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Translator: uly
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Childhood Friend (2)
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In the noble society of the Reversal Hero Tale world, nothing was more important than chastity.
In great houses where bloodline equaled power, safeguarding the lineage's seed was the ultimate way to protect the family.
Some families obsessed over blood purity to such an extreme that they resorted to truly unethical methods—no further explanation needed on just how vital chastity was.
Especially for male superhumans, who were inherently weaker than females and whose only worth lay in impregnating women, this standard was strictly enforced upon them even more harshly.
Even in modern society, while the culture emphasizing male chastity had softened somewhat, it remained razor-sharp.
"I-I'm an outsider! Haven't you learned what happens when a man boldly reaches out to a woman?! Y-You vulgar thing!"
To hear "vulgar thing" from a total stranger—a ten-year-old kid, no less.
I'd just offered my hand in friendly greeting, only to get yelled at with her face flushed a deep crimson.
More baffling than infuriating.
Was this what passed for chastity education among the nobility? And what exactly did happen if a man reached out to a woman? Her over-the-top reaction had me more than a little curious.
No matter how much of a Reversal Hero Tale veteran I was, stuff like "what happens when a man reaches for a woman" never showed up in the game or the lore books.
No way I could've known.
Curiosity's a killer for veterans like me, so I pulled back my hand and asked the kid—who was fanning her tiny face with her even tinier hands, huffing and puffing, cheeks burning from either heat or embarrassment.
"What happens?"
"Wh-what?"
"What happens if I reach out to you?"
"Ugh...?! Y-You really don't know?"
"Handshakes aren't weird, are they?"
"Handshakes aren't weird... What the hell do they even teach at the Yang Family...?"
At my words, the kid's face turned deadly serious as she muttered to herself, then—for some reason—she fixed me with a gaze brimming with a sense of righteous obligation.
"Fine. Not knowing isn't bad. What matters is not trying to learn. In that sense, what you did was great. Recognizing your igno... um. What's that fancy word for not knowing stuff?"
"Ignorance?"
"That's it! Ignorance! ...Hah?! I-I knew that! I just blanked for a sec! Ahem! Anyway, recognizing your ignorance and trying hard to learn—that attitude is super good!"
"Hm. Got it."
The kid—who'd strung together big words well beyond her ten years to form that sentence—stared at me with eyes still full of that righteous fervor.
"So I'll tell you! The reason a man can't just reach out to a woman like this is..."
That inexplicable blaze in the kid's eyes stemmed from a burning desire to enlighten my ignorance.
Showing off your knowledge to someone asking questions? Impossible to resist.
Just as the kid's eyes sparkled and she prepared to lecture me on "why men can't reach out to women"...
"What's all this racket?"
A voice so frigid enough to draw frost sliced through the kid's words, echoing through the hall.
"Eek?! Y-Young master! Over here, quick!"
"Hm."
Step. Step. Not heavy footfalls, but those ordinary steps carried an overwhelming pressure that dominated everyone present.
The Wet Nurse, still dazed from my impulsive handshake with our diminutive guest, jumped in alarm and called for me. Even the kid—who'd been full of vim and vigor moments ago—froze stiff, at a total loss.
This was Yang Ga-jeong, matriarch of the Yang Family.
The sole person from this utterly unremarkable house—worthless by noble standards—who'd made a name for herself beyond its walls. This was her presence.
"Y-Young master...!"
"U-Ugh..."
"..."
With the Wet Nurse fidgeting anxiously and the kid squirming uncomfortably, I had no choice but to abandon hearing her answer and head back to my seat.
After all, the problem was me leaving my spot—returning would smooth everything over.
"Oh, Young Master Woo-bin! What on earth got into you all of a sudden?!"
I returned to my place beside the Wet Nurse, and sure enough, she began her relentless lecture about my sudden behavior.
Once her nagging started, it dragged on for days. A real headache.
Sigh. How long would this one last? In front of all these eyes, probably at least a month. That was gonna grate.
But against all odds, the Wet Nurse's scolding cut short surprisingly fast.
"Eek! M-Matriarch...!"
"Yang Woo-bin. You explain. What's this commotion about?"
Yang Ga-jeong had closed the distance in the blink of an eye, her mere footsteps silencing the nagging as she directed her question at me.
Her head fixed straight ahead, eyes glancing down at me—devoid of any maternal warmth in that gaze.
It felt utterly devoid of affection, like scrutinizing livestock bound for the slaughterhouse. Even though it had been ages since I'd had a chance to talk with my mother, there was zero joy in it.
If I weren't a reincarnator—if I were just some ordinary ten-year-old—I'd have been deeply hurt.
Lucky me, I thought inwardly, bowing my head slightly as I answered Yang Ga-jeong's question.
"I was taught to go greet an important guest upon their arrival, so that's what I did, Matriarch."
(I'd skipped the handshake part, but that omission would slide.)
"Don't act rashly. You bear the Yang bloodline—never forget that every action of yours represents the Yang Family."
She'd never had any real interest in me to begin with.
This question was just her playing the part: showing our guest the responsible matriarch coolly disciplining her errant son.
Once the perfunctory exchange wrapped up, the matriarch's gaze shifted from me to the kid.
"Hm. Lady of the Jin Family. A pleasure. I am Yang Ga-jeong, matriarch of the Yang Family."
"Ah, y-yes! Hello! I'm Jin Se-jeong, second daughter of the Jin Family. Pl-please take good care of me!"
Yang Ga-jeong beckoned with a light gesture of greeting, and the kid stiffened ramrod straight before bending at a perfect ninety degrees.
By my knowledge, the Jin Family outranked the likes of us Yangs by miles—why was she humbling herself like this? Kinda didn't add up.
In relations between noble houses, rank was everything. Normally, the lower rank bowed to the higher one.
The superhuman world was vast, but noble society—centered on the great houses—was tiny. Defy a superior house, and you'd get pummeled like a dog in every way imaginable.
In a superhuman society where might made right and order, that's just how it was.
Of course, she was the second daughter, and Yang Ga-jeong was a family head, so treating her as a superior was polite. But a full ninety-degree bow? That could nick her family's prestige a bit.
"I've heard the rumors. Awakened already at just ten? The Jin Family is truly blessed. Most enviable."
"...Th-Thank you!"
"Make yourself at home while you're here. Polishing your innate talent in the meantime wouldn't be a bad idea. Well, we've seen your face and exchanged greetings—I'll take my leave."
"Ah, yes! Thank you! Safe travels!"
Yang Ga-jeong—who'd popped up out of nowhere, given me a quick sharp reprimand, exchanged brief pleasantries with the kid—vanished just as abruptly.
She was busy, sure, but handling a VIP guest with such ruthless efficiency? The woman was more machine than human.
"Ah, um, let's unpack your things first! I'll show you to your room!"
"...Ah. Yes! Please do!"
The brief silence after Yang Ga-jeong's departure was shattered by the Wet Nurse, her nagging rudely interrupted.
She dashed over, hoisted the kid's suitcases in both hands, and the kid—who'd worn a pensive look—regained her earlier confidence and followed the Wet Nurse to the guest quarters.
I watched the kid's tiny figure dwarfed by all that luggage, lost in thought.
Awakened at ten... Impressively early. And from the Jin Family, one of the top-ranked houses to boot. What a genius we'd hosted. ...Though why such a prodigy had suddenly come here to play houseguest? Still a mystery.
As a Reversal Hero Tale veteran with encyclopedic knowledge of the noble houses—and their grim futures—I couldn't help but keep a sharp eye on Jin Se-jeong's every move.
How the hell did they squander a genius like that and still go under? Truly impressive.
The Jin Family: by the time the protagonist enters the academy at the story's start, they'd already collapsed in a spectacular and ruinous fashion.