Chapter 2
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Inheriting the Novel
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“Young Master! Young Master!”
When I came to my senses, a full day had passed.
I sluggishly sat up at the urgent tone of the woman calling me.
“Ugh, ugh… Mone?”
“Yes, it’s me. Young Master, why are you sleeping on the floor?”
The floor? What was she talking about? Had I been sleeping on the floor?
My head throbbed, and my thoughts wouldn’t come together properly.
“Haa. But what’s going on this early in the morning?”
“Young Master, it’s already noon. Have you forgotten something?”
“Noon? Wait… noon? Noon?!”
I shot up in a hurry.
I was supposed to meet Delmore Viscount at noon today to help with his tasks.
“Mone, get some clothes for me to change into right now…”
That was when it happened.
[Character confirmed.]
[Setting Check activated.]
==
<Mone>
Age: 20
Gender: Female
Role in story: Servant of the Banheart Count Family (Supporting Lead)
Abilities: Miraculous Luck
Notes: Lead character in the novel *Echo of the Sword*. The woman Fabian trusts most, like an older sister from childhood. Possesses exceptional dexterity and incredible luck.
==
I blankly read the text floating in the air.
“Young Master, what’s wrong?”
Mone asked in a puzzled tone, finding my vacant stare into empty space strange.
Only then did I snap back to reality.
“Oh, no… What’s that next to you?”
“Next to me?”
Seeing Mone act like she truly had no idea, I grabbed her shoulders tightly and shouted.
“You really can’t see this? You can’t see this right next to you?”
“Huh? I-Is there something next to me?”
Mone looked around her in confusion, but it was just bewilderment at my actions.
No matter how I looked at her, she didn’t have the face of someone seeing ‘text’ like I was.
If she could see the letters floating beside her, she wouldn’t react so mildly.
Magic? No, I’d never heard of such bizarre magic existing in this world.
It was almost like…
‘…A novel’s settings?’
The thought hit me, and I recalled the letter I’d read before passing out yesterday.
My guess was that the text floating next to Mone was definitely connected to that vanished letter. Nothing else made sense.
“Y-Young Master?”
Mone’s cautious voice calling the dazed me brought me back.
I hurriedly looked around, but Father’s letter was nowhere to be seen.
“Mone! Did you happen to see the letter Father sent yesterday?”
“A letter? I tidied up the tent this morning, but I didn’t see it.”
“I see…”
That meant the letter had vanished into thin air.
It was absurd, but it made this phenomenon all the more real.
“Young Master, shouldn’t you hurry? Delmore Viscount will be waiting.”
“Yeah, right. Got it.”
The text still floating beside Mone bothered me, but I couldn’t space out forever.
Strange things appearing was just that—strange things appearing. Keeping my appointment on time came first.
‘Get it together.’
I pinched my cheek hard, feeling a sharp sting. This definitely wasn’t a dream.
‘And she’s a lead character, huh.’
I glanced at Mone’s settings as she helped me dress.
If those settings were real, Mone was one of the novel’s leads. A major character with incredible luck.
It was hard to understand why someone like her was in the declining Banheart family.
If she was truly that lucky, shouldn’t she have left before the fall, or brought fortune to the family?
The note mentioning ‘protagonist Fabian’ also stuck with me.
All I knew was that he was this world’s protagonist.
And that he was already dead.
‘…Not enough info. I need to figure this out step by step.’
Calming my jumbled thoughts, I stepped out of the tent.
* * *
The one who greeted my hurried arrival was Delmore Viscount’s listless face.
He pointed to the messy supply warehouse, as if he’d been waiting for me.
“Sir Banheart, I’m leaving the cleanup to you today.”
“Yes?”
Naturally, I was stunned.
I’d come to help, not to do everything alone.
“What do you mean by…”
“You know the gala Duke Gail is preparing is coming up soon, right?”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“I’ve been suddenly assigned to help with that, so I must go. Sorry about this.”
He didn’t look sorry at all.
‘Help with the gala? What a long-winded excuse.’
As the one managing all supplies, Delmore Viscount would have some gala duties.
But the gala was still days away.
No reason for him to rush yet—this was clearly meant to screw me over.
‘No way…’
Seeing his even smirking face, I considered the worst possibility.
‘He still holds a grudge against our family?’
Delmore Viscount survived high society on eloquence alone, boasting vast connections.
But he hadn’t always had them.
Before establishing himself, he’d approached Father.
Looking back, he’d tried to use the Banheart Count Family’s influence for his own gain.
Father had seen through his sycophantic nature and coldly distanced him.
‘Of course it wouldn’t be easy.’
Coincidentally, I’d approached him now to use those connections.
But this felt like a bad start.
From his attitude, he clearly hadn’t forgotten that incident.
‘Should I give up on Delmore Viscount…?’
It’d be a shame to abandon a high noble with so many ties, but I wasn’t foolish enough to waste time on a dead end.
‘Looks like pointless cleaning after all.’
But I couldn’t back out now.
Like it or not, I’d be sorting the warehouse pointlessly today.
As I glared at Delmore Viscount’s retreating back, swallowing my rising anger—
‘Hm?’
Staring intently, the text from before appeared next to him too.
‘This is…?’
Reading his settings, I couldn’t hide my rising smile. The contents were too amusing.
‘If that’s true…’
Mulling over what had floated beside Delmore Viscount, I shook my head.
Hard to think straight with work left undone.
‘Finish sorting first.’
With a sigh, I gave orders to the waiting servants.
“Alright, I’ll check the supplies. You servants move the items over there.”
Not just royal supplies, but goods from various noble houses were mixed in, making the warehouse chaotic.
Servants would do the heavy lifting, but sorting it all was no small task.
Delmore Viscount knew that, which was why he dumped it on me.
“That item is from the Miol Barony. Move it there.”
“Huh? Y-Yes, understood.”
“And these seem to be from Sir Maserin’s family. Take them over there.”
Even items hard to identify, I sorted effortlessly.
The servants looked suspicious at first, but upon later checks, they looked possessed.
Their eyes all asked the same:
‘How do you know at a glance without even checking?’
Naturally, since I sorted the scattered mess without close inspection.
I didn’t have any special talent for organization.
==
[High-Quality Garments]
Luxury garments sent by the Isen Barony.
Designed by Madam Saint-Dur, a famous designer from Talua Kingdom’s capital, made with fabric imported from the Asktalin Empire.
==
‘Even on items?’
I could just see where they came from.
Thanks to that, a warehouse cleanup that should’ve taken hours would finish in under one.
‘Easy.’
As sorting wrapped up smoothly, I saw a servant carrying a large box.
‘From the Eaton Marquis Family?’
No need to check settings—the Eaton crest was engraved on the lid.
As a family shipment, it’d go to Sir Eaton’s tent soon…
“Wait!”
“Gah?! W-What’s wrong, sir?!”
I urgently stopped the servant with the box.
“Put that down right now.”
“Huh? W-Why all of a sudden…”
As the flustered servant set it down, I roughly tore open the sealed box.
The surrounding servants gasped in shock.
“Th-This is from the Eaton Marquis Family. Even Sir Banheart can’t just…”
“If it really was from the Eaton Marquis Family.”
“…Yes?”
I had no intention of explaining to the baffled servants one by one.
The problem was what was inside.
“Crazy…”
Inside were dozens of ink bottles.
Pens were used even on battlefields, so nothing odd.
If they were ordinary ink bottles.
==
[Poisoned Ink Bottle]
Item prepared by Byan Deolic to frame Tedric Eaton. Contains a delayed-action poison.
==
My heart pounded.
A frame-up meant some incident to pin blame on someone.
With prominent Talua families like Deolic and Eaton involved, it’d shake the entire royal army.
‘What to do with this…’
Should I report it?
Spreading unverified claims wouldn’t help—and might backfire on me.
But staying silent… if an incident really happened…
‘Wait.’
My dilemma was brief—a thought flashed through my mind.
‘…This is an opportunity.’
If these ‘settings’ were real.
And my ability wasn’t illusion or lie, but truth.
Then this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for me.