Five years had passed since Ein’s reincarnation. He had been born in the largest kingdom on the continent, the kingdom of Heim. The land overseen by his family, the Roundhearts, wasn’t far from the Royal Capital and was home to arguably the largest port city on the mainland. Thus, the Roundhearts held much sway within the capital. Ein, however, was filled with a torrent of complicated feelings. He was lying on the floor of his room, his limbs splayed out as if he were a starfish.
“Th-This is no good,” he muttered between sighs. “The downsides are too much...”
His breathing grew haggard, and he found himself struggling to speak. He was in this sorry state after testing out his skill, one that he thought to be pretty lame.
“I-I can’t stand...”
Seeing an opportunity arise, he decided to give Toxin Decomposition EX a spin. He looked for some poison, but wasn’t able to find any. However, he remembered that God also mentioned bacteria and the like wouldn’t hurt him either. With this in mind, he thought that mold would be a worthy candidate. As such, he nabbed some that had been growing on a tree outside the manor.
“B-But... I wasn’t told that this would happen to me...”
He was exhausted. His appendages had gone numb and he was suffering under the weight of an intense headache. Until just a few minutes ago, he’d been unconscious as the pain was too great for him to bear. The mold disappeared after he successfully deconstructed it, but he had immediately fallen into his current state.
After a brief silence, he muttered, “This skill is lame and impractical. No one would be happy to have it.”
He’d chosen a definitively bad skill. His body gradually felt better after an hour or so, but this was much too difficult for him to use. He finally managed to reach for the cup on his desk and gulped down some water.
“Yep... I won’t use this skill.”
The headaches were especially rough on him. He was mostly fine now, but he wasn’t willing to purposefully get another one. Unfortunately, Ein’s misfortunes didn’t end there. Aside from his skill, he was also troubled about one other thing.
“Phew,” Ein said as he managed to drag himself onto his bed, his mind heavy with his troubles. “My younger brother’s skill is amazing, but mine is just not good at all.”
Though he was the eldest brother, Ein had already given up on becoming the successor to his household. “The older brother has Toxin Decomposition EX, and the younger brother is a Holy Knight... Jeez, my life was bad from the get-go.”
Ein had a brother a year his junior, and that in and of itself wasn’t a problem. However, his younger brother had a skill with a flashy name, Holy Knight. He felt like this battle was over before it even began.
“I’m pooped; time to read a book I guess,” he mumbled, reaching for one by his bedside table. It was a book he had borrowed from his mother.
Of late, Ein would use some of his free time to read, often resting on the sofa in his room. It started as a way for him to get a feeling for his new world, but had turned into a bit of a hobby.
“What is this? A dragon? It’s huge,” he said.
He was reading a reference book, currently opened to a page with the image of a mighty sea-dwelling dragon. Seeing that the beast was apparently much larger than a ship, Ein was taken aback by the illustration.
“No way. Does something this big actually exist? Are we sure it’s not like a tall tale or something? My skill won’t stand a chance against this thing...”
He had been taken out by a bit of mold—there was no way he was suited for combat. He sighed deeply, with thoughts of a rough future ahead of him.
“Oh, I have some training with father after noon,” he muttered.
Had he known the outcome, he wouldn’t have tested out his new skill. Feeling slightly regretful, he lay on his bed in the hope that he’d regain some energy at least. Despite only having a few dozen or so minutes of rest, he was feeling surprisingly energetic as he psyched himself up while on the way to the inner courtyard. After swinging his sword for a while, the man next to him spoke up.
“That sword’s starting to suit you,” he said.
“Th-Thank you!” Ein replied.
The man’s name was Rogas—he was Ein’s father and commander in chief of the Heim kingdom’s army. His masculine face, height, and sturdy physique left a lasting impression on others. I wasn’t blessed with a good skill, so I must work hard, Ein thought as he lost his breath with every desperate swing of his blade. Walking away with a super rare pull from the gacha machine meant that putting in the extra effort wasn’t a problem for him.
“Hah! Rah!” Ein continued for minutes on end as Rogas watched on.
When the boy’s arms finally started to tremble from exertion, Rogas told him, “You seem tired. We’ll take a break for a few minutes.”
“Y-Yessir!” Ein said, sitting on the ground.
He could feel the throb of exhaustion in his arms and legs. As he wiped the sweat from his brow, he noticed a woman using the opportunity to speak with Rogas.
“Sir Rogas, may I please request some of your time?” she asked.
“Hm? Camilla? What’s wrong?” Rogas replied.
Miss Camilla... Ein thought. Camilla wasn’t Ein’s biological mother; she was Rogas’s second wife.
“Pardon my intrusion while you’re on break,” she said. “I wanted to talk to you about Glint.”
“What about Glint?”
“He’s already four years old, so I believe he can start his training as well.”
The two were referring to Ein’s brother, who was a year younger than him. Glint was Camilla’s child and therefore he was Ein’s half brother, who also happened to possess a power that Ein did not.
“He was born with the Holy Knight skill. For the future of the Heim kingdom and for the sake of the Roundheart family, I believe he’s ready,” she said.
Holy Knight was a skill so rare that few within the history of the Heim kingdom were known to have it. One could say that, unlike Ein, the younger Glint had a skill befitting such a distinguished family well-known for their prowess in combat.
“Indeed. I’ve been having the same thought,” Rogas said with a firm nod. He was overflowing with expectations for Glint. “I’m sorry Ein, but that concludes our lesson for today. I must speak with Camilla.”
Well, yeah. I knew you’d say that. Man, I feel like you let yourself go with the flow a little too easily. Though Ein was tired, he didn’t like how his lesson had ended. Bringing himself to his feet, he bowed his head before his father, and turned to Camilla. “I understand. Please excuse me, Miss Camilla.”
“Of course. Good day. Please continue to work hard for Glint in the future,” she replied.
Yeah, yeah, whatever, Ein thought, fed up with his stepmother’s words. She’d just stated that his baby brother would be the next head of the household.
“She’s right, Ein. You must continue to work much harder than all of those around you,” Rogas said without reprimanding his wife. His rather apathetic remarks were rooted in his great expectations for Glint.
Father isn’t bad or anything, but he just continues to let things sweep him away. Miss Camilla’s words especially, Ein thought. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was of little worth compared to his brother. He half-jokingly told himself that he hoped he wouldn’t be disinherited.
“Of course. I shall continue to work hard. If you’ll excuse me,” Ein said as he left. He headed to the baths, hoping to wash his sweat away.