Lord of The Red Planet

Who? Who just spoke?!

THUMP! The hair on Rian's neck stood on end. A chill crawled down his spine. Wait… as far as I know, I'm home alone! My family is on vacation at the beach!

And it's already past midnight!

His eyelids felt heavy, difficult to move. His head was throbbing violently. RIIING… It felt like he'd just been slammed with a baseball bat at full force.

Unconsciously, Rian raised his right hand to his temple.

"My Lord, are you all right?" the beautiful female voice asked again, her tone now laden with worry.

Who is that? Who keeps talking to me?

Finally, with great effort, Rian managed to open his eyes.

Before him stood a woman who was… breathtakingly beautiful. Probably the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life.

Wait a second… This face, these clothes… I feel like I've seen her before.

However, another wave of pain crashed through his head, shattering the thought. He winced. ARGH! Damn it, what's going on? Why does my head hurt so much?

"My Lord!!" WHOOSH! The figure suddenly shot forward, cradling the back of his head.

"I will heal you at once." Her voice sounded so sad and panicked, as if her own life were on the line.

Then, a magic circle with foreign runes materialized in thin air, emitting a calming green light. As the light washed over his temple, the intense, throbbing pain in his head vanished instantly.

Rian fixed his gaze on the figure. In an instant, his eyes widened in disbelief.

"You're… Emma Wiliams?" Rian stared intently at the woman now holding his arm and head. He'd felt a sense of familiarity from the start, but he never would have guessed it was Emma Wiliams!

How is this possible?! An NPC can move and talk like a living person!

And she's right here in front of me?! I have to remember this! Avalon wasn't a VR game, so there's no way Emma could appear in the real world!

"Yes… it is I, Emma Wiliams. Is something amiss, My Lord?" Emma wore a confused expression at his shock, but deep in her heart, she felt an overflowing happiness at being able to touch her Lord Arthur's body.

What the hell is this?! Her mouth is moving! I can even feel the warmth from her hand on my arm! Is… is this real?!

"Please… take your hands off me, Emma Wiliams." Okay, stay calm. First, I need to get out of this awkward position. After that, I can think through what's actually happening.

Hearing the command, Emma's face went pale. Panic was written all over her eyes.

"Lord Arthur, please forgive my impertinence! I will do anything to atone for it! So, I beg of you, do not be angry…." Beads of tears began to well up in the corners of her beautiful eyes.

Seeing Emma's extreme reaction, Rian's heart pounded. Crap, why is she overreacting like this?! All I did was ask her to let go!

Rian racked his brain, searching for a way to de-escalate the situation. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

"I forgive you, Emma." He made his voice as firm as possible, letting it echo through the vast Throne Room.

"Truly?" Emma gazed at Rian with an adorable, innocent look. Her blue pupils, set against vertical, reptilian black corneas, made her look exceptionally beautiful.

"Yes. Now, something important has happened to Avanheim." Rian put on a flat expression, pushing his panic down deep. Okay, I need to distract her and the other NPCs. That'll give me time to think.

At the mention of something concerning Avanheim, Emma's expression immediately turned serious.

"What is it, My Lord?"

"Perhaps… Avanheim has been transported somewhere." Rian threw out his first theory, a possibility that came up often in his favorite isekai novels and anime.

"My Lord, I believe that is impossible," Emma replied with complete conviction. "The entirety of Felius Castle is now protected by an Anti-Teleportation World Class Item. It would be impossible for the castle to be moved without our knowledge."

She has a point. Rian actually trusted their defenses. He had only said it to change the subject.

"Of course I have faith in our defenses, but it's best we check the situation outside Felius Castle first. Jarvis!" he called out.

An old man wearing the uniform of a Victorian-era European butler stepped forward from the line of The Ninth Oath Maids.

"You called for me, Lord Arthur?" Jarvis immediately knelt, showing his respect to the Supreme Ruler of Avanheim.

Rian observed Jarvis, an old man who appeared to be in his seventies.

"Take all members of The Ninth Oath Maids and sweep the surrounding area in a five-kilometer radius. If you encounter anything dangerous, return to Avanheim at once!" Rian ordered crisply.

"Understood, My Lord." After receiving his orders, Jarvis and The Ninth Oath Maids promptly left the Throne Room.

Now, only he and Emma Wiliams remained in the room.

The awkward silence that enveloped them made him feel unbearably stiff in his seat.

"In that case, what are my orders, Lord Arthur?" Emma suddenly leaned in toward Rian, looking at him with a gaze full of obsession and fiery passion.

Seeing that look, Rian's skin crawled all over again. Gulp!

What is happening?! Why am I stuck in a cliché like this? As I recall, I never changed Emma's backstory. Why does she seem so obsessed with me?

Wait a minute… Of all the Level 100 NPCs, Emma's is the only backstory I've never seen! And she was created by Kohmi Joshua. My relationship with Kohmi was more than just casual friends, but that's as far as it went!

Could it be… Kohmi added some weird programming to Emma?

Rian's gaze unintentionally drifted to Emma's cleavage, which was slightly exposed by her white dress. They swayed gently.

Damn it, Rian, what are you thinking! He immediately shoved the dirty thought aside. You're getting turned on by your friend's 'daughter'! If Kohmi saw you now, he'd be so disappointed, he lamented to himself.

Rian cleared his throat loudly to get his mind straight. "Ahem! As for you, immediately summon all Floor Guardians to the Fifth Floor, in the Garden of Elavin," he commanded, gently pushing Emma's shoulder away from him.

Seeing this, a flicker of disappointment crossed Emma's face, but the feeling was instantly replaced by enthusiasm upon receiving a new command.

"Understood, Lord Arthur."

Emma quickly bowed respectfully and left the Throne Room.

"Haaaah… she's finally gone," Rian murmured, sighing in relief.

"What in the world is going on? Why am I in Avanheim?" Rian began to analyze his situation seriously.

"First, I can confirm the NPCs have come to life, and I've become my game character. The proof is that they're calling me 'Lord Arthur'." Rian stroked his chin, thinking.

"So, what about magic?" Rian concentrated, trying to release the Staff of Avanheim from his grip. The staff then floated gracefully by his side.

Seeing this, his eyes lit up. "Looks like magic still works." This was a crucial test. If the staff hadn't floated like it did in the game, it would have meant magic was useless in this new world.

Yeah, I'm almost certain now. Somehow, after the game server shut down, he and his entire guild had been thrown into another world.

The situation was almost identical to the isekai anime he'd watched. He wasn't even going to bother entertaining the thought that this was still a game; that was impossible. Avalon wasn't a VR game, and the sensations he was feeling right now were so real, it was like he was in his own body.

Of course, there's a chance the World of Avalon itself became real, but I'm hoping this is a new world, not the World of Minoa. If this were Minoa, I should be able to sense the coordinates of the 'Gate' magic I left behind during my past adventures.

"Okay, first assumption: The Avanheim Guild and everything in it have become real and been transported to another world. The next step is to test the loyalty of the NPCs!" Rian had now fully accepted the theory that he'd been isekai'd.

No other explanation made any sense.

Rian held out his hand. A small tear in space appeared before him. He put his hand inside, then pulled it back out holding a mirror.

"So to access my inventory, I just have to think about it, huh? Easy enough," he muttered. The mirror was a piece of junk he'd gotten from a gacha pull.

He turned the mirror over and stared at his reflection. It showed a young man with a cold expression, pale white skin, beautiful sky-blue irises, and short black hair. His looks were, in a word, stunning.

He was even more handsome than his character had been in the game!

East Asian features, a sharp nose, and slightly wide eyes—this was his appearance now.

"Damn, this face! I might be better looking than one of those K-pop stars who's had work done!" Rian exclaimed in shock.

He lowered the mirror and returned it to his inventory.

"I don't know what power brought me here," Rian clenched his right fist tightly, his eyes flashing with determination. "But I'm not going to waste this chance!"