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I Am the Monarch
As a young boy, Roan dreamed of becoming a general, but after twenty years and countless battlefields, all he has are a few pennies in his pocket and a low-ranking title. Roan didn’t want to die as a nobody, but war seems to have no intention of sparing him from a miserable death—until he wakes up again in the past as an eighteen-year-old fresh out of training camp. With all his memories intact, Roan vows to take advantage of this second chance to not only achieve his previous dreams, but exceed them by becoming a Monarch. With each victory, Roan comes one step closer to reaching his long-awaited glory. But as he changes his past, he realizes that he can no longer rely on his memories to predict the future. Will Roan overcome all obstacles and finally become a Monarch, or face the same wretched death as before? WARNING: This story contains depictions of violence, gore, and/or graphic depictions of death, profanity, and strong language that may be upsetting for some readers.
Chapter 1: Prologue
In the end, this is how it’s going to be.
He thought and let out a hollow laugh.
He wasn’t shocked. Nor did he feel any of this was unfair. He knew he would die this way.
"Whew..."
He took a deep breath.
The foggy breath rose towards the sky.
"Look, that bastard is still alive."
Realizing he was still breathing, the enemy soldiers started walking toward him.
He wanted to say, Leave me to die. There is a hole in my stomach anyway. But he didn’t.
Suddenly, he remembered one spring day from 20 years ago.
Was I 18 when I ran out of my village to become a general who rule the world?
For 20 years since then, he had been wandering around the battlefield.
And what did he end up with? Sad little pennies in his pocket, and the low-rank title, the lanceman of the First Corps.
Become a general? Who am I kidding?
His whole life flashed before his eyes.
What if I’d gone in for the raid operations? Or what would have happened if I’d volunteered when Beit Estate was recruiting soldiers? No, that’s nonsense. When we attacked those monsters during that winter, what if I’d headed to the east instead?
He kept rethinking the choices he had made in the past.
Whenever he found himself at crossroads, he never hesitated. He marched toward one direction, and one direction only. And what happened? Nothing good. Thanks to those decisions, he now had a giant hole in his belly, facing death.
The devilish enemy soldiers finally arrived.
Damn it.
The curse almost reached his throat when…
Stab.
An iron blade pierced through his chest.
"Damn it..."
With the muffled last words barely passing his lips, Roan, the First Corps lanceman of the Rhines Kingdom met his death.