Chapter 1 Part 3
☆★☆★☆★
A few minutes later, the steaks arrived on cast iron plates with wooden bases, along with the savory smell of garlic.
A sizzling and appetizing sound could be heard, and the overflowing juices seem to dance on the still hot cast iron plates.
The meat seems to be more than five centimeters thick as well.
Good good, this is it, this is just what I wanted. I’d like to eat it whole heartily, like gobbling up big chunks of meat.
Then, as I start to stab the meat with my fork, Anastasia let out a silly voice.
“……I-Is it really okay for me to eat such expensive-looking meat?”
I nodded at Anastasia’s words.
“Can I really……”
Anastasia’s face tensed up as she thinks about the thick-looking steak.
That’s when Anastasia grabs hold of the knife and fork in both hands, but inexplicably her hands are shaking.
“Why are you shaking?”
“It has been so long since I’ve had such a sumptuous and luxurious meal…so…I’m nervous…”
“We’re going to be together for a while, you know. Well, just think of it as a celebration, so don’t hold back and eat it. I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Anastasia”
Hearing my words, Anastasia—
“Um, uh…I will be—in your caaa……!”
Ah, she bit her tongue.
Immediately, Anastasia’s face flushed a bright red—
“Um, uh, er…for biting my tongue…I’m s-s-s-sorrie!”
She bit her tongue yet again.
Anastasia became teary-eyed and began to quiver.
I mean, she bit her tongue twice in a row, didn’t she? She must be really nervous, I guess.
“Well anyway, again, I’m looking forward to getting to know you”
“Ah, yes! Um, er…uh…I-I-I will be in your caarrrc!”
That’s when I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
There she goes, biting her tongue again.
So I smiled gently at Anastasia.
“Don’t be too nervous”
Hearing those words, Anastasia relaxed her stiff expression a little and smiled. But then she bit her tongue again, “Ah, yes…uh…I-I-I’m…sorit!”.
“Haha, it’s fine, it’s fine”
Anastasia laughed shyly and stuck out her tongue with a teehee in response.
“By the way, Anastasia?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Oh, don’t worry, you can eat while you’re answering me. So, you know, it sounds like you’ve been through many terrible experiences as a slave”
“Yes. That’s right”
“There must have been some absurd treatment. I can’t say that I won’t ever accidentally treat you that way. So if that ever happens, and I am being unreasonable, then it’s okay for you to get angry at me”
“Eh? Get angry at you…?”
“Yes, it’s okay for you to get angry at me. It’s also okay for you to say no to things you don’t like”
“Hmm…?”
Aaghh, this is going nowhere.
She’s been oppressed for so long that she doesn’t even seem to know the word ‘rebellion’.
“Yeah, you seem like you don’t even know how to get angry………oh, that’s right. Now is a perfect time, let’s practice on that”
“Practice?”
“Yeah. Try getting angry at me”
“Uh, but to do that to master…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Just try it”
Anastasia remained silent, deep in thought.
After a short while, taking a big, deep breath, she responded with, “Pun-Pun………”. |TL Note: SFX in romaji form, for when girls are pissed off|
“Eh?”
Then Anastasia remained silent again before taking another big, deep breath for, “Pun-Pun………”.
“Eh? What is that supposed to be?”
Anastasia and I look at each other.
“………”
“………”
Anastasia then said as if she had made up her mind.
“………………hey”
“………”
“………”
And after a few dozen seconds of mutual silence, the silence was finally broken by Anastasia.
“Um, uh…er…I’m sorriiee!”
Damn….
It was really unintentional that I thought of Anastasia being kind of cute after the past series of interactions we had.
☆★☆★☆★
On the next day.
And so we came to take the entrance examination for the Magic Academy—
“The exam is a battle royale”
After completing the initial examination procedures, we were ushered into the examination venue. The venue itself looks like a coliseum.
On the battle stage, there stands majestically a short-haired man in his forties in a tank top.
So, the entrance examination for the Magic Academy is known for its low acceptance rates.
That’s because generally there are about three paths a graduate of the Magic Academy can take.
The first path is being an elite in court services headed by royal court mages. The second is work as a researcher or an alchemist at a University of Magic.
And the third is to register with the Adventurer’s Guild to become an adventurer.
The Adventurer’s Guild is always fraught with danger, but magic professions are so scarce that the rewards are often great and always in great demand.
The elites in the court services are rich. A researcher and an alchemist are often associated with high skill jobs as well.
That’s why, basically, graduating from the Magic Academy will secure one’s future financial security to some extent.
And that’s also why the acceptance rates for the Magic Academy entrance examination are terrifyingly low.
Well, even though the acceptance rates are terrifyingly low, there’s no way I’m going to lose against the examinees who might as well are fledgling mages.
Anyway, according to the explanation given, the first stage of the exam is a battle royale with a total of 30 people.
A mock sword would be provided, and we have to defeat the people around us with magic or a sword or anything else that you can think of to place in the top 5.
Incidentally, there are a total of 600 examinees taking the exam this time, and that 600 is divided into 20 different groups with 30 people in each one.
“Er…it’s a battle royale style? That’s too unfair. What if there are five examinees who are at the level of passing in this group?”
With that, the proctor laughed at Anastasia’s legitimate concern.
“Those who can do that come to the Magic Academy with a letter of recommendation, and they’re exempted from the first stage of the exam. My job is to look for diamonds in the rough, like cleaning out mud from a ditch or drain. It won’t take much effort to do that at the beginning of the exam either”
Well, I see what you’re saying there, but…….
By the way, as for Anastasia, excluding me, she only has herself to rely on, so we decided to take the examination together to help her get a job in the future.
I mean, this girl does come from Demon Royalty. Even though she’s only self-proclaimed, it seems that she has a rather unusual magic background, too.
“Don’t worry, you damn kids. I may look like this, but I’m still a B-rank veteran adventurer sent by the Adventurer’s Guild. In the unlikely event that this group is the only one with an unusually high level of bad luck, I’ll make an exception and let you pass the first stage of the exam. So don’t worry. I have a good eye for that sort of thing”
And so the 30 of us dispersed as we were prompted to get up to the battle stage.
“……Master? Actually, I…can’t do any close-quarter combat at all”
Well, I thought so. She looks rather delicate with her slim figure after all.
“All right. Just stay close to me then”
“……In that case, I will be at the rear preparing for my ultimate magic”
Ultimate magic? I wonder what it is?
For the time being, I have no intention of using magic in the first stage of the exam. If I did use magic, I might stand out too much.
Though, swordsmanship is something that I learned purely as the 《Me》 in this life.
As for my swordsmanship, even if I were to use them seriously, well, it probably won’t matter much.
“Now then—let the exam begin!”
Everyone on the battle stage started off by looking at me and Anastasia.
“Anastasia? Why is everyone looking at us…?”
“……Master looks feeble and I look delicate”
“In other words?”
“We look……weak, don’t we?”
Chapter 2 Part 2
On my way back from the dining hall in the annex, I spot Rumia practicing her magic outside the window.
It will soon be nightfall, a lantern can be seen glowing near Rumia’s feet.
Father is standing next to her. It seems that Father is overseeing Rumia as she begins to chant magic.
“…‘O, bearers of light’—”
“……Hmmmm”, Father nodded.
From where I stood, I could only see his back.
“‘O, light, respond to my voice’—‘Light Sphere’!!”
A ball of light about the size of a pebble formed on Rumia’s palm.
Father began clapping his hands due to this feat. Wide back, thick limbs, short trimmed blond hair.
That’s my Father, Georg Grossalia.
“Isn’t that amazing, Rumia! When did you become able to chant correctly!?”
“…T-That I can’t say. Only that I’ve practiced”
“It is good to be enthusiastic. You were really amazing!”
“……There is someone else who is much more amazing than me…Father…”
Rumia has succeeded casting her magic a few times since then. But looks like the tongue twister chanting is still hard for her.
After that, Father invoked the magic to show an example.
It’s the same ‘Light Sphere’ magic, but with about the size of a person’s head.
Just like the common magic back in my era. Neither developing nor declining.
After confirmation, I returned to my room.
“……Has it really been 200 years since my death?”
I was sitting on a chair in my room, recalling the words of tutor Kachel.
Kachel said it has been 220 years since the discovery of Ancient Magic and Artifacts by the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’.
The previous me, Dean Nosferatu, died 20 years after the discovery of Ancient Magic and Artifacts.
In other words, it is now 200 years after I had died.
……200 years, huh? Lyle and Alice…aren’t around anymore, too….
It can’t be helped.
Back then, I had no choice but to reincarnate.
But still, it doesn’t feel like 200 years have passed.
I thought it was a much shorter time because the common grammar used for magic has not changed.
The name of the country has changed, but the social system hasn’t changed much from the past.
The ‘Ancient Magic’ is still a secret technique that can only be used by a select few, and those who can use it are at the top of society.
That’s why tutor Kachel, who can use ‘Ancient Magic’, is very arrogant, and nii-sama is aiming for the ‘Magic Guild’, too.
The only difference from 200 years ago is that no one talks about the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ anymore.
“……I wonder what happened in these past 200 years”
I will have to look into it, and find out what the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ had done, and what happened to them after my death.
Meeting them again is not what I desire. But if they became a taboo existence and disappeared from the public eye, I will need to find out why.
…If my memory serves me right, there is a room in the main building that stores books. And if I search there, I might be able to find out something about it.
But then again…as an illegitimate child, I have no right to enter the main building.
Let’s come up with a plan.
“And to do that, I need to put my skills to the test”
Also, I want to eat some meat.
The dinner I had with my maid, Martha, there were barely any meat dishes in it.
It can’t be helped. After all, our meals were left-overs of meals from the main building.
In addition to experimenting with magic, I will go hunting for meat myself.
At midnight, I decided to slip out of the mansion as planned.
Baron Grossalia’s mansion is enclosed by tall fences, and there are guards patrolling around the courtyard.
However, I know their patrol routes. So it’s not that hard to slip out of the mansion.
Before heading out, let’s check my current skills.
‘Yuuki Grossalia’
Age: 13 Race: Human
Stamina: D Strength: E Agility: D Magic: C Dexterity: D Skill: None
I usually disguise myself with this status so that my true identity won’t be revealed.
I heard that when we enter the school, our status will be checked in a ceremony. This is just a precaution.
The real status is as follows.
‘Yuuki Nosferatu’
Age: 13 Race: Unknown
Stamina: B Strength: B Agility: A Magic: S Dexterity: B
Skill: Flight. Magical Blood. Stealth. Ice Magic. Servant Creation. Multi-Species Linguistics. Erosion. Purification.
With these skills, it should be good enough.
“—‘Flight’”
I kicked open the window of my room on the second floor and flew out.
Gently, my body floats.
As if I was weightless, my body glided through the air and flew straight off the mansion’s premise.
This is nothing. I am just using my magic power to temporarily remove my weight.
With this body, floating like this is the limit, I guess. Still, it feels nice to be a human.
“Good”
I landed on a tree branch just outside the premise.
Kicking the branch again, I flew up.
The guards didn’t notice at all. That’s because I activated my ‘Stealth’ skill.
“…I’ll have to return by morning”
I pick up the pace.
A few minutes later, I reached the nearby mountains behind the mansion.
This is where monsters could appear. Father and Xellos nii-sama usually hunt and do some magic training here.
This is perfect. Let’s turn this uninhabited mountaintop into testing grounds for my magic.
I jumped from tree to tree as I headed for the mountaintop.
‘I’ve been expecting you, master’, my bat servant greeted me just as I arrived.
“Thank you for the greeting. Now, let’s do some experiments with magic. Please show me where I can find prey to practice on”
‘Before that, may I? Master’
“What is it?”
‘May I have your name, please?’
“It’s Yuuki. What about you?”
‘I don’t have a name. Master can give me a name’
“How about Dick?”
‘Thank you very much. That’s a good name’
“It’s the name of an old acquaintance’s father. He asked me to look after Lyle on his deathbed”
‘Isn’t master still young?’
“I was talking to myself. Forget about it. More importantly, where’s the prey?”
‘I’ll guide you. I’ve marked it before master arrived’
“I’m counting on you”
I headed towards the marked prey with Dick as my guide.
After a while, a rabbit can be seen at the base of a tree.
It has golden body hair with horns protruding out of its head. A ‘Large Rabbit’. Let’s hunt it.
I’d like to feed my maid, Martha, some meat every once in a while.
‘The Large Rabbit is a wary beast’
“I know. It has a fairly powerful horn and strong hind legs for kicking”
‘As expected of master. Knowledgeable’
“It’s just general knowledge. Besides, I won’t be fighting it up close and personal. Instead, didn’t I told you just now, I am going to experiment with magic”
‘It will notice flames by the light and wind by the sound, won’t it?’
“My specialty is ice magic”
In my previous life, my motto was to keep a low profile.
If I use flashy magic, people would be wary of me.
“Ice magic doesn’t produce any sound, light and air tremors. It’s perfect for sneak attacks and trapping”
I put my hand on the trunk of a tree.
“‘Rapid Freezing’—‘Freezing Net’”
Ice threads started to appear from my fingertips.
It travels down the trunk and extends to the base of the tree.
‘—-!?’
In an instant, the ice threads entwine the Large Rabbit’s legs.
‘Kyuu—!!?’
Noticing the abnormality, the Large Rabbit starts to run.
But right in front of it is a net of ice.
My magic had created an ice barrier around it.
‘—u!! —uu!!’
The ‘Large Rabbit’ started rampaging, but it got stuck at the base of the tree.
The ice threads have completely entwined its body. No matter how hard it tries, it can’t move.
“I’m sorry”
I got down to the ground and stabbed the Large Rabbit.
Let’s hang it to drain the blood.
‘A-Amazing, master! That magic, even I won’t be able to escape!’
“It’s a simple magic”
‘That’s not true. There wasn’t any sound or light! Your prey won’t even notice! It’s the most powerful magic for survival in the mountains!’
“Even so, it’s still no match against ‘Ancient Magic’”
Ordinary magic is activated through chanting incantations and using internal magic power to activate it.
That’s why it takes time for the magic to activate. Once activated, it can’t be used till some time has passed.
My ice magic has been simplified as much as possible, but it still can’t be used continuously.
But ‘Ancient Magic’ is different. It consumes less magic power, and it’s also good for continuous use.
In my previous life, I’ve seen the priests of the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’, wipe out a group of bandits with ‘Ancient Magic’.
The priests kept firing a barrage of flames until all the bandits were annihilated. And even when the enemy surrendered, they did not stop.
That was one of the reasons why I thought I’m not a match for the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’.
After all, their ‘Ancient Magic’ truly specializes in combat.
“If I could use more powerful magic in my previous life, maybe Lyle wouldn’t have had to kill me, too…”
The ‘Ancient Magic’ of this era is managed by the ‘Magic Guild’.
As far I’m concerned, judging from the tutor Kachel who is a member of the guild…it’s not an organization I’d want to get too close to.
‘Master. My fellow bats have found another ‘Large Rabbit’’
Dick suddenly announces.
“You have allies?”
‘When I told them about master, all of them wanted to serve you’
The moment Dick said that, a black shadow appeared in the sky.
Looking up, I saw a large swarm of bats flying around.
There are about 40 or 50 of them. This is amazing.
‘I wanted everyone to understand how amazing master is’
The bat, Dick, spread its wings proudly.
‘My fellow bats know these mountains well. Please think of this mountain as master’s territory’
“That’s very helpful. You’re a good servant, Dick”
‘I am honored to accept such a praise, master’
I stroked Dick’s head with my fingertip as it got onto my shoulder.
If the bats led by Dick are on our side, I could get all sorts of information.
This is a good opportunity. I will use this mountain as my base of operations.
“Pick a few liaisons for me. Tell me if there are any monsters they can’t handle, or when a hostile intruder comes. I will wield my power in return for their service to me”
‘Thank you very much for your kindness’
As soon as Dick bowed, the bats in the sky squeaked in unison.
“Now then, show me where the next ‘Large Rabbit’ is”
‘Yes, master! This way’
Together with the bat, Dick, I kicked a branch and headed for my next prey.
I finished checking my skills.
Flight. Magical Blood. Stealth. Ice Magic. Servant Creation. Multi-Species Linguistics. Everything works.
I will make full use of these skills and do my best to continue pretending to be human in this life.
“Let’s hunt a few more monsters before returning to the mansion. With a plan, too”
Chapter 2 Part 4
On the stage stood a lovely girl with silver hair.
With her hair in a ponytail, she seems to be more elegant compared to the other examinees.
But for some reason, the girl also seems to be in a bad mood. With her arms crossed, she is giving me a sharp look.
“Examinee number 99…so it’s you. The genius who managed to hit all ten Mud Dolls with magic”
The girl started talking before I could.
“Well, that’s right. You got a problem with that?”
“Yes, I do. In fact…I was planning to be at the top of this magic academy entrance examination and graduate with me being the valedictorian of the class. But then you showed up and became a potential obstacle to that goal of mine. If that obstacle is right in front of me, wouldn’t I want to complain about a thing or two as well?”
Looks like she has a grudge against me.
While I was dumbfounded, I could hear faint whispers from the surroundings of the stage.
“Hey, isn’t that Marise Sizenosna?”
“Did you know? I heard that she hit a Mud Doll with a single shot of magic, and even manage to deal damage to it”
“The Sizenosna is a distinguished family known for their magic, so I think that it’s only natural for her to achieve such a feat”
“She really lives up to her family name, huh?”
Apparently the girl in front of me is called Marise.
Moreover, she seems to be quite famous.
“You, I heard about you. You have a Defective Magic Power, don’t you?”
Ahh, that conversation again.
Shouldn’t Gold Magic be the supreme magic power? So why is it being referred to as such?
“Are you also going to look down on me for my Defective Magic Power, and not see things for what they really are?”
“Please don’t group me with the others. I wouldn’t stoop down to their level. After all—I have the Inferior Magic Power as well. Determining superiority or inferiority based on the type of magic power alone is foolish”
Hmm.
I have no idea what Inferior Magic Power is, but it seems that this girl has a good head on her shoulders.
The problem lies with her abilities….
Will she be able to entertain me?
“Then allow me to place barrier magic on you”
As the both of us were having our conversation, the examiner deployed a magic barrier on my body.
The barrier is so heavy and yet fragile too. It is so fragile to the point that I just wanted to break it.
But I’ve heard that if the barrier breaks, then it will be my loss.
Patience Kurt, you just need to be patient.
“Then—let the battle exam begin!”
The examiner announces.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Kurt”
“Kurt. I won’t go easy on you—Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame. Be a spear—”
As she is chanting, three Fire Spears appear around Marise.
Oh?
Looking back, during the target exam, nobody was able to deploy multiple Fire Spears at the same time.
This girl has quite the spirit.
“Pierce the enemy and burn them!!”
Three Fire Spears were fired simultaneously.
By the looks of it, Inferior Magic Power is apparently Purple Magic.
Purple Magic excels in long distance type magic.
In that case…this should do the trick.
After they were fired at me, I took my time to form a magic formula and created something equally powerful as the incoming Fire Spears.
They then clashed and cancelled each other out.
“Eeehhh……”, Marise was at a loss for words when she saw her Fire Spears got cancelled out.
“How is this possible…are you saying that you can cast magic that is as powerful as my Fire Spear?”
Truth be told, I just made mine equal on purpose.
I could have put an end to this battle in an instant as well, but that would be boring.
“Maybe that rumour about having destroyed all the Mud Dolls isn’t entirely a lie after all. However, this is not over yet!!”
Not a moment later.
“Gather yourselves together in these hands, O flame—”
She is trying to cast Fire Spear again.
However.
“Too slow”
This girl is certainly better than the other examinees, but if she continues to rely on the current chanting method, she won’t be able to reach the top.
Without chanting, I fired off a Fire Spear faster than Marise could.
“KYAAA!!!”
As the Fire Spear landed near Marise’s feet, she let out a squeal and fell on her bottom.
“W-What was that!? Casting magic without chanting…? Is that even possible? Moreover, that speed…isn’t that too fast?”
Seeing my magic, Marise looks confused.
I guess this is her current limit. She’s talented, but it wasn’t enough to keep me entertained.
Still—it looks like her magic barrier has yet to break. Also, Marise didn’t say the magic words “Give Up” yet, either.
Shall I put an end to this?
And so I started to approach her.
“Kuh, I wanted to keep my trump card hidden…but it can’t be helped!”
The color of Marise’s eyes began to change.
A moment later, she stood up, closed her eyes and began to chant her magic.
“O God. Bestow me the power of the sacred sword. A sacred sword that thunder from the heavens and annihilate the enemy. I am Marise. The one who will wield this divine power”
A magic formula is slowly formed.
Ohh, could this girl be planning to use the ‘Holy Sword’?
It was an intermediate level magic in my previous life.
“Oh? You’re doing pretty well, aren’t you?”
I blurted out when I saw the shining sword that appeared above me.
“Are you sure you can afford to be so composed? This will be your loss! Holy Sword!!”
As Marise swung her hand down, the ‘Holy Sword’ followed suit.
“But—you’re still too slow”
“Eh?”
I activate the Dispel Magic.
The sound of broken glass can be heard, and the ‘Holy Sword’ disappeared without a trace as well.
“W-W-W-What just happened? Where did my Holy Sword disappear to…?”
“It’s a Dispel Magic. Since you can use intermediate level magic, so you should know about it, right?”
“T-The highest-ranking magic, Holy Sword, is just an intermediate level magic? Moreover…Dispel Magic? A magic that stops the activation of magic during the formation process, does it even exist!?”
Marise is trembling all over as she saw the scene unfolded in front of her.
Dispel Magic is a magic that analyzes the opponent’s magic and betrays their expectations.
To put it simply, it’s a technique that erases the opponent’s magic.
However, to use it, one will need to fully analyze and understand the opponent’s magic. Therefore, the Dispel Magic can only be used when there’s a significant difference in ability.
“I was able to carry out the analysis because you used that tedious chanting”
“Tedious chanting? What are you suggesting then? Or are you suggesting that I should use chantless magic like you?”
“Yeah. I think it’s easy”
“You are the only one who thinks so!”
As I thought, this world is based on the standards of chanting magic before the magic revolution that I started.
In that case.
“Allow me to show you the true Holy Sword”
“Wha-!”
I activate the magic formula that I had set up in advance.
Needless to say, it’s a chantless magic.
A ‘Holy Sword’ similar to the one before started to appear above Marise’s head.
Well, they’re not entirely the same.
“S-Such an enormous Holy Sword!!”
Marise looks up and retreats fearfully.
“This is the true Holy Sword”
The one she conjured was about the size of an ordinary sword, whereas my Holy Sword is so big that even if about a hundred of them were to be gathered, it still wouldn’t be enough to compare with mine.
The hall is then enveloped in a dazzling light, and the examinees around us seem to be making a stir as well.
“Since you have the magic barrier on you, I’m sure you can handle this much, right? So here I go. Holy Sword!”
As I was about to drop the ‘Holy Sword’ upon Marise—
“W-Wait a minute! The exam is over! It’s over!! There’s no way the barrier magic can withstand that!!”
The examiner looked flustered as he interrupted between us.
Marise seems to be paralyzed with fear at the sight of my magic.
The belligerent mood that she had earlier is completely gone now, and she lost her will to fight.
I wanted to continue using the magic as it is…but it seems like the match has been concluded.
“Well, I guess this is it”
The ‘Holy Sword’ vanished as soon I stopped the invocation of my magic.
Despite having ended the battle with me being the victor, I was left unsatisfied.
While having such a thought.
“You were doing something rather interesting there, weren’t you. Allow me to join you as well”
I thought I heard a voice, and a man gallantly came up onto the stage.
“D-Desmond-sama! That would be problematic! You’re only here to observe, right?”
Seeing that, the examiner who was acting as a referee panicked.
The man called Desmond is an old man who looked to be about 60～70 years old.
He has white hair and a fine beard.
At first glance, he looked like a decrepit old man.
But—I had something else in my mind.
Is he…strong?
I can see it.
Underneath his clothes is a body of steel.
From those sharp eyes staring right at me, he might even be able to avoid any surprise attack from me.
“Why not, it should be fine, right? I’ve been bored for a while now. Let me join in as well”
Desmond snapped his fingers.
“If you defeat me, which seems unlikely, I’ll let you pass, even if you get a zero on the other exams”
“I refuse your offer”
“Huh? Perhaps, are you trying to run away from me out of fear?”
“I will still pass the exams without you giving me any favors”
I was planning to say it with a little provocation, but Desmond ended up smiling broadly.
“Gahaha! You’re one interesting brat, aren’t you!”, and laughed heartily.
“Y-You! Could it be that you are planning to fight against Desmond-sama?”
In response to the examiner’s question.
“Yes”
Hearing my immediate response, the examiner became even more flustered.
“Y-You, do you have any idea who Desmond-sama is? I know you are strong but it’s better if you get out of here now before you get hurt!”
“I’ll be fine”
I brushed past the examiner and got in front of Desmond.
Incidentally, I have no idea who this guy is.
But it is enough to know that he is strong.
“Kukuku. You’re really an interesting brat. I’ll use a wooden sword, and you can use a real sword. Or do you prefer to use magic?”
Desmond assumed a stance with his wooden sword.
“No, I won’t. Because if I use a real sword, I might accidentally kill you”
“Oh? You just said something very interesting, didn’t you”
I gave him that provocation on purpose, after all, I do not plan to go easy on him.
My blood is boiling.
Since this is such a rare opportunity, I want to fight to my heart’s content.
“Well, let’s fight fair and square then? It would be boring to add an unnecessary handicap. Hey, get me another wooden sword! And…get off the stage, young lady. You’re quite strong too, but you’re not strong enough yet”
“……Yes”
Marise hurriedly left the stage, grinding her teeth in frustration.
Desmond requested for another wooden sword, and out of nowhere, an examiner brought over one to me.
“You may come at me anytime now. I can’t use magic, but feel free to use magic yourself”
said Desmond, patting his own shoulder with the wooden sword in a calm and collected manner.
At first glance, the stance appears to be nothing more than an opening.
However, it is obvious that I would severely be hard countered if I carelessly rushed in.
Interesting. Let’s purposely fight him within his effective combat range.
“Well then, be my guest!”
After taking a step forward, I closed the distance between me and Desmond within the blink of an eye.
And, without a moment’s delay, I swung my sword down on Desmond’s head.
“Hmph…you’re still too inexperienced”
For a moment, Desmond grinned.
Desmond flings my wooden sword to the side.
Looks like his aim is to avoid my attack and then counter it.
At this rate, if I receive his attack without deploying any defensive magic, I might break a bone or two.
So I activated Quick Move here.
“Wha-!”
As if in response to my sudden increase in movement speed, Desmond turned his wooden sword to receive my attack.
The two swords clashed with each other.
“What was that? You seemed to be faster all of a sudden”
“Yeah, I used a basic level magic”
“That’s a magic spell? Such a magic spell exist? As I thought, you are not an ordinary person huh?”
“You’re pretty good, too”
After all, I thought it would be settled with a Quick Move attack.
But he managed to defend against it.
As I thought, this guy can provide me with some amusement.
“I’ll tell you my alias (in my previous life)”
I broke away from the sword clash and while still wielding the sword, I revealed my alias.
“Magic Swordsman”
Combining both physical ability and magic in battle was my main area of expertise.
That way, it would’ve been convenient for me to fight alone.
I tried to make friends, but there wasn’t a single person who even came close to my level.
Before I was called a heretic, I was often called by that alias.
Besides Quick Move and Rise Power. I also used another magic, Eyesight, that makes it easier to perceive the opponent’s movements which adds up to three layers of basic body strengthening magic being in play as I engage Desmond.
“I-Incredible…I can’t see his movement”
“What the hell is happening on the stage?”
said the examinees in bewildered voices.
To them, it must have looked like I have the upper hand.
But on the other hand, I was surprised by Desmond’s movement.
“Hahaha! Interesting, interesting!! To think that there’s someone in this country who can fight me one-on-one!”
Desmond continues to receive my series of onslaught with that one sword.
No matter how nonchalant he is about it, to think that this old man can contest me without using any body strengthening magic…what a monster!
“Don’t laugh in the middle of a fight. Old man”
“It seems to me that you’re laughing as well”
Indeed, I, too, might be laughing right now.
If this goes on, I’ll be the one to push through due to the difference in stamina.
But that’s unglamorous for a fight.
In that case.
“I saw an opening, brat!”
Desmond’s eyes became even sharper.
A complete change from defense. Desmond swings his sword.
It was a direct hit to my head.
However—it was to the other me.
“Wha-! What just happened?!”
Desmond, who finished swinging his sword, is astonished to see me disappear in a puff of smoke.
It’s a magic called—Create Avatar.
A magic that uses magic power to create a humanoid mass, thus creating an alter ego.
Since it doesn’t have a solid body, the alter ego cannot attack, but it can be used to deceive the opponent in this way.
“I guess this is the end of it, huh”
While he is still in shock with what just happened, I went behind Desmond and placed my wooden sword against the back of his neck.
“If this were a battlefield, you’d be done in. Do you still want to continue the fight?”
“……It’s my loss”
Desmond slumped his shoulders and released his grip on the sword as well.
At that moment—an explosive cheer erupted in the hall.
“Who the hell is that guy! He defeated Desmond-sama!”
“Desmond-sama is a legendary former S-rank adventurer, right? To have defeated such a person…who is that guy!”
“The demon, Desmond, who is rumored to have slain hundreds of enemy soldiers single handedly when he was sent off to war…!”
“I heard that even though he had retired, he still mostly have his strength!”
Former S-rank adventurer?
“You were an adventurer?”
“That’s right, but I have already retired. Without knowing that, you still fought against me, you’re really making a fool out of me, brat!”
Kakaka, laughed Desmond cheerfully.
“However, there’s a mistake with their statement”
“A mistake?”
“Rumor has it that I killed hundreds of enemy soldiers…that’s wrong. The numbers are actually in the thousands! Gahaha!”
……He seems to be quite a maverick.
No wonder he is a little tough.
Still, I have only used the basics of magic, and I have yet to give it my all in that fight.
“Who on earth are you…?”
Marise asked in a shaky tone as I stepped off the stage.
I still haven’t found anyone stronger than me.
However, the royal capital and the magic academy seems to be a much more interesting place than I have previously thought.
While feeling my heart still throbbing from the fight, I left the exam venue.
Chapter 1 Part 2
☆★☆★☆★
Now, things are getting very complicated.
I left the place hastily after that, but—
“Umm…uhh…err…. Please become my master”
Anyway, the silver-haired man has decided to turn himself in, but the problem is the slave girl he had with him.
For some reason, the slave girl got attached to me….
Well, I understand that she wouldn’t have a place to stay if she stayed in a place like that.
And so she is now on her knees begging me, with her beautiful silky pink blonde hair just barely touching the ground.
“No, even if you call me master…”
“Umm, uhh…”
I mean, this girl looks unsure of herself.
Her eyes are always looking down and her bangs make it difficult to grasp her expression. She also constantly has a nervous and timid look to her.
Well, she did spend time as a slave, so I guess it’s inevitable to some extent.
“A-A-As-Ash I…”
“Ash I?”
The girl’s face flushed a bright red and immediately averted her eyes from my gaze.
Ah, she bit her tongue, huh.
“U-U-Umm, uhh…err…a-as I was trying to say, slaves without owners don’t have human rights. If I continue to go to a place where people are present, I will be captured as a fugitive slave and be taken to a slave trader after they do terrible things to me”
As this child said, slaves and their masters have their souls linked by a magic incantation called the slave crest.
It’s a ‘simple-is-best’ type of system where if you disobey the master, there would be a penalty activated, with the worst penalty being death, so slaves can never oppose their master.
And, if the master dies or becomes a criminal, the engraved black slave crest on the slave becomes gray.
When a person becomes a criminal and is imprisoned, they will have every possible magic formula on their body erased, well, that’s part of it. Therefore, it will be odd if a criminal can own slaves.
Typically when the master dies, their family members would reapply the incantation of the slave crest as their inheritance.
But if there are circumstances where that is not possible, the slave would look for a new master on their own accord.
Those who are cast into slavery will never crawl back up again unless they go through all the necessary formalities in this world.
That’s why, in a sense, being engraved with a slave crest is considered a heavier punishment than the death penalty in this world.
In other words, in her current state, if she doesn’t choose someone from the human race, or even the demi-humans, as her new master…terrible things could happen to her.
“You look kind, rather…at least a million times better than that silver-haired man, that’s for sure. So please be my master…”
“Well, let’s put that aside for now, how did you end up as a slave?”
“I’m a descendant of Demon Royalty, we lost in a war against a human country a long time ago…”
Hmmm, I’ve heard that a lot.
At any rate, that silver-haired man seems to have made a lot of money. A slave of such a rare bloodline would be traded at a horrifying price.
“I may look like this, but I’m a distant relative of Merlin-sama, the headmaster of the Altena Magic Academy, a prestigious magic academy for demons. Although I am of such noble blood…I’m now in this shameful state…”
Hearing that, I froze.
“Err…what’s the matter?”
“………”
“Were you surprised that I’m of noble blood?”
“……no, that’s not the case…not at all”
“Then…what’s wrong?”
“When you say Merlin…you mean Merlin, the mage of the demon race, right? Long ago…she studied magic with one of the Four Emperors, Ephthal…”
“Yes”, nodded Anastasia.
“…Th…that’s right. She was raised by the legendary sage, Ephthal-sama of the Four Emperors—and is now a top class mage who is considered to be the best even among the demon race”
So that’s the case.
Merlin had achieved greatness as a mage and became the headmaster of a prestigious school.
That child has always been a hard worker and is talented as well.
Even after all these years, I am surprised at the long life span of a demon, or rather, a half-demon and half-vampire.
No, but if I think about it logically…then surely she would still be alive if it is just about four hundred years.
I let out one small sigh of relief.
As expected, I can’t just leave Merlin’s relatives here now, could I?
“I guess it can’t be helped”
“Does that mean you will be my master?”
“Ostensibly, we’ll stick with that for the time being. We’ll figure out what we’ll end up doing in the future…but for now, I can’t just leave you alone”
“U-Umm, uhh…thank you very much!”
And so we began to head for the magic academy—though it is a different academy than the one where Merlin is the headmaster.
☆★☆★☆★
Now, we’ve finally reached the city.
At long last, tomorrow is the long-awaited magic academy entrance exam, it’s something to get excited about, isn’t it?
After checking in at the inn, we left our baggage in our rooms and headed out to the main street of the city.
The place we’re heading to is a restaurant famous for their meat dishes that the employee at the inn had told us about.
I’ve always been a big fan of steak since my past life. Whenever I’m in an exciting mood like today, I’d definitely eat a lot of meat.
“Umm? Master?”
“What is it, Anastasia?”
“Umm, uhh…err…isn’t this an expensive restaurant? I…don’t have any money”
I smiled at the anxious Anastasia.
“Don’t worry about it”
Cecilia nee-san has given me a lot of money for my trip.
I’ve exchanged it for jewels to make it easier to carry around and sewed some onto my clothes as well. I guess I don’t have to worry about money, at least for the time being.
“Welcome”. I was greeted as soon as I entered the restaurant.
The waiter led us to our table and I sat down as prompted.
“What’s the matter, Anastasia?”
I asked with my head tilted slightly as she knelt down beside me.
“Eh? Is there something wrong…?”
“Why aren’t you sitting down?”
“But I am sitting down”
Both of us started to tilt our heads in confusion.
“No, Anastasia’s seat is over there, okay?”
Hearing that, Anastasia gasped and responded with, “Oh!”.
“By any chance…you mean it’s okay for me to sit at the table, too?”
“What are you talking about…of course you can”
“But, master? It is common knowledge that slaves should kneel down beside their masters and be ready to move immediately when there’s a need…?”
I sighed deeply.
“In that case, you don’t need that kind of knowledge”
“No, but, uhh…err…I’m afraid that’s too much to ask for…”
With another deep sigh, I snapped.
“Look, as your master, I hereby command you. Sit at the table”
She probably wouldn’t be sitting at the table if I didn’t command her to do so.
I don’t really want to bark out orders, but it can’t be helped in this case.
Anastasia finally took a seat at the table, so I browsed through the menu.
With a snap of my finger, I called the waiter over and pointed to the most expensive items on the menu.
“I’ll have two of these courses, please”
Seeing that, Anastasia blinked in surprise—
“I’m going to eat the same menu as my master!? A-And such an expensive menu, too!? I can’t accept that! I just can’t!”
She is such a troublesome child, I shrugged.
“It’s fine”
“But, but…”
“If I say that it’s fine, then it’s fine”
With those words, Anastasia reluctantly closed her mouth.
Then, the waiter asked me quizzically, “Excuse me, Sir?”.
“Eh? What is it?”
“This is a high-class restaurant for the upper echelons of society. By the looks of it, you’re just a student from the countryside who came to take the academy entrance exam…with all due respect, I’d like to ask for the fee to be paid in advance?”
Even though in a way, I’m still a young master of a Duke’s family. Well, I’ll admit that I’m a bit underdressed for this establishment.
With a bitter smile, I took out the drawstring pouch that I use as my wallet—but thereafter, I gasped.
“Ah…”
“What’s the matter, master?”
The contents of my wallet are a bit disappointing.
I was rich in my previous life, so I now realize that I had forgotten the fact that travelling alone requires one to carry a large amount of money….
“Oh dear. It looks like I’ll have to exchange the jewels for money. At this rate, I can only order one course”
I checked the location of the jewelry shop in the city before checking into an inn, but I’m pretty sure the place is far away from here….
Now, just as I was thinking about what to do, Anastasia walked next to me and knelt down.
“Then I’ll sit here after all”
“Eh? Why?”
“Well, I mean, we can only afford to order one course, right?”
“Yeah. That’s right. Just go back to your seat for now”
Again, Anastasia reluctantly returned to her seat.
“I’ll have the two cheapest courses. That should be enough, right?”, I said to the waiter.
The price is around half of what the most expensive course cost, almost the same amount as what is in my wallet right now, too.
When Anastasia heard those words—
“M-M-Mas…”
“What’s the matter?”
“Is master a God? You’re so willing to go for a cheaper course just so you can afford me a full-course meal…”
From the expression on her face, it seems that she is being serious here.
Well, I was originally living in Japan, so….
I have my own thoughts on slavery.
And that’s when the waiter grinned at me.
“Excuse me, Sir?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“As I’ve said before, this is a high-class restaurant. If you’re taking a slave with you, you’ll have to follow the proper etiquette…”
“……What do you mean?”
“To have slaves sit at the table means that they are treated as customers, which means in short, our restaurant would equate slaves with those of the upper echelons of society”
“Yeah. So, your point being?”
“If you are going to have your slave be seated at the table, you will have to leave”
Well, that does make sense.
Normally, I would leave the restaurant following this reasoning too, however….
“Then what is that?”
I pointed to a group of nouveau riche millionaires who had a harem of slave concubines sitting at a table and were having a debaucherous feast of food and alcohol.
With their revealing clothes, the slave crests also became visible. The waiter wouldn’t be able to refute as well if that is being pointed out.
“We’re receiving a large amount of money as compensation from that side”
I sighed deeply as I heard that.
“So, I only have to pay for it then?”
My words caused a vein to pop out from the waiter’s temples, sensing the impending rage, I stood up.
“Didn’t you just say you only had that much money! It’s already annoying to see you filthy little bastards around! You better behave modestly and not push your luck! Enough of this, you little brat! Just having a slave entering this restaurant is enough to irritate me!”
Suddenly, with one arm, the waiter grabbed me by the collar.
“Mas-Master! I’m good! Let’s return to the inn!”
I smiled at Anastasia—
“I’ll be alright. So be at ease”
The waiter started to raise up his other arm while he had me by the collar—Hey hey, are you going to hit a customer in this restaurant?
“Guess it can’t be helped, huh?”
With both of my hands, I grabbed the waiter’s hand which he used to grab me by the collar.
And immediately, I put my weight into it and twisted it up. Thus, completing the standing joint lock.
The waiter had no idea what it meant to grab a judo practitioner by their collar.
No, well…even Headmaster Mauriat was surprised by it, so it would be frightening if a mere waiter understood it.
“Ugh! Ouch! Ouch!”
I twisted the arm of the teary-eyed screaming man further, then gave him a kick in the butt before finally releasing him.
After that, I rummaged through my clothes and tore off one of the jewels that I had sewn on my clothes.
“If I pay for it, you won’t have any complaints, right? I don’t need any change, so I would like you to bring me a lavishly thick cut of the finest meat that the restaurant can provide. Oh, needless to say, make it a serving for two please”
With that said, I smiled at Anastasia.
After Anastasia responded with a smile of her own, I snapped at the waiter who was on the verge of tears holding his wrist.
“Also, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be violent with your customers”
Chapter 2 Part 3
Next, we headed to what looks like a large hall in the school grounds.
It seems that students who have finished their exams in other locations are also gathering here one after another.
“Hey, that guy…”
“Yeah, I heard that he destroyed ten Mud Dolls in one fell swoop during the target exam”
“Ten of them in one fell swoop? It’s already amazing if one can even hit it, so breaking it should be impossible!”
“What’s more, he seems to have defective magic power”
“That’s unbelievable…”
When I reached the hall, there were people staring at me and that made me feel rather irritated, but I decided to put up with it.
Until the exam starts, I lean back against the wall.
“Oh, Kurt!”
Lara came running up from the entrance.
“That magic earlier was amazing! As expected of Kurt!”
“No, they’re not”
I shrug my shoulders.
In fact, I wasn’t being serious at all, so being praised for something like that is making me uncomfortable.
While we are having a conversation, the other examinees are staring at us.
Lara is a beautiful girl.
A girl as beautiful as Lara is talking to me…and that might have made them quite jealous.
“At any rate, I have to thank Kurt for that”
“Thank me? If it is about the incident from yesterday, there’s no need for that”
“It isn’t about the incident from yesterday…but today!”
said Lara, holding up her hand with the ring on it.
“This ring, Kurt tuned this ring yesterday, right? Because I’m pretty sure you said something about doing that”
“Yeah”
“Then that should be the reason why I did so well on the target exam today! Thank you!”
said Lara, grasping my hands in hers.
Oh no.
It is the same as yesterday, but in this position, I could clearly see Lara’s chest. I felt like I could lose my head in this situation.
“……What makes you think so? Maybe the ring was that good to begin with”
“Hmm, it’s a hunch!”
said Lara cheerfully.
“………”
“Eh! Why are you looking at me like that! My instincts are often correct at times like this! Besides…there’s a basis for it as well, right?”
Lara flapped her hands.
Every single action of hers is big and amusing.
“Because this ring…it is amazing, but it wasn’t that good when I bought it, you know? At best, it might have been easier to use magic more than usual? That’s what it should have been!”
“Isn’t that what Lara is capable of?”
“No! That’s not it. I used to be the best in magic in my hometown…but here, I’m just as good as everyone else. So I owe it all to Kurt, right? So…thank you!”, said Lara as she lowers her head.
Lara might have misinterpreted the look I gave her just now, but intuition is important.
That is because it’s backed up by accumulated experience and knowledge.
There are times when I leave it to my intuition as well after having thought things thoroughly to the end and still couldn’t find the answer.
And since Lara’s intuition is actually correct, I can’t complain here.
“But! But! Kurt is a thousand times…or rather, billions of times more amazing! I can’t believe you’d break the Mud Dolls instead of just hitting them with magic”
“If one can’t do that, you won’t be able to defeat a dragon, you know?”
“I never thought of defeating a dragon though! Or rather, there’s no way a human could defeat it!”
Huh? What is she talking about?
I have defeated more than hundreds of dragons in my previous life.
Though, not a single one of them has ever been able to satisfy me.
Besides….
“There are Dragon Hunters, aren’t there? What are they doing?”
“Dragon…Hunter…?”
Lara tilts her head.
“T-There’s no such terrifying people! Aren’t dragons just a myth?”
“Eeehhh……”
Apparently, the profession of ‘Dragon Hunter’ is not common in this world.
In my previous life, Dragon Hunters were always competitively hunting for dragons.
Once, they even over-hunted the dragons and incurred their wrath.
At that time, I went as a mediator and negotiated a peace treaty between the people and the dragons.
But then, I also came across a Dragon God that lived for a hundred thousand years, just that it wasn’t able to satisfy me…but, it’s still a good memory to this very day.
Now, let’s change the subject.
“You seem to praise me all the time, but I think Lara is amazing, too. You have Red Magic, and it will continue to grow as you train and hone in your magic”
I thought I complimented her, but Lara slumped down her shoulders.
“Thank you…but I’m still a long way off. After all, I have the Unfortunate Magic Power”
“Unfortunate Magic Power?”
“Kurt must have known as well, but Red Magic isn’t suited for offensive magic. Because of that, it will also be difficult for those with this magic power to become an adventurer…that’s why it’s called ‘Unfortunate’ for that very reason”
Red Magic isn’t cut out for offensive magic?
Isn’t that contrary to my perception?
Besides, even if Red Magic isn’t suitable for offensive magic, one with Red Magic can still train in Support and Body Strengthening Magic and still be a part of an adventurer’s party.
“That’s odd……”
“Eh?”
“That perception is wrong. Red Magic is definitely suitable for offensive magic. I don’t know where you got that from, but you ought to have more confidence in yourself”
At this point, I would even believe that the nobles who were jealous of me a thousand years ago, spread that lie….
…No, it’s possible because it’s them we are talking about.
“You’re right! Thank you for comforting me. I like it when Kurt says that!”
I was just telling the truth, but Lara seems to have misinterpreted my compliment.
Good grief.
“—The final exam is about to begin”
Oh?
It looks like the exam is finally about to start.
And it seems that they are using an amplification magic to have their voices echo throughout the hall.
“The final exam is a 1 versus 1 battle. After this, we will announce the matchups and the assigned stage number. Examinees must quickly move to the stage to which they have been assigned to and start the exam”
Hmmm.
“Before the battle exam starts, we will place a magic barrier on each of you here. When the magic barrier is broken, or, one of you gives up, or, the time is up, then the exam ends. Also, we, the examiners, will be watching your fight as referees. Please note that if the referee stops the fight, the exam will also end”
I see.
Long story short, the point is to demonstrate that you’re stronger than your opponent within the allotted time, right?
I got excited when I heard that, because up until now, it had been boring exams like the written exam and the target exam.
“Whoa…a 1 versus 1 battle…. I’m not very good at fighting against other people…”
said Lara, trembling as she hugs herself.
Then the examinees’ numbers were called out.
“Examinee number 99—Examinee number 200, the exam will be held at Stage 1, so please proceed to the mentioned stage”
Oh, that’s my number.
“Kurt, good luck!”
“Yeah”
“You are definitely going to win!”
“That’s a given”
“I pray that you won’t face a strong opponent!”
What is she talking about?
It’s obvious that the stronger the better, isn’t it?
Turning my back on Lara, I headed for the circular stage.
Chapter 2 Part 1
Chapter 2 – The Former Demon King, Confirming The Skills From His Previous Life
Yuuki Grossalia, the second son of the baron Grossalia Family.
That’s my name now.
It has been three years since I regained my memories, and I have finally adapted myself to both the memories of my previous life and my current memories.
I’m Dean Nosferatu, the ‘Immortal Mage, Lord of Nosferatu’, and Yuuki Grossalia, the second son of the Grossalia Family.
And now, I’ve come to accept either memory calmly.
“Even so…I wonder what that voice was back then”
I remembered the moment before I was reincarnated.
Getting stabbed by Lyle was part of my plan. And so, I have been thinking about the events that followed after I was killed.
I gave some of my blood to a bat familiar in advance so that it could adapt to my magic.
After getting stabbed by Lyle, I was supposed to transfer my soul into the bat’s body.
But…it failed miserably.
It was the first time I used that magic, and it was also the first time I died. I guess that’s why it was inevitable to have failed as well.
After the soul transfer magic had failed, I heard that voice.
‘…Do you wish to reincarnate?’ said the voice, and then I lost consciousness.
The next thing I knew, I was reincarnated as a human.
Who reincarnated me?
…I don’t know. At the moment, there’s no way to find that out.
“I wonder how long has it been since then”
I sat down on a chair in my room.
There’s a desk, a chair, and a bed in my room. On the desk is a book on noble etiquette. Hanging on the wall is the wooden sword I use for sword practice.
When I stand in front of the mirror, my current figure is reflected on it.
Black hair, black eyes. The looks…well, not bad, I guess.
I don’t look very strong, but that’s to be expected at the age of thirteen.
My height is a little taller compared to the children of the same age group.
This is the current me, the second son of the Grossalia Family, Yuuki Grossalia.
This place is the family’s territory. It’s a long distance from the Royal Capital as it is located in the countryside.
There are three children in the Grossalia Family.
The legitimate children, Xellos nii-sama and the little sister, Rumia. And then there’s me, Yuuki.
I’m not a descendant from the first wife. In other words, I’m an illegitimate child.
My Father is the Baron Georg Grossalia. His first wife, Teremia-sama, died shortly after giving birth to Rumia. Neither I nor Rumia can remember her face. The rest of the people in this mansion are just servants.
……Oh, there’s one more person, but he doesn’t fall within that category.
Anyway, I’m an illegitimate child. I, who is not a child of the first wife, have no right to inherit the Grossalia Family.
Therefore, I’ll have to decide my own future soon.
Do I leave the house and enroll into a school somewhere? Or, do I become an adventurer?
“Hmm…but before that, I should learn more about humans”
Dean Nosferatu tried to blend into the human world and failed.
Before he took up residence in the old castle, he was ostracized as a monster, and after he took up residence in the old castle, he helped the villagers of the ‘Fila Village’ as their guardian deity. That’s what had happened.
I wasn’t a human in my previous life.
In the truest sense, the current me isn’t really a human either.
Even now that I’ve been reincarnated, I still have the skills from my previous life. The blood as well, is still ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ that contains a large amount of magic power.
After I get past puberty, I probably won’t age as well.
Eventually, I’ll deviate further away from what is defined as being a human.
That’s why I will try to master the art of ‘being a human’ in this life.
I will study what it means to be a human while I’m still a child. When I stop growing and aging, I will use the results of my research to somehow blend in with the humans.
“Let’s use magic for that purpose. In order to know the humans and blend in with them”
‘Kii Kii’
Before I knew it, I heard a cry from outside the window.
It’s a bat.
“Did you come from the mountains?”
‘……Kii’
The bat didn’t fly away even after I opened the window and called out to it.
For a long time, bats are always attracted to me.
That’s why I got the ‘Vampire King, Vampire Lord’ nickname.
“Good timing. Would you be willing to accompany me on my magic experiments?”
‘Kii?’
“Hold on a minute”
I cut my fingertips with a dagger.
Then, I held out my blood-tinged fingers to the bat.
“This is my blood. It’s called ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ and it contains a large amount of magic power. Drink this and you will become my underling, but in return, you will gain wisdom and power. So, what will you do?”
‘…Kii’
The bat stuck out its tongue and licked the blood on my finger.
The wound on my finger will disappear soon.
Because the ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ has both healing and purification abilities, so it’s perfect for sterilization, too.
‘…Nice to meet you, master’
said the bat.
Other than me, anyone else should only be able to hear, ‘Kii Kii’.
‘I’m grateful for receiving this amazing power. Thanks to master’s blood, we are now able to communicate like this. It’s truly convenient, so please accept my regards’
It’s a success. Even after I’ve reincarnated, my ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ is still effective.
Just as in my previous life, it is possible to create servants by giving them my blood.
However, they cannot become my servant without giving me their consent, nor do I have complete control over my servants. It is just something like ‘I will give you some magic power, but in return, please help me out’.
Even so, people were still wary of me in my previous life. Even though I don’t suck blood, I was still called a vampire.
“I’ve just awakened to my power, too. So I’ll be counting on you”
I patted the bat’s head.
“This may be a bit of a sudden, but do you know of any places where I could experiment with magic?”
‘I think the mountains behind this mansion would be good. It is also the place where I live’
I nodded at the bat resting on my shoulder.
‘But you need to be careful, because there are monsters lurking in the shadows of the mountains’
“What kind of monsters are they?”
‘They’re the Dark Bears, Guinea Owls, and Large Rabbits’
“In that case, I can handle it just fine”
‘You’re amazing, master! If I encountered a monster, I’d have flown away!’
“I’ll be there at night. You’ll have to guide me then”
‘Yes, I’ll be waiting for you, master!’
With that said, the bat flew away.
I was able to confirm that I could use the skills from my previous life.
Let’s do a full-scale experiment after I reach the mountains behind the mansion at night.
While I was thinking about that—‘Knock-knock’, there was the sound of someone knocking on the door.
“Yuuki nii-sama. This is Rumia. Are you there?”
From the other side of the door came the voice of my little sister, Rumia.
“Rumia has come to see nii-sama. Can you open the door, Yuuki nii-sama?”
Seems like Rumia has sneaked into this building again.
There are two buildings on the grounds of Grossalia Family’s mansion.
One is the main building where Father, Xellos nii-sama, and my little sister, Rumia live in.
The other building that is detached from the main building is the one that I live in.
The detached building is a small two-story building, and the only people here are me and my maid, Martha.
It’s connected to the main building through a connecting corridor, but I’ve been told not to show my face there.
“Xellos nii-sama told you not to come here, didn’t he? Rumia”
“I think it’s only natural for the little sister to come and see her brother”
The door was opened, and a blonde girl appeared.
She is a petite girl with big, cherry blossom eyes.
This is my little sister Rumia. She will be ten years old this year.
“It’s time for dinner, so I’ve come to call Yuuki nii-sama in behalf of Martha”
said Rumia, fiddling with her fingers.
“I wish to talk to nii-sama on the way to the dining hall”
“About my current situation?”
“Yes, that’s right”
“I woke up this morning and had my breakfast. After reading the books to get into public school, Father tried to teach me swordsmanship, but Xellos nii-sama took that from me. After lunch, I swung a wooden sword alone. And that brings us to now”
“I think nii-sama should be more considerate of a girl’s feelings”
“Why are you angry?”
“I’m not angry”
“Well anyway, let’s go halfway together. Rumia”
I took Rumia’s hand.
“Yes. Nii-sama!”
Rumia immediately broke into a smile.
Geez, I don’t understand humans after all….
The Baron’s buildings are old. The severed Grossalia Family was taken over by Father, who made a name for himself in the war. Since the territory is not even that rich, the mansion couldn’t be rebuilt, and is being occupied as it is.
This is in the north of the Royal Capital, and it’s extremely cold during the winter.
The specialties here are fruits and furs. So far, there’s no unsavory characters showing up here.
The inhabitants of this mansion are Father, Xellos nii-sama, me, Rumia, and the rest are the servants, and my maid, Martha.
There’s also one more person who is a magic instructor.
The guards guarding the mansion commute in from the nearby villages. There are always a few stationed guards, so the mansion is surprisingly lively. Though, the detached building is rather deserted.
“There’s a lot of cold drafts here in the detached building. Nii-sama”
“I wonder if there’s some kind of magic that can help”
“It would be nice to have a magic item like that”
“Maybe the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’ where nii-sama is aiming for has it”
Our brother, Xellos Grossalia, is aiming to become a trainee in the Royal Capital’s magic guild.
The ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’ is a huge organization that combines the institute of magic education and research.
It seems that one can learn the powerful ‘Ancient Magic’ by becoming a guild trainee there.
The guild includes high ranking nobles such as the Duke and Marquis, as well as the royal family.
For this reason, it is a status symbol for the nobles to have their children join the magic guild.
That’s why the Grossalia Family hired a private tutor and is trying to get nii-sama into the magic guild.
I’m interested in it as well…but honestly, I don’t want to get involved.
Because when I think of the ‘Ancient Magic’, I would only be reminded of the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’.
But still…how many years have passed since my previous life…?
I don’t think it has been a mere ten or twenty years.
Since my reincarnation, the names of the countries, royal families or nobles that I had learned, there were none of them that I knew of. It has been thirteen years since I became a human, but I’ve never even heard of the name ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’.
Is that how long time has passed?
I really wonder what happened to the world after my first death.
“—Yuuki nii-sama, are you listening?”
“Sorry. I wasn’t listening. What were you saying?”
“It’s the usual revision. I’ll read to nii-sama what I had learned today, so please listen”
Rumia begins to hum a verse from a poem.
This poem existed in my era as well. It is used to learn the pronunciation needed for chanting magic.
“……so, how was it? Nii-sama”
“The name that came up first, its pronunciation was weird. And the last phrase was too fast. I faintly remember the original, are you trying to deceive me?”
“……Uuuu. I wasn’t even exposed by Father…”
“Rumia, your pronunciation often stutters. You should try to slow down and be aware of your tongue movement”
“‘Roiii’, like this?”
“Try taking longer breaths”
“I’ll give it a try, nii-sama”
This reminds me of my previous life.
Back then, I used to teach the children in the village with their studies.
They used to come to the old castle where I lived every morning.
The room where I died wasn’t a Throne Room or anything, it was just a classroom. In that classroom, I was the teacher for the village for about 120 years.
Come to think of it, before I even knew it, the literacy rate in ‘Fila Village’ had reached 100%, and travelers from the Royal Capital were surprised by that as well.
After I was reincarnated, I was taught by butlers and maids.
The only child within the Grossalia Family that has a private tutor is Xellos nii-sama, the legitimate child.
As for me, I’m already glad that I could learn the knowledge of this era, so I don’t have any complaints at all….
…Rumia whined to me, ‘I can’t keep up with my studies’.
Inadvertently as I comfort her, it has become a habit.
I have told Rumia to keep it a secret. And since nobody has said anything about it yet, it seems that they’ve yet to find out that I have been teaching her magic and her typical studies at the moment.
“—‘those who control the flame’ ‘O, the great bearers of light’— What do nii-sama think?”
“Your pronunciation is getting better. You can ask Father for advice later. You might soon be able to proceed to magic activation”
“…I want nii-sama to see Rumia, too”
“I told you not to tell anyone about me, didn’t I?”
“Then, next time. Nii-sama. Next time…”
“We’re running out of time. Rumia”
Before we knew it, we found ourselves on the first floor of the detached building.
Straight ahead is the dining hall. Turn left, and there will be the connecting corridor leading to the main building.
“I’m going to the dining hall in this building. Rumia’s destination will be the dining hall in the main building”
I let go of Rumia’s hand.
“Go on, get going. Father and Xellos nii-sama are waiting for you”
“Rumia wants to have a meal with nii-sama”
Rumia puffed out her cheeks.
“Why can’t nii-sama join us as well?”
“I can’t eat over there. You know that”
“Father said he doesn’t mind if nii-sama wants to!”
Did Father say that to Rumia?
That’s sly.
Father should understand that I can’t go to the main building with that man around.
“Let’s go together. Nii-sama will be going to school sometime this year, right?”
“I haven’t decided what to do yet”
“Nii-sama is excellent, so it shouldn’t be a problem getting into any school. For sure!”
Rumia grasped my hands tightly with her small hands.
“Nii-sama’s teaching method is easier to understand than anybody else’s. If it’s nii-sama, I think nii-sama can even receive a certified full proficiency in magic from the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’!”
“You have overestimated me too much”
“I don’t think so!”
“That’s because Rumia hasn’t had a private tutor yet. Rumia will change her mind when she gets a proper tutor in a couple of years”
“I will never change my mind”
Rumia looks at me with a twinkle in her eyes.
“Nii-sama is all Rumia needs. Something like a private tutor, I don’t need it!”
“You’re being too loud”
“……Let’s eat together, Yuuki nii-sama”
“Rumia”
“I’m sure nii-sama will someday become a great man beyond the reach of Rumia. So for now, I want to be with nii-sama as much as possible. Please…”
“Don’t be selfish. Rumia ojou-sama”
A voice came from the main building.
As we looked towards where the voice came from, there stood a man with ash gray hair.
Standing right behind him is a blond boy, that’s our brother, Xellos.
“One should know their place, that is important for those who are involved in magic. The first wife’s child, Rumia ojou-sama, and the illegitimate child, Yuuki-dono, are not allowed to sit together at the same dining table”
The ash gray-haired man looked at me as he said that.
The man’s name is Kachel Mieghem.
He’s the private tutor hired by Father to get Xellos nii-sama into the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’.
“I’ll say it over and over again. An illegitimate child should feel lucky just to be in this mansion”
said the tutor Kachel.
I don’t like his tone, but what he said is right.
I’m the child Father had with a local woman when he went to war.
That’s why I’m not a legitimate child, but an illegitimate child. I’m just lucky to have been taken into this mansion.
I think Father is overall a pretty good guy for a nobleman.
In the middle of a war, an ordinary nobleman would have left behind the child that they had after inadvertently having fallen in love with a local woman.
Even more so when the woman passed away and only sent a will stating, “Please take care of this child”.
But still, Father took me in.
Everyone in the family accepted me with no issue as well.
However, the situation changed three years ago when the tutor Kachel arrived.
“Yuuki-dono…no, Yuuki-kun, you may not know this, but people have a certain status that they are born with”
“I know”
“Oh? Let us hear it”
“The highest-ranking species are humans. Next is the demi-human such as Elves. Monsters that have intelligence are the lowest such as Lich, Vampires, etc.”
“Then what is the ranking in a noble’s household?”
“Father is the highest rank, the head of the family. Next is the first wife, Teremia-sama. Then, Xellos nii-sama, Rumia-sama, the legitimate children…and below that is me, the illegitimate child, Yuuki Grossalia”
“You’re wrong about one thing. You have no right to claim the family name of Grossalia”
“I apologize”
“Kachel-sensei!!”
“Yes? Rumia ojou-sama”
“Please correct your statement! Yuuki nii-sama is Rumia’s nii-sama and a member of the Grossalia Family!!”
“Is that so? Xellos-sama”
……Don’t ask nii-sama. You know you’re an adult.
“I’ve taught you what it’s like to be a legitimate child of nobility, haven’t I? Have you forgotten about that?”
“……An illegitimate child is no different than commoners”
Xellos nii-sama turned his gaze away from me and Rumia.
“Nobles are not allowed to dine with commoners. I, as the one above, have to be aware of my nobility”
“What did your older brother say? Rumia-sama”
“……nii-sama”
“Why don’t you go to the dining hall? Rumia”
I pushed Rumia on the back.
“I’m not too keen on eating at the main building either. So I will eat with my maid, Martha, in the annex”
“……I understand. Yuuki nii-sama”
Rumia nodded with teary eyes.
The status system, huh? As usual, humans like that kind of thing, don’t they?
“May I ask you a question, Kachel-sensei?”
I turned to the tutor Kachel and asked.
“How many years has it been since the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ once discovered Ancient Magic and Artifacts within the Holy Grounds—or rather, the ‘Capital of Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium’?”
“Don’t speak the name ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ lightly. That’s a taboo!”
Tutor Kachel exclaimed.
“However, I will answer your question. This year marks 220 years since the discovery of the ‘Capital of Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium’. It is a mercy to answer your question. Otherwise, you will probably be asking anybody this insensitive question”
With that, Kachel walked away.
“……The ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ is a taboo?”
That kind of organization?
The organization that found the ‘Capital of Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium’ and obtained a large number of relics…?
Really, that’s how much time has passed….
In my previous life, I died 20 years after the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ discovered the ‘Capital of Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium’.
In other words, currently, it has been 200 years since my death.
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Regards,
Shin