it now?”

“I-I forgot to bring the blueberry cookies you requested last time!! I have committed a grave sin. I will bring new biscuits with both blueberries and chocolate chips, I swear…!!”

“……”

I stopped thinking any further after hearing that.

Damn it.

Edgar Mulick, you irredeemable piece of trash. Just die.

It was ten years ago that I was dragged away from the continent and into another world.

I was born the second son of the Mulick family, a prestigious house of magic, and I lived without any lack. Thanks to the early education I received from a young age, I was chosen to follow the path of a <Magician> the moment I became an adult.

But maybe it was because I was also destined to be a piece of trash?

At the time, I had no real desire to properly learn anything.

I wasted my three years at the Hero Academy, spending my time fooling around, and the magic I learned was useless, impractical things that didn’t help in combat at all.

I probably had no intention of advancing in life.

I had already been pushed out of the competition for the family’s heir by my older brother and sister, who were considered genius magicians, and I didn’t want to go to war to earn a title and make my way to the capital.

I assume I was just planning to live a comfortable life, flaunting the power of my family name.

And then.

“Hey, rookie, get up.”

One day, I was suddenly dragged out of the continent and into another world.

That was already ten years ago.

When I opened my eyes, the air was filled with the stench of blood, and all around me were shabby tents, various weapons, and soldiers with harsh expressions.

And I still remember the response I gave to the soldier who first called out to me.

“How dare you! I am Edgar Mulick, the second son of the great Mulick family…”

“Are you losing your mind? If you don’t want to die, pick up a sword.”

Of course, I was immediately hit on the head and ignored.

I don’t remember exactly how I felt at that moment, but…

I think, even back then, I wanted to deny the reality I was in, just like I do now.

From the life of a proud noble to that of a mere soldier.

From the peaceful territory of my family to a battlefield littered with blood and swords.

I didn’t want to believe the drastic change in my surroundings.

“Die…!!”

“Ugh, no! Spare me!!”

The magic I learned at my family’s estate when I was young.

And the magic I was taught during my three years at the Hero Academy—none of it was of any use.

It’s only natural. I hadn’t really learned anything properly, and I had never even touched combat magic.

Even though I was destined to be a <Magician>, on the battlefield, I was nothing more than a useless soldier, a mere target for arrows.

“Pick up your sword, Edgar! Stab the enemies and kill them!!”

But someone once said,

Humans are creatures of adaptation.

Fear of death is the strongest motivator for adaptation.

With arrows raining down right in front of me and enemy soldiers rushing at me with swords, trying to kill me, there was no way I could just stand still.

I wanted to live.

I had to adapt to the new world in order to survive.

So, I fought. And I kept fighting.

Day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, three years…

As the battles dragged on, I became more adept at adapting to this other world.

“Edgar. In recognition of your outstanding achievements in the war, you are hereby knighted by the Empire. From today onwards, you will be granted the rank of semi-noble, and a family name will be bestowed upon you…”

At the end of fierce battles came rewards.

From a soldier to a knight, from a commoner to a noble.

In this new world, I gradually climbed the social ladder.

Although I was originally born a noble, regaining my former position was no small feat. For someone who had never properly wielded a sword, becoming a noble by my own strength in this new world was truly a remarkable accomplishment.

And the surprising achievements didn’t stop there.

“Edgar, the Knight of the Gale, is appointed as the Imperial Guard Captain!”

“Balrut swordsmanship, the pride of the Empire, is reborn under Edgar’s hand!”

“Faster, even faster. Who can stop Edgar’s swift blade?”

Long, yet short, depending on how you look at it.

During those ten years, I left behind incredible feats, rewriting the history of the Empire all by myself.

I added new interpretations to the Balrut swordsmanship, said to be the sword technique of the royal family, completing it anew. I also ended the long Great War, expanding the Empire’s territory to its greatest extent.

In the end, my contributions were acknowledged, and I was appointed as the captain of the Imperial Guard, eventually rising to the rank of marquis at the youngest age ever.

The dazzling accomplishments naturally followed once I had fully adapted to this new world.

And the reason I was able to achieve such feats, no matter what anyone says, was largely due to my “talent in swordsmanship.”

“A genius of swordsmanship, born of this era! No one can keep up with his swift blade.”

“The only knight who perfectly wields mana is Edgar. All swordsmen of the Empire should follow his example.”

I had a genius-level talent for swordsmanship.

In fact, even in the original continent, I had wielded a sword a few times.

But I had never taken it seriously, and since I grew up in a prestigious family of magicians, it was only natural that I hadn’t discovered such talent.

However, after crossing over to the other world…

After facing death countless times on the battlefield, my talent finally bloomed.

Although there were no “heroes” chosen by destiny like on the original continent, there were knights in this world who trained their swordsmanship in their own ways and mastered mana, evolving into transcendent beings.

I was one of those knights who grew in such a way.

What especially helped was my ability to handle mana, which was referred to as “magic power” on the original continent.

While I had been called a half-baked magician in the traditional magical family of Mulick, in this world, that very skill became the foundation that allowed me to master mana from the time I could walk.

Anyway, after enduring many trials, meeting many people, and achieving many accomplishments over those long years, I finally came back.

I returned to the place I disappeared from ten years ago.

To the continent of Hailan, where the original me once existed.

“…I really must accept it.”

There were many unforgettable and precious connections.

The comrades who helped me in my early, inexperienced days, Knight Phelin who briefly became my swordsmanship mentor, Count Glenn who guided me when I first stepped into noble society…

They all disappeared like the wind, and the memories of the past ten years came to an end.

It was such an empty feeling, but as time passed, I found myself able to accept it.

Just as I adapted to a new life in the other world, now that I’ve returned, I must adapt to this life once again.

Knock, knock, knock—

“Sir Edgar, it’s Ray.”

And then, a woman’s voice, along with the sound of knocking, could be heard.