“THINK it’s about time,” expressed Grey about a month after he and Selena became my tutors.
They’d taken me out into the wilds to a cave. I looked closely and saw two rough-looking men hidden right inside the entrance as guards.
“People have been talking a lot lately about the group of bandits in that cave,” continued Grey. “Not that long ago, they attacked a caravan and killed everyone. There’s a bounty on them. Killing them is fine.” He looked at me with serious eyes. “Arius. If you’re gonna be an adventurer, you’re not gonna survive if you can’t kill people. This is a harsh talk to have when you’re this young, but you’re not some normal kid. We decided it was time after watching you this past month.”
“Your parents have also given their permission,” Selena stated, “but you don’t have to push yourself. You have the choice of living as a noble. We won’t force you to do this.”
I, of course, had never experienced killing a person in my previous life. This might be the world of a video game, but it was real life to me.
As of then, I was five, but I died at twenty-five, meaning mentally, I was close to thirty years old. Obviously, I knew what it meant to kill a human, and I wasn’t such an idiot that I had the simplistic thought process of, “They’re bad people. Therefore, it’s okay to kill them.” Knowing my personality, I knew I would regret killing people. But still…
“…I’ll do it,” I uttered.
I had been reincarnated into this world as Arius, one of the potential love interests for the heroine, but I didn’t want to go through school with all those love-brained idiots. Which meant I needed to make my own decisions now. I would not live as a love interest of Love Academy; I would become stronger as an adventurer.
Bandits, I am sorry, but you will have to be a stepping stone for that.
I advanced into the cave, not using area spells since they could have prisoners inside. I’d cast Invisibility and Silence and slipped behind the backs of the lookouts. Without a word, I removed their heads.
And I was hit with my first experience of killing another human. I set that aside, not thinking about it for the moment.
There were close to a hundred bandits in the cave. I finished them all off with single-target spells or my sword. Several had metal armor on, but most had leather armor at best. Five had crossbows, while the rest had axes and short swords. Their strength wasn’t a problem, probably because I’d defeated more powerful monsters.
Eventually, no one else was moving inside the cave, and I realized I’d wiped out all the bandits. It would have been easier to take them out with area spells since there were no prisoners after all, but hindsight is 20/20.
What bothered me more was what was left behind, the feeling of having taken lives—having killed people. I had no choice but to wrestle with those painful feelings. After all, I was the one who decided to do it.
Grey and Selena didn’t say anything, even once the fight was over. They probably wanted me to think things through and find my own answers. I imagined several sleepless nights coming my way for a while afterward, but I swore to myself I’d get through it.
Stats
Arius Gilberto (Age 5)
Level: 42
HP: 434
MP: 585
STR: 136
DEF: 133
INT: 188
RES: 160
DEX: 136
AGI: 134
✦ ✦ ✦
JUST as I’d reconciled within myself the fact that I’d killed people, my parents came to me with talks of my debut in the social sphere. Most nobles of Ronaudia made their debut when they were five. A party was going to be held soon by the Royal Court, and I was invited.
I knew this was also my parents’ attempt to help me. I hadn’t been myself for a while after I’d killed those bandits; they could see it all too well.
Despite the invitation, I honestly didn’t feel like going to a party then, but I could try to go with a light heart to knock myself out of this rut.
Parents are impressive, aren’t they? Darius and Rhea must have been watching closely over me.
“Mother, Father, thank you for worrying about me,” I said, and they both smiled softly.
“We heard from Grey and Selena what you’re dealing with,” Darius commented gently. “You’ve worked hard.”
“I’m sorry, Arius. We couldn’t do anything for you. It was something you needed to work through yourself.”
“I know, Mother. I probably would have brushed off any attempts to console me, anyway. Thank you for watching over me.”
“Oh, Arius…” Rhea pulled me into a hug, and Darius tousled my hair. It was a bit embarrassing, but that moment made me genuinely grateful I’d been reincarnated with them as my parents.
The day of the party came, and we headed toward the palace in a carriage. Formal clothing for men in this world wasn’t a tuxedo like in my previous life. It consisted of a blazer and slacks, but you were free to have whatever color and design you wanted, which demanded a certain amount of style sense from you. Women wore dresses like my old world, though.
I wore a deep navy blue blazer with silver embroidery and slim-fitted slacks. Darius sported a jacket with the same motif but in a black fabric. Rhea was wearing an aqua-colored dress with a simple design.
“Arius, we’ve taught you the basics of noble etiquette. I’m sure you can implement them perfectly,” expressed Darius.
“You shouldn’t have a problem even when faced with His Majesty. You don’t look five at all, and you’re already a splendid gentleman,” complimented Rhea.
The unrestrained praise was embarrassing. I was reincarnated, after all—I’d experienced a lot despite being young. I wasn’t planning on turning meek in front of the King.
Our carriage pulled up at the palace, and I stepped out with my parents. The Kingdom of Ronaudia, which acted as the stage for Love Academy, was one of the largest countries in the world. The palace was constructed from luxurious white stone, just as the game depicted.
With my father being chief minister and my mother being chief lady, we were allowed into the palace without a security check. We walked down the spacious hallways, seeing palace servants, knights, and soldiers in armor working as guards.
However, I noticed a servant casually acknowledging Darius with his eyes. I activated Scan and saw he had far more mana than the other servants—not as much as Darius or Rhea, obviously.
I lowered my voice and asked, “Father, do you know that servant that just passed? The one with black hair. He seems stronger than a knight despite being a servant.”
Darius smiled wryly and whispered into my ear, “My subordinates could be ruined if you find them out. He’s a member of the Royal Intelligence Ministry. They slipped in amongst the servants to provide security. I’ll give him a piece of my mind later. Please keep it to yourself that you noticed.”
I later learned that Darius controlled the Royal Intelligence Ministry as part of his duties. He orchestrated various missions ranging from intel gathering to security for important figures.
Rhea may only be the chief lady and wife of the chief minister, but she used her strength as a former adventurer to assist the Intelligence Ministry and the Royal Ministry of Magic.
There were already a lot of nobles in the event hall inside the palace, as well as rows of opulent food and drink as befitting a party hosted by the Royal Court.
It was standard etiquette for lower-ranking nobles to arrive first at a party. Darius was a marquess, the second-highest noble title, meaning it was only expected that plenty of nobles would already be present when he arrived.
When Chief Minister Marquess Darius arrived, the nobles gathered around him to give their greetings. He and Rhea encouraged me to greet the other nobles as well.
“It is a pleasure to meet you all,” I addressed. “I am Arius Gilberto, eldest son of Chief Minister Marquess Gilberto.”
While my father ranked higher than the other nobles here, only he had that higher title. I was nothing more than a marquess’s son. This meant that while there was no need for me to humble myself, it also wouldn’t do to act too arrogantly. That’s why I went for a polite but confident tone.
Incidentally, people were surprised to learn I was only five since I was nearly four feet tall. I also received compliments that I comported myself so well that they found it hard to believe I was so young.
Which made sense since I was reincarnated. At least I wasn’t going to embarrass my parents.
While I was greeting the nobles in the hall, the Three Great Dukes, the highest-ranking nobles of Ronaudia, arrived. There were three dukes in Ronaudia: Duke Jordan, Duke Crawford, and Duke Victorino. Their authority was second only to the King himself.
Even though my father had more actual power than a duke as the chief minister, it was a complicated power relationship between him and the dukes since he was a marquess.
The Three Great Dukes arrived at the exact same time, almost as if they had planned it because anyone who arrived earlier would have been seen as lower in rank. They couldn’t appear after the King, meaning all three dukes aimed to arrive at the last moment.