Dae took a slow breath, then turned toward the waiting soldiers and the open gates beyond.
The courtyard was already packed.
Around twenty riders waited beside armored mounts. Their gear looked practical and worn. These were real soldiers, not palace guards.
As soon as he stepped closer, conversations stopped.
Good. At least the reputation worked.
A tall man stepped forward. Dark skin marked with faint red lines like old burns ran across his jaw. No horns — just heavy armor and a long scar across one eye.
He bowed — barely.
Dae didn't bother asking for his name.
The body memories supplied it anyway.
General Kael. The name came to him without effort.
He had led border missions for years. The kind no one else wanted. The scars on his face looked old, not dramatic — the kind earned by staying alive too long.
He didn't bow deeply. Didn't look impressed either.
Yeah. This was a man who cared about results, not titles.
Which meant… he probably didn't like Dae.
Fine. The feeling was mutual.
Dae turned away before the silence stretched too long and walked toward the nearest warhorse. Dark coat, silver eyes, muscles tight under armored plating.
He stopped in front of it.
Right.
Horse.
Of course.
He climbed into the saddle in one smooth motion. Easier than expected. The body remembered even if he didn't.
Good. Less chance of embarrassing himself.
He kept his face calm and slightly bored. The old Dae had been loud, arrogant, careless. If he suddenly acted too serious, people would notice.
So he moved with lazy confidence instead. Just enough attitude to feel familiar.
He looked around slowly.
No carriage.
No escort wagon.
Just riders.
He frowned. "…We are traveling like this?"
No one answered.
Some soldiers avoided his eyes. Others looked like they were waiting for him to complain.
He shifted in the saddle, trying to look annoyed instead of confused.
"So no royal carriage?" he asked, loud enough for the group to hear. "I thought princes received special treatment."
A few riders stiffened.
Someone muttered under their breath.
Then a calm voice spoke from behind him.
"You receive treatment appropriate to the situation, Your Highness."
Dae froze.
He knew that voice.
Slowly, he turned.
Master Luvis stood near the gate, hands folded behind his back. Older, thin, dressed in dark robes that marked both scholar and advisor. His expression held that familiar calm disappointment that made people feel twelve years old again.
Body memories flooded in.
Lessons. Endless corrections. Writing drills. Etiquette lectures. Strategy discussions that felt more like traps than teaching.
Luvis had taught him. Taught Valeraine too.
And worse — he was one of the king's closest advisors.
Which meant arguing with him never ended well.
Dae straightened slightly without meaning to.
"…Master Luvis," he said.
Luvis inclined his head.
"A border investigation is not a parade," he said calmly. "If you wish to arrive alive, you will ride as a soldier rides."
A few nearby soldiers looked suddenly very interested in their saddles.
Dae clicked his tongue softly but said nothing.
Because technically…
Luvis outranked him in every way that mattered.
The old man stepped closer, voice lowering so only Dae could hear.
"Try not to fall off."
Luvis gave a faint nod, as if satisfied, then stepped back.
General Kael raised a hand.
"Move out!"
The riders began to move, hooves striking stone in steady rhythm as they passed through the open gates.
Dae exhaled slowly as the palace walls faded behind them.
Great.
Thrown into danger with soldiers who didn't respect him, a system he didn't understand, and a teacher who could scold him like a child.
Perfect start.
The riders passed through the palace gates, iron bars rising slowly behind them.
Dae glanced back once.
The palace stood high above the city, walls bright under the morning light. Towers stretched into the sky, silver banners moving in the wind. It looked less like a fortress and more like something out of a story.
If he showed this to someone back on Earth and said demons lived here, they would laugh.
Too clean. Too grand. Too beautiful.
The road sloped down toward the capital.
Glacia.
The name came easily with the body memories.
Wide streets opened before them as they entered the city. Stone buildings lined both sides, tall and well kept. Shops were already open. Market stalls filled the air with noise and movement.
People stepped aside as the riders passed.
Dae kept his face calm, distant. The same bored expression he imagined the old prince would wear.
Inside, though, he watched everything.
The city was… rich.
Clean roads. Strong walls. Colorful banners hanging between buildings. Even the armor worn by normal guards looked expensive.
His kingdom really was powerful.
Different kinds of people filled the streets.
Some had a single horn growing from their forehead. Others had none at all, only a thin tail moving behind them. A few were much taller than others, broad shoulders and heavy frames that made the horses look smaller beside them.
No one stared openly, but eyes followed him.
Silver hair.
That alone marked him as royalty.
Some citizens lowered their heads as he passed. Others watched with careful curiosity. A child pointed before their parent quickly pulled their hand down.
Dae kept his posture straight.
The steady rhythm of hooves echoed through the city as the riders moved forward, leaving the palace behind and heading toward the outer gates.
And for the first time since waking in this world, Dae felt it clearly.
This wasn't just some strange dream.
The streets widened as they moved closer to the outer districts. More riders joined from side roads, falling into formation without needing orders.
Dae noticed it slowly.
Not twenty.
Not fifty.
Far more.
Rows of armored riders stretched ahead and behind him. Dark mounts moved in perfect rhythm, their armor marked with the same silver crest. Scouts rode along the edges, eyes scanning rooftops and alleys while messengers moved between groups.
Two hundred at least.
Demon Riders.
An elite unit. Fast response force. Border specialists. Sent where danger was real, not political.
And General Kael commanded them.
Dae glanced toward him.
Kael rode near the front, posture straight, gaze forward. No wasted movement. No talking. The other riders watched him without needing constant orders.
So this wasn't just an escort.
This was a serious deployment.
Good.
Probably.
Two hundred elite riders should be enough to keep him alive… right?
Right?
A faint chime rang inside his head.
Soft. Sharp. Impossible to ignore.
Dae stiffened slightly in the saddle.
Oh.
Right.
The system.
A translucent screen appeared at the edge of his vision. He didn't look at it directly. Instead, he kept his gaze forward, pretending to watch the road like everyone else.
Lines of text formed slowly.
[ New Objective Detected ]
More words appeared.
[ Dimensional Tear Activity Confirmed ]
[ Foreign Entity Presence Detected ]
Then another line slid into place.
[ Main Objective ]
[ Eliminate the threat originating from beyond the Tear ]
Dae's fingers tightened around the reins without meaning to.
Eliminate?
He had zero combat experience.
The system didn't pause.
[ Reward: To Be Determined ]
[ Failure Consequence: Unknown ]