Chapter 0

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Mountain Spirit.

In the 21st century, its existence is like a living time machine. It has guided the leaders of the nation and sent the Khan of the great plains, who was born in the wrong era, to the right time. Its remarkable achievements are already well-known.

So, when the Mountain Spirit appeared before me and spoke of reincarnating into the past, I could calmly ask without panicking.

“Can it be a foreign country?”

“Foreign country? Hmm… Places outside my jurisdiction are a bit difficult.”

The Mountain Spirit spoke as if it were difficult, but I am 100% certain that it was just an exaggeration.

How could a spirit that claims difficulty orchestrate a major event that twists not only the Korean Peninsula but the entire world’s history? Of course, it wasn’t entirely the Mountain Spirit’s doing, but the butterfly effect it caused by sending a future person to the past created a massive typhoon. Still, the starting point was the Mountain Spirit itself.

“Alright. Let’s hear it.”

Look at that.

Feeling smug that my guess was correct, I confidently said.

“I want to live as Jean Lannes.”

Why hide it? I am a Bonapartist. A Western history major who admires Napoleon Bonaparte, the Emperor born from the French Revolution. That’s who I am.

I’ve thought about becoming Napoleon himself, but the desire to observe and admire him from close by was much stronger. In that regard, the most suitable figures to stand shoulder to shoulder with Napoleon are only two.

They are Joachim Murat and Jean Lannes, the ones I mentioned. The only ones who could call Napoleon “you,” there were no others more fitting than them.

Among them, Joachim Murat gave me a bit of a rejection. I lean more towards brains than brawn, and Joachim seemed a bit too brutish.

While the idea of charging forward and smashing everything with brute force is tempting, Jean Lannes, known as the Achilles of the Grand Army, felt more appealing. Born from humble beginnings, Jean Lannes’s life was something I deeply immersed myself in.

Perhaps sensing my sincerity, the Mountain Spirit pondered for a moment and then nodded.

“Alright, well. That’s close enough, so it should work out somehow. But you’re quite an unusual one.”

What? Is it strange for a Korean to go to France? France, especially the revolutionary period, is a common setting in historical novels.

Anyway, as long as it agreed to send me, that’s all that mattered.

However, I should have paid more attention to what the Mountain Spirit said at that time.

Excited to leave the harsh reality of Hell Joseon, where liberal arts students can’t survive, and enter the era of revolution filled with fantasies, I overlooked something crucial.

But by the time I realized it, it was already too late.

§

Looking at the bronze mirror.

Not a glass mirror, but a bronze mirror.

Isn’t it strange? In late 18th century France, looking at a bronze mirror instead of a glass one?

But there was something even stranger.

It was my reflection in the bronze mirror.

The reflection in the mirror was, in a word, a ‘girl.’

A beautiful girl deserving of several adjectives like ‘beautiful.’

Her glossy black hair shimmered like silk, cascading down to her waist. The addictive texture of her hair made me keep touching it unconsciously.

The girl’s delicate features were like a masterpiece carved by a famous artist, creating a fantastical harmony. Her slightly raised cat-like eyes gave her a haughty look despite her still chubby cheeks.

Long, lush eyelashes, a straight, cute nose, and glossy pink lips. And her deep, clear eyes, like amethysts, held a mesmerizing glow. Her serene depth captivated attention as if emitting magic.

Even at a young age, her beauty was already striking, truly deserving the term ‘flower-like beauty.’

Yes. A beautiful girl. The reflection in the mirror I was facing.

Since when was Jean Lannes a girl? Until his dying moment, he remained a composed gentleman. Did the Mountain Spirit break its promise and deceive me? No, that wasn’t it.

Because.

“Lan! Father has returned.”

This body truly was Jean Lannes.

Only, this Jean Lannes.

Was not Jean Lannes (Jean Lannes) but Zhang Luan (張 鸞). That was the problem.