Ch.2Prologue (2)

Do you know about the concept of reincarnation?

Originally, it’s a religious concept commonly described in Eastern reincarnation philosophy, ancient Greek philosophy, and even Gnosticism….

It’s a religious and philosophical perspective established under the notion that while the body is mortal, the soul is immortal—essentially a viewpoint based on the idea that life circulates.

If we strictly adhere to the dictionary definition, it might be something like: even though the physical body dies, the soul is immortal, so after death, the soul acquires a new body and continues living.

However, the characteristics of the concept of reincarnation have been sufficient to stimulate human imagination in many ways, which is why, naturally, as we entered the modern era, creative works dealing with reincarnation began to pour into this world.

….Well, if I’ve said this much, perceptive people might have already realized it.

I seem to be a case of someone who has experienced reincarnation as depicted in modern media, retaining memories of my previous life.

And not just any reincarnation—I was reborn into what appears to be some kind of medieval fantasy otherworld.

Whether it was due to my immature body or some other reason, I’m not quite sure.

But I didn’t recover my past life memories immediately after reincarnation; it happened about a month after my fourth birthday.

Still, what was fortunate was… that I didn’t experience any identity crisis during this process of recovering my memories.

The memories transmitted to me were more like knowledge or dry information.

Therefore, while the transferred memories contained common sense and simple information, they lacked the emotions of the person presumed to be my past self.

I just had a vague sense of what kind of person I might have been in my previous life.

Of course, given the difference in mental density between a child who had just turned four a few months ago and an adult male’s memories, it was inevitable that I would develop a personality closer to a modern Earth human than an ordinary child.

Anyway, while I was now reincarnated into a completely different world for reasons I couldn’t precisely identify….

The truth is, I don’t have any major complaints about this reincarnation.

My name in this life is Camille de Alzar. Though Camille is a gender-neutral name often used for women, which might cause misunderstandings, I am definitely a physically and mentally complete male.

As you can tell from the surname “de Alzar,” I wasn’t born as some serf in this medieval fantasy world, but as a nobleman.

Moreover, I’m the only child and son of the Alzar family—a super golden spoon among golden spoons who, barring any unusual circumstances, will inherit the title and domain.

The Frankish Kingdom, my homeland in this life, is a feudal state formed by contractual relationships between the king and nobles.

Thanks to this, lords in this kingdom are essentially kings ruling over small nations called domains, and I too have a high probability of inheriting such a lordship.

I’ve heard that my mother in this life passed away due to complications during my birth, and my father in this life hasn’t remarried or taken any concubines.

As a result, I am effectively my father’s only child, meaning I’m set to inherit the title without any competition for succession rights.

This information comes from conversations between my nurse and maids, so while there might be minor discrepancies in the details, it’s likely accurate in the broader sense.

Anyway, on this third day since recovering my past life memories.

Thanks to my intuition, which has become more precise since coming to this world, I’ve been able to grasp most of the situation. Now, I’ve decided to gather information to determine how to proceed from here….

“Nurse, Nurse…!”

“Yes? Oh. What is it, Young Master?”

“I want to read books! Teach me letters!”

Swallowing a bit of embarrassment from pretending to be a child while possessing an adult-like mind, I expressed to my nurse that I wanted to learn how to read.

….For a mere four-year-old child, there weren’t many other methods of gathering information available, so this was unavoidable.

※ ※ ※

Before making this request, I couldn’t hide my inner concerns.

A four-year-old child voluntarily asking to learn to read would be enough to create a sense of dissonance, but what I was actually worried about was something else entirely.

From the information in my past life memories, medieval lords were often just physically strong and sometimes even illiterate. I worried whether such attitudes might exist in this medieval fantasy world too.

While I thought I might be overthinking things, I was even more strongly concerned about potential unforeseen situations.

The three days since recovering my past life memories had been like walking on thin ice, so becoming sensitive and on edge was unavoidable for me.

“Young Master. Do you really… want to learn to read?”

“Yes, I want to read books myself. It seems fun.”

“What a wonderful idea! Oh, if only the Baroness were still alive, how happy she would be….”

Of course, my worries melted away like snow when I saw my nurse’s enthusiastic reaction to my words.

‘Baroness? So my father is a baron?’

While I was surprised to learn that my father was merely a baron—especially given the luxury I’d experienced firsthand, which seemed closer to a Renaissance palace than medieval times—my nurse began having the maids prepare me.

Probably to get my father’s permission before starting my reading lessons, I thought, as a mixture of certainty and speculation informed this prediction in my mind.

With skilled hands, I was quickly transformed from comfortable children’s attire to that of a young master, and like a child, I held my nurse’s hand and followed her.

Perhaps because my father barely participated in child-rearing, and it was essentially this nurse who raised me, I couldn’t refuse her hand.

Holding my nurse’s hand, I followed her through the corridors of this enormous and luxurious building, whether it was a mansion or a castle.

As I wondered whether this truly was an ordinary baronial residence or castle, trying to recall my faint childhood memories, I continued moving along the corridor.

After traveling to the end of the corridor, my nurse arrived at an arched door made of dark wood. She gave a slight bow to the two armored soldiers guarding the entrance, then knocked on the door and said:

“Baron, I’ve brought the Young Master. May we enter?”

“…Come in.”

No sooner had my nurse finished speaking than my father of this life responded, and the two armored soldiers standing on either side of the arched door set their halberds against the wall and opened the doors outward.

“…Welcome, Camille. Have you been well?”

“Yes, Father! Camille has been well!”

As the doors opened outward, revealing my father, ‘Hugo de Alzar,’ who was sitting in a chair in what appeared to be a study cum office, he asked about my wellbeing.

I’m not sure of his exact height, but he gave the impression of being large even while seated. My old memories only recalled him as being taciturn, and indeed, he was displaying that taciturnity.

His black hair with slight brown tints and his chin beard were kept short enough to give a dignified impression, and golden eyes flashed in his stoic face that looked as though it wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed.

Additionally, perhaps due to dedicated self-maintenance, he had a large frame with traces of thick muscles visible beneath his elaborate noble attire.

My father, who gave off more of a soldier’s impression than a nobleman’s, finished the seemingly ceremonial greeting and then addressed my nurse.

“Marsha, so why have you brought Camille here?”

“Baron, the Young Master has expressed a desire to learn to read.”

“Reading? Is Camille already that age?”

“It’s… earlier than his peers, but since he’s interested, I don’t think there’s any harm in learning now.”

“True. If he studies reading now… he won’t have to struggle intellectually later while undergoing knight training.”

‘…Huh? I have to undergo knight training?’

While my mind wandered to this unexpected life spoiler from my father’s words, several discussions presumably related to heir education took place between my nurse and father. Finally, my father looked at me and asked:

“Camille, do you really want to learn to read?”

“Yes! I want to learn!”

“No one forced you to do this?”

“No one did. I just wanted to learn myself!”

Trying my best to mimic a child’s thought process, I answered my father’s questions as sincerely as possible. After seeming to contemplate for a moment, my father appeared to make up his mind and spoke to my nurse.

“Marsha. It might be a bit difficult, but could you possibly teach Camille how to read?”

“Could someone like me, who’s not an expert, teach him? For this matter, perhaps hiring a private tutor would be better….”

“It’s too early for that. Camille is only four years old. A private tutor… wouldn’t be appropriate until he’s at least eight.”

“I suppose you’re right. So I should… just teach him the basics adequately?”

“Yes, I’m asking you this favor. Since we’re trying to build minimum literacy before starting formal education, I’m not expecting much. It would be sufficient if he can just read haltingly.”

“…I understand, if that is the Baron’s wish.”

With the conversation between my father and nurse reaching a reasonable conclusion, my father turned his gaze toward me and spoke….

“Camille, study hard. I’m always supporting you.”

“Yes, Father!”

Glimpsing the rough care and affection hidden beneath his taciturn exterior, I bowed my head sincerely to my father—not just of this life, but my father.

The anxiety I had been harboring in my heart was somewhat relieved as a bonus.