Chapter 2
“Sign here, Ernas.”
The voice was cold as a girl with long, soft brown hair extended a document.
“You wouldn’t refuse, would you? After all, it was a bet you proposed from the start.”
She was a noble-looking girl with neat features and clear skin.
Her eyes and voice were cold and confident, making it obvious she was an aristocratic young lady with absolute confidence.
“We made a bet based on the results of the entrance exam. The winner can demand anything from the loser.”
Her name was Serine Bastian.
The eldest daughter of the prestigious Bastian family, which holds the title of marquis.
And… the top scorer in the entrance exam of the Lichtennauer Swordsmanship Academy.
“You were second, and I was first. So I won.”
Her gaze was cold.
She wasn’t gloating from winning.
She just wanted to get this over with quickly.
“What I want is to break off our engagement, Ernas Lanzstein.”
Hearing the name, I turned my head.
Through the large mirror hanging on the wall, I checked my face.
“……”
Silver hair that shone brilliantly reflecting the light.
Pale white skin, sharp eyes, and a straight nose.
A face completely different from my original one… an unreal, handsome man’s face.
‘I have no choice but to accept it.’
I sighed briefly.
I, a novelist from the real world, had become the villain character Ernas Lanzstein from the novel I wrote, The Protagonist of the Swordsmanship Academy.
Why is this happening to me?
It seemed related to the side story about Ernas I talked about with the person in charge, but I couldn’t understand the principle behind it.
Was my contact someone who could transcend reality and insert people into novels at will?
I had no way to confirm.
‘Judging by my current state, I’m Ernas at the start of the novel.’
From Serine’s words, it’s right after the entrance exam.
At the point when Ernas bribed the examiner to secure second place after acquiring the test content in advance.
‘And Ernas uses the power of this ring to make a name as a sword genius.’
Right now, Ernas is wearing a ring with a black jewel on his right hand.
This is an important artifact in the novel, but at this point, only a few in the Lanzstein family know its true nature.
Wearing this ring lets you imitate other people’s abilities and use them as if you had possessed that power from the start.
Simply put, it’s a ring that grants copying abilities.
‘Ernas copied other characters’ powers and pretended to be a versatile genius.’
However, Ernas’s copying ability wasn’t perfect.
It was limited to imitating powers one or two levels lower.
Moreover, Ernas’s physical ability was so poor that he couldn’t use the powers effectively in actual combat.
He cleverly pretended to have skills while hiding his true strength, but his true nature was eventually exposed.
Ernas, hated as a “fake genius,” didn’t reform but committed increasingly villainous acts and eventually died fighting the protagonist’s group.
‘Yes, I will die at Serine Bastian’s hands in front of me now.’
Serine Bastian was Ernas’s fiancée.
It was a political engagement between the Bastian and Lanzstein families, but Serine disliked the arrogant and selfish Ernas and wanted to cancel it.
‘Originally, Ernas, who harbored ulterior motives toward Serine, proposed the bet, but Serine turned it around to cancel the engagement.’
Though political, Ernas’s authority in the Lanzstein family made it possible to cancel the engagement anytime.
But Ernas, wanting Serine as his wife, refused with every excuse.
This only made Serine hate Ernas more, and the issue caused ongoing conflict.
And ultimately… Ernas dies by Serine’s hand.
‘But Serine isn’t the only one threatening Ernas’s life.’
The Six Great Swordsmanship Families.
These six duke families hold the highest prestige in the story’s world.
Ernas’s Lanzstein family is one of them.
They have long been embroiled in power struggles, with fierce clan conflicts even inside the academy.
‘As the Lanzstein heir, Ernas inevitably becomes a target for other families.’
In the novel, Ernas survived these struggles through all sorts of schemes, but without vigilance, he would be assassinated unnoticed.
‘Plus, there are various incidents occurring in the academy… How will I survive?’
Many incidents occur in the story.
There was even an event where the entire academy’s students were nearly wiped out.
The hero who resolved these was the protagonist Arkandel.
But Arkandel may not exist in this world.
He is set as a character ‘transferred’ from another world.
‘If Arkandel doesn’t appear and instead I entered this world…’
From my conversation with the manager, this world is an “if” story starring Ernas.
So Arkandel’s absence was highly likely.
‘This is truly hard mode.’
With a body without any talent.
Surrounded by countless dangers.
Surviving in a world without the protagonist.
It was truly a difficult situation.
“Are you going to keep silent forever, Ernas?”
Snapping back to reality from my thoughts, Serine gave me a cold look.
She was still holding out the engagement cancellation papers.
“You don’t plan to refuse, right? As the Lanzstein heir, I hope you won’t embarrass yourself…”
“All right.”
“What?”
I snatched the document from Serine.
Though the characters on it were unfamiliar, somehow I could understand everything.
“……”
The paper had magical processing.
If I signed here, the engagement cancellation would be confirmed.
No need to submit it anywhere.
“I just sign here, right?”
“Eh?”
I picked up the pen in front of a surprised Serine.
The rest of the form was already filled out by her, so I only needed to sign.
“Done?”
When I handed the signed document forward, Serine looked bewildered.
“Did you really… sign?”
“You saw me sign.”
“You’re really going to break the engagement?”
Serine looked at me incredulously.
“You were so stubborn until now…”
“Is that a complaint?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then it’s settled.”
I gave the document back to Serine.
“This means the engagement is broken.”
“……”
Taking the papers, Serine looked flustered.
But I was cold.
‘I removed the first danger.’
Serine was the one who was supposed to take Ernas’s life in the novel.
She was the most urgent danger I needed to deal with to survive in this world.
‘Serine hated Ernas from the start. If I want to survive, I need to quickly end my relationship with her.’
Novel Ernas was obsessed with Serine, but that didn’t apply to me.
If I kept the engagement, I’d get involved in all sorts of trouble, hindering my survival.
Better to exclude this risk from the beginning.
‘I have to eliminate risks as much as possible… and use this ring to grow stronger.’
I stared at the ring “Yusurecht” on my finger.
Though I was insufficient to act as a once-in-a-century genius, the ability to copy others was definitely a big advantage.
It would surely help me survive in this world.
‘Besides, I’m the author of this world.’
I was the creator of this world.
Countless settings were in my head, and I knew what would happen in the future.
I had to make the most of that knowledge to find ways to survive as Ernas.
‘That’s my only way to survive.’
With no talent, surrounded by dangers, in a world without the protagonist.
So I must use the artifact to copy talents, remove dangers quickly, and fully use my knowledge as the author.
Otherwise… I would meet death like Ernas in the novel.
‘So this is the end of our relationship, Serine.’
Honestly, I felt a bit regretful.
Serine was one of my favorite characters.
It would be nice to partner with her and solve incidents like in the novel, but this was a tough situation.
Better to keep distance than be hated by pestering her.
That was my conclusion.
“This ends our relationship, Serine.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Let’s shake hands one last time.”
Seeing Serine’s still reluctant expression, I extended my hand.
“You obsessed over me all this time, and now you suddenly look so cold. It’s kind of unsettling.”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Serine sighed and reached out her hand.
“Still, thank you for canceling the engagement.”
“I had to keep my promise.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
We shook hands.
This completely ended our engagement.
And then…
[Attempting to ‘Copy Ability’ of character ‘Serine Bastian.’]
Just as I intended, Ernas’s ring “Yusurecht” began copying Serine’s abilities.
The condition to activate is direct contact with the target whose ability you want to copy.
‘If I remember correctly, Serine should have reached Bastian Knight Swordsmanship A-rank.’
Bastian Knight Swordsmanship.
The orthodox swordsmanship passed down through the Bastian family for generations.
A skill level of A-rank for a new academy student means top-tier ability.
‘It’s impossible to perfectly copy A-rank with Yusurecht’s copying power, but… copying at C-rank level should be possible.’
I recalled the settings of Yusurecht and grabbed Serine’s hand.
According to the novel, Serine’s swordsmanship would soon be duplicated and transferred to me.
But then…
[Understanding of artifact ‘Yusurecht’: 95%.]
[Potential ability of artifact ‘Yusurecht’ unlocked.]
[Artifact ‘Yusurecht’ ability ‘Copy Ability’ evolved to ‘Ability Reproduction’.]
Strange messages popped up in my mind.
[Attempting ‘Ability Reproduction’ of character ‘Serine Bastian’.]
[Understanding of character ‘Serine Bastian’: 95%.]
[Judgment: Success.]
[Acquired major abilities of character ‘Serine Bastian’.]
[Acquired Bastian Knight Swordsmanship (A-rank).]
[Acquired Lorelian Practical Swordsmanship (C-rank).]
[Acquired Eastern Magic Cultivation Method (B-rank).]
Something I hadn’t expected at all was happening.
