Chapter 1: Devoid of Magic Power

“Please, dear goddess, may this child be ‘devoid of magic power’…”

(Huh… Is it better to have no magic power?)

In response to the words of his mother, who embraced him, the baby named Rest blinked with small eyes, appearing somewhat surprised.

The location was the temple located in the center of the town. A wide hall with a red carpet running through the center, leading to a statue of a winged goddess. Rest was being held by his mother in front of the goddess statue.

(Isn’t it better to have more magic power? Why would she wish for me to be devoid of magic power?)

Rest tilted his head in wonder just as he had settled down. Despite being less than a year old, Rest already had a firm sense of self. This was because Rest was a reincarnated individual with memories from his previous life. He recalled being a high school student in a country called ‘Japan,’ and this was his second life.

In his past life, Rest had not been blessed with a loving family. His father was a typical loser, drowning in alcohol and immersed in the swamp of gambling. His mother, another loser, abandoned parenting to indulge in relationships with other men. Living in an extremely unfavorable environment, it was almost a miracle that Rest survived until high school. However, Rest met an untimely death after a heated argument with his father, who tried to steal the tuition fees Rest earned from his part-time job.  Due to the argument, he was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife.

Cursing his excessively unfortunate life, Rest died easily. Yet, it seemed that gods really existed.

Before he knew it, Rest had been reincarnated into a different world, being held in his mother’s arms.

(It’s good that I was born to a kind mother, but it seems my father in this life is still a loser.)

“Hey, hurry up. I’m busy here.”

The irritated voice came from a man standing a little away from Rest and his mother. Dressed well but with a nervous-looking face, the man with slicked-back hair and a stiff appearance was undoubtedly Rest’s biological father.

For, Rest’s father was a noble, and his mother was a poor commoner. The father had violated the maid working at his mansion through violence, resulting in Rest’s conception. The mother, who gave birth to Rest, received only a meager sum and was driven out of the estate. She raised Rest as a single mother, working at a bakery to make ends meet. However, when Rest turned one year old, the man suddenly appeared.

The father, a noble, arrived with the mother and child at the temple, insisting they undergo a magic power measurement from the priests.

“Lady, is it alright?”

The priest extended both hands in a seemingly considerate manner.

“Please, present the child. It’s alright; the goddess is watching.”

“Reverend… Please, I beg you.”

Trembling, the mother handed Rest over. The priest took the baby gently.

“Please, Goddess. I pray that this child will have no magical powers…I hope that this child will have no magical powers…”

The mother who handed over her child clasped her hands together and prayed desperately.

Seeing his mother like that, Rest nodded.

(Okay, Mom)

I gathered my strength a little and forcibly suppressed the magical power flowing from my body.

I wonder if it’s some sort of reincarnation benefit.

Rest was born with enormous magical power, and he even learned how to control it.

(It’s okay. So don’t cry)

“Under the grace of the goddess, may I see through the power of the blessed child. Eli, Ela, Ildana. O great goddess of radiant light, I pray that a bright light may be poured into the future of this child…”

The priest chanted something like a spell while holding Rest. The goddess statue and Rest’s body were enveloped in a faint light.

“…I see.”

The light disappeared after a few seconds.

The priest nodded gently with a gentle smile.

“It seems that this child doesn’t possess any magic power. ‘No magic power,’ you could say.”

“What did you say…?”

The father openly frowned. With a loud click of the tongue, he confronted the priest.

“Even if he’s the child of a common concubine, he inherits my blood as a court magician. Could it be that you’re lying at this woman’s request?”

“I swear by the goddess, there is no such thing.”

The priest asserted. The words “swear by the goddess” held great weight for him as a clergyman. The father, who had a doubtful expression, found himself unable to press further.

“…So, no crops can grow in a barren field. What a waste of time.”

The father, with a disdainful gaze, alternately looked at Rest and his mother.

“If he had enough magic power, I was thinking of taking him into the mansion and raising him… but there’s no use for trash without magic power. You can do as you like with that child.”

“Thank you very much, we’ll do that…!”

“Hmph.”

The father took a small cloth bag from his pocket and threw it on the floor. The sound of metal clashing, probably containing coins.

“I’ll give you that. I won’t allow you to show up at my house, and I won’t tolerate the child claiming to be my offspring. We won’t see each other again… farewell.”

Having said his piece, the father left the temple with large strides.

“Rest…!”

The mother received her son back from the priest and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, goddess… Thank you…!”

“The goddess is always watching. May blessings be upon that child.”

The mother, shedding tears of joy, looked down at the baby held in her arms, and the priest made the sign of the cross with a calm expression.

(Is this okay… Mom)

Rest, who was tightly embraced, smiled slightly at his mother despite the faint signs of discomfort on his face.

He released the magic he had been holding back. Power welled up from the depths of his body. If Rest were to undergo a magic power diagnosis now, the result would undoubtedly be completely different from before.

(Dad seems like a noble, but… I can’t envision a happy future being taken in by that man. Even if we’re poor, it’s much better to be with Mom.)

In the previous life, he couldn’t receive his parents’ love.

But… in this life, he had a mother who prayed and cried for him. Although the father resembled the scum from his previous life… even so, it would be a much better life.

Feeling the warmth of his mother’s body, Rest closed his eyes comfortably. And so, he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

TOC | Next chapter