Volume 5 Chapter 197, After Transmigration_1

Translator: Nonon

Proofreader: Silavin

 

I came down with a fever once and a strange woman nursed me back to health. She was beautiful, though her attire was new to me. She also had pointy ears which was a rather unique physical trait.

As I was slowly coming to, my eyes fell on a woman unknown to me in tears, calling out my name in relief.

 

…Who are you?

 

We must know each other if she can call my name out so casually. But sadly, I had no idea who she was.

And I also found something off with my body. Not because of the fever, but I felt like I couldn’t move as I wished. I lifted my arm to take a look at my hand, in an effort to find out what was wrong with the body I’d lived in for over twenty years. I was faced with a small hand I’d never before seen in my life.

Whose hand is this, looking so small like a child’s? Despite everything, I did realize that the hand was attached to my own arm and I was the one moving it.

Forget everything else, who am I? She called me Clo which is very similar to my actual name, Kuro Ishiki. Born in Japan, I was living with my happy-go lucky Sister, ■■ ,eight years younger to me. I was living my best life as a pattern maker, working at a company my designer friend dreamed of creating and actually succeeded in doing so and—

 

“…Huh?”

 

And, I died.

◆

 

At the young age of three years, I immediately realized what was going on.

I couldn’t recall what led to my death, but I seemed to have been reincarnated into this world with memories of my past life, just like what happens in comics. I couldn’t accept my new reality for the first two weeks and the fact that I wouldn’t be able to see my Sister or my Parents anymore made me quite depressed. And my mental anguish put my new Parents and Siblings in a difficult position.

Magic, rather than science, was used in this world to make daily life more convenient and even beasts, uh, monsters exist. I was born as the third son of a Noble in a certain country.

Wondering why I’d retained memories of my past life, I figured maybe I’d gotten some kind of cheat sheet like in the isekai stories I’d read before. But that wasn’t the case at all!  I hardly had an aptitude for magic nor did I possess any special abilities. Actually, my maid (Canary, an elven slave) started to worry about me as I tried various things to figure out if I had any special powers. Thanks to that incident, she still shoots me a look of doubt every now and then.

And so I landed on the idea of using knowledge I’d gained living twenty plus years in a different world to make big money in this world, but… I soon realized that I’d only ever been an end user and as such wouldn’t be able to recreate anything here.

 

“…I guess I’ll just accept my fate and enjoy life in this world.”

 

Having resolved my mind, I tried to get more accustomed to life here.

Though it did cross my mind that there were quite a lot of good-looking men, it never occurred to me that I was in the world of an otome game.

What created the spark of doubt in me was the news of the birth of the Third Prince. His name was Vermillion Randolph. It struck me that it was the name of the male protagonist from the otome game with fighting and magic that my Sister loved playing, called, ‘When the Ring of Fire is Lit, the World is Painted Red.’

Honestly, I felt that something was off. It was more of a, ‘I feel like I’ve seen this premise in a game…,’but I never could remember which one. However, the news of his birth got the ball rolling and I started remembering more and more details from the game. Stuff about the academy, the future of this world and the identity of the unknown female protagonist.

So, am I allowed to act like someone who transmigrated into a game world I witnessed in my past life?

Scenarios like the following unfolded in the isekai stories I’d read before. Someone reincarnates as the villain and their plans get thwarted by the protagonists and their frequent encounters make them fall for the villain. Someone reincarnates as a minor character and makes a harem with the female protagonist and the other love interests. Some try not to do villain things even if they’re reincarnated as a villain. I wonder if I can act the same way.

I remember the female protagonist & characters were quite petite and cute, as for the villainess… she had a piercing gaze and I’m fairly sure the curtain closes on her character somewhere off-screen. There were other characters like a female assassin, the male protagonist’s childhood friend, who was a knight in training and other characters who all formed a very diverse group.

 

…Wait a minute, the fact that His Highness has been born now means we won’t be attending the 3-year academy together, right?

 

Besides all I know about the female protagonist is that she’s from somewhere in the sticks and that the villainess was the daughter of a duke. It’s unlikely that someone of my standing, a son of a baron, would ever cross paths with her.

…Alright, I should be careful who I deal with here. Because based on what route you chose, you could get seriously injured or even die in the game.

 

“Um, Lord Clo. I found this sheet of paper in your room and it has some strange writing…”

 

Canary cautiously brought up the notes she had found, that I had written down in Japanese and it held everything I recalled about the game so far. This incident changed her gaze of doubt to one of concern. I figured she was worried for my mental health. She was terribly mistaken.

Unrelated, but I really wish I could taste miso. I did find something similar here, but I could really go for some miso soup right now. Preferably the white kind.

 

I was five when I felt that my education was becoming more rigorous.

I had no clue what society was like for Nobles. I had no confidence I’d fit in either but it did not escape me that I lived a privileged life as I’m able to receive education at such a young age. I’m sure it’s something I should be grateful for.

Be that as it may, they should allow me some time to do my own thing. I used my allowance to buy some thread and fabric to secretly sew in my free time. I also played with the kids in my territory when I had the chance.

My Father later chastised me, saying that neither sewing nor playing with plebian kids were very aristocratic of me, but I ignored him and chose to carry on. But realizing that I could get the other kids in trouble, I tried to show some restraint.

 

“My dear boy Clo, I do wish you wouldn’t be so rowdy. But I will say you’re exceptionally good at looking after your Grandma.”

 

That is what my Mother told me.

…Hm, that’s exactly it. I’m trying my best not to act more mature so they wouldn’t be weirded out if they notice the difference between my physical and mental age.

It wasn’t that this was my real nature. I’m just trying to keep my head down. That’s all there is to it. Maybe I’m just acting my physical age.

Also, I wanna have some chocolate.

 

 

I was eight when I grew to dislike my Parents, Oldest Brother and Sister.

I thought Parents weren’t all they were cracked up to be or rather mine didn’t amount to much, but I later learned that their behavior wouldn’t be considered all that normal even here.

I made an appearance for all my lessons and meals and mingled with the other Nobles during tea parties hosted by my Older Brothers and discussed current affairs and the education system in the kingdom.

Still, I did realize I had it much better now than in my past life where I had a Mother who thought she’d done her duty simply by putting a roof over our heads and sending us enough money to live on. A Father who hooked up with my Mom despite having a Wife.

My current Father did say things like, ‘Make more connections that will help our house prosper!’ He’d introduce girls of higher standing to me and ask me to, ‘Make nice.’

My Mother would often say this when she tucked me in, ‘You’ve inherited my robust health and cavalier spirit huhuhu…’ My Mother, for some reason, sometimes spoke about her children like they were an extension of herself…

 

“So, you have toxic Parents?”

 

“…Allow me to refrain from commenting on that.”

 

“Does that mean you agree?”

 

“I suppose my silence would be construed that way.”

 

I was right after all. She couldn’t speak on their behalf. But they were doing their part in raising me, so I shouldn’t complain.

Also I’m not sure if it’s because of my Parents’ influence on them, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen my siblings smile. What’s more, I’ve noticed a change in how they perceive me. Although my two younger siblings are still fond of me as I play with them.

I realized just recently that Canary was a rather clumsy person. Not just in her behavior but she also was not the best at a lot of things.

I’ve spent the most time with her since I came to this world and find it quite comfortable being with her but it does worry me that she’ll get herself fired. She’s pretty, and I’m not sure if that’s because of my Father’s preferences. However she did seem clueless regarding matters of the world.

I really wanted to have sashimi but I’ve accepted that I won’t get to eat a lot of my favorite food.

 

It was when I had started mingling at tea parties. I became acquainted with a number of Nobles as well. Though I could never get used to their attitudes.

Thanks to my Father’s weird connections I was able to take part in many different parties but we were often looked down upon. I wasn’t sure if that was because of our lower standing as a Baronet Family or our not so fine reputation.

As such I was rather certain I wouldn’t be able to make friends with such people, but kindred spirits can be found anywhere. I became friends with a boy and girl, both my age.

The girl, Maroon, was a petite halfling and the Third Daughter of a Count. The boy, Buff, I crossed paths with when I showed off my physical strength (tree climbing) and he was Second Son of a Viscount. Our encounter was pretty mundane but we became close enough that whenever we met during tea parties we’d hang out together.

Since we were the same age, we’d be attending the academy together as well. And that made me look forward to going to the academy for the first time. The present timeline pre-dates the game, before the protagonist and the other characters resolved a lot of issues plaguing the academy. Like the divide between the nobles and commoners  and other weird customs so I wasn’t exactly filled with excitement at the prospect of enrolling… but I was looking forward to learning magic.

 

 

“You’ve made friends with kids from a Count and Viscount Family? Good job, Clo!”

 

Said my Father, but I made up my mind to ignore him.

I don’t know why it sounded like he’d never expected me to make any connections and I’d surprised him. Probably just in my head.

 

It was when Raven was in his final year at the academy and Gen had just enrolled that I met the male protagonist.

I came across His Highness Vermillion and Chartreuse(?) at a tea party.
They had a huge throng of people surrounding them so I could barely catch a glimpse. From what I could see, even with the plastered smile on his face, and bearing a bored expression like he’d already seen everything the world had to offer, Ash was still a pretty boy.

So these are the boys that will grow up to become friends with the female protagonist, jump into the lake, defeat the dragon and carry the future of this country on their shoulders…

I’ll pray that the bad ending that puts the whole country’s fate in danger never comes to pass. Enjoy your youth to its utmost.

 

“Your Highness, you’re…”

 

“Oh it’s you again, Ver–… it’s…?”

 

“No… I wouldn’t dream of it…”

 

Both Buff and Maroon were otherwise engaged so I was killing time observing, from afar, His Highness making conversation with someone.

Are they quarelling…? The girl seemed to say something to which His Highness responded with an exasperated sigh.

If she can talk down to His Highness, she must be of pretty high standing.

She had long, pretty violet hair, part of which was in a braid. I couldn’t make out her face, but wait… those features were surely…?

I sensed something was off, but both of them left together somewhere and I had to regroup with Maroon and Buff so I soon forgot what came to the surface of my mind.

But I have to say…

 

…she was so graceful.

 

That was the impression she left on me. She looked a little worked up but she still carried herself with elegance. Something I sort of admired.

 

It was just before I was set to join the academy. Canary attacked me.

She wasn’t after my life, but my body. My Father had apparently ordered her to sleep with me.

She swiftly restrained my hands to the bed with handcuffs and stripped all of her clothing. She was pale throughout except for the mark of a slave she bore on her stomach and she was beautiful with barely any blemishes.

When I asked her why she was doing all this, she told me that Gen, who had enrolled in the academy a little earlier than considered usual, was still awkward around women which had made it harder for him to find a partner. My father apparently didn’t want me to end up the same way so he had sent over Canary to get me more used to women.

If Canary had any feelings for me… I’d start with persuading her to uncuff me and let this incident slide and gradually build a relationship based on love and not just trust.

 

“Mind your own business! If you try anything like this again, I’ll be sure to burn this whole place to the ground!”

 

All my bottled resentment bubbled to the surface and I grabbed my Father by his lapels and screamed in his face.

My Mother didn’t lose her temper but broke down in tears. There was much commotion among the servants but none of them tried to stop me.  Calsba and Clee, who were still at home as they were still too young to be schooled, looked thoroughly shaken.

Normally, my Father would have shouted back at me and it would have turned into a bitter quarrel. But seeing my bloodied hands that were supposed to be cuffed, he must have realized that I’d forcefully snapped the thin, metal post on my bed to free myself and had broken down the door that was closed shut with magic, with nothing but my bare hands and feet. So he promised that it wouldn’t happen again.

 

“… Does this mean I have no value as a woman either?”

 

After I refused her advances, Canary was convinced that it was because I’d found her unattractive that I even put up such a fight with my Father. It made her break down and she shut herself up in her room. I had to console her somehow.

Canary was more than attractive. Even someone inexperienced like me could see that much.

She was tall, fair-skinned and small-bosomed with a well-proportioned figure. Though a bit clumsy, she had a graceful gait and was a very beautiful woman. And any type of clothing would look stunning on her. Bigger bosoms have their own appeal and it’s very rewarding to fit them into any design but if you’re not careful it’s very easy to make them look unshapely. But Canary on the other hand, was tall and small-bosomed which would make her look dropdread gorgeous in any dress.

 

“Ah, ahh… all of that is praise… I assume?”

 

I told her that, as a pattern maker, I found her a very attractive woman and that’s why I made her clothes sometimes.

Long, slender legs. Very unique, prettily pointed ears. Long, beautiful hair, canary yellow in color. Her hands, likely moisturized using the hand cream I’d lent her, though a bit rough from repeating chores due to frequent blunders, were still pretty and I considered their unladylike appearance to be a proof of effort. And that was what I’d wanted to tell her.

But, for some reason, I couldn’t get through to her. I wonder why.

 

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Canary

• Hair and eyes, canary yellow in color.
• Maid of Heartfield Family (Slave purchased from a neighboring country).
• An innocent elf employed to deal with Clo’s eccentricity.
• Inept and unable to do even the basics of most chores, she had been passed down from one Family to another and was almost fired by the Heartfields, before taking on the role of Clo’s caretaker.
• She feels gratitude towards Clo as he is the reason she was able to stay at the Heartfields.