NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 1 : Pilot ( Rewritten)
Clang! Clang! Clang! Two blades clashed. It was not a duel to showcase strength. It was a duel for honor. He had long since given up on maintaining his face in the academy if it meant he could break his fiancé out of her shell. The academy was a place that was dominated by the aristocratic faction and was dominated to the extent that nobles from the emperor's faction were bullied around. And the fact that he was dueling a member of said faction added to the heat against him. The fact that the second princess of the empire Seraphina Nocturna supported his opponent didn't do him any favor either.
"You'd better give up, Luke. How long are you planning on abusing Lady Vivienne?" his opponent asked him. It was true that he was pushing his fiancé to excel in her education in the academy. But how did that constitute harassment? Also since Vivienne was his fiancé wasn't it a personal issue between the two houses? How can a third party get involved in it? They just wanted Vivienne to be ignorant so that she could be puppeted around like she is now or so he thought.
The clashing of the swords continued. Despite wearing an inferior armor which was switched from his regular armor last minute by his father, he was able to keep up with Serge. The battle was drawing to one of attrition and if that were the case Luke would emerge out victorious. But fate had something else in mind.
" Come on Serge! You can win this!" He heard a familiar voice. The voice he could recognize even in his sleep. The voice of his fiance. He couldn't help but turn and look at her seat in the arena. As he stared at her in shock, the momentary lapse was enough to decide the outcome of the duel.
A metallic clang reverberated through the air, a dissonant symphony announcing the conclusion of the duel. The hilt of Serge's sword struck him with a force that sent him sprawling to the ground. The cheers of the crowd shouting Flakenberg! Flakenberg! Flakenberg! Swirled around him, a cacophony of triumph as Luke, who appeared unconscious, was escorted away from the dueling ground.
The outcome of the duel would not only change the fate of his fiance and himself but also the Aurelian Empire itself. For you see, as he was falling unconscious, he dreamt a dream. It was not a mere dream but fragments of memories; memories of his life from another world, a realm far removed from the aristocratic drama that defined his current existence. The memories of his past life as an otaku engineer flooded his mind, creating a surreal sensation of being isekaied or reincarnated into a world unknown. As he struggled to absorb the strangeness of his situation, the recollection of both his past and present life began to weave its way into his consciousness. He was Luke the heir of Demontfort Duchy, but he was also an otaku engineer.
What would happen now? He had just committed political suicide. There was no coming back. In the best-case scenario, everything is rugged under the carper and he barely manages to keep his seat as the heir of Demontfort. If the empress and the second princess get involved, he would be lucky if he were exiled to Abyssal Borderlands. Worst case, he would be sold off as a hostage to the caliphate to ensure peace between the two empires. It was only downhill from here.
But unbeknownst to him and everyone else involved in this drama, a blond-haired woman with Ruby eyes had other ideas.