He had died.

The memories within him were foggy. But he was clear on one thing: he didn’t know how his life ended.

Perhaps, his life had already ended when he was a child.

As far back as he could remember, there wasn’t a time when he had met with fortune. As a kid, his father left the house without a word and never came back. Rumors circulated, and he was bullied by the kids who did not know better. Even the ones who did, avoided him to not be targeted themselves. Losing their source of income, his mother pushed herself hard to earn a living. Being uneducated, she had to take multiple jobs just to support the two of them. In the end, he didn’t see his mother much as well.

Poverty struck him down. He was unable to afford any higher education. His mother, whose hair had turned gray, couldn’t push herself as much as she had. So, in her stead, he started working.

Until he died seven years later.

“What is it you want from me?”

His fragile soul looked up at the form of a god with blinding grandeur.

The god had taken pity on him and offered him a new life. But he knew full well that such a priceless opportunity never came for free.

The light flickered and intensified. The god’s celestial arms appeared, clad in a mist that obscured its form.

“Live prosperously. Become a hero. That is our only wish.”

The typical scenario for those kinds of stories. He quickly understood what he needed to do.

In order to live, he must pursue happiness not just for himself, but for others as well; just like his mother once did for him.

“Go with my blessings, become the protagonist of your story.”

----------------------------------------

The winter mornings were difficult to wake up to. The cold sapped the body of its strength and conviction. The nearby fireplace had been reduced to a pile of ashes. In order to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, the window was left slightly open to get rid of the fumes. However, this meant that after the fire had died, there would be no difference between the temperatures inside and outside the room.

That was fine. For the owner of the room, he would much rather wake up miserable than one day drop dead without any explanation.

“Young master, it’s time to wake up.”

An elderly maid entered the room after knocking twice.

“Dress up quickly. The lord is waiting for you at the hall.

Without waiting for his response, the maid placed a bucket of hot water on the bedside and two rolls of steamed towels on the table. And with that, she left.

Typically, her actions would have been considered rude for a noble. It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see someone get a few lashings for it. However, he preferred it that way. In fact, he was the one who ordered the old, experienced caretaker to act like that.

After finally summoning enough motivation to move, he groggily sat up and rubbed the frosted sand out of his eyes.

His name was Matthias Fel. As the son of a Duke, he had been born with everything he could have wanted. That included maids to take care of him, a giant room all to his own, and more money given to him every day than a commoner could make in a year.

But instead of allowing himself to be pampered by beautiful maids, he would instead only require the necessary items to warm himself up in the winter mornings. He had also replaced the two young girls who his father had tasked to serve him with a crone who had decades of experience in housekeeping. And perhaps because he was too shy to be naked in front of women, he found it ridiculous to do, or maybe a combination of both, he absolutely refused to have anybody assist him in putting on his clothes.

Despite that, he still enjoyed some of the guilty pleasures of high nobility. After all, firewood wasn’t exactly cheap during winter, but the comfort of being able to dip one’s feet in a tub of hot water every winter morning was definitely a privilege only the rich could afford.

It was a shame that it would probably be the last time he’ll experience it.

After the bucket had gone warm, he dressed himself up alone in front of a large mirror. As he picked out his clothes, he purposefully avoided the fancy articles like a silk coat lined with fur. Instead, he chose form-fitting, leather clothes that were sturdy and stylish. He wore those over normal cotton undergarments which were easy to clean and quite cheap.

After he put on a pair of leather trousers and boots, he was finally done.

“Only thing missing is a cape... nah.”

His outfit did not look like the clothes a noble would wear at any time in their lives. In fact, they would avoid it like the plague, for it was the same kind of clothing that certain commoners preferred to wear on certain kinds of work. But for Matthias, his appearance looked so cool that he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from rising.

After he had his fill of admiring his attire, he picked up a large rucksack from the wall and headed out. But right before he turned the corner, he gave one last look at the room.

It was his room. He’s had it for over seventeen years. He’s going to sorely miss it.

He walked down the spacious corridors. From the side, he would have the backdrop of snow falling sporadically. Despite the weather, it was still relatively bright. There was no need to light up any lanterns. Overall, it was the weather was perfect.

As he stepped into the hall, he immediately saw his father, Regis Fel. But what he didn’t expect was that he would be flanked by his mother.

“You look good,” she said with a smile on her face. “Are you ready?”

He nodded gleefully.

“Yes, mother. I’ve double-checked everything last night.”

His father walked up to him and reached out his hands to fix his collar. While he knew that it wasn’t crooked at all, it was probably just his father’s way of showing his concern physically. Nevertheless, it did surprise him. His father was adamantly against his decision, after all.

“Come back safe, you hear me?”

Upon his signal, one of his personal guards came with a wrapped parcel on his hands. His father took it and then presented it to Matthias.

“It’s the sword your grandfather used to wield when he was a knight. I’m only lending this to you. That’s why; make sure you return it to me someday.”

Matthias nodded deeply, acknowledging his father’s concern for his well-being.

His father, who opposed his decision to leave, and his mother. Lilian Fel, who was supposed to have been at the capital for political matters, both came to see him off. A warmth enveloped Matthias’ heart. He hugged his parents one last time and thanked the gods for blessing him with a wonderful family.

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Both his parents led him outside the mansion, and there they bid their final farewells. Matthias fixed his bag to his shoulders. He stared out of the courtyard. The distance between where he stood and the main gate suddenly looked daunting. However, the “exciting life” that awaited him beyond those metal gates pushed him onward.

Finally, his life as an adventurer will begin.

“Yo. You’re finally here.”

Arriving at where his rented carriage was parked, Matthias was greeted by a tomboyish-looking girl. Her name was Manna. She was a commoner who befriended him all the way back when he was a toddler. While his father often told him to stay away from the masses, calling them “lazy”, “ignorant”, “greedy” and such, Matthias had never thought of them that way. A good example was the girl in front of him.

She was a talented hunter who was able to down a large boar by herself before she even reached her tenth birthday. He admired her strength and would often sneak out of the house to train with her. Meanwhile, she would often ask him about the life of a noble, and enjoyed the sweets that he brought to “pay” for her instructions. Over time, they became inseparable, and even Matthias’ father could no longer stop their relationship from developing.

He had even proposed to her a year ago; an act that severely enraged his father.

“Yo. Ready to go?”

“Sure am. Picked out my best bow for the journey, too.”

She showed him a gigantic bow that was taller than she was. It reminded him of something from the past, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The bow was completely black with a thin body, with a cute pink ribbon tied at the top.

“You look like you’ve got a nice haul there too.”

Matthias smiled and showed her what his father gave him. It was a sword with a large gem embedded on its hilt. The pommel was made of gold, and the sheath was layered with luxurious black leather.

It was definitely purple rarity equipment.

“Looks like your old man really is a softie inside.”

“He was always a softie. That stone face is just like the crispy skin on a fried chicken.”

They shared a laugh and boarded the carriage.

Their destination was a large town half a day away by carriage named Rosen Elk. There was a large branch of the Adventurers’ Guild there where they planned to register. Though they were ambitious teenagers, they properly acknowledged the need to start slowly.

Matthias didn’t want to let his life go to waste again.

But... he didn’t expect that a carriage rented from a merchant would hurt his butt real bad.

They had to stop to rest a few times because the shaking was so harsh on him that he felt sick. All that time Manna would laugh tirelessly at him while the carriage driver would try in vain to stifle his laughter.

"You nobles and your soft bodies," she said. Normally, any insult to the nobility by a commoner would mean the loss of a tongue, but even after over a decade of playing the role, Matthias had never felt that he was above them.

Because the road between the land owned by the Fels and Rosen Elk was regularly maintained by his family, there had been no dangerous monster encounters, and neither did they run into any bandits. The only notable thing that they could really talk about at the end of the day was Matthias’ sore butt.

Upon reaching the town, they had to present identification to the gate guards on duty. It was easy for him, as his face was already well-known. However, Manna had to deposit a small sum of money in order to pass.

“Couldn’t you have vouched for me?”

“That’s abuse of authority. No way.”

“Stingy.”

Several of the guards who they passed by eyed the giant, slender bow on Manna’s back. In comparison, Matthias’ unassuming attire, common among the many adventurers that resided in the town, didn’t stand out. It slightly annoyed him.

As planned, they first came to the commercial district to look for a place to stay. While the guild had a spacious barracks they offered for free to the penniless members, Matthias was quite loaded from the start, so he was unwilling to spend the following nights surrounded by people he didn’t know.

The fat, kind-looking lady at the counter greeted them warmly.

“We’d like to book two single rooms, please.”

“Make it one double.”

Manna interrupted him with a toothy grin. Matthias sighed and turned his attention back to the lady.

“Don’t mind her. Her head’s not on right.”

He felt his shoulder getting punched. Despite that, he ignored her. Even if he had proposed to her and their relationship was more than just friends, he would rather avoid any complication that might arose if they slept together.

After all, despite being at the proper age, Manna was a year younger than him.

The lady chuckled and accepted his initial payment up front and gave him two keys. The rooms were located right next to each other, and had the most basic of furnishings inside.

Matthias purposely didn’t go to an expensive inn. He believed that a fantasy world should be experienced to the utmost, whether it was playing the role of a noble’s son, or choosing to stay at the cheapest inn when starting out as an adventurer.

He had reincarnated from a more modern world that wasn’t able to enjoy it at any length. After having the opportunity for a second chance in life, he was completely determined to not let it go to waste. That was why he refused his father’s endorsement for him to go to a prestigious academy, and instead poured all of his efforts into learning the sword.

How could a politician defeat the Lord of Demons?

He didn’t want to be stuck in a classroom learning about politics and noble etiquette. And though the children of nobility also had the choice to be without any form of learning, Matthias knew the importance of experience and knowledge. As such, he went and read every book he could in his father’s study during his free time.

All of it was to prepare himself to tackle what was ahead.

“Are you done yet?”

Without even bothering to knock, Manna entered his room in full gear. Matthias shot her a look and then nodded.

After a light lunch at the inn’s bar, they headed towards the guild. Along the way, they passed by numerous stands offering their wares to the passersby. They ranged from local villagers selling food, merchants selling wares and equipment, to priests selling blessed consumables. The sight made Matthias happy. “This is what a fantasy world should look like,” he thought. There were no cellphones, no giant advertisement boards, and other electronics; just people living life in the present.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss the technology that he had taken for granted, but the fantasy life offered far more excitement to him.

But as he was relishing the moment, a distant commotion reached his ears.

“Looks like trouble. Wanna check it out?” Manna asked. Knowing her well, Matthias knew that she only wanted some entertainment. And quite frankly, he did too. So, they jogged towards the location and bore witness to a tragedy.

“What do you mean, ‘there’s no more holy water’?”

A giant of a man was holding the collar of an old cleric. His face was red in anger as he demanded answers. To their side lay several empty crates. Judging by the neutral faces of the people around them, the angry man must have been one of the last in line before the stocks ran out.

“Well, you see, there was someone who looked desperate to get some. But, she had no money, so—“

“So you gave it to her for free?! I’m a paying customer!”

It was just a business issue? Matthias and Manna sighed in disappointment together. They were looking forward to seeing a fight break out.

“Who bought the last ones, huh?”

“I... I don’t know her name! But she had dull grey hair and slit eyes!”

“Slit eyes? You gave away holy water to a beastkin?”

The outrage in the muscle-bound man’s voice was palpable. Beastkins, particularly in the kingdom, were discriminated against. It was difficult for them to make a living there, as they were formerly from a nation that had waged a bitter war against humans until only several years ago. But due to the circumstances of their own country, a lot of them were forced to flee and settle in human-owned continents.

As someone with the soul of a modern man, Matthias held nothing but fascination and curiosity towards them. Unfortunately, not even his own family was exempt from the general mindset, at least to his knowledge. Despite the large number of beastkin refugees within their territory, he has never seen a single one engaging in honest trade there. All of them lived in slums.

Matthias’ mood soured. Keenly aware of his distaste for discrimination, Manna urged him to continue with their original destination. They couldn’t do anything about it. Not yet, at least. Matthias dreamed that one day he could have enough influence to address the matter. While becoming an adventurer was a longer path, it offered more opportunities to assist those in need with his own hands.

He had a lot of dreams to achieve in that life, and this first step in his journey was the start.

“But still, a beastkin who begged for holy water, huh? Times are definitely rough.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t those expensive?”

Manna sighed. Her eyes only contained pity as she beheld Matthias’ poor, uneducated face.

“You truly are a noble’s son. Look, man, those are sold by the bulk. What those priests were selling cost a few coppers a pack; they’re cheaper than bread.”

The revelation shocked Matthias into silence.

Perhaps the situation with the beastkin was worse than he thought.