The Argel Family

Against the pitch-black night sky, countless stars glittered, and among them, a crimson full moon shone quietly upon the earth.

On the outskirts of Backlund, the capital of the Loen Kingdom known as the "City of Cities" and the "Land of Hope," a flash of green light streaked through a sprawling manor.

Krono Nois Argyle jolted awake and sprang from the bed as though launched from it. Cold sweat immediately poured from his pores like water through opened floodgates, soaking his clothes within moments.

Kronos slowly calmed himself and turned his head to survey his surroundings, his eyes filled with bewilderment. Then he felt something restricting his mouth and raised a hand to touch it.

Something like a strip of cloth had been fastened over Kronos's mouth. He tugged at it, but could not pull it off.

Looking around, Kronos spotted a mirror on a table and hurried over to it.

Reflected in it was the handsome face of a Western man, with sharply defined, striking features, a straight, finely shaped nose, deep-set eyes, and pale blond hair. His gray eyes were bright but puzzled.

Unfamiliar surroundings, unfamiliar clothes, and even an unfamiliar face staring back from the mirror—Kronos felt as though his head would explode.

He stood there in a daze for a long time before slowly calming down. Then he gathered his thoughts and tried to recall what had happened.

He had been a Chinese man living on Earth. Only a few years out of university, he had been doing quite well for himself. A good university and good grades had landed him a good job.

Having just received a promotion and a raise, he had excitedly splurged on a reward for himself: a replica of Iron Man's right gauntlet that he had wanted for a long time.

He was a devoted Iron Man fan and owned all sorts of models. This right gauntlet was the very one Iron Man had used to perform the Snap in Endgame, complete with the Infinity Stones.

It was exquisitely crafted, wearable, and not bulky in the slightest. He had fallen in love with it at first sight, but its price had been enough to bring tears to his eyes.

The first thing he did after bringing it home was wash his hands thoroughly. Then, brimming with excitement, he carefully slipped his hand into the replica.

Standing before the mirror, he indulged his inner geek, imitating Downey's movements and expression as he said, "I am Iron Man." Then he snapped his fingers.

Who could have imagined that a vortex would appear out of thin air and drag him straight inside? A powerful tearing force filled it.

Excruciating pain instantly spread throughout his body. He felt as though he might have been torn apart in an instant, yet he also vaguely sensed that he had caught hold of something.

When he opened his eyes again, he was here.

Kronos touched his face and clothes, then the bed and wall beside him. Everything seemed real. At that moment, only one word remained in his mind: Transmigration.

Just as he tried to investigate exactly what had happened, a violent wave of dizziness struck. Within moments, he could no longer stand. He collapsed onto the bed and lost consciousness.

The process of transmigration had consumed far too much of his energy, and merging with another soul afterward had exhausted what strength remained.

Once he fell unconscious, however, his energy began to recover. The memories of the other soul, which he had previously lacked the strength to absorb, slowly surfaced in his mind.

His name was now Krono Nois Argyle, the sole heir of the Argel Family's next generation.

The Argel Family held a hereditary marquessate in the Loen Kingdom, the great power with the strongest overall strength on the Northern Continent.

Besides the Loen Kingdom, the Northern Continent had three other great powers-the Feysac Empire, the Feynapotter Kingdom, and the Intis Republic-as well as three smaller nations: Segar, Lenburg, and Masik.

If that was not enough for him to recognize this world, then Backlund, the capital of the Loen Kingdom where he now found himself, and the power system unique to this world-the "Paths of the Divine"-certainly brought his memories back.

Before transmigrating, Kronos had read Lord of the Mysteries several times. He loved its worldbuilding and Cuttlefish's writing, but now that he had actually transmigrated here, he could only choke on his own speechlessness. This world was far too dangerous.

Still, his starting circumstances were much better than those of the book's protagonist. Klein might have had a cheat, but his early struggles over a few soli were something Kronos would never have to experience in this life.

In any country, the title of marquess was not easily obtained.

There were five ranks of nobility: baron, viscount, earl, marquess, and duke. Above those was the rank of prince, reserved exclusively for members of the royal family.

Barons occupied the lowest rank of the nobility and could even be jokingly described as landowners with status. They were the most numerous and held the least authority. When the kingdom needed money, a barony could even be obtained through a donation.

Viscounts held a much higher position. They had seats in the upper house and fiefs the size of city-states. The investiture of any viscount was a significant event.

Earls were the true leaders among the nobility. They could wield military, civil, and financial authority, sometimes serving as local officials as well. They could dominate a region and become powerful hereditary feudal lords.

The highest rank, duke, had originally been granted mostly to members of the royal family. The occasional nonroyal duke possessed immense influence and had obtained the title through an exchange of interests with the royal house.

Mr. Door, Amon, and Medici during the Fourth Epoch were examples. They possessed power that even kings feared, which was why they had been made dukes.

The Loen Kingdom's only nonroyal duke was Duke Negan, the leader of the Conservative Party. He was not even a Sequence 5, yet even King George III dared not claim to wield greater authority than him in this country. Even Adam had to kill him first to advance the course of the era.

Marquesses were the most unusual. Originally, they had been frontier governors vested with special plenary powers, tasked with defending the king's territory and possessing independent financial and military authority.

But why would a king delegate such immense power? Naturally, it was because most marquessates dated back to the kingdom's founding, and every one of their holders had distinguished himself in war.

The Argel Family was one such example, a family as old as the Loen Kingdom itself.

At the end of the Fourth Epoch, after the War of the Four Emperors, Abel Argel, the founder of the Argel Family, had guarded the frontier for the Loen Kingdom's first king, William I, the "Protector and Founder."

He had repelled countless attacks by the Feysac Empire. This had continued until the Loen Kingdom, the Feysac Empire, the Intis Kingdom, and the Feynapotter Kingdom signed the Holy Covenant.

For this, Abel Argel had been granted the hereditary title of marquess and Winter County as his fief, guarding the northern frontier for the Augustus Family, Loen's royal house.

Yet a marquis's family with such illustrious military achievements inevitably inspired wariness. Three hundred years after the first Marquis Argyle died, the Argel Family's influence within the military had greatly diminished.

The Argel Family's fief was then changed from Winter County, which bordered the Feysac Empire, to neighboring Midseashire, a region of lesser military importance. The family retained its financial authority, but its military powers were revoked.

The Sonia Sea lay to its northwest, the Minsk Mountains to its northeast, and the Hornacis Mountain Range to its west. Its terrain was mostly hilly and unsuitable for growing grain, making it extremely unfavorable to nobles whose fief income depended primarily on grain. The royal family's attitude could hardly have been clearer.

Over the following century, one founding marquess's family after another had its fief reassigned under one pretext or another, before being demoted to earls or viscounts.

Fortunately, just as the royal family was looking for an opportunity to move against the Argel Family, war broke out again.

From 621 to 642, the Loen Kingdom and the Feysac Empire fought the Twenty Years' War. Defeated, the Loen Kingdom had no choice but to cede Sonia Island to the Feysac Empire.

The defeat in the Twenty Years' War subjected the Loen Kingdom to years of humiliation, but it also forged one hero after another. The kingdom fought the White Rose War against the Intis Kingdom and defeated Intis.

During the White Rose War, the man who held the defensive line between the Loen Kingdom and the Feysac Empire was that generation's Marquis Argyle—Portu Argel.

Next came the Oathbreaker War, a war involving religion. The southern Feynapotter Kingdom had originally worshipped both the Earth Mother and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, but under the influence of certain factors, a severe conflict arose between their two churches.

The Loen Kingdom and the Intis Kingdom seized this opportunity and launched a war under the pretext of protecting religious freedom. The Feysac Empire joined later, attempting to thwart Loen and Intis's plans, but still failed to turn the tide.

As a result of the war, nations such as Lenburg, Masik, and Segar gained independence in the border regions between Loen and Feynapotter, and between Intis and Feynapotter. They primarily worshipped the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, while only the Church of the Earth Mother remained within the Feynapotter Kingdom.

The man who crushed the Feysac Empire's plans was its old opponent, Marquess Portu Argel. For this, Portu became known as the Argel Family's "Restorer."

After these wars, the Argel Family enjoyed several more centuries of peace, but the royal family's concerns did not diminish. Instead, they grew increasingly intense.

At the time, the economy of the family's fief, Midseashire, depended mainly on fishing and delicacies and game from the mountains. The royal family actually joined forces with certain nobles to suppress the prices of Midseashire's seafood and game. The method was childish, but the message was clear.

Finally, in 1034, that generation's Marquis Argyle made an extremely wise choice: he issued a public declaration.

"Due to the family's poor management, both the family and its fief are on the verge of bankruptcy. Henceforth, we will no longer involve ourselves in any military or political affairs, and will withdraw from our political party to focus on developing commerce, in the hope of preserving the family and fief left to us by our ancestors."