Chapter 2 — The Vanehart Inheritance [1]
"It's definitely Lysquare Academy."
About thirty minutes had passed since this absurd situation unfolded.
By now, I'd finally started accepting reality. Grasping it, even.
First thing I checked: where the hell was I?
Surprisingly, that answer came faster than expected.
'This room is one of the dormitories at Lysquare Academy.'
I'd been playing Valiant's Legacy for years. Thanks to that, I could recognize the academy's layout—and even the dorm rooms—at a glance.
'Alright, so this is Lysquare Academy... Let's say this place really is in the Arium Empire, not Korea.'
Made absolutely no sense, but for now, I decided to roll with it.
One question still lingered, though.
"Who am I?"
I muttered, staring into the mirror.
No—that wasn't quite right. To be exact, the question was: who the hell had I possessed?
"Alex Vanehart. Alex... Alex Vanehart."
As I mentioned before, I was one of the most hardcore veterans of this game. Not just Lysquare Academy—I was confident I could name every notable NPC and even the named monsters across the entire world.
But no matter how hard I tried, the name Alex Vanehart had never come up.
'Vanehart must be the family name. That means he's a noble... but was there ever a noble family by that name?'
I couldn't recall a single thing.
No—it wasn't just that. The entire situation made no sense from the start.
How did an ordinary gaming addict like me end up in a place like this...?
— Have you calmed down a bit?
"...Huh?"
— At least you look a lot calmer than you did thirty minutes ago.
"...What the hell?"
Once again, an incomprehensible situation unfolded.
Suddenly, I heard someone's voice echoing inside my head.
For a moment, I thought I'd completely lost it. But since there was nothing to lose, I decided to respond.
"Who are you? And why are you in my head...?"
— Hmm... let's just say I'm the one who brought you here. For now, think of it that way.
"Uh... I see. Then can you tell me why you brought me here?"
I asked as calmly as I could. If the owner of that voice really was the one who'd transmigrated me into this world...
— Because the conditions were just too perfect.
"...What's that supposed to mean?"
— You wouldn't understand even if I told you now. Still, it's amazing when I think about it. A swordsman who uses only the most defensive techniques, blessed by the spirit of water... wow, it all fits together perfectly. This isn't coincidence—it's fate. Pure fate.
"...What are you even talking about?"
— See? I told you that you wouldn't understand yet. Anyway, you—you want to go back to your original world, right?
"I mean... yeah, obviously."
This world might've been far more technologically advanced than the typical medieval setting, but still, it was a medieval world. I wanted to return to the comfort of the 21st century, to the modern life I'd known.
'I was doing perfectly fine as a rich unemployed guy... of course I want to go back.'
I had a life with nothing to complain about—and now, out of nowhere, I'd been struck by a bolt from the blue.
A world of magic, swordsmanship, and monsters sounded romantic, sure, but it was only fun when experienced through a game.
— Then uncover your family's secret, and restore your fallen house. That's the condition I'll set for you.
"You want me to restore the Vanehart family?"
— That's right. And reveal the family's hidden secret. Fulfill those two conditions, and I'll grant your wish.
"What's the standard for 'restoring' the family...?"
— I'll decide that myself after watching you. If I like what I see, I'll talk to you again, just like this.
"Heh, that's pretty one-sided of you."
— But what can you do? Even if I act selfishly, there's nothing you can do right now, is there?
Her teasing tone irritated me for a moment, but I let out a sigh and dropped it.
Because, as she said, there really wasn't a damn thing I could do at the moment.
"So, since you said it's a fallen family... does that mean the Vanehart family is completely ruined now?"
— Exactly. You're the only surviving heir and current head of a ruined noble family. You'll have to rebuild it from scratch. Once you complete that mission, I'll send you back to your original world. Of course, if you grow fond of this world in the meantime, you can choose to stay.
"I'll think about that later. For now, all I have to do is rebuild the family, right?"
— That, and reveal the family's secret to the world. Those two things—that's all you need to do. I'll be watching quietly until you achieve them. Do your best.
With those final words, the voice in my head vanished completely.
I let out another long sigh and stood up.
"So, I have to restore a fallen noble family, huh?"
I slowly walked toward the dormitory window.
Outside, I could see the vast view of the academy spread out before me.
It was a sight I had seen countless times in the game.
"...To think I'd actually see this for real."
After seeing it as a 3D render on a screen for years, witnessing it in person felt strangely moving.
But setting aside that moment of sentimentality, I began analyzing the situation again.
"I'm a fallen noble..."
I began thinking about the surname Vanehart.
Throughout the years I played this game, I'd encountered many nobles—including quite a few fallen ones.
But no matter how deep I dug into my memory, Vanehart just didn't ring any bells.
"Let's check it properly."
I picked up a crystal orb lying on the nearby desk.
To explain it in terms of my original world—it was basically a kind of smartphone.
It could make calls, send messages, and handle things like finances and notes.
Seeing something I'd only ever known as an in-game item in real life was surreal.
Well, anyway.
"Let's see... maybe there's some information about my family."
[To be Continue]