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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Cyno
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The wind was cold. Though spring was in full bloom, the remnants of winter still lingered in the northernmost territory of the Yosrahim Empire, the domain of Archduke Karl.
As I trudged weakly through the garden of the ducal residence, irritation welled up inside me, and I flipped off the clear blue sky. It was a sincere message, straight from the heart—aimed at the gods who had pulled this absurd stunt.
Sending me back to the past? What kind of insane bullshit was this?
“Damn it!”
By now, I was certain I had returned to the past. Since dawn until nearly noon, I had roamed the entire ducal residence, questioning every servant and knight—and every single one confirmed it was Imperial Year 358. Unless the whole lot of them had gone mad, there was no doubt I had traveled back in time.
And the Age of Ruin that would come in the future? Definitely not some springtime nightmare. Just to be sure, I had drawn my sword and channeled mana—and sure enough, a beautiful aura blade formed before my eyes.
An aura blade was an advanced technique only a handful of master-level swordsmen could wield. At this point in time, I was barely an expert-level low-tier swordsman—there was no way I should’ve been capable of this.
If I hadn’t lived through that despairing future, this blade of light would never have manifested in my hands.
“Damn it, what am I supposed to do?!”
But I still couldn’t understand why I had been sent back. For a brief moment, I considered it might be the will of the gods—a chance to prevent that horrific future. But the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.
The coming Age of Ruin wasn’t something that could be changed by one person scrambling in the past. It was a universal phenomenon, a matter of creation itself—the domain of the gods.
And who was it that had opened the dimensional rifts spewing endless monsters? The gods themselves. There was no way they’d sent me back out of some benevolent desire to save humanity.
This had to be a divine curse. Some petty deity must’ve decided to screw me over by forcing me to relive that hellish time.
“Seriously! What the hell did I do to deserve this?!”
Okay, fine—maybe there were a few things. I had been a notorious womanizer, and even noblemen of the empire hadn’t been spared my scorn.
But it wasn’t entirely my fault. Most of the women I’d toyed with had only approached me for my lineage, and the nobles who groveled at my feet were just hypocrites hoping to scavenge crumbs of power from my future influence.
I was the son of Archduke Karl, second only to the emperor in power within the Holy Yosrahim Empire. My late mother had been Princess Grace, the only sister of the current emperor, and I was ninth in line to the throne—a trueblood among truebloods.
Of course, none of those noblewomen or nobles had approached me with pure intentions. The moment they secured my favor, they’d gain unimaginable wealth and power.
My only crime was squeezing them dry and tossing them aside. A bit scummy, sure—but hardly deserving of a divine curse.
Besides, I’d donated generously to the gods. I’d regularly offered vast sums to temples and even provided hefty stipends to impoverished priests. Sure, I might’ve fooled around with a few priestesses of Degenera, the Goddess of Decadence—but given their doctrine, that wasn’t even a problem.
The gods really shouldn’t be doing this to me. This was betrayal.
“I’m going insane.”
I slumped by the garden fountain, clawing at my hair.
That time of despair—I’d barely escaped it through death. The thought of enduring it again made my vision blur with tears.
Some might call this a second chance at life, a stroke of luck. But no. Those who lived through the Age of Ruin envied the dead.
And for me, it had been especially brutal. After the demonic beasts ravaged this very duchy and the imperial capital, I’d been abandoned by all my subordinates and acquaintances—left to struggle through that nightmare alone.
“If they were gonna send me back, they could’ve at least given me five more years.”
Not that five years would’ve changed much, but at least I could’ve seen my mother’s face one last time. Princess Grace had been the only one who ever truly loved me.
With a sigh, I dunked my head into the fountain. The water was ice-cold, but nothing else could clear my mind like this.
I shook my head, scattering droplets, then kicked the nearby statue with all my might. No matter how I looked at it, this was infuriating. In life, I’d always clung to survival—but never like this. The life I wanted was one with hope, even in ruins—not one spent cowering before despair.
‘Should I warn everyone?’
For a moment, I considered preparing humanity for the future—but then I hung my head. Honestly, was there any point in making the whole world live in dread for eight years? As much of a mess as my life had been, I wasn’t cruel enough to inflict that kind of suffering.
Some things just couldn’t be changed. Struggling would only multiply the pain—I knew that all too well.
“How the hell would we even stop it? Anyone who’s seen the hordes of monsters covering the continent wouldn’t even think of trying. It’d be better to live in ignorance and die without a clue when the end comes.”
Besides, who would believe the words of a notorious rogue like me? Especially when I was claiming the entire human race would perish in despair. At best, I’d be labeled a madman.
And even if they did believe me—that’d just be a headache.
During the Age of Ruin, humanity hadn’t just fallen to the monsters. It had collapsed from within—driven mad by the terror of annihilation and the fanatical religious fervor that came with the prophecies coming true. The thought of seeing those psychos eight years early was horrifying.
Still, it was unfair. The idea of being the only one burdened with knowledge of the future made my stomach churn already.
“Young Lord!”
Paul came running from a distance. Judging by his frantic sprint, something urgent had come up. I gave him a sincere look as he gasped for breath.
“Paul. The world’s gonna end in ten years.”
“Huh?”
Paul stared at me like I’d lost my mind. His lips twitched as if he’d barely swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue.
Just as expected. I smacked the back of his head.
“Whatever. Why’d you call me?”
“It’s just—you’re expected at luncheon today.”
“Lunch? Why?”
“His Grace has arrived.”
“His Grace” could only mean one person—Archduke Karl, the Ironblood Chancellor and my father.
“Father? Here?”
“Yes. And he explicitly ordered me to ensure you attend.”
Tch, if he just wanted to eat together, he could’ve said so. Why the stuffy “luncheon”? Nobles were the worst—always so needlessly formal.
Not that I’d been any better in the past—if anything, worse—but not anymore.
Try jumping into a sewage pit in desperation, then crawling through filth all day. All that etiquette and decorum? Gone. Manners are a luxury for those with full bellies.
“Ugh, Father’s such a pain. Shouldn’t he be busy managing state affairs in the capital? Why’d he come all this way just for lunch?”
“He used a magic portal. It wouldn’t have taken long.”
I gritted my teeth and raised a hand.
“You think I don’t know that?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
I glared at Paul as he averted his eyes.
“Whatever. Why’s he here?”
“I’m not sure.”
“You don’t know?”
“How could a lowly servant like me presume to guess His Grace’s intentions? I merely follow orders.”
Fair point. No way would the archduke explain himself to a mere attendant.
I rested my chin on my hand, digging through my memories. What had happened today?
‘Ah, right! Today’s the day.’
Now that I thought about it, around this time, my father had come to deliver what would become the most significant event of my life—ordering me to train as a Guardian at the Divine Temple of Divinum in the empire’s southwest.
Back then, I’d been furious, but since I’d caused quite the scandal, I had no choice but to comply. And it was there that I met Yozo, the companion of my life.
“Of course I’ll go. Let’s hurry.”
A bright smile spread across my face before I even realized it. That’s right—returning to the past meant I could see Yozo again. Guess not everything in life was bad.
I’d never dreamed I’d get to reunite with Yozo after death.
‘Yozo, wait for me. I’m coming~~~.’
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