Chapter 1: The Battle of Cassia Castle

Rays of summer sunshine beat down upon the gray stone of Cassia Castle’s walls. The sky beyond the spire was clear and blue, completely detached from the turmoil unfolding below.

As I stared up at it, I was struck with the strange sensation that I was seeing a live-action rendition of an RPG cutscene I’d watched long before I was born.

But this was reality.

I was born into this world with the name Kiara. It took me until I was fourteen to realize it, but one day, I had the epiphany that I was living in a world nearly identical to an RPG I’d played in my past life. That game was calledFarzia: Kingdom at War.

The protagonist was the heir to the Margraviate of Évrard, Alan. If his life had proceeded according to the RPG, he would have lost his father in the prologue along with his best friend and my guardian, Prince Reginald of Farzia—also known as Reggie.

In order to change their fates, I’d been fighting as a spellcaster.

That said, I certainly didn’t have the power to lead an entire country. The best I could do was defend Alan’s hometown, Évrard. In the meantime, we were invaded by the kingdom of Llewyne, whose forces were closing in on the royal capital.

Fortunately, forewarned is forearmed, so I’d gotten us off to a more advantageous start than in the game.

And yet... why hadhe cast me aside, deliberately keeping me away from the front lines?

My mouth drawn in a thin line, I listened alongside Alan and Cain as Lord Reinstar’s uncle, General Edam, re