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Chapter 1: Nainali Axi

In the Hedley Empire, within Art City, inside an earl’s mansion.

Ryan stood before a room door in the mansion, still feeling disoriented.

Because not long ago, he had been on the border fighting the invading demon army as the Knight Order’s leader.

In the blink of an eye, he found himself here again, ready to serve as a private butler to the earl’s daughter.

The drastic switch between two completely opposite identities left Ryan struggling to adjust.

After taking a deep breath, he looked up and knocked on the door.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

Moments after the knock, the door slowly opened.

As the door to the boudoir creaked open, a faint floral scent drifted out from the gap.

Then a little girl peeked out, lifting her head to look at Ryan.

She was the nine-year-old only daughter of Count Horace Axi of the Hedley Empire, Nanali Axi.

Ryan looked down and realized Nainali had inherited much of her mother’s beauty, from her finely carved features to her sapphire-blue, gem-like eyes.

Nainali’s golden hair cascaded softly down her back, framing her petite body, and she wore a pristine princess dress with clean white socks on her small feet, making her look like a living doll.

Their eyes met in a moment that marked the beginning of their fate.

This was the story of a knight butler wearing a mask of smiles and a lonely, fragile noble young lady.

♤ ♡ ♢ ♧

The story had to be traced back to two days earlier.

Outside the Hedley Empire’s borders, in the Demon Territory, Human Calendar year 1404, September, autumn.

In a space created by demon mages, a man clad in black armor sat sword in hand atop a mountain of corpses.

An invisible pressure radiated from him, preventing the demon warriors below from advancing even an inch.

His jet-black armor was stained with blood that no force could cleanse, making him resemble a dark demon knight at first glance.

Yet the golden Hedley Empire crest on the left side of his breastplate identified him as an imperial knight.

Behind him stood a group of knights wearing equally dark armor, though their crests were not golden.

The demon soldiers racked their brains trying to understand why the Hedley Empire, known for its purity and nobility, would create such monstrous knights in black armor.

The dark red sky, meant to suppress human knights’ combat power, seemed to serve as his backdrop, sending shivers through the demon commanders and soldiers below.

At that moment, the man slowly lifted his head, the scraping of helmet against breastplate producing a harsh sound that made the demon warriors retreat a step.

“It’s time to end this…”

A voice of reflection echoed through his helmet.

Though his face remained hidden, the voice made him seem harmless… almost youthful and without an ounce of authority, if not for his position atop a corpse heap.

As the demons wondered what he meant, a prolonged blast of a horn sounded from their city behind them.

Retreat!

At the horn’s call, the demons scattered like waves upon hearing amnesty.

Watching them flee, the man chose not to pursue but stood and leaped down from the corpse pile.

Facing a line of knights standing rigidly, he said softly, “Return to the city.”

“Yes!”

♤ ♡ ♢ ♧

Within the Hedley Empire’s border guards.

“Captain Ryan!”

No sooner had the man settled after descending the corpse mound than a messenger soldier came dashing over:

“News from the Council: the demons have signed a peace treaty. We don’t have to fight anymore!”

“We don’t have to fight anymore?”

At his words, the surrounding knights all turned to the messenger.

“Yes, we don’t have to fight anymore!”

Silence fell briefly before every knight erupted into unprecedented cheers.

“Oh?”

Hearing this, Ryan slowly removed his helmet, revealing a refined yet resolute face.

Ryan, Captain of the Darkbite Knight Order, was considered young at twenty-four for his rank.

His jet-black hair, rare in the Hedley Empire, made him stand out.

Taking the intelligence report from the messenger, Ryan skimmed it and said, “Last time, the demons signed a ceasefire that lasted six hundred years. I wonder how long they’ll behave this time…”

“If you ask me, we should storm the Demon Lord’s Castle and wipe them out for good!”

The vice captain pummeled his fist, growling viciously.

Ryan gave him a sidelong glance. “What if the Demon Lord shows up? You gonna fight him?”

Hearing this, the vice captain wilted and chuckled nervously, “Isn’t that why we’ve got you?”

“Get out of my face!”

Ryan kicked the vice captain, sending him rolling several times in his armor.

Seeing the vice captain’s beard turn nearly white, Ryan shook his head.

“No need for grand plans. The demons have withdrawn, so our duty is done. Let’s go home and… enjoy ourselves. Anyway, next time they invade won’t be our concern.”

Just then, another messenger arrived, panting: “Captain Ryan, a letter arrived for you!”

“A letter for me?”

Ryan took the envelope in puzzlement, read its contents, and fell silent.

“Captain, is something wrong?” a knight asked.

Ryan quietly put the letter away and said, “My foster father is gravely ill.”

“Captain, please… accept our condolences?”

Watching Ryan’s lips curve into a faint smile, the knights felt uneasy.

Suppressing his expression, Ryan stood and said, “Help me remove my armor.”

The vice captain stepped forward and stripped off Ryan’s gear, and a comrade led over a horse.

After Ryan mounted lightly, the vice captain saluted solemnly, “Captain, safe travels!”

“Please inform the king for me. I must return first…”

After briefing the deputy leader, Ryan waved goodbye to the knights and clicked his reins…

“Clop!”

“I’m off to the feast!”

Watching Ryan gallop off out of sight, the vice captain stood frozen long enough to wonder, “Feast… what does he mean?”

♤ ♡ ♢ ♧

Art City, located beside the Hedley capital, was even more prosperous than the capital itself.

After two days of travel, Ryan rode in on his lean horse and finally arrived at the city.

He wove through the traffic, feeling as if he had stepped into another world at the sight of its bustling streets.

The empire was developing at the speed of light, and a decade as a knight made Ryan feel out of place in this new world.

Unfortunately, it was still far from the gleaming metropolis of his memories, with skyscrapers and ceaseless traffic.

Ryan wasn’t a transmigrator, or rather, he nearly became one.

When he was a child in the orphanage, a mysterious consciousness had invaded his mind, attempting to possess his body.

Then… that entity failed and was consumed by him, leaving him with a host of inexplicable memories.

Though his body remained under his own will, his everyday actions were often influenced by those strange memories.

For example, he would frequently blurt out odd phrases…

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