Robert sat quietly on the edge of his bed.
Soft light from the window fell across the room, illuminating the wooden floor and the small table beside his bed. The faint scent of herbs still lingered in the air.
He looked down at his hands.
"So… my name is Robert."
Even now, the name felt strange.
According to his mother, this world possessed something called magic. People here could create fireballs, control wind, and perform many other unbelievable feats.
At first it sounded absurd.
But the more he listened, the more familiar it began to feel.
In the ancient texts from his previous life, there were stories of great warriors from the past Yugas who wielded extraordinary powers. Sages who could control the elements and kings whose strength surpassed ordinary men.
Ashok had once believed those were oly possible in legends.
But now…
Perhaps those stories had some truth after all.
Robert leaned back slightly against the wall.
From what his mother explained, every child in this world underwent a coming-of-age ritual when they turned fifteen. During this ritual, their true power would finally awaken, allowing them to properly use the abilities hidden within them.
However, when Robert went through the ritual yesterday, something unexpected happened.
There had been a sudden shock.
Then everything went dark.
He had lost consciousness before the ritual could be completed.
According to his mother, the ritual remained unfinished.
Yet while she explained it, something about her expression felt strange.
It was as if she and his father were hiding something from him.
Robert frowned slightly.
Another thing continued to bother him.
Earlier, when his mother hugged him, he felt a strange crushing pain spread through his body. It was brief, but intense enough to leave him confused.
And now…
That feeling had completely disappeared.
Strange…
Robert let out a slow breath.
More importantly, he still didn't fully understand how this so-called magic worked.
"Anyway…"
His mother had said the ritual would be attempted again tomorrow.
For now, he simply needed to rest.
Robert looked up at the ceiling.
"A new world, huh…"
Fragments of memories slowly aligned in his mind—both Robert's memories and Ashok's ancient knowledge.
This world had a clear hierarchy.
At the very top stood the Emperor.
Below him were the rulers of the Five Nations.
The nation Robert currently lived in was known as Dwarka.
It was a prosperous land, famous for its wisdom and knowledge.
Unlike many kingdoms Ashok remembered from his previous life, the people here seemed to live in relative harmony. Even the divide between commoners and nobles was not as hostile as one might expect.
At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.
But this world held even more surprises.
There were other species living somewhere beyond the human nations.
Elves.
Dwarves.
Their lands were rarely spoken of, and most ordinary people knew very little about them.
And then there were the monsters.
Creatures that lived outside civilization.
Robert had heard about them, but he still didn't know many details.
They sound like serious trouble…
His thoughts drifted to his parents.
Both of them were powerful warriors who had been granted the noble title of Count.
Robert himself didn't fully understand what that title meant yet, but it was clear they held an important position.
Which made his own situation somewhat awkward.
Since childhood, Robert had been physically weak.
People naturally expected the child of two great warriors to grow into someone extraordinary.
Many were disappointed.
But his family…
They had never abandoned him.
Robert rubbed his eyes tiredly.
"Enough thinking."
He lay down on the bed.
"I should rest."
BANG!
The door suddenly burst open.
Robert woke up in shock.
A man rushed toward him with tears in his eyes. Beside him was a girl slightly older than Robert, equally panicked.
As soon as they reached the bed, both of them grabbed his hands.
"Robert!"
The man's voice trembled.
"How are you? I heard you were hurt! Tell me who did this. I swear I'll show them who they're dealing with!"
The girl leaned closer with worry written all over her face.
"Robert, are you still hurt? Does anything hurt right now?"
Before Robert could answer—
Smack!
A woman suddenly appeared at the doorway and struck both of their heads.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she scolded. "Running in here and shouting like that! Can't you see he was resting?"
Both of them immediately rubbed their heads.
"Sorry…"
They spoke at the exact same time.
The woman sighed and then looked at Robert apologetically.
"I'm sorry about them. Are you alright, Robert?"
As they spoke, Robert's memories quickly organized themselves.
The still-sniffling man was Roger Von Cilford.
His uncle.
The woman who had just hit him was Lisa Von Cilford, his aunt.
And the girl rubbing her head dramatically…
His cousin, Lura ,eighteen years old.
Since Robert's parents were often away because of their duties, he had spent most of his childhood with them.
They loved him dearly.
Sometimes a little too much.
Robert remembered how protective they had always been.
Especially his uncle.
Roger had supported him more than anyone else.
Even when others were disappointed by Robert's weakness, Roger never showed even the slightest sign of doubt.
"Alright, that's enough excitement," Lisa said firmly.
"Robert needs rest. Tomorrow is your coming-of-age ritual, right? We'll all go together."
His cousin immediately protested.
"I'll sleep here with Robert!"
Lisa's expression instantly hardened.
"No. You will not."
"But—!"
"You are eighteen."
"I don't care!"
"Well, I do."
Without another word, Lisa grabbed her daughter by the arm and dragged her toward the door.
"NOOOO—!"
Her dramatic scream echoed down the hallway as she disappeared.
Roger scratched his head awkwardly before walking closer to the bed.
His playful expression slowly faded.
"Listen, Robert…"
He placed a gentle hand on Robert's shoulder.
"Whatever happens tomorrow…"
"We'll face it together."
For some reason, those words brought Robert a strange sense of relief.
After Roger left, the room became quiet again.
Robert lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"So this really is a new world…"
In his previous life, Ashok had already fulfilled his duty as a warrior.
He had fought countless battles.
He had protected his kingdom.
And in the end, he had died standing on the battlefield.
That life had ended.
But this one…
This one had only just begun.
Robert slowly closed his eyes.
"At least I completed my duty before…"
"Now, let's live this life as a warrior as well."
With that final thought, he finally drifted into sleep.