Chapter 2: Unto The Strange World

"Sir Julius, we have arrived. It's time to wake up."

A gentle voice belonging to a young girl could be heard. As Ling Chen tries to fight off his drowsiness, strange voices can be heard nearby.

"Um, Sir Julius, the captain said we have arrived at the gate"

"Hey woman, stop addressing him as such. He is Cardinal Julius, how could you possibly call him a mere sir? Does the knight's academy not teach greenie such as you with proper manners? And no one is allowed to enter the sleeping chamber without my permission!!"

A man's voice, seemingly berating the young girl finally awoken Ling Chen.

"So loud, can you people shut it.", still yawning, Ling Chen was forced to wake up due to the man's loud voice.

"Sir, ah.....um.....Cardinal Julius...you've finally woken up."

"Oh ho.....Cardinal Julius, it's a good thing you just woke up in time. The Templars' party finally reaches the gate. From here we could instruct the knights to escort you to the tower"

Both joyfully said, though the man's voice is extra polite and annoying to hear.

Standing in front of him is a girl wearing a knight's armor, a blue dress with a golden lion's crest in the middle. Her short bob blonde hair is neatly fixed with a golden cross hairpin. Her petite stature makes her look even smaller with the huge armor on.

Meanwhile, the man wore a blue noble's robe, with extravagant laces and design. A small pin with a white stallion crest hangs right on his chest.His bulging form cannot be hidden from his luxurious clothing, looking more gaudy than sophisticated.

Ling Chen, still confused, leans on his side, whitish, long silver hair flowing to his waist. Frowning, Ling Chen looks intently at the massive silver hair.

Strange, why is my hair silver? And why is it long? Shit. Did that bratty cousin of mine dye it again? Also, who are these cosplayers in front of me? Did Zhou Li decide to prank me again?

"Ah.....who are you guys? Did Zhou Li hire you?" Ling Chen asked, grimacing at the state of his hair.

The two, look at each, seemingly confused.

"Ah.....I am Aria, a trainee knight from the Templar and this man beside me is Sir Harold Theron, from the Theron household"

"Who told you to introduce me!!! I could have done it myself!!. Silly girl..."

Harold intercepted, obviously annoyed. Aria timidly shut up, eyes glancing away from the noble.

"Hahaha, Cardinal Julius, stop jesting us. We already met last time.I am Harold Theron, the younger brother of the current head of the Theron household. My brother told me to act as a substitute since he cannot go. But I assure you he wishes for your well-being, and I even hire a great number of knights to escort us."

Laughing, Harold politely answered. Aria cast a side glance, frowning at the noble's word. Confused, Ling Chen inspected his attire.

White

Every piece of clothing he wore was just pure white.

White robe with very intricate golden linings that cover his entire frame. A long silver rosary hangs on his collar. Pure white gloves cover his hand. Long locks of whitish silver hair freely hang on his shoulder, reaching his waist. A modest glass is kept beside a white book with a bunch of white stuff stored neatly underneath the small table.

Judging from his attire and the way these people address him, Ling Chen finally realizes this.

He is now a different person. Looking at the all too real surroundings, the small bed, the weird ambiance, and the animated faces of the people in front of him, this doesn't seem to be a mere dream. If it was, he would not smell this weird stench coming from this so-called noble.

Julius...who....

Ah right, last night while reading that long-ass frustrating as f*ck novel, did I fall asleep?

....Hmmm....Julius.....Julius.....

Right!!! it's the shady side villain in that novel! That cardinal who fooled Michael's party, got busted and was trampled after his protectors deserted him.Pfft....

He was a total extra character though, only appearing to show Michael's prowess in fighting and using artifacts. Lol.

Wait?! Shit. Doesn't that mean I became that Julius?

That super unfortunate cleric!!! This is the worst!! This dude doesn't even have any combat ability!! He's just pure healing.....even though Alice has at least four attack-type abilities.

This is sad. Won't I become a super canon fodder? Plus climbing a tower with no actual combat power is suicide. Not to mention, that bootlicking Harold backstabs Julius in the end. The knights' are no good as well. Just remembering their circus-like fighting skills is a total headache.

No good at all. My future is looking too grim.

"Aria was it? Did we or I perhaps hire a party led by a man named Michael?"

Looking at Aria, the girl nodded her head. Pointing at the camp near us.