Chapter 1:
Liam
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IT SEEMS THE GUIDE was telling the truth. Here I am in my second life, after all.
My new name was Liam Sera Banfield. When I looked in the mirror, I saw a boy with black hair and amethyst eyes. This reflection waved back at me when I waved, so I was certain it was me.
I was five years old, playing in a child’s room, when I became conscious of my past life. There were numerous toys on the floor around me, but what immediately caught my eye was the size of the room.
“Pretty big.” Even taking my vantage point into account, the room was large. It was a child’s playroom, but it could probably have fit a small house inside it.
I appeared to be pretty well-off. The Guide had told me I’d be born into a noble’s house, someone with authority, and he must have kept his word. My vague memories of my current life confirmed that. This was the family of Count Banfield, and I was his heir. The count ruled a planet in the Intergalactic Algrand Empire of the Albareto Dynasty. In the future, I would rule this planet. In the scale of the entire Empire, my station wasn’t too impressive, but I liked the sound of “ruler of a planet.” There would be no one on my entire planet who could defy me.
“As promised.” I smirked.
I didn’t know why the Guide had chosen me for reincarnation, but I would probably betray his expectations. If he was expecting me to do good in this world, then I was going to have to disappoint him. After all, I’d learned in my previous life that doing good was worthless. I planned on becoming a striking example of an evil lord. Of course, that presented me with my first problem.
“What does an evil lord or, like, a bad noble even do?” In fiction, they would oppress their people, so should I do the same? When I thought of “evil,” what came to mind was booze, women, and gambling. Does that sound right?
“Should I just be a glutton?” My image of an evil lord was rather vague. Should I increase taxes and accept bribes, like a crooked politician? Well, I’m sure that just doing as I please is fine.
“This is getting pretty exciting, hm?”
Something fluttered down to land on my head. I picked it up and saw that it was a letter. When I opened the neatly sealed envelope, I found a message from the Guide inside.
“He sent me a letter? Why not just show himself again?”
I found the answer to my question within its contents. It started with congratulations for my successful reincarnation. Then it told me the Guide was busy, so he wouldn’t be able to watch over me for some time, but that he would make sure I got the assistance I needed. Apparently, someone else would provide help in his place.
“Help? In this place? From whom?” I was alone in the room, with no one else nearby.
While I cocked my head, curious, the door opened. A man and woman stepped into the room, attended by a group of people behind them. Their names surfaced in my mind; my memories told me that these were my current parents.
My father was Cliff Sera Banfield, my mother Darcie Sera Banfield. The pair walked over to me with smiles on their faces and handed me something that looked like a glass tablet. I saw some sort of document, apparently a contract, on the green-tinted surface. The writing was unfamiliar to me, but I seemed able to read some of it nonetheless. It appeared to indicate that my father’s peerage and domain were being transferred to me.
They’re just giving everything to a little kid? I was a bit confused by the sudden development.
“Father, what’s this?” I wasn’t sure how to handle this news and, more than anything else, these new parents of mine were nothing more than a bother to me, really. They didn’t show up all that much in the vague memories I retained. What’s going on here?
I looked up at the man I had awkwardly addressed, and he patiently explained things to me. After he’d spoken, though, I was even more confused.
“Happy fifth birthday, Liam. My present for you is everything that House Banfield owns.”
Everything the Banfield family owns as a birthday present? You’re giving your peerage, your domain, and all the responsibilities that come with them to a five-year-old child for his birthday? Is this guy serious?
So I thought, but then I recalled the letter I’d just read. It had vanished from my hands at some point, but I wondered if this was what the Guide had meant by “help.” Such a wild turn of events might be possible for a supernatural being like him.
Next, my mother Darcie happily held out a catalog to me. “And this is my present. I’ll buy you a robotic maid to take care of you. Pick whichever one you like.”
On the cover of the catalog was a robot that had been created to look like a maid. Actually, it looked just like a human, so I figured it was an android.
When I opened the catalog, it projected images and videos around me that I could view from all angles. It felt very futuristic, which was intriguing, but I wasn’t really sure what came next.
“Wh-what do I do with this?”
Darcie kindly explained how to use the catalog. “You can use this to customize your maid. It’s easy. Just choose which parts you want, like this. See? Go ahead, make a nice, cute one.”
Apparently, you ordered robots like you were creating a character in a game. You chose not just their appearance but also the internal parts and materials that determined their functionality. It was pretty interesting.
I chose all the high-performance parts, which made a number at the bottom—I assumed that was the price—shoot up with each selection. It was already three digits higher than it had been originally, but I wasn’t the one paying for it, so I decided to make the maid ridiculously high-spec.
For its looks, how about an Eastern beauty? Her hair would be long and black, tied back in a ponytail, bangs a little longer on the right. I made sure to give her a good figure too.
As I went through, choosing various attributes, my hands stopped at a certain selection. Now this was surprising. Cliff teased me for hesitating, which annoyed me, but he didn’t seem to understand why I’d stopped. He eyed the 3D projection of the model I’d constructed so far.
“He sure is my son. He’s got great taste.”
“Children do love breasts, don’t they?”
I ignored the two of them and slowly made the selection that I’d been hesitating over. It added…an adult aspect to the robot. My parents just smiled as they watched their child order a robot that was fully functional for sex. What a bizarre situation this is.
The complex expression on the face of the aged but stately butler standing behind them, Brian Beaumont, left quite an impression on me. He looked at once saddened and confused. My parents really are weirdos, right?
Anyway, something else had occurred to me at this point. Was the “helper” that the Guide had referred to actually this maid robot that I was ordering?
So the first thing he does is get rid of these annoying parents of mine and give me the ideal woman to stand at my side and act as his agent? I am thoroughly impressed by his consideration. These parents would likely only bother me, so it’ll be easier if they’re just not around. Plus…I can’t trust a real woman. A maid robot is truly a thoughtful gift for me. After all, I don’t have to worry about betrayal from a robot.
It said so right on the catalog, under the slogan “A maid just for you!” at the top: “Maid robots will never betray their masters.” If I had a faithful, capable retainer whom I needn’t worry about betraying me, that would give me some real peace of mind. Thus, I kept ignoring the price and tacking on as many optional features as I could.
After the final confirmation of her specs was a screen to pick out the maid’s uniform. I selected a classical outfit, since a miniskirt would really be too much. I hesitated a bit over whether I wanted the length to be above or below her knees, but in the end, I decided on just above her ankles.
“My, how cute.” Happily looking over the completed model, Darcie was another strange sight. Your son just bought a maid designed completely to his adult tastes and fully functional for sex. What exactly about that makes you so happy?
“We can leave Liam in the care of this robot now, can’t we?” she asked.
“Yep. Nothin’ to worry about now,” Cliff agreed.
Suspicious of my parents’ attitude, I asked them, “Are you going somewhere?”
Cliff raised his chin and proudly declared, “We’ve bought a mansion on the Imperial Home Planet, the capital. We’ll be moving there, and you’ll stay here and protect your domain as its lord. You just have to sign this document first.”
I looked down at the electronic document that transferred my father’s title and land to me. All the servants around us looked rather confused, so this must have been an unusual occurrence. I mean, it’s gotta be, right? This guy’s giving everything he owns to a five-year-old. “Unusual” doesn’t even cover it.
Once I’d signed the document, Darcie handed me another one. “Here you go, Liam. Sign this one too.” This document guaranteed that I sent my parents living on the Capital Planet a sort of yearly allowance.
They’re giving everything to me and going to live in the capital, eh? These two are really some sorry excuses for parents. Unbeknownst to them, their darling son is a reincarnation, a middle-aged dude on the inside. It’s kind of hilarious.
It was actually pitiful that this man and woman would have their status and everything they owned taken away by basically a complete stranger. I still didn’t see them as my real parents, but I felt bad enough for them that I supposed I would send them some money every year.
“Okay!” I chirped. I felt a smile come unbidden to my lips. I had taken everything from my ignorant parents. As I gazed down at the signed documents, I looked forward to what the rest of my life would bring.