Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 19: The Astounding Truth Revealed

Thunk.

Erina Trotsky unknowingly dropped the fork she was holding.

The fork lightly bounced off the pile of tender boiled pork stacked on her plate like a mountain.

Tang! Thud.

After the sound of the fork hitting the floor, no other noise was heard in Erina’s room.

A suffocating silence.

I could even hear Erina swallowing, her front already stained with kimchi broth.

Silence only intensifies pressure, and Erina, unable to endure it, clumsily denied it.

“Grand Duke, what are you talking about? Transmigration into a novel? Haha. What kind of nonsense is that...?”

She waved her hands awkwardly, but…

“That reaction alone is practically an admission.”

“...Excuse me?”

“Think about it. If it were an ordinary young lady from this world, she would have heard what I just said and gone, ‘Huh? What do you mean?’ She wouldn’t even understand it. It’s something completely unimaginable. But...”

Smirk.

“We’re from South Korea, where regression, transmigration, and reincarnation are everywhere, right? That’s why you understood immediately and tried to deny it.”

“Haha. Just from that, you think...”

“I heard you talking to yourself before you came in. Something about chopsticks and dongdongju.”

“...”

I could feel Erina’s mind racing at a breakneck speed.

She was probably trying to determine whether I, knowing about her transmigration, posed a threat to her.

She understood that I had already solidified my position as the Northern Grand Duke in this world, and that her life could be easily decided by my choice.

That’s why she was trembling slightly and hesitating.

Well, she probably didn’t have any big ambitions. She likely just wanted to survive and return to reality.

So, I had to extend my hand first.

“An alliance, Erina Trotsky.”

“Huh?”

“Surviving here and returning to reality—that’s our goal. Let’s form an alliance.”

“...Okay.”

Erina hadn’t completely lowered her guard yet, but...

‘Well, you can’t be full from just one spoonful.’

I was certain.

This alliance would bring a new phase to my life in this transmigrated world.

‘I was an idiot. Assuming I was the only one who transmigrated into this novel.’

I hadn’t even properly read the novel, yet I got hit by a transmigration beam.

There was no way an avid reader who had followed the story closely wouldn’t also get transmigrated.

So from the very beginning, I had been trapped in a dangerous misconception about this world.

‘She made it so obvious, too.’

Proud South Korean citizen Erina Trotsky had been showing typical Korean mannerisms since the very first day she arrived at the ducal castle.

As my suspicions grew from watching her behavior, I eventually found solid proof using my detection tools—kimchi and boiled pork.

“Bring more meat and kimchi. Oh, and beer too!”

As the maid in the hallway brought a generous refill of food, I finally shut the door and sat across from Erina.

“Eat. The food here hasn’t been to your taste, has it? It’s way too greasy.”

Following age-old traditions, I was using a hearty meal to lower her guard.

And soon...

“Now, let me ask you some questions.”

I fired away the questions that had been burning in my mind.

“Answer in short sentences. I’m so impatient right now I might hyperventilate.”

“?”

“How long has it been since you transmigrated?”

“Three years.”

“Does anyone else know about your transmigration?”

“No.”

“Have you ever met another transmigrator?”

“This is my first time.”

And then came the highlight question.

“The novel…”

Yes, this damned novel.

“How far did you read?”

The moment I started suspecting Erina Trotsky of being a transmigrator, only one thought kept circling my mind.

Yeah, this was a seriously important factor.

My understanding of this world’s storyline was limited to the first five free chapters and the fragmented spoilers that Kim Ji-hyun had blurted out.

But if someone who had read the entire novel was here…

‘Mmm~ EASY mode unlocked~’

My life’s difficulty would drop drastically.

So for the past few days, while lying in bed, I had drafted countless plans.

Plans to enhance Erina Trotsky’s memory, plans to extract every last bit of information from her about the novel.

If she knew the full story, she would become my third farm, after my greenhouse and the academy.

And this time, it would be a farm that produced overwhelmingly nutritious fruits.

And then…

My fateful woman moved her firm lips.

I focused on her mouth, like young parents watching their child babble for the first time.

Then, in a low voice, she spoke.

“...I didn’t read it.”

“?!?!?!”

“I didn’t read it. I, uh… just marked it as interested so I could read it after work.”

I had just heard some seriously messed-up words, and my brain refused to accept reality.

“If you’re just saying this to keep all the story knowledge to yourself, that’s a problem. You might really regret it.”

“...It’s true.”

At that moment, Erina Trotsky’s skyrocketing stock value crashed into worthless junk.

Now that I thought about it, she didn’t even know that her presence was stabilizing my Mana Heart, did she?

Ding!

“Did you call for me, Grand Duke?”

“Clear away the meat and kimchi. Lady Trotsky has finished her meal.”

“...”

Dark brown hair, eyes filled with deep contemplation.

Along with a practical yet elegant academy uniform.

Here stood a man, dressed sharply, preparing to attend the academy.

Hoo. Hoo.

Heavy breaths escaped from the man standing in front of the mirror.

Kevin Duran, the son of the renowned central noble family, the Duran Duchy, stared at his reflection in the mirror and couldn't hold back any longer…

Swoosh.

He pointed his finger at himself in the mirror.

“You.”

A voice of admiration slipped out before he could stop it.

“You… are incredibly handsome.”

Yeah, where else in the world would you find a noble’s son this distinguished?

Most of them were frail, burying their noses in books, and once they got a little older, they wasted themselves on gambling and drinking.

Of course, Kevin Duran also had a history of getting beaten up at the entrance ceremony for demanding alcohol.

But still, he was on a completely different level from those feeble noble brats.

Swoosh.

As he examined his face in the mirror, he noticed a single thick hair.

‘A general.’

That was the name he bestowed upon that noble strand of hair.

‘I must be growing into adulthood.’

Kevin Duran shook his head, accepting the inevitable passage of time.

His entrance into the academy had been rocky from the start.

Who would have thought that begging for a sip of alcohol due to thirst would get him beaten up by Johan Kraubitz, the Northern Grand Duke?

“Damn it!”

As that memory resurfaced, shame boiled within him once again.

Someday, he would have to subjugate those northern barbarian bastards.

When he became the head of the Duran family, he would surely bring that land under his feet.

Of course, the Duran family was a peaceful house that primarily distributed milk and cheese, but that was beside the point.

Anyway, last night had been quite terrifying.

Suddenly, the outskirts of the dormitory were engulfed in flames, and he had almost burned alive.

At first, he had sleepily thought it was just warm and comfortable, but…

‘Wait, what? I heard some girl was casting fire magic.’

Kevin Duran couldn’t understand why such a monster had been allowed in, causing such chaos.

He shook his head.

‘Forget it. My only job is to attend the academy and aim for the top.’

With that resolve, Kevin stepped out of his dormitory room.

After finishing his morning theory class, he had lunch, which included some bright red pickled cabbage, supposedly a traditional dish from another culture.

And finally, in the afternoon…

He attended the class he had been most looking forward to.

“This is it.”

Yes, this was what he had been waiting for.

‘This is actually in line with the academy’s original purpose.’

Kevin Duran had a clear reason for entering the academy.

To sharpen himself as a knight and bring prosperity to the Duran family.

To one day stand as the strongest warrior in the empire and become a noble hero.

That was Kevin’s plan for success.

And to achieve it, he needed practical classes like this, not useless theoretical subjects.

Swoosh.

Kevin glanced around.

There were plenty of burly guys, but none seemed like a worthy opponent for him.

‘With this, I will take another step ahead.’

Moments later, a knight from the ducal castle, who was in charge of the class, spoke.

“Ah, this practical combat class will primarily focus on real duels. Since combat relies the most on knights and mages, we won’t separate the two. Knights and mages will fight against each other.”

A groundbreaking method where knights and mages would just go at it, fists and spells flying.

Kevin felt his blood start to boil.

The knight began calling out combat pairs.

“...Next, Kevin Duran from the knight class will face off against...”

Smirk.

A grin formed on Kevin Duran’s lips.

A duel against a frail little mage?

And then…

Step.

The person who stepped forward after being called was nothing more than a ten-year-old little girl.

Kevin, tying back his hair, looked down at the tiny child and spoke.

“What a pity. I have no intention of showing you mercy.”

“Huh?”

The girl seemed deeply shocked and frightened by Kevin’s cruel words.

Kevin continued.

“So I won’t be holding back.”

“...Okay.”

Hmm.

Kevin felt slightly uncomfortable.

The girl seemed way too young.

But what could he do?

The academy wasn’t a place for lenient training.

So…

Swoosh.

Kevin steadied his breath and gripped his longsword.

“Kevin Duran. That’s my name.”

A proper duel required an exchange of names.

The girl also introduced herself.

“...Krisha.”

Huh?

That name sounded familiar…

And then,

“Then I’ll go all out too.”

Fwoooosh!

Kevin watched as raging flames erupted from the girl’s hands.

‘Ah!’

…Wasn’t the dormitory arsonist’s name… Krisha?