Episode 2: Reincarnated into the World of a Novel
It was when I turned ten that I realized I had become the protagonist of the novel Mizuha had written.
Reincarnation into another world can happen in two ways: either you retain your memories from your previous life as a baby, or you suddenly remember them one day. I was the latter.
Akito Ashcroft.
That’s my current name, but I’ll probably have to discard the Ashcroft surname soon, just like in the original story.
This family is a lineage of Light Attribute Magic users.
They’ve amassed wealth by healing people’s injuries and illnesses, and by exorcising curses.
I have absolutely no talent for that. I’m so inept that even the servants look down on me.
I’m what you’d call a disgrace to the family.
If I remember correctly, the original Akito is given a terminal diagnosis at the age of fourteen. He dies a year later.
That means I only have five years left until I die.
I have to find a way to deal with the curse before then.
They say death comes equally to everyone, but I’ve already died once. Having to go through such a terrifying experience twice is unfair. I don’t want to die again.
That’s why I want to learn a technique to exorcise the curse, but as in the original story, I have no talent for Light Magic. There’s no way I can do it through conventional means.
So, I’ll learn Dark Magic.
It’s an officially recognized backstory from the original author that Akito is a genius with Dark Magic, and that he can use it to deal with the curse.
If that’s the case, then I just have to work hard at it.
So, I tried to enter the library of my family home to read magic books, but my older brother, who is five years older than me, found me and scolded me.
“Hey, Akito! There’s no way a piece of trash like you is allowed to touch the Ashcroft family’s collection! You have no talent for Light Magic, so why don’t you just swing a wooden stick around and pretend to be a swordsman? You’ll be kicked out of this house soon anyway. The only job a child with no family can do is become an adventurer. Hahahaha!”
What an annoying brother.
In the original story, there aren’t any detailed descriptions of Akito’s family home. It only mentions that he was kicked out during his childhood and that they refused to treat his curse.
Even that alone makes it clear that it’s a terrible family, but Akito was being abused even more than I imagined.
Well, if they say I can’t read the books in the house, then there’s nothing I can do.
This is the Royal Capital. There’s a magnificent library here. This country is focused on training mages, so the library has a collection of introductory magic books that you can read for free.
“Hmm, hmm. It seems that no matter what attribute of magic you use, it’s important to train your Magical Power first. To train your Magical Power, you have to release it until it’s empty, then rest and recover it. Meditation is also important, huh? I can do that without any facilities or equipment. I’ll start right away.”
Even so, my parents never taught me even these basics.
Before even the basics of training Magical Power, they tried to make me learn Light Magic right away, and then lamented that I had no talent.
It’s true that I have no talent, but there’s also a big problem with the people teaching me.
The ancestors of the Ashcroft family may have been great, but they’re probably going to decline regardless of the main story.
I continued to practice magic in my room for several days.
A perfect opportunity to test the results of my training came from the other side.
“Hey, Akito. You’ve been holed up in your room lately! As your older brother, I’ll give you a little re-training. Come out to the garden. Hehehe.”
My brother called me with a lewd smile.
When I went to the garden, my parents and the servants were waiting.
It seems my brother intends to enjoy beating me up in front of a crowd.
Normally, someone with talent bullying someone without would be seen as a lack of character.
However, in this family, it seems to be considered a virtue.
The spectators had expressions that showed they couldn’t wait for me to get beaten up.
“Akito. You’re still technically a member of this family, so if you get hurt, I’ll heal you if you grovel. Ah, but if you die instantly, even I or Father can’t heal you. If it’s an accident during training, it’s not murder even if you kill him, right, Father, Mother?”
“Now, now. If you say things like that, you’ll be seen as having murderous intent. It’s a pain to deal with the guards’ questioning, so you can’t kill him. Akito will be kicked out soon anyway. It’s ideal if he just dies of exposure somewhere we don’t know about.”
“Ufufu. But if you really want to kill him, then go ahead and kill him. It’s okay. Father will cover it up.”
What are these parents saying to their own son?
If that’s how they want to play it, then I won’t hold back either.
“I’m a genius who has both effort and talent! I’ll show you that I’m different from a piece of trash like you who lazes around every day!”
My brother created a ball of light.
A mass of Light Attribute Magical Power. It can damage incorporeal opponents like ghosts, and its physical striking power is much stronger than a regular stone.
“Take this!”
My brother threw the light ball at me.
“This level of light is easy to swallow.”
I converted the Magical Power I had been training into darkness and released it from my palm.
The darkness created a wall in front of me and swallowed my brother’s light ball.
“W-what…? My magic… it disappeared…!?”
“Light and darkness annihilate each other if their power is equal. But your light was just swallowed by my darkness. In other words, it’s that weak.”
“I’m weak! Don’t mess with meee!”
This time, arrows of light came flying.
Magic with excellent penetrating power. If it hits, it can easily pierce through a human body. In other words, it’s a technique with killing power.
In his anger, he seems to have really intended to kill his younger brother.
“Hmph…”
Just like before, I used darkness to erase the light.
Then, I transformed the darkness, extending it like tentacles, and wrapped them around my brother’s head.
“W-what is this… I’m seeing strange things… Uwaaaaaa, it’s a monster!”
My brother isn’t calling the tentacles a monster.
I’m using the tentacles to cast a spell that shows him nightmares. I don’t know what kind of nightmare my brother is seeing, but it must be something that he finds terrifying that’s filling his entire vision.
Eventually, my brother started foaming at the mouth, lost control of his bladder, and passed out.
I erased the Dark Tentacles and released my brother’s body.
The servants burst out laughing at the sight of my brother’s disgraceful state.
My parents rushed over in a panic and picked up my brother.
“Pull yourself together! Ah, he’s completely lost consciousness… He must have been shown something very terrifying… Akito! Aren’t you ashamed of doing such a terrible thing to your own brother!?”
“That’s right. And it’s Dark Attribute Magic? Not only do you have no talent for Light Magic, but you’re learning the opposite kind of magic… You’re a disgrace to the Ashcroft family! Get out of here right now! You’re not allowed to use the Ashcroft name ever again!”
And so, I was finally kicked out of my family home.
It was probably an event that was supposed to happen a little later in the original story, but that doesn’t matter.
Unlike the Akito in the original story, I’m not a powerless child now.
I know how to train my Magical Power, and I’ve mastered the basics of Dark Magic.
I’ll become a Dark Magic user who can exorcise curses and avoid the death event.
Also.
Since I’ve become Akito, Mizuha might also be in this world as Mizuha.
If I can exorcise the curse… I should be able to change the story.
Of course, it’s a miracle that I’m here. It’s too much to hope for two miracles to happen.
Mizuha might not be the same as the Mizuha I know.
Even so, if there’s even a slight possibility, I have to prepare.
Akito is given a terminal diagnosis at the age of fourteen, and then he meets Mizuha.
However, the Mizuha in the story reveals a little about his past before that.
According to that, the closest chance I have to contact Mizuha is about a year from now.
Currently, Mizuha is working as a “Saintess” in an organization called the True Holy Order.
She retires from being a Saintess and is finally able to become a normal girl, but then she gets into a battle with a giant Monster and is consumed by a Curse.
If I exorcise the curse at that time. No, if I interfere in the battle with the Monster and we defeat it together.
The story that Mizuha wrote won’t even begin, no one will die, there won’t be anything dramatic, and it will just be a peaceful everyday life.
I want to spend such an everyday life with Mizuha.
“One year from now, huh?”
By then, I have to gain the power to exorcise curses and the power to defeat giant Monsters.