Once upon a time, there is a nameless earthling. He is an extra to his very core. He is nobody. He is dust. He is inexistent. He cannot even become Tree A in a play. He is the epitome of ordinariness, but despite that, there is still something very special about him.

The fact alone that he gets hit by a truck and transmigrates to another world makes him very special. 

From there on, his story shall begin in the world of Magnus. 

The realm of Magnus is a world resembling his beloved novel <Hero Ender> which is another thing that makes him special. He knows the future. He can save lives. He can be a Hero too. Temptations befall his young heart with wild fantasies and possibilities. 

Perhaps, he can have a life here so much better than the one on Earth if he uses his knowledge of the future masterfully. When the 'temptation' almost takes root in his heart completely, he suddenly realizes the cruel truth— he is being delusional.

An ordinary person will know his limits. So what if he knows the future? Struggle all he wants, but it is futile. He is just an ordinary guy. He weighs the risk of the choices presented to him.

"I want to be ordinary! Return me to Earth!" He protests, but no one will hear him. He knows that too, so he comes to a compromise. The reborn earthling accepts his new identity as a denizen of this new world. He chooses to remain in Magnus. 

He hates Destiny for heartlessly placing him in this world. He is bitter. He is angry. 

While destiny seems to have plans for him, the reborn earthling seems to decide otherwise to take destiny by its throat. He shall lie low. He shall run away. He shall remove himself from the equation entirely.

"A timeskip," He concludes. "That is what I need."

This is his way to spite whichever entity is responsible for sending him to this world if there is any. 

Moreover, this way, he can also secure his survival. He shall run away from the main story. He shall hide himself until the story <Hero Ender> reaches its epilogue and finally ends.

"Sorry to the people who I could have saved from knowing their tragic fates… I am just an ordinary guy."

He prays. Randel Eir Dromastus prays. I pray.

I am 17 years old at the time when I dropped out of the <Academy> where the main storyline will begin. 

'While I run away, what I don't realize is that I am actually just postponing my own story.'

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A decade later.

In a tower hiding within a forest is a recluse singing 'Happy Birthday' to himself. That recluse is me. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~" Yep, I have gone crazy from loneliness.

I hum to the tune I remember from my home planet as I clap in front of my candle. I feel like crying. My every birthday is sad. Despite that, I make it a rule that I celebrate it.

To be fair, I don't remember when my birthday is exactly considering that time runs differently here in Magnus if compared to Earth. This world has like 392 days. Changing my birthday to the day that I arrive into this world isn't wrong exactly either. In fact, it even sounds poetic. 

After singing the lyrics of Happy Birthday, I blow the candle. There is no cake. There is only a candle which makes my situation sadder. It has been ten years since I ran away from the <Academy> and main storyline.

In this world, there are 13 months, 28 to 32 days alternately a month, and 23 hours a day. The months are An, Eb, Ar, Pr, Ay, Un, Ul, Ug, Ept, Cto, Ove, Ece, and End. I don't know what the author is thinking to write about the months like this.

I count mentally how many days it has been since my coming to this body. "It has been at least 3, 900 days…" I murmur to myself. The length of time I have to endure loneliness is quite long. 

Today is the 32nd of the Month End of Year 1672 of the Dawn Calendar.

"I am now 27 years old, and I still have no girlfriend…" Because of the loneliness, the thought of having a romantic partner crosses my mind. "Sigh…" I feel terrible.

In the past decade, I have been hiding here in the Tower of Mirage. This place is one of the places the protagonist of <Hero Ender> will visit in order to acquire the <Fantasy Blade> which is an item that will grant its wielder incomprehensible power.

I recall fond memories of how I machinated the protagonist's chance encounter with me in the woods around the Tower of Mirage so that I could give him the clue. That was the only time I left the tower. 

After doing that chore, I monopolize the Tower of Mirage as my home and bunker from the various world-ending events that pop up from left and right around the world. 

The Tower of Mirage is not anything great. I am able to conquer this place easily because of its lack of security. The former Archmage of the Tower of Mirage is a very irresponsible individual, someone who leaves his door open because he feels just like it.

As a result, when I enter the Tower, it has little treasure left except the well-hidden ones.

I know little about the former Archmage of the Tower of Mirage from <Hero Ender>. But after reading the said Archmage's diary, I learn that he is actually more of a thief than a proper mage. 

In that diary is also the information on how to get the <Fantasy Blade>.

For ten years in the novel of <Hero Ender>, it doesn't have any occupants, but now it has me.

It is sad that this day has to come. The epilogue should have reached its true conclusion at this point in time. I bring the items I can bring with me. I also activate the enchantments I have placed around the current Tower of Mirage.

I pack my things.

I close the humble door of the Tower.

The Tower is only four floors high. It is really not anything great. Like me, it is ordinary, but it has a special place in my heart. I head to the only grave in the vicinity of the tower. 

I bow respectfully to the Archmage Bon Von Dubon's Tombstone. 

I apologize for everything: for occupying your home, for digging up your secret treasures, for digging your grave and stealing your ring, and for pissing on the walls of the tower sometimes when I am drunk.

"Goodbye… my unofficial mentor…" He is not really my mentor as the Archmage have long been dead for 200 years. "See you never."

I leave the Tower in search of a new home. The Tower of Mirage is a 'home' to me, but the place feels lonely and sad. I look back at the Tower a second time and mentally activate the latest enchantment I installed on the tower.

The Tower of Mirage vanishes within a thick fog. "Rest in peace, Bon Von Dubon… And thank you."

I finally leave.

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A silhouette is jumping from tree to tree with lithe grace. I jump to one branch to another with finesse by relying on my psychic-based illusion magic— <I Believe> which allows me to do anything I visualize as long as they are humanly and physically possible.

Where do I go now?

If I had the power and freedom to do so— I would say I might as well go home to planet Earth, but clearly, I cannot. I have been studying space magic for some time, but I lack the resources to increase my abilities with the lack of knowledge the Tower of Mirage has.

The Tower of Mirage only has magic relating to illusion. Because I have been a shut-in for the past decade, the only pastime I have is studying magic with small entertainment in between.

"Hmmm… It is almost lunch."

I glance at the sun of high noon, feeling the heat of the scorching ball of flames above.

I rest beside a lake under the shade of a tree. I sit on the grass with the necessary precautions. If it is the common camping back on Earth, it will be quite a hassle, but with magic, anything is possible.

I use the magic— <Psychic Invisibility> which messes with other creatures' cognition so that they ignore me voluntarily. Even if there are snakes or deadly poisonous bugs in the grass, I will remain safe.

I summon <Endless Bread>, a treasure from the Tower of Mirage in the form of a bread that endlessly regenerates. After biting the bread until it is half, I wait for the other half to regenerate. I repeat the process until I am full. 

I return the <Endless Bread> to my <Dubon's Ring>.

I have fond memories of <Dubon's Ring>. It is an item I retrieved from Archmage Bon Von Dubon's skeleton from the grave. This thing did not appear in the novel so are the numerous treasures I am able to pilfer from the Tower of Mirage. So all of them are quite a surprise for me.

It is an accumulating process. While I lock myself in the Tower and increase my illusion magic, the better I become at deconstructing illusions. It is truly a fortunate development. If I don't find <Endless Bread> for example, I would not even be able to become such a successful shut-in.

I rise from my seat and pat my bottom to remove the grass and dirt. My attire is nothing grand, but meagre leather gear. It is something that I robbed from a gravedigger last year. It is another fond memory for me.

Heh~! 

This is unbelievable. I actually have so many fond memories. Maybe, my life is not so hard after all.

I stand before the lake and check my appearance. I look like the average adventurer, except for the cloak covering me on the outside. The <Mirage Cloak> is clearly of distinct quality that only nobles can wear. I have too many treasures in me, and the <Mirage Cloak> is like my favorite.

I remove my <Mirage Cloak> and stuff it in <Dubon's Ring>.

"Nice. Now I look like a proper adventurer."

In the lake water, I see an average-looking man with healthy fair skin, strong musculature, unkempt long dark hair, and a stubble under his chin. This is the first time I have seen my reflection. I cast <Mirage Clone> in an attempt to summon an illusory clone of myself. This is also the first time I am casting this spell as I don't really know what I initially look like as the Tower of Mirage doesn't have any mirrors.

"This will be a nice saving spell…"

I feel happy. I dispel <Mirage Clone> and <Psychic Invisibility>.

I admire my image in the lake's reflection until I grow tired of it. It is nice that my skin color is still human, and has not become unusually pale like a vampire. I imagine that staying indoors too much will be bad for my health so I make it my routine to receive my Vitamin D regularly from the sun by hanging around at the Tower of Mirage's topmost floor during the morning.

I am already feeling nostalgic when I am not even outside of this forest yet.

I rely on <I Believe> to continue my journey which is both a tour of my surroundings and an adventure in a sense. After eight days of nonstop traveling, I arrive at the nearest city on foot. I see ships coming and going. "I am coming home."

Or in this case, Randel Eir Dromastus is coming home.

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A very short timeskip occurs— the voyage of approximately 27 days ends in a flash.

I am proud to say I am a very patient man. 27 days of waiting is nothing to me. I arrive at the port city of Erandel. West from here is Dromas Barony, my destination. I have no use of my leather armor anymore as the Nation of Anera is a safe place.

I buy expensive clothes befitting of a noble. I then sell my leather armor to an armorer. 

I review information about myself— things that I can double-check through the diary of the late Randel Eir Dromastus whom I come to possess. I am quite lucky that the people of this world have the habit of keeping diaries. From <Dubon's Ring>, I summon the late Randel's diary.

My name is Randel Eir Dromastus, and I come from a family of Knights. The Dromastus household has as short a history as a hundred years. I belong to the second generation of Dromastus as the eldest son. Now that I look at it again, I am such trash for running away from the <Academy> knowing that I will be leaving the Dromastus household to fend for themselves.

I blame Destiny for being cruel, but I am actually crueler. It is sad, but I made my choice.

The novel <Hero Ender> is a tragic story where a villain is the protagonist, and the hero is the antagonist. It is a sick novel that ends with both Villain and pretender Hero dying pathetically in a war of good against evil. It will be fine if the conflict is simply restricted to these two characters.

I continue to skim past the late Randel's diary in a horse carriage.

In the back of my mind, I am actually thinking of something else. The peak of conflict in <Hero Ender> is the World War which has ensued for nearly seven years. 

Now that the war has ended, several nations should be recovering from the damage. If the Dromastus household manages to survive, I will lend them a hand. 

I ask myself. Where do I go now? If the Dromastus household is the answer to that then I will stay. 

But what about after that? If it is ambition, then I guess finding a romantic partner will be of my best interest. I need a love life, man… I am super lonely! If I want to aim bigger, then I might aim to improve my magic more and maybe even explore dimensional travel in search of a way home.

I wonder.

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I exit the carriage. The journey is smooth, and there are no disturbances. I am happy to know that the roads are safe. I toss the coachman a silver piece which he receives in gratitude. He gives me a nod and leaves me by the gates of Dromas Barony.

I glance around and appreciate the various buildings equivalent to the medievalist architecture from the many fantasy comics I used to read. This is the Dromastus City, and beyond the gates in front of me is the Dromastus Estate or simply the Dromas Barony.

There are no guards around, so I have to shout. "Hello! Anyone there!?" I echo. "Please open the gates, you have a visitor." 

According to the late Randal in his diary, there is an old man who used to guard the gates of the estate. "Old Tammy! Are you there!?" I call to the guard who I don't even know what he looks like.

Coming to the gates is a young boy barely ten years old. "Who are you? You are in the abode of the respected lady! Please state your business." 

The young boy is wielding a dagger he can barely lift. I can see him shaking. I recognize his attempt to play tough as cute. If the guard of the Dromastus household is a young boy then the family must really be in a dire situation.

"I see that your manner of speech is impressive. Did you practice it?" I kindly compliment the boy.

"Y-you! Don't look down on me!" It appears that the boy doesn't want to be treated as a mere boy. I laugh, finding his actions refreshing. It has been a long time since I am able to talk with someone.

When I am traveling here, the people around me don't dare to talk to me for some reason. I feel bad knowing that, so I hope to fix that. "I am Randel Eir Dromastus, eldest son of household Dromastus."

The young boy widens his eyes in surprise.

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Kyle runs to the mansion. He has been a guard for the Dromas Barony for a year, and it is his first time to see such a scary-looking guy. 

The man who introduces himself as 'Randel Eir Dromastus' has a solid physique, an arrogant glare in his eyes, and a refined bearing unique to a warrior but has a sharp intelligence comparable to a mage. Kyle doesn't know what the mysterious man has to go through for him to look so menacing in such inimitable ways.

"Milady! Milady!" He shouts. 

"What is it?" 

A woman admiring an art piece, the Battle of Murdor, remains seated on her grand chair. She places her hand to her cheeks in deep pondering as to how such an art has come to be. The battle of Murdor is the first skirmish to occur and signal the start of the World War.

In the painting is a bloody scene of knights murdering a line of mages from a flank. It is a slaughter fest where the helpless mages have no choice but to scatter like flies.

"It is a visitor, ma'am…" The young boy tells the woman about the visitor. "He claims to be Randal Eir Dromastus, the long-lost eldest son of the Dromastus!"

The woman's eyes quiver in surprise at hearing an unexpected name. "…He is alive?" She whispers in half disbelief and maybe… even hopeful expectations.

Kyle is just but a young boy, but he is one who is very confident in his eyes. "This visitor, ma'am… I think it is him. I saw a painting of him once before the mansion was burned by the invasion two years ago!"

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I am called to the mansion. 

On the table in front of me are humble food, the likes of a few loaf breads, sliced tomatoes, and sausages. The territory must be lacking a great variety of produce because of the recent war. 

I glance at the woman opposite the long grand table separating the both of us.

She silently eats her food with grace just like a noble.

I don't know how to start a conversation since I don't even know that I have a sister. There is nothing about a sister or even a cousin from Randal's diary. I feel bad. How can this even be my home?

I wonder where Randal's dad and mom are.

I cast <I Believe> on myself and eat my share of food elegantly using my impression of what nobles are like from my memory of my previous life. I have my fair share of watching dramas in historical periods. I also have various sources and materials in the form of all sorts of short videos from the internet in my head, though they only remain as impressions.

Anyways, <I Believe> is one of the few strongest magic I invented so it shouldn't fail me. "Have confidence! Me!" I cheer myself inwardly.

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'He is so elegant… like a noble…" The woman inwardly thinks that the person in front of her must be the real deal. He is slim but with broad shoulders and just the right ratio for a healthy young man. His face seems rough, but with grooming, he should look the part.

Inwardly, the woman is still weighing the possibility of the person in front of her being an impostor. "You claim to be Randal Eir Dromastus. Prove it. What is my name?"

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I feel incredibly terrible. I am not actually Randal! I am just a ghost who has possessed Randal's body. I am actually a transmigrated person and come from a different world! Ugh… Crazy…

"I don't know your name." I bluntly reply. I might as well be honest. "What is your name? Are you my sister? My cousin? Who are you?" I sound like an ass, but that is how Randal usually is. I can infer this from the way he sounds in his diary— egoistic, self-absorbed, and prideful— he is the kind of extra who tends to end as cannon fodder for the protagonist.

I can also briefly recall that Randal's situation in the <Academy> is one where his classmates are scornful of him, so I can imagine what kind of life Randal leads. It is ridiculous how I have to thread on Randal's personality when it has been a decade since then.

I start feeling bad for even coming out of the Tower of Mirage.

I notice the woman in front of me for her eyes to start quivering. I don't understand what that entails but it is something.

The woman finally introduces herself. "I apologize. It was a test. You don't know me, not that I know you. I am your far cousin from your mother's side. The Dromastus household has completely fallen since the World War. My parents pulled a few strings for the Dromastus household to not be erased from the registrar by me inheriting it."

"I see…" That is nice of them. It is rare for a different household to do this. Usually, extended families either usurp the territory to add to their own or sell it for quick money of course after pilfering the household's every treasure.

"I take it that you have come to take the title of Baron, and that is why you are here?" The woman takes a more hostile tone.

I must seem like a hyena to her for arriving now. I feel her. "No, I have no interest in the barony. I don't even remember what my parents look like. I only wish to see them again to ask for forgiveness."

And maybe for me to find a home, but clearly, this is no home. I am just infringing on another person's home. "I am sorry for intruding." I stop eating and stand up.

In response to this, the woman in front of me hurriedly stands up. "I am sorry. I don't mean anything bad. Please call me Mia." Mia comes to me and forces me to sit. I have superior strength than her, so I can resist her hand pushing me down, but I let her be.

"Eat," She says. "Wait here. I will take something from the liquor cabinet. I am sure you will like it."

I eat and idly pass up the time by observing my surroundings. There are all kinds of amazing art pieces around. Vases. Paintings. Statues. I know that they are worth a lot because they look all aesthetically pleasing. Though I am not an expert, I am confident to notice things when they are special.

Finally, Mia returns with a bottle of wine. "I don't know about appraising liquors but I know when something does taste good." She uncorks the bottle and pours white wine into my glass and hers.

I smell the fragrant liquor and am already intoxicated. This thing is strong.

"This is a Fire Spirit, something I bought from the dwarves passing in this territory last month." Mia boasts.

I give her a compliment. "This is high-quality alcohol content. Only veteran drinkers can drink something like this." I sip a small amount from the Fire Spirit. I feel my throat burning from its slightest touch.

"Tell me. Where have you been?" Mia asks me, her cheeks already in the shade of red.

I answer, feeling it to be necessary that I share. "It all starts from me being reborn." I want to share everything to reduce the burden, but I cannot, so I can only lie. 

"One day, I woke up lacking any memories of the past except knowing that my name is Randel. The only thing that I have with me is what I assume to be my diary." I engineer a lie so perfect it integrates without any problem into my life in the past decade.

I unburden myself to her.

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I wake up with a hangover. I arise from my bed with a beautiful woman beside me, her unblemished skin and twin mountain peaks are all exposed only for me to see. I similarly don't have clothes on me.

This is sick. Ugh… Isn't she like my far cousin from the mother's side? Does this make it incest?

Shit.

Still, I hate that a literal timeskip just has to happen. I barely remember how we did it, but we did it, so that makes us a pair, or a couple, or… I don't know… Fuck, I hate myself and this is so wrong.

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The morning light filters through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the tangled sheets. I'm lying here, stark naked, trying to piece together the fragments of the night before. Mia stirs beside me, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. When she opens those captivating blue eyes, I'm momentarily lost in the ocean of her gaze. Beauty, it seems, has its own gravity.

As Mia gracefully rises from the bed, I can't help but steal glances at her. The room is filled with subtle tension, the aftermath of a passionate night addled by alcohol. My mind races as I realize that, holy shit, I've just shared an intimate night with one of the main characters of the novel— a villain not to boot.

Calm down, me.

I survey the room for any trace of my clothes, attempting to maintain a semblance of dignity. Meanwhile, Mia reaches for a robe, and I take note of the star tattoo above her chest, adorned with intricate runes. I realize who the fuck did I just fucked!

Now, as a side character caught in the undertow of this unexpected liaison, a wave of uncertainty washes over me. What's the protocol for the morning after a one-night stand with a… main character? Do I slip away quietly, leaving the scene without a word? Or do I seize this opportunity to fuck around more? For fuck's sake, the epilogue just ended, so do I still have to be paranoid?

I mutter the name, "Miyandrel Celeste…" without even realizing it.

"Now, that's unexpected…" Mia's voice interrupts my thoughts. "You immediately deduce that I am of the Celeste Bloodline just after sleeping with me. That means I'm not the first Celeste you've slept with." She teases, her tone laced with amusement. "I knew it, there's something special about you. But for you to also know my first name, now that's a mystery…"

Inside, panic sets in like a storm. I just messed up big time. I transmigrated into this novel, carefully avoiding the main plot for years, and now I'm entangled with one of its most glorified villains! I thought the epilogue is the end! And worst of all, I think Mia is misunderstanding something. I'm just a side character!

"Why so quiet? I like strong men…" Mia's voice, dripping with suggestive playfulness, interrupts the swirling chaos in my mind.

Play it cool… I muster a nonchalant response, "Get out of my estate. Your lies of being my very distant cousin don't appeal to me..." Wait, that sounds quite wrong coming from my mouth... It is as if I am implying I prefer it that she was a cousin of mine... Ugh...

Mia smirks, unfazed by my attempt to maintain composure. "I thought you had no interest in the estate. This is the second time someone made my heart beat so fast since my Academy days… just so you know, you are my first kiss."

Play it cool…. I don't want to get involved with big names! "You cannot be interested in me." I assert, desperately trying to distance myself from the unexpected complications unfolding. "I for one had just lost interest in you."

As Mia gazes at me, the air thickens with unspoken tension.

"I really have no talent with men. Do you know why I think so greatly of you?" Mia's voice carries a blend of vulnerability and curiosity. "It's because of my ability to detect 'Destiny', and as a Fatemancer myself, I cannot begin to comprehend why Destiny seems to drool all over you… Don't you have any ambition? I can help you with it…"

My ambition is to become a freaking side character as far from the plot as possible! If the Goddess of Destiny is real, help me!! Give me tips on how to escape this scenario! I want a quiet life! I feel the weight of Mia's expectations, the cosmic forces conspiring to push me into a role I never asked for. I don't want to be overdramatic, but Mia is bad news!

"I want to be left alone..." I mumble, the words stumbling out awkwardly.