Anthesis of Sadness - Chapter 21: By the Firelight

Arthur, a young man in his twenties, suddenly finds himself inside the world of the novel “The Rise of the Sovereign Sword,” a famous story he had been reading in his previous life. He doesn’t understand how he ended up in this world, but he soon discovers that he has been installed as the ruler of a poor and small barony due to a serious misunderstanding—everyone believed he was the illegitimate son of the Duke, a man notorious for his terrible reputation and corrupt deeds.Afraid of having his true identity as an impostor exposed, Arthur finds himself in a difficult predicament.As he tries to find a solution to his dilemma, he faces daily problems stemming from this world’s extreme backwardness in terms of economy, technology, and governance. However, instead of surrendering, he decides to use the knowledge from the world he came from to change this regressive situation.Arthur attempts to spread civilization and progress in his society, fighting against outdated traditions and establishing new concepts that will improve and advance people’s lives.

He, since childhood, had followed the Foreigner to practice the Defying Heaven Art, entering the most secretive special forces and becoming a fearsome assassin that made others tremble at the mere mention of his name. After a single failure, he took early retirement, but he ended up as the personal bodyguard for a rich heiress, a school beauty. Accidentally provoking some mysterious Cultivators, he gradually unveiled a hidden world of Cultivation beyond the mortal realm...

One day, as usual, Annabelle remembered the memories of her previous life.

It was revealed that she has been reincarnated as the second most popular character in a novel.

She also did all kinds of bad things to the male lead, and in the end, she is the person who will end up in prison!

‘In the end, I’ll get caught. It’s crazy!’

Anabelle begins to save Ian from danger by intercepting the conspiracies that were laid out one by one to prevent her impending doom.

But in the process, she caught the attention of some unexpected people…

“Oh my, that’s the spirit of chivalry our family pursues! I like that a lot!”

Ian’s mother’s eyes began to sparkle at her.

“Would you like to be my partner to the opera?”

After saving Ian, the prince keeps flirting…

“Ian, I’ve decided to quit being your rival and live a new life.”

“A new life?”

“To stop paying attention to a man like you who’s always up and down, marry a man with no character, and live a normal life.”

“Who’s the opponent? And why am I up and down?”

The male lead, Ian, keeps obsessing over me for some reason.

“Why do you not talk harshly to me these days…? Do it again.”

Everyone just seems to be a little weird!

[Warning: r18, smut, MC does morally questionable things][Disclaimer: The Gods and Goddesses in the story's world have absolutely no relation to any Gods that are worshipped in the real world. The purpose they serve is also entirely different.]~Even if you're someone who typically doesn't enjoy works with smut, I request you to give this novel a chance (provided you're 18 or older of course). It would be awesome if you could at least read Volume 1 before deciding whether or not this is your cup of tea.~This is an action + kingdom-building story where the MC and his kingdom (Realm) are metaphorically powered by his lustful acts.The story begins with Hiro's (the MC) transmigration into a magical world. At first glance, this “World” might look quite similar to many other fantasy worlds that you've come across on your reading adventures. Status screens, levels, classes, gods, kingdoms, elves - all that good stuff.But it will soon become clear that this World has its own “Rules”. These (mostly) game-like Rules will bring out unique character interactions. They will be what differentiates the World in my story from other similar fantasy worlds.Now about the characters - specifically the main character.The MC (Hiro) will be thrust into the role of Ruler in the new World right off the bat. He starts with a bottom-tier, barebones realm and makes his way to the top.I'm going to say this right away - Hiro is a deeply flawed character at the start. Yes he might be overpowered and good at getting things he wants, but that does not make him flawless.Hiro has glaring emotional flaws at the beginning. He is intelligent but not in the emotional sense. He is lustful but not truly loving. He is apathetic towards death (both of himself and of others).The women who surround him will also have their own problems, both internal and external.As the story progresses, it won't just be the MC and his realm growing in power.Hiro and his harem will also mature emotionally. Hiro's character growth will be a slow, grueling burn. It isn't going to be a smooth straight line from point A to point B.But when it finally does happen, it will be worth it.That's all from me, your author. I hope you enjoy the ride.P.S - Power stones, golden tickets, gifts, adding this to library, reviews, comments, paragraph comments - all these things help immensely and are greatly appreciated.Thanks and Enjoy! :)