If I get reborn—this time I want to walk the life I desire.
The
In a dungeon formed by the tangled roots of the
His black hair was slicked back with a comb.
His skin was a healthy, sun‑kissed tan.
Tall and muscular.
The youth’s vibe was rough and wild.
He climbed the twisted roots, and as the view opened up, a smile spread across his face.
That youth was the heir‑apparent of the Lautert family—the successor.
His name was Sergei Sara Lautert.
In the Republic of Alzer, where seven nations had united, the Lautert clan held a corner of the realm.
He was also the son of Alberk, who served as acting chairman.
«—Found you, Leria. Thanks.»
Wiping sweat from his cheek, the one who said thank you was Leria.
Both reincarnated from the Republic, Leria and Sergei were friends.
Their shared background as former Japanese made them close.
But unlike
Having been reborn without any knowledge, Sergei saw this world as pure sword‑and‑magic fantasy.
A world with airships and powered‑suit armor.
For Sergei, the whole «game this‑that» talk held no interest.
What interested him was the scenery right in front of him.
A ship hull of green‑tinged blue metal was coiled around the Sacred Tree’s roots.
The massive airship was actually an ancient airship—an ancient spaceship.
It had a blocky shape, and standing before this huge vessel, Sergei spread his arms wide.
«This is the real thrill of adventure!»
If you had to sum up Sergei, you could say he’s the exact opposite of Leon.
He isn’t struggling to survive, nor does he have family problems.
Still, Sergei is out here adventuring, hunting down the «paid‑item» equivalents from that otome game.
If Leon is passive, Sergei is proactive.
Same gender, same reincarnated soul, yet their personalities couldn’t be more different.
Sergei watched the monsters gathering around him.
Gripping his spear, he charged in with a boisterous battle cry.
He swung the spear, cutting down monster after monster.
«Come on, bring it on!»
Born with talent and trained as the next head of his house, Sergei was simply strong—and he loved getting stronger.
He kicked the monsters aside, got close to the spaceship, and started looking for a door.
Finding one, he pulled out a memo with the story Leria had told him, and entered the code into the control panel beside the door.
Blood from his battle wounds smeared onto the panel, helping to open the door.
«Whoa, it opened.»
When the door swung open, he stepped inside.
The interior was clean.
«I expected it to be a wreck, but it’s surprisingly tidy.»
As Sergei entered, a voice addressed him.
«—I’m surprised. Your genes show traces of the
«Who are you!?»
The voice greeted the spear‑wielding Sergei.
«Don’t be alarmed. I’m the AI controlling this transport ship. Normally I’d want to eliminate you, but—if you’re okay with it, would you become my master?»
«Master?»
The skeptical Sergei heard an electronic voice reply.
«Would you like to become the owner of this transport ship? No deep meaning behind it. I’d rather be used by you—a descendant of the Old Humanity—than by the
Sergei tilted his head.
«I don’t know anything about Old or New Humanity, but you’re saying there’s a reason, right? Do you even know what my goal is?»
«I do not. May I ask?»
Sergei thumped the floor with the tip of his spear and stood tall.
«My goal is to unite this country! A man should dream of unifying the world!»
The electronic voice paused, then sounded intrigued.
«If that’s true, it’s fascinating. I’ll guide you to the control room. Register as master there.»
«Thought you’d be disgusted, but you’re actually keen. You gave me a smug look when I mentioned acquaintances.»
«With me, that kind of dream can come true. The New Humanity has weakened a lot, so enemies should be few.»
«Sounds good. Then you—»
«
«Huh?»
«My name. I gave it myself.»
«Ideal—like ‘ideal’ or something?»
«Did you know?»
«I feel like I’ve read that in games or manga.»
Sergei’s knowledge mostly came from bits and pieces, not from serious study.
«Games, manga?»
«I’ll explain while we walk. My background? Nah, it’s faster to start from my previous life.»
Sergei expected Ideal to mock him, but the reaction was different.
«Reincarnation—interesting.»
«You’re not mocking? You’re an interesting fellow.»
«It seems after a long time, I finally have a wonderful master. May I have your name?»
«Sergei. Even here I’m a noble.»
«You were of the ruling class? That’s a bit surprising. I heard the ruling class in the Republic despises adventurers.»
Where did he hear that?
Sergei didn’t dig deeper.
«Thanks to that, I’m treated as a weirdo.»
And so Sergei met Ideal.
◇ Summer break.
How’s everyone doing?
I’m Leon Fou Bartfort, studying abroad in a far‑off foreign land. I’m a bit shy and kind‑hearted.
My modest personality shows in my looks—black hair, black eyes, and I don’t stand out.
Here I am, sitting cross‑legged on the floor.
My cheeks are flushed, I’m looking down, waiting for the storm to pass.
All I hear is the metallic‑colored, single‑eyed companion
«—For that reason, Master was hiding Noel. The dog named Noel mentioned in the email existed elsewhere. Shall I check the video data?»
Luxion is proceeding logically, while my fiancées are the ones looking confused.
Yes—«fiancées.» I actually have two.
And yet I brought a girl back to the dorm while studying abroad, and both of them caught me.
No excuse for this mess.
I have no right to say anything now.
Or rather, I can’t even ask anyone to believe me.
If the roles were reversed, I’d never forgive myself.
I’d run away crying after seeing the cheating scene.
Then I’d break up with her.
Pathetic? Yeah, that’s me—pathetic.
«R‑really? You can say nothing happened?»
I just nodded.
Luxion defended me.
«Please believe me. You both know how much I’m a wimp, right? Master can’t possibly pull off something as slick as getting a girl abroad.»
Wait—was that a compliment or an insult? Maybe I imagined it.
Libya, a plain‑looking girl with flaxen hair and blue eyes, looked sad. Don’t look at me with those eyes!
Even though I didn’t do anything wrong, I feel like apologizing.
«I’m sorry, that was a lie.»
«Don’t look at me like that, I’m apologizing.»
«I’m sorry.»
As I prostrate myself, Libya replies in a trembling voice.
«—I should be the one apologizing for slapping you. Leon‑san, please stand up.»
Angelica also grabs my arm, trying to pull me up.
«Sorry, I got hot‑headed. Come on, stand.»
I sniffle, try to get up, but my legs are numb.
«My legs are tingling, I can’t stand.»
Then another woman in the room, Noel Bertre, brings a chair.
Sister‑type—air gets weird again.
«Sit down.»
«U‑um, thanks.»
Dragging my numb legs to the chair, I see both Angelica and Libya glaring at Noel.
My brother Nix, who came to check on the chaos, looks a bit shaken.
«You really are an idiot.»
—Shut up. One day I’ll give you a chaotic scene too. Absolutely.
Angelica, hand on her hip, asks Noel.
«Luxion, who’s this woman?»
«Yes. She’s the shrine maiden of a Sacred Tree sapling.»
Earlier I explained that Noel was chosen as the shrine maiden of a Sacred Tree sapling—a sapling so useless it’s less useful than toilet paper.
When the two saw Noel, she lit up a crest on her hand.
It was the worst.
The same crest appeared on my right hand and Noel’s right hand, glowing.
Seeing that made the two even more furious.
Noel bowed and introduced herself.
«Um, nice to meet you. I’m Noel Bertre.»
Her twin‑tails puffed out.
Her blond hair with pink highlights gave her a gal‑like vibe.
«—A survivor of the Respinas family, huh? Should I say you’ve lived well?»
Angelica knew about the incident that happened in the Republic of Alzer, though not the details.
Libya was in trouble.
She wanted to blame Noel, but hearing Noel’s backstory made her feel sympathy.
She’s a kind girl.
«Leon‑san, I get why you hid her. But think about it—living with a man who already has a fiancée…»
Angelica agreed.
«Exactly. It might be okay in a mansion, but not in this house.»
Libya and I tilted our heads.
«Angelica, even a mansion wouldn’t work?»
«Mansion? That’s allowed?»
When I said that, Libya shot me a cold stare, so I looked away.
«What are you talking about? Anything besides your private room is public space.»
Libya was troubled, asking me for help.
«So, what’s up?»
«I don’t know either.»
My brother shrugged.
«Our noble house is more like a branch family, and the mansion was tiny, so we never thought about it.»
Angelica blushed a little at that.
«I‑I see. Sorry about that. But Leon is an earl. The Republic and even the embassy—why are they shoving us into such a small house?»
I looked at the house I’d moved back into.
A three‑story building, big enough for one person to live alone.
Pretty spacious.
—Turns out, the duke’s daughter really is a proper lady.
Different values.
Luxion explained the situation to Angelica.
«The prepared mansion was burned in an attack, so we had to come back here while we arrange a new one.»
«Are the embassy officials who first chose this place idiots?»
«There’s no choice. They prioritized
Yet they don’t look happy at all.
Noel lowered her head.
«Sorry. Please don’t be mad at Leon. It’s my fault. I leaned on the kind Leon.»
—The damage to my heart from rescuing her…
It’s pitiful to watch, I have to help…
«Master, the Sacred Tree sapling is sending a mental interference.»
«What!?»
The sapling on the table was glowing.
What the hell did this thing do to me!
My legs were still numb, so Angelica conjured fire in her right hand.
«This is what’s confusing Leon.»
Libya was also crackling with electricity.
Seriously, the air was buzzing with purple lightning.
Looks like my magic’s gotten better than before.
«If only this weren’t—»
Noel sprang forward, arms spread.
«Wait! Don’t do anything cruel to this kid. I just wanted Leon to know I was sad. I’m the shrine maiden, and Leon is her guardian, so please protect her.»
All eyes turned to Luxion.
«That’s also a kind of mental interference. But it’s true you have no malice.»
Angelica and Libya dispelled their magic.
«Got ourselves a troublesome item.»
«Um, should we return it to the people of Alzer?»
Libya’s suggestion was rejected.
Saplings don’t grow in the Republic of Alzer; they’d wither.
Luxion looked at Angelica.
«Probably best to take it back to the
Angelica nodded.
«Yeah, that’s the best for us. And… Leon, do you plan to marry this woman?»
«What!?»
Angelica’s words sent me tumbling off the chair.
«What a weird voice you have. And right now you’re just pathetic.»
My brother gave me a hard look.