I returned to my room and decided to write out what I needed to do moving forward. Fortunately, paper existed in this world, and my desk was equipped with a notepad and ink. I immediately began writing out my plan in Japanese.
Measures to avoid exile/conviction:
1. Become friends with characters from the game and avoid routes that involve my conviction, death, and exile.
2. Gain the skills necessary to live on my own in the event that measure one fails.
3. Save (and make) money in the event that measure one fails.
4. Cure my mother, Nanalie.
I think that sums it up, I thought after writing out the various measures, only to let out a heavy sigh.
“I know I’m the one who wrote it down, but the first measure is totally impossible.”
Yes, it was impossible, because the various characters who appeared in the game lived in either the imperial capital or other countries. I lived in the Valdia Mark and had no connections to anyone outside my home. There was no way I could get in contact with them. That was expected, since Reid barely had any interaction with other characters during the main story. I felt like crying, but it was too early to be defeated. After all, I’d made a vow to live an honest life.
“For now, measure number four is my top priority, followed by three, then two.”
I immediately summoned Garren to my room and asked for the name of the disease plaguing my mother. Garren’s face twisted into a deep scowl. I took an imposing stance in front of the door and glared with desperation at the butler.
“I won’t let you out of this room until you tell me!” I shouted. “I’m serious! I’m not backing down!”
“Sir Reid...”
Garren perhaps sympathized with me, because he finally told me that my mother was suffering from a disease known as mana depletion disorder. I asked for details of the symptoms and learned that everyone in this world had mana, even if it was only a little bit. Mana was not only the source of magic, but also our life force. Normally, after depleting one’s stores, the body would naturally regenerate mana. Mana depletion disorder lowered the amount of mana one’s body could regenerate by an extreme amount. As a result, you would slowly grow weak, and eventually, you would die. Garren grimly shared that there was currently no established treatment for the disease. He’d originally had no intention of informing me what my mother was suffering from, but I was so desperate and determined that he’d told me on condition that it remained a secret between us.
I’d actually heard the name of the disease and the symptoms before. In my memories of my previous life, I recalled TokiRella! having a debuff known as “mana depletion.” That debuff slowly depleted the affected character’s MP. Once their MP reached zero, it would move on to depleting their HP. Of course, if left untreated, the character’s HP would go down to zero, incapacitating them. In the game, there were ways to heal both HP and MP, so the status effect wasn’t much of a threat. However, as a disease in the real world, it couldn’t be more terrifying. It was basically a fatal disease with no natural cure whatsoever.
“I’d like to look something up right away. Do we have a library or anything like that?” Those were the first words out of my mouth after Garren’s explanation.
He proceeded to show me the way to a large study in the mansion. “Please use this study for anything you’d like to look into. If you require any other documents, let me know and I’ll have them sent over. Please do keep in mind that it will take several days to have items sent here.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Garren slightly bowed his head and left the study while I proceeded to inspect my surroundings. The room had quite an impressive number of books, but there was an issue that I’d only considered upon entering: Could I even read? I cautiously reached for the closest book, and...I was able to read it. I had no problems at all.
I’m so glad reincarnating carries over abilities.
“All right, let’s find some answers!” I forcefully smacked my cheeks to steel myself, then began reading through the books in the study.
The more varied the books I read, the faster I was able to read. Partway through my search, I realized that I was able to memorize almost the entire contents of a book after reading it just once. What a gifted child I am.
“You’re incredibly talented and capable, Reid. Why did you join the villainess’s side?” Those thoughts spilled out of my mouth as I gazed into the distance.