Chapter 1

Mangas City welcomed its new lord.

Rumor had it that the new lord was the youngest duchess in the Empire’s history.

Rumor had it that she possessed beauty kissed by the gods, and a voice sweeter than a nightingale’s song.

Rumor had it that anyone who laid eyes on her would be utterly captivated by her noble bearing.

What they didn’t know was that, right now, inside the lord’s castle, Rosa Stuart was holding her face— kissed by the gods —and in a voice said to be even sweeter than a nightingale’s, she asked, “If I were to defect from the Empire right now, what are my chances of success?”

The butler, Morris, set a glass of wine before her and replied with a gentle smile,
“None at all, my lady.”

So be it.

With her last shred of illusion gone, Rosa resigned herself and opened the Brief History of Mangas City lying before her.

Before coming here, she had never imagined that such a barren place could exist within the Empire.

From the day she was born, she had lived in the imperial capital. Though her mother passed away early, the old duke had adored both her and her younger sister, Elena.

Rosa grew up like many noble ladies—tea tasting, painting, riding horses, practicing swordsmanship, and occasionally helping manage the family business. Aristocratic life was leisurely, elegant… and unbearably dull.

Everything changed with the old duke’s death.

At some point, Elena had aligned herself with the Church and, under the so-called will of the gods, claimed the most fertile territories of the family.

Within the royal family, there were those eager to marry Rosa and thereby swallow the old duke’s inheritance.

The men who once courted her grew even more relentless, pursuing her with renewed fervor.

As for the women, they could hardly wait to beat drums and set off fireworks to send this “Rose of the Empire” as far away as possible.

Rosa had grown up among nobles. She understood their nature all too well.

For profit, they would sacrifice anything and tell any lie.

She knew she could not remain in the capital. Acting decisively, she requested to depart for her territory—wealthy or not, it did not matter.

Rosa had expected obstacles, but the king was surprisingly generous, not only allowing her to inherit the title smoothly but also helping her complete the inheritance procedures for the territory without any hindrance and promised that if Rosa could protect her lands through her own strength, the Empire would grant a ten-year tax reduction.

Yet when she finally arrived, Rosa realized—

She had been thoroughly deceived.

This place was poor.
Painfully poor.
Unbelievably poor.

Along the way, all she saw was windblown sand and yellow earth.

Mangas was called a city, but it was nothing more than a slightly crowded, crumbling village.

The buildings made her feel as though she had wandered into some primitive tribe— most were made of stone, and the people wore clothes that were little more than rags.

Rosa suspected that the city’s annual tax revenue wouldn’t even be enough to feed her small summoned beast.

As for the so-called castle—it was an empty shell, without even a door.

Looking at the map only made things worse. Located at the Empire’s southernmost edge, Mangas City was barely marked at all. Nearby lay a mysterious desert, magical beasts roamed freely, it bordered the Orc Kingdom, and from time to time it had to fend off raids by savage beastmen.

According to the history book, every few years a dragon would even drop by to offer a complimentary fire-breathing performance.

Flipping further, Rosa felt that this was less a local history and more a record of suffering—robbed, beaten, or roasted by a dragon.

The only good news recorded was:

“Due to the absence of food stored, nothing was stolen this year.”

Just as she finished reading that line, a cracking sound echoed beside her.

Rosa turned to see the already unsteady window finally give way. It swayed twice before dropping straight out of the castle with a dull thud.

…

Was this truly a territory?

This was clearly a human tragedy.

Rosa felt as though even her carefully maintained golden hair had lost its luster.

Beside her, Butler Morris asked politely,
“My lady, shall we prepare a meal?”

Rosa shook her head.

Though she had brought many items with her—mostly her father’s collections and her personal necessities—she had brought little food.

As a result, after arriving in Mangas City, she had spent three straight days eating porridge and wild vegetables. The only meat she had tasted came from a Curl-Eared Rabbit hunted by Aurora, the captain of the guard.

She didn’t want to eat anymore.

She feared that if this continued, her ears might start curling as well.

Still, complaining would accomplish nothing.

Rosa closed the history book and turned to Morris.
“How many gold coins did we bring?”

“Not many. Most were exchanged for mithril and magic stones.”

Those materials could greatly enhance combat strength—but reality reminded Rosa that combat strength was a distant concern. City construction came first.

At the very least, they needed a city wall.

Relying on the emaciated citizens of her territory was clearly impossible. Rosa considered recruiting laborers.

Within the Empire, there were two methods. One was purchasing slaves—but finding skilled ones required luck. The other was posting notices at various guilds and offering generous compensation to attract capable craftsmen.

Unable to decide for the moment, Rosa decided to bring her little summoned beast, Nick.

Nick was a young Wind Wolf cub. Though still small, his perception was keen, making him ideal for night watch duties. He was also warm—perfect as a living hand warmer.

She took out the crystal ball, placed her hand upon it, closed her eyes, and began chanting the spell.

But perhaps the night wind blowing through the fallen window was too cold. She shivered slightly, and her normally fluent incantation faltered for just a moment.

When she opened her eyes, there was nothing before her.

The summoning had failed.

As for the faint points of light rising weakly from the crystal ball, Rosa dismissed them as reflections from the flickering candle beside her.

Rosa, renowned for her swordsmanship and gifted in magic, found it strange that this failed summoning had nearly drained all her mana.

“Shall I prepare a mana recovery potion, my lady?” Morris asked softly.

“You don’t have to. Rest.”

“Yes.”

Rosa returned to her bedroom. Fortunately, the window there remained intact, allowing her to sleep soundly through the night.

Early the next morning, she planned to return to the study to finish reading the history.

But just before entering, she heard a faint rustling sound from behind the closed door.

Morris immediately stepped in front of her, blue light condensing around his right hand.
“It may be a magical beast,” he said quietly.

Rosa drew her sword, frowning.
“Aurora didn’t detect it?”

As her most loyal and capable guard captain, Aurora’s failure to notice an intrusion suggested the creature was no ordinary one.

At that moment, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

Rosa locked eyes with the figure before her.

She froze.

Not out of fear—

But because it was… simply an eyesore.

This “person”—if it could be called that—had a head and two arms like a normal human, yet its proportions were horribly distorted, every joint twisted at unnatural angles.

Its skin was smooth enough, but its facial features looked as though they had just been painted on—flat and unfinished. It had no hair at all, resembling a peeled boiled egg.

As for its clothing…

Rosa could not comprehend the logic of pairing red with green, nor the concept of wearing underwear on the outside.

Has she lived in the capital so long that her aesthetics no longer matches the people on the frontier?

Even so, none of this was enough to make the noble Duchess Rosa abandon her composure.

What truly shocked her were the words hovering above its head:

[Mangas City Lord]

…

How amusing.

Someone dared to steal her title right in front of her.

And even wore it openly.

Facing this “boiled egg,” Duchess Rosa—whose face was said to be kissed by the gods —felt deeply insulted.

She did not bother asking questions.

She simply raised her sword and slashed.

The figure did not dodge.

Her blade passed straight through its body.

It did not even blink.

Then again, freshly painted features likely lacked such a function.

Moments later, the impostor lord blurred and vanished completely, leaving not the slightest trace behind.

Rosa raised an eyebrow, eyes still alert as she scanned the study.
“Morris, was that some kind of magical creature?”

“I sensed no magical fluctuations.”

“An undead?”

“With respect, Your Grace, I don’t believe any undead could be that unsightly.”

… Fine, she had to admit it. Couldn’t argue with that.

Uncertain of the creature’s nature, Rosa remained cautious.

She entered the room slowly, surveying everything.

The study looked the same as yesterday—one desk, one chair, the emptiness making it easy to take in at a glance.

The only exception was the crystal ball on the desk.

It was a relic left behind by the old duke. Legend said that the Stuart family once aided a great mage, and this was the gift he left behind.

It possessed no combat power, nor could it foresee the future like in fairy tales.

Its sole purpose was to assist Rosa in summoning magical beasts.

Yet now, it flickered with a soft green glow. Gentle as it seemed, it struck the duchess as deeply dangerous.

Morris stepped forward, intending to touch it.

Before he could, the green light surged violently, as though on the verge of exploding.

In an instant, all magical fluctuations in the room vanished. Even the glow in Morris’s hand was swallowed by green light.

The ever-valiant Duchess Rosa charged forward, sword raised, ready to shatter the crystal ball.

But just before her blade struck, a voice echoed in her ears:

“O soul from another world, I am the god who embodies radiance. Offer your loyalty, and I shall grant your wish.”

Rosa’s first reaction was to turn her head. Seeing that Morris’s expression remained unchanged, she realized he could not hear it.

She stared at the crystal ball for a moment, then curved her lips slightly.

“It seems you’ve grown old and broken,” she said softly, raising her sword to strike.

The voice instantly grew frantic, nearly shrieking:

“Your Grace, please do not misunderstand! I apologize for my earlier rudeness—I was merely overexcited! If you wish, I can present my Game Service Qualification Certificate, Interworld Travel Permit, Top Ten System Labor Medal—”

“Speak plainly.”

“I am a game system from another world. I mean no harm. Please forgive my mistake!”

TOC  -  NEXT