I was reborn.
No, should I call it possession?
“Hmm.”
It’s not like I left a 5,700-character comment on a web novel author’s page.
I didn’t get hit by a truck.
I didn’t make a wish to a god.
I fell asleep and woke up in some fantasy world.
“The House of Silberg.”
The fortunate thing is,
it’s not a world I know nothing about.
Familiar family names and place names.
Looking over the circumstances, I realized that this place I had possessed was the world inside a novel I had known before.
The title was probably *Northern Grand Duke Tactics in a Romance Fantasy*, if I recall?
I didn’t know it in extreme detail, but I remember it was roughly a romance fantasy novel where the protagonist, the Northern Grand Duke, and the female lead, the Hero, flirted with each other.
Since I read it years ago, I couldn’t remember the details, but thanks to reading it to completion, I remembered the general flow.
“It was a novel with a pretty mediocre feel, neither a masterpiece nor a failure.”
And ‘Leon Silberg,’ whom I had possessed, was a character who briefly passed by around the middle of the novel.
A being whose entire role was to obediently hand over money upon receiving a letter sent by the protagonist, the Northern Grand Duke, and the Hero to borrow war funds.
Even that,
only because his face was drawn on the corner of the main cover.
If he hadn’t possessed the strong characteristic of being a slit-eyed character,
he would have been a character explained away as something like, ‘Ah, that viscount something from the south who lent money in that novel back then.’
So to speak,
an extra who couldn’t even be a supporting actor.
But it wasn’t bad.
No,
“Rather, it’s great!”
The original novel was quite hardcore, unlike a typical romance fantasy.
Bloody depictions were the basics, and even the protagonist often had his arms and legs cut off.
Even the female protagonist, the Hero, rolled around in filth and got captured by northern barbarians, had her limbs cut off, and reached the brink of violation before being saved by the male lead.
Just reading it gave a sense of devastation.
And you want me to experience that directly?
I can’t do it.
In that sense, becoming an extra in such a world was rather lucky.
I, who in my previous life sought peace over fierce conflict.
Moreover, the Silberg family’s territory was located in the south, the exact opposite of the north, and the rank was the lowly title of viscount.
Unable to become a duke, marquis, or count.
A level of nobility perfectly suited for a character who just passes by in any decent novel.
Because of that, the Silberg family was far from power struggles.
“And on top of that, I’m the only person in the family.”
To add insult to injury,
because most blood relatives had died off due to infighting within the family in the past,
I was the sole person bearing the name Silberg in the household.
A situation where no one could say anything to me.
In other words, the optimal environment for pursuing peace.
So I made up my mind.
If things went according to the original anyway, the protagonists would resolve all the major incidents.
“I’ll live comfortably, so you guys figure out the north yourselves. If necessary, I shall lend you some money.”
For extreme peace.
I will do absolutely nothing!
…That was what I decided.
***
A few months had passed since the possession.
And now I was….
“Bored.”
I was feeling extreme boredom.
Well, it wasn’t like I did nothing just because I pursued peace.
I had looked through books to figure out what kind of world this was,
and tried things like horseback riding and swordsmanship that were hard to do in my previous life.
But perhaps because they weren’t my hobbies to begin with, they weren’t fun at all.
After that, I played around.
It was a wealthy household, so we had quite a lot of money, and indulging in luxury wasn’t a problem.
To begin with, there was no one to tell me off even if I did.
I drank and gambled.
As was typical of romance fantasy, most card games weren’t very different from my previous life, so it wasn’t hard to fit in.
But how should I put it?
Whether it was because Leon Silberg’s luck was good,
or because the other players went easy on me since it was a game against noble families, I don’t know, but winning so easily over and over made me lose interest.
The problem was that if so, at least the fun of making money should be there.
But because it was games against commoners with low stakes, this too became boring.
Only then did I understand why possessors in web novels do all sorts of stupid shit.
“So fucking boring.”
Writing a novel.
Going on an adventure.
If not, inventing something.
They probably ended up that way because they felt like they’d go crazy if they didn’t do something.
But I had no intention of doing that.
Honestly, there was no need.
In this romance fantasy world, most convenient facilities were already provided under the name of magic, and I didn’t have any ability to develop something.
And if I caused any incident and it interfered with the main story, that wouldn’t do, right?
While holding such thoughts, I naturally couldn’t bring myself to do anything.
My motto was, ‘Let’s stay quiet until the main story ends.’
I didn’t want to step out and cause unnecessary trouble.
But.
“I’m bored….”
I felt like I’d go crazy from the boredom.
Lazing around was only possible for a day or two.
Repeating it every day made me feel like I was losing my mind.
I needed some dopamine, anything small would do.
But then.
“My Lord, an invitation to a party at Count Rugner’s estate has arrived. What shall I do?”
“Another invitation? Hmm….”
A maid came to me holding an invitation.
A nearby territory.
And at that, an invitation to a party at Count Rugner’s, one of the influential families in the south.
“The purpose of the party isn’t even written here.”
Truthfully, I had often received invitations even after possessing this body.
Things like a debut into high society for a family’s young lady.
Or VIP invitations related to territory festivals.
At first, I had intended to go to them all.
Even if I was clumsy with noble manners, new experiences wouldn’t be bad.
Moreover, as boring days continued, I felt the need for some different stimulation.
But until now, I had never accepted such invitations.
The reason was simple.
“This one is written similarly too.”
An invitation written in flowery noble language.
The problem was always the last sentence that made me reluctant to attend.
*“We are concerned that our inadequate preparations may cause you inconvenience. Should you take the time to attend despite this, we would be grateful; however, as it is not our intention to subject you to such shortcomings, we would appreciate it if you carefully consider your attendance and inform us of your decision.”*
A convoluted and unnecessarily long sentence.
At first, I had to look up what this meant.
And the truth I learned.
This was an expression often used in invitations sent out of courtesy by people who did not want the recipient to visit.
In other words, having written that in the invitation meant:
“Don’t come.”
That’s what it was.
“Then I shall send a reply declining the invitation.”
“…Okay.”
That’s why, whenever such invitations came until now… I had simply sent a reply declining.
So I had been about to do the same this time.
“Wait.”
“Yes?”
But thinking about it, I wondered if there was really a need to do so.
After all, them sending an invitation in that manner meant:
From Count Rugner’s perspective, I wasn’t someone worth worrying that much about.
Moreover, unlike the previous invitations sent by nobles of similar rank, this was an invitation from a count.
A count is above a viscount.
Being a nearby territory, practically speaking, it was a higher jurisdiction.
“I’ll attend.”
“…Yes? Really?”
“Yes. So send a reply that I’ll go.”
“Are you seri… ah, no. You must have your reasons. Understood.”
“?”
So going once to pay my respects… there shouldn’t be anything bad about it.
Rather, if a nearby noble of lower rank came to greet him politely, wouldn’t it leave a favorable impression on the count?
It’s good to be friendly with neighbors.
And while I’m at it, I can blow away this damn boredom too.
Hehe.
Yeah. Should I take this chance to get some fresh air?
***
Meanwhile, at Count Rugner’s estate.
“What did you just say?”
The head of the household,
Theo Rugner stood frozen in the middle of his office.
He wore a bewildered expression.
The reason was simple.
“…They say Viscount Silberg is coming to the party.”
It was because shocking news had been delivered.
Theo felt like he had misheard and scratched his ear.
As if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.
He also repeatedly swept his hair back.
But soon,
seeing the letter his subordinate had handed over, he had to accept that what he heard was true.
“Why…! Did you hear the reason?”
“No. I only heard that he would attend; I did not hear the reason.”
“You should have found out somehow!!”
Theo rebuked his subordinate with a shout.
But he too knew.
That this was a situation the subordinate could never have predicted.
“…I apologize.”
“Think nothing of it… I too never imagined Viscount Silberg would show any intention to attend. Could it be… we didn’t send the wrong invitation?”
“Yes… No. The invitation returned along with the reply letter, and I double-checked, but it was the exact same wording we always send.”
“…I see. Of course. Not only do I personally write the letters to the Silberg family, but you all are required to review them several times… so such a mistake couldn’t have happened. Understood. You may go….”
Getting angry now would only waste time.
Realizing it could not be a viable alternative, the count hurriedly sent his subordinate away.
At the same time, he commanded.
“Therefore, check again. There is no way Viscount Silberg would attend just like that. Examine everything from the beginning, down to the smallest detail of the party! And inform His Highness!”
“What should I inform him?”
“…Inform him exactly as it is. That Viscount Silberg is attending the party we are hosting! Hurry! Get a wyvern or something in the air and tell him posthaste!”
“Yes. Understood!”
The subordinate’s back as he ran out.
Then, his daughter who had been waiting in front of the door entered Theo’s office with a worried expression.
“Father….”
“…Sonia.”
As if she had heard the shouting from outside.
Confirming his daughter’s dark expression, Theo could only lower his head with a bitter expression.
Seeing her father like that,
Sonia forced a smile and approached him.
“It’s okay. It’s the ‘Silberg family,’ after all. The party isn’t important right now. So don’t worry about it.”
“I’m sorry, Sonia. I was merely trying to hold a small party for your birthday… why the Silberg family… sigh….”
“It’s okay. Dad. Really, it’s okay. So… you have nothing to apologize for.”
Father and daughter comforted each other with mutual concern.
At the same time, they put their heads together and fretted.
Why.
They had to find out why the Silberg family wanted to attend the party.
The reason was simple.
“Because… it’s the ‘Silberg family.’”
“Yes. It definitely isn’t just for no reason!”
It was because of the significance the Silberg family held.