NOVEL NEXT Chapter 0
Prologue
Bang!
A fairly heavy bag was thrown next to me.
At the same time, an old butler with a neat appearance stepped forward and spoke in a cold voice.
“……You are no longer a member of the Vade family.”
Hmm, what is this?
I was sure I had laid down on my bed, covered myself with a blanket, and fallen into a cozy sleep right after work.
Could this be a dream?
“That bag contains the only items you are allowed to take from the Vade family.”
“Uh, excuse me. I have a question.”
“Yes, please speak.”
Maintaining a businesslike demeanor, the old butler allowed me to finally ask the question that had been lingering in my mind.
“Where…… is this place?”
“…….”
The old butler did not answer my question. Instead, he looked at me with eyes full of contempt.
Then, he spoke.
“Young Master Kamon.”
Kamon?
Is that my name?
“It won’t change anything now. The fact that you have been expelled from the family remains the same.”
The old butler explained in a cold and firm tone.
Soon after, he took a step forward and continued speaking as he stood close to me.
“The Marquis himself ordered your expulsion.”
“……?”
As I quietly listened to the old butler, I finally took a good look around.
A grand mansion, the old butler, and the maids bustling around.
The noble title of the Vade family and Marquis, and the name Kamon.
This dream was incredibly vivid.
“Well, I kind of understand that I’ve been kicked out of the family.”
After grasping the situation and nodding, I continued.
“Can I at least know the reason why I was expelled from the family…….”
“Young Master!”
Suddenly, the old butler shouted, as if he could no longer contain his anger.
“Even if you pretend to have lost your mind now, it’s far too late. Such shallow tricks will no longer work. Young Master, it’s about the princess.”
‘Imperial Princess?’
The butler, having mentioned that, took a deep breath and continued.
“Even though the academy does not restrict social status, you assaulted the empire’s princess. Did you really think you could commit such a treasonous act and quietly move on as if nothing happened?”
Wait a minute.
I attacked the princess?
Hold on, this seems familiar.
Kamon Vade, the princess assault incident, and the academy?
“Ah!”
Suddenly, a tingling sensation hit me like a lightning bolt.
“The Flance Imperial Academy?”
“Yes, that’s correct. The academy where you were suspended is the Flance Imperial Academy. Why? Are you going to pretend you’ve regained your senses and memory now?”
“Hold on a second!”
I raised my hand to interrupt the old butler and shouted with a serious expression.
“Ah, just be quiet for a moment! I need to organize my thoughts.”
“…….”
Seeing the old butler close his mouth with a look that seemed to say, ‘As expected,’ I quickly gestured with both hands for him to calm down.
“Sorry, I just need to think for a bit……. No, why bother. If it’s a dream, I can just wake up.”
Muttering to myself, I slapped my cheek without hesitation.
Slap!
‘……Huh?’
A stinging pain beyond mere prickling arose.
What the heck, why does it hurt?
Does getting hit in a dream hurt?
‘Wait a minute, one more time.’
Slap!
Ouch, damn it. That hurts a lot.
Slap!
“Why does it hurt so much?”
I must have hit myself too hard because my eyes were starting to tear up.
At the same time, I instinctively felt that something bad had happened.
“…….”
Could this be… not a dream?
Yes, if it were a dream, it wouldn’t hurt like this.
Normally, I should have woken up from the shock by now.
‘So, is this reality?’
Seeing me with a dumbfounded expression, the old butler shook his head and muttered.
“Young Master. No matter how much you harm yourself now, nothing will change. No matter what you do…….”
But I interrupted his words and asked again.
“Excuse me. What did you say my name was?”
Sighing deeply and shaking his head, the old butler answered with a blank expression.
“Ha, you are Young Master Kamon.”
“No, I mean my full name.”
“You are Young Master Kamon Vade.”
Hearing that name again, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha, is this for real?”
As he watched me, the old butler shook his head one last time and said,
“This is all I have to say. I wish you well…….”
Bang!
With those words, the massive iron door closed in front of me.
For a while, I stood there blankly and finally came to a realization.
“So, I…….”
I was no longer Kang Hyunsoo, a thirty-three-year-old living in 21st century Korea.
“Kamon Vade.”
That was my new name now.
In other words, this was an entirely new world…….
Yeah, I had fallen into the world inside a novel.