Chapter One: Shortly After Birth

When Ren regained awareness, he realized that warm water was being poured over him.

He tried to open his eyes and inspect his surroundings, but no matter how hard he struggled, his eyelids would not move. Worse, he could barely put any strength into the rest of his body.

“The young master is certainly lively. Don’t you agree, my lady?”

The voice belonged to an older woman.

“Yes. I’m relieved. It seems he’ll grow up healthy.”

A second voice followed, this one younger and carrying a trace of exhaustion.

Ren was bewildered, but the gentle warmth in their voices helped him calm down.

(What in the world is happening?)

As confusion echoed through his mind, he concentrated on every sense except sight.

The sensations were far too vivid for a dream. He could not believe this was anything but reality, yet his mind could not keep up with the impossible fact that an adult like him had somehow become a baby.

The two women continued discussing him, but Ren was in no condition to listen.

(No way…)

Although it seemed impossible, he remembered The Legend of the Seven Heroes, the game he had been playing moments earlier.

More specifically, he remembered what had happened after he discovered the hidden skill Magic Sword Summoning.

(The special downloadable content… Starting a special story…)

It was absurd.

Yet because his current situation felt too real to dismiss as a dream, an outrageous possibility entered his mind.

(Have I been reincarnated?)

Ren was well versed in fantasy stories, so the thought came to him quickly.

Whether he could accept it was another matter, but every sense except his sight was so clear that the theory felt disturbingly plausible.

(…I see.)

This really was special downloadable content–a special story in the truest sense.

Ren tried to remain calm as he thought it through.

Then embarrassment struck him belatedly.

If he truly was a baby, he was probably naked while someone poured bathwater over him.

Ren had lived as an adult man, so his embarrassment was only natural.

The problem was that he could do nothing about it.

He tested his body again, but the result did not change. His struggling merely delighted the two women.

(I’d at least like to understand the situation a little better…)

Ren was surprised by how calm he had remained.

Perhaps the situation was simply too unreal for panic to take hold. Or perhaps, because his body would not obey him, he had already given up on doing anything else.

(At least tell me my name.)

He flailed his limbs as though praying for an answer.

As if responding to that prayer, the older woman addressed the younger one.

“My lady, have you decided on the young master’s name?”

“Of course I have.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Now then, my lady, he should be fine. Hold him close and call him by his name.”

Ren felt himself wrapped in soft cloth and lifted into the air.

A moment later, warmth surrounded him. The younger woman had probably taken him into her arms. He waited for her to speak.

“This child’s name is–“

For the moment, Ren gave up trying to understand what had happened and instead wondered which character he had become.

Surely it had to be someone important in The Legend of the Seven Heroes. The hidden skill had started a special story, after all.

His heart was beginning to fill with anticipation when the woman continued.

“Ren. His name is Ren Ashton.”

Ren froze in shock.

That name belonged to…

(I-I’ve become him?!)

Ren Ashton was the protagonist’s friend and the very person who caused the upheaval in The Legend of the Seven Heroes II. He was a character surrounded by so many death flags that survival seemed almost impossible.

Because the name Ren was pronounced the same as his own, Ren Shiina had secretly felt a sense of kinship with him.

Now, however, his emotions were far more complicated.

(This makes no sense! I suddenly reincarnate, and I end up as one of the most dangerous characters in the story? What am I supposed to do?!)

No convenient being appeared to answer his questions.

Ren’s voiceless scream echoed loudly inside his mind.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

No one answered his questions after one day, or even after one week.

Eventually, he became able to open his eyes. All he could confirm was that the room was somewhat shabby and full of drafts–and that he was indeed a baby.

A little over half a year passed in that fashion.

(There’s no room left for doubt. I was reincarnated as Ren Ashton.)

At this point, being told that this was not reality would have sounded less believable.

Ren Shiina–or rather, Ren Ashton–accepted that this world was real and resolved to live in it.

Lately, he had also begun to feel that a new self, born as Ren Ashton, was emerging alongside the memories of Ren Shiina. Soon after his birth, he had wanted to return to his former world, but during the last few weeks, that wish had stopped crossing his mind.

You are Ren now, so it is only natural that you live in this world.

It almost felt as though the world itself was telling him that.

(I’ll live peacefully. I absolutely refuse to end up with the emperor ordering my death.)

Ren nodded to himself.

If he truly was that Ren Ashton, he only had to choose a different path from the one the character followed in the game. He would live honestly, behave properly, and build a respectable life.

(It should be about time again.)

Noticing that the sky beyond the window was beginning to brighten, Ren focused on the door.

It opened soon afterward, and a woman entered.

“My, my. Were you waiting for your mother?”

Her name was Mireille, and she was Ren’s mother.

Mireille had delicate, attractive features and dark brown hair that was nearly black, much like Ren’s own.

From what Ren had learned over the past six months, she had only recently turned twenty-one.

“Come now. It’s time to eat.”

Mireille lifted Ren into her arms and loosened her clothing.

When he had first been born, Ren had felt uncomfortable about being breastfed. She was close in age to his former self and, on top of that, a married woman.

For someone who had already sworn never to have another girlfriend, the situation was shocking enough that he had no room for impure thoughts.

(Though in the end, I never felt anything like that anyway.)

His instincts probably understood the truth.

Mireille was the woman who had given birth to him. There was no reason he would feel that kind of attraction toward her.

Once he accepted that, the matter became simple. Ren stopped holding back and obeyed his appetite.

As usual, he ate until he was satisfied and then relaxed while he digested his meal.

He could not thank Mireille with words, so he expressed his gratitude with the brightest smile he could manage.

“What a good boy. Now let’s get you back to sleep.”

A short while later, she laid him in bed.

Mireille smiled at him and left the room.

Alone again, Ren gave a small sigh, looked up at the ceiling, and opened his mouth.

“Awu awu.”

He had meant to say, I’m bored, but his mouth still could not form the words.

(My body barely moves. Is there really nothing I can do until I grow older?)

His options were severely limited.

He could sleep, remain awake, or listen for clues about his surroundings–and despite his efforts, he had learned almost nothing.

Still, simply waiting to grow was difficult to accept.

Fortunately, Ren retained the experience of his previous life.

Perhaps because of that, he had already mastered crawling and could sit without help. Recently, his favorite pastime was to sit lazily on the bed and stare through the window.

More importantly, there was something he had been meaning to test.

The hidden skill Magic Sword Summoning.

(I avoided using it until now because it sounded dangerous.)

He had no idea how a magic sword would appear. If it materialized above him and stabbed his immobile body, the result would be disastrous.

For that reason, Ren had waited until he could move somewhat freely.

(Now then…)

The question was how to summon it.

In The Legend of the Seven Heroes, pressing a button opened the menu. From there, the player could use items on party members or cast healing magic.

But buttons did not exist in reality.

He had even tried thinking the familiar phrase “Status Open,” but nothing happened.

“…Abah.”

His head drooped.

How was he supposed to summon it? The baby Ren clutched his head in frustration.

Inside his mind, he repeated, Magic Sword Summoning, Magic Sword Summoning, Magic Sword Summoning, over and over. The words continued like a fervent wish–or perhaps a curse–until suddenly…

“Awu?!”

A bracelet dropped out of empty air and landed with a soft clink on his lap.

It was small enough to fit even his infant wrist. The entire bracelet was beautifully worked in silver, with a large crystal embedded in it.

(What is this?! W-wait, are those words inside the crystal?!)

He was disappointed that it was not a sword, but when he lifted the bracelet, he noticed writing floating inside the crystal and opened his eyes wide.

It read:

———-

Ren Ashton

[Job] Eldest Son of the Ashton Family

[Skills]

– Magic Sword Summoning (Level 1: 0 / 0)

– Magic Sword Summoning Technique (Level 1: 0 / 100)

Gain proficiency by using a summoned magic sword.

Level 1: Can summon [one] magic sword.

Level 2: Gain [Physical Ability Boost (Minor)] while a magic sword is summoned.

Level 3: *****************************

[Acquired Magic Swords]

– Wooden Magic Sword (Level 1: 0 / 100)

Allows attacks roughly equivalent to Nature Magic (Minor).

The effective attack range expands as the level rises.

– Iron Magic Sword

Unlock requirements: Magic Sword Summoning Technique Level 2 and Wooden Magic Sword Level 2.

———-

The crystal displayed what could only be called a status screen.

Unlike in the game, however, it showed neither Ren’s personal level nor values for health, mana, attack power, and the like.

Those numbers had merely existed to communicate a character’s strength to the player, so perhaps it was more natural for them not to exist in reality.

(Magic Sword Summoning Technique…? Is that an accompanying skill for Magic Sword Summoning?)

The Legend of the Seven Heroes had similar examples.

When a character selected the advanced Guardian class, for instance, they began with Swordsmanship and White Magic already learned.

(…And the description said I could increase proficiency with magic stones.)

The 0 / 100 written after each level was probably the proficiency value.

Ren guessed that Magic Sword Summoning itself had neither proficiency nor levels because the individual swords and the summoning technique filled those roles.

(The description also said I could obtain more magic swords by meeting special conditions.)

At the start, the only available weapon was the Wooden Magic Sword, and even the next unlock was merely an Iron Magic Sword.

Ren had imagined using more fantastical weapons–swords that spewed flames or hurled lightning–so the list left him slightly disappointed.

(W-well, it would be strange to start with something overwhelmingly powerful. But a wooden magic sword sounds like nothing more than a practice sword… No, wait.)

He touched the words Wooden Magic Sword with his fingertip.

It was not simply a wooden practice sword.

(Nature Magic… If I remember correctly, that skill creates plants and uses them to fight.)

He recalled an enemy in The Legend of the Seven Heroes who wielded Nature Magic.

The enemy was an elf fought in a forest. In addition to the elf’s natural physical ability, the plants created through Nature Magic could restrain the protagonists.

The elf could also command monsters through magic, making the battle extremely difficult at first.

(That elf’s Nature Magic was powerful, but the word ‘Minor’ here worries me.)

It was probably safer to assume that his version was weaker than ordinary Nature Magic.

(Now for this one.)

Ren examined the entry for Magic Sword Summoning Technique and finally found reason to celebrate.

He had feared that he could accomplish nothing without magic stones, but the summoning technique gained proficiency through use. That brightened his prospects considerably.

The hidden description for Level 3 bothered him, but he assumed it was concealed because he was still only Level 1.

(Now I really want to test it.)

Ren had already resolved to live in this world.

For self-defense, he needed to understand every power available to him.

(I can’t live peacefully in a world full of monsters if I’m unable to fight.)

With that thought, he repeatedly called Wooden Magic Sword inside his mind.

Nothing appeared.

Just as his shoulders were about to slump, he looked at the bracelet in front of him.

Maybe–

Following a hunch, he brought his dominant right arm close to it. The bracelet moved on its own and fastened around his wrist.

“Awu?!”

Ren jerked in surprise and toppled backward.

When he looked at his right arm, the bracelet remained securely in place.

(Whatever happens… maybe this will work.)

His hunch was that Magic Sword Summoning required him to wear the bracelet.

He was correct.

The instant he called Wooden Magic Sword in his mind once more, a crack appeared in empty space.

A wooden blade slowly emerged from it as though being drawn from a sheath.

Eventually, it fell beside Ren and landed on the shabby bed with an unimpressive thump.

“Awu–huh?”

Just before his body could tremble with excitement, Ren stared in disbelief.

(It’s tiny…)

Despite being called a magic sword, it was made of wood. It was too short to deserve the name dagger and looked, at best, like an ordinary kitchen knife.

Fine carving might have made it resemble a work of art, but it had no decoration whatsoever.

(I-it hasn’t leveled up yet… and it can supposedly use Nature Magic, at least.)

Trying to suppress his disappointment, Ren picked up the wooden knife–the Wooden Magic Sword.

His body felt oddly heavy, and a headache had begun to form, but he dismissed both sensations and tightened his grip, intending to swing the blade.

He had never so much as swung a bamboo sword in his previous life, so he thought it might serve as basic training.

It did not go as planned.

A baby simply did not possess that kind of strength.

(And this headache… Wait, this is bad…)

The pain he had tried to ignore grew steadily worse.

His body became heavier as well, and the two sensations battered him without pause.

(Gh… ah…)

At last, Ren could no longer endure the pain and closed his eyes.

His consciousness receded.

Still suffering from the intense headache, Ren’s eyelids slowly fell shut.

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