Let's sort things out a bit.
First,
He's an ancient dragon who used the reincarnation technique to travel from the distant past to the present.
His body bears a curse and a secret art.
The curse makes him detested by every being in this world.
The secret art slows his magic power recovery, but in exchange, it allows him to escape the
Why did he receive such a curse and come to the present?
It stems from the first Dragon God being killed by the Man-God.
All Dragon Gods after the second exist solely to defeat the Man-God, and defeating him is the ancient dragons' deepest wish.
Therefore, Orsted, the first Dragon God's son, is trying to defeat the Man-God.
"So, that's the gist of it, right?"
"Exactly. You catch on quickly, that helps."
"So, approximately how long ago were you reincarnated?"
"Let's see... about 2000 years ago from now."
Two thousand years... He's been alive for a long time.
I think it lines up, but something still nags at me.
Hmmm, what's bothering me?
For example, the point about magic power not recovering.
Orsted should have been able to use something like that magic absorption summoning spell Pergius used.
If he absorbed power that way, wouldn't the magic problem be solved...? No, if he could, he would have done it.
You can't necessarily stock the magic absorbed by that summoning spell directly inside your own body...
Hmmm.
What about Orsted's intense hostility toward the Man-God?
Having his father killed is reason enough, but the hatred seems almost too strong.
His obsession with his father feels faint.
"From my perspective, you seemed to hold a deep grudge against the Man-God. What about that?"
"Is there anyone who doesn't hold a grudge against that scum?"
"...Fair enough."
Well, Orsted has lived a long time too. He must have been outmaneuvered by the Man-God countless times.
Even if he can't see him, he can probably deliver messages.
Ah, maybe Orsted's situation is also because the first Dragon God and the Man-God had a conflict.
There are still things I don't fully understand, but that's probably enough about Orsted himself.
For whatever reason, he has a reason to fight the Man-God.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Besides, there are still other things I want to ask.
--- Regarding Laplace's Factor "The other day in that fight, you mentioned I possess Laplace's factor. What does that mean?"
"How much do you know about Laplace?"
"He's the person who started the war 400 years ago and pushed humanity to the brink.
He also possesses an enormous amount of total magic power and cannot wrap himself in fighting spirit.
He was incredibly powerful but was sealed by Pergius and two others.
...And he framed the Human-God Race, I suppose."
I've heard various other things, but that's about it.
"That's all?"
"Also, that he'll be resurrected soon."
"Did you hear that his resurrection is because he used the dragon race's reincarnation technique?"
"Um. No, I don't think so... Ah, no, I think the Man-God did say something like that... Was that wrong?"
My memory is hazy either way.
Reincarnation technique again.
"You... no... I'll have you tell me later in detail what you discussed with the Man-God and what he fed you."
"Yes."
"For now, we're talking about Laplace."
The mention of Laplace made
Both Eris and I were friends with Luijerd.
Laplace was Luijerd's enemy.
His enemy is our enemy.
So I understand why the mention of Laplace makes us tense.
But I need to stay calm.
Getting angry is Eris's job; calming her down is mine.
"The true identity of the 'Demon God Laplace'... he is what remains of the 'Demon Dragon King Laplace'."
Orsted stated it clearly, without beating around the bush.
"Demon Dragon King?"
"Yes, he was once a member of the dragon race."
Laplace is the Demon Dragon King?
He was a dragon?
But he's the Demon God, right?
"The Demon Dragon King Laplace is a survivor of the original Five Dragon Generals."
The Five Dragon Generals.
If I recall, they were five subordinates of the Dragon God who ultimately fought the Dragon God five-on-one and ended in a draw.
"He escaped the collapsing Dragon World, carrying a certain mission, and wandered this world. As the second Dragon God."
Dragon King, Dragon God, Demon God.
Wait a minute, this is getting tangled.
My head's going to explode.
"He honed techniques and skills to defeat the Man-God. He called himself the Dragon God, passed his techniques to the talented, and spent ages developing them. He did this so that I, sent to the future as the strongest dragon, could receive that power."
The strongest? Said by himself?
"However, during the Second Human-Demon War, Laplace fought the Fighting God, who had become the Man-God's apostle, and his soul was split in two."
I think I heard that story somewhere.
The story about the Golden Knight Aldebaran fighting the Demon Emperor.
According to Shizuka, it was the Dragon God fighting the Fighting God...
If the Dragon God is Laplace and the Fighting God is Aldebaran...
Then Laplace fought on the demon side?
"The Laplace that was split in two lost his memories, becoming the 'Demon God' who detests human existence, and the 'Technique God' who seeks to overthrow God."
That's where the Demon God appears.
And the Technique God.
The Technique God is supposedly the strongest among the Seven World Powers...
"Huh? So the Technique God is also Laplace?"
"That is correct."
I feel like I'm hearing something outrageous right now.
Is it okay for me to be hearing this?
There's too much information, I'm getting tangled.
The Dragon God is the first, Orsted is his son, Laplace is the second...
Oh.
So this is it.
First, the first Dragon God sent Orsted to the future to defeat the Man-God.
Laplace was a Five Dragon General, but he either didn't oppose the first Dragon God or noticed the Man-God's schemes and rejoined his ranks.
The first Dragon God died, and Laplace survived.
Laplace traveled the world, passing on techniques to successive Dragon Gods and honing his skills, intending to teach Orsted.
The Man-God used the Fighting God to interfere.
Laplace, luckily... or perhaps intentionally, I don't know, lost his memories but survived by becoming two beings.
Is that right?
I'm not confident it is.
Was I always this stupid?
"Hmph...!"
Glancing at Eris beside me, she had her mouth in a firm frown, looking frustrated.
She didn't understand a thing.
Good, I feel a bit relieved.
Orsted's explanation continues.
"The 'Demon God' Laplace, who had lost his dragon powers.
He only retained the purpose of having to kill 'humans' and his vast magical knowledge. Therefore, he rallied the demon race to exterminate the 'human race.' The 'Technique God' Laplace, who had lost his magic.
He vaguely retained only his vast array of techniques and the purpose of having to pass them on to someone. Thus, the Technique God created the 'Seven World Powers' and dedicated himself to honing those skills."
The Seven World Powers were created by the Technique God.
I've heard this before.
He's number one, after all.
Wait, but the Human-Demon War was over 2000 years ago, wasn't it?
"...How did you, Lord Orsted, learn that?
If you came here 2000 years ago, the Second Human-Demon War should have already ended.
That means Laplace had already lost his memories...
In that case, wouldn't no one know?"
"I read Laplace's notes in an ancient dragon ruin."
"Ah, I see."
So he left records before losing his memories.
The irony is that the memory-less Laplace couldn't find them himself.
"Now, let's get back to why you have magic power."
"Yes."
"The first Dragon God created the reincarnation technique.
A method to send one's soul to the future, possess another living creature, and resurrect."
"..."
The reincarnation technique.
Possess another living creature... That nags at me a bit.
"However, originally, a body and soul are a unique pairing. If you parasitize a different body, rejection occurs, and resurrection fails."
"..."
"Therefore, the first Dragon God came up with the idea of implanting his factor in several individuals. When those people had children, it would slightly alter their physical bodies."
"..."
"After hundreds, thousands of generations, by remodeling the entire body of that species, he aimed to create a vessel that matched his soul."
"..."
"When the body remodeled by the 'factor' perfectly matched the soul, reincarnation would occur.
The soul would take over the body that was originally supposed to be born, and it would be born in that guise.
Several of the ancient dragons have transitioned to this era via that reincarnation technique.
Pergius is one of them.
Mind you, because he reincarnated as a child with only hazy memories, he doesn't remember his past life."
Reincarnation takes over the body originally destined for the soul, and is born in its place.
At those words, I looked at my own hands.
I too am a reincarnator.
Did I steal the life of the person named
"Hey, are you listening?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. I'm fine."
When I came to, Orsted's face was peering at me.
He looked at my face for a moment, then let out a breath.
"Let's return to the topic. We're talking about why you have magic power."
"Yes."
"The first Dragon God created the reincarnation technique.
It's a method to send one's soul to the future, possess another living creature, and resurrect."
"..."
Reincarnation technique.
Possess another living creature... That nags at me a bit.
"However, originally, a body and soul are a unique pairing. If you parasitize a different body, rejection occurs, and resurrection fails."
"..."
"Therefore, the first Dragon God came up with the idea of implanting his factor in several individuals. When those people had children, it would slightly alter their physical bodies."
"..."
"After hundreds, thousands of generations, by remodeling the entire body of that species, he aimed to create a vessel that matched his soul."
"..."
"When the body remodeled by the 'factor' perfectly matched the soul, reincarnation would occur.
The soul would take over the body that was originally supposed to be born, and it would be born in that guise.
Several of the ancient dragons have transitioned to this era via that reincarnation technique.
Pergius is one of them.
Mind you, because he reincarnated as a child with only hazy memories, he doesn't remember his past life."
Reincarnation takes over the body originally destined for the soul, and is born in its place.
At those words, I looked at my own hands.
I too am a reincarnator.
Did I steal the life of the person named Rudeus Greyrat?
"Hey, are you listening?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. I'm fine."
When I came to, Orsted's face was peering at me.
He looked at my face for a moment, then let out a breath.
"Let's return to the topic. We're talking about why you have magic power."
"The Demon God Laplace had already lost his sanity, but he must have remembered the reincarnation technique, or perhaps left documents somewhere. Before being defeated by Pergius and the others and having his body sealed, he scattered his factors and sent his soul to the future."
"..."
"And now, individuals bearing Laplace's factor and possessing similar traits are beginning to appear one after another. Those with high magic power and magical talent, with green hair, or born with demon eyes, for instance."
High magic power and magical talent.
Green hair.
Excluding the demon eyes born with them, one person fits the description.
"Could it be...
"Yes. Sylphiette is one of them as well. Though her hair is white for some reason..."
"She's not Laplace himself, right?"
"Of course not. He couldn't become a woman."
I feel a little relieved.
But thinking about it, the most suspicious one isn't Sylphie.
"Then what about me?"
"You likely are too. A body capable of containing that much magic power wouldn't normally be born."
"...I thought I trained my magic power myself."
"Of course you did. Your body simply had the inherent potential to contain that much magic.
If you hadn't trained your magic in childhood, you'd have ended up only slightly above average.
Same as Sylphiette.
That vast magic power is the fruit of your effort. Be proud of it."
I feel praised.
Should I be proud?
"So, um, I'm not Laplace, right?"
"No. Laplace won't be born for a while yet."
I see.
Anyway, hearing that I'm not Laplace is a relief.
Understanding the source of my magic power also puts me at ease.
Having Laplace's power might make me feel a little bad towards Luijerd, but...
Well, power is power.
How you use it is what matters.
But what really concerns me is something else.
"..."
Orsted looked at me silently for a while, then...
Sighed as he spoke.
"Relax. About you being a reincarnator... the name Rudeus Greyrat does not exist in my memories."
"...Meaning?"
"Having Laplace's factor means possessing a powerful magical aptitude from birth.
A body capable of containing a total magic power like yours might be too much for a soul to endure."
"Too much to endure?"
"...The original probably was stillborn. You slipped into that place."
Stillborn.
Oh, is that so?
Then it's okay.
If I didn't kill the original Rudeus, then it's okay.
I don't want to think I stole a life filled with so much happiness.
There was no history of
Then it's okay.
Right.
Let's move forward.
I am Paul and Zenis's child, Rudeus.
The one and only Rudeus Greyrat.
With that awareness, I'll move to the next question.
--- Regarding the Teleportation Incident "I heard the teleportation incident was caused by the Seven Stars being summoned. May I ask for more details?"
"...There's still much we don't understand about that incident. This is unprecedented for me too."
"I'm a reincarnator, and I was at that location. So I think it's possible I might have caused that incident..."
"You...?"
Hearing that, Eris grabbed my thigh.
I looked, and Eris was looking at me, shaking her head slightly.
I patted her reassuringly—I stroked Eris's butt.
That firm yet muscular butt was incredibly attractive, and my thigh hurt, hurt, hurt!
"I cannot deny that possibility.
Whether it was the Seven Stars or you or the teleportation incident itself, nothing like this has happened before."
I thought the flesh was going to be torn from my thigh.
Looking at Eris, she glared at me with a face that practically screamed, "We're having a serious conversation right now!"
I'm glad she can read the atmosphere.
Anyway, so it's unknown what caused the teleportation incident.
The Seven Stars had some weird theory, but... well, that's fine for now.
--- Regarding the Future Alright, I think that's enough questions for now.
If I ask too much more, my head will explode.
It's already on the verge of exploding.
"...For the record, I do have information about the future."
"Is that so?"
"Um, please look at this."
Saying that, I handed Orsted the future diary.
Orsted opened it and flipped through a few pages.
Then, frowning slightly, he looked up.
"It'll take a while. Your handwriting is messy too."
"It's fine..."
Is my handwriting really that bad?
The Seven Stars said so too.
Well, it's a diary, so messy is fine, yeah.
But... I should be careful with writing meant for others to see.
"Oh, right. Before that, may I confirm one more thing?"
"What is it?"
Should I ask this?
I feel like I'm getting carried away because Orsted is being surprisingly kind.
"I, well, I—"
"You don't need to be so formal."
"I will become your, Orsted-san... Lord's, subordinate. Is that correct?"
"............Yes. As long as that is your intention."
"And, well, this is very difficult to say..."
I glance briefly at Eris, then speak.
"Regarding the terms of employment?"
"Terms... of... employment...?"
"Yes. I am also a husband and father, so periodically, if I could have some... time off, or rather, time to meet with my family, I would be... grateful. Yes."
Time off is important.
Everyone needs rest, no matter who they are.
Of course, once I decide to work, I intend to give it my all.
But you know.
Don't you need to periodically be reminded why you're working?
To see Lucy grow.
To help
To savor Lillia's cooking.
To sunbathe with my mom.
To do lewd things with Sylphie.
To do lewd things with
To do lewd things with Eris.
Right.
"That depends on you, Rudeus Greyrat."
"Ah, right."
Guess it's no go.
Sorry, Lucy, Daddy's gotta go earn some money.
I'll come back after defeating the Man-God and saving the world, so stay healthy and grow up good.
"But I am not Atrofus.
I won't separate you from the family you'd risk your life to protect.
I don't intend to drag you around for years... not at the moment, at least."
"Oh, really? That puts my mind at ease."
Sounds like I'll get time off.
Phew.
Good.
Being separated from everyone is tough, after all.
Even if I have to protect them, I want to be with them.
"Is there anything else you need?"
Orsted stared at me with those piercing eyes.
Can I make demands?
Is he angry?
No, no, it wouldn't be right to bring this up later.
There's no contract, so we need to set this straight from the start.
"...Is it really okay to make demands?"
"I will do what I can to accommodate."
Seriously?
Then it should be okay to demand a salary or something, right?
There shouldn't be any harm.
Money is ultimately responsibility.
Paying money means taking on responsibility.
Receiving money means bearing responsibility.
Work without money becomes irresponsible work.
Or something like that, I read in a manga.
I'm taking on the responsibility of serving Orsted.
As proof, perhaps it's acceptable to receive money from him.
"Well, you see...
With me not at home, our household loses one breadwinner.
I'm not exactly the top earner, but... when I fought you the other day, Lord Orsted, I used quite a bit, you know.
My savings... while there's still some leeway, they're running low.
And if my absence means one less dish for dinner...
We have growing youngsters in the house, you see."
"...So, you want money?"
"In a word, heh heh."
I flashed a deliberately vulgar smile to mask my embarrassment, and Orsted reached into his clothes.
He pulled out a dagger with an ornate scabbard.
No, a short sword, perhaps.
He thumped it onto the table.
"One of the 48 demon swords forged from the bones of the King Dragon Lord Kajact by the renowned demonic realm blacksmith Julian Hariscon.
The demon sword 'Finger Count'.
If you sold it, you could probably get around 100,000
Use it for immediate funds."
"O-Oh..."
100,000 Asura gold coins.
In this currency, one Asura gold coin is worth about 100,000 yen, so... let's see.
That's... ten billion yen!
Enough to live off without working my whole life.
You could probably even build a castle.
"Not enough?"
"N-No, not at all."
Crap.
What does this man intend to make me do for giving me something this valuable?
Ah, fight the Man-God.
...But I'm getting a little scared now.
Even so, for immediate funds, who would pay that much for a single sword?
An Asura royal?
Squeeze it out of Ariel's siblings?
"W-Well, exchanging something like this around here would be difficult, wouldn't it?"
"Hmm... That's true. In that case, perhaps this would be better?"
Saying that, Orsted pulled a leather pouch from his clothes.
He placed it carelessly on the table, and a sound like stones rubbing together came from inside.
I reached out and took the pouch, looking inside.
It contained numerous small, colorful, transparent stones.
Blue, red, green, yellow, black, and white.
"Are these... jewels?"
"Demon stones. Small, but I selected ones with color. If you sell them to a magical guild, you should get a lump sum."
Colored demon stones.
This many...
Unlike the demon sword, it won't build a castle, but it should be enough to live off for the next ten years or more.
Is it okay taking this much?
Thinking that, I glanced at Orsted's face.
"Need more?"
You'll give me more?
No, but...
Taking even more...
Somehow, it's scary.
"No... this is enough for now."
Saying that, I tucked the short sword and demon stones into my clothes.
Somehow, carrying dangerous goods makes me feel itchy.
Maybe I should have Eris hold the short sword...
"Now, I'm going to read this diary. What will you do?"
"Yes. I'll wait."
"It'll take a day."
"Ah... then what should I do? It's still early, but... shall we continue our conversation?"
"No, if you consider this diary important, you should read it first."
Whether it's important or not is tricky.
But I think it would be good for him to read it.
Orsted can see a rough outline of the future.
If he compares it with my diary, he might be able to figure something out.
"Then, I'll leave for today and come back again tomorrow."
"Yes."
"...Will you be staying here?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
And so, I left the hut and decided to head back home for now.
--- On the Way Home.
In the twilight, Eris walked a step ahead of me.
I've heard so many difficult things today.
My head feels heavy.
My tired head only wanted to think about the magnificent buttocks right in front of me.
Eris's butt is amazing.
A harmony of muscle and fat.
It's firm and bouncy.
It shows exactly where it should.
That must be what they call sexual appeal.
Eris wore bottoms that showed off her butt's line perfectly.
Truly wonderful lines.
You can tell it's about to burst out of them.
Spandex or leggings, I guess.
You don't see them much around here, but the material feels like some kind of leather, right?
No, that stretchiness might be cloth.
I'd know if I touched it.
Yes, I should touch it.
By touching it, I could exchange a moment of passing out for solving one of the world's mysteries.
Alright.
With Eris able to use Light Disturb, I'll show her I can use the Light Touch.
"Rudeus."
Suddenly, Eris turned around.
I hurriedly looked up.
"...You're still Rudeus, right?"
Eris's expression was its usual frown.
I vaguely understood she was talking about the reincarnation stuff.
"Yeah. I'm still me. Laplace's factor or whatever might be mixed in, but I'm not someone else."
"Then nothing changes from before, right?"
"That's the idea. We just learned something I didn't know, but nothing changes."
I said it without apologizing or making excuses.
Could Eris follow the earlier conversation?
Could she understand it?
To Orsted, reincarnation seems to be an everyday thing, and since I'd read sci-fi stories from my previous life, I somewhat understood.
But without any prior knowledge, could she understand what she just heard?
Well, Eris should be around twenty now.
She's not at an age where she can stay thoughtless forever.
Wanting Eris to stay a fool forever is just my selfish wish.
"Hmm."
Eris nodded in a way that said she either understood or didn't, then spoke.
"Should we keep it a secret from Sylphie and Roxy?"
"If possible, yeah. If we tell them, I'd rather do it myself."
Replying like that, Eris took two or three quick steps and stopped.
The setting sun fell directly behind her.
Her beautiful proportions became a silhouette against the backlight.
Her red hair, bathed in the sunset, glimmered like rubies.
Her sharp features and keen gaze still projected a strong presence, even in silhouette.
Beautiful.
"Then, hold my hand."
Eris held out her hand.
I took it without a word.
Unlike her beautiful appearance, her hand was calloused from the sword and a bit rough, very different from Sylphie's or Roxy's.
That hand was warm, strong, and enveloped my own.
I gripped it firmly and started walking.
Walking side-by-side with Eris again after so long felt inexplicably pleasant.