NOVEL NEXT Ch 02
Chapter 02
“Sign this, Ernass.”
The girl, who spoke in a cold voice as she held out the documents, had long, soft brown hair.
“You’re not going to refuse, are you? After all, this bet was your idea from the start.”
She had sharp features and clear, flawless skin, radiating a noble aura.
The confidence in her eyes and voice made it obvious she was a high-born lady.
“We made a bet on the entrance exam results. The winner could ask the loser for anything.”
Her name was Serine Bastian.
The eldest daughter of the prestigious Bastian family, which held a marquisate title.
And… the top scorer in the entrance exam for the Lichtenar Swords Academy.
“You were second place, and I was first. So, I won.”
Her gaze was cold.
She wasn’t gloating over her victory.
It was clear she just wanted to get this over with quickly.
“What I want is to call off the engagement, Ernass Ranzstein.”
Ernass Ranzstein.
Hearing that name, I turned my head.
Then, I looked in the large mirror hanging on the wall to see my face.
“…”
Shimmering silver hair, reflecting light as it sparkled.
Pale, almost porcelain-like skin, piercing eyes, and a sharp nose.
A face completely different from the one I was used to—a stunningly handsome, almost unreal face.
‘I have to admit it.’
I let out a short sigh.
In the real world, I was a novelist.
Now, I had somehow become Ernass Ranzstein, the villain character in *The Protagonist of the Sword Academy*, a story I wrote.
* * *
Why on earth did this happen to me?
It might have had something to do with talking about the Ernass side story with my editor, but there was no way to know exactly how it happened.
Could my editor actually be some kind of higher being who can throw people into novels at will?
I had no way of finding out.
‘If we go by what’s happening now, I must have become Ernass at the beginning of the story.’
Judging by what Serine was saying, we’re just after the entrance exam.
This was the moment when he got second place by cheating—getting his hands on the test questions and bribing the examiners.
‘And Ernass will go on to make a name for himself as a sword genius using the power of this ring.’
On his right hand, Ernass was wearing a ring with a black gem embedded in it.
This is an important artifact in the novel. At this point in the story, only a handful of people in the Ranzstein family know what it truly is.
While wearing it, he can copy others’ abilities and make it seem like he’s had those skills all along.
In other words, it’s a ring that grants him the power to mimic.
‘Ernass used this ability to copy others’ talents and pretended to be a versatile genius.’
But his copying ability had its limits—it could only copy at one or two levels below the original skill.
And since Ernass himself was physically weak, he couldn’t fully use the power in actual combat.
He managed to hide his true abilities by putting on an arrogant front, but eventually, his secret was exposed.
Labeled a “fake genius,” Ernass didn’t have a change of heart.
Instead, he went on to commit even worse acts and ultimately met his end in a battle with the protagonist and their allies.
‘And it’s Serine standing right in front of me now who eventually kills Ernass.’
Serine Bastian is Ernass’s fiancée.
It was an arranged engagement between the Bastian and Ranzstein families, but Serine despised Ernass’s arrogance and selfishness and wanted to break off the engagement.
‘Originally, Ernass was the one who suggested the bet, hoping to win Serine over, but she used it against him to cancel the engagement.’
Though it was an arranged engagement, Ernass could have used his authority within the Ranzstein family to cancel it at any time.But, desperate to make Serine his wife, Ernass always made excuses not to cancel it.
This only made Serine hate him even more, and this conflict kept growing between them.
And ultimately… it led to Ernass’s death at Serine’s hands.
‘But it’s not just Serine that’s a threat to Ernass’s life.’
The Six Great Sword Families.
These are the six powerful ducal families that hold the highest authority in the story’s world. The Ranzstein family, Ernass’s family, is one of them.
These families had been locked in power struggles for ages, and that battle extended into the academy.
‘As the heir of the Ranzstein family, Ernass will be targeted by other families as well.’
In the novel, Ernass survived this bloodthirsty world through manipulation and strategy.
But if I don’t keep my guard up, I could easily be assassinated.
‘On top of that, there are all sorts of incidents happening at the academy. How am I supposed to survive this?’
In the story, there are all sorts of events, including one that nearly resulted in the death of every single student.
The protagonist, Arcandel, was the hero who solved these crises.
But there’s a good chance Arcandel doesn’t exist in this world.
In the original story, Arcandel was a character who had “transferred” from another world.
‘If Arcandel isn’t here and I’m the one who’s entered this world…’
Looking back on my conversation with my editor, it sounds like this is an alternate story where Ernass is the protagonist.
That makes it very likely that Arcandel won’t show up at all.
‘This is seriously hard mode.’
With a body that has no talents.
Surrounded by countless dangers.
I have to survive in a world without the main character.
This is… a really tough situation.
“How long do you plan to stay silent, Ernass?”
Serine’s cold gaze pierced through me as I remained deep in thought.
She was still holding out the engagement cancellation papers to me.
“You’re not seriously thinking of refusing, are you? As the heir to the Ranzstein family, I hope you won’t do something shameful…”
“Alright.”
“What?”
I snatched the papers from Serine.
Though the characters on the document were ones I’d never seen before, I somehow understood all of it.
“…”
It was a magically treated document.
Signing this would instantly confirm the cancellation of our engagement.
No need to submit it anywhere.
“So, I just need to sign here?”
“What?”
I picked up the pen in front of Serine’s wide eyes.
She had already filled out the rest of the document, so all that was left was my signature.
“Is this good?”
I handed the signed document to her, and Serine looked stunned.
“Did you… really sign it?”
“You saw me sign it.”
“You’re really… cancelling the engagement?”
Serine looked at me as if she couldn’t believe it.
“After being so stubborn about it…”
“Is there a problem?”
“It’s not a problem, but…”
“Then it’s settled.”
I handed the document back to Serine.
“So, the engagement is cancelled.”
“…”
Holding the cancelled engagement papers, Serine looked bewildered.
But I was calm.
‘With this, I’ve eliminated the first threat.’
Serine was the one who eventually took Ernass’s life in the novel.
She was the most immediate threat I had to deal with to survive in this world.
‘Besides, Serine has always hated Ernass.
If I want to survive, it’s best to end things with her quickly.’
In the novel, Ernass was obsessed with Serine, but that has nothing to do with me, who has taken over his body.
Keeping the engagement with Serine would only entangle me in various troubles and hinder my survival in this world.
It’s best to eliminate such threats from the start.
‘While eliminating threats as much as possible… I need to use this ring to gain power.’
I stared at the ring, “Yusricht,” on my finger.
Though it’s not enough to fake being an unparalleled genius, being able to mimic others’ abilities is definitely a huge advantage.
It would certainly be a great help for my survival in this world.
‘Besides, I’m the author of this world…’
I’m the creator of this world.
Countless settings are in my head, and I know what’s going to happen in the future.
I need to use that knowledge to find a way to survive as Ernass.
‘That’s the only way I’ll make it.’
With a body that has no talents, surrounded by countless dangers, in a world without the main character.
I need to use the artifact that can mimic talents, eliminate threats quickly, and utilize my knowledge as an author to the fullest.
Otherwise… I’ll meet the same fate as Ernass in the novel and die.
‘So, this is the end of our relationship, Serine.’
To be honest, I did feel a bit sad.
Serine was one of my cherished characters.
It would be great to partner up with her and solve various incidents like in the story… but that’s not possible now.
Rather than getting on her bad side by clinging to her, it’s better to keep my distance.
I made my decision.
“With this, our relationship is over, Serine.”
“Ah, yes…”
“Let’s at least shake hands one last time.”
Serine still had a conflicted look on her face, but I reached out my hand.
“After being so obsessed with me all this time, now you’re suddenly acting so cold… it’s kind of annoying.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Serine sighed and extended her hand.
“Still, thank you for cancelling the engagement.”
“A promise is a promise.”
“Right, that’s true.”
We shook hands.
This marked the official end of our engagement.
And then…
[Attempting to ‘mimic ability’ of the character ‘Serine Bastian.’]
Just as I planned, Ernass’s ring, “Yusrecht,” began copying Serine’s abilities.
Direct contact with the person whose abilities you want to mimic is the activation condition.
‘If my memory serves, Serine has reached A-rank in Bastian Knight Swordsmanship.’
Bastian Knight Swordsmanship.
The traditional swordsmanship passed down through the Bastian family.
Being A-rank in Bastian Knight Swordsmanship means having top-tier skills for a new academy student.
‘Yusrecht’s copying ability can’t perfectly mimic an A-rank skill.
But… it should be able to copy it at a C-rank level.’
I recalled Yusrecht’s settings as I held Serine’s hand.
According to the novel, Serine’s swordsmanship abilities should soon be copied and transferred to me.
But then…
[Your understanding of the artifact ‘Yusrecht’ is at 95%.]
[The latent abilities of the artifact ‘Yusrecht’ are being unlocked.]
[The ability ‘Mimic Ability’ of the artifact ‘Yusrecht’ is evolving into ‘Reproduce Ability.’]
A strange message appeared in my mind.
[Attempting to ‘reproduce ability’ of the character ‘Serine Bastian.’]
[Your understanding of the character ‘Serine Bastian’ is at 95%.]
[Evaluation: Success]
[You have successfully acquired the primary abilities of the character ‘Serine Bastian.’]
[Successfully acquired Bastian Knight Swordsmanship (A-rank).]
[Successfully acquired Lorelian Combat Swordsmanship (C-rank).]
[Successfully acquired Eastern Mana Refinement Method (B-rank).]
Something completely unexpected was happening.