Chapter 3: Fresh Memories
Tin~
{Transfer completed successfully}
{The system is being permanently assigned to the user}
{The system has been completely absorbed by the user}
{Unique skill assignment is being processed}
{Assignment has ended}
{The stats tab has been unlocked}
{Error!}
{There was an error mixing the candidate's current life memories!}
{The 13th candidate's memories have been partially restored}
{The 13th's true consciousness awoke from his long sleep}
''Young master... Young master Verlane, we have just arrived. It's time to wake up.''
A soft, mysterious voice filled Harlan's tired, drooping ears. Impressively, it was light as a leaf and sweet as a grain of sugar.
Although, strangely it seemed to belong to a young woman.
But who was this girl talking to him?
Harlan didn't remember any other women visiting his home besides Diana, his ex-girlfriend.
He didn't like to give people false hope at all — unless it proved extremely necessary, of course.
'Urgent measures should be taken in urgent situations', He used to think.
''Urgh…'' Flipping his arms uneasily, he grunted under his breath.
His body felt heavier than usual, as if it was restrained by shackles or something similar.
Had that effect been caused by the previous accident, where he'd been hit by a truck?
The pain still haunted him, but he was grateful that he was still alive. For a second, at that mediocre point in his life, he had sworn he was dead.
But who had helped him?
Honestly, he didn't know.
As Harlan impetuously tried to fight his exacerbated drowsiness, strange voices he had never heard before could be heard nearby.
''Um... Baron Verlane, the captain said we've reached our destination.'' The girl's voice rang out again, somehow giving Harlan a sense of comfort. ''Are you by any chance awake?''
Then he felt a few light touches on his right arm, as his still blurred vision was able to detect soft little fingers that brushed against his pale skin.
'The fuck?', the young man thought.
First of all, who was that and why did his body respond this way to her lines?
Was he kidnapped or drugged by someone who took advantage of his weak situation after the hit-and-run?
''Hey idiot woman, STOP immediately addressing him as such. He is no longer just a mere Baron, as many people think! This man is Duke Barastrosa's new son, Lughys Fou Barastrosa! How can you call him 'sir'. Doesn't the knight academy teach manners to disgusting commoners like you?''
A man's voice, gravelly, loud and gruff, apparently scolding the young woman for some reason, finally woke Harlan.
"Would you guys shut up?" Still yawning lazily,
Harlan was forced to wake up due to the man's loud voice and his myriad internal worries.
Soon after, analyzing himself and his body, he realized that there was nothing unusual about it.
His breathing was normal, and his heart rate was normal, so Harlan assumed he hadn't been drugged or medicated by either party there.
Nonetheless, how the hell was he managing to behave so well after such a serious accident?
Had medicine evolved so much that the procedures were perfectly done while he was in a coma, or something similar?
"Baron… ah… um… I mean Duke Lughys… you finally woke up."
"Haha… Great Duke Lughys, it's a good thing you woke up in time. Duke Julius Barastrosa is waiting for us. From here we can instruct the knights and other escorts how to get you to the mansion safely."
They both said happily, genuine smiles plastered on their faces.
Notably, the girl's voice was elegant, although the voice of the man accompanying her was extremely polite and irritating to hear.
'But who are you guys, after all?', cogitated Harlan.
His eyes wandered through the figures.
Standing in front of him was a girl wearing silver knight's armor, a bluish robe underneath with a golden lion's crest in the center.
Her short, slender, shoulder-length blond hair was tied up tightly with a reddish bobby pin.
What's more, her small stature — which made Harlan, who was about five feet five, feel quite tall — made the girl look even smaller with the massive armor over her entire body.
On the other hand, the black-haired man wore a striking blue robe, with lace, jewels and extravagant designs.
He was tall and pot-bellied; a small button with a sun symbol cut by swords was dangling right across his chest.
Moreover, his bulging shape and thick arms couldn't be hidden by his luxurious clothes, looking more showy than sophisticated.
In Harlan's opinion, the guy looked like some kind of high-ranking military man from the medals on his clothes; his blue eyes studying Harlan carefully, as if he were worried and afraid about something.
Anyway, bizarrely, Harlan felt shorter than usual. Staring at the two's faces was extremely difficult from his low perspective.
Preoccupied, he asked himself what had happened to his body.
''...''
Harlan, still baffled, leaned slightly to the side, trying to get his spine straightened out, but nothing changed.
He was still smaller than usual and, to make matters worse, his vision was momentarily obstructed by dark-brown hair that fell to his waist.
He sighed, now even more curious and scared than before.
Frowning, Harlan narrowed his sinuous eyes and took a close look at the massive glossy dark brown hair.
'Hell, why the fuck was my precious hair dyed in a different color? To make matters worse, it is too long and has red streaks at the ends! People are going to think I'm some kind of delinquent!'
He thought, letting the fancy locks slip through his tiny fingers.
'But more importantly, who are these people cosplaying? What the hell happened since I got hit by that car? And why am I so small?'
Maybe the accident was just a dream?
Frankly, he had no idea, but it was better to acquire the information bit by bit. So he calmed down, doing his best not to look upset on the outside.
"Hm… excuse me, but could your tell me who you are?" Harlan asked as formally as he could, grimacing at the state of his body. ''I really don't remember, so I'd be grateful if you could introduce yourselves.''
The two blinked repeatedly.
Then they looked at each other, not understanding what was happening, apparently confused as to how they should proceed from there.
The girl took the lead and opened her lips as thin and red as a fresh tomato.
For a second, time seemed to stop and Harlan couldn't take his eyes off the silhouette that exuded elegance and shyness in droves.
The young man swore his heart skipped a beat.
"Ah… I am Alicia, a fledgling knight of the Barastrosa Order…'' she said, ''And this man beside me is the highly decorated Sir Cale Alderon, of the Alderon swordsman family of our kingdom!"
The man threw an angry death glare in the girl's direction, causing her to shiver.
''Who told you to introduce me?! I could have done it myself, you know!! Foolish girl from hell who sent me…''
Cale intervened mid-sentence, obviously annoyed.
Alicia shyly shut up, lowering her head as if she were a small animal being scolded by its owner.
His eyes strayed from the fledgling knight, returning once more to Harlan.
''But seriously, Duke Lughys, it was a great joke, but stop playing with us. I know you're a kid and all, but please, restrain yourself from these kind of jokes. We already met last time at the meeting of the Council of Noble Houses."
Laughing, Cale replied politely.
Harlan was silent, his brain gradually processing the information.
''I'm Cale Von Alderon, one of the younger brothers of the current head of the Alderon family. I came in his place, as Edward had to leave due to the war in the north of the kingdom.''
That archaic way of talking. The weird way of acting and the old-fashioned, museum-worthy attire.
What did it all mean?
Confused, Harlan put his hands over the thin, underdeveloped, small body and inspected his attire.
Surprisingly, his mental theory that he hadn't said it out loud out of embarrassment wasn't as wrong as he'd thought.
A black overcoat with very intricate golden linings covered his entire body.
A long black and white plaid shirt was tucked under his overcoat, accompanied by a rosary hanging from his collar.
In addition to that, two expensive looking rings were on his pointing fingers.
Long strands of dark brown, almost black, hair, hung freely over his shoulder, making him suspicious.
And finally, a modest carnival mask was tucked away beside a white book with a bunch of gray gloves arranged neatly on the table.
'Damn it…'
Judging by his attire and the way these people addressed him, Harlan finally noticed. He was no longer himself.
He was a different person.
Looking at the environment so real, the small bed, the strange and calm environment and the excited faces full of expectation of the people in front of him, this didn't seem to be a mere dream.
If it had been, he wouldn't have felt the knight's touch or the subtle scent of the nobleman's perfume on the padded seat.
'Lughys Barastrosa… Verlane and Barastrosa… who…? Ah right, it's that imbecile from the game! The same guy who only served as cannon fodder for the beginning of [Wheel of Fortune]!'
Exactly.
Harlan's conclusion was correct, he had become a character in Wheel of Fortune.
A villainous extra on the dark side of that game he hated so much and that had ruined their relationship.
Lughys Fou Barastrosa, 16, noble inhabitant of the Jormungard Kingdom.
According to his achievements and talents shown from an early age, the boy was considered by many to be the holder of the title of Knight of the Blood Moon described in the prophecies of the end of the world.
But while a whole world was pinning its hopes and expectations on this young man, Harlan knew better than anyone what he really was.
He was a total extra character. No more, nor less.
However, luckily, he had certain appearances and important quotes at the beginning of the story, just to show his sister's, the main villainess of the romance, inhuman prowess in fighting and using artifacts.
'Haha, ridiculous.'
Later due to his exacerbated arrogance, the half-assed Swordsman goes to great lengths to trick the protagonist's party, ending up arrested and then trampled to death after his protectors and his own sister abandoned him.
''Alicia, isn't it? Could you tell if I happened to be adopted by a noble house?''
Alicia threw her head forward, confused by the question.
Harlan urged her on with a wave of his hands and, quickly, the girl nodded in agreement. Then pointing to their destination — a huge, magnificent mansion.
''Damn, this is bad.'' Harlan said aloud, not realizing it. ''This is the beginning of something really, really bad, for real.''
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone