This Actually Worked?

When I learned that the empire sharing a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠border with our tribe was called Shinyones, I finally realized I had transmigrated into the web novel my damn sister wrote. The sheer disgust I felt when she suddenly announced she was writing one and shoved it at me for feedback is impossible to describe. Anyway, that’s how I ended up inside a romance-fantasy story I’d barely managed to finish the early chapters of.

Only I hadn’t possessed anyone important. I’d woken up as a random tribesman living in the empire’s frontier—the place they called the barbarian lands. The tribe was known as the Murgu. Typical nomads. They wandered in search of grazing land for their livestock, and when that wasn’t enough they pillaged the empire’s borders. Because of that, a man’s worth in the tribe began and ended with his skill in battle.

Clavicle Tribe. That was what the imperials called us, and the word perfectly summarized our way of life. I wanted to adapt, but I simply couldn’t. As a modern Korean with delicate sensibilities, I couldn’t understand how these savages thought.

“Kill every man and rape the women!”

If something was lacking, they simply took it. If the women they captured were even moderately attractive, they took them too. I could somehow stomach that much. War has always been murder, and rape has always been war’s ugly companion. That wasn’t the real problem with these people.

“Hey, Derek! Drink up!”

“Ugh—?! Blech… fuck…!”

After battle, the war chief handed me a drinking cup made from an enemy’s skull. The thing still had blood on it. Just looking at it made me nauseous. And that wasn’t the only thing my modern sensibilities couldn’t tolerate.

“Derek. Thanks for covering me in yesterday’s fight. So… wanna sleep with my wife?”

A completely casual offer to lend out his own spouse. “She’s been eyeing you too. You’ve got that pretty-boy face, so a lot of the women have been waiting for a chance with you.”

“…I’m good, man. Don’t need it.”

Things like this were completely beyond my modern understanding. Given the circumstances, I looked for any chance to escape to the empire. The imperials would treat me harshly, but it had to be better than living with these hopeless lunatics.

Nomadic tribes were supposed to gather once in a while and flip settled kingdoms upside down—that was the rule. But in a world where magic existed, even that was impossible. No matter how well you fought, a single spell would leave you helpless. What future could I possibly have here? The answer was obvious: run to the empire as fast as possible.

And once I got there, I was confident I could live comfortably. Because I had this.

I’d been aware of the trait from the moment I transmigrated. It looked like a gift meant to make adaptation easier.

“After going through the trouble of possessing someone, it’d be unfair if I didn’t get at least this much.”

All that remained was to wait for an opportunity to cross into the empire. Fortunately, that chance came sooner than expected. The last raid had apparently been excessive, because a subjugation force arrived. They brought proper mages with them, and I was captured as a prisoner.

“Shall we execute them all?”

“No. These fellows are sturdy and strong—they sell well as slaves. Sell them to the slave traders.”

After being taken prisoner, they placed a slave-restricting spell on me so I couldn’t resist. The place I was taken to was the territory of the Northern Grand Duke, whose lands bordered the frontier. It was called Rotoretter.

I had wanted to reach the empire, but starting as a slave wasn’t exactly ideal. Still, with the All-Things Deciphering trait, I figured escaping slave status would be simple enough.

Feeling like a puppy on display at a pet shop, I quietly watched the crowd of potential buyers browsing the merchandise.

“I’ll take that one!”

A woman pointed directly at me. She wore a lavish dress and held an ornate fan that covered the lower half of her face. Her hair was a vivid pink. Unlike me—with my black hair typical of barbarians—people in this romance-fantasy world had every color imaginable.

Then the slave trader spoke, and I realized my luck wasn’t so bad after all.

“My lady!! What brings ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the daughter of the Grand Duke all the way here?!”

At the trader’s greeting, the young noblewoman broke into a bright smile.

“You said he’s from the Murgu tribe, right? Perfect. I’ve wanted one for a while. I’ll buy him.”

She spoke in such an innocent, carefree tone, as if buying a person was the most natural thing in the world. The slave trader had no reason to refuse, so I was sold to the Grand Duke’s daughter just like that.

The palace was so luxurious it made the tribal chief’s ger feel like a shack.

“What’s your name?”

In the young lady’s chambers, she asked me that.

“It is Derek, my lady.”

“Derek? Just Derek? No family name?”

“That is correct.”

“Hmm, I see. I’m Yui. My full name is Yuina Patrin Madisgard, but just call me Yui!”

“Yes, my lady…”

“Hey! I told you to call me Yui!”

Yui puffed her cheeks cutely and pouted. Her body was clearly that of an adult woman, yet her behavior was completely childish. Her parents must have spoiled her rotten.

She skipped over and circled me, inspecting every inch. She even ran her hands over my abs and arm muscles. Having a beautiful girl suddenly touch me like that made me a little embarrassed. She smelled faintly of sweet perfume. Pursing her lips, she nodded in satisfaction.

“Wow, your body is really solid. As expected of a Clavicle tribesman! Father wasn’t warning me for nothing! Buying you was totally worth it.”

“Thank you for the kind words. This humble one may be lacking, but I will serve you with the resolve to break my body if necessary.”

When I expressed my determination, Yui stared at me blankly for a moment before letting out a small laugh.

“You’re a barbarian but you actually know manners? That’s interesting~ Just from the way you speak, I’d think you were a nobleman’s son.”

“Y-you flatter me.”

In truth, I’d spent far more of my life as a modern Korean than as a barbarian, so politeness was simply ingrained in me. That was exactly why the tribe had mocked me for being effeminate.

“Well, whatever. That part makes it even more fun. So… I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

Yui winked playfully as she spoke.

A month had passed since I drew the Grand Duke’s daughter on my very first slave gacha pull.

Life in the Grand Duke’s residence was tense. Because I was a barbarian who had once raided their lands, the servants looked at me with murderous eyes. Thankfully, since I belonged to Yui, no one openly harassed me.

“Haa…”

I closed the book with a sigh. During the past month, I had used every spare moment to read. Adapting to this world required information, but my time living as a frontier barbarian had left me with far too little knowledge.

I put the book away and went to meet the princess, who had just finished her own studies. She looked exhausted from her lessons, but the moment she saw me her face lit up.

“Derek! Carry me!!!”

“Pardon? Ah, yes…!”

I quickly crouched down and offered my back. She dove onto me without hesitation. Despite her childish behavior, her voluptuous chest pressed firmly against my back, and the sensation alone was enough to melt away my fatigue.

“Let’s go see Father!!!”

“The Northern Grand Duke…? Why do you need to see him?”

“Dummy! Today’s the day! It’s the day they open the Book of Shadows!”

Oh, it is? I had only heard it happened once a month—I didn’t know today was the day. If that was the case, I had no reason to hesitate.

I carried her down the corridor faster than usual. Yui squealed with delight like a high-school girl riding on the back of a motorcycle.

“Yee!!! Run, run faster!!!”

The crowd buzzed with excitement. Countless people gathered around a suspicious-looking black book resting on a pedestal. Its official title was The Book of Shedding Shadows of Girash. It was also called the Book of Shedding Shadows or simply the Book of Shadows. A grimoire left behind long ago by a mage named Girash. For a thousand years, no one had been able to decipher it.

In this world, being acknowledged as the owner of a grimoire allowed anyone to grow powerful quickly and easily. That was exactly why I had been aiming for this very book the moment I learned of its existence. With my All-Things Deciphering trait, there was nothing I couldn’t read.

“Thank you all for coming. As you know, this Book of Shadows has remained undeciphered for a thousand years. Therefore…”

The one hosting the event was Yui’s father, the Northern Grand Duke. The book’s fame meant that every mage worth their salt came to the north begging to see it. There were so many that the Grand Duke eventually took special measures—once a month, he would open the grimoire to the public.

On this day, anyone regardless of status could freely examine the book. The thinking was that the more people who tried, the higher the chance someone would succeed.

Once again, many challengers stepped forward. Though it seemed more people had simply come to watch than to actually attempt it. After about ten people had struggled with the book, no one else came forward. The Grand Duke scanned the crowd.

“Will no one else challenge it?”

“I will try!”

I seized the moment and stepped out. All eyes turned to me at once.

“Derek? You’re going to try?”

Yui, who had been watching with interest at first but had gradually grown bored and started yawning, suddenly perked up when I volunteered. The gathered crowd began to murmur.

“What? It’s one of the Clavicle savages.”

The Grand Duke looked at me and gave a bitter smile.

“You are my daughter’s slave. I am sorry, but this is no place for a slave.”

“With all due respect, I believe Your Grace issued a strict order that reading the grimoire was open to all regardless of status.”

“That’s right! Derek should be allowed to try too!!!”

When even Yui stepped forward to support me, the Grand Duke stroked his beard with a troubled expression before smiling benevolently.

“Well, I suppose there’s no harm in letting him try.”

“Hehe. You have permission now! Go for it, Derek!”

I bowed deeply and approached the grimoire. The moment I opened the black-covered book, I saw pages filled with irregularly arranged, incomprehensible characters. My All-Things Deciphering trait instantly translated the passage for me.

The moment I finished reading, the crowd erupted.

“N-no way! He must be faking it, right?”

I ignored them and continued. The book’s text began glowing with a green light. Gasps of astonishment rose from the onlookers at the phenomenon. A tremendous heat suddenly poured from the book into my hands, as if they might melt. Yet for some reason I couldn’t let go.

Soon, darkness began to seep from the pages. It surged toward me and struck my heart like a hammer. The world spun. The next thing I knew, I was rotating endlessly. Front, back, left, right—I couldn’t tell floor from ceiling. My brain and heart felt like they were being cooked as I kept spinning.

Am I dying?

The moment that thought crossed my mind, I found myself floating in the air. No, it wasn’t ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me. I had become a giant eye, looking down from the ceiling at myself holding the book. Then the blood tears flowing from that eye became me, pouring down onto myself. When those bloody tears penetrated my head, my brain—

“Hup!”

I finally opened my eyes.

“Derek! Derek! Are you okay?!”

I must have collapsed. As I sat up, Yui stared at me with a worried face. A violent wave of dizziness hit me. I staggered, trying to stand, when someone suddenly dropped to their knees in front of me.

It was the Chief Mage who served the Grand Duke—the man known as the Sage. Tears poured from his eyes like a waterfall as he wailed.

“Ahh…! At last, at last I have witnessed it with my own two eyes! The thick shell of shadow that none of the empire’s great mages could peel away despite devoting their entire lives… I have seen it stripped away in an instant…! This is a realm of knowledge so vast and overwhelming that no mere mortal’s arrogance could possibly fathom it!”

The mage trembled violently, bowing so deeply his forehead touched the ground.

“Everyone, pay homage!!! Bow before the one who has accomplished this great feat! Offer your praise!!!”

At his frantic outburst, the watching crowd could only stand there in stunned silence.