Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: A Mere Soldier Returns
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Without even realizing it, after finishing morning training and eating lunch, it was only during break time that I finally grasped this situation wasn't some illusion—it was reality.
It didn't feel real that just a few hours earlier, I'd been locked in a decisive battle with the Demon King's army. Back then, I... had suffered burns that melted the skin across my entire body from an old accident... and lived out my days with a slightly hunched back, like a hunchback. But the me right now? I'm back to how I looked before that accident.
The reflection staring back at me from the mirror just moments ago, and this lightness in my body...
Normal skin, a straight back. It's the body I had before my life went to hell.
And it wasn't just my body that had changed. The era I lived in had shifted too.
The current age of this young body? Twenty-four.
I'd definitely returned to the past.
Yeah.
I...
"I've returned—!"
"Have you finally lost it?"
The moment I thrust my arm high and shouted, a sharp voice cut in from beside me. It was Ray, the head of the mess hall kitchen.
She must've stepped out from the kitchen for a breather. Sweating buckets, she'd probably come out for some cool air, only to find me grinning like an idiot all by myself and get puzzled.
Ray, the cute twenty-one-year-old with her dark brown twin tails. Dressed in simple, unadorned clothes, she just seemed like your standard cute type at first glance. But underneath? A decently sized chest, wide hips, and a slim waist. Take a closer look, and you'd see she was a real beauty.
And knowing the future, I was well aware of her true potential.
"Anyway."
"What?"
In any case—
I'd been handed a "chance."
A chance to fix everything that had crumbled.
"What're you on about?"
No one would understand what I was muttering anyway, so I ignored Ray's suspicious glare and kept sorting through my thoughts.
I'm Daron, age twenty-four.
Just your run-of-the-mill infantryman in the Empire. I never planned on becoming a soldier, but with no special talents and aging parents to support, I ended up in this line of work while job-hunting.
And so, steadily collecting my paycheck, I'd been living an utterly ordinary life.
That's the story of Daron at twenty-four up to this point.
But from here on out? This time around is different from the old me.
Because I've regressed... I know the future.
If I'd known the Demon King was going to invade the continent, I'd probably have been too scared to sign up as a soldier. Of course, I'm not the same gutless fool I was back then, so knowing what's coming doesn't mean I'll quit my job on the spot.
Thinking it over again, that future was the absolute worst.
At the same time, I was certain that having lived through it once would be a huge advantage.
In an era of war, quick and precise judgment decides life or death. The habit of staying cool-headed, unswayed by emotions that cloud reason, and rapidly arriving at rational decisions—it had carried over perfectly to the present.
So, I pondered.
How would I live this round?
Let's review what the "me" from the previous timeline had built up.
I have a body that can barely sense any mana, so I mainly trained in sword techniques.
Beyond that, I knew plenty of desperate tricks for survival.
And above all, my greatest asset was knowing the events that would unfold in the future. Sure, my actions might alter history's flow this time around, but the pivotal events wouldn't budge.
I, Daron... this time, I won't live like a total pushover.
I'd roughly decided how I'd live.
I wouldn't just sit back and watch the whole continent burn like last time.
If I dismantled the Demon King's schemes one by one ahead of time, I'd naturally get a shot at killing him.
But before that, I'd get revenge on the ones who kept the alliance from properly uniting.
With the Demon King bearing down, they were busy squabbling over power and calculating petty gains—it pissed me off.
And there were personal grudges I wanted to settle too.
I didn't plan to kill everyone.
If they had a shot at redemption, or if sparing them made sense, no need to off them.
Even as a lowly soldier...
I planned to go completely off the rails.
I hadn't meant to give them chances before, but in a way, I did. Yet with even the Hero dead, they'd utterly failed.
So from now on, I'd do things my way.
And I knew exactly what I needed to do first.
There was already a task right in front of me.
"Ray!"
A voice calling Ray from afar. Cocky footsteps approached—soldiers I remembered all too well, etched deep in my mind.
"Lord Tyke!"
Ray greeted Tyke with a bright smile utterly unlike the one she'd given me. And trailing him as always were his ragtag lackeys. Same rank, but those bootlickers who followed him everywhere suited the term "hangers-on" perfectly.
"What brings you here?"
Tyke, my age-mate from the neighboring squad, was a handsome guy with solid muscles. Honestly, as a man, he'd probably come off more appealing than me.
Plus, he was up for promotion soon.
"What else? I was thinking of you."
They weren't officially dating, but there was this pink-tinted vibe between them. For some reason, they never quite connected. I knew that because it was the future I'd lived through.
Be that as it may.
"But... Ray, were you hanging out with this loser Daron?"
We weren't exactly "hanging out."
Whatever rubbed him the wrong way this time, he tossed out digs showing how much he hated my guts. His two sidekicks slunk closer, scowling at me. Right now, it was so childish I could chuckle, but the old me pre-regression would've been terrified for sure.
"Lord Tyke, I just stepped out for a break, and he happened to be here."
"What? Hey, you got a thing for Ray? You, of all people?"
Same soldier rank, but Tyke looked down on me completely. He and his lackeys snickered mockingly. Ray wasn't lying—I'd been here first, and she'd come out from the kitchen for a quick rest. This quiet spot behind the mess hall, where hardly anyone passed by.
They could assume I had ulterior motives.
"You laughing right now?"
Whoops. Did he catch that slight smirk?
"Won't lower your eyes?"
Unlike before, I was staring right back clearly, and it must've gotten under his skin. Hitting on a girl, he probably wanted to show off his tough-guy side.
My silent, vaguely smiling attitude without a word must've frustrated him too.
"You crazy?"
Same phrase Ray had thrown at me earlier. Crazy. Crazy, huh.
Yeah, the old me really was crazy.
I remembered.
It was around this time back then too.
For different reasons, I'd been in this exact spot. I did have feelings for Ray. But it wasn't jealousy over her being closer to another guy.
I'd come here to tell Ray about Tyke's secret.
And back then, overflowing with a sense of justice, I'd said it just like this. Probably the same this time too.
"Ray. You know these guys are murderers?"
Like this.
"...What?"
Clearly caught off guard.
Behind the stunned Ray stood Tyke and his lackeys, faces frozen in shock.
"You know Tyke got promoted for racking up big merits in that Magical Beast extermination op a few days ago, right?"
"Hey!"
Tyke tried to shut my mouth.
"Killed the beast? I saw it myself from nearby—he sacrificed a comrade to save his own skin, tossed him to the beast. That's how he survived, and somehow finished off the beast after... oh, but then he went and killed the superior who actually slew it?"
"What bullshit is this?"
"It was Twenty-Man Leader Heckard—who was reported dead in battle—who really killed the beast. Midway through the fight, he'd threatened to punish Tyke and you two lackeys afterward for killing your comrade to survive. Guess Tyke got scared. When Heckard chased down the fleeing beast alone and barely managed to kill it, who do you think stabbed him first? This guy Tyke."
The whole incident went down exactly as I described.
The cowardly me back then had hidden behind a tree, trembling as I watched. I was terrified I'd be next if I wasn't careful.
Normally, I should've reported it to the captain that very morning, then mustered more courage to tell Ray later. But sorting through my thoughts after regressing meant I hadn't reported to the captain yet.
"Tyke. I'm reporting this to the captain later."
"Shut your trap!"
Tyke grabbed my collar and reared back his fist. Face flushed red, he was about to clock me.
"Gonna kill me now too?"
"You damn—!"
Against the old me's skills, that punch would've landed square on my face. But to the current me? Laughable.
Before his wide swing could connect, I drove my fist into his gut first.
"Hngh—."
Seeing Tyke doubled over, gasping and crawling on the ground, a sour grin spread across my face.
"Tyke, you okay?"
The skilled Tyke going down in one hit killed any thought of jumping me. His two lackeys could only prop him up—that was it.
Tyke's gang muttered excuses about it being slander to Ray before scurrying off somewhere else.
......
Returning in high spirits, I tidied my gear while replaying the day's events. Just knocking him down felt this good? How thrilling would full payback be?
Should've gotten revenge sooner and lived that way.
"Daron. You've got a letter."
Sure enough, the letter arrived right on cue, just as I'd expected.
"Thanks, Hamill."
I unfolded the letter my roommate Hamill handed me—it was from Ray. Reading it carefully, she wanted to talk about what happened earlier and suggested meeting up. It was late evening, but not curfew yet, so no issue seeing her.
The old me, who'd had a little crush on Ray back then, would've bolted out joyfully.
Problem was, this was a trap.
Tyke had sent this letter to lure me out, and I'd ended up with severe burns because of it. Topped off with some false accusation to boot.
"Daron. Something good happen?"
"Be right back."
Time to practice keeping a straight face. I changed into my outing clothes and left the room.
The incident that kicked off my miserable life had been set to happen tonight.
Obviously, I had no intention of falling for it again.
Alright... time to turn the tables on everything.