"Argh...
"That hurt dammit..."
Opening his eyes, Noir once again saw an unfamiliar environment, which would be his home for the foreseeable furture.
I never once thought in my life I would experience being shot both in the head and the heart...
Pushing himself off the ground, he stood, bathed in light of the rising sun.
The time should be around 7 right now.
Noir looked around the huge bedroom he was in, spotting a grand bed draped in luxurious frabic. The mattress was thick and spotless with a cotton blanket folded neatly at a corner of the bed.
Man... This guy must be rich!
Opposite, there was a finely carved worktable with many compartments, the edges of the table coated in silver plating.
On it was an exquisite fountain pen, along with a stack of high-quality paper. To the left, a lamp glowed brightly, emitting an orange hue.
He then looked towards the ground, spotting a golden case lighter and four completely melted wax candles.
Seeing this, Noir could not help but frown. Was this guy performing a ritual? Please, let me not transmigrate into a cult member...
As if on cue, the memories of the young man flooded into Noir's mind answering his question.
Noir winced in pain as he was practically infodumped!
He slowly made his way towards the bed, sitting down on it and concentrating, his mind working to sort out the incoming memories.
"Roland Eckhart..."
Yellow hair, blue eyes, thinly build, average height and above average looks.
He was the firstborn son of Marquis Francis Eckhart and Dame Eckhart, and had a younger sister, Eleanor Eckhart.
The Eckhart family was one of the five main noble houses of the Ilios Empire. The family crest featured a dragon, holding the sun in its hand.
A noble, huh? I can work with that!"
Noir was excited—finally, he had been given a decent start.
Continuing to sift through the memories of the yellow-haired Roland, gained an understanding of the cause of Roland's death.
With the emperor of the Ilios Empire and his descendants missing for three years, the council of nobles decieded the firstborn of each noble house were to be given the opportunity to compete for the throne!
However, Roland was born with a frail body. He would fall sick easily, often being bedridden. Once, when he was younger, he almost died from contracting the flu.
This made Roland the most unlikely candidate for the throne. While the other four candidates were out making a name for themselves, Roland could only stay home and occasionally go out due to his health.
Despite this, he never gave up on his dream of becoming emperor. He wanted to make his parents proud, elevating the Eckhart family to the imperial bloodline. He envisioned his little sister looking at him in awe, congratulating him on becoming emperor.
What strong determination—too bad he died trying to assimilate with the ancient beast...
The ritual Roland was performing before he died was his attempt to improve his body's condition by obtaining a fragment of divinity.
Those who successfully assimilated with the ancient beast would gain a small fragment of divine power. These individuals were called vessels.
Being from one of the noble families, he had known about this for a long time, but he was unable to gain access to the corpse of an ancient beast due to the imperial family keeping a tight seal on all the ancient beast related to the Sun God.
Only those of the imperial bloodline, or warriors who have achieved great feats acknowledged by the empire, would be given the chance to perform the ritual.
However, during one of Roland's excursions, he chanced upon a strange hooded figure who promised him the corpse of an ancient beast, along with the materials needed for the ritual.
Normally, Roland wouldn't blindly accept this, but after being oppressed for three years, the temptation of being on the same playing field—or even surpassing the other candidates—was too much for him to resist.
Still, that was way too reckless. Roland shouldn't have blindly trusted that man; he was too blinded by greed. Noir commented on Roland poor decision.
Due to not fully understanding the assimilation method, Roland was devoured by the ancient beast's remnant will.
Despite all of this, what perplexed Noir the most was the state of the world he was in.
This world doesn't have moon?
The night was always pitch black, causing the people of Ilios to avoid staying outside after the sun set.
This should be impossible... How can... Never mind, there's no use trying to understand the un-understandable.
Now, having a full understanding of the situation he was in, he decided to start planning how he was going to survive in this new world.
From what I learned in Anderson's world, the cause of that church bell ringing was me getting found out as someone not from this world.
Yes... I have to make sure that I act as Roland Eckhart...
After a moment of silence, Noir spoke in a soft voice that carried a hint of sadness, agony, and apathy.
"Yes, from now on, I am Roland Eckhart."
...
After accepting his new self, Roland thought about his schedule for the day.
He first had to have breakfast with his family, then he was to head toward the imperial palace along with his family to meet the elders of the Council of Nobles, along with the other candidates.
Apparently, they had something very important to announce today, requiring the presence of all the imperial candidates.
According to those old fogies, the meeting would likely take up the entire day... Roland complained inwardly.
It is very rare for all the imperial candidates to be summoned, as most of them govern their family's lands outside the capital.
If I recall, the last time we all gathered was during the announcement of the selection three years ago.
After reviewing his schedule, he went to clean up the ritual site situated at the center of the room.
However, Roland remained troubled by the fate of the ancient beast's corpse within his body.
I don't feel particularly different... If I'm lucky, maybe I'll just expel the corpse without any side effects.
Just as he finished cleaning and changed into a fresh set of clothes, as if on cue, a female voice called from behind his door.
"Young master, may I enter?"
"Yes," Roland answered in Iliosian.
Iliosian was the native language of the Ilios Empire. Alongside it were Francan, the language of the Frecil Empire, and Sarise, spoken in the Sarron Kingdom
Walking in was Roland's personal maid, Emily. She wore standard maid attire, her hazel-colored, neck-length hair swaying gently with each step.
"Your breakfast has been prepared, Lord Eckhart, Lady Eckhart, and Young Lady Eleanor are waiting for you at the dining table," Emily said, her voice soft and polite as she bowed slightly.
Roland gave a small nod, his gaze distant for a moment before focusing back on her. "I understand. I will head down to dine with them.
He adjusted the cuff of his freshly changed clothes, a habit that Roland does before meeting other people.
Roland walked past Emily, exiting the room with steps as light as feathers. He moved slowly, his hand clutching the railing as he descended the staircase.
My body is so weak! Every step feels like a challenge.
By the time Roland reached the dining hall, his breathing was slightly labored. The distance he'd traveled wasn't far—barely a short walk—but it left him winded.
Because of Roland's frail health, Marquis Francis had purchased a smaller mansion that neither reflected his status nor his wealth, solely to spare Roland from excessive exertion.
"Come, have a seat, my son. We have some matters to discuss," the tall, thin, yellow-haired Marquis said, his voice firm yet welcoming.
"Yes, Father." Roland replied, moving slowly toward his seat beside the adolescent Eleanor. Her curious gaze followed his every step, but she said nothing.
Settling into his chair, Roland glanced down at the lamb chop on his plate and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
Hopefully, I don't find any crunchy bits in this lamb. If I do, I might actually develop PTSD... Roland grumbled to himself.
He cut himself a slice of lamb and forked it into his mouth. The rich juices seeped out, coating his tongue with warmth and the earthy aroma of fresh herbs.
The meat was perfectly tender, tearing apart with ease, requiring little effort to chew.
The life of a noble sure is great!Roland couldn't help but feel a surge of happiness as he savored the delicious lamb.
"Ahem. Roland Eckhart, you remember the royal summons this afternoon, correct?" Marquis Francis set down his fork and knife, his gaze sharp as it locked onto Roland's eyes."
"Yes, what about it?" Roland replied, mirroring his father by placing down his own utensils. His fingers twitched slightly before he started tapping his foot softly beneath the table—a subtle, restless rhythm betraying his nerves.
After a brief, heavy silence, the Marquis calmly broke it with sharp words.
"Roland Eckhart, I want you to forfeit your candidacy for the throne."