The Bookworm’s Second Life
Jonathan
애독자의 갱생 라이프 Jun 18, 2026 10 views
Chapter 18
The most terrifying thing in war is not a skilled enemy, but a stupid ally.
If you look through recorded history, there are countless battles that should have been won—but were lost anyway. There are many reasons for that, but a large portion of them come down to incompetent allies doing stupid things and ruining everything.
You don’t even need to go far—just look at games. The moment one teammate starts throwing, no matter how well the others play, the momentum collapses beyond recovery.
If war and games had something in common, it wasn’t about who was more skilled. It was about who was less of an idiot.
‘In that sense, my existence in this war is a landmine. A potential troll-in-training!’
Sion had read plenty of books about war history, thinking that at least a man should be able to join those kinds of conversations. But that didn’t magically turn him into a strategist.
On a battlefield, even the smallest change could overturn everything in an instant.
A false report that the vanguard commander had died could break the entire formation. Or in a hopeless battle, soldiers might hold their ground just because a banner was seen on a distant hill—and that alone could turn defeat into victory.
‘Honestly, the public perception of Sion Clausen in this territory is already trash. If I actually go to the battlefield, I’ll just become a walking liability.’
Sighing, Sion checked his outfit once more.
He wore a tough inner cloth layer first. Then a chainmail armor he had only ever seen in movies or dramas. Over that, he added a thick padded leather jacket, and finally a military uniform on top.
“Isn’t that too light? Knights wear plate armor instead of leather. It looks heavy, but extremely durable.”
“I won’t be fighting on the front lines. I only need protection against stray arrows or sudden thrusts. If it’s too heavy, I’ll just tire myself out and become a burden.”
More armor wasn’t always better.
Armor meant weight, and too much weight didn’t just slow a person down—it exhausted even the horse carrying them.
Survivability was important in battle, but collapsing before even fighting was the worst possible outcome.
“More importantly, Lady Lilith, are you alright?”
“Hm? Ah, don’t worry. It hurt, but it’s not like I can’t move.”
“That’s good.”
“Ahh~ If it weren’t for you, Sion, I would’ve smashed that annoying bastard’s face in. Did you see his eyes? That rude look he kept giving us? I was so angry I almost smashed his mouth without even thinking!”
She said this, despite the fact that she had been the one forced to retreat after being completely overpowered.
Sion quietly looked at her and asked,
“Was that really all?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“When you saw that guy, Kim Yuhyeon… didn’t you feel anything else?”
“Of course I did. Like wanting to twist his neck off right away?”
It seemed his worry was unnecessary.
In the original story, Lilith had fallen for Kim Yuhyeon and followed him obsessively.
Unable to gain his affection, she had eventually spiraled into obsession and even tried to destroy him.
But now, she didn’t seem to have any affection for him at all.
Instead, only hostility simmered—she ground her teeth in rage.
That meant Lilith had almost completely become his asset now.
‘Well, I did make a subordination contract with her. Maybe it’s only natural.’
According to Lilith, once a succubus formed a subordination contract, she could no longer absorb mana or life energy from anyone else. She also could no longer feel sexual pleasure from others.
Only the contractor could provide her satisfaction, pleasure, and even the mana essential for her survival.
It was truly an overpowered card.
But Sion did not let his guard down.
Lilith was strong—but the enemies they would eventually face were the kind who had even killed beings like her.
‘Still… this is a bit much.’
Sighing, Sion opened the door.
Outside, the knight commander of Lichten was waiting for him, standing at attention.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. Let’s go, Commander. Sir Nos, you too.”
The knight commander led the way, with Sir Nos—Lilith in disguise—following behind.
Sion expected that if things went well in this war, there would be no need for her disguise anymore.
Even a terrifying demon could become a benefactor if they helped you in your time of need. And even a kind angel could become an enemy if they didn’t.
Sion intended to use that truth.
“I brought them.”
At the commander’s voice, Sion looked ahead.
There stood the Margrave of Lichten in full armor.
Beside him were Countess Leona, her face full of worry, and Aden, who looked sleepy but was forcing himself to stay alert.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, Father.”
“This is a battlefield. No one knows what will happen. Do not let your guard down.”
You’re taking a kid who just barely became a teenager into a battlefield!
Father, this is too much!
“I’m already an adult now. Didn’t you follow Grandfather into battle when you were young?”
“I always thought I never wanted my children to go through the same thing.”
War was neither beautiful nor glamorous.
It was a place where countless lives collided, only to vanish in blood and flesh.
That was what Sion was about to face—war.
“Be careful.”
“Return safely.”
Countess Leona spoke with deep concern, and the Margrave forced a calm smile as if to reassure her.
Then he lifted Aden, patted his head, and said goodbye.
Aden looked up at Sion.
He seemed like he wanted to say something, but was too shy, restrained by Sion’s usual cold demeanor.
So Sion stepped forward first.
“Take care of the house, Aden.”
“…Yes, brother.”
“If mother gets scared, tell her it’s nothing serious. Understood?”
“Yes…”
“And don’t worry about father. This brother will protect him. When I return, let’s find a new game to play together.”
If anyone else said something like that, it would be a death flag.
But Sion Clausen was not “anyone else.”
He was the embodiment of survival instinct.
“Let’s go, Sion.”
“Yes, Father.”
The Margrave turned away and began walking, as if this was just another ordinary departure.
The knight commander, several escorts, Sion, and Lilith followed behind.
Soon after, Kim Yuhyeon joined them with Lucia.
Lucia had insisted on coming, saying she would support the wounded soldiers with healing magic.
“More importantly, are you prepared?”
While walking, the Margrave glanced back.
Sion replied awkwardly,
“Honestly, Father should be the one giving the speech at the departure ceremony. I’ve never done anything like that before.”
“You will have to do it someday anyway. This is your chance to gain experience. And the knights and soldiers are curious about you.”
Curious, yes.
The problem was that their curiosity was not exactly positive.
Leaving the city gates, rows of soldiers stood waiting in formation.
They were elite troops of the Clausen Margrave’s forces, known as one of the strongest armies in the kingdom.
Forty knights. Seven hundred soldiers.
A large-scale expedition force.
‘The total forces of Clausen territory are about two thousand… this is nearly half of them.’
In the original story, more than half of them would die here, leaving a massive hole in the territory’s defenses.
The main reason: they failed to detect an enemy knight order.
‘But things are different now.’
Kim Yuhyeon was now directly accompanying them from the beginning of the war.
The best possible scenario was unfolding—Kim Yuhyeon would join early, and the territory would remain safe.
“Sion.”
The Margrave pointed toward a temporary platform.
It was the place where the commander-in-chief was supposed to stand.
But he had given that position to his son.
It was an honor—but also an enormous burden.
A speech before soldiers heading into war was extremely important.
It could affect morale, combat ability, and loyalty.
‘Why are you making me do this?!’
Sion had only ever given one kind of speech in his life.
A student council election speech back in elementary school.
Back then, it was simple: promise snacks, say nice things, and win votes.
