Huh?
Where is this?
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but the blue ocean and sky.
No land, no mountains, no signs of life. Truly an empty world.
Yuki looked down and realized that what he was standing on was the sea itself. Yet strangely, he did not sink, as if he possessed some kind of miracle.
What happened? Was not I hit by a train just now?
Confusion flowed rapidly through Yuki. Questions upon questions swirled in his mind.
Am I in the afterlife now? If so, does that mean I went to heaven?
No… could it be hell?
Yuki was not a religious person, so if the afterlife truly existed, he certainly would not expect himself to go to heaven. He had never prayed, yet he had never committed crimes either. He could not be called a saint, but neither was he evil.
Yuki tried observing his surroundings, searching for any clue he could find about this place. But there was nothing.
No matter where he looked, there was only an endless sea and sky.
He kept walking, hoping to find out what was going on.
Still, after walking for a while, he found nothing.
Thinking he hadn't gone far enough, he continued.
He walked, and walked, and walked.
One step, two steps, three steps… dozens of steps… even hundreds of steps. The same thing remained.
Giving up, he simply stood still.
It seemed he had learned something important during this journey—
That no matter where he went, it would lead him nowhere. He would never find anything here.
Yuki wondered, was this hell?
It was reasonable for Yuki to think that way. Even though hell was usually depicted as a place full of fire and hot, to Yuki, a place like this could also be called hell.
A hell where all he could do was wait, unable to do anything.
Huft… so I really did end up in hell.
A sigh of despair escaped Yuki's lips.
But then, not long after. He suddenly saw a white-winged figure standing before him.
That figure was majestic, radiating a holy aura so powerful it seemed capable of devouring all darkness.
Its entire body, including its face, glowed, making it impossible to discern its true form.
A god…
Or an angel?
Whichever it was, one thing was certain: Yuki, staring at the figure, felt two emotions at once. Emotions of relief and worry combined.
Would he finally be freed from this place… Or was it time to be sent to the real hell?
Just as Yuki was about to ask where this place was and how to return, the angelic figure spoke first.
"You will be reincarnated."
The cold, flat voice of the figure rang clear.
Before he could respond, Yuki's head throbbed violently. His vision was engulfed by a blinding white light, swallowing his entire body and erasing his consciousness.
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Some time passed, and the scene before him changed.
What he now saw was a man and woman in their late thirties.
The woman spoke with an excited tone, "Wow, look at his eye color! He inherited my beautiful red eyes."
"That's right, my dear. And he also inherited his father's handsome face."
The man beside her replied, unwilling to lose to the woman's praise.
Father? What does that mean?
Confused, he tried to ask about his situation to the people before him.
Hey, where is this?
"Uaaaaaaa."
What the f*ck?
What the hell was that? Why did my voice sound like that?
The woman, hearing her baby trying to speak, felt delighted.
"Wow, dear, look at our baby! He's trying to talk! He's so cute, hehe," the woman said happily.
"Hahaha, you're right, dear."
A baby? Am I… a baby? What the hell is going on? Did I really reincarnate?
Damn it.
So much was happening at once. Yuki could barely keep up, and the string of events was driving him insane.
"Dear, what should we name the baby?"
"You decide, my love. I already named our previous child, so it's your turn now," the man replied with a faint smile.
The woman fell silent for a moment, gazing at the baby in her arms with deep affection.
"Hmmm… I'm really having a hard time thinking of one…"
A few moments passed as the woman pondered a name for her child.
Her expression showed how seriously she was thinking about it.
As if the perfect name finally came to her, a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Then, for our child… I will name him…"
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A few years later.
A child sat on a chair in a lavishly decorated, medieval-style room. The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room's splendor.
On the desk before him, books were neatly arranged.
The boy was reading intently, occasionally turning a page.
His name was Michael Vallerstein.
He was now living his second life as the son of a noble.
Yes. Yuki, who was once just an ordinary office worker, had reincarnated into a medieval-style world. A world where magic and swords existed.
He had now been living here for three years.
The kingdom he lived in was called the Kingdom of Ferrum, where his father held land as a Marquis.
Michael was the son of Marquis Alex Vallerstein and Marquise Michelle Vallerstein, nobles tasked with guarding the kingdom's border.
His father was often away due to his duties, as their territory was near the border of the Verilia Empire and the domain of magical monsters. Because of this, Michael was often left at home.
No. That wasn't quite right.
Michael had two older brothers and an older sister living with him. Although, his sister had left a year ago to marry another noble.
As for his mother, she was also rarely home. She often accompanied her husband on matters of governance and attended noble gatherings, fulfilling her duties as the lady of House Vallerstein.
So now, Michael lived with his two older brothers.
They were both talented individuals, each having received an A-rank Talent. A remarkable feat in this world, as such talents were rare.
In this world, there was something called "Innate Talent," a gift that awakened when a person turned eight years old.
Talents ranged from F-rank to S-rank, and anyone with an A-rank was guaranteed a bright future, living in comfort and luxury.
This, of course, greatly benefited his father, Alex Vallerstein, whose duty was to guard the border.
Michael's relationship with his brothers was distant. Their A-rank talents made them arrogant, constantly belittling and bullying him.
So, even though he wasn't truly alone, Michael was far from happy.
At least, that was how it seemed.
For Yuki, who had lived decades as an office worker, such behavior was nothing but childish.
Children trying to insult an adult. Children who had never known the burdens of adulthood.
How could Yuki, who had once lived as a grown man, be hurt over something so petty?
In truth, Michael was far from useless. At just three years old, he had already been able to activate and control magic. Though his magic was not strong, it was still remarkable, as most mages could only properly wield magic at the age of five to eight.
It was an extraordinary achievement, and his brothers were aware of it.
But even after seeing Michael's talent, they still chose to look down on him.
Well, Michael did not care. For now, he simply wanted to enjoy his life.
In the stillness, the sound of turning pages echoed again.
Michael was reading a book about the history of the Kingdom of Ferrum.
At that moment, his eyes landed on a particular chapter written on the page.
"There it is… One of the most influential figures in this kingdom."
"Someone with an S-rank talent."
Finding something that piqued his interest, his brows slightly rose, and a faint smile formed on his lips.