Annoying light
"Ugh…"
"What is this light? Did that damn curtain fall again? I'm sure I fixed it last time. This rundown apartment… damn it. I just want a little more sleep before work. I really need to cut down on meat and start saving up so I can get out of this filthy place."
"My head... it hurts. I can't see anything except this blinding light..."
Lloyd groaned as his limbs froze. A creeping numbness spread through his body like paralysis. The light that overwhelmed his vision slowly shifted—from incomprehensible to faintly visible, then from faint to distinct.
He blinked rapidly, confused and sweating, heart pounding. "Impossible… Where am I? Was I kidnapped? But why me? I'm from a poor family… We have no money, no property…"
"This can't be a dream… It feels too real."
Lloyd scanned his surroundings in disbelief. The room was elegant, almost heavenly—furnished in warm gold tones. He lay on a comfortable bed, under a thick, soft blanket. To his left, a tall window let in light. He tilted his head, trying to see out despite his limited movement.
Beyond the window was a lush garden brimming with trees and flowers in full bloom. The beauty only deepened his confusion.
His headache worsened, clouding his thoughts.
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Impossible…"
He turned to his right and saw a girl—beautiful, with long black hair and dark eyes. She wore a classic maid outfit: black and white with a frilled apron and a small headpiece. She held a bowl of water and a cloth atop a wooden tray. Her gaze was frozen in stunned disbelief.
What's with this maid? Lloyd wondered. What is she doing here?
Before he could ask, she gasped, dropped the bowl, and ran off in a panic.
"What the hell is wrong with that crazy woman?" he muttered.
Trying to calm himself, Lloyd whispered, "Relax… just relax."
He wiggled his fingers—slowly at first. Then his hands moved. Then his arms. With effort, he sat up, legs trembling.
As he leaned over to look at the spilled water on the floor, his eyes widened.
And he screamed.
---
In the water's reflection, he saw a stranger: a boy with messy brown hair and lifeless green eyes. His skin was ghostly pale, his cheeks sunken, with deep black circles under his eyes—as if he'd crawled back from death itself.
"This isn't me…" he muttered. "What is this body?"
With the scream, shards of memory surged through his mind. The last thing he remembered… the roof of his rundown apartment collapsing.
He recalled the voices of the rescue workers pulling him from the rubble.
Then one of the bystanders sneered, "He's just some worthless otaku… nothing but trash. Don't bother with the paperwork, officer."
The police officer asked, "What's his name?"
The landlord replied, "Lloyd Vons. A 25-year-old countryside kid."
In that moment before death, Lloyd had accepted it.
"They're right. I'm useless. I won't lose much… just myself."
And then… he died.
---
Tears streamed down his cheeks now.
"I really am… just a filthy otaku," he sobbed.
---
Meanwhile, the maid had reached a well-dressed man—brown-haired, black-eyed—and a graceful woman with golden hair and emerald eyes.
"Master Alex! Lady Sophia! The young master… he's awake!"
Alex, sipping coffee, raised an eyebrow. "He's late today. It's already ten. Prepare his breakfast."
She stammered, "Not William… It's Alphons."
The cup shattered in his hand.
Alex stood abruptly. "That's impossible… It's the Eternal Slumber Curse… How did he awaken?!"
He rushed to his eldest son's room and stopped dead in the doorway.
Alphons was sobbing uncontrollably.
Alex's lips trembled, and tears welled in his eyes. He whispered, "Welcome back… my son."
Sophia followed moments later. Upon seeing her child crying, she too broke down in tears.
But Alphons—Lloyd—felt nothing but horror.
"Why am I still alive? I don't want to die! Let me go back! Help! Someone help me!"
Then everything faded to black.
---
He fainted again. His body was too weak.
In unconsciousness, foggy memories spilled into him. He was Alphons—the eldest son of Duke Alex, the King's favored noble, personal friend of the Emperor of the Gass Empire.
He saw the City of Magic, jewel of the eastern continent, bordering the imperial capital Flower City, famed for its endless gardens.
He had a younger brother, William, seven at the time of the slumber; a baby sister only a year old; and an elder sister, seventeen, already married to the city's governor. Alphons had been twelve.
They belonged to the noble House of Gold, called "The Golden Princes" due to their monopoly over the gold trade.
And now, Lloyd had inherited Alphons' memories… and his identity.
---
When he next awoke, Alphons saw two children by his bedside—William and Maria.
William, fair-skinned with brown hair and green eyes, smiled brightly. "It's been four years, brother. Welcome back."
Maria, a cute and cheerful girl with golden hair and green eyes, added, "Big brother!"
He was stunned. Four years?
He had aged. He was sixteen now. William was eleven, Maria five. His father, forty-four. His mother, thirty-nine. His elder sister, now twenty-one, had become the wife of the city governor.
Later, Alphons asked Alex, "Father… what caused my slumber?"
Alex's eyes dimmed. "You were born with immense mana—so much that your body couldn't contain it. That power cursed you."
Mana… Alphons didn't understand the term yet, but he didn't ask.
First, I need to understand this world…
---
A week later…
"I can move better now," Alphons said to himself. "Though my body's still weak… I must learn."
With Lisa, his personal maid, he headed toward the mansion's grand library.
"Lisa," he said along the way, "I need to use the restroom."
As he entered, he said, "Please lock the door behind me."
Lisa raised an eyebrow. "I can't, sir. I must ensure your safety."
Flustered, he replied, "It's fine, I can manage."
She smirked. "No need to be embarrassed, sir. I've seen everything during your slumber. In fact, when you woke up, I had just arrived to wipe the sweat from your body."
He flushed red. Calm down… it's not your body… Then a voice echoed in his mind: But it is now.
After returning from the bathroom, Alphons browsed the library shelves, flipping through books.
He couldn't read any of them.
"Lisa, do you have books about history, geography, and power systems of this world?"
She brought three volumes—history, terrain, and combat arts.
He opened the geography book. The letters were alien… but gradually, they began to make sense.
Six hours passed.
He learned the world had five continents: the Eastern Green Continent, the Southern Frozen Continent, the twin northern continents—Arsa and Fyuber—and the Western Continent, where he now lived.
The Western Continent was split between lawless zones and the Empire of Isaac, consisting of six kingdoms: Magic (his home), Flower (the capital), and Sir (trade capital), among otherAnd so… his new