Chapter 1: A Rude Awakening and a Gilded Cage
The first sensation had been a dull, throbbing pain at the back of his head, an old acquaintance from countless late nights spent working under infrared-lit conditions and the buzz of a nearby monitor. Michael groaned and tried to slap away an imaginary alarm clock. His hand encountered not plastic, but smooth, embroidered fabric. His gritty, reluctant eyes slowly cracked open. Rather than his familiar, tattered ACDC poster plastered above his apartment ceiling, he encountered an extravagant canopy of rich, deep red velvet, delicately embroidered with gold filaments illustrating mighty lions roaring—unfamiliar but somehow, uncomfortably, familiar. Cold, sharp panic began to tingle at the peripheries of his awareness. This was not his small Tokyo apartment. This was not even his century. He sat rigid, the silken sheets huddled around a form that seemed alien. Longer limbs, a more wiry physique he did not have, and a tumble of dark hair, not his normally cropped brown, spilling into his eyes. He stared at his hands—pale, slender, neatly trimmed nails. Not the calloused, faintly ink-stained fingers of Michael Sano, sleep-deprived coder and history buff. The room came into view. It was huge, big enough for his entire previous flat. A huge stone fireplace, untouched by heat, took up one entire wall. Tapestry after tapestry of battle scenes and stony-faced ancestors covered the rest of the wall. Wooden furniture, polished to a shine, stood watch. The atmosphere was chilled and quiet, and carried by it hung a faint scent of beeswax and something else. a little, metal-like taste.
'Where in the world am I?! '
A jumble of fractured images, emotions, and raw information struck his mind, like a hard drive full of corruption trying to boot up. Roaring crowds… glints of steel… hushed whispers along intricately carved halls… an aging man's harsh face… a woman's smiling face, now lined by sorrow… guttural growls of unseen creatures… He grasped his head, a real moan of agony slipping out from his mouth. Names, designations, locations—all unfamiliar, but achingly intimate. Alexius. Crown Prince Alexius Demetrios Leo. Principality of Leo. Father… Grand Prince Aegar Demetrios Leo… confined to bed. Mother… Lyra… death. 'No. No, no. This had not been a dream.' This had been too vivid, too real. The pain had been too intense. The memories, disjointed though they had been, had seemed like his own but imposed upon Michael Sano's life. There had been two souls fighting to occupy one body. Just when real, stomach-twisting terror nearly overwhelmed him, a gentle, ethereal chime resonated through his mind, and an iridescent blue panel flashed into view before him, unseen by the surroundings.
[System Initializing...]
[Host Integrity Confirmed. Soul Synchronization: 78%]
[Welcome, Designated Successor Unit 734, to the Sovereign Protocol.]
[Current Designation: Prince Regent Alexius Demetrios Leo.]
[Objective: Ensure the survival and prosperity of the Principality of Leo.]
[Primary Mandate: Assume Control. Ascend. Conquer.]
Michael—no, Alexius, he supposed, at least for now—stared at the impossible display. A system? Like in those web novels and games he'd devoured in his scarce free time?
'Sovereign Protocol? Designated Successor Unit? It sounded less like a game and more like a corporate takeover… of a country.'
The mental restrain was severe. One moment he was facing an existential crisis of identity, and the next, he was being presented with a user interface for… what? Kingship?
Before he could process further, the heavy oak door creaked open. An elderly man, his face show the ages and experienced he had been through, with eyes that held a keen alertness, entered, balancing a silver tray laden with a steaming pitcher and a single goblet. He wore simple, well-made livery of dark blue and gold. Likely Sebastian version of isekai.
"Your Highness," the man said, with slightly bowed ,
"You are awake early. Shall I draw you a bath? Cook said, The kitchens are preparing your preferred spiced boar broth for breakfast."
Alexius (he had to get used to that) stared at the man. Fragments of memory identified him: Elias, head steward of the Crown Prince's personal retinue for over thirty years. Loyal. Discreet. Perhaps one of the few truly reliable souls in this gilded cage.
He tried to make his voice sound like the one in the memories—a voice that was deeper, richer, and carried an innate, if somewhat petulant, authority.
"Elias," he managed, the name feeling foreign yet familiar on his tongue.
"Yes. A bath. And… bring me a report. State of affairs. Everything."
Elias blinked, a flicker of surprise in his aged eyes. The original Alexius, from what Michael's new memories suggested, was more concerned with the quality of the wine or the latest court gossip than 'reports' on the 'state of affairs' before noon without caring anything related to State.
"Of course, Your Highness," Elias said, composing quickly.
"I shall have a summary prepared immediately. Your father, the Grand Prince, had a restless night, but his condition remains… stable. The physicians are attending to him now." He paused, then added delicately,
"Duke Avarus Vetus and Duke Marius Custodia have both sent envoys requesting an audience at your earliest convenience, Your Highness. They await your summons in the antechamber."
The names hit Alexius like a physical blow. Even rage arise in his mind probably from former this body owner.
Duke Vetus. Duke Custodia. The two colossal pillars of the Principality propping up—and simultaneously threatening to topple the authority of Royal Family. The fragmented memories painted vivid pictures:
Vetus, the "Wolf of the West," an ambitious man with a network of spies and a fortune built on… questionableenterprises, including the lucrative non-human slave trade. He was the arch-conservative, the one who'd gladly sell Leo to the Kalian Empire or the Theocracy for the right price, as long as his own power and wealth were enhanced. His faction, the "Regalists," paid lip service to the monarchy while actively undermining it.
Then there was Custodia, the "Badger of the North," older, a traditionalist who genuinely believed in Leo's independence but was fiercely protective of his own ancient lineage and ducal privileges, supporter of feudal system. His "Leonian Loyalist" faction was wary of foreign entanglement but equally resistant to any centralization of power under the Crown, especially a Crown Prince they likely viewed as weak and untested.
Prince Regent without power, Alexius remembered He was just the figurehead, the ceremonial role while his father lingered on the edge of death with unknown illness. The real power lay with these two dukes, and they were already circling like vultures.
"Let them wait," Alexius said, coldly,
"The bath first. Then the report. I will see no one until I am fully aware of the situation."
Elias's eyebrows rose a fraction higher, but he bowed again.
"As you command, Your Highness."
He placed the tray on a nearby table, poured a goblet of what looked like water (or perhaps weak wine), and then moved to a bell pull by the door.
As Elias made the arrangements, Alexius took a sip from the goblet. Cool, clean water. He needed a clear head. The memories were still chaotic and fuzzy, but the pressing reality of his situation was becoming terrifyingly clear. This wasn't just a change of scenery; it was a battlefield.
The Principality of Leo is roughly the size of California, located on the centre of continent of Deus. The continent Deus is the shape of similar to modern Earth's America and Eurasia combine rival in size. Principality of Leo territory is mostly consist of barren highlands, windswept plains, or monster-infested lands bordering the vast, enormous Sea of Forests to the north. A population of barely half a million souls. To the west lay the militaristic Kalian Empire, always hungry for resources and expansion, currently locked in a decades-long, grinding war with the three technologically advanced, ideologically opposed republics, more likely similar to communists across the Dragon's Tooth Mountains. To the south, a of twenty or more smaller kingdoms and city-states, including Theocracy squabbling amongst themselves but always ready to pounce on any perceived weakness from their northern neighbor. To the west the Federation of Libertas consist of 5 autonomous regions control by publicly elected senate, direct democracy. Further afield, two other continental superpowers whose names he couldn't quite grasp yet, and dozens of other nations, all vying for dominance on this Jupiter-sized world.
Internally, Alexius curse himself realising what kind of situation he was in. it was death or survive
even though principality is a small friction of territory in this continent the pillar of the nation royal authority is falling with the illness of the Grand Prince Adgar, and his former self's ignorant. Noble families who have to support the crown, all jealously guarding only their privileges, many deeply corrupt. The economy was in shambles, bled dry by corruption and mismanagement. The common folks suffered, squeezed by taxes and the constant threat of monster incursions from the Sea of Forests.
And the churches. Oh, the churches. The Church of Human Supremacy, with its doctrine of mankind's divine right to rule over all other races, held sway over the majority of the nobility and the urban centers. Its priests were often arrogant, its coffers full from donations for divine favor, and its influence is high in the government. Then there was the whispered-about Cult of the Malevolent Divine—a shadowy, minority faith that some said dabbled in dark arts, appealing to the desperate and the disenfranchised. Two spiritual forces, dramatically opposed, yet both adding to the flame of instability. Human slavery was, thankfully, prohibited within Leo's borders, a rare principle in this brutal world. But the enslavement of elves, beast-kin, and other demi-humans captured from the Sea of Forests or bought from neighbors are perfectly legal and a cornerstone of Duke Vetus's wealth.
Alexius felt a chill despite the stuffy room. He was the Crown Prince, now the Prince Regent, of a nation standing on the brink of collapse, surrounded by predators, and hollowed out from within. His title was a cruel joke, just a powerless ornament.
Servants entered, carrying steaming buckets of water for the large copper bathtub in an adjoining chamber. Elias oversaw them, his management missing nothing.
This is insane. Michael—no, Alexius—thought as he shed the silken nightshirt. The body was lean but not overtly muscled. Scars, faint and silvery, crisscrossed the skin—remnants of sparring practice, a fall from a horse, or a hunting accident. This prince, for all his remembered petulance, had not lived an entirely sheltered life.
As he sank into the hot, herb-scented water, the system interface reappeared.
```
[Current Status: Precarious.]
[Immediate Threats Detected:
- Duke Avarus Vetus (Internal Power Bloc, Corruption, Potential Treason)
-Duke Marius Custodia (Internal Power Bloc, Obstructionism, Secession Risk)
- Economic Collapse (Resource Depletion, High Corruption, Low Treasury Yield)
- Border Instability (Sea of Forests Monster Incursions, Kalian Empire Provocations)]
[Recommended Short-Term Objectives:
1. Consolidate Personal Authority (Secure Loyal Retainers, Establish Information Network).
2. Stabilize Food Supply (Winter Approaches, Current Stockpiles Insufficient).
3. Identify and Neutralize Immediate Internal Threats to Regency.]
[Note: The path of a Sovereign is fraught with peril. Prudence, ruthlessness, and strategic acumen are paramount.]
```
Alexius let out a sigh setting his goals in solving the problem he is seeing in front of,
'Seeing Envoys first',
The warm water soothed his aching body, and relaxed his mind. After a hour or so he get out from the bath.
Elias returned as Alexius was being dried by a young maid. The steward carried a slim, leather-bound ledger.
"Your Highness, the initial summary you requested. A more detailed report from the chancellor's office will take a few hours to compile, given the… unusual nature of your request at this hour."
"This will suffice for now, Elias," Alexius replied with gratitudes.
He allowed the maid to help him into a simple but well-made tunic and breeches—practical, not ceremonial. He wasn't going to play dress-up for those vultures in the antechamber. Not yet.
He sat at a sturdy oak table, the ledger open before him. The script was neat and precise. It detailed troop deployments—pitifully few—along the forest border. Treasury reserves—alarmingly low. Grain storage reports—even more alarming. Notes on recent activities of various noble houses—veiled and couched in diplomatic language, but the implications were clear. Duke Venus had recently hosted a delegation from the Kalian Empire at his western estates. Duke Custodia had reinforced his personal levies in the North, citing increased monster incursion.
"Elias," Alexius said, not looking up from the ledger. "Tell me about the 'Nightwatch.'"
The old steward stiffened almost imperceptibly.
"Your Highness?"
"The Crown's personal intelligence service. Or what's left of it. Father… Grand Prince Agar… he kept it active, didn't he? Even after Mother…" He let the sentence hang.
Elias was silent for a long moment.
"The Nightwatch… has seen better days, Your Highness. Its funding was… reallocated… by the Chancellery some years ago. Its numbers are few now its resources are stretched thin. Many of its most experienced agents are… no longer with us."
The implication was clear: Vetus and Custodian, and their corrupt allies in the government, had systematically dismantled it.
"But it's not entirely gone?" Alexius pressed.
"A few embers still glow, Your Highness. Kept alive by… Loyalty to the memory of your mother, who was its strongest supporter."
Alexius closed the ledger.
"Find those embers, Elias. Bring their leader to me. In secret. Tonight."
Elias's eyes widened slightly. This was a direct command, a decisive action. So unlike the Crown Prince he had served for years.
"It will be… difficult, Your Highness. And dangerous. For them, and for you."
"Everything about our current situation is dangerous, Elias," Alexius said, a smile appear from his lips.
"The only difference is whether we face the danger cowering in a corner or on our own terms."
He stood, pacing the room. The initial shock was wearing off, replaced by an anger and calculative mind. He had been a programmer, a builder of logical systems. This world, this country, was a chaotic, broken system. And the system in his head, the Sovereign Protocol, had given him an objective:
assume control. Ascend. Conquer.
It was a terrifying prospect. The sheer scale of the world—Jupiter-sized, multiple continents—was mind-blowing. Demons, gods, Demon King… these were elements from fantasy tales, not geopolitical realities. Yet, here they were, listed as potential future encounters by a system that seemed chillingly omniscient.
But first, Leo. His gilded cage. His crumbling inheritance.
"The Dukes, Elias," Alexius said, turning back to the steward.
"Tell their envoys I will grant them an audience. Separately. Duke Vetus's representative first. In one hour. Here. Not in the formal audience chamber." A small power play.
Make them come to him, on his terms, in his personal space.
"And Elias," he added, as the steward was about to leave.
"Ensure there is good wine available. The best we have. Duke Vetus appreciates… the finer things."
Let the wolf think the lamb was still blissfully ignorant, concerned only with pleasantries.
As Elias answered and departed, a firm determination settled over Alexius. He was no longer Michael Sano, the coder from Earth. He was Alexius Demetrios Leo, Prince Regent of a dying nation. He had a System whispering strategies in his mind, fragmented memories of a past life, and the dawning realization that if he didn't learn to be ruthless, to be a sovereign in truth as well as title, he and this entire principality would be consumed.
The game had begun. And he had just made his first move. (Continue….)