Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Athena War Tales
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Athena War Tales.
The defining feature of this game lies in its vast story, unlike anything you'd expect from a mobile game.
This made the entry barrier high, so it didn't catch on initially. But over time, its excellent gameplay and immersive storyline drew in a dedicated fanbase.
The developers knew this well and strategically parceled out the story content.
Those bastards. They split up the story to slow down content consumption.
I was somewhat well-known among players and once posted a criticism calling out the devs for only pushing profitable gacha events, but of course, it was completely ignored.
'No way the devs held a grudge over that?'
I had to think something like that, or this situation made no sense at all.
The bizarre scene unfolding before my eyes... no, in a way, a world familiar to me.
It was the world of Athena War Tales.
'I asked for a story update, not a spectacular update to my life like this....'
I couldn't help but be stunned by the medieval scenery so distinctly different from the modern world.
'And this face is definitely....'
It was unmistakably Als Ilrain, the character who bumbles around as the protagonist's advisor.
'This is bad. Which means....'
I was about to go through that event.
—So you're the traitor after all!
—You deliberately led us to defeat in the war!
—Seize that bastard and throw him in prison!
Colleagues who turned pale and condemned Als, subjecting him to torture.
It was the ruin event where Als gets framed as a traitor. In this incident, Als suffers severe torture and loses his left eye.
'But Als wasn't the traitor.'
With the help of an ally, Als escapes prison and explains.
That he was framed by the real traitor, and the protagonist must have fallen into a trap as well. Als then gathers allies and forms a militia outside to aid the protagonist, only to clash with a mysterious army that appears out of nowhere.
That was the newly updated story, the Carlax Battle, which I was writing guides for.
'Me becoming Als.... What do I do now?'
My thoughts soon sorted themselves out to some extent.
If this is a dream, it'll end eventually, so for now, I had to accept the situation.
The real issues were how to survive in this world from here on and how to avoid the predetermined ruin.
***
Adapting to this reality happened quickly.
Optimism is one of my strengths. It was thanks to this that my mental state never broke under the heavy pressure of being labeled a prodigy.
I even slept like a log on the first day of military training.
'First, let's grasp the situation.'
The Als character I knew from the game was a 20-year-old adult.
But the kid standing in front of the mirror now was 12 years old.
The face was definitely Als, but the body was that of a child.
Height around 157cm, maybe? The game's official setting for Als was 186cm, so he'd grow a lot soon.
'That aside....'
What a handsome face.
In the game, the protagonist and major male characters were all handsome youths or middle-aged men, but that was 2D illustrations.
Seeing it in real 3D life, it was on another level.
'If he's this good-looking as a kid, what will he be like grown up?'
The protagonist must be the same. No wonder female characters flock to him.
'Female characters? Come to think of it....'
Als had a female character who stuck to him like glue.
As I recalled her, there came a polite knock. *Knock knock.*
"Young Master. Did you cough?"
"...Yeah."
"May I come in?"
"Come in.... No, come in."
The door creaked open as quietly as possible, and in came a beastkin woman.
No doubt about it. It was Maid Ymir, Als's partner character.
She was 24 years old, 12 years older than Als currently. A fairly useful character in the game.
Initially trashed as a Japanese-style maid character, she surprisingly played a major role in the story, shocking players.
"Is something wrong with me?"
I must have stared too intently.
"It's nothing."
Despite being a mere servant, Ymir was given the highest UR (Ultra Rare) rank in the six-tier system, shining as a top-tier support character.
She got flak for being Japanese-style, but clichés like this have a fixed demand, so she was popular.
'That aside, a beastkin....'
Seeing one in real life was fascinating. Without thinking, I stood on tiptoes and fiddled with the dog-like animal ears on her head.
"Young Master? Why all of a sudden...?"
"Ah, sorry.... No, sorry."
On closer look, besides the animal ears, she had regular human ears too.
Game lore said the animal ears and tail were remnants from mixing with humans. Purebred beastkin were full beast forms covered in coarse fur.
"More importantly, you need to get ready quickly. You'll be late for the Academy."
Ymir prepared clothes with practiced hands.
"If you don't hurry, you might not make it to breakfast in time."
"Uh, yeah. Thanks."
She unhesitatingly disheveled my clothes, startling me for a moment, but somehow it felt natural soon enough.
'Huh? Come to think of it.'
How was I conversing fluently in a language I'd never studied?
It was like it automatically translated; words from this world came out naturally.
'Could it be....'
It was exactly that.
I had all of Als's childhood memories and experiences.
Like I dreamed Als's life, or Als dreamed mine.
Testing it, I asked Ymir about a past event, and old memories surfaced naturally.
This meant I didn't have to fake knowing things, which was a relief.
***
Coming down to the dining room, I saw my family seated.
"Come on in, little brother. It's your first day at the Academy, right?"
The one saying that was my eldest brother, Max Ilrain, currently working as a low-rank official in the capital.
Next to him, my second brother Miller Ilrain burst into a hearty laugh.
"Haha, Als, you too. Deciding to take the Cadet Officer course. What are you thinking?"
Miller was also a low-rank official, about to be dispatched to the provinces.
"If you're aiming for Cadet Officer just because it looks cool, you'd better change your mind now. It's not that romantic."
"If Julia put ideas in your head, tell your brothers. We'll give her a good scolding."
Despite their words, they looked at me proudly.
This atmosphere showed the gentle family dynamic of the Ilrain household.
"Both of you, be quiet. Als is at that age where he can have his own thoughts."
It was Father, Baron Berial Ilrain.
A border baron with no great fame, but his honest domain management earned him the trust of his people.
'So peaceful.'
I'd half-expected sibling rivalries, but there were none.
The successor was already set as eldest brother Max, and the others had found their own paths.
"Even so, Als going to the Academy. You've grown up so fast."
Max ruffled my hair vigorously.
Suppressing my embarrassment, I read the Academy pamphlet Ymir handed me.
'Right, the Academy....'
In about seven years, the place where the protagonist and Als meet, marking the story's true start.
I'd already decided my course of action.
For now, follow the story as planned and meet the protagonist.
Why follow the story? Because knowing the future lets me seize huge advantages.
'Following it will reveal the traitor's outline too. I need countermeasures by the time I meet the protagonist.'
If Als's ruin was due to a false charge, as he says, then there's a traitor among the protagonist's close aides.
I'd build strength from the shadows until the story starts and prepare to eliminate that traitor.
That way, I avoid my ruin and give the protagonist major support.
Someone might say since Als doesn't actually die, it's fine to follow to the ruin event, but that's not quite right.
Besides losing an eye to brutal torture, the family right in front of me now gets framed as traitors, tortured, or killed.
Als's embedded memories screamed at me. 'Find the traitor and protect the family!'
To Als, this family was that precious.
"The Academy isn't so different. Learn comfortably like you did in the domain. If it's too hard, find another path anytime."
"I'll keep that in mind, Father."
After gauging the mood, I said to Father.
"About that, I have one request."
"A request? Speak."
"It's...."
Students in the Academy's Cadet Officer course must take martial arts classes, but there's flexibility in this training.
"I'd like not just Academy classes, but private instruction in martial arts too."
"...Hmm."
Father fell silent, and brother Miller furrowed his brow, speaking instead.
"Do you know how much a private tutor costs? It's burdensome for a border family like ours."
"I know. But I don't think it'll cost much."
"It won't cost much?"
"Because I want to learn spearmanship, not swordsmanship."
"Spearmanship?"
The Kingdom of Caliper was a nation where swordsmanship reigned supreme. Sword instructors commanded high fees, but spear instructors did not.
Even Miller nodded at the mention of spearmanship.
"A spear instructor should be relatively affordable. But Als, why spearmanship all of a sudden?"
"Just 'cause. Spears look cool."
"Good grief. So childish. Think it over calmly. In another country maybe, but in our kingdom, you'll be looked down on. A noble using spearmanship...."
Truth be told, it was from game knowledge.
Als in the game was trash-tier, leading archer units with low defense and damage. But the recently updated Carlax Battle hidden reinforcement quest revealed something.
He actually had talent in spearmanship and spear unit command.
Completing that hidden event lets him class-change to spearman with mid-to-high personal combat power.
Of course, his basic skills were still inferior to gacha characters, so top-tier was out of reach.
"Hmm."
Father, who'd been pondering, nodded.
"Very well, I'll find a spear instructor soon."
"Thank you, Father."
The first use of game knowledge.
All I could do now was hope Als truly had spearmanship talent as in the game.