"Looking at his condition, it is very unlikely he will ever regain consciousness."

That day, the Aschwin Family received terrible news. Edmund Aschwin, the first son and heir of the Aschwin Family, had been injured in a battle against a monster invasion at the eastern border.

All family members were filled with sorrow and worry.

Even many servants lined up outside the room just to eavesdrop on the conversation inside Edmund’s chamber.

A beautiful middle aged woman buried her face in both hands, sobbing uncontrollably without saying anything beyond her grief.

A young girl held Edmund’s hand tightly, staring at her brother’s handsome face, which was now marked by a sword wound.

"Brother... please wake up," she pleaded, crying softly.

A man could only sigh helplessly, looking at the physician in front of him while begging for any possible help.

"Is there truly nothing else you can do?" asked the man, Edmund’s father and the head of the Aschwin Family, Count Julian Aschwin.

"I am afraid there is not. However, I will try to contact priests in the Capital and request their presence," the physician answered.

"That is fine. Do everything you can. Heal Edmund!" Julian said firmly.

The physician nodded in understanding, ready to carry out Julian’s orders with full dedication.

One by one, they began to leave Edmund’s room. They could not bear to stay any longer and continue watching him lie there weak and helpless.

Servants came and went to tend to Edmund, wiping his body and changing his clothes.

When night fell, two female servants entered carrying a set of clothes and a tray with a bucket of warm water.

That night, they were assigned to take care of Edmund until morning.

"It is truly unfortunate. Viscount Edmund is known to be kind, friendly, and caring. His swordsmanship is also the best in the Archie region."

"I heard he was struck by a deadly magic attack from the demon race. Only holy healing from a priest might be able to cure him."

They opened the door and entered, seeing Edmund still lying unconscious on the bed.

The two servants began their work.

Just as one of them was about to unbutton Edmund’s shirt, his hand suddenly moved and grabbed her wrist.

Both servants were shocked, their eyes wide, as they quickly looked toward Edmund’s face.

Edmund’s eyes opened and stared sharply at the woman, "Who... are you?!"

"VISCOUNT EDMUND?!" one of the servants screamed, dropping the tray and spilling water all over the floor.

With a panicked expression, that servant ran out of the room, leaving one behind whose hand was still firmly held by Edmund.

"I... am Nisya."

Edmund looked at her face. She was beautiful, with short black hair that reached her shoulders.

The clothes she wore felt strange, not typical of modern times.

"Nisya?" Edmund asked.

Not stopping there, Edmund looked around the room and observed its classic and luxurious architecture, reminding him of a medieval noble’s chamber.

Where am I? This is not my apartment.

Edmund released her hand, stood up from the bed, and immediately collapsed weakly.

Nisya reached out to support him.

"Viscount Edmund... you are still weak. You should remain in your bed," she said.

Edmund? That is not my name. And what is this ’Viscount’ supposed to mean?

"A mirror!"

"What?" Nisya asked.

"Bring me a mirror!"

In a hurry, Nisya stepped toward the table and brought him a small mirror.

Edmund took it and carefully examined his face.

"What the—"

"ARGH!"

A sharp pain throbbed through his head, as if an iron hammer kept striking both of his temples.

The mirror slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

Nisya grew even more panicked.

"Viscount... Edmund?!" she said anxiously.

Within Edmund’s body, flashes of memories appeared, belonging to a man named Edmund, from details about the Aschwin Family to the war against monsters at the eastern border.

My head hurts so much! These memories... they feel familiar.

The door burst open, startling Nisya and making Edmund turn his head.

"Edmund? You are finally awake!" said a middle aged woman with black purple hair.

"Thank goodness you have awakened. Thank you for this blessing, Godessess Illya," said a middle aged man, looking up and praying.

"Brother! I missed you so much," said a sixteen year old girl, her eyes filled with tears.

The pain in his head intensified, becoming unbearable.

Edmund looked at them, and each time he saw their faces, strange memories surfaced, explaining who they were and their roles.

"Leave!"

"What?" the woman asked.

"All of you, leave... I need rest!"

The middle aged woman nodded.

What mattered most was that Edmund had regained consciousness and appeared stable, only complaining of a headache.

"Alright. Everyone, leave him—"

"Nisya... stay here!" Edmund interrupted, and she obeyed.

One by one, they left, leaving Nisya alone with Edmund. The peak of the pain in his head subsided.

The strange and mysterious memories faded, and his breathing gradually stabilized.

He opened his eyes and saw Nisya still in the room, sitting gracefully while watching his condition.

These memories feel familiar. The city names, the kingdom, even the family names.

It feels like I have heard them before.

"Viscount... Edmund?" Nisya asked worriedly.

"I am fine."

"Thank goodness. Is there anything I can help you with?" Nisya asked.

Maybe... she can give me detailed information about this strange world.

"Tell me," Edmund said, "Is there a Demon Kingdom called Mughort in the east?"

"That is correct, and you have just returned from there. You were injured—"

"Enough. That is not what I asked," Edmund cut her off coldly.

Nisya fell silent and lowered her head in apology. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Edmund continued asking questions, and Nisya answered only what was necessary.

After ten questions, Edmund suddenly burst into loud laughter while covering his face. Nisya felt confused.

"This is impossible!" Edmund exclaimed.

I... transmigrated into the world of the novel Sword Fate? This is insane!

Stories like this exist, but I never expected to experience it myself.

Edmund began to realize and slowly accept his fate.

He lay back down on the bed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling with its abstract classical design.

Edmund and the Aschwin Family were not main characters in the novel, only side characters. Yet they were destroyed much earlier.

That means I will die if I follow the plot of this novel... how miserable.

"You may leave, Nisya. I want to be alone."

"Yes, Viscount Edmund."

Following his order, Nisya bowed slightly and left the room.

Edmund’s body gradually regained strength.

The dizziness and soreness faded. He was still wearing a simple noble style shirt and trousers.

He walked toward a table with a large mirror and stood still before it.

Edmund looked at his face, handsome and fair with blue eyes.

A sword scar was visible on his cheek near his jaw, but what impressed him the most were the muscles on his body.

"At least I should be grateful... I transmigrated as a noble."

Edmund began accepting everything that had happened, but he clearly refused the fate where he and the Aschwin Family were destined to be destroyed quickly by the clash between the protagonist and the villain.

The plot of the novel was clear in his mind.

Edmund knew the key moments that would lead to destruction, yet he did not know where to begin.

[Identifying the host’s transmigrated soul]

[Identification successful]

[Welcome to the novel Sword Fate!]

[Activating System Bond and Rule]

As Edmund stared at himself in the mirror, a mysterious system panel appeared.

Even stranger, it did not reflect in the mirror.

He had never expected something like this to appear.

"System? What does this mean?"

────[System Bond and Rule Activated]────

[Bond: Build emotional connections and increase the power of both the bond target and the host.]

[The five emotional stages are Conviction → Submission → Obsession → Devotion → Possession. The higher the emotional stage, the stronger both the target and the host become]

[Rule: Influence many people to increase the host’s reputation, obedience, influence, and luck stats, making it easier for the host to give orders and execute strategies]

[Complete bond and rule missions to increase the target’s and the host’s stat]

"System Bond? So my abilities and the target’s abilities increase as their emotions deepen? But who should I form a bond with?"

"I cannot do it with just anyone. That would be pointless, and my stats would stagnate."

"Putting that aside, the rule system makes things easier for me, especially with my noble status."

Edmund turned when he felt a strong gust of wind coming from the balcony.

He opened the door and pulled the curtain aside, stepping out fully onto the balcony and looking outside at the city glowing beautifully in the night.

This novel had an ending of peace at a heavy cost, the sacrifice of millions of human lives.

For me and those not tied to the protagonist, that is the same as delayed death.

From the balcony, Edmund saw a group of adventurers and their party leaving the guild.

As he watched them and noticed a black haired woman holding a mage’s staff, he remembered someone.

"That is her!" Edmund shouted.

"I know who I should form a bond with... and she is the most suitable target!"

Out of all the possible targets he considered, only one stood out with limitless potential.

Of all the characters he could think of, his focus fell on only one. He is the cause of the death and destruction of the Aschwin Family.

A main villainess in this novel, someone with great power and potential who can match the protagonist’s power.

────[First Mission]────

[Objective: Find and save Leonor Reimard]

[Reward: Restoration of the Host’s strength || Unlock the Host’s sword skill || +5 Conviction stats for the target]

[Note: Failure means inevitable destruction!]

Seeing the system appear again did not shock Edmund as much this time.

Now, he was beginning to understand the flow of the system that was presented to him.

"I have to find Leonor!"