About a month had passed since my reincarnation.
I was now the first son and second child of a seemingly average family in the country side.
My dad’s name was Bartholomew Ashford. He was a pretty tall man, I’d estimate around 182cm, and had silky brown hair that was about shoulder length, which he tied in a man bun, and his eyes were blood red, which did make him look pretty cool to be fair.
My mother’s name was Isolde Ashford, and contrary to my dad, she had Beautiful silver hair, which shined brightly whenever sunlight reflected on it, and had golden eyes which I did not inherit, but my older sister did.
My older sister’s name was Maia Ashford, and had mom’s golden eyes, and dark brown hair, which added a pretty big contrast between the 2, but it was a visually appealing one.
My name was now Cael Ashford, and unlike my sister, I was reborn with both my dad’s red eyes, and hair color as, but I also had a silver stripe on my hair from my mother.
When they saw it, both my parents thought it might eventually spread out, and I’d have fully silver hair by the time I turned 17 or so, but the only way to find out was to wait and see, and I was excited to find out.
I used to dream about something like this, and I was extremely overjoyed after getting reincarnated, but there was a serious issue which I hadn’t taken in consideration whenever I fantasized about it.
Usually in a reincarnation story the main character is seen when he’s already a few years old, or if they are shown as babies they are ridiculously overpowered and can beat dragons and stuff like that, since that’s what most people would want to see.
They usually don’t show their lives as infants either because it’s boring to the audience or because the author just doesn’t feel like it, and unfortunately I was one of those fans that probably wouldn’t had read a series if it had shown those early stages, which is what I regret.
It should’ve been obvious, but when basing your fantasies to unrealistic fictional stories, your brain filters out relevant information that you might need but you’re not interested in. And I was forced to face it the hard way.
Ever since my reincarnation it seemed like I had regained any emotion I didn’t have in my previous life, and also probably because of that white haired woman, I have lost all attachment to both my old world and it’s people, though I’d still miss reading novels and manga occasionally.
For the past month I’ve been doing nothing but sleeping, being breastfed, and sometimes getting taken outside by my mother or older sister.
To sum it all up, it’s been a extremely boring month, with the sole exception of finding out this is indeed a different world, and that there’s magic in it, which happened at the 3rd week mark when my mother took me with her to bring my father his lunch.
Normally she would’ve had sent my sister to do it, since for the past month dad had forgotten his lunch about 6 times, but that day she decided to do it herself and take me with her, and let my sister play with her friends outside, probably so I could see my father at work or something like that would’ve been her reasoning.
Dad was a lumberjack, and most of his job consisted in cutting down trees, so while holding me in her arms mom walked for about 15 minutes until we reached the forest behind our village, and when we arrived, dad had just cut down a entire tree with a single cut with his axe.
did this man just cut down a WHOLE tree with a single cut?
Though I didn’t have as much control over my emotions after being reborn I was at least able to spare my parents of random crying and also entire nights of it, but at that moment I was so excited I just stared at my dad with the biggest grin on my face, while trying to instinctively extend my arms towards dad.
Dad quickly noticed us and approached soon afterwards, but before noticing the lunch packed in a box my mom was carrying, dad had caught up on my clear interest in what I had just seen.
“What’s up buddy? Shocked by how cool your dad is?”
He had the biggest smug face I had ever seen, which kinda irritated me a bit, but I couldn’t deny that he was right, though that was because I couldn’t talk to begin with.
“Dear, you forgot your lunch again.”
My mom then started talking and sighed before continuing.
“Seriously, it’s the 7th time this month, try and be more careful instead of impressing your infant son”
As mom scolded him, dad has the same expression as a sad puppy, and was even looking down as if to show repentance, which did lead to mom cutting the scolding short, and spare him.
After his scolding, dad had finally taken me in his arms as I had been trying to get him to do for the past few minutes, and since he did it with only 1, still holding the axe in the other I was able to see it from up close.
is this axe enchanted or something? How did he cut a whole tree with it?
“It’s not the axe buddy”
As if reading my mind, dad had quickly caught up on my dilemma, probably since I was staring at it the whole time, and answered with a confident tone.
it’s not the axe? Then was the tree weak?
I started looking at the tree that he had just cut, and it was obvious even at first glance, that it was a thick and healthy one, which made me start staring at him this time in confusion.
“As you just saw, the tree was also perfectly healthy”
He still had a confident tone as he spoke, which honestly just confused me even more, so I turned to my mother as if asking to explain what her husband was talking about.
“Dear, how about i take him again and you show him again? He seems… interested.”
Mom suggested while almost getting blinded by the light my eyes were emitting with all those sparkles of excitement in them, so dad quickly agreed and she took me back in her arms.
“Look closely and see for yourself how cool your father is”
As he complimented himself mom sighed, but she didn’t disagree with him.
After grabbing the axe with both of his hands, he repositioned his legs for more stability and strength, then closed his eyes, standing still with his axe still facing the ground for a few seconds.
What’s he doing? Why’s he just standing there?
Then just as I started pondering, a blue aura like covered the head of his axe, and while staying focused on the tree in front of him, he raised his axe, inclining it a bit towards his left, and with a single clean swing he had successfully cut the whole tree.
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what was that?! That blue thing, was it magic or something?!, I don’t know, I don’t know, but this confirms it. I did think it was a possibility because of their weird names, and hair or eyes color, but this confirms it. This is not earth. This is another world!
That was how I found out, though I should’ve had probably realized from our names and hair or eye colors, but it was still honestly kinda surprising since for the prior month, mom seemed like the man of the house, but it turned out that dad was also not just your average lumberjack.
About 3 months after my reincarnation, i was more or less done with the getting sick phase, and had gotten accustomed to the boredom that comes with being an infant.
Maia which was now my older sister, was taking care of me in the living room while also reading a book, while mom was downstairs making lunch, and dad was at work.
I wonder what that book is about..
Maia must’ve had noticed my curiosity, and shifted her attention to me.
“You’re curious about it?”
She asked with a pretty smug grin, which kinda scared me, but at the same time I was still very intrigued. Though it wasn’t as if I could reply to her directly, so I simply kept staring at her hoping that she’d get the message from my eyes alone.
“Alright then, your older sister shall teach you”
She then picked me up and put me in between her legs, and opened the book for us both to see.
I couldn’t read it, which I should’ve had expected but fortunately enough, Maia didn’t intend on simply showing me, so she started explaining its content to me.
“This is a history book, it talks about a really long time ago.”
history, huh? Well I guess I should also learn about that. Though I intend on taking it easy this life
“There are 5 continents in the world, ours being the second largest. We’re on the eastern side of the world, and our continent has 7 kingdoms. Its name is Verdantia.”
i thought she meant history of just our kingdom, but I guess it’s a general history book, seems interesting though
“Verdantia’s name comes from the fact that our continent has the largest diversity in its population, and how our land is the most fertile even in our eastern placement on the globe.”
That makes sense, seems like a name that has to do with green, which can be related to positivity. Whoever named this continent had a decent naming sense
“There isn’t really much about the other continente besides their general sizes, that is besides 1.”
I guess this book is focused mostly on our continent, but I’m curious about that one exception
“The largest continent in the world, where the strongest type of semi-humans and strongest type of monsters live, it’s name is Tyrantia. They’re all a single large kingdom, ruled by the dragon king Vorathar.”
so in this world it’s not the demon king that’s on top, but the dragon king?
“Vorathar is known generally around the entire globe, as the embodiment of destruction itself, and the strongest being that has ever existed. In fact he also is supposedly immortal, since he’s been around for more than 2000 years. Monsters do get naturally born from energy all around the other continents, and it’s not uncommon, but out of pure boredom, Vorathar has started to send some of his own habitants to other continents to test us, or maybe purely for his entertainment. And it’s safe to say that’s that caused our kingdom to abolish the imperial knights and adventurers guild.”
thats… a lot to digest. Thinking about it, I’m more surprised Maia is able to understand what she’s saying, even tho she’s only 7 years old. She always seemed like a regular girl, but she might be way more than that. Either ways, this Vorathar dude is definitely… something.
While intrigued and impressed by Maia’s unusual intelligence, I had ignored a pretty big chunk of information that had hit me soon after.
abolished the imperial knights and adventurers guild?
As if reading my mind then, Maia continued.
“I guess abolished isn’t the correct word for the imperial knights at least. Though I don’t even know if a baby can understand what I’m saying, I’ll still explain”
I guess that makes sense, she’s technically talking to herself since an infant my age would normally not understand a single word she’s saying
“Vorathar started sending waves of monsters about 100 years ago, and at the time the strongest known individuals on our continent at least were the imperial knights and adventurers of each kingdom, but even they were nothing compared to what the dragon king had sent.”
wait, that doesn’t make sense? If the strongest individuals couldn’t protect themselves then how do we still exist?
“But part of that was a lie. There was a group of adventurers made of 14 people, 2 from each kingdom, that were known as the weakest adventurers at the time, but that was all a scheme. They were actually the strongest ones, and simply didn’t want to deal with the attention so they never tried to rank up.”
well, that’s one classic trope in isekai stories I guess, there gotta be that one group that presents to be weak
“After the dragon king’s troupes had arrived, they took that as a chance. They hated nobility and the imperial knights especially, for reasons which aren’t really known, but since they were all peasants it’s probably gotta do with that. When no one was able to defeat the monsters, they proposed to each kingdom’s ruler a deal in which they would save everyone.”
hm? I thought they didn’t want to deal with all the attention, but now they are making deals with the kings? That seems like a plot hole
“While it might contradict their lack of interest for attention, I personally think it makes sense once you hear the deal”
did she just read my mind? I’m actually starting to believe Maia might be some genius kid…
It was a bit creepy but also interesting that she was able to seemingly read my mind, but she also could’ve had just been trying to not leave any holes in her explanation.
“They offered to save everyone, in return of abolishing the imperial knights, and giving them independence as a new to be found institution, and for their soon to be chosen ruler to have absolute authority over anyone in the continent.”
huh? Did I just hear that right?
I looked up at Maia to try and get a confirmation, to which she chuckled seeing my expression or shock and started explaining.
“Yes, you heard that right. The kings had to choice but to agree to their terms, and after they cleared up the wave sent by the dragon king, they created their own institution, choosing the strongest among them as their commander, and appointing captain and lieutenant positions to each of them, ranked from weakest to strongest. And though the adventurers guild hasn’t actually been abolished, people have ever since been interested in joining them instead, and they are today the official military force of our continent, ruled by just the true strongest individuals.”
did those guys just straight up beat the system? they hated nobility and the imperial knights so they abolished them and got their leader authority over anyone else? And no wonder they became bigger than the guild, who wouldn’t want to join them?
Maia had stopped her explanation right before saying their name, probably distracted by my clear enthusiasm, which resulted in her grinning while looking down at me as she patted by head.
“Their name is “The 7 Sentinels of Ascendancy” referring to each own captain ascending above the very nobility they despised, and which they now rule over. Their commander is
Called Garek Wildfang, and he’s a lion semi-human”
wildfang? Whoever named their bloodline must’ve had lacked a naming sense.
Though I was focusing on the ironic last name, I was genuinely impressed. That man was the current strongest man at the time, and his authority second to no one, even if they were a king. I respected him even just from Maia’s explanation.
“There’s more in it, but I haven’t finished reading it myself so it’ll be for another time, mom should also be almost done with lu-“
“Kids! Lunch is ready, come and eat”
Maia’s words were cut short by our mom calling us, so she put her book down, grabbed me in her arms and went downstairs.
After eating, a few of Maia’s friends came to see if she could come outside to play, and since mom didn’t have any chores left to do, she let her go then took me to the living room where the sat down with me on her lap, then she started to pat my head gently while holding me in her arms.
this feels completely different from my previous life… is it because she’s really a good person, that I can be so relaxed and assured in her presence? I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter, this time I’ll enjoy my life and take it slowly.
“It’s only been 3 months, but your silver hair is starting to slowly spread out”
She said in a gentle tone as she kept patting it, and it was clear that she was happy about my hair color’s slow chance.
“Of course, I also think your dad’s color suits you well, since you have the same eye color, but it makes me happy that my boy will eventually have the same hair color as his mommy”
I had heard that silver hair was rare in a conversation mom and dad had once, and apparently mom had a pretty hard time growing up because of it, but she eventually came to accept and love her hair color, so I understood why it made her happy, and It did the same for me.
“I’m sure no matter what you choose, you’ll become a great young man, and you’ll be loved and respected by many, and of course that includes me, your dad, and Maia, so you better take care of us once we’re old”
She said it in a jokily matter, and even chuckled for the last part, but I could tell that she meant it. I knew that no matter what I did, she believed in me, and it made me happier than anything.
just wait till I grow up mom. I’ll protect both you and dad no matter what.
Afterwards, while holding me tight and making sure I’d be safe in her embrace, mom had fallen asleep. And I was also getting pretty sleepy, so I slowly gave in to it.
I would’ve had liked to hear more from Maia about that book, but I don’t mind this either. I already learnt enough for the time being, and its not like I can use that information right now, so before learning more, like about that magic thing used a while ago, I’ll wait till I grow up a bit more.