The moonlight still trickled in through the window.
"…What the hell was that…?"
A pause.
He flopped back into bed, eyes wide and restless.
"But seriously… what did she mean 'the System chose me'?"
Silence answered.
But deep in his chest… something had changed.
Something had awakened.
*Maybe I'm not just some random reincarnated dude after all,* Drake thought as sleep finally took him again. *But if the Demon Lord's already been defeated… what use am I to this world?*
♥♥♥
**Morning – Ding! Sunlight filters through the curtains**
DRRING! DRRING!
His MirrorNet buzzed aggressively on the nightstand. Drake? Still dead to the world, drooling slightly into his pillow.
THUD! SLAM!
Elsa sprint-kicked the door open.
"AHHH—FIRE? A ROBBER!? A—oh, Elsa. It's just you…" Drake blinked groggily. "Don't sprint-kick doors open, damn!"
"Why weren't you answering your MirrorNet, dumbass?!" Elsa yelled, hair slightly frazzled.
"I see you're as energetic as ever. What are you doing here so early? And—who gave you the key? I swear this room came with only one," Drake said, voice muffled from under the blanket.
"I had the other key, genius. But that's not the point!"
"Okay, what do you want?" he mumbled.
Elsa huffed. "Wow. Acting like I'm some stranger now? What's with the mood swing?"
"Nothing. Just… tired. Royalty needs beauty sleep, you know." He yawned, pulled the blanket tighter, and whispered, "My royal nap continues…"
CRACK!
"AAAAH!"
Elsa's fist thunked into the top of his head.
"Seriously with the head trauma! Can we not make this a daily ritual!?" Drake groaned, rubbing the spot.
Elsa raised an eyebrow and her fist. "If you don't get your lazy ass up, I swear, all the Solar Knights will be scraping is your frozen corpse off this mattress."
BAM!
Drake bolted upright.
And Elsa paled instantly—her cheeks igniting crimson.
"…Y-you're… YOU'RE NAKED, YOU ABSOLUTE PERVERT!!"
"Huh?" Drake looked at the MirrorNet screen across the room—his reflection stared back.
Blue eyes. Tousled dark hair. And a damn fine set of abs.
"…Damn. I'm kinda pretty." He struck a pose. "Check out these pecs! This six-pack! I'm literally fantasy Calvin Klein."
"STOP POSING YOU FREAK!!" Elsa screamed, steam practically shooting from her ears.
WHACK!
CLANK! Her steel staff bounced off his forehead and hit the ground.
"PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!!"
"Ow! Okay, okay! You came here to see me or commit murder, woman?!"
"I was going to drag you out for shopping—like normal people do—but apparently you're still a perv!"
"I was enjoying the comfort of my luxurious bed. I paid—wait no, you paid for it. Damn."
"Exactly!" Elsa shrieked. "And I didn't pay for a live nudist exhibition!"
"Ah—crap, don't look! I'm covering it, look away, woman!"
Elsa scrambled out the room, muttering, "I'm gonna be traumatized for life…"
SLAM!
She slammed the door behind her. "When you're decent, come meet me outside! And bring my staff!!"
Drake stared down at her staff, then at the door.
"…She's shaking. She's actually shaking. Why am I like this?"
He sighed.
"I can't believe she saw me naked. Excalibur has been exposed… again. What is my life becoming?"
Then he glanced at the mirror again.
"…But still, now I see how I look… Yeah, no wonder girls keep falling for me."
He smirked. "Oh yeah. First step toward Harem King status—complete."
"Ahem. Sir Drake Lorenzo."
A new voice came from the doorway—it was one of the stunning maids from yesterday.
"WHAT THE HELL!? Have you people not heard of knocking first!?" Drake dove for the blanket.
"I knocked five times. You were too busy practicing your 'I'm the Harem King' speech."
"…Kill me now. She heard that. She totally heard that."
"You still enjoy giving people trauma with your naked body, I see."
"It's not what it looks like! I just… fell asleep and forgot to change!"
"Sure." Her face remained blank.
Drake blinked. *How is she not flustered? I'm ripped as hell.*
She answered his thoughts calmly. "If you're wondering why I'm not shy or aroused—it's simple. I was trained to suppress such emotions. I could wash your back and feel absolutely nothing."
"…Okay. You're a beautiful robot with scary mind-reading powers. That's comforting."
"My apologies for not delivering your dinner last night. You were passed out, and I didn't want to disturb your beauty coma."
"No problem."
She turned to leave, then peeked over her shoulder. "Also—Sir Drake. Please put on some clothes before someone actually dies from shock. Obviously not me, though."
[Snicker. Tap. Tap.] She giggled down the hallway.
"…Curse you, human robot…" Drake muttered, sitting on the bed.
He looked around—his eyes landed on the bag of fruits the kind old lady had given him. Then, to Elsa's staff on the floor.
*She's such a handful,* he thought, chuckling.
He sighed deeply.
"…Yesterday was insane. I still can't believe I was really reincarnated. Part of me thought I'd fall asleep and wake up in my old world, back in my boring room… That this was all just a dream I made up."
He thought of Big Mama and Annie.
Of the smiles of Sidonia's townspeople after he saved them from the bandit.
Of Elsa—laughing freely in the carriage.
*Yeah. This ain't a dream. And honestly… I'm glad it's not.*
Drake stood, gripping Elsa's staff tightly.
Then, Astral's words returned to him.
*"Your journey has only just begun, Drake Lorenzo. But soon—sooner than you might expect—you will be forced to choose your true path. Are you content to be a mere bystander, watching events unfold? Will you rise as a traditional hero, following the expected patterns? Or will you become something else entirely? Something that has never existed before?"*
And then her final warning echoed in his mind:
*"Remember this divine revelation, Drake. Remember every word I have spoken. For when the critical moment arrives… I will call upon you again. And when that time comes, the fate of all four continents may rest in your hands."*
He looked at his reflection one last time.
"…I don't have all the answers yet. I still don't know why I was chosen. Or what this world really needs from me."
He smiled.
"But I do know one thing… I want to protect this place. Elsa's smile. The people's laughter. Their peace. I'll preserve it all."
He clenched the staff tighter.
"And if anything tries to take that away—I won't hesitate. That's a promise to myself. From this day forward."
His voice grew firm. Resolute.
"When the time comes… I'll decide who I want to be."
He smirked.
"Bring it on, world. I'll keep standing. And I'll blow out the brains of anything that stands in my way—with a smile on my face and pistols blazing."
DING!
His MirrorNet lit up, catching the glint in his glowing eyes.
*"hurry up dumbass, I'm still waiting."*
Drake chuckled, quickly throwing on his clothes and grabbing Elsa's staff.
"Alright, alright. The Harem King is coming to rescue his first conquest from boredom."
He paused at the door, looking back at the room where he'd received divine revelation just hours ago.
"Goddess Astral… whatever's coming, I'll be ready."
Then he grinned and opened the door.
"Time to see what other chaos this world has in store for me."