"Please, God. Please, let this child be 'without mana'..."
(Wha... having no mana is a good thing?)
At his mother's words as she cradled him, the baby — Rest — blinked his tiny eyes in surprise.
The location was a temple in the center of town.
A red carpet ran down the middle of the vast sanctuary, and at its far end stood a statue of a winged goddess.
Rest was being held in a woman's arms — his mother — before that goddess statue.
(Aren't you supposed to want more mana? So why is she praying for none... what does that even mean?)
Rest tilted his newly upright head in puzzlement.
Despite being less than a year old, Rest already possessed a firmly established sense of self.
The reason was simple: Rest was a reincarnated person who retained memories from his past life.
He had the memories of a high school student who had lived in a country called Japan, and this was his second time around.
In his past life, Rest had not been blessed with good parents.
His father was a drunk — a textbook scumbag who wallowed in the swamp of gambling.
His mother was just as worthless. She had abandoned child-rearing altogether and spent her days fooling around with other men.
He had grown up in such miserable circumstances that surviving to high school age was nothing short of a miracle.
Even so, Rest's past life came to an abrupt end.
When he confronted his father for trying to dip into the tuition money he had earned from part-time work, a massive fight broke out — and he ended up stabbed to death with a kitchen knife.
Rest died cursing a life far too saturated with misfortune... but it seemed that God was actually real after all.
Before he knew it, Rest had been reincarnated into a world different from Earth, cradled in his mother's arms.
(I'm glad I was born to a kind mother... but it looks like my father was scumbag material in this life too) "Hurry up, will you? I'm busy over here."
The man who spat those words out impatiently stood a short distance away from Rest and his mother.
He was well-dressed but had a neurotic look about him, his hair slicked back and lacquered stiff with oil — this man was Rest's biological father.
"Don't make me waste my time over something as trivial as a mana diagnosis. Just get it over with already."
His father's face was twisted with displeasure as he spoke.
The man was undoubtedly Rest's father, but this was the first time they had ever laid eyes on each other.
That was because... his father was a noble, and his mother was a poor commoner.
His father had forcibly violated Rest's mother while she worked as a maid, resulting in her becoming pregnant with Rest.
After giving birth, the mother was given a pittance and thrown out of the estate, and she had raised Rest on her own as a single mother.
She worked at a bakery while raising her child, managing to scrape by — but just as Rest turned one, that man suddenly appeared.
The father had dragged mother and child to the temple and forced them to undergo a mana measurement conducted by the priest.
"Madam, if you would be so kind?"
The temple's priest extended both hands with a compassionate expression.
"Please hand the child over to me. It's all right — the Goddess is watching over us."
"Father Priest... I'm placing my trust in you."
The mother held out Rest with trembling hands. The priest received the infant with careful, gentle movements.
"Please, Goddess... Let this child have 'no mana'... Please, 'no mana'..."
After handing over her child, the mother pressed her palms together and prayed with desperate fervor.
Seeing her like that, Rest gave a solemn nod as well.
(Alright, Mom.)
Rest gathered a bit of focus, forcibly suppressing the mana flowing from his body.
Was this some kind of reincarnation bonus?
Rest had been born with immense mana, and had even mastered the art of controlling it.
(This should work. So don't cry.)
"Under the Goddess's grace, let us gaze upon the power of this blessed child. Eli Era Ildarna. O great Goddess of Radiance, I pray that bright light be cast upon this child's future..."
The priest holding Rest began chanting something like an incantation.
The Goddess statue glowed, and Rest's body was likewise enveloped in a faint light.
"I see..."
The light faded within a few seconds.
The priest offered a gentle smile and gave a deep nod.
"It would appear this child possesses no mana. He is 'without mana.'"
"What did you say...?"
The father furrowed his brow without any attempt to hide his displeasure.
He clicked his tongue loudly and pressed the priest.
"Even if he is the bastard child of some commoner woman, he still carries the blood of a court magician in his veins! You're not telling me you're lying because that woman asked you to, are you?"
"I swear upon the Goddess, nothing of the sort is happening."
The priest declared with certainty.
For him, a man of the clergy, the words "I swear upon the Goddess" carried tremendous weight.
Even the father, who had been wearing a suspicious expression, could press no further.
"...So crops won't grow in barren soil. What a colossal waste of time."
The father looked back and forth between Rest and the mother as though they were pieces of garbage.
"Had the child possessed sufficient mana, I was thinking of taking it in and raising it at the estate... but there is no use for a worthless piece of trash with no mana whatsoever. Do as you please with the child."
"Thank you, we will...!"
"Hmph."
The father pulled a small cloth pouch from his pocket and tossed it onto the floor.
It landed with a clink of metal. Gold coins, most likely.
"I'll leave that with you. You are not permitted to show your face at my estate, nor is that child permitted to claim to be my offspring. We shall never meet again... farewell."
Having unilaterally said his piece, the father strode out of the temple without a second glance.
"Rest...!"
The mother reclaimed her son from the priest and clutched him tightly to her chest.
"Thank you, Goddess... thank you so much...!"
"The Goddess is always watching. May blessings be upon this child."
As the mother wept tears of joy, the priest looked down at the tightly held infant and made the sign of the cross with a gentle expression.
(This is how it should have been... right, Mom?)
Though his face was slightly strained from the tight embrace, Rest managed a faint smile toward his mother.
He released the mana he had been holding back. Power surged up from the very depths of his body.
If Rest were to undergo a mana diagnostic now, the result would surely be entirely different from before.
"Father might be noble and all, but... I can't picture a future where I'd be happy being taken in by that man. Even if we're poor, being with Mom is so much better."
In his past life, he never received his parents' love.
But... in this life, he has a mother who prays to God and weeps for his sake.
His father seemed like just as much of a loser as in his past life... but still, this would be a far better life.
Rest closed his eyes contentedly, feeling the warmth of his mother's body.
——————————— Thank you always for supporting this work.
I've published two new novels, so if you're interested, please check them out as well.
• The Cursed Blade Magician Burdened with the nation's misfortunes and cast out to sea, he doesn't bother with revenge. Not caring about any of it, he strives to become the strongest.
• Legend of the Monkey King Reincarnated as a monkey, he builds a harem and lives life as he pleases.