Redemption 1

 

'Uh, I don't want to go to work.'

I let out a sigh and gazed up at the massive iron gate in front of me.

"What can I do for you, Sir?"

Perhaps it was due to my prolonged hesitation and indecision about entering, as I fidgeted and paced in front of the grand mansion. The guard stationed at the door approached me and engaged in conversation.

"I am Sion Revelon, appointed as His Highness' personal aide starting today,"

The guard looked at me with suspicion, as if he was ready to accuse me of being suspicious at any moment. In order to clear my name, I quickly showed him the entry card and appointment letter that I had received in the mail a few days ago, and explained myself quickly.

"Come to think of it, ..."

The guard examined the card and letter of appointment, muttering to himself as if he had been expecting my arrival. 

After thoroughly reviewing the documents, he returned them to me with a more relaxed expression on his face.

"Ha ha! I can observe that you appear to be experiencing a degree of unease on your first day of service. Rest assured, His Highness is renowned for his benevolence and amiability."

"Oh, haha. That's right. Yes, yes, yes."

"You don't have to be so nervous!"

The guard paid no attention to my bitter response and instead spoke to me in a comforting manner, as if to reassure me. 

I walked towards my destination feeling as if I were being led to the slaughter, with a sense of dread. 

The Duke of Praesidus, whom I am now serving, is one of only two dukes in the Holy Lumeln Empire. 

Among them, many members of the Praesidus duke family were particularly known for possessing strong divine powers.

‘Thanks to that, they have produced numerous cardinals or something?’

The person whom I am to serve was born with a powerful divine power that was even rarer within such a distinguished family.

"····Serpence A. Praesidus."

Serpence was known for his strict self-discipline, yet also possessed the ability to be kind and considerate towards others. 

Possessing an immense divine power, he also possessed an unwavering faith and was regarded as a devout follower who always adhered to the will of the goddess. 

He was considerate of those under his command and never exhibited anger or abuse of his power. 

He was highly capable and efficient in his work, and was renowned for handling much of the workload himself, thereby avoiding overburdening his subordinates. 

Due to these admirable qualities, many in the empire would name him their preferred Boss. 

And, I’ve been appointed as an aide to such an esteemed individual.

Some say, ["He pays well, assigns minimal work, isn’t he an ethical and fair boss!?"]

A lot of money, little work, and a good boss!

It would be foolish to pass up such an opportunity and instead act disgruntled on the first day of work. 

Anyone who sees it would think that I am just being picky.

‘To be honest, even I would have cursed if I were in their shoes!’

But I do have my reasons. The truth is, I am a person from another world and a reincarnated person.

It's something that could never happen in reality, but it's a very common occurrence in novels or comics.

If this is a novel and someone is reading it, just from the introduction I just gave, they would clearly think ["Ah, this person! Did he become too engrossed in reading a fantasy novel and become one of the characters? And based on his role as an aide, it's clear he is not the protagonist of the novel."]

Indeed, that's a very accurate assessment.

‘And, this is the reason for my reluctance to begin work at this place…’

According to the novel I have reincarnated into, [The Master of Holy Sword], it can roughly be explained in this way.

Serpence lost his parents to a raid by a cult that worshipped demons in his childhood, which fuels his intense hatred towards evil. 

At the young age of 15, he rose to the position of Duke, using his innate talents and abilities. 

Nine years have passed since then, and now Serpence is a respected and well-known duke among the people of the empire.

Not only that, but he is also known for his kind and honest character, always willing to help those in need, and his exceptional swordsmanship skills that he has honed since childhood.

It is clear to anyone that he is the destined Successor of the Holy Sword and an impeccable individual.

From the above descriptions, anyone would say, ​​["Ah~, so that guy is the protagonist?"]

···That would be a logical conclusion, but unfortunately, it’s incorrect.

Being named as the 'successor' is simply a widespread perception among the people, nothing more.

The person chosen by the holy sword was not him.

It makes sense that he wasn't chosen, after all, he doesn't fit the 'setting' of the story. Even if he was a devout believer, he wouldn't have been selected as the wielder of the holy sword.

It might seem like nonsense, but if you think about it calmly, it's not.

'Have you not figured out the strange context from all the previous statements?'

In other words, he is not a character with that setting, but rather a character with a setting of "having that setting."

To help understand, the killer of his parents was Serpence himself.

‘And to me, this is the most important thing…’

According to the novel, Serpence had two aids in the past. One of them died while investigating something on Serpence's orders, and the other one died in a carriage accident.

Serpence, who was said to have been grieved by the deaths of his aides, has since reportedly stopped recruiting new aides.

‘It is important to keep in mind that there are two things to consider when describing Serpence.’

First, when reading "the setting he/she died from ~" it should be understood as "he/she got killed." 

Secondly, when reading "it is said that ~" it should be understood as "that is just a rumor."

‘It's the truth, not an exaggeration!’

I haven't been bringing up phrases like "there is a setting" or "it is said" without purpose. This information comes directly from the author!

"And you know what, the second aide is none other than me."

Oh! Every time Serpence appears, I can't help but remember the time when readers used to joke and call him "Suspense" (서스펜스). 

It's really too much, please spare me.

(TO BE CONTINUED)