"Did you hear? Lady Ophelia finally passed away.""Tsk tsk. A baby that killed its own mother on the way out."
It was not a blessed birth.
All I had was a single clumsy nursemaid in a drafty, bare room.
Still, I thought it might be for the best.
It gave me time to organize my thoughts.
Cruel joke, isn't it? Reincarnated as that bastard's descendant of all people.
The moment I recalled the end of my previous life, my tiny hands and feet twitched on their own.
The expedition's final battle…
A nightmare.
The beginning hadn't been bad.
No—everything had gone far too smoothly.
Once inside the Demon King's Castle, the expedition advanced without much trouble. Ulrikh carved through demon ranks without pause, clearing the way.
Looking back, that was the first sign something was wrong.
He was already drunk on power. Rushing ahead because he couldn't wait to claim the Demon King's strength for himself.
But no one noticed his corruption.
He was both a Swordmaster and an archmage; his deception was flawless.
Believing Ulrikh was fighting with all he had, the expedition pushed themselves even harder.
At last, the moment he severed the Demon King's head—
"Finally…"
Ulrikh placed the Demon King's imperial crown upon his own head.
What I saw with the Eye of Transcendence was a horrifying truth.
「The authority of the Demon King '■■■■' transfers to a successor.」「'Ulrikh Kircheis' ascends as the new Demon King.」
It wasn't a subjugation. It was a usurpation.
The traitor looked back at all of us and burst into wild laughter.
"My power now. I will ascend to the Upper World…!"
Black demonic flames surged skyward.
The evil force flooding the hall ground everything in its path to dust, rampaging like a monster. The expedition collapsed in an instant under the betrayal of the one we trusted most, and when even the elves at the rear were swallowed by the storm—
"Ifriel!"
I had to save her.
Coming to my senses too late, I grabbed a fallen sword and charged.
「Deploying special spell 'Rescue.'」
I had just managed to drag the unconscious Ifriel back—
When my eyes met Ulrikh's.
His pupils were slit vertically like a serpent's.
Goosebumps rippled across my body.
My fallen master grinned ear to ear.
"So it's you. My beloved disciple, Tiberian… Did you enjoy learning magic? There's no need to curse your fate. Everything was arranged by me…"
Fate? Arranged?
I didn't even have time to process the nonsense.
I fought him with everything I had, but all I managed was to slice a strip from his cloak.
「This attack cannot be defended against.」「Immediate evacuation required.」「Immediate evacuation required.」「...」
The All-Master who had conquered Nine Stars in both sword and magic.
Even knowing I could never win, I didn't retreat.
The entire expedition stood behind me.
But none of them made it out alive, did they?
Ifriel had already been mortally wounded. The odds were she died too.
I met my end on the cold stone floor, cursing him.
And yet—reincarnation.
After confirming this wasn't a dream, I swore:
I will kill you with my own hands, Ulrikh.
In my past life, I squandered precious time and opportunity.
This life would be different.
Now I clearly knew what talents I possessed. I could soar far higher than before.
And being born into Ulrikh's house—
That means I can grow using his legacy, doesn't it?
I'll make you pay.
I clenched my fist in determination.
It was somewhat deflating that my fist looked soft and ridiculously tiny.
Still, first I needed to understand my situation.
It feels like a lot of time has passed… but exactly how much?
And why was I being treated so poorly?
Understaffed, outdated facilities, a faint chill in the air.
This shabby nursery didn't suit the name Kircheis at all.
I darted my unfocused baby eyes around, searching for clues, but learned little.
I needed a way to gather information.
Right. I'll use the Possession-Link spell.
In the body of a baby not even a hundred days old, direct action was impossible.
The best option was to secure limbs I could use.
The Possession-Link spell Ifriel taught me was a type of spirit art.
"You can summon an uncontracted spirit and communicate with it. You can even test its abilities before making a contract."
If I could meet a spirit residing in this estate, I could grasp the general situation.
The problem was that spirits didn't live just anywhere.
Especially indoors, where humans constantly came and went, summoning spirits was difficult.
If I could get outside, I could call the earthbound spirits tied to the land…
A way for a helpless infant to get some outside air.
There was really only one.
I twisted my head and saw the servant caring for me.
She couldn't be more than twenty. An inexperienced nursemaid named Janice.
No choice.
After some thought, I made up my mind.
No useless pride. I'd make full use of the only weapon I had.
"Waaahhhhhh!"
I started wailing at the top of my lungs.
"Phew, you've finally stopped crying. Young master, did you want to see outside that badly?"
It was the result of three straight hours of screaming.
I ignored the bottle shoved into my mouth, the hands checking my diaper, even the careful massage—
"Look. Isn't it beautiful? They call this the 'Garden of Silver White,' the pride of House Kircheis. You were born into such a powerful family."
At last, I was carried outside in the nursemaid's arms.
The pure white inner garden was breathtakingly splendid.
Completely out of place for the warmth of the current season.
Did they decorate the entire estate with magic from top to bottom?
Otherwise, there was no explaining the snow-white blossoms resting on every broadleaf tree.
An absurd amount of mana was being wasted.
But something even more extravagant caught my eye.
What's that? A whale?
High in the sky, beneath the clouds.
A massive shape drifted leisurely, and my small body trembled.
A gigantic vessel sailed through the air like it was swimming.
"That's House Kircheis's airship. Amazing, right?"
"..."
Back in the expedition's era, launching something like that would've drawn curses for wasting mana.
Clearly, a very long time had passed.
Let's hurry.
Cradled in Janice's arms, I focused my will.
I pictured the formula for Possession-Link in my mind.
A trait stirred deep within my body.
「The Eye of Transcendence opens.」
Traits were innate gifts of the soul.
For a brief moment, I seized the surrounding mana and bent it to my will.
The instant my will projected outward—
「Summoning spell 'Possession-Link' activated.」
Whoooosh!
A whirlwind roared up.
So fierce that Janice shrieked and turned in alarm.
Then voices echoed.
[Little human child, was it you who called us?][That immature thing?][How fascinating!]
The earthbound spirits dwelling in the garden revealed themselves.
I replied quickly.
Yes, I called you. I have questions.
[Before that, will you share a little mana with us? As payment for answers.][Hungry. Contract! Let's make a contract!]
What…?
Earthbound spirits normally wanted nothing from mages.
Bound to the land, they absorbed natural mana in abundance.
If anything, they clung to talented mages to offer mana.
Then why are they asking for this?
As the question formed, the Eye of Transcendence expanded on its own.
Thoughts sparked through my mind, examining dozens of possibilities.
The answer came quickly.
It's because of this garden. There's a magic circle buried underground collecting green mana to keep the decorative spells running constantly.
To maintain such a vast garden, they had to siphon natural mana.
No wonder the earthbound spirits were starving.
Cruel. Arrogant.
Fitting for Ulrikh's house.
He'd treated spirits as familiars yet never valued spirit arts.
If the earthbound spirits were like this, the spirits within the house must be worse off.
Wait. Then—
That actually works in my favor.
A good idea surfaced.
There was a way to use this situation to summon a higher existence.
Maybe even that one.
"All right, time to go back inside for milk. Babies shouldn't stay out too long."
As Janice turned toward the mansion, I detonated a single mana particle infused with my trait.
[...!]
The earthbound spirits all flinched.
Like perfume sprayed into the air, proof of my talent spread everywhere.
Every earthbound spirit would feel it.
The powerful trait I possessed.
My plan was simple.
Want to make a contract with me? Then come find me.
I'd spread the word using their obsession with talented mages, then choose the best among those who gathered.
My plan worked perfectly.
It happened that very night.
[Here? Is this the room where the child lives?][Seems like it. I can smell delicious mana already.][Have some dignity! What are exalted guardian spirits doing like this?]
Lying in my crib, I quietly opened my eyes.
The vivid presences brushing my senses made sleep impossible.
A smile spread across my face.
Hook, line, and sinker.
The room was packed to bursting.
So many spirits I couldn't count filled every corner, staring at me.
[Ohhh! He's awake!][That little one. His eyes are extraordinary.][Contract with me! Quickly!]
Reactions exploded like fireworks when I blinked.
It was almost overwhelming.
These weren't earthbound spirits.
Those had been hazy, like heat shimmer.
Bound to the land, unable to travel far without contracts.
But the spirits gathered here had distinct forms and had come to my room.
Beings of a higher order.
[We are the guardian spirits who once protected this Kircheis Castle.][High spirits who safeguarded buildings and important figures.][All in the past now. Damn it.]
Guardian spirits.
Like the earthbound ones, they'd been reduced to this state.
Even the house's guardians neglected…
So much had changed.
[Ahem! I, for one, guarded that splendid chapel—][Wait your turn! I protected the central research tower—][Out of the way! I stood watch at the main gate—]
They began advertising themselves.
But just as I felt disappointed not seeing that one—
[Silence! All of you, step back!]
[Oh, the King has arrived.][Then we must yield.]
The noisy guardian spirits fell silent and vanished like smoke.
It was as if a small sun had walked into the room and erased all the starlight.
That overwhelming heat. That presence.
I twisted my lips in a grin.
You came.
The one I'd been waiting for.
Eyes burning with brilliant golden flame looked down at me.
[Hmmm. You have a soul that draws me in. In any case, you shall be my contractor. If you wish to become head of the Kircheis house.]
The last spirit to appear arrogantly spoke of leading the family.
But it was justified.
The eternal firebird, symbol and emblem of House Kircheis.
The great guardian who ruled over all others.
[My name is Hierenirn. I have guarded Kircheis longer than any. Make a contract with me. At once!]
His tone was as arrogant as if he were the All-Master himself.
But it was laughable.
I knew him far too well—
Long time no see, Hieren. You've grown. Feels like yesterday you were Ulrikh's little pink chick.
[Huh…?]
I knew Ulrikh's familiars very well.
And I could never forget this phoenix.
He'd abandoned the expedition and fled in the final moment.
You don't remember me, do you? I'll make you remember.
[—Keh!]
I reached out my tiny hand—
and grabbed Hierenirn by the neck.