Several months had passed since my birth, and I’d gradually picked up an understanding of the local language. In doing so, I’d begun to answer some of the many, many questions that plagued me.
To start, I learned that my new, post-reincarnation name was Ars Louvent. Though oddly enough, I couldn’t actually remember my former name at all. I remembered my old life itself easily enough, but my name was just gone, somehow. That didn’t really bother me, though. Having two names for myself would probably have just been confusing, so I quickly convinced myself that the bout of forgetfulness was for the best.
The next piece of info I picked up: there was a high likelihood that I wasn’t on Earth anymore. My main point of evidence in favor of that conclusion came from the fact that this probably-new world’s technological level was extremely low compared to Earth’s. Not only did they not have TVs, radios, or smartphones, but they hadn’t even worked out electricity! Oil lamps were the most advanced form of lighting available.
It went beyond just lighting, too. On the whole, I couldn’t find any of the conveniences of modern society I was so used to in my new home. I’d be able to rationalize that away if we were poor, but the house I lived in was huge and opulent, tech level aside. I had a hard time believing that a family living in a house like that could be impoverished. I suppose I might’ve just been born into an exceedingly eccentric family, though, so it was hard to draw any definitive conclusions.
I did have one other reason for believing I wasn’t in my old world anymore: my family was keeping an animal the likes of which I’d never seen as a pet. It was almost like a dog, but I’d definitely never seen a dog with a pair of wings sprouting from its back during my time on Earth. They weren’t just for show, either─it could fly several feet in the air by flapping them. Though, wings aside, it bore a striking resemblance to a breed of dog called the Japanese Chin, and its name was Ahsis.
Now, I didn’t know everything about Earth, but I was still pretty confident that we didn’t have winged, flying dogs back there. The conclusion that I was probably in another world seemed more or less inescapable. I didn’t know what sort of world I was in yet, but the winged dog made me suspect it landed somewhere on the fantasy side of the spectrum.
In short: I’d gotten wrapped up in a situation I was extremely unprepared for.
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And so, three years passed by in the blink of an eye.
As you’d probably guess, by the age of three I was totally capable of talking and walking around on my own. I finally had a solid grasp of the local language, and I’d begun to reach an understanding of the state of the world around me, as well.
To start: as expected, the world I’d been born into was indeed definitely not the Earth I used to know. My new home was apparently in a nation called the Summerforth Empire, located on the continent of Summerforth. I’d definitely never heard of a country with a name like that on Earth, much less a continent, and I knew my history well enough to be pretty sure they’d never existed at all.
Then, of course, there was the discovery that magic was real in this world. It was a power that could bring about mysterious, inexplicable phenomena─starting fires, manifesting water from nowhere, that sort of thing. Seeing real-life magic used right before my very eyes was what finally convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that I was in another world.
Another revelation: apparently, the Louvent family I’d been born into was a noble household. House Louvent ruled over a territory called Lamberg, a small region consisting of around two hundred households and a total population of about a thousand. I was the family’s first son, which meant that I would one day inherit the area.
Frankly, I was very worried about that whole business. I lived my last life as an office drone, after all! How could somebody like me end up ruling over anyone? Maybe I could just delegate the practical affairs of rulership to a trusted subordinate or two and spend the rest of my life idling my time away?
Oh, and there was one last thing I discovered during the first three years of my new life: the fact that I was born with a power that people around me definitely did not possess.
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“G’morning to you, Young Master!”
“Good morning!”
One day, I decided to pay a visit to the training grounds right next to my family’s estate. House Louvent technically had about a hundred and twenty troops ready to mobilize, but the vast majority of them were really just farmers. The only thing that made them soldiers was the fact that they’d occasionally steal a moment out of their busy schedules to make their way over to train for battle, running through drills on swordsmanship and archery.
“You really spend your fair share of time here, don’t you, Young Master?” noted one of the soldiers.
“And he’s only three!” added another. “He’ll be a fearsome warrior when he grows up, I tell you!”
The soldiers were always happy to see me. Apparently, the idea of a three-year-old taking an interest in martial arts was enough to give them a good first impression of me. Truth be told, though, I was never interested in martial arts at all. I was interested in people.
I looked out over the training grounds and focused my gaze on a man who was thrusting a spear. Then, I activated my power: the power of Appraisal.