Chapter 2: Reason for Reincarnation:

Read​ ​&o;n̈​ Kαt‌Rｅ​àｄ&i;n​&g;Ḉaf‍ｅ​

Sugar took her time to recall the original game that this world was based on.

It had a fairly enjoyable combat/leveling system, and the graphics were so good that one might think, “You can’t get better pixel art than this!” The character illustrations were also smooth and elegant.

The story followed a classic narrative, making it a decent package game that any turn-based RPG fan would enjoy at least once. Reminded of the magic school games she enjoyed in her childhood, Sugar decided to purchase it.

The community site related to the game buzzed with activity right after its release.

Sugar remembered a post she had written there.

It was a place where people gathered to chat about the game, share information, post fan creations, or just cause chaos. As usual, Sugar had casually tossed out a post without much thought.

“I want to engage in a torturous love affair with the Saintess.”

“I want to record the screams of the Saintess as she loses each of her senses one by one.”

“Why didn’t the cult amputate her limbs?”

Sugar wrote it because she enjoyed triggering the fans who adored the character. There were many things she wrote that were too extreme to mention. She even wrote a fanfic for a fanfiction contest where the Saintess engaged in a sort of toxic love with the villain instead of the main character.

Amidst such clear reasons for reincarnation, while reflecting on her past mistakes, Sugar suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

“Isn’t the second most dangerous thing to me right now, after the cult, that guy?”

She was talking about the villain she used to gleefully pair with in fanfics in her past life.

In the original game, the main group of villains would be the Shadow Cult, to which the original Sugar belonged.

However, there was another villain who operated individually—a male student from the same magic school as the protagonist, named “Riley.”

In the story, he was a character with a handsome appearance and a kind personality, beloved by both men and women. But in reality, he was the hidden villain who manipulated the protagonist he hated, using monsters, people around him, and even the heretical cult to his advantage.

He had initially allied with the cult, but they were only trying to use each other, constantly on the verge of betrayal, making their confrontations quite entertaining.

The cult coveted Riley’s “grimoire,” while Riley coveted the cult’s knowledge—or perhaps the evil god itself.

In the end, the cult was the first to fall. It was an unfortunate incident caused by the protagonist weakening the cult’s influence.

At the end of the story, Riley, the hidden villain whose true nature was exposed to everyone, made a final desperate move. He kidnapped the Saintess of the Shadow Cult, Sugar, to manifest the evil god within her body. In doing so, he attempted to destroy the world and completely shattered Sugar, who was already broken and only barely holding on.

For Sugar, he was the second person she wanted to avoid the most.

Of course, if she just stayed out of the cult, there would be no reason for the evil god to descend, but one could never know. Since he had a habit of ruining everyone he got involved with, it was best to avoid him.

By the way, the first place on her list of people to avoid was collectively held by all the members of the Shadow Cult.

“Life is hard…”

The thought of having so many enemies made Sugar sigh involuntarily.

But as she said such things while stealing half of the soup, the boy sitting next to her didn’t look too pleased.

“What’s wrong?”

At her question, the boy glanced at her and then looked away, as if he didn’t want to respond.

It had been three days since Sugar “protected” the boy from the bullies and his soup. Every mealtime, the seat next to the boy had become Sugar’s fixed spot.

“Is it because of the soup? It’s not like I take it every time. I only take it in the morning. How humane is that?”

“…”

“I don’t take it for lunch or dinner, and I even sit next to you to protect you. Think of it as a protection fee.”

Even though she said it kindly, the content was no different from a thug collecting illegal tolls or passage fees. The boy didn’t respond and simply drank his half-filled soup before heading to the dining area. For Sugar, who now had 1.5 servings of soup, it didn’t matter much.

After finishing her meal, Sugar immediately went to the bookshelf in the classroom. It was a mini bookshelf for children, its’ contents were pitiful. There were books with pages torn out, books missing half their pages, and books that had gotten wet and dried, making them impossible to open.

Still, there were some intact items, like outdated newspapers. Adults occasionally left them here, and they were the only way to get a glimpse of what was happening in the world in this impoverished place.

But why bother looking at them? It was because of a thought that had occurred to Sugar during the meal.

What are those guys up to at this point in time?

She was talking about the ones who made it onto her list of people to avoid.

It’s still a long way until the original game’s timeline. Sugar was kidnapped when she turned 14, so at 11 years old, she still had time.

But given how crazy those guys are, it’s obvious they’re already causing trouble. The cult is a given, and Riley was described in the story as having committed murders even in his childhood.

So, Sugar wanted to check if there were any bizarre murder cases or disappearances that seemed like their doing. It’s important to keep tabs on your enemies.

“Hmm.”

But something’s off.

Sugar definitely saw someone put a newspaper here this morning. Did it already get sacrificed to the kids’ paper airplanes?

“Not here either…”

She checked the toddler room and the backyard, but it wasn’t there. She couldn’t just sneak into the director’s office to take one. If she got caught, she’d have to rely on the boy for all three meals.

Then, her gaze fell on a certain spot—the staircase to the attic in the corner of the hallway.

Was it always this clean? She remembered it being covered in dust. Now that she thought about it, it seems like it’s been clean for a while.

As if entranced, Sugar climbed the stairs and soon came face to face with a familiar boy. He was sitting crammed among the items in a corner of the attic, reading a newspaper, and looked up at Sugar with a blank expression.

‘Bingo.’ Sugar put on a triumphant expression.

“…What?”

She plopped down in front of the boy, who clearly wasn’t happy about it. Dust reflected in the light coming through the tiny window filled the air.

“I want to read it too. Let me know when you’re done.”

As soon as she finished speaking, he handed her a page.

“Now go.”

It was as if he was saying, “You got one, now leave.” But one page wasn’t enough. Moreover, this page only had job listings and advertisements.

Well, this is good too. Let’s see if there are any familiar names.

Sugar unfolded the page right where she was sitting. It was dusty but cozy, and she liked that there was no noise from the kids. The only sound was the rustling of paper.

Although the boy, whose personal space had been invaded, looked uncomfortable, it wasn’t really anyone’s room to begin with.

“…”

As she read, she noticed the boy rolling his eyes intensely, completely absorbed. Despite his ragged appearance, he was fervently seeking information. Lost in memories of the past, Sugar stared at him intently until the boy put down the newspaper and met her gaze.

“…What?”

“Nothing. You just remind me of my nephew.”

What kind of nonsense is that? An orphan, a nephew, and their ages—none of it made sense.

“Do you steal your nephew’s food?”

“That’s one thing, but I still have to take what’s mine.”

Sugar had once been a thoroughly rotten adult. Perhaps because of her outrageous answer, the boy put down the newspaper and stood up.

“Leaving already?”

“…I’m done reading.”

“Already? Are you sure? Wait, answer this one thing.”

Suddenly feeling mischievous, Sugar quickly found a question in the newspaper. It was an immature desire to tease the boy who was acting so mature.

“Hmm… What plant did the Vesper family recently supply to the royal family?”

The boy, who was about to go down the stairs, turned around.

“Blue jasmine. And it’s the Nesper family, not Vesper.”

He looked at her as if wondering why she was testing him on something so trivial.

She had deliberately mispronounced the family name. It seemed he had indeed read it properly.

“Ohh!”

What came out was a genuine exclamation of admiration.

The boy looked even younger than her. What was Sugar doing at that age in her past life? It was a time when it was natural to boot up MapleStory as soon as she got home. She didn’t even glance at fairy tales, let alone newspapers.

But this little kid, in the harsh environment of a slum orphanage in a modern fantasy world, was diligently building his knowledge of society. She couldn’t help but find it admirable.

“Come here.”

What do you do when someone does well? She wiggled her finger, but the boy just looked at her suspiciously.

If you won’t come, I’ll go to you. She strode over, and he flinched.

Thud—standing in front of him, the height difference was obvious, and the corner of her mouth twitched. From an adult’s perspective, it was just a trivial comparison, but for the kids, it wasn’t. Sugar, who was shorter than her peers, secretly enjoyed looking down at him and reached out to pat the boy’s head.

The boy’s eyes widened.

“Good job. Well done.”

Then, they turned sharp.

“…”

“You’ve already learned to read. You can even read difficult newspapers. Impressive.”

His brows furrowed. His expression made it clear how he felt.

But Sugar didn’t stop. His dry, dirt-colored hair felt rough, but she didn’t stop. She was indebted to him for the soup. Originally, it was just a protection fee, but since he was a kid, she considered it a service.

In a place filled with incompetent adults, small compliments were important. In a place where intimidation and neglect were rampant, the kids needed to show each other some care.

The young boy, still uncomfortable, avoided her touch and went down the stairs without looking back.

This is precious, you know.

Compliments are something you get less of as you grow older. Clicking her tongue, Sugar picked up the newspaper on the floor.

Fortunately, there was still nothing noteworthy.

She hoped it stayed that way.

LegoMyEggo