Chapter 1: Not a Dream but Possession
I had a dream. The setting was vaguely reminiscent of medieval Europe.
In the dream, I was a king.
Although I was a precarious king with a ruined country and weak support, I was still a king. My friends were right when they told me to cut down on gaming. I must have been playing too many games lately, which is why I had such a dream.
Still, I became a king, even if it was just in a dream. I tried to enjoy myself and do my kingly duties, but being a king wasn’t easy. It was more demanding than being an unemployed, lazy person at home.
There were countless frustrating things.
“Your Majesty, this land has been our family’s territory since my great-great-grandfather’s time. Even if you’re the king, you cannot grant it to just anyone as a fief.”
“Do you have proof?”
“Haha. The fact that our family governs it is the proof.”
A scoundrel trying to cheat without even forged land documents.
“Your Majesty! I am concerned for your safety. You must have the food tasted by servant Kimi before you eat.”
“You want me to eat something someone else has eaten?”
“Your Majesty, you are the focal point of this unstable time. There are those near you who might plot to take your life and cause division! There are countless heroes who have lost their lives to poison. Please heed this old servant’s concern!”
“Do you brush your teeth?”
A leftover eater. Even worse, the food taster was a medieval barbarian who once came without brushing his teeth for a day, so I tied him up and beat him.
But there was no end to it. I experienced things beyond my imagination.
“Your Majesty! I heard you have a toothache, so I brought a renowned torture technician!”
“You finally reveal your treacherous heart. Seize him!”
“Y-Your Majesty! Please hear my plea first. The torture technician is an expert in tooth extraction!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
This guy was either crazy or an assassin. Although I concluded that, surprisingly, there was a reasonable explanation for this madness.
“When physically torturing a prisoner, the most effective methods are driving a nail under their fingernails and extracting teeth forcefully. The torture technician has rich and diverse experience, and he studies how to inflict pain carefully without harming the prisoner!”
“…”
“Tooth extraction is painful anyway! If it must be done quickly and without damaging the surrounding gums, who could be more suitable than a torture technician?”
“Discussing state affairs is also a headache. I will endure the toothache as I bear the crown.”
At that moment, I understood how Cao Cao felt when Hua Tuo offered to cure his headache by slightly splitting his skull with an axe. Asking a torture technician to extract a tooth without proper tools and anesthesia was itself torture.
But there was something even more painful.
“Y-Your Majesty.”
“Let me guess. You lost again? Now you’ve been completely wiped out?”
“Hiek…! To see through the situation from this far away, you truly show the qualities of a monarch!”
“As I recall, it’s 32 losses in 32 battles. We’re losing every single time, so what hope is there?”
I admit that the marauding foreign forces are strong. But if you can’t win, shouldn’t you retreat and preserve the soldiers? They only talk about the chivalric code, which they usually don’t follow, and it makes me furious.
“Do our knights not know how to retreat?”
“Your Majesty! How can a servant of God and the king retreat in the face of the enemy? A brave and faithful knight must charge honorably, even if the enemy is unbeatable!”
“Then we must counterattack instead of retreating!”
“I-Indeed!”
It was an exasperated remark, but it was a mistake. The commanders, realizing it wasn’t a retreat but a counterattack, boldly began to fight back. With commanders like this, it was no wonder the soldiers were also out of their minds.
The news brought by my only loyal servant made me give up on many things.
“Y-Your Majesty.”
“What is it? Have we been annihilated again?”
“The troops, deciding to counterattack in advance, disbanded before they even set out…”
“…”
With behavior like this, the country’s collapse was inevitable. The foreign forces marched towards the capital as if on a clear highway. By then, the groups that had forcefully enthroned a powerless king had long scattered like rats.
Despite my efforts, there was no one left by my side except one old loyal servant. Only those who couldn’t escape, trembled and remained in the capital.
There were no more knights to fight for me. Under the incessant ringing of the bell, I tightened my helmet strap. Then, I strapped on the sword brought by my old loyal servant and said,
“I have realized something.”
“Please, speak, Your Majesty.”
“I’m glad this is a dream.”
“Pardon?”
“Even in a dream, I would never be a king again.”
And thus, the country’s collapse came. Not due to any major blunder, but because everyone turned a blind eye. Like how casually discarded trash piled up to fill the room.
Though it was more of a ridiculous dream, it still had its lessons. As I smelled the rising stench of blood beyond the locked door, I made a resolution.
When I wake up, I’ll have a bowl of soybean paste stew first.
And I should cut down on my gaming time.
***
When I woke up, I was in another dream.
Reason number one: it wasn’t the ceiling of my house. The second reason was the state of the bedding. Where was my sky-blue patterned blanket? Instead, a luxurious embroidered blanket covered me.
However, the main reason I concluded it was a dream was the voice politely knocking on the door.
“Young master, it is time for morning prayer.”
My parents would burst into the room. They might suggest going hiking early in the morning, but they’d never tell me to pray. And it certainly wouldn’t be such a young voice.
At this point, another possibility occurred to me. A possibility I didn’t take seriously because it was too absurd.
Could it be… possession?
Did I get divine retribution for playing too many games? Indeed, I’d been playing games nonstop in my underwear with a beer next to me right after getting home from work. I vividly remember locking my door because my parents found it embarrassing and asked me to put on some clothes.
Was the last dream, no, the last possession, where I was enthroned as a powerless king, a punishment for indulging in freedom?
While I was seriously pondering this, a voice interrupted.
“Young master?”
“I’m awake. Don’t rush me, just wait.”
For a moment, I thought about telling people the truth… But I decided against it.
Even if this isn’t the medieval period on Earth, it’s a similar place. I could already predict the reactions if I said, “Actually, I’m not the real owner of this body, but someone else.” They’d probably throw me into boiling water under the pretext of exorcism.
Of course, there was a way to deal with it. The important thing is not to miss religious ceremonies.
There’s a huge difference between saying someone has changed because they were possessed by a demon and saying they’ve changed because they gained religious enlightenment.
Determined, I opened the door.
The maid who had been calling me since dawn had a confident yet cute demeanor. Her long black hair cascaded down from behind her ears. Her neatly arranged bangs softly framed her face.
The maid, with her bead-like eyes, looked at me and was startled.
“…?! Y-Young master!”
“Guide me to the chapel.”
“Th-That’s not it…! Y-Your clothes!”
“I’m wearing them.”
“But aren’t they pajamas?!”
The maid with braided hair stuttered while covering her face with both hands.
I could only tilt my head in confusion. Even though she called them pajamas, I was fully dressed in a loose shirt and pants. Compared to my usual habit of lounging in just underwear and a padded jacket in modern times, this was a significant improvement.
However, just because I felt justified didn’t mean I could change others’ minds. It was time to use the unique medieval logic that allowed no room for such sophistry.
“What matters more than appearance is a sincere heart. I felt something last night, and as a humble servant of the Almighty, I wish to pray. Don’t be too concerned.”
“It’s not that I’m concerned… it’s about…”
This was an opportunity. Whether it was a dream or possession, it was a chance to gather information.
“How old am I to be acting so strangely?”
“You’re at an age where you should be deeply immersed in learning. Rumours could spread that you’ve awakened your carnal desires too soon…”
Two clues emerged. An age where one should be deeply immersed in learning. Mentioning carnal desires suggests I’m still too young to be familiar with women.
Combining these clues with my knowledge, I found the answer. In places where life is tough, the age of adulthood is lower. Most places consider 16 years old as the threshold for adulthood. This world probably isn’t much different.
In conclusion, this body seems to be under 16 and yet to hit puberty. Since I’m not extremely small, I’m likely around 10 to 12 years old. If I use somewhat old-fashioned speech, I’ll probably be a precocious child.
They wouldn’t immediately suspect me of being possessed just because my speech is odd. They’d likely think I was imitating adults. Additionally, there was no risk of being suspected of homosexuality for not being familiar with women.
Having sorted out all these factors, I spoke without hesitation.
“I’m not interested in carnal desires or women, but in the enlightenment I gained last night. Stop the nonsense and guide me to the chapel.”
“…”
The maid lowered her hands from her face without a word. Her expression was cold, and her tightly sealed lips made her look like a woman colder than the icy peaks. Except for the faint blush on her cheeks.
From then on, the maid remained silent. She waited patiently until I was ready, then led the way with a lantern through the castle corridors. Despite it being dawn, it was as dark as midnight.
The only difference was the occasional dim light creeping through the windows as the sky gradually brightened. Walking through the dark corridors following the maid, I started to realize.
I was thrown among savages again.
Although the medieval period had its own logic, I began to worry whether my delicate nature, accustomed to high ethical standards, could survive among these barbarians.
***
As soon as we reached the chapel after navigating the dark corridors, a startled voice greeted us.
A man with black hair, soft eyes, and a well-kept beard grasped the
cross hanging from his neck and shouted.
“Narva, what is that outfit? Have you succumbed to barbaric customs?”
Good grief, it was a shocking statement for a modern man like me. Who’s calling whom a barbarian? Just as I was about to respond in shock and anger, the man with soft eyes sighed deeply and lowered his voice.
“Is this a childish way of expressing your opposition to an unwanted marriage?”
“…Marriage?”
