I, Alfred Norden, have a secret. You see, despite being blessed with riches and a noble family, it wasn't the first life I could claim as my own. I know how hackneyed this may sound but, the truth is that I was reincarnated in a different world, and not just a random world, too. This world of sword and magic is one and the same as the setting of a rather popular game I was an avid fan of. That is to say, I finished it at all possible difficulties, attained all possible endings and memorized the plot completely.

Yeah, I know how pathetic this sounds. So, all things considered, I was an expert in this game, which would've been a solid advantage, if I wasn't born into such a troublesome body. Just the fact that I was myself was already a massive convergence from the plot since I obviously had no intentions of being executed for treason. Yeah, Alfred from the game was this kind of a character. Let me give you some trivia.

The Norden family was the family of knights that traditionally served knights under Donnels, local land-owners, for generations. While those two families lived peacefully, the current head, my father, started resenting the Donnel family and wanted to overthrow them. Together with his close associates, he planned a coup and let a great sense of hatred and envy fester in his elder son's heart. When the Demonic Coalition attacked the Central Kingdoms, they used the fact that most of the army was sent away as reinforcements to the United Army to stab Donnels in the back.

So, they claimed the fiefdom their own and started abusing the commoners. Seeing this injustice, Barnett, the eldest son of the Donnel family, rallied his allies and defeated his adversary together with his childhood friend, Maria. In the case you're wondering, I am this Alfred. No, among the fan-base, he's better known as Alfred the Tutorial Boss or Tutorial Boss for short. Yeah, I was that nondescript.

Like, my character was basically hating Barnett because he was always better than me in practically everything, from horse-riding to swordsmanship, and lusting after Maria like some kind of a stalker. Compared to his ambitious and dignified father, whom players liked and hated at the same time, Alfred was ridiculously forgettable. And I was this Alfred. I mean, my story sounds cool, but it's basically the very beginning of the plot. Just some tutorial to teach novice players how to command their troops and use their unique skills.

Seriously, talk about harsh. And so, when I woke up one day to find myself occupying the body of one Alfred Norden, aged eleven, I had absolutely no idea what to do next. Acting like Alfred from the game was an end to certain death. Just following the flow would end with me getting somehow involved with my father's coup, which again means death. In short, everything leads to death other than being proactive myself.

"Hey, Alfy, let's go to play!"

As I was pondering over this predicament, the door to my room was nearly torn from its hinges. There, beaming proudly, was a black-haired boy no older than me or my body's supposed age. Not even bothering with my answer, he grabbed my arm and practically dragged me somewhere. Just how peppy is this kid, I thought to myself. The Barnett I knew from the game was a calm, charismatic leader with typical, no-nonsense personality. 

"Alfy, Uncle Albrecht said there are goblins in the forest! Let's kill them and steal their treasures!"

Scratch that, this kid was Barnett alright. From the story's perspective, this guy really must some kind of a murderous hoarder, slaying local fauna for resources and rare weapons. Heck, some legendary weapons need you to slay creatures considered extinct...

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Wait! This event! It must be this event! The first tutorial fight! The prolog! 

"Of course, my liege."

No doubt, it was that event! The fateful meeting that would intervene their fates together. As I picked my training sword, blunted enough not to hurt other people, but sharp enough to damage lesser monsters just from the force behind the strike alone, I couldn't help a smile in my face. I said this before - I was an avid fan of the game - so an opportunity to meet the main heroine herself was too much to miss. Come to think of this, Alfred's obsession with her stemmed from this encounter as well.

Almost Two Hours Later.

"Man, nothing beats some good, old monster-hunting!"

Sweating like crazy, I plumped my behind on the ground, panting like a dog. I wasn't thinking what my father would say about such an inelegant behavior, unbecoming of a true noble. I was tired; my whole body ached from the strain. Surprisingly, killing goblins was hard. Even considering those wretched creatures died from one attack, hitting them was another deal altogether. In the game, all attacks were automatic, and whether the hit connected or not depended on the enemy's evasion rate and attacker's agility stat. In reality, you had to swing a piece of metal with enough force and strength to even touch the small, child-like goblins. 

"My liege," I said in-between the pants, "You're too energetic for your own good." 

This guy will be the death me, I thought. Honestly, he was barely winded. Was that the power of the main character. And moreover, we still had to carry bags of goblins' gold after cleaning their nest. For some reason, monsters had an obsession with shiny things like jewels and gold, making their eradication not only a noble task of local nobles, but also a completely legal way to earn money. Stupid game mechanics. 

"Enough chit-chat, Alfy!" commanded the little tyrant, running off somewhere, not caring a single bit about his underling's well-being. Did Alfred really grow to hate Barett because of jealousy and his upbringing? This guy simply had to put up with this lunatic for far too long! "I heard someone calling my name there. Let us haste!"

"As you say, my liege," I said, standing up with a grunt of pain. My legs were aflame, in a metaphorical sense, of course. Still, I followed him as a loyal retainer. Just knowing that I followed a person that would become a hero one day made me kind of proud. Sure, there was a possibility of death in the future, but as long as I remained a close friend of the protagonist, there was no danger for me. Besides, it was time to meet Maria.

"Just wait for me. This armor is heavy!"

Much Later.

The hellish contraption, also known to common man as a carriage, was moving. No, not moving, but swinging from side to side, sending waves of displeasure across my stomach. Ugh, since knights were the class of warriors in heavy armor that carried shields to protect their comrades, they were bad against sudden movements. Well, that was my theory, and not the motion sickness that carried over from my previous life. At least carriages weren't planes, so they couldn't fall from the sky by default.

"Are you okay, Alfred? Your face is green. Like, really green."

Barnett, sometimes your naivete was both a blessing and a curse. "Thank you for my concern, my liege. I'm quite fine, so don't mind me." 

I wanted to say something cool like that, but in reality, it was more like an array of strange sounds that barely sounded like proper words. Oh gods, spare me this torture and just kill me right now. Maybe my next life would be in a dating simulator. However, knowing my luck, I may end up as a heroine, instead. 

"Alfred," someone's sweet voice said and a gentle hand tapped my shoulder pad. There, looking me right in the eyes, was Maria. Damn, her concerned expression was just too cute. Was there something she wanted from me? "Sleep," she said, patting her lap with the arm unoccupied by yet another book. Could it be? No, I must be dreaming! I must've passed already and sent straight into heaven. 

"Sleep," she said again, her eyebrows scrunching cutely. Super cute. Too cute. I decided not to push my luck any further and put my head on her lap. I hoped I wasn't too much of a burden for her, and when a wave of heavy drowsiness washed over me, I felt a smile appear on my lips. At this point, I knew what a sleep-inducing spell, Hypnos, fet like all too well. "Rest well," she murmured to me. Honestly, this girl...