Chapter Text
- Is this how I raised you?! I still can't believe all of this! Take him to his room. Now! I don't want to see your face! - The moment Kim Rok Soo opened his eyes, he was met with the furious shouting of an unfamiliar man in his forties
Before he even had time to fully examine the room, someone grabbed both of his arms, holding him firmly by the elbows. He was dragged through an unfamiliar corridor.
Looking around, he quickly realized that he was definitely not in Korea. He didn’t even want to remember the last time he had seen buildings that were still intact.
Looking down at his hands and feet, he noticed a young body — a teenage one, even. This was not the body he was used to.
The clothes of the young men carrying him didn’t help him figure out where he was either. They were clearly wearing something that didn’t belong to this era.
After turning a corner, they stopped in front of a door. The young man on the right opened it with an annoyed expression, while the other shoved Kim Rok Soo inside and locked the door behind him.
Once he was alone in the room, the first thing he did was search for a mirror.
He found one near the wardrobe.
Looking into it, he saw a fifteen-year-old boy with red hair, an extremely thin body, and no scars whatsoever. He was wearing a white shirt with the top three buttons undone and brown trousers.
This was definitely not his body.
There was only one person he could remember who matched this description — or rather, one character from the novel The Birth of a Hero: Cale Henituse.
The trash of the count’s family, a young man infamous for his drunken brawls. He was mentioned at the very beginning of the story, where the protagonist had beaten him up.
"So I reincarnated as him. And that man must be my father. He was probably being scolded because of yet another incident he caused.
Strange. In the novel, he was described as an eighteen-year-old, but this body looks fifteen at most.
I also have a servant named Ron Molan, a former assassin. When he comes to me, I need to ask him what year it is."
After looking around the room once more, he noticed how large and expensive it was.
Seeing the bed, he approached it without hesitation and collapsed onto it, completely exhausted.
It had been a long time since he had slept in such a soft bed that smelled so fresh.
Wrapping himself in the blanket, the boy immediately fell into a deep sleep.
"Young Master, may I come in?"
After sleeping for a couple of hours, he woke up to a knock on the door.
Hearing permission to enter, his servant Ron Molan opened the door.
He entered the room silently, walked toward the bed, and handed over a letter containing an order from the count.
"Young Master, I have been instructed to pack all of your belongings and prepare the carriage for tomorrow. You are being sent to the Temple of the Sun God so that you may repent for your actions."
"What time is it?" he asked briefly as he took the letter and began reading.
Ron summarized everything written inside. It also mentioned that he was fifteen years old.
"It is late evening. Shall I bring your dinner?" Ron asked after seeing that his master had finished reading.
"After you prepare a bath for me." After sleeping, he felt dirty.
"Of course."
Ron narrowed his eyes slightly as he answered, taking one last look at the young master before leaving.
After some time, Ron prepared the bath along with a robe for him to wear afterward.
When he stepped into the water, he was surprised by how pale his skin was. So this was what being an aristocrat looked like.
After washing himself, Cale changed into the robe and sat down for dinner.
Once he finished eating, he thanked the chef for the wonderful meal and went out onto the balcony to get some fresh air while Ron cleaned up.
He stared into the distance, thinking about what he should do next and recalling the plot of the novel.
From the outside, it looked as if he was simply gazing far away.
After noticing that Ron had left, Cale closed the balcony doors and went to sleep.
"Young Master, it's time to wake up."
He was roused early the next morning, before the sun had even begun to rise.
Frowning, Cale forced himself to shake off the lingering drowsiness. After washing up, he got dressed—though Ron did most of the work.
As Cale walked through the corridors, he didn't encounter a single servant. It was probably too early, and most of the staff were still asleep.
When he reached the carriage waiting outside, he noticed that it bore no crest of the Count's family. Their escort consisted of only four knights on horseback.
If someone attacks us, they won't be able to protect the carriage.
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
Still, he quickly calmed himself. Who would bother attacking an ordinary, unmarked carriage?
Climbing inside, he set off for the Temple of the Sun God.
One question kept nagging at him.
Why the Sun God? Why not the God of Death? His temple is much closer. Or did my family simply want to send me as far away as possible?
Kim Rok Soo had always been an atheist. And even if gods truly existed, he still had no fondness for them. In his eyes, they were selfish beings who acted only in their own interests.
If his memory served him right, the journey would take about a week. They were currently near the center of the Roan Kingdom, while the capital lay roughly two hours away from the temple.
The journey passed peacefully, without a single incident.
Even so, Cale suffered from spending hours at a time sitting on the hard carriage seat.
They stopped only occasionally—either to eat or, if they were lucky enough to come across an inn or a village, to spend the night there.
Fortunately, Ron had accompanied them, so there was no need to worry about decent meals. The former assassin personally prepared every dish.
By the time they arrived at the Temple of the Sun God, it was already late at night, and almost everyone had gone to bed.
The first person to greet them was the temple's Patriarch.
Judging by the forced smile on the man's face, he wasn't particularly pleased to see Cale.
The Count must have made a generous donation to the temple to ensure his troublesome son would be accepted without any questions.
As it turned out, everyone who had escorted him immediately departed for home—including Ron.
To Cale's surprise, he didn't mind in the slightest. If anything, he felt relieved. His servant had always been just a little intimidating.
Giving Cale a friendly pat on the back, the Patriarch began showing him around the temple while explaining the daily routine.
Early wake-up.
Morning prayer.
Breakfast.
Classes.
Lunch.
Free time.
Dinner.
Evening prayer.
Lights out.
Every single day.
Cale wondered how anyone managed to stay sane living the same schedule over and over again—especially with such an early start every morning.
He decided then and there that he might as well live up to his reputation as the family's disgrace.
The temple itself was beautiful, every bit the sacred place it claimed to be.
Its walls were built of pristine white stone. Gardens surrounded the buildings, and farther in the distance he spotted a vegetable garden. Elegant fountains decorated the grounds, and the Patriarch mentioned that there was also a stream, though Cale would see it another day.
The entire place radiated peace and tranquility.
If not for the brutal wake-up hour, he might have been willing to stay here for quite some time.
Their tour ended in front of Cale's room.
Unlike the others, his door had a nameplate.
Apparently, it was there to discourage people from wandering into his room.
Works for me, Cale thought.
After escorting him to his quarters, the Patriarch handed him a small booklet containing the temple's full schedule and wished him a good night.
Without giving it much thought, Cale went straight to bed.
The mattress wasn't nearly as soft as the one back at the Count's estate, but it was comfortable enough.