An Unexpected Beginning [1]

Romance Fantasy.
 

A genre that combines romance with fantasy.

The format was always the same.

The protagonist gets dragged into a world of sparkling heroines, intense emotions, and an absurd amount of accidental intimacy that denies physics. He fights monsters, wins hearts, and becomes the centre of everyone’s attention.

Were they unrealistic? Pretty much. But after long work hours, apocalyptic adventure novels felt too heavy to digest, so I chose these instead. 

Simple palette cleansers, easy to read, and they helped me unwind without overthinking.

So when I ended up in the world of RoFan, I wasn’t particularly upset.

Though initially, I was confused.
 

I didn’t remember leaving a bad review or upsetting a higher-dimensional being. 
 

Logically, I should’ve been the last person to end up in this world.

But fate, or whoever sent me here, had other plans. I possessed the body of a random person in the last RoFan novel I read.

【 Era of Chosen: Sylvester Academy Chronicles 】

A cliché story that followed the rise of the “Chosen One” in a prestigious magic academy, complete with ancient prophecies, noble heirs, childhood sweethearts, jealous fiancées, and an overpowered artefact that conveniently awakens right before the Great War—a massive continent-wide conflict that would decide the fate of the Empire of Zenith, the world in which this tale unfolds.

It was a wish-fulfilment fantasy that concluded with a happy ending. 

Not a bad world to end up in, all things considered.
 

And as luck would have it, my new identity was the second-born of House Aurelion.

House Aurelion was a dukedom in the north of the Zenith Empire, in the western kingdom of Kassa. They were a family of merchants and were among the one per cent of the wealthy. 

In the novel, House Aurelion was a mysterious group of merchants that kept to their trade and themselves, and away from the political world of the Zenith Empire. They were hardly mentioned beyond their connections and the channel for communication. 

The dukedom and my existence, in simple terms, were akin to an “extra.” 
 

Or, more specifically, my presence was one.

Eldrinn Naurus Aurelion.
 

I possessed the body of a fifteen-year-old Eldrinn, who was considered a genius.
 

I truly hit the jackpot. 
 

Having a rich family to back, and being a one-in-a-five-thousand genius. 

I couldn’t ask for a more peaceful life. 
 

With this, I was sure I had nothing to do with the novel itself anymore. 

For one, given the timeline, the main story wouldn’t start until five years later, when the Empire starts brewing troubles at the border.

For two, House Aurelion had no direct influence on the Empire, keeping them out of the picture when the Great War took place. 

For three, I knew everything about the novel and its ending. As long as nothing disrupts its flow, as in the original story, it will lead to a happy ending where the Empire’s still intact. 

Once I went through and collected my thoughts, I decided to proceed with my new life.

Being the second child was a sweet deal. Though I was considered a genius, aside from helping my father with boring trade work, there wasn’t anything I had to do around the dukedom. 

I took private lessons from great scholars, training lessons from professional warriors, and was fed well with a roof over my head. 
 

For someone who was supposed to be an extra, I was living far better than most side characters ever did.

Life was going well until I turned seventeen, when my father, Duke Herald Aurelion, called me to his office. 

“Eldrinn, I heard you’re doing well in your studies and training.”
 

“Yes, father. I will not disappoint you.”
 

“I’m aware. Which is why I have an offer that wouldn’t confine you to these little walls of our dukedom.”

Hm? 

‘What a strange thing to say’ was my first thought.

I wasn’t being confined here. I was having a lot of fun being part of these walls. If this was what confinement seemed like, I would like to stay here forever—that's what I wanted to tell him, but seeing how serious he had looked, I simply listened to the next daunting words he had to say. 

“I received a recommendation from an old colleague of mine. He works at the Imperial Academy of Saira’Thyvar. They’ve a vacant cadet position in the first-year batch. Given your talent, they didn’t think twice to confirm the spot. So, what I’m saying is…” 

I had stopped listening after those words.
 

The Imperial Academy of Saira’Thyvar.
 

That name alone was enough to make my stomach drop.
 

Officially, it was called the Saira’Thyvar Imperial Training Corps. Despite the outdated nickname, it wasn’t an academy in the way Sylvester Academy was.

Sylvester trained future heroes, supporting cast and people destined to appear in the protagonist’s storyline.

Saira’Thyvar trained personnel.

It was the Empire’s central institution that trained and produced everything for government-bound operatives: intelligence trainees, knight escorts, civil officers, field agents, administrative cadets—anyone the Empire considered necessary for its machinery to function.

If you stepped into Saira’Thyvar, you weren’t expected to become a Hero or his fellow companion. 

You were meant to become useful and be prepared for a future that the Hero would eventually rewrite.

Joining the Imperial Corps was considered an honour for any aspiring cadet in Zenith.

However, despite the prestige and stability it promised, only a fraction ever survived the selection process.

And somehow, Eldrinn was now one of them.

‘...Shit.’

And that was… very bad.
 

‘No, this can’t be.’
 

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have minded.

A prestigious institution that could secure my future for the rest of my life in this world? There’s nothing more I could ask for.

But the problem wasn’t prestige.
 

It was the timing.

In the main story, a significant arc unfolded within Saira’Thyvar.

An arc that turned the Corps into a breeding ground for all sorts of chaos, conflict and politics. 
 

And that turning point began with one person.
 

The Villainess.

The arc itself was quite a short one, but it served as an introduction to her character.

A meticulous and cunning woman who was willing to do anything for what she wanted.
 

Currently, she should already be enrolled at the Corps, blending in under the guise of a normal first-year cadet.

But in the near future, she will cause a bloodbath that will erase half of the Imperial Corps cadets in one night.

Though the protagonist eventually kills her for that, the Empire didn’t bother sorting out who was actually guilty afterwards. They wiped out everyone connected to her. This included the remaining surviving Corp cadets and the people who just happened to have worked in the same building at the wrong time.

Affiliation meant implication.

Implication meant treason.

Treason meant execution.
 

So being sent to the Corps didn’t just mean three years of personnel training.
 

It was basically walking into my own grave.

And now my dear father wanted to send me to the exact institution she was hiding in.

It was a no-thank-you from me.

I had absolutely no intention of dying for a storyline I wasn’t even part of.

It was unexpected that original Eldrinn might have been a cadet at Saira’Thyvar—but given his talent, I shouldn’t have disregarded his chances of being scouted and sent into an early death. 
 

But that only mattered if I went there. If I stayed far away, the arc would unfold without me.
 

There was no reason to throw my life into danger on purpose.

I preferred to sit down and trade all day. It was tiring work, but I had enough experience from my previous life to sustain.

So, being the obedient son, I decided to speak up.

“Father, I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

“Right, I thought so too.”

Hm? He just agreed, didn’t he? That was easy.
 

“Thank you, Fathe—”

“But you don’t have a choice.”

“....”

Ah, I had almost forgotten how imposing parents could actually be.

“Father, if I were to leave, who would help you with trade work?”

"I’m only forty. I can manage it on my own.”
 

This man was acting impossible all of a sudden.

“Father, why don’t you ask for Evron? He has more qualifications than I do.”

The Duke had three sons. My eldest brother, Evron, who was a decade older than I was, and the youngest, Eeon.

“The eldest is going to become my successor. He will only learn if he’s next to me.”

“How about Eeon?”
 

“Eldrinn, he’s five. You should know better.”

Damn it!

It didn’t seem like this man was planning to change his decision. No, if he had planned to give me a choice, we wouldn’t have had any of this conversation.

“Eldrinn, I hope you bring good results at the academy and make me proud.”

“Father—”

Just like that, I was ripped from my freedom and imported into the academy.
 

***

“Dormitory West Wing. Room 3A.”
 

The warden of West Wind Dormitory handed me a key without even looking up from his clipboard.

“...Thank you,”

I muttered, accepting my fate and the metal object that symbolized it.

We stood in front of the door to my assigned room inside the Saira’Thyvar Imperial Training Corps — the place where I’m doomed to be spending the remaining of my end days.

‘....’

I shook my head.
 

Think positive. Think positive.

Sure, I’d been forced here against my will, and every step inside this building felt like walking deeper into a grave, but… it wasn’t an entirely hopeless situation.
 

The biggest issue, obviously, is the villainess.

If I could avoid her entirely and make sure I wasn’t anywhere near the Corps during her half-Corps massacre, I had a chance. 

A small one. More like microscopic. 

But still.
 

And yes, I’d still technically be implicated for treason afterwards. But if I could escape before everything went downhill and keep my head down until the Great War ended, I might be able to slip into one of those post-war amnesty programs the Empire hands out to “minor offenders.”

So really, if everything went perfectly — and I mean perfectly — I could survive.
 

It wasn't entirely hopeless, after all. Just… 99% hopeless.

Right… That’s right… 
 

But why does it seem like I’m giving myself a pep talk? 

‘....’

“By the way,” the warden said suddenly, still flipping through papers, “you’ll be sharing this room with another first-year. Good kid and quite helpful.”
 

‘Whoa,’ I thought. ‘Another poor soul destined to die beside me in the near future.’
 

I shook my head again.

Positive!

“But you see, the thing is…” He scratched his head. “Your roommate lost the room’s key this morning. Or, well, claims it fell into a mana drain and evaporated. I’ve been meaning to relay information regarding this, but I can’t find—oh, there she is.”
 

She?
 

My head snapped around so fast I nearly dislocated something.

A girl? In my room? That was—honestly, for a split second, I wasn’t even disappointed. 

A roommate who wasn’t a sweaty guy named Hans or Boris? I’d take it.

Then the door opened fully.
 

Creeeeakk—!

And my brief moment of happiness was shattered into fine dust.
 

I froze.
 

No way.

“Ah—Cadet, there you are. About the key, it’ll take the forging department a while to remake it since it’s a special-grade enchanted metal. We’ll issue a temporary token for door access, but since your mana signature hasn’t been re-registered, you will be using Cadet Eldrinn’s key to get in and out.” 

No way in heck. 

“That is, of course, assuming Cadet Eldrinn doesn’t mind…”
 

The warden continued, but I had stopped listening.

My brain had flatlined as I stared at the one person I absolutely shouldn’t interact with.
 

Midnight deep hair that caught hints of violet when the light brushed over it.

Soft, dark waves that framed her warm brown face with an effortless grace.

Sharp, cat-like amethyst eyes that sat like jewels on her quietly composed face.

‘That face… these features…’

It was unmistakable. 

My stomach sank.

“Cadet? Are you listening?” 

I wasn’t.

Adelina Ruelle Armathele.

The glorious villainess of this romance fantasy novel.