Chapter 1 - 01 Is Reincarnation Even a Thing?
It's been a while since my last post.
I hope you enjoy it!
One morning, I was stopped by a young female new graduate.
"Chief! Section Chief Asano is calling for you!"
"What is it? Understood. Thank you."
I immediately headed to the manager's office and knocked.
"Enter."
A reply came from behind the door, and as usual, it was high-handed.
"Excuse me."
"Well, have a seat."
The manager sat at the facing table and urged me to sit down. I had nothing but a bad feeling about this, but since I was prompted, I nodded and sat.
"This proposal you wrote this time—the higher-ups are quite keen on it. They're saying we should do it in Country A as well. By the way, are you good at English?"
It was a well-known fact that the manager took great pride in being good at English. And he was teasing me, knowing full well that I couldn't speak it.
"No. Not at all."
"That's perfect! I'm returning this proposal to you, so submit it in English as a way to study. Let's see... how about a deadline of one week from now?"
Even if he asked me "how about it," I had absolutely no motivation. If anything, I could only scream in my heart, "If you're so proud of your English, then you do it, you bastard!"
Contrary to my heart, I, a corporate slave, replied, "Understood."
And after a week of almost no sleep, I submitted it.
"There are strange points here and there. Go and fix them!"
"Wait! I... I don't know what's strange..."
"That's part of the study. I'm telling you this for your own sake, you know."
In the end, I couldn't resist him, so I decided to consult my colleagues and ask for help.
"Yo! Kato-kun, the rising star among us peers. I hear you're in Section Chief Asano's good graces?"
"Don't be stupid... I think he actually hates me. Tanaka, you're good at English, right?"
"Not as much as Asano, though. What about English?"
When I explained the situation up to now, they burst into laughter.
"I see. It's no wonder you think Kato is hated. But as long as you're in the Overseas Business Department, you can't avoid it, right? Well, fine. For the sake of our old Kendo club days, I'll help you! In exchange, let me go out to eat with that new graduate of yours next time!"
"That's impossible. I'll immediately be accused of sexual harassment or power harassment. I'll treat you tonight, so just endure it with that."
Tanaka thought for a moment and nodded.
That night, at an izakaya, I showed him the English proposal to have it corrected. Of course, while maintaining social distance.
"You did pretty well for yourself, didn't you? There aren't that many strange parts, but I've checked the ones that caught my eye."
"Thank you, Red Pen Teacher."
I thanked Tanaka, we made a toast, drank lightly, and had dinner.
After returning home, I rushed to make the corrections and was able to submit it the next morning.
"You look pale. Lack of sleep?"
Section Chief Asano asked with a smirk.
"Yes... well, a little."
When I gave an ambiguous reply, he said, "Well, fine," and accepted it.
I felt relieved thinking that from tomorrow, it would be the weekend.
(With this, I'll spend two days sleeping.)
When I returned to my department, a junior spoke to me.
"Senpai! Is it true you're being transferred to Country A?"
"There's no way, right? I haven't even received an informal notice."
"Thank goodness! About that talk from the other day, you said you'd do it, right?"
That was a conversation about a game called Brave Online.
(I was planning to sleep, but I guess that's not happening.)
"Did I say I'd do it?"
"You did! Please! Do you know the initial settings?"
Feeling slightly looked down upon, I ended up saying, "It's fine."
(This is bad! I have a feeling I won't be able to sleep.)
That premonition came true.
Returning home, I first hammered the game's world-view into my head.
"I see! As expected, I'll start from a small country and then trample the great powers!"
In a company, I'd think "rely on the big tree," but in a game, you want to pull off an uprising, right? Looking around, I found a country that looked interesting.
"Here! This looks good!"
The fact that I was shouting even though no one was around meant I had already become a dangerous person.
The country I found was the Altmea Empire. In various places, nobles were receiving support from other countries, creating a state of constant uprising. It had become like the Muromachi Shogunate during the Warring States period. And after Emperor Morse fell, the 24th Emperor ascended. It was a country where chaos was deepening further and further.
"Great nobles cause rebellions, and those obsessed with status and formality will be overthrown by minor nobles. This is a grand spectacle of romance, isn't it!"
I was dreaming of helping the young Emperor and making the country prosperous.
"If that's the case, stats are important!"
I ended up spending a lot of time on the initial settings.For my own stats, numbers appeared randomly, and when I pressed the button, a YES/NO display appeared asking if that value was acceptable.
First was STR/Strength.
It seemed to have the effect of increasing the maximum carrying weight of items. My bad habit surfaced. Even though I thought initial stats wouldn't matter once I started leveling, I aimed for the MAX.
There were values from 1 to 99, but the ones that appeared easily were only numbers 10 or below. Numbers 50 or above rarely appeared. However, while nearly falling asleep many times, I finally pulled a 99.
"I really am a kid who can do it if I try!"
I became strangely high-tension due to lack of sleep.After that, I told myself that ATK/Attack "is also influenced by weapon performance!" and kept going until I hit 99.
I made VIT/Vitality, DEF/Defense, INT/Intelligence, RES/Resist, DEX/Dexterity, AGI/Agility, and LUK/Luck all 99.
Because of my strange obsession, I would end up struggling. But that was a matter for later.There also seemed to be parts not reflected as numerical values, such as trust or fame within the game, or leadership over subordinates through fighting or internal affairs.
Suddenly, a "pi-kon" sound rang out.What was that? I wondered, and when I looked at the screen, the next screen was displayed.
Combat Skills[One-Shot Certain Hit] [Swift Gale] [Limit Break] [One-Stroke Severance]
One-Shot Certain Hit seems to always hit. Swift Gale allows you to attack enemies at twice the speed. When you reach the limit of your age or physical strength, the increase in level and stats stops. However, Limit Break is a wonderful skill that allows them to keep increasing. One-Stroke Severance is a wonderful skill that severs anything in two. It seems all of these are gifted automatically based on stats.
(I'm glad I worked hard to get to 99!)
Next were magic skills, and thanks to maximizing INT and RES, I had all the 10th-grade magics. 10th-grade seemed to be about the strength of lifestyle magic, but it was definitely better than having none.
(Naturally, since the effect is 99, it's probably stronger than usual.)
As I thought this, I started to get excited. There were three '??? Magic' entries, but I didn't know what kind of magic they were. At this time, due to sleepiness, I didn't pay much attention and moved to the next.
Finally, survival skills.
S-Rank was psychic abilities. If this is allowed, it's a must! Moreover, there was a Map Function.
A-Rank was Inventory. In other words, infinite storage. This is indispensable!
B-Rank was Alchemy. It said I would gain the technology and knowledge to create not just weapons and armor, but also lifestyle tools.
C-Rank was Hypnosis. It seemed I could allure people with clever words. It seemed even more effective when they were drunk or sleepy.
D-Rank was Health. It said it included self-recovery, increased healing ability, and increased medical knowledge.
E-Rank was Tamer. It was the ability to make animals and monsters serve you, but I wondered if it would be useful.
For F-Rank, I hesitated but chose Appraisal. Not only could I see through the abilities of people and things, but it also came with Clairvoyance and Night Vision.
G-Rank was Cooking and culinary skills. This included manual dexterity and seemed to come with the ability of a Recipe Book, so I thought it was a good deal.
"Just the initial settings took this much time... If I don't sleep, I feel like I'll die..."
I fell asleep just like that...
"Wake up, Shivans! Honestly!"
Who is that? What's with that foreign-sounding name? As I thought that and sat up, memories came rushing into my brain all at once.
(Why did this happen? What kind of dream is this?)
My name is Shivans O'Brien. It seems I have reincarnated as an eight-year-old child. Moreover, this child's memories say this is the Altmea Empire. And I understood.
(This child died from a cold that started last night! And Katsuya Takuya died from overwork over there. I've reincarnated here.)
Just then, a girl jumped in with a face that looked like she was about to cry.
"Hey! You bastard! I was worried you had died!"
"That hurts, Emilia... If you're going to hug me, wait until your breasts get bigger..."
As I started to say that, I was punched.
"It's older sister Emilia! How many times do I have to tell you to call me Emi-nee, even if I concede a hundred steps! My breasts! If you have that much energy, let's practice!"
"Wa-Wait a minute. I'm still recovering..."
When I said that, she wiped her tears and said, "Fine, I'll let you off today!" before walking out. I decided to organize the information there.
First, this country is the Altmea Empire I was about to play in the game.And this is a Knight's Territory located southeast of the Imperial Capital.
The Knight's Territory is surrounded by mountains on all sides, but there are wide roads to the east and west.
To the south, if you cross the mountains, is the sea. To the southwest is a Viscount's Territory. To the west is an Earl's Territory. To the northwest is a Baronet's Territory, and to the northeast is a Baron's Territory. To the east is a territory with three Quasi-Knights.
Since the territories to the west face the sea—the Viscount and Earl's territories—we buy salt from the merchants of those two territories.
The biggest problem was that our territory was extremely poor land.
It wasn't something that could even be called a Territory Capital. Originally, it was land that had been left neglected until my Father received it. While it wasn't suitable to call this a mansion, the northeast of the mansion was covered in volcanic ash and was unsuitable for growing crops. The northwest was desertifying.
The southeast was a wetland, and the only decent land was the southwest. The water source was the river to the east of the mansion. It flowed through the north and south of the territory, and we used the river water for daily life and as a moat for the mansion.
My Father, the Butler, became an adventurer 16 years ago when he was 12. And because he made a name for himself as an adventurer, he stopped being an adventurer at 15 and started a mercenary group.
As a mercenary, he was hired as a close aide to the Emperor and achieved military distinction. He took the head of an Earl who had staged a rebellion. For that achievement, he was promoted to knight at age 16.
When he turned 18, he participated in a war with an enemy country. He took the heads of a General from an enemy principality and a Duke who had conspired with the enemy to stage a rebellion. For that achievement, he was granted a Knight Title.
Just at that time, a beginner's dungeon was discovered in the current territory, and since there was vacant land, this land was granted to him. That is located southwest from this mansion.
Back then, the power of the nobles was still strong, and the Emperor's power was weak.
It seems Father brought his friend and contemporary Vice Commander Gale, Ben, who was two years younger and good with numbers, and Mother, who was 14, to this land when he was 18.
Father, the Butler, was feared by enemies as the 'Crimson Death.' By allies, he was called 'Lightning-fast Butler' and specialized in Fire Magic. Mother, Leen, was called 'Ice Doll Leen' and was a mage who manipulated water and ice. Gale was called 'Gale of the Wind' and seemed to specialize in Wind Magic, and Ben seemed to be good with a bow and arrow as 'Ben the Sniper.'
(It seems this land hasn't grown much in the last 10 years.)
When coming to this land, he arrived having received a total of 100 people—80 serfs and 20 combat slaves—from His Majesty the Emperor.
Therefore, this place is a Knight's Territory in name only, and there are no maids or butlers. Gale is the captain of the retainers, acting as the steward, handling both political affairs and finance. Ben handles security and personnel management for the territory. Mother, Leen, helps with the livelihood through housework and weaving. And I am the only son.
There are almost no children in this territory.Only Ash, who is 12, and 9-year-old Emilia.
(It's hard to make children if you just think of slave children as slaves.)
It is certainly difficult to tell people who are barely surviving, "Get married and be happy." As long as the Class System is deeply rooted in this world, there's no point in an eight-year-old me saying anything. One saving grace is that my parents, Gale, and Ben don't seem to discriminate based on status.
(First, I have to feed the people!)
Thinking this, I decided to change clothes and head out.When I went down to the first floor, Mother, Leen, and Emilia were there.
"Mother. May I borrow a horse?"
"You may, but is your body alright?"
When I asked worriedly, Emilia tapped her thin chest.
"Auntie Leen, I'm fine! I'll go with him!"
"If Emilia is looking after him, I'll be at ease!"
Shivans... you really don't trust me, do you?For now, I decided to check the state of the town and look for anything interesting or plants in the mountains. Emilia climbed onto my back. She began to fiddle with my body from behind.
"Emi-nee. Your touch is quite lewd, isn't it?"
"It's just, I feel like your face and body have changed since yesterday."
I flinched, but I had no choice but to gloss it over with a dry laugh, saying, "Hahaha. It's just your imagination."
When we entered the town, the Adventurer Guild was located just before the road leading to the dungeon. On the road to the dungeon, people who were combat slaves were acting as guards.
"It's rare to see the young master in a place like this, isn't it?"
When the guard spoke to me, I made an excuse, saying, "I wanted to see the Adventurer Guild," and as I entered, there were many adventurers with levels below 10.
"What's this, what's this? Is the brat on a date?"
"Don't show off like that! Shall we show you some affection?"
Three men tried to reach out for Emilia.
"Good grief. You older brothers are what they call 'lolicon,' aren't you? Trying to attack a girl with no breasts like this. Are you sick?"
When the people around us chuckled in derision, the three of them flew into a rage, shouting "I'll kill you!" and lunged at me.
(I'm glad I set my stats to all 99! And it's probably because this girl is quite well-trained.)
My body moved more smoothly than I expected, so when I used their own strength to throw them, cheers of "Oh!" went up and jeers flew from the surroundings.
"Was the lolicon-kun planning to go to the dungeon?"
"No way, right? He's being jerked around by a single child like that! Impossible, impossible! Gahahaha!"
The three men were tripped and thrown by me, suffering humiliation.
"Just you wait!"
As the three of them dashed away, one adventurer noticed me.
"I saw that guard bowing to that kid just now!"
Hearing that, the people began to buzz.
"If that's the case, could it be the child of the 'Crimson Death'?"
"He should be strong. Does he look like his mother? He'll be a handsome man in the future!"
It seems my parents are famous even here. Then, Emilia whispered to me, asking what I had come here for. That's right. I must fulfill my purpose!
"Excuse me!"
What I wanted to confirm with the unenthusiastic receptionist was what happens to monster corpses.
"Let's see... if it's an Orc or something, the butchers will buy them, but for Kobolds, Goblins, or Killer Bees, I think people just throw them away and go home, don't they?"
When I asked the adventurers for confirmation, one female adventurer answered.
"We throw them away because they don't make any money. Do you want them, boy?"
"I would like Wild Bats, Kobolds, and Goblins!"
"Then put in a request. I'm sure everyone will work hard! Right, everyone?"
Some people nodded deeply at the female adventurer's words, while others said, "Depends on the money, doesn't it?"
"I see! Understood. Thank you very much!"
I bowed politely and left the Adventurer Guild. Right next to the Adventurer Guild was an inn that doubled as a tavern. Since many barrels were left out in the back, I immediately went to talk to the owner.
"Welcome! Hmm? What business does a young master and a little lady have?"
"Are you not using those sake barrels? If you aren't using them, I'd like them!"
It seemed they were planning to break them for firewood, so the generous owner said, "Sure. They were going to be in the way, so I'll give them to you!" and offered to give me all of them.
"Thank you very much!"
With this, sake brewing will be possible someday! I'll make a fortune with it as a specialty product! As I smirked, Emilia looked at me with distaste. As I rode the horse along the mountains toward the eastern wetlands, Emilia started complaining.
"I'm telling you, I'm only nine. In three years, I'll grow big like Mother or Auntie Leen! When that happens, you'll have to perform a dogeza!"
"Emi-nee? What are you talking about?"
"My breasts! I've told you so many times that they aren't there! Even now, they're swelling a little!"
When I laughed loudly and apologized, she pouted.
"Three years, huh. I'm looking forward to it! I'll have to let me squeeze them then!"
"Fine! But the dogeza comes first! Got it?"
When I nodded, she became in high spirits, and as we proceeded along the mountains, I saw something like smoke. Thinking it was a fire, Emilia told me it was something else.
"It's old man Roro the woodcutter! He must be making charcoal!"
When Emilia called out, the kind old man Roro showed his face.When we entered the hut, he served us tea with honey in it.
"Do you also do beekeeping?"
"A little. Since I can't do woodcutting in the winter, I do it as a hobby."
What a waste! I thought I must have a meeting when I got back! While thinking that, I asked if it could be mass-produced, but he told me it was impossible since he does it alone and is old.
"Roro-san. Do flowers bloom all year round?"
"Are you the Lord's son? You seem wise. The mountains to the south of here have been cleared. If you cut them, flowers will bloom and you can also gather mushrooms!"
I heard something good! After parting with Roro-san and heading east, we discovered many plants growing wild in the wetlands. Among them was a plant that looked very much like rice.
"Emi-nee. Isn't this rice?"
"No. It's a weed called Rai!"
"Does no one pick it?"
"Of course not! Have you gone crazy from a fever?"
Looking at it with Appraisal, it was indeed rice.With this, we can avoid starving to death, and we can even manufacture sake. Surely, if I explain it, I can move the adults!
Since I was sweating, we entered the river. The two of us stripped and decided to bathe in the water. I saw stones exposed in the canyon visible from the river, so when I used Appraisal, they were limestone.
"Hey! There's a naked woman here! Are you more captivated by stones than by a woman?"
Since Emilia pouted, I explained that wasn't the case.
"Listen, Emi-nee. This stone is amazing! If you heat this to a high temperature, right? And then wait for it to cool. Let's wash our bodies in the meantime!"
It wasn't high-quality enough to be called a towel, but I called it a towel for the time being and wiped Emilia clean.
"I wish these breasts would grow quickly. If they did, Shivans would be head over heels for me!"
It seemed she was displeased that I was praised for having a good face at the Adventurer Guild.
"You're a beauty too, Emi-nee. That's why those guys were jealous and called it a date, you know?"
She danced with joy at my words. Because of these words, every day she would invite me to bathe with her and show her naked body like an exhibitionist.
"I-Is that so? Then I have to make it so you want to squeeze these breasts quickly! But how do they get bigger?"
"I don't know. The stone should be cool by now. Watch closely, Emi-nee!"
When I poured water on the limestone, it released a much larger amount of heat and steam than I knew.
"W-W-What is this!? What's happening? Is it magic? Is it magic?"
"No. For now, let's take this back!"
I decided to put a large amount into my Inventory and take it back. At the same time, I took back the Rai that was bearing fruit, used Alchemy to mill the rice, and immediately burned it to make rice balls. They were just salt rice balls, but they were truly delicious in their own way.
"Shivans! Delicious!"
"Emi-nee. Was it delicious enough to make you cry?"
Thinking I could report this to my parents and Gale and the others, I visited the study.
"Father. Is it alright? If you like, Mother, Gale, and Ben can join too."
Gale, who was called, complained, "What is it, boy? I'm busy!"
"Now, now. Please watch very closely what I'm about to do!"
When I took out the limestone I had burned and Emilia poured water on it, Ben let out a voice of surprise as it released a massive amount of heat.
"Young master! This... what kind of magic is this? If we have this, the people should be able to endure the cold in winter! Because you just have to pour water on it!"
"Ben. The amazing thing about this stone isn't just this!"
After explaining that once it becomes quicklime, it becomes slaked lime which can be used as plaster for walls or as fertilizer for soil, Emilia puffed out her non-existent chest, saying, "How about that!" Gale looked like he wanted to say, "Why are you the one acting proud?"
"It's wonderful, Shivans-chan! Mama is so happy!"
Saying that, Leen hugged me. Her soft breasts felt good, but I continued the talk.
"There is just one problem. You must be careful when handling slaked lime. If it gets in your eyes, there is a risk of blindness. So please be careful when the wind blows."
My father, the Butler, who had been listening to my explanation in silence, spoke up.
"Shivans. Why do you know such a thing? Where did you hear it?"
"When I was bedridden with a cold, God gave me knowledge!"
When I said that and clasped my hands in prayer, my parents rejoiced without suspicion. Then I told them about going to town, about old man Roro, and about the rice.
And when I served the salt rice balls, everyone was surprised.Ben and Gale gave their impressions while stuffing their cheeks.
"T-This came from that weed!?"
"D-Delicious! I can see why Emilia is so proud! The boy is a genius!"
Butler, who was listening to that, was also smiling. And from now on, it was decided that Ash would go to old man Roro's place for training.
"By the way, what do you intend to do with the monster corpses, Shivans?"
"I will green that desert! I can't say it's certain, but..."
Monster corpses contain a small amount of magical power.I will mix that with compost and spread it across that desert.
"I see! Since they're mostly things to be thrown away anyway, it seems worth a try! I'll stop the useless guarding and allocate personnel to that side!"
And when I told him that if we spread the slaked lime on the volcanic ash, it would eventually turn into farmland, Gale immediately became eager.
"Alright! I'll grow the Rai, so I'm counting on the sake, boy! Boss! Man, it looks like we won't have to worry about starving anymore!"
"That 'Boss' thing of yours never changes..."
"Of course! You're my only Boss!"
When I said I would go around the northern part tomorrow, Emilia naturally said she would come along, and I laughed.