The First Study: Belladia Harrington (1)

“Typical trash game. No content at all.”

…Or maybe I just played one game for way too long. It’s not even ten thousand hours. It’s twenty thousand. At this point it’s not a game anymore. It’s a life.

‘But it was fun, though.’

Sinear RPG is a medieval fantasy adventure game. It’s all about the thrill of exploring a world where dragons and magic are real.

‘Its biggest appeal is the freedom to become either a hero or a villain. It’s a true successor to the classic Western RPGs like The Elder Scrolls and Baldur’s Gate—pure, foundational fantasy!’

Anyway.

Time to start a new game.

‘What concept should I go with this time…’

Twenty thousand hours of playtime.

Twenty-eight different characters I’d taken all the way to the ending.

Normal playthroughs had lost their appeal long ago…

Barbarian Warrior Who Speaks Draconic.

Monster Hunter Who Pops Pills.

Necromancer of the Holy Sanctuary.

Death Knight Who Killed His Own Father.

King of the Eldest.

[…]

Honestly,

I’d done it all.

‘What the hell should I play?’

…

It just came to me.

A concept I hadn’t tried yet.

‘Lore-Obsessed Archmage!’

It wasn’t that a twenty-thousand-hour veteran like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me had never played an archmage. But the Lore-Obsessed Archmage played very differently from a regular Protagonist Archmage.

‘Lore-obsessed types are usually the domain of scheming NPC archmages who operate from the shadows.’

The archmage who shows up out of nowhere, spouts cryptic lore, and schemes behind the scenes is such a cliché it’s almost embarrassing. Yet no developer ever makes that kind of character the protagonist.

‘It’s boring, isn’t it?’

Unlike gamers of the 20th century who meticulously read every line of in-game text to absorb the worldbuilding, modern players skip anything longer than three lines.

‘On top of that, the trend these days is to make protagonists as simple and easy to play as possible. They want to lower the barrier to entry.’

But I am a twenty-thousand-hour veteran. A rotten water who knows the setting better than the actual scenario writers.

Human Male.

Mage.

Veteran perk.

Starting with an advanced class.

The Lore Master was a brand-new advanced class added in the latest DLC. True to its nature as a paid class, it had exceptional performance. The playstyle was demanding, but the ceiling was limitless. In the hands of a veteran, it was completely broken.

Key Features

- No restrictions on Lore Acquisition.

- Utilizes the Research Topic system.

- Receives massive bonuses to Knowledge checks.

The most distinctive part was the complete lack of restrictions on Lore Acquisition. Mages in this world normally only used a single type of lore.

‘Fire mages only use pyromancy, death mages only use necromancy—that sort of thing.’

But Lore Masters could unlock new lores by advancing their Research Topics. In the late game, they could acquire every kind of lore and become an all-powerful archmage capable of spamming every school of magic.

‘I alone will learn every spell in existence!’

However, like any comeback-type class, it had a weak early game. There were ways to mitigate that, of course.

Magical Talent Stage 5

Veteran perk.

Choosing the most broken trait available!

After finishing the detailed settings for appearance, strengths, and weaknesses, all that remained was to start the game.

Merlin. Lame. Sounds like an old man.

Medea. That’s a female character.

I’m playing a male character.

Random Generation.

Tellorian.

Enter.

Tellorian is a boy born into a laborer’s family in the city. However, from a young age he displayed extraordinary intellect and transcendent magical talent. Therefore, his parents…

[1. Urged him to hide his secret.]

[2. Were too busy making ends meet to pay attention.]

[3. Reported him to the Church of the Sun God.]

[4. Cast him out, calling him a cursed child.]

If his parents were alive, they’d be a hassle. So option 4. The protagonist should focus on clearing the game. Getting attached to side characters only creates unnecessary complications.

[…They called him a cursed child and abandoned him in a back alley of the city. Thanks to this, from the age of six you relied solely on your innate qualities to barely survive. For example…]

[1. Became a witch’s servant.]

[2. Became a vicious magic bandit.]

[3. Sold your body on the streets.]

[4. Made a contract with the Demon Archduke.]

Contracting with a demon would give massive bonuses but cause headaches later, so it was out. Among the remaining choices, becoming a servant seemed best.

[…You became a witch’s servant to earn your keep. You served your master wisely, and in return the witch took you in as her disciple. The magic she taught you was…]

[1. Elemental Magic]

[2. Arcane Magic]

[3. Wild Magic]

[4. Dark Magic]

This was the most important choice in the Witch’s Disciple background. The first magic learned essentially determined the difficulty of the early game.

‘Arcane Magic has the highest ceiling, but Elemental Magic is best for the early game. It consumes less mana but packs serious power.’

[…It was Elemental Magic. At first, the witch was fond of her clever disciple. But your transcendent magical talent eventually made even your teacher jealous. So the witch tried to kill you first. In response, you…]

[1. Ran away to avoid her jealousy.]

[2. Killed her and took over the workshop.]

[3. Made a contract with the Demon Archduke.]

[4. Stole her power and made her your slave.]

Option 1.

Let’s play it safe.

[…You fled far away to escape your teacher’s jealousy. However, you could have killed your teacher, stolen her magic, or bound her in chains as a slave and savored victory. Instead, you abandoned such gains and chose the difficult path of leaving empty-handed. The reason you did so was…]

[1. Leftover servile instincts.]

[2. Fear of possible defeat.]

[3. Fear of your teacher’s sisters.]

[4. To uphold the conscience of a modern person.]

…Conscience of a modern person? In a medieval fantasy game? This isn’t a web novel.

‘Anyway, it’s a new option, huh?’

Let’s try pressing it.

It’s content I’ve never seen before.

[…It was so you would not forget who you were. Even though you now lived in a world where violence was the norm, you wanted to preserve the values you held during an era when you could afford the luxury of moral posturing. And so, after leaving your teacher’s workshop, the place you arrived at was…]

[1. The Magic Academy.]

[2. The Adventurer’s Guild.]

[3. The Lord’s Audience Chamber.]

[4. Made a contract with the Demon Archduke.]

The standard choice was 3. Court mages received generous research funding and could build connections. However, which family you ended up with was completely random…

‘Let’s go with it. If it doesn’t work out, I can always restart.’

＊＊＊

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of someone rapping on the door.

“…Sir Tellorian?”

“…Hm?”

“This lowly servant dares to disturb the mage’s sleep. I apologize. However, His Excellency the Count is urgently looking for you…”

I woke from my slumber to the polite urging of a servant. It had been a while since I’d dreamed of my previous life.

“Understood. I’ll be there within fifteen minutes.”

“Forgive me, but what is fifteen minutes?”

…The common people here couldn’t divide time with such precision. Only priests who had to pray at exact hours or mages conducting precise research possessed the ability to understand time in numerical units.

“It means I’ll be there shortly.”

“Thank you, Sir Mage.”

Creak.

Thud.

Once the door closed, I rose from the bed. The guest room I had been given was extremely luxurious. It was over forty square meters, complete with a fireplace. Expensive rugs, tapestries, and high-quality furniture crafted by master artisans. It was far better than the tiny studio I had lived in back on Earth.

‘By the standards of this place… it’s practically a royal palace.’

The people here lived in thatched huts where the toilet and kitchen weren’t even separated, sleeping at night with livestock in their arms. I knew this because I had been born as the youngest son in exactly such a household.

‘I was the youngest son of a serf family.’

Father beat Mother, and Mother beat the children. My older sisters were sold off to middle-aged men or pimps, and my brothers raped goats. That was the average in the neighborhood where I grew up.

‘Still, I wanted to do well.’

They were family, after all.

The people who gave birth to me and raised me.

‘Mother, look at this!’

‘…Did you just use magic?’

‘Yes! Now I can help support the family—’

‘You cursed brat! Get out of my house right now!’

Abandoned in a back alley simply for the crime of possessing innate magical talent. If the witch hadn’t taken me in as a servant, I would have starved to death.

‘Thanks to a stroke of luck, I was promoted to her disciple… but life as a witch’s apprentice was tough.’

Mages rarely made good teachers, and my master had a particularly nasty temperament. Still, because she had taken me in and taught me, I never sought revenge even after she tried to kill me and failed. I simply cut ties and left.

‘…It was a turbulent twenty years.’

After living through such a past, I had truly become a mage. I still didn’t understand why I had reincarnated into a character I created myself, but I figured the answer would reveal itself ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once I leveled up and cleared the scenario.

‘Being the Iron Mace Count’s ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠court mage is an excellent position for preparing for the future. I can accumulate research materials and funds while also getting ready for the main scenario.’

I summoned a mirror from my subspace.

If I was going to have an audience with the lord, I needed to dress properly first.

‘I’ve gotten younger.’

A fresh twenty years old.

An age I had always missed.

‘My appearance is better than in my previous life, too.’

Quite handsome for an ordinary person.

A fittingly dignified look for a protagonist.

‘The clothes aren’t bad either.’

A stylish grey robe and ash-colored cloak. A pointed hat and leather boots. All high-end items that would cost several gold coins.

‘No need to even mention my social status.’

Mages were chosen ones who enjoyed the blessing of mana and possessed tremendous intellectual capacity as advisors. Thanks to that, I could stand confidently even before kings and dukes.

‘Occasionally there are random events where ignorant peasants swarm in trying to burn mages alive… but honestly, that’s not even a problem. I can just burn them first.’

All things considered, while my life right after reincarnation had been turbulent, my fortune had turned around. There was no reason to look for a way back to Earth.

I should simply focus on life here.

On the life of an archmage who has mastered all things.

“The wanderer, Sir Tellorian, enters!”

Upon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arriving at the lord’s audience chamber, the master of ceremonies announced my arrival. The vassals lined up on both sides all turned their gazes toward me at once. Eyes filled with desperate expectation.

“So you are the wanderer Tellorian.”

The middle-aged man seated on the throne looked at me with a skeptical gaze. The eyes of a man who had lived as a ruler for half a century carried weight, but the years experienced by this young mage were by no means light or short.

“Travelers say you know every secret in the world. They claim that no matter what problem is brought to you, you always provide a solution.”

The lord’s tone was thick with cynicism and distrust. There was good reason for it. The Iron Mace Count had invited renowned mages from the region to solve his family’s problem, but every single one had failed.

“But rumors only grow larger the less they are verified. If a salamander appears in the north, by the time the story reaches here it has become a dragon.”

I nodded.

“That is correct. Rumors are usually exaggerated beyond the truth. However, some monsters also use rumors to conceal their true size.”

The mage smiled.

Displaying strong confidence.

“I have a way to cure the young lady.”

“…?!”

“The only question is what price you are willing to pay.”

I could demand any price I wanted from the Iron Mace Count. After all, if he couldn’t cure the affliction plaguing his daughter, the Harrington County would be finished.