CHAPTER TWO: A NORMAL LIFE HAS ENDED (2)

'You know? I love snow. It resembles you a lot, Raphael!' A woman with long, blond, wavy hair is running and spinning in the garden as the snow falls to the ground. Despite the coldness of the surroundings, this picture is warm.

The wind blows slowly as a man approaches the woman. His eyes glow golden under the sun. Despite the coldness that was spreading around him, his eyes looked gentle.

The corner of his lips is going upwards as he hugs the woman from the back. He chuckles. 'Really, should I be jealous of snow, then? Illya.'

'Oh dear, what a silly man!' The woman looks at the man and laughs softly. No matter how cold his aura is, there is still the soft smell of camellias that keeps following him. She touched the man's cheeks as both of them stared into each other's eyes.

In the flower garden that is covered with snow, despite the cold of the winter, it feels warmer. The birds are sitting together on the tree branch. The woman approaches the man and kisses him on the lips.

The kiss is not aggressive, but soft. Like a little peck that makes people blush. The flower petals flow and spread in the garden.

The scenery changes again. This time, it was spring. Unlike the situation before, the woman seems to be pregnant. A year has passed, but his eyes still hold the same kindness and gentleness. The man is dressed in neat attire and has luggage behind him. The man hugs the woman once again and takes a deep breath.

He whispers in her ears once again. 'You're the only person who sees me as a human. I love you, Illya. Wait for me.'

The woman hugs him tighter. The man glances at the woman's stomach and rubs it softly. 'I love you too, my dummy. Go, I will always be waiting for you.'

But... whose memories are these? Louis is standing under the large tree. Another few months and years passed, but he saw a young boy sitting and tending the garden.

Not far from him, a man is looking at the boy with empty eyes. That man shared the same golden eyes as he did.

'You shouldn't be here.'

Louis turns his head and looks towards the image of the woman standing behind him. Unlike the golden iris, what greets him is the purple hue.

He is still standing far from the scenery, but the woman slowly walks towards the young boy. She glances at him once again and hugs the boy.

Maybe because she is not a real being, her hand passed through the child's body. She whispers something, but Louis can hear it loud and clear.

'I thought you went to the south, dear.'

'This is our son, Lucien.'

'He resembles you a lot, Raphael.'

Everything turns dark, and Louis falls into the dark hole without any light. He closed his eyes and let the abyss swallow him.

*****

Looking at the white ceiling, Louis slowly lifts his body. He observes his surroundings. The furniture looks expensive. This must not be his room. His current body must belong to someone rich. At least he still has his money. He glances at the mirror and walks slowly.

He observes his hair color and body structure. Even so, he didn't know who this person was. He ends up lying back on the bed.

He is looking at the hanging chandelier blankly. The feeling of being stabbed by his brother is still vivid in his mind. He took a deep breath and started thinking.

This place seems familiar. It's one of the places he sees in his dream. "The Rosette Mansion."

Located on the fourth defense line of the North. First of all, he needs to find out his identity. There is only one Rosette mansion that he can think of. If this is a normal, clichéd transmigration story, this should be a novel. The Fallen Empire. The story is about a transmigrator who becomes a hero.

Based on his appearance, he must be one of Raphael's sons. It means that he is the main villain's half-brother. He needs to make sure what the date and time are in this era.

He hopes that the child hasn't awakened his memories yet. A sudden knock caught his attention. A man with black hair and red eyes is standing outside the door. Wait, how did he know that?

[Welcome! Player!]

[Skill Synchronization in effect]

[You're not the original character! If you get caught, they will burn you at the stake! But don't worry, I the Great Illya will adjust your tone, personality, and act resembling the original character!]

Huh? What? The status window? Most of the transmigrators have a cheat key to break down the book plot. Thanks to this, they can be called a plot armor. Considering he didn't know anything about his current body, synchronization is the best choice.

Looking at the clean and bright sunlight, he smiled and nodded to himself. So which one is he? The kind second son or the rational third son? Alright. Let's try it. That person has been knocking for quite a while. Well, please… "Come in."

Huh? Is that his voice? That's not a voice that he expected. But it somehow sounds familiar. He glances towards the old man who seems stunned to speak. Is there something wrong? "Speak."

Hey, this synchronization effect! Wait... could it be… No! No way! There is only one person known as cold-blooded and blunt who even makes his servant die from terror.

No one can talk to the butler of Rosette even if they are direct bloodlines. There is one possibility, his position is higher than the butler.

There are several people. "Your Grace, the monsters already arrived at the second defense line. We're waiting for your order, sir."

But the problem is his silver hair and golden eyes. This is bad. He needs to think of something first. He should let Klein, the butler, leave first and come back later. Leave."

"But sir… I shall take my leave now. Klein seems hesitant but ends up leaving him alone. Louis takes a deep breath and falls back to sleep.

He looks at the new information that appears in front of him. Looking at the new identity that he has now, he screams internally.

[Name: Raphael Vince Evelian]

Age: 42

Position: The Grand Duke of North

This is the worst! Looking at the status windows once again, he glanced at the skill and information sheets. Raphael is a real fraud! How can someone live with a stat like this? The average normal human status is 20!

[Level 13

Strength: 30

Stamina: 10

Mana: 13

Sprit: 10]

At least there was salvation in the result. None of them have a negative value. It means that all these attributes can be increased over time. Maybe it was a blessing.

If someone is born as a sword master, their mana and spirit affinity should be zero, while someone who is born as a magician has zero value in strength and spirit. The same can be said about the spirit user.

But it was weird; no human being can have an affinity with spirits. Even if it was a little, this body is quite blessed. Even so, the problem is not the body; it is the identity itself!

Not only does he die from a misunderstanding, but is he going to die for doing something he did not do? What an unfair life! Raphael is 42 years old this year. His death will arrive three years from now.

Based on the butler's words, the monster will attack and destroy the second defense line, which leads to the fall of the third defense line. He is lucky.

He has three months before Lucien receives his memory as a sword master. He still has time left to prepare for the succession ceremony. For that reason, he must return to the main residence immediately. Looking at the glowing hue of the status window, Louis clenches his fist and stares.

The best course of action is to return to the mansion and leave behind the soldier who fights against those monsters, yet his heart hesitates.

Unfortunately, with their current abilities, he can't do anything to fight the monster's waves. He might be condemned as a warrior who runs away, but that's not his problem. He suddenly stopped his line of thinking. It was those soldiers' lives.

They too have a normal life like him; they have a family to take care of. It might be unfair, but his life is unfair too. Can he save everyone just because he wants to? Can he fight and win against those monsters?

He didn't have enough power, and the only thing that Raphael had been using was something he didn't want to use.

[Sword of Chaos]

[Great power comes with great responsibility.] [You can use the legendary power that is stored inside the sword for the exchange of lives.]

Yeah, Raphael might not be a madman, just a depressed guy who lost his lover. He kept reading the information until he saw the blinking red in the corner of the status window. He touches the screen and laughs maniacally. It's here! His cheat key is a transmigrator.

[Newbie Package]

[Holy Flame of Hemirase (SS) (Passive), Map Reading (C), Status Abnormality Resistance (Ex.), 3x free shop exchange ticket]

Reading all the information given, his highest ability is the Holy Flame of Hemirase, but the problem is mana. Status Abnormality Resistance should have granted him the power to use the Sword of Chaos without a trade, but it was too uncontrollable.

Holy Flame of Hemirase as the title name, Holy. It won't harm humans and is strong enough to dispel all the monsters that use dark properties.

He doesn't have enough mana to use it, which is why the free tickets attract his attention. He might get something from here. His conclusion is correct.

This is what he needs to use the Holy Flame of Hemirase. He can run away and close his eyes, but it feels wrong. There are people he can save, and he will save them.

[One-Time Use Skill: Enhanced Mana (Dragon Heart) (SSS) (13 Days, 23 Hours, 58 Minutes, and 6 Seconds)]

Looking at the darkening sky, Raphael, open his closet. He saw a bunch of black clothes and a coat. Finally, his hand reaches for the white coat with the golden embroidery.

The embroidery is quite heavy, but the design will allow him to move freely. He fought the monsters in his dreams; he should be able to fight them this time.

A sudden knock resounds. Unlike last time, Raphael is completely ready. Klein walks in as he gives the order. "Gather the knights. We're going to the frontline."

*****

Klein Archie has been working as the Rosette butler that serves the Evelian family. He served the crazy patriarch before, and now he is serving the current patriarch. Unlike his father, Raphael is too low-key compared to his status. But he remembered that he used to be so cheerful and happy.

Maybe because he saw how the child grows up, he understands him the most, but just now, he has a feeling. The child that has been following him is gone.

Gone are the children that keep bothering him, asking for his company, and a child that is broken beyond repair. He still remembers the child's return and kneels in his arms, crying for the death of his beloved.

Since then, the child has resided in Rosette. His eyes became more dead and lifeless. When he receives the information from the second defense line, he wants to tell the army to retreat. Just as he expected, he was thrown out. He comes back and meets him again. This time, he saw it in those eyes.

He saw a stranger. A stranger who resembles that child's attitude and personality. The eyes are the windows of the soul.

Unlike Raphael, the stranger's eyes were filled with kindness and compassion. His eyes were alive. He is angry, yet he feels relieved. Maybe this person is the angel that pities Raphael.

Unlike Raphael, whom he failed to protect, he will protect this kind stranger.