Chapter 14 The Day Life Began to Change and My Unchanging Rivalry Stayed Surprisingly Friendly
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It’s been about five months since Gōbu-kun smacked me and I got my memories from my previous life back.
Those first days were brutal—dying over and over, each time thinking maybe this was the end for real. I lost count somewhere between a few thousand and a few tens of thousands of deaths. But you know what? Every reset made me tougher. Now I’ve got a body like steel, mana reserves big enough to power a small country, and recovery abilities that border on divine. Even my dogeza¹ game is top-tier. Not bad for a six-year-old, right?
Still, Orphen-san tries to kill me every single day. Seriously, that guy’s nuts. I reinforce my stomach with magic barriers and muscle focus, but he ignores all of it and goes straight for the fatal blows.
”That will never do, Shin-sama. You’ll never defeat an ancient dragon or a fae king that way.”
Ancient dragons, sure—but why would I need to fight that kind of legend? And the fae king? That’s a fairytale, right?
Then again, Orphen-san definitely has some special power. How else could he ignore the laws of physics and beat me—me, whose status numbers are supposed to be higher—in a straight fight?
Anyway, enough about Orphen. These days, Master Raichi has gone completely off the rails. He got obsessed with a host club in Connect City. So I decided to solve the problem with money.
Of course, the money came from my mabudachi—my “best friends,” the thieves. I handed over the loot as funding. Then, when Master Raichi blew it all at the club, that money circled back to the thieves who owned the place. I made friends with them, gained their trust, and reclaimed the money. Perfect infinite loop!
It’s genius, really. Raichi keeps digging themselver deeper in debt, begging money from me and Father, and when that’s not enough, they borrow from Alexia or Layla-chan. Meanwhile, the local economy improves, crime drops, and I make more mabudachi. Win-win! Well, except I have no idea what those “friends” are up to now.
I do wonder what Gōbu-kun and Red-kun have them doing after tossing them into that canyon. Maybe they’re building some underground empire like in Kai○? Nah, couldn’t be… hahaha.
* * *
(Underground somewhere in the Northern Wastes)
”GYAAOOO!!”
”I-I’m sorry, Mr. Orc! I’ll repent, I swear! I’ll dig tunnels connecting to the neighboring kingdom—just please don’t kill me!”
”Damn it all… this is that brat’s and the goblin’s fault. Why the hell are we digging giant underground highways? And are those… rails? Just what is that cute little monster planning?”
* * *
In about half a year, the entrance exams for Alys Magic Academy will begin.
Last month, as a joke, I dogeza-begged Father to let me skip the whole thing—and he started crying.
”For generations, our Seyfried house has been blessed by the favor of the Regain royal family. The reason our taxes stay low and our markets stable is thanks to King Regain, my dear friend. Half a year ago I’d given up hope of your enrollment, seeing your wicked behavior—but you’ve changed, Shin. I even wrote to His Majesty about your transformation. He was overjoyed. If the Shin who has earned the king’s expectations refuses to enter Alys Magic Academy, our bond will shatter, and Seyfried Territory will decline forever… uuuuh”
How can anyone say no when their father sobs out a ten-minute speech like that? How much faith can one man have in his disaster of a son? Maybe it’s fate, maybe it’s guilt—but with all this power now, I could just vanish for a while, couldn’t I?
No, wait. There’s Elder Brother Saghir, Lala-chan, and the matter of the Divine Artifacts. Some of those can only be accessed by nobles. I guess running away isn’t an option yet.
I’ll need to get even stronger. I don’t know what awaits at Alys Magic Academy, but I’ve got my appraisal eye and a teleportation magic book now. Time to grind hard, dodge those death flags, and survive my own story. Come on, me—you’ve got this. Fight, me!
And Lala-chan and her friends—the self-proclaimed saints cast out by the Lax Empire—seem to be thriving in that ancient city of reincarnation. The genius folks there noticed their talent and started giving them special training. Not the creepy brainwashing kind, but real fun learning.
Makes sense; they’re all from noble birth. Give them knowledge and they soak it up like sponges. Lala-chan’s studying especially hard, always chanting, “Everything for Shin-sama and the Gin religion~desuwa¹.” Seriously, she’s six and worships gin, the drink. That’s… concerning.
Still, those kids—and even Lala-chan—deserve a future brighter than mine. We met in this vast world for a reason, right? I’ll make sure they find their light… no matter what.
* * *
(Halus Meadow, in front of the Seyfried manor annex)
So yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking while staring down this teleportation tome with my left eye’s appraisal.
”Portable gates, solo teleportation, dimensional transfer—oh come on, did it really need to copy game mechanics?”
Last night I was thrilled just to have the book, but decoding it taught me some annoying truths:
* You can only teleport to places you’ve visited.
* It consumes an absurd amount of mana.
* You can’t use it for malicious intent.
* And, unless you have someone you truly want to protect, it won’t activate at all.
There were all sorts of extra rules scribbled in that teleportation book. Basically, if you didn’t follow them properly, the spell just refused to work—like some kind of tsundere spirit wagging its finger and saying, “Only if you play by the rules!”
I wasn’t unlocking a magic eye or anything, but my left one started to sting like mad, flickering like a kaleidoscope about to burst. I half-expected it to start bleeding.
Clutching my face like a dramatic middle-schooler—”Ugh, my left eye throbs! Could it be… the awakening of a new power?!”—I heard a cheerful voice.
”Shin-kun! Let out Luna-chan! I wanna fluff her!”
It was Alexia, dressed in an adorable frilly outfit, clasping her hands and staring up at me with pleading eyes. Who could say no to that? She was already too cute for this world—she’d probably grow into a terrifying beauty someday. I couldn’t help but wonder how this girlish angel would end up as a cross-dressing knight by the time we reached Alys Academy. Fate sure had a sense of humor.
”F-fshaaa! Enemy alert! Master, tell her Luna’s out right now, nyaaa!”
”Yes, understood. Come on out, Luna-kun!”
With a soft pop—then a grab!—Luna materialized in Alexia’s arms.
”Yay! Thank you, Shin-kun! Luna-chan, so fluffy~!”
”Fnyaaah! Traitor! I’ll remember this betrayal, meow! Masteeerrr!”
”Fluff, fluff~!”
Luna’s death wails and Alexia’s squeals of delight echoed across Halus Meadow.
”Perfect. Now I can live in peace again,” I said with a satisfied sigh.
It had been a while since I realized that offering up Luna during the day gave me a little more me-time. Before that, Alexia used to cling to me like a limpet. But ever since Luna started living inside my right eye, she kept begging to cuddle him instead. Naturally, I offered my familiar up without hesitation. Peace at last.
Honestly, familiars like Luna are a blessing. If he were a card, he’d probably be limited or outright banned.
”Shin-sama~! I’ve brought your picnic lunch~!”
Layla-chan bounded over, waving the basket like a victory flag. She was all smiles, radiant as ever—but judging by how she was swinging that thing, our sandwiches were doomed.
”All right! Since we’re all here, let’s go meet Gōbu-kun and the others. Teleportation—’Schwert Mountains’!”
”Fluff~!” “Gnyaaa! My body’s twisting!” “Eh? Shin-sama, this is—”
”Heh… so I really do have people I care about.”
And just like that, the three of us—and one suffering cat—vanished from the meadow.
* * *
”Fluff?!” “Nyaaah!!” “Kyaaa!”
”Whoa there! Sorry, sorry! It’s fine, ladies—I’m happy to serve as your personal landing cushion. You’re soft, not fluffy, but… definitely pleasant.”
We’d made it—our first successful teleportation. The Schwert Mountains glimmered under the sun. Somehow, the spell had arranged us so I shielded the others mid-jump.
”So this is what it means to use teleportation magic… Grandfather Merlin.”
”Wah! Shin-kun, I’m so sorry! Where are we, anyway?!”
”Just kill me… I’m gonna cough up a furball if this keeps up, nyaaa…”
”Shin-sama! I’m terribly sorry! I fell right on top of you—oh no, I did it again! I’m so sorry!”
Luna’s eyes were rolling back, poor thing. I had no idea why he looked so pained—probably my fault somehow.
”Hahaha, don’t worry about it. I’m the one who tried an unrefined teleportation spell.”
”Pocky?”
For a second, I thought they’d both blurted something indecent in surprise. But no—they were just craving snacks. Pocky, huh? Been a while. Now I wanted some too.
Still, it made sense now. The book’s words finally clicked: Power comes from emotion. If you have no one to protect, you can’t control a spell like this.
And for me, the one I want to protect most—my absolute favorite—is Alexia. Sure, I stay on her good side mostly to avoid getting my head chopped off someday, but still… she’s precious to me. Being with her feels natural now. She’s become someone I truly care for.
Of course, Layla-chan and my furball familiar count too. But Alexia… she’s special. Only she—
”Gōbu-goooob!” “Kyu-Lala-Lala!!” “Nyuruuun!”
”Oh, perfect timing. Gōbu-kun and the gang brought souvenirs—Master Raichi’s money, by the look of it. Now that everyone’s here, let’s eat.”
”Yes~!” “…Master, save me… I’ll teach you more appraisal stuff if you do…”
Right. Luna was foaming at the mouth again. Better help him before he passes out. Today’s plan was a simple picnic with friends—no fights, no training, just peace. The world could wait while we laughed together.
There would always be more magic to learn, more spells to master—but for now, I wanted to enjoy the moment.
* * *
(Regain Kingdom, Seyfried Territory – Border Checkpoint)
”Saghir-sama, the entry clearance hasn’t been issued yet.”
”And do you have a permission slip from Alys Magic Academy?”
”Silence. You’re a mere gatekeeper, not even a noble. Know your place. I am Saghir Seyfried—the next head of the Seyfried family.”
”B-but sir, these are the lord’s own rules—”
”And the academy enforces magical contracts, sir.”
”Enough! My father’s rules, the academy’s rules—soon this whole kingdom will be mine anyway. I don’t answer to insects. Prepare the carriage. Move!”
”Y-yes, Saghir-sama!”
”Wait! Please, Saghir-sama!”
”Tch. Peasants are such noise. Don’t you think so, my fiancée?”
”Yes, truly, Saghir-sama…”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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