It lulls the players into a false sense of security with a peaceful atmosphere.
Then, it kills them.

Everyone. Regardless of whether they’re the heroine or anyone else.

*Another Tale*.
It’s a notorious dark fantasy game.

Naturally, I never played the game myself.
In our industry, killing heroines is off-limits. We're told not to touch, not to eat, and not to even speak of such things.

I was the kind who watched from afar, seeing the early adventurers who got obliterated without knowing anything and the foolhardy latecomers who were about to be obliterated.
*Another Tale* had a trend like that for a while.

On YouTube Shorts, there was a video titled [Reactions from Users Playing the Ultimate Backstabbing Game], edited with posts from the *Another Tale* gallery.

Famous streamers would upload videos of themselves playing *Another Tale*, writhing in agony.

Instead of playing the game myself, I just picked the highlights from YouTube, gallery posts, and Namuwiki.
I joined the trend in that same way.

In short, I don’t know much about *Another Tale*.
There’s barely anything I remember about it.

If you showed me one of the main characters, I probably wouldn’t even recognize them.
But if you showed me a scene where that character dies, then it would be a different story.

From the start, it wasn’t a game that held much significance in my life.
If it had been, I would’ve played it myself.

...So why?

Why does that game occasionally pop into my head?
Of all the games, why *that* game in particular?

A sudden thought came to me.

What if... this world...
What if this fantasy world is somehow the world inside *Another Tale*?

"...Nah."

It’s not.
This world was way too peaceful to be from a dark fantasy game.

Around a year ago, I became a character in this fantasy world.

It was a phenomenon known as reincarnation awareness.
Or, more accurately, it was possession.

I became the young master of the Vendel family, rulers of the Vendel Territory located in the western part of the continent.
That was my new identity.

The Vendel family was, as people say, a prestigious noble family.
Vendel Territory was distant from the capital, a reflection of the former head’s lack of interest in politics.

Yet Vendel’s influence still reached the central aristocrats. Its power came from none other than military might.

The Vendel family had, for generations, produced renowned swordsmen of great fame.

In short, the eyes of the people in this family were as sharp as those of ghosts.

From a young age, they were raised like human weapons, stabbing each other and honing their skills.
I had become part of a family of people like that.

When I first realized this, everything in front of me went dark.
How could I possibly fool the eyes of these human weapons?

This world was a fantasy world where all sorts of wonders and miracles existed.

Would anyone believe that one day, the soul inside their family member suddenly changed?
On Earth, it might be hard to believe, but here, it seemed entirely plausible.

The problem was that in this world, anyone found swapping bodies and souls was an immediate target for elimination, no matter who they were.

What would happen if they found out I was possessed?

- Reveal yourself!
- I was possessed.
- Oh, of course. That makes sense.

There’s no way the conversation would go like that.

They would probably interrogate me until I gave them the answer they wanted to hear.
And they’d do it in a medieval, barbaric way, fitting for this fantasy world.

There was no time to worry about other things.
As soon as I possessed this body, my only goal was [Don’t Get Caught].

It was a pointless effort.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that it was all meaningless.

The eyes of the swordsmanship clan members were not so dull that someone like me could deceive them!
But, as it turned out, that wasn’t the problem at all.

I... was a bastard child.
Cue bitter smile, end parentheses.

They didn’t care about a mere bastard child.
And since they didn’t care, they didn’t notice any changes either. A completely anticlimactic conclusion.

I was confused.
Should I be happy about this?

I decided to think positively.
Yeah, at least the biggest problem was solved.

One more thing. In this world, being called a “bastard” was the most common and insulting insult of all.
Being immune to such an insult from birth?
That was as empowering as being born an orphan and immune to “parent disses.”

Having survived the crisis of being found out as a possessed person, I faced a new challenge.

- So now what?

I was born into a prestigious noble family in a fantasy world, only to be called a bastard.
Everyone, from my family to the retainers and servants, treated me like I didn’t exist.

If I stuck around here, what kind of future would await me?

- The military...!

In this world’s "bastard community," it was common for bastards to volunteer for the military in hopes of gaining their parents’ recognition.

Never. Ever. Not in a million years. That’s not happening.

In my previous life, I had escaped the cursed fate of military service through death at the age of 21.
And there weren’t even smartphones here.

Without hesitation, I ruled out military service as an option.

Let’s think this through.
Would a bastard, the disgrace of the family, proudly declare, “I’m not going to the military like the other bastards”?

My family would perk up and listen attentively.
And then they’d stuff me into the harshest unit, charged with the crime of insolence.

In the end, I came to a very rational conclusion.

Self-removal from the family registry.
Escape from Vendel.

In other words, independence.

A bastard who’s treated as if they don’t exist won’t be missed if they’re really gone.
With that logical reasoning, I had been actively preparing my escape.

The earlier a bastard gets up, the more independent they become.
And so, as the sun rose, this bastard left the annex where the servants of the Vendel estate resided.

“Lisir-nim.”

At the entrance of the annex, a woman greeted me.
She was Maya, one of the Vendel family’s maids and the personal maid of my younger sister, Roera.

“Oh, good morning, Maya.”
“Young Lady Roera requests a meeting with you at noon today. You’re to meet in the main courtyard.”

Ignoring my cheerful greeting, she delivered the message matter-of-factly.
To some, her tone might seem disrespectful for a maid, but this was already an improvement.

Who ranks higher between a Vendel maid and a Vendel bastard?
The answer: the maid who serves the young lady.

Besides, the young lady was a noble by birth.
It was only natural for her to look at a bastard as if I were an insect.

When I first possessed this body, Maya had treated me as if I didn’t exist.

But now, look at her.

When I glance at her, Maya hurriedly averts her eyes.
It’s because I greeted her warmly every day that she acts like this now.

That’s what I call progress.
Far from disrespectful—she’s practically an angel.

...But wait, Roera wants to meet me?

That’s not a good sign.
The only time anyone from Vendel seeks out a bastard is when they’re about to raise hell.

“What a shame. I have business today.”

Just thought of a very important task.
Spending the whole day outside to avoid running into Roera.

“Shall I inform her that you’ll visit once your business is concluded?”
“Please tell her not to wait for me.”
“Of course. You wouldn’t keep the young lady waiting, after all.”

Like hell I wouldn’t.
Oh, definitely.

Naturally, Roera wouldn’t take being stood up lightly, but that’s not my problem.

What could she do?
Complain to Father?

And what could Father do?
Kick me out of the family?

Yes, please.
I’ll take that reward.

“...”
“...”

Maya glanced at me suspiciously, but I gave her a brazen smile, and she quickly averted her gaze, leaving me to my own devices.

Now, it’s time for me to go my own way.

Lisir goes on to ponder his future, considering the best course of action. Should he try to curry favor with his family? Absolutely not. Instead, he chooses the path of independence—escaping the Vendel family and going out into the world on his own.

But before that, there is a message: Roera, his younger sister, has requested a meeting. Maya, her personal maid, informs him of this while maintaining the distant attitude typical of someone with higher status, despite being a servant. Lisir, knowing that nothing good can come from this meeting, decides to avoid it altogether. He gives Maya instructions to tell Roera not to wait for him.

As Maya leaves, Lisir reflects on the absurdity of the situation—being a "bastard" in a prestigious noble family means he’s treated as if he doesn’t exist. But that also means, if he were to truly disappear, no one would care. That suits him just fine. He’s determined to leave, quietly and without causing a stir, before anyone can demand anything of him.

---

[Father]

[If I return from this place, will you finally acknowledge me?]

[Will you regret all the harsh days you subjected me to?]

[I trust you will.]

[So please, oh God,]

[Send me back home.]

[Have I not suffered enough?]

“Please…”

The man sobbed.

He instinctively knew that here, in this nameless snow-covered mountain swept by icy winds, he would die.

And in that moment, a face came to mind—his father’s.

The man had come here for the honor of his father. Yet, the face he recalled was still full of contempt.

His sobbing soon became indistinguishable from laughter.

Before he could let out all his emotions, his breath ran dry.

His breath was no longer warm.

He stared into the empty air and mumbled,

“Alright…”

“Alright…”

And as his breath stopped and his body slumped lifelessly,

An ice pillar fell from above, piercing through the crown of his head.

Moments later, a bastard stood up.

With lifeless eyes, the bastard looked in the direction of his homeland.

▶ Fate 19: The Bastard Returns

▷ Fate 19: The Bastard Returns - Deactivated.
You have received a special reward.

---

This concludes Chapter 1, which introduces the main character's reincarnation into a bastard's body in a fantasy world, the nature of his noble family, and his determination to escape their neglect. The translation retains the tone of dark humor and the protagonist’s cynical, self-aware voice.