The year Adolph Kareha was born, the moon of the Empire glowed with a mysterious red light.
The elders who saw the red moon shook their heads, calling it an ill omen, while the court magicians in the capital interpreted it variously and spread rumors.
But no one truly knew the truth.
No one in the world suspected that within the fate of this baby lay another life.
He cried and laughed like any other child as he grew up.
But when he stayed up all night, vague memories haunting his mind troubled him.
These memories were vivid yet indistinct, floating like scattered letters on a white sheet of paper.
As he grew, he would frown whenever these strange scenes came to mind.
“Mother, I think I’ve heard this story before.”
Young Adolph Kareha, who was only eight years old, sat carefully on a chair far from his mother and asked.
His mother was a gentle-smiling woman with blue eyes.
But behind that smile lay constant worry.
She slowly put down her tea, looked at her son, and replied,
“What story?”
She asked calmly.
Adolph frowned slightly as he stared into the air.
He wanted to mention the vivid scenes that came to mind: the large sword, the Demon King, and the crowd cheering, but it all seemed like an unrealistic fantasy.
He slowly opened his lips.
“Oh, it’s just…a legend. A story about how the Demon King appears and a hero saves the world.”
His mother smiled softly and nodded.
“That’s just an old tale passed down. Why are you suddenly curious about it?”
The young boy was silent for a while.
He tried hard to recall the strange voice that lingered in his ears.
But when he couldn’t clearly remember, he lowered his head in disappointment.
His mother affectionately stroked his hair and drank her tea again.
A few years later, on a day in his tenth year.
Adolph Kareha, while flipping through old books in the library, suddenly stopped at a certain passage.
This passage was titled “The Savior of the Thousand Swords,” a strange document.
The book was very old, with some pages torn and the print faded, making it hard to read.
However, the few sentences that caught his eye were vividly imprinted on his mind.
It mentioned the period when the hero would be born and foretold the Demon King’s resurrection, written as if it were a prophecy.
At that moment, the long-haunting memories in his mind suddenly connected into one.
“This is… part of the novel I read in my previous life.”
He whispered to himself, crouching in the corner of the empty library, holding his breath.
The musty smell of the book pages, the fragile texture of the paper, and the faint ink smell evoked a strange nostalgia.
But the young boy’s heart was pounding.
The content he knew from his previous life, and his surmise that this world was the stage of that novel, invaded his mind.
Closing his eyes tightly and taking a deep breath, he came to an intuitive acceptance of the absurd destiny that befell him at such a young age.
A faint hope sprouted in the corner of his heart that if this world was indeed the same as the novel he knew, perhaps he could prevent or change the great events to come.
But soon, he had to face a shocking fact.
The major historical events were happening sooner than expected.
The ‘main storyline’ of the novel was supposed to be twenty years away, but according to his calculations, it was already progressing faster.
He calculated, organized, and confirmed again.
But the result didn’t change.
There was about a twenty-year discrepancy.
“How could this happen… No, maybe it’s for the better?”
He exhaled and firmly pressed the pages of the old book.
As if the answers were hidden in those pages, he pressed the paper with his fingers.
He couldn’t tell anyone this fact.
The knowledge that he retained memories from his previous life and this world was from a novel was more precious than his own life.
He decided to conceal himself.
He should stay out of the public eye, but at the same time, build up sufficient power and knowledge to prepare for the future.
He muttered under his breath,
“The Demon King will surely appear at some point. As in the novel, a Demon King must appear in this world, and a hero will be needed.”
According to the book’s content, the resurrection of the Demon King was inevitable, and defeating him required a hero and his lineage.
But the hero hadn’t even been born yet, and the fear that the predetermined fate might twist in different ways overwhelmed him.
After leaving the library, he hardly slept for several days.
“Dad, I want to learn swordsmanship.”
When the boy spoke during breakfast, his father responded that it was time to learn and began teaching him.
During the day, he was an ordinary ten-year-old boy, studying swordsmanship, reading books, and attending the empire’s public education.
At night, however, he would wake up at midnight, light a candle, and write down the memories of the novel in his notebook.
His hand trembled as he tightly filled the pages with blue ink.
From what he remembered, the novel’s hero ultimately triumphed, but at the cost of countless lives in the continent.
“I can’t just stand by and watch this world collapse.”
His eyes gleamed with an unstoppable fear, but at the same time, they showed his determination because what he had read in his previous life as “The Savior of the Thousand Swords” now felt like a prophecy given to him.
A month later, a report came that a large number of monsters had appeared at the borders of the empire.
The news that the imperial army had intervened to suppress the situation shook the noble society, and the common people were filled with anxiety.
Adolph Kareha, who heard the news, recognized that it was a prelude to an event he had read about in the novel.
“The appearance of the monsters… and the looming darkness… That’s it.”
The boy, still only ten years old, knew there was little he could do.
What he needed were power, knowledge, and above all, a status and authority that could persuade people.
Thus, he decided.
When he grew up, he would demonstrate his military talent and earn recognition from the empire.
He resolved to become someone who could voice opinions at crucial moments.
The young boy kept this secret even from his parents.
He studied harder than his peers and approached his swordsmanship training more systematically.
He buried himself in the library, reading historical texts and war records, and dove into books on magic.
People praised him as a “talented child,” but he pushed himself harder in his heart.
“This isn’t enough… When the Demon King eventually appears, I need a way to stop it.”
He flipped through old maps and military strategy manuals, memorizing the geography around the empire’s boundaries and the political situation beyond the borders.
In a manner calm like an adult, he meticulously observed his surroundings and absorbed knowledge and information.
However, a corner of his heart was filled with constant doubt and fear.
What if the future he knew wasn’t accurate?
Or what if something had already gone so wrong that the “hero” never appeared?
He contemplated unimaginable catastrophes, and this fear made him work even harder.
As time passed, his twelfth birthday arrived.
The boy had grown into someone who spoke calmly and rationally, surprising the noble youths in social gatherings with his opinions.
When his explanations on military strategy and tactics overwhelmed even adults, people began to take notice.
“That boy is not ordinary,”
An old general said, setting down his wine glass with a peculiar look, and the officers around him nodded.
On the surface, he appeared calm, but inside, he was constantly tense, preparing for the storm that might erupt at any moment.
There was no certainty about when the “Demon King” would come, and there was no guarantee that he would appear according to the novel’s timetable.
Knowing that the history might already be altered, he couldn’t shake off the unease that the Demon King might appear sooner or in a worse form.
However, it was this very unease and fear that kept him pressing forward.
He sought to become stronger, reach higher positions, and acquire the power to move more people.
He believed that he could do something to save this world.
At the age of fifteen, he obtained the opportunity to participate in a small-scale battle of the empire.
It was part of a training program where young potential commanders from noble families were given the chance to gain real combat experience.
This opportunity would’ve been hard to come by under normal circumstances, but Adolph Kareha’s exceptional strategic senses had already become a topic of interest even within the military ranks and reached the ears of the emperor’s close associates.
“This battle isn’t large, but it should be enough to gain field experience.”
The general addressed the group of noble youths gathered with a stern voice.
Although he was still in a low rank, he had the opportunity to lead a portion of the troops in real combat.
This was an opportunity he had fervently desired.
He wanted to test his knowledge in actual battles and develop the combat sense necessary for greater threats to come.
