THE WORLD THAT I KNOW ABOUT

There he stood, motionless, staring at the figure that was supposedly him.

Confusion clouded his mind, making it difficult to discern reality from illusion.

Was he losing his mind, or was he merely intoxicated? His body still felt the lingering effects of the alcohol, adding to his disorientation.

"I was sure I drank the normal beer I usually take..." he muttered, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Does beer make one hallucinate? Must have been an update I missed," he continued, his fingers frantically exploring his face.

He smooshed his cheeks and pulled at his skin, hoping to wake from this bizarre dream. Pain shot through him, confirming the reality of the situation.

"Ow, that's definitely real," he winced, the sensation grounding him momentarily.

He took a step back and scrutinized his reflection.

Thin eyebrows arched over long, black lashes that framed eyes of a striking ruby red.

The juxtaposition of these feminine features against his undeniably masculine physique left him speechless. Only one word echoed in his mind: 'Beautiful.'

"Wait, is it considered gay to love yourself?" he murmured, a hint of humor in his bewilderment.

"I don't think so; this is supposedly me, after all."

Trying to think deeply, he recalled his appearance just yesterday. His hair had been black, bushy, and perpetually messy. Brown eyes, a clean-shaven face with a few stubborn beard strands on his chin, thick eyebrows, and ordinary eyelashes—nothing like now. His body had been an awkward mix of fat and skinny, hardly the type to turn heads.

In short, the body he had before was unremarkable, no matter what outfit he wore or hairstyle he tried no woman would look twice in his direction.

"I gotta say, I look nice...but this is all too absurd," he admitted, shaking his head.

The disparity between his former self and his current appearance was too vast to comprehend, leaving him trapped in a bewildering blend of admiration and disbelief.

He reached into his pockets, searching for something he couldn't find.

"Where's my phone?" he muttered, frustration creeping into his voice.

"I was sure I had it..."

After rifling through his pockets countless times, he finally concluded, "I must have left it in my room..."

Just then, a voice from behind startled him, its enchanting tone making him jolt and marvel. Whose voice could be so captivating?

"Young Master..."

He turned to see a maid standing there, her head lowered just like the others.

'What's with the lowering of heads and looking down? Is it a norm here? And if it is, it definitely should not be directed towards me,' he thought.

"Raise your head," he commanded, curious to hear his voice clearly in this new body. He had only been talking to himself and mumbling.

"B-but sir..." the maid, with silky blue hair, mumbled in a low, hesitant tone loud enough for him to hear.

'Huh...do they perhaps get their heads chopped off if they look up?' he wondered, noticing the maid's trembling.

He moved slowly, lifting the girl's chin with his index finger, her head responding to his touch. She jolted but soon calmed as her eyes met his.

'Pretty...' he thought, admiring her.

The maid had long, silky blue hair and beautiful blue eyes. Her lips looked luscious, and she wore a black maid's outfit that accentuated her ample and perfectly shaped breasts.

The skirt hugged her perfectly curved hips. The clothes were tight, but not overly so.

He then noticed something about her that mirrored his own appearance: two dark blue horns atop her head. Despite this, her beauty remained flawless.

As she stared into his ruby eyes, she finally spoke, feeling a sense of ease now that the young master had allowed her to look at him.

However, she knew that if the House Master caught her looking directly, she was done for.

"S-sir Diaval...it seemed that you were bothered by something. If I may, I would help you get what you need as I walk you back to your room," she said, blushing slightly after a moment of eye contact, then swiftly looking down.

'Diaval?' That was the first thing he thought, apart from marveling at the maid's voice.

'That name seems awfully familiar, but I can't place where I've heard it before,' he pondered.

"It's okay, I don't need anything for now... although, can I ask you a question?"

Before he could finish, she had already answered, "Of course, Young Master. You don't even have to ask."

"Okay then, where are we currently, and what time is it?" he asked, looking at the maid.

"Umm...we are in the Province of Claire, situated in the Beast Continent," she said, pausing to ensure the young master understood, then continued, "The current time is 4 AM, Saturday."

Her thoughts drifted to whether the young master was okay, finding it absurd that he would ask such a question. But she dared not complain; she was indoctrinated to serve him after all.

'Province of Claire? Beast Continent?' His mind swirled with questions until it hit him like a falling brick.

'There's no way...' he thought, scratching his head and pushing back his hair.

The world he was in felt both familiar and unfamiliar. He tried to jog his memory and got snippets of the body's memories. They hurt, but only for a short time.

If he was thinking correctly, he had been transmigrated into a novel he had read the night he got drunk, which was not too long ago.

On top of that, he had only read the first few chapters, and the name the maid mentioned wasn't one of the main characters, so he felt a sense of relief.

'I'm not a key role in this world... that's good. I was always a lazy bum anyway, and I don't intend to play a key role here. An average life is what I'll have as I find out what happened and caused me to get transmigrated here,' he thought, putting a finger to his chin.

'According to the synopsis of the book, the main character had fallen and become a villain.

The world was going to undergo changes, and he was one of the main reasons why.

If I could just stay away and avoid anything to do with him, my life will go accordingly...'

///NEXT CHAPTER: A WAY FORWARD