1 Chapter 1: Attitude of A Noble

The surrounding trees fluttered softly as a gentle breeze caressed the forest. Beautiful rays of sunlight passed through leaves and branches, illuminating the surrounding area.

A peaceful silence permeated the forest, bringing tranquility to all flora and fauna. However, the calm serenity was eventually broken by the sound of footsteps. A group of teenage girls who looked no older than 17 tread along a path of short grass, holding baskets of freshly picked flowers and giggling without a care.

Their clothes weren't particularly stylish, as aged and faded blemishes could be found in various areas. Still, the youthful radiance of the girls more than made up for most flaws in their attire.

"The flower festival is coming around this year, who do you think will be recognized as the 'Most Beautiful' this time?" A girl with a high-pitched voice inquired.

"I'm not sure, maybe Sarah…? I heard the winner gets a chance to become the viscount's concubine. It's a pity I'm not beautiful enough." A girl with freckles and braided hair sighed wistfully.

"By the gods, stop putting yourself down, Lina. I'm sure a lot of people notice how likable you are, just like that herbalist boy…!" A girl with shoulder length brown hair teased in a sing-song voice, eliciting a merry giggle from the others.

"Suzan! You, you…!"

Lina lightly slapped her friend's arm, her face beet red. Which in turn, welcomed another round of amused laughter.

They continued their walk deeper into the forest, picking the most eye-catching flowers they could find. However, they were suddenly interrupted by the loud cry of one of their friends, prompting them to halt their actions and rush toward the girl.

There weren't supposed to be any beasts or monsters in this area, so they couldn't help but worry if the girl had gotten caught by a bandit. Upon arriving, they found the source of the scream, a girl with reddish-brown hair, standing above a tall figure peacefully sprawled across the grass.

They let out sharp gasps, as closer inspection revealed that it was a male, with what seemed to be shoulder length black hair, loosely tied back by a white hair clip, with long strands spiraling freely down the back of his neck and framing the sides of his face.

Long, elegant eyelashes, exquisite eyebrows with a natural trim, and a moderately pointed high nose that complimented his features. His sharp jawline seemed to have been aligned perfectly, highlighting his light pink lips.

The man's physique was lean with an overall toned appearance, wearing a partially unbuttoned, white long sleeved dress shirt that revealed his sculpted pectoral muscles, tracing his broad shoulders and outlining his torso.

He seemed to be no older than 18, with a height of around 193 centimeters(6ft3). A tall guy, even for royal knight standards. The man slept peacefully, his breathing relaxed.

"Handsome…"

"Beautiful…."

"Pretty…."

They unconsciously let loose words of praise, each one having a differing opinion than the other. They couldn't be blamed though, since their village had rarely received someone even remotely close to this man's allure.

"U-uhm…What should we do…?" One of the girls whispered, snapping the rest out of their trance.

".....I dunno, he could be dangerous."

"Just look at his clothes though, he might be a prince or a noble."

"A prince…!? A prince, no, he simply must be."

"I…I kind of want to wake him up…."

"In Ehit's name, what if he falls in love with me at first sight!"

"No, wait. Calm down. I think we should get my father; he should know how to handle this."

"Yea, Yea! your father's one of the top beast hunters in the village."

The group of girls whispered back and forth, gradually becoming louder. Excitement pervaded the atmosphere, giving rise to gleeful smiles on the face of every girl present.

With their current plan of action decided, they reluctantly withdrew their gaze from the mysterious man, and began making their way back to the village.

The sound of their footsteps steadily grew distant, before the mysterious man was finally left on his own. Silence reigned once more, only disrupted by the occasional gentle breeze.

However, unlike before, the mysterious man resting peacefully on the grass…had finally opened his eyes. Composed, sharp, exotic, pale golden eyes, gazed straight up toward the vast blue sky.

Sucking in a deep breath of air, he released a somewhat vexed sigh.

"What a fucked situation…." A deep, languid voice rang out, shattering the tranquil atmosphere.

From what the man, 'Aziel Nox', had heard and analyzed, it was obvious that some fantastical situation had occurred. Upon first waking up, he surmised that he might've been kidnapped, but immediately scrapped the idea at the appearance of those village girls.

Their movements weren't trained or disciplined in any way, and they carried themselves in an overall carefree manner. Plus, his limbs weren't bound or constrained.

'Also…..'

He clenched and unclenched his fists. The unique feeling of power dwelling within his body was too obvious to ignore, as he currently possessed strength far surpassing what he previously boasted by miles.

Unless someone had injected him with an experimental 'Super-soldier' serum while heavily sedated, he ultimately reasoned that this couldn't be earth.

'An isekai, perhaps.'

Remembering the 'books' and 'literature' he consumed back when he was a first year in high school, this conclusion was fairly simple. Furthermore, he was in his own body, so this couldn't be a transmigration trope.

'That one brat definitely said something like, 'Ehit'…'

Twas an oddly familiar name.

Out of all the 'Media' he came across back in highschool, the first isekai he'd ever stumbled upon was the anime 'Arifureta', which was also what had gotten him into novels. It goes without saying that he completed both seasons of the anime, read the incomplete manga, and completed the novel, not just once, but multiple times.

He could honestly say he enjoyed it…a lot more than he should have.

Moreover, despite the obvious flaws within the story, he couldn't bring himself to truly hate it, as it had already grown on him. No amount of negative reviews would sway his judgment, even if some complaints were plausible.

'This world's strength isn't worth a damn, though.'

With the exception of a select few characters, every other entity in this world wasn't worth mentioning. Even the little 'heroes' were comparable to fodder against the protagonist.

'That shit's kinda gross.'

Lifting his head, various thoughts swirled about him as he simultaneously shifted into a sitting position.

His hands brushed against the soft grass below, as he eventually raised himself onto his feet in the quickest, most efficient way imaginable, slightly surprising even himself.

'...Should be a 'skill' of mine.' he deduced, since he hadn't put any refined effort into that simple action just now. With his experience, he could obviously tell the difference between practical and wasteful movements.

Finally standing, a gust of wind swept by, blowing a few leaves away and disheveling his already messy hair. His long-sleeved white dress shirt and black cropped ankle slacks fluttered faintly. The fresh greenery crinkled beneath his formal checkered black loafers, which were also name brands.

Briefly scanning his surroundings, only trees, berry bushes and flowers entered his sight. According to his understanding, this area should be fairly safe, considering a group of village girls were allowed to venture out here without any safety measures.

Casually tucking his hands into his pockets, he took measured steps toward the direction he reckoned the village would be. Aziel's strides weren't too fast nor too slow, yet still appeared to be walking with purpose. No sound was made, as he had long since mastered the art of silent movement.

All of his muscles contracted methodically in conjunction with his every action, wasting no energy in the process. Witnessing firsthand what it felt like to move fluidly without an ounce of waste, Aziel could only nod his head contentedly.

As he strolled through the forest, he ceaselessly assessed all the information he'd come across so far, and what he could remember from the story.

Aziel knew of the 'Arifureta Zero' story but had never actually read it. Well, perhaps only a few chapters of the manga, since it didn't interest him that much. Even if he knew the gist of it, he still didn't want to be brought to that timeline.

'No doubt a bunch of freaks.' he bantered, ducking beneath a low hanging branch all the while. Of course, he was referring to the Liberators, Miledi Reisen in particular. He fancied her character…from a third person perspective.

'I'd rather not speak to her longer than necessary. Might have an aneurism fucking with her.'

Just as he made to take another step forward, he halted for no more than half a second, before leisurely taking a step backward.

Right as he did so—

*KIIIIIIEEEERRR!!!*

Multiple arrows sailed by Infront of him, mere inches away from his body, drilling into a tree on the opposite end. Aziel's half-closed eyes followed the arrows even before they flew by him, as he noticed the thin, almost invisible string near the ground, leading into an intricately created trap.

If a wild animal happened to step into that trap instead of him, they would've no doubt been turned into a pin cushion.

'Neat…' He thought blandly, stepping over the trap and continuing forward into an opening, where he also caught sight of three scruffy older men alongside a few elderly women walking in his direction.

The men who seemed to be hunters wore cloth tunics and trousers with a few leather pieces covering their vitals, wielding spears that looked rather sturdy. Though, Aziel had sensed the group even before they caught sight of each other.

A few minutes passed as both parties hastily closed the distance, eventually meeting on a dirt road a little way away from the village. Standing a few meters apart, one of the men hesitantly approached Aziel.

"Greetings, sir. I was told that there was a man who'd collapsed in the forest, so I left immediately. Would that person happen to be you?" The man with a beard said, his voice low and cautious.

Evident by his subtle politeness, the man seemed to think Aziel had some sort of noble background due to his sophisticated clothing and poised bearing. Still, the man wasn't at fault, as he simply wasn't knowledgeable of such affairs.

'Hell, if everyone thinks I'm a noble, it must be true.'

"I just exited that forest right over there, correct….?" Aziel asked, pointing toward the forest with a sarcastically perplexed expression.

He had no intention of mimicking an aristocrat's behavior, but if acting naturally brought misunderstandings, that wasn't his problem.

The man seemed a bit taken aback, though, nonetheless still answered.

"Y-yes, that's right."

"Then stop playing dumb. I'm the person they described, and you know that. If you know something, just say it. Quit being stupid." Aziel spat scathingly, squinting his eyes.

"My apologies, sir. I-I was just confirming the informa–"

"Oh, you wanted to confirm it. Did you get the answer you wanted, or do I have to think for you?" Aziel spoke, cutting the man off, and looked as if he was failing to comprehend something.

A bead of cold sweat slid down the man's face with a mixture of poorly masked disgruntlement.

"N-no no no, it's confirmed, it's confirmed. M-more importantly, might you be a noble…sir?" The man asked with a docile expression that didn't belong on a grown man's face.

However, the intentions behind the question were obvious. If Aziel happened to be an ordinary person without a noble background, he'd be treated like everyone else. There'd be no need to bend over backward in order to appear respectful.

Afterall, common people only fear strength and social status in this world. A commoner could be beaten to the point of near death for disrespecting a noble, and no one would bother to raise their voice. As long as word of their actions didn't reach specific individuals' ears, nobles wouldn't be defamed.

"You…Your name, what is it?" Instead of answering the man's question, Aziel asked one instead.

"Henry…Sir…."

"Henry…right. You look like a 'Henry'. You'd like to know if I'm a noble, huh…? Would you also like me to feed you supper and burp you? Why the hell are you asking me such a damfool question, Henry? Use your damn brain and read the situation." Aziel's voice lowered, speaking in a tone just above a whisper as he slowly stepped toward Henry, prompting the other party to retreat a few steps back.

"I…I-I…" Henry stammered, gradually becoming overwhelmed.

Seeing the situation deteriorate, the other two men standing not too far behind Henry step forward.

"Uh-Uhm! Excuse me, sir, with all due respect, please calm down. If we could only learn the identi—"

"This is a fucking joke." Aziel interrupted once again, briefly closing his eyes before reopening them. "Bring me to the village head, now. I'm not getting a laugh out of this shit, so stop the circle-jerk. You know what, get the fuck out of the way, moron." He sauntered ahead, easily brushing past Henry, who nearly stumbled to the ground despite Aziel's lack of force.

Seeing this, the other two village hunters hastily stepped aside, deciding not to provoke Aziel any further. His attitude and demeanor were unreasonable and overbearing, no one wanted to deal with this kind of person. Furthermore, pushing a noble—who also seemed quite strong—too far meant placing their own heads on a silver platter. They weren't that stupid.

Aziel straightened out the cuffs of his shirt and sauntered past the low gates of the village in a relaxed manner. One of the main reasons he decided to act without restraint was due to the fact that he could sense the vast chasm of power between himself and the villagers.

Despite not owning a status plate himself, he didn't need his statistics written out in bold to understand the stark contrast in strength. Simply put, no one could stop him even if he decided to slaughter all of them. Very rarely would one see him acting without complete confidence.

'This is some A-grade bullshit. I'm not in the mood to play tag and sing along with these musty bastards. Give me something to work with.'

Suddenly being tossed into this world with nothing at his disposal, he had no mind to play the headless chicken and scurry about aimlessly. There were things to be done.

The few village personnel who'd come out to meet Aziel silently followed behind him, until one of them finally worked up the courage to guide him toward the village head's residence.

As they walked, the sound of the local villagers chatting animatedly filled the area, and the sight of children playing games with rocks on the ground or running across the dirt path could be seen quite frequently. It was surprisingly lively.

However, upon noticing Aziel, most, if not all inhabitants in the general vicinity stopped to take a look. As previously mentioned, it was a rare occurrence to see someone of such grandeur walking through their modest village.

Not even a minute later, crowds of people clamored outside, wanting to catch a glimpse of the distinguished outsider. They witnessed Aziel's imposing figure advance forward, followed by an entourage of village huntsmen and a few elderly women.

"Oh my, who could that be…?"

"Heavens....He's simply breathtaking."

"No way, has a royal prince come to visit!?"

"Hush, dear. Royalty would never step foot out here; he has to be some kind of noblemen."

Squeals of delight could be heard from teen and adolescent girls alike.

Even some of the older women in their prime released fascinated sighs.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of men were left reevaluating themselves, only to be drowned in a whirlpool of disappointment and envy. It wasn't that any well-dressed individual would be automatically mistaken for a noble, but because Aziel was simply too eye-catching to dismiss.

Every action of his, down to his mannerisms oozed a unique sense of solemnity, directly linking him to a position of high importance. Although he appeared to be on the younger side, a distinct aura of maturity radiated from his every pore.

No one dared to treat him any lesser than a grown man.

Aziel was eventually led toward a moderately sized house. An elderly man with thinning gray hair stood outside, seemingly waiting for them. He gave an amiable smile, barely concealing his apprehension.

"Welcome, esteemed guest. My name is Randolph Leaflet, and I am the head of this humble village. What should I call you, sir?"

"....I go by 'Aziel Nox'. Then, shall we head inside for a chat?" Aziel spoke curtly, displaying a placid expression. While his words were more of a statement than a question, there wasn't any sign of condescension in his tone.

Under Aziel's stifling gaze, Randolph could only lower his head slightly, silently acquiescing to Aziel's 'Suggestion', and lead him into his house.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Aziel-Sama? Although we don't have much to offer, I will try to assist you in any way I can." Randolph smiled gently as he sat down, appearing quite cordial.

'How about you give me everything you own; can you do that?'

Silently stowing away his rather offhanded thoughts for the moment, Aziel leaned back in his chair, gracefully crossing his legs.

"Village Head Randolph, as we've only just met, I won't ask for too much. With that being said, I'd like to request a few nights living accommodations, and access to all the books you currently possess."

Upon hearing this, Randolph raised his brows, indicating his confusion. He couldn't understand why someone of Aziel's standing would come all the way to a small, rural village, only to ask for so little.

This was utterly unthinkable for an aristocrat who lived lavishly. Furthermore, there seemed to be no guards accompanying him around these parts. Although it was more than a bit suspicious, the old man didn't dare to pry too deeply.

However, realization suddenly dawned on him. They were situated in a territory under the jurisdiction of Viscount Nuntwig, so the young man in front of him must be showing consideration for a fellow noble by not overreaching. At this, Randolph flashed a relieved smile as he relaxed all the tension in his body, immediately agreeing to Aziel's demands.

'Look at this geezer, drawing conclusions all on his own.' Aziel, who'd been instinctively reading the other party's micro expressions, blithely curled his eyes.

None of the village head's thoughts would make any sense to a person who was actually well informed about such affairs. In reality, even if a noble ventured out to the sticks, they wouldn't care less about 'overreaching' in a remote place like this.

Yet another difference between both worlds.

This world wasn't as information prominent as earth, so villagers like them could only play it by ear, going off of what they see or already know. After all, it was a known fact that most people tended to be afraid of the unknown.

After a few more one-sided pleasantries from the old village head, Aziel was shown to a room situated in Randolph's home, as it was one of the more well-equipped houses within the village.

As per his request, a small pile of books lay spread across the bed, most of which were disparaging stories about demons, and extremely dull dramas. Still, that wasn't to say he hadn't gained anything, since details regarding the overall situation between the humans and demons could be gleaned.

Not to mention, the citations in regard to the 'Heiligh Kingdom' and the 'Hoelscher Empire' couldn't be any more obvious.

'Eleheid S. B. Heiligh and Gahard D. Hoelscher are the current rulers. It seems like I'm in the main story's timeline. Brilliant.'

The only thing left to do was check if news of the summoned heroes had spread, this was a consequential factor.

By the time he finished reading, the sky was already dark. Randolph had stopped by to inform him that dinner was prepared, but received no answer, so he ended up leaving it by the door.

Turning over on his back, Aziel released a dull sigh as his thoughts suddenly drifted.

'It probably won't be long before 'she' completely destroys all of civilization trying to find me. Crazy….'

A vivid image of a lady with waist length black hair, and similarly exotic pale golden eyes appeared in his subconscious. Her venomous smile only reminded him of how many loose screws she seemed to have.

Imagining her wrathful expression, he scoffed, before an uncharacteristically well pleased smile spread across his face. Closing his eyes in mild satisfaction, only a single thought lingered in the back of his mind.

'I don't know what kind of funny shit this world is trying to pull by kidnapping me, but you can be sure that I'll turn this bitch upside down.'

*FWOOSH!*

The burning candles lighting the room extinguished as if in response to that ominous remark, all but confirming the catastrophe that awaited the world of Tortus.