Chapter 3
It’s been almost three years since I was reincarnated.
I’m still a bit clumsy with it, but I’ve reached a point where I can hold a conversation without much trouble.
According to the information I’ve casually gathered from the servants and family, just as I expected, my family is of noble birth. It seems we’re the Prominence House, a Marquisate family in the German Kingdom.
My mother’s name is Licia, and it seems my name is Claude.
The family structure consists of my father, Finel von Prominence, who is the head of the house, two older brothers, and two older sisters.
My siblings are apparently attending an academy in the Royal Capital and live in dorms, so I only get to see them during long holidays. But they seem to find their much younger brother—me—adorable and often dote on me.
Right now, I’m in the middle of having my mother read me picture books to learn how to read.
My body is that of a young child, but my mental age is about to hit 33.
I was never good at English back in my old world, but when push comes to shove, people can adapt surprisingly well. I’m making steady progress learning the characters here.
The picture book she’s reading to me now is based on mythology, adapted for young children.
To summarize, it says that if you’re a bad child, you’ll be captivated by an evil god and stop caring even if you cause trouble for people. But the gods see all your deeds, and divine punishment will be delivered by their agents.
And it always ends with these words from my mother:
“Claude, grow up to be a good boy, okay?”
“Yeees, Mama-shama.”
A few months later, having completely learned the characters, I came to the mansion’s library.
The bookshelves were tall and packed tightly with books, but due to my height, I could only reach the ones on the lower shelves. Still, I searched for titles that interested me.
What I’m interested in right now are books about magic.
I had seen my eldest brother, Fahrenheit, who was home for a long holiday, practicing magic in the mansion’s garden from my window.
Magic definitely exists in this world.
If what the goddess said when I was reincarnated is true, then I should be able to use magic too.
I quickly scanned the spines, searching for the book I wanted, but I couldn’t find it easily.
“Oh my, Claude, so this is where you were. Is there a book you’d like to read?”
I’d been found by my mother, Licia, but I decided to take the plunge and ask her for help.
“Mother-sama. Are there any books about magic?”
“Claude, you’re interested in magic, are you? In that case, perhaps this one?”
Without hesitation, Licia pulled out a single book and handed it to me.
The cover read: “Magic for Beginners.”
“Mother-sama. Thank you very much.”
I said, clutching the book tightly.
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to come and ask me, okay?”
And so, with Licia’s voice at my back, I, Claude, returned to my room, brimming with excitement.