The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

If Linde had known he would time travel, he would never have helped his sister play any otome games. Instead, he would have chosen a peaceful farming game like Rune Workshop or Stardew Valley. At the very least, he would have chosen a sci-fi game to ensure he could enjoy future technology, instead of running away with a bunch of refugees like he is now.

Linde time-traveled, transmigrating into the last game he played before he died.

This is a single-player otome game set in a fantasy medieval world, which has become popular because of its very deep combat system.

Of course, Linde wouldn't touch an otome game no matter how popular it is, but it was precisely because the combat system was so deep that Linde's younger sister, who liked playing otome games, couldn't progress the levels and directly asked Linde, who was home on vacation, to be her substitute for completing all the achievements.

Then, unsurprisingly, something unexpected happened. After Linde finished playing the otome game, he went out to sunbathe and died while trying to save a friend, and was transported to the game world he had last played before his death.

The good news is that Linde inherited all the protagonist's attributes from the original save file and can use all of the heroine's skills.

The bad news is that the female lead's skills are all support-type skills, meaning she can't move without teammates. The only somewhat useful skill is making holy water, but this skill not only requires a lot of materials, but its cooldown is different from other skills; it's calculated by the day, meaning it can only be used once a month. For Lind at the moment, it's somewhat of a waste.

Not only that, the female protagonist's level cap is 49, which is equivalent to a fourth-tier professional.

This level is quite awkward. Those at the fifth or sixth tier, high-level professionals, are somewhat overpowered and capable of some skill. Second and third-tier professionals below the fourth tier are aware that they are just ordinary people with little real ability.

But at the fourth tier, I'm stuck, unable to go up or down.

Another piece of good news is that Linde didn't directly transmigrate into the female lead's body, but instead transmigrated into the body of a minor lord with the same name as him, so his second brother was saved.

Another piece of bad news is that the original owner of this body's territory has just been captured by the demons on the border, making him a glorious viscount who lost his land. He is now fleeing in panic with his people under the cover of the border army.

"Life is truly unpredictable."

Linde sat on a tree stump around the camp, reflecting on life. Having lost his territory and having no acquaintances in this world, Linde could only lead his people on a southward escape.

"Have one?"

A middle-aged soldier with a stubble beard and a thuggish air came up to Lind and handed him a long loaf of bread.

That was the border officer who escorted Lind out, named Laurie. Although he was an officer, he was a complete slacker who just wanted to loaf around all day. Protecting Lind and his people during their retreat was just so he could mooch off Lind, the little lord, along the way.

"Thank you."

Linde took the bread, but almost broke his teeth when he took a bite.

Laurie burst into laughter upon seeing this, and then demonstrated the correct way to eat it to Lind.

Laurie then smashed the baguette against a nearby rock, breaking it in two. Laurie then picked up the broken pieces and ate them.

"This could already be used as a weapon, right?"

Lind stared in surprise at the bread in his hand. Laurie was no ordinary soldier; a seasoned soldier who could rise to the rank of officer must have some skill. Laurie was a second-tier professional. If that blow had hit an ordinary enemy without a helmet, it would probably have been a headshot.

In my previous life, I had only heard that bread in the West was hard, but I never imagined it could be this hard. Or is it that even bread in fantasy worlds has been enhanced?

However, Linde only complained a little. After all, Linde knew the current situation best. They had sold everything they could to exchange for food, but if they didn't find a new territory soon, they probably wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

However, the kingdom has long passed the period of expansion. All the land has been divided up. Even the wasteland nominally belongs to the dukes of each territory. For example, in the North where Linde is now, it is illegal to reclaim land without the permission of the North's duke. In other words, Linde not only does not have the noble start of his peers, but he cannot even do the thing of reclaiming land.

"I have seen someone in the capital use bread as a weapon, and His Majesty the King even bestowed upon that guy the title of Breadstick Knight."

After saying that, Laurie gestured with the half-sectioned breadstick in his hand, seemingly imitating the guy he had seen using breadsticks as weapons.

"You've also been to the capital?"

Lind looked at Laurie with some disbelief, after all, although this guy was reliable in his work, he was always unreliable in his words.

"Of course, didn't I say so? Until I took an arrow to the knee, I was a renowned mercenary in the kingdom, and I even rode a dragon."

Although Laurie said that, no one took it seriously. After all, aren't the well-known mercenaries all high-level professionals? How could he possibly be a cunning old fox who's only at the second level?

But this time, instead of joking and laughing at Laurie for bragging as usual, Linde asked seriously, "Did you hear any gossip when you arrived in the capital? Like the church announcing a new saintess, or a prince changing his fiancée?"

These questions are very important to Lind now, because ever since Lind traveled to this world, he has been unable to determine which timeline in the game he is currently in.

After all, in this modified medieval setting, the speed of information flow is not slow, just like in the original medieval setting, but it's practically nonexistent. And since the game's plot mainly takes place in the capital, the border events are barely mentioned. So Linde has absolutely no idea how far the female lead has progressed.

If the female lead hadn't yet enrolled in the capital, she could definitely try to curry favor with this chosen one.

"It was two years ago when I went to the capital."

After speaking, Laurie pretended to be deep in thought.

"Two years ago, His Highness Prince Crane Augustine, who was known as the future king, did have a big fight with his fiancée, Rena Lars, the granddaughter of our Grand Duke of the North. It caused quite a stir in the city, and even I, a mercenary who had just arrived, knew about it. Although I don't know why the whole city cared about a fight."

Because this is an otome game.

Linde thought to himself.

It's one of those old-school otome games where the male lead just shows his face and a bunch of girls appear out of nowhere, swooning and giving their commentary.

Forget about arguing, the whole city will probably know what the male lead ate for breakfast by the afternoon, and there might even be the same breakfast being sold.

The incident Laurie mentioned should refer to the female protagonist attending the male protagonist Cran Augustine's ball at the end of her first year of school, which caused the male protagonist's first wife, Lena Lars, to fly into a rage.

So the current timeline should be right at the point where the female lead graduates and becomes a saint, while the villainous supporting character, Lena Lars, was exiled to the border for attacking the royal family at the graduation ceremony. In the end, due to strong opposition from the Lars family, the exile was changed to a marriage, but it was not said which unlucky nobleman she was married to.

"Hey."

Lin De sighed deeply. The female lead had already become a saintess, so it seemed he wouldn't be able to latch onto her coattails.