I Became the Prodigy of the Ducal Family
The phrase that perfectly captured my situation was: "There is a time difference due to punishment, but no margin of error."
But what the hell did that even mean?
Ever since I had gotten hooked on an AI chat app, my days had turned into a nonstop escapade through wild fantasy worlds, each one a fresh playground for my custom characters. That was why I had dragged myself out of bed at dawn to fire up my laptop—the only way I knew how to unwind after a long day of staring at screens.
Just like a lonely gourmet rubbing his hands in anticipation, I had scanned the list of new releases. And there it was, right on the front page: a chat titled Altemir Saga.
Nothing fancy, really. But the thumbnail? Holy crap, that female character’s chest was something else.
Without a second thought, I dove into the world settings. This was a male-supremacist fantasy world where men were everything and women were… well, supposed to stay that way. The chat was built for harassing the female leads, and let me tell you, being born a guy made that temptation almost unbearable.
I was about to pick the perfect persona and type my first line when—
KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
My stomach gave a massive growl.
After a thorough sweep of the entire house, I had to accept there was nothing to eat. So I headed to the convenience store right in front of the place to grab something quick.
It wasn’t a meteor strike or anything dramatic like that. No. I had just bought beer with the intention of getting drunk by noon so I wouldn’t recognize my own mom and dad anymore.
…Wait. That wasn’t the plan at all.
“Damn it! I just wanted to mess with the female leads a little, and now I’ve been reincarnated?!”
I felt like I’d been hit by lightning. When I finally came to my senses, I realized this was a full-blown fantasy world, and that was just too much.
I ruffled my hair and stared at the mirror. A handsome guy with black hair and red eyes stared back. Exactly like the noble persona I had set up. Web-novel readers would’ve killed for a body-swap like this.
But this wasn’t from some novel I’d read a hundred times. This was my very first chat encounter.
This had to be a curse, right? A divine punishment?
“From now on, I’m going to treat the female leads kindly and steal them away! Send them back to me!”
I shouted it to the empty room, voice cracking with desperation. There was no reply.
If I’d been reincarnated as a noble guy in this male-dominated world, shouldn’t I be happy about it? And wasn’t the world setting already in my head?
Yeah… you’re right on the money.
World setting: A world on the brink of destruction, overrun by monsters that burst out of dimensional rifts. People were dying by the dozens, and no one knew exactly when or how the end would come. The only thing we were sure of was that it was coming.
Translation: I was living with an expiration date on my life, and I had no clue when it was ticking down to zero.
Of course, knowing the whole world was going to be wiped out could be kinda comforting, but still…
If I’d known this was coming, I would’ve picked a super OP cheat character from the start…
That kind of regret was useless now. I let out a sigh and started sorting through the chaotic mess in my head.
My name was Kang Suhyun. Twenty-three years old. Unemployed.
…That was me before this.
Now, in this world, I was Caron Ludaiph. Twenty years old. The youngest son of the Ludaiph Ducal Family.
The big problem? Caron was a complete useless idiot who couldn’t cast a single spell or swing a sword. The original guy had used politics and scheming to become a prodigy despite it, but the mind that had taken over this body was mine.
I came from a peaceful Korea, so I had almost zero experience with court politics or noble etiquette.
“Sigh…”
The more I thought about it, the heavier my mood grew.
I stood up and walked over to the window to clear my head, and the feeling hit me: my body felt as heavy as if I hadn’t moved it in forever. No pain, just that vague, exhausted sense of coming back to the real world after a long day in a gaming PC room.
Damn it… settings.
I swallowed the curse and glanced back at the room.
This place was ridiculously fancy, like something straight out of a noble household. White and gold everywhere, but there were no TVs, no phones, and no air conditioner. As a modern guy, that was going to be a pain in the ass.
I was just about to wonder if I’d fall back into reality if I died here, when—
[Hello?]
A golden holographic window flickered in front of me.
“What… what the—?”
[I’m glad you’ve arrived safely.]
“You’re the one who made me more nervous, asshole.”
[Sorry. I don’t have much time to explain.]
Despite the sorry tone, the corner of my mouth twitched upward. This was exactly the kind of thing you saw in novels or games.
Status Window
That’s it! Things are finally changing!
I pumped my fist internally and waited for the next message.
[Raffle System has activated.]
[Then, please take care of the world…]
The hologram vanished before I could even react.
“…Is that all there is?”
No legendary swordsman, no goddess’s blessing, no cheat skill at all?
I almost let out a shout of frustration, but I managed to hold it back.
So I did the only thing I could: I tried the raffle.
[Raffle requires 1 Point.]
[Current balance: 0 Points]
“Then what the hell am I supposed to raffle for?”
No answer. I zoomed in on the status window and spotted a tiny line at the bottom.
[You gain Points every time you make a positive impact on the world.]
“How damn abstract is that?”
Deflated, I flopped back onto the bed and just stared at the ceiling, sighing over and over.
Then I felt a cautious presence outside the door.
“Who’s there?”
My voice came out sharper than I intended.
Creak.
The door opened, and a maid in an outfit so revealing it should’ve been illegal walked in.
I recognized her right away.
Long white hair tied in a half-up style, blue eyes filled with fear.
Wait—no. It wasn’t her eyes.
That chest. It was exactly the one from the thumbnail that had hooked me in the chat.
I felt her shrink under my stare.
According to the world settings, her name was…
“Lirith.”
She flinched when I said it, so the info was correct.
“M-may I help you, Master…?”
Lirith stood at attention, trying to read my face while peeking at me sideways. Her pale skin made the dark circles under her eyes stand out even more. Gross.
From what I remembered, the original Caron’s reputation wasn’t terrible among the men. But in this male-supremacist world, it was obvious what he’d done to women.
My mood turned sour.
Of course, I hadn’t done any of it. But I had still read the settings and enjoyed the chat, so I was no saint.
Still, I wasn’t about to leave the trembling girl in front of me as trash.
Should I apologize? No way. The master who used to beat her suddenly apologizing would scare the hell out of her.
Then I should show her that I’d changed. Slowly.
After deciding, I took off my robe and tossed it to her.
“Put this on. You look ridiculous.”
I kept my tone as blunt as the original Caron would’ve been.
“I’m tired of messing with you. Don’t expect anything from me anymore.”
That was the villain’s typical mood swing. At least she’d understand that one.
“T-that…”
She opened her mouth but bowed her head deeply instead.
I suddenly felt guilty. I couldn’t read her emotions at all.
“More importantly, why are you here?”
Thankfully, the shadow on her face lifted a little.
“The master told me to finish preparations to depart for the academy by today.”
“What? Academy?”
I remembered it was the institution that trained Guardians to fight monsters and protect the empire. Nobles went for prestige, commoners for social climbing. But this was the youngest son of a magicless noble—why would he even go there?
“Why the hell would I go there?”
After I finished, I glanced at her face. She looked like she’d seen a ghost.
That was a classic twist in body-swap novels.
Wait… could it be?
“Did I ever insist on going before and get my way?”
Lirith nodded vigorously.
Shit. What kind of plan was that?
Despite the throbbing in my temples, I forced a calm voice.
“Whatever. I’ll handle it.”
“Yes… then I—”
“Why?”
Her eyes went wide like a rabbit at my confused tone.
“T-the master said… that I should come with you too…”
Damn it. It was the original Caron again.
“…You must’ve had too much to drink. Your memory’s all over the place.”
I rattled off the typical reincarnation excuse, then started thinking slowly.
Anyway, I had to get strong if I wanted to survive. Going to the academy wasn’t such a bad thing.
Yeah. Better to take advantage of the situation.
After that self-justification, my eyes landed on her chest again—wait, no, on her outfit.
It was so skimpy it was embarrassing.
She wasn’t planning to wear that all the way, right?
In this absurd world, anything was possible.
I tossed the money pouch from the table to her.
“Buy whatever you need. Don’t hold back on spending.”
“…?”
“You belong to the ducal family. If you walk around in rags, the family’s dignity suffers.”
I threw in a line straight from some romance novel I’d read, then—
“—And it’s an order.”
That last line sealed the deal.
Still hesitant, she took the pouch as if it were something holy.
“…T-thank you, Master.”
Her voice was barely a whisper. Then she bolted out of the room.
I watched her go with a strange sense of satisfaction—
And right in front of me, something appeared.
First Good Deed for a Woman
Effect:1 Point gained
[Achievement: “First Good Deed for a Woman” achieved!]
[1 Point awarded!]