episode_0001

prolog

I am having a hard time, curled up in a damp iron cage that doesn’t let in a single ray of light, my body creaking and screaming.

Leon de Normand, once the brilliant Duke of Normandy, is now a slave who rots away in an iron cage day after day, waiting to be sold to someone.

‘I am no longer a noble, but a slave… How much time has passed? When was it that I sent that child away from the duke’s house?’

Suddenly, when I thought about my situation, I thought of Alice, who I used to think of as my younger sister.

“Alice, from now on, you are no longer our family’s maid.”

“Master, master? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

A young-faced girl with blonde hair and purple eyes was looking at me with a confused expression.

And I tore up her slave contract right in front of Alice’s eyes.

“Now you are a commoner, not a slave, and you can leave this mansion and live freely.”

He said, throwing her a bag full of gold coins.

“You can read and write, and you have received a variety of education, so you will be able to live on your own outside of the country.”

“Why are you sending me away…”

“Get out quickly. I won’t take any more questions, Alfred! Get Alice out of the mansion!”

“No! No! Master, why are you sending me away! Let me go! Please!”

“…”

It was an inevitable choice, maybe if I hadn’t let her go then, I would be like this now…

-Knock knock knock!!

“Hey, wake up number 17! A customer has come to buy you!”

“…”

I looked up and outside the bars, and there was the woman I had kicked out a few years ago, holding onto the bars with trembling hands and looking at me with tearful eyes.

“Ahh… I finally found it…!”

#

“Master! Please take that slave out of the cage.”

“Is it really okay for you to be a slave who was sold once and then abandoned with a damaged body?”

“You said it was sold once? Who is it?”

“Please understand that I cannot tell you about customers who have purchased from me before due to a confidentiality agreement. If you change your mind, I will introduce you to another slave.”

“No! I absolutely must buy that slave!”

“Then I will prepare a slave contract and contract document for you.”

After a while, the slave trader brought Alice a contract and a branding tool.

“What is the contract? I understand the slave document, but…”

“I guess this is your first time buying a slave. Most slaves are signed with a contract for their master’s safety and comfort, allowing them to obey any command.”

“What, anything…?”

“Yes, anything. Regardless of the slave’s will, the master can make him die if he wants to, or make him do something so extreme that he would never be able to do with his mind. Of course, if you don’t want to, you can choose not to write a contract.”

“Gulp…”

‘If I just have this contract, I can do whatever Leon wants with me… like stroke my hair or whisper sweet nothings to me every night… and then we can kiss and get married…?’

Alice, who was imagining the things she could do with the contract, suddenly remembered the first time she met Leon.

‘But why wasn’t there a contract when I was a slave before?’

“Ah…!”

Alice, whose eyes had become moist, grabbed her chest that was tightening painfully.

‘When Leon was my master, he never wrote a contract for me. Leon really treated me preciously when I was his slave…’

‘And yet I don’t care about Leon’s feelings and only think about using the contract to manipulate him as I please… If I do that, I’m no different from those other disgusting people who abuse slaves.’

Alice opened her mouth, looking at the contract with a smile.

‘…let’s use it anyway’

“Let’s sign the contract quickly!”

Episode 1

If you opened your eyes one day and found yourself to be someone else, would you be able to accept that fact?

No, to be exact, one day I suddenly remembered my past life and realized that I was a modern person and that I was now in the uncivilized Middle Ages by my previous life standards.

It’s confusing because several fragmentary memories are jumbled together.

Maybe my past life was a lie and I’m a lunatic who thinks I’ve just recalled my past life memories.

My name from my previous life… I can’t remember it, the only thing that comes to mind is my current name, Leon.

I heard that when I was 9 years old, so young that I don’t even remember, my parents abandoned me in front of an orphanage.

I don’t know if I’m crazy or if I’m remembering my past life, but the important thing is that I’m an extraordinary person who doesn’t look like I’m 9 years old.

Anyway, now that I have the knowledge, there’s no reason not to use it, right?

#

“Director! Leon is definitely a genius!”

“What’s going on, Sister Lisette?”

“Compared to other children of the same age, their understanding and learning speed are exceptional.”

“Isn’t it a bit lacking to call him a genius to that extent?”

“He also has an incredible understanding of arithmetic and numbers, and more than anything, he does mental calculations incredibly quickly.”

“Hoo… Maybe you have a talent for magic. Let’s test your mana sensitivity and see what happens.”

Recently, an orphan who stands out has appeared in an orphanage in the Duchy of Normandy.

And for a time, the orphan was expected to have magical talent, but a mana sensitivity test revealed that he possessed only a little more mana than an average wizard.

However, even though he was unable to become a great wizard, he was not without talent, so Leon, an orphan, was treated fairly well within the orphanage.

Even so, it was only a minor benefit, such as having the food distribution order brought forward or having to do a little less chores.

And then three years later, when Leon was twelve, one day a fancy and luxurious-looking carriage came to the orphanage.

##

Early in the morning, the other orphans and I were in the dining hall, eating a thin, watery porridge with hard, tooth-breaking pieces of bread.

Although it is an orphanage supported by the Duke and the church, the orphans receive just enough support to keep from starving in the harsh medieval times.

Of course, even just this much is enough.

If there had been no orphanage, I would have starved to death or lived day to day in the slums, stealing.

I wish I could get out of this horrible orphanage as soon as possible and become independent, but I’m still too young.

As I finished washing the dishes, carrying the dishes I had eaten from, a nun came over and called me.

“Leon, we have a very important guest today, so please dress up and come to the director’s office.”

“Yes, Sister Lisette.”

After finishing cleaning up and getting ready, I went to the director’s office and saw Sister Lisette waiting at the door.

-Knock knock knock

“Director, I brought Leon.”

“Come in.”

-Squeak…

As the door opened with a feeble creaking of its old hinges, a sharp-faced, middle-aged nobleman sat in the director’s chair.

Just looking at him gave me the feeling of pressure that made my stomach churn, but contrary to his strong-looking face, there was a deep sense of fatigue in one corner of his face.

It’s like looking at a wounded beast.

“Gulp…”

Just making eye contact for a moment gave me goosebumps.

I swallowed and instinctively lowered my gaze, bending down toward the man.

Not knowing etiquette, I tried to appear as polite as possible.

“…You have a good sense of humor, and your head seems to be working pretty well.”

There was a moment of suffocating silence, and finally the man who had complete control of the atmosphere in the room began to tap his fingers on the table and then opened his mouth calmly.

“Although he has average mana reserves, he excels in arithmetic and mathematics, and is quite talented as a magician. He is a child who understands quickly and is mature compared to other children his age, Duke”

“I see, it would certainly be hard to find a child with these qualities.”

‘A peacock? A person of such high status came to the orphanage to meet me in person?’

Maybe the wizard is an incredibly advanced human resource.

“I was originally going to test your skills, but I don’t have much time left and it doesn’t seem necessary, so let’s just take you right away.”

“Yes, we will take care of the procedures on our side.”

A peacock who looked anxious got up from his seat and approached me.

“Follow me.”

“Yes, yes!”

As we followed the Duke out of the orphanage, a magnificent and luxurious-looking carriage was waiting outside, with armed knights standing in dignified postures around it.

As the Duke came out, a middle-aged man who looked like a butler wearing a fancy suit bowed to the Duke.

“Have you found the child you wanted, Duke?”

“Okay, let’s get going right away, and this kid will ride in the same carriage as me.”

“I will do as the headquarters says.”

I followed the Duke into a luxurious-looking carriage.

I sat across from the peacock, carefully observing his expression. After a while, the peacock stared into my eyes and opened his mouth.

“Do you know why I’m taking you?”

This question makes me feel like I was asked a stress interview at work in my past life.

‘I guess it would be better to give a safe answer here for now?’

“…Is it because I am the talent you need, Your Highness?”

“Of course I need you, so I’m taking you. But other than that obvious reason, tell me what you think. Here’s a hint: I’m not really interested in your magical talents. ”

“Umm…”

Let’s take a moment to gather our thoughts.

One, the Duke isn’t very interested in my magical talents.

Two, the director said in his office that he didn’t have much time.

Three, I said that I was a child who met the criteria.

Fourth, I am an orphan, and even if I die, there will be no one to come find me.

‘So… are you trying to make me into some kind of elixir and eat it to extend my lifespan?’

Fucked up!

There’s no way that’s going to happen, but just in case, I’ll take a look…

“Eat me and extend my life…”

He looked at the duke for a moment, and as soon as he saw a hint of disappointment in his eyes, he immediately changed his words.

“… No, I was joking. I don’t know the details, but I know it’s because of the successor. ”

“That’s right, you’re definitely different from other kids. You pass. But you have no talent for jokes.”

“…Thank you.”

It was an attempt to lighten the mood, but it seemed to be ineffective.

“I intend to adopt you as my successor.”

Leon, a 12-year-old orphan, gets a father.

My father from my previous life, the father who gave birth to me and abandoned me, and finally my father, the Duke of Normandy…

Maybe I will go down in history as ‘Mu-shin’.