-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Every Beginning is Difficult
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Proposal: Make the optimal choice. (0/1)
* Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 1. Help Yourself, and God Will Help You (1) 〉
* Route 2 ― 〈 Death 〉
'This… this can't be….'
....
A quest?
But the surprise didn't last long.
Waking up in this world had already been a massive shock, so whatever came next seemed far better than just being stuck in someone else's body.
In fact, the appearance of this strange window gave him some leeway to control his fear.
'Two routes.'
Either advance to the 'next chapter'… or die.
And conveniently, he had exactly two choices available.
Dodge the poison, or drink it. One of those two would lead to his death.
A single choice deciding life or death. Tension choked his breath, and his fingertips began to tingle.
'…No.'
Calm down.
He unclenched his rigid fingers and stared at the vial the man held.
The poison left a blue trail as it shimmered inside the bottle. It looked like downing it would send him straight to the afterlife.
He glared at the dark blue liquid and spat out a curt reply.
"…I drank it yesterday."
"Well. Of course, I believe you always tell the truth. But mistakes happen when things pass through multiple hands. For example, maybe the servant who brought you the tea didn't mix in the drug…."
"...."
"Even if it's all true, it doesn't matter. I just want to make sure your symptoms are properly documented for your sake. If you slip up in front of your friends… you'd be heartbroken, wouldn't you, Luca?"
No demon was as devilish as this.
The man had always been like this. In the novel, and in Luca's memories, he always played the role of the kind older brother.
No one knew what kind of inferiority and superiority complex hid behind those compassionate words and smile.
He exhaled and bowed his head deeply.
No matter the choice, with his life on the line, he needed to steel himself.
'It said the optimal choice.'
He took a deep breath.
Then he snatched the vial from the man's hand and poured the poison down his throat.
From his tongue to his stomach, every spot the poison touched burned like fire. The cold stone floor seeped into his left cheek, and the poison he'd just swallowed surged back up from his mouth. The noise he'd made blurred faintly in his ears.
It was a bizarre experience.
"Hm, so you really did drink it yesterday."
In a corner of his fading consciousness, his brother's amused voice filtered in.
He'd find it funny. The pathetic position of a younger brother who knew the truth but had to play along anyway. He got it. So….
'Laugh your ass off now.'
Ding—!
Congratulations!
'Proposal: Make the optimal choice.' Success!
'Chapter 0. Every Beginning is Difficult' Complete!
Confirming 'Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 1. Help Yourself, and God Will Help You (1) 〉.'
'…Good. That's how it should be.'
Earlier, the man had said, 'I'm glad you can go to school.'
In the novel, Luca died after graduating, so the timing wasn't right yet.
Of course, there was no guarantee the novel's events would unfold exactly the same for him, so it was a bit of a gamble….
'It worked.'
Unlike his floating consciousness, his body felt as heavy as lead. Even as his mind drifted away from his body, the corner of his mouth twitched upward faintly.
Starting 'Route 1 — 〈 Chapter 1 〉.'
「 Chapter 1. Help Yourself, and God Will Help You (1) 」
Pain didn't matter. Nor did wounded pride.
After all, he'd be the one laughing in the end. He couldn't die unjustly in this world, especially not at the hands of someone like his brother.
So, instead of the protagonist, he'd be the one to deliver his brother's final curtain.
* * *
How much time had passed? Pure white sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains covering the window.
His stomach and esophagus, scorched by the poison, felt no pain. Healing magic must have worked; his body felt light.
'Hm.'
He slowly raised his hand.
The pale, bony fingers moved at his command.
He was alive.
And still in someone else's body.
'What was that earlier?'
A real quest window?
The thought alone made something appear before his eyes.
〈 Chapter 1. Help Yourself, and God Will Help You (1) 〉
Proposal: Life is DIY! Find things you need to do. (0/3) (71 hours 52 minutes 09 seconds)
* Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 2. Help Yourself, and God Will Help You (2) 〉
* Route 2 ― 〈 Chapter 2. Even a Blind Chicken Sometimes Finds Grain 〉
It had definitely been Chapter 0 earlier.
The number had advanced. He didn't know the mechanism, but it was fascinating.
'If this pops up, does that mean there's a status window too?'
Not a game, but seriously.
It wasn't a game, yet it was handing out quests under the name 'Proposal.'
Then, pure white text appeared in the air.
Lucas René Ascanien
Title: Empire's Greatest Fool
Health: -5
Mental Strength: -10
Mana: ?
Skills: 0
Impression: -10
Luck: -10
Traits: Dawn777
"…Oh."
There it was. But….
'Why is everything fucking negative?'
No.
Skills were 0. But that offered no comfort.
'And what's with that title?'
He let out a hollow chuckle as he scanned the window.
Lucas René Ascanien.
Right, his real name was Lucas.
Luca was just the nickname his brother used; it wasn't his actual name.
In the novel too, everyone except the protagonist and his brother called him Lucas.
Impression probably referred to his image. Traits….
'Traits, huh.'
Wonder if I can click this.
Experimentally, he moved his finger toward the familiar-sounding name, hangover reliever.
Dawn777
―777 days 1 hour 6 minutes 37 seconds until Final Ending 'Chapter X. Death'
―Change Probability: 0.2%
"...."
He swiped the window away and turned his head.
Whatever he'd seen, it clearly wasn't information he wanted to face.
But… no matter how much he didn't want to see it, he couldn't just keep ignoring it.
"…Damn it…."
He gritted his teeth and summoned the status window again. Clicking Dawn777 brought up the same window.
'777 days until death.'
Roughly two years and a month plus.
'And a 0.2% change probability.'
If it was 0%, why 0.2%? Probably because he succeeded the Chapter 0 Proposal.
Succeeding more Proposals would raise that probability.
'Not bad.'
Even without guidance, survival hinged on his choices anyway. At least now it was visible.
Here's to optimal choices for the best outcomes.
Knock knock—
"Young Master."
Just as he thought to look around the room, a servant cautiously opened the door and entered.
"You're awake. You've been out for nearly a day. The injured areas were healed by the eldest young master with magic yesterday."
Healed?
His brother's goody-two-shoes act was something else. As he suppressed a sneer, the servant spoke again.
"You saw a lot of light suddenly, so your eyes are badly affected. Avoid direct light until today, and since your stomach hasn't fully recovered, don't overeat. Your luggage has all been sent to the dormitory, so please rest until tomorrow morning before heading out."
The servant rattled off the instructions quickly, then retreated with a tense expression.
"Then, rest a bit, and I'll bring your meal."
"Hey."
The servant's eyes widened at his words.
Shocked, he flapped his mouth before finally squeezing out a small question.
"…Pardon?"
He wasn't the only one surprised.
'Hey'? It really drove home that this wasn't his world.
Of course, the servant wasn't shocked by the rudeness. Just that he'd spoken to him at all.
'Can't blame him.'
Luca had become extremely introverted because of his brother. He barely spoke even to the servants he saw daily.
The servant craned his neck, looking around, then asked back with an incredulous face.
"…Me, sir?"
"Who else is here if not you?"
He bit his lip at his own barrage of impolite remarks.
Was this the local custom?
From the memories, Luca, as a family member, didn't honorific with servants either.
Of course, his tone had been extremely timid and lacking confidence. His current speech sounded more like his brother's. Since the speaker was him, not Luca, it reflected his own personality.
'Anyway, it worked out.'
To drag his brother down from above and climb higher himself, the old weak personality wouldn't cut it.
Keep using this tone, though, and everyone would notice the change. He couldn't take back what he'd said, but it was time to act like the old Luca.
Unbeknownst to the servant, he relaxed his throat.
The servant snapped to attention and straightened up.
"My apologies. What is it?"
"…Ahem, where's my brother right now?"
"He went to the imperial palace the day after arriving here."
"Imperial palace?"
"Yes."
Imperial palace.
Obviously, his brother's physical location would determine the difficulty.
His brother was a royal mage, and in the novel, he was often dispatched abroad for diplomacy.
Two years before his death, and with a 7-year age gap, his brother was mid-twenties—prime time for overseas assignments.
"Do you know when he'll return to the estate?"
"Probably… it'll take at least another year to finish this mission. Even after returning to the empire, I don't know if he'll come to the estate."
Gone abroad.
Relieving news, at least.
He'd have a bit more freedom for the next year.
"Um, young master. Anything else?"
"No, you can go now…."
Wait.
On a whim, he stared at the servant and summoned the status window.
Anton Klauzen
Favorability: -5
Title: —
Health: +2
Mental Strength: +2
Mana: +0.5
Skills: 0
Impression: +3
Luck: +1
Traits: —
"…Cough…!"
"Y-Young master?"
Seeing the items under the name, he choked and coughed.
Favorability… probably a score tied to his image.
Did they have to shove his rock-bottom image into such raw numbers?
'…At least this guy, my servant, is -5 instead of -10….'
He took the handkerchief the servant offered and cleared his throat.
Whatever the scores, now was the time to focus on being able to view others' info.
'This could be useful.'
As he stared silently at the status, the servant checked his complexion cautiously.
"Young master?"
"Yeah. You can go."
"Yes, please wait a moment, and I'll bring your meal."
The servant left the room and soon returned with food.
For a patient, his meal was basically just an aperitif like water and pudding made from ground grains.
He finished quickly and surveyed the room.
'It said find things I need to do.'
As if I needed reminding.
He summoned the Proposal window again.
〈 Chapter 1. Help Yourself, and God Will Help You (1) 〉
Proposal: Life is DIY! Find things you need to do. (0/3) (70 hours 53 minutes 01 seconds)
* Route 1 ― 〈 Chapter 2. Help Yourself, and God Will Help You (2) 〉
* Route 2 ― 〈 Chapter 2. Even a Blind Chicken Sometimes Finds Grain 〉
Route 2's phrasing irked him oddly.
It meant the story would progress even on failure… but no need to take the negative path.
One at a time.
He picked up the notebook on the nightstand. Time to outline how to proceed and recap the novel.
He had good memory, but couldn't rely on his head alone. He picked up the pen and wrote.
'First, the overall plot.'
In one line: The spoiled bastard protagonist, a collateral of the current emperor, goes through events over 10 years and becomes emperor.
In that process, he eliminates Luca's brother, the emperor's right-hand man.
Luca's death gets spotlighted, exposing the brother's true nature.
Luca's story is just one of many incidents the protagonist handles.
He ignored the arriving meal and madly jotted down bubbling memories, then caught his breath.
He'd also mapped out the major character relations.
'Now to decide my moves.'
Not a tough problem.
Build strength and secure allies under the radar, avoid overt magic use or anything that'd make his brother come kill him.
But there was a more pressing issue.
Even if he couldn't act freely, he needed at least one ally to act as his hands and feet.
'I remember the protagonist attends the same school as Luca now.'
A great connection.
Just a problem student now, but he'd be emperor in 10 years.
So… befriend the novel's protagonist?
'No.'
Maybe later, but now was for focus.
He looked away from the protagonist's name.
And underlined the one next to it.
Ding—!
Applause for your insight!
'Proposal: Life is DIY! Find things you need to do.' 1/3 Achieved!
Survivability increases by 3% or more upon completing related goals in future stages.
'Hm.'
Good pick.
Not the emperor, but the kingmaker who put the protagonist on the throne—he'd pull that one to his side.