Kaelen Elaris. That's my name.
...Now, where should I even begin with all this? ...Hm.
Alright. Let's start from the very beginning. As I mentioned, my name is Kaelen Elaris, and I am a nobody. But that doesn't matter, because I never cared about fame. I never had grand dreams. Never aspired to be more than I was. Power? Prestige? Nah, that just wasn't me.
It wasn't because I lacked the desire, though. No. It was because I couldn't have those things. I never had that choice from the jump—just like ninety percent of the rest of the world. I was born with next to nothing. Barely enough to survive in this miserable world.
Back then, I always heard people talk about destiny and fate. They used those words to blind themselves with the possibility of a better future, trying to forget their harsh reality. They preach that no matter what life throws at you, no matter how low you sink, you can always change the situation; you have the power to write your own destiny.
I say: take my middle finger.
Most of the time, life is just about talent. Hard work can get you moving, sure, but it never gets you far enough. I wasn't an idiot who would buy into those cheaply sold dreams.
From the day the Awakening took place and I saw my talent—or lack thereof—I knew I was utterly screwed. Honestly, I just laughed. This world had no place for me, and truthfully, I didn't care.
I wasn't like my father. I didn't hold big dreams. No. I didn't like pain. I wasn't some masochist who didn't know when to quit. Those idiots still die in the end anyway.
So here. Have my middle finger. That's all you're getting from me. I refused to die for some pointless, noble reason.
From that day I awakened, I faced the hard truth. I couldn't survive here. I just couldn't. Even as a kid, barely ten years old, I had already started planning out my life. To be clear, even then, I was smarter than the other kids my age. That was the main reason I didn't get myself killed back in Alpheriosa. Damn, the things I had to endure in that godforsaken place...
Well, just as I decided, I accepted my place. Even though my dad was a duke, I knew there were powers I couldn't go against, powers I couldn't even dream of competing against—at least, not if I still wanted a peaceful life.
As for the life I imagined for myself? It was quite simple, actually: I wanted to become a farmer.
I wanted to own a huge plot of land somewhere far from civilization. Somewhere where the chances of betrayal and conflict were zero. And that was only possible if I was completely alone. I avoided making friends, especially since most kids my age got on my nerves anyway, particularly after that incident where I tried to play the hero.
Hah. I will never forget that day.
It was then I realized something fundamental: Only the powerful had the right to be benevolent. A weak, utterly powerless individual like me? We just die. There are no two ways around it.
The entire reason I wanted this farmer's life was because my duchy handled all the food storage and farming for the kingdom. I saw up close how truly peaceful the farmers' lives were. The duchy had always been quiet. People simply worked their fields and enjoyed time with their families. It was the complete absence of any hunger for power that captivated me.
I didn't even want my dad's duchy. It was too much trouble. With how weak I was, it was only a matter of time before I got betrayed and killed off one way or another.
So, I planned to run away when I reached a certain stage in my life. A peaceful life in a quiet forest, with my farm, a house, and maybe—just maybe—a wife. I wasn't picky. As long as the girl wasn't like the entitled bitches I had to endure in Alpheriosa, I was fine.
But... fate. Fate, being the absolute whore she was, didn't like that plan.
No. She never liked me from the very beginning.