Damn Reincarnation

g, Ciel?”

“I’m your sister, so I have a duty to know about my brother’s flighty rulebreaking.” The corner of Ciel’s mouth twitched.
On the other hand, Eugene’s face crumpled up.

“You haven’t become a flighty rulebreaker by any chance, have you?”

“I’m…I’m sorry.
I was wrong, so don’t say that.” Eugene stuttered.

“Whyyy? You are the one who taught me this disgusting wordplay.”

“That is why I am sorry,” Eugene grumbled and turned away. 

Ciel followed Eugene as he hurriedly walked away as if he was running away.
“Where are you going? Are you going to the warp gate?”

“Won’t the hunt begin in fifteen days? Why would I go already?”

“So you are going, huh?”

“Yeah.”

The Council Head could try to assassinate Eugene.
If he considered that risk, it was better for him to not go and coop himself up in the main house instead.
However, he would never find out the truth if he did that.

‘Besides, there is Genos,’ Eugene thought. 

The Black Lion Knights were also participating in the hunt.
The Council of Elders could not be trusted, but Genos could be trusted.

“Since you are here now, relax and spend some days with Lady Ancilla. I heard you left right away after you were done with your business last time.”

As he was complaining, Eugene looked at the strangely-shaped sword hanging on Ciel’s waist.
The sword was Vermouth’s weapon, Phantom Rain Sword Javel.
Eugene secretly wanted it, but couldn’t get his hands on it.

“Isn’t this cool?” Ciel asked since she could feel Eugene looking at Javel.
Beaming, she tapped on Javel’s handle.

“I can’t handle it properly yet, but I got pretty used to it.”

“That sword is hard to handle in the first place.”

“How do you know that?”

“Ehem… I can tell from its look.
The shape alone looks like a pain in the ass.”

Javel was technically a sword, but it was actually more like a whip.
When Ciel swung the sword, it broke into hundreds of pieces that sprayed her opponents with an overwhelming wave of death.

“How is Cyan?”

“He is fine, though he looks tired.”

Cyan hadn’t returned from the Black Lion Castle.

“He is getting trained by the captains every day.
Even today, he was being harassed by Sir Genos.
Oh, he told me to deliver a message.” Ciel recalled. 

“What did he say?”

“He says he’s going to kill you if you don’t participate in the hunt.”

“He can’t kill me even if he tries to.”

“He’s just saying that.” 

Ciel giggled and glued herself to Eugene.
Mer, who was clinging to Eugene’s arm, wriggled and climbed into Eugene’s cloak.

‘What is she doing?’

She scowled, unable to understand what Mer was doing.
A moment later, Mer completely disappeared inside the cloak.
Ciel lifted Eugene’s cloak in shock.

“Where did she…” she trailed off.

“I’m here,” Mer answered, only sticking her head out of the cloak.
“Would you like to come in, Lady Ciel?”

“She can’t go in there,” Eugene commented.

“It’s really comfy here.” Mer cheekily smiled.

Ciel frowned and put the cloak over Mer’s head.

“You heard about Eward coming to the hunt, right?” Ciel’s face turned serious.

“I see he somehow managed to get permission.” Eugene smiled bitterly.
“He didn’t even get to have a Coming-Of-Age ceremony.”

“The Patriarch had one hell of a time persuading people,” she answered with a sigh.
“Eward has been cooped up in the house of Lady Tanis’ parents for three years already. The Patriarch thinks Eward did enough self-reflection….and couldn’t leave his first son like that.”

“It’s funny because he’s being so obvious.
”

“Yeah, I think so too.
Cyan also thinks the same.”

The next Patriarch was Cyan.
Eward could conclude his introspection and return to the Lionheart clan; however, the Patriarch successor would never change.
Eward’s right of succession was forfeited.

“Many collateral descendants also participate in the hunt.
The Elders want to make it clear who the next Patriarch is.
Something along the lines of ‘although he did something so crazy that his rights to become a Patriarch got forfeited, Eward has more legitimacy as an heir.’ It seems that he has been practicing magic even after he was sent away to think about his problems.
But…you know how he is better than anyone else, right?”

“He can bust his ass all he wants for three years, but he won’t be able to beat Cyan,” Eugene answered without any hesitation.

“Of course, he won’t.
You are an adopted son and your ability is well-known…but not Eward. He is the first son and his ability is unknown.
That’s why Cyan needs to prove to them that Eward is an overwhelmingly worse candidate than Cyan.”

“Eward was the one who said he will participate in the hunt.”

“You don’t seriously think Eward really wanted to do that, do you? He is sooo timid.
Lady Tanis must have forced him.”

Eugene also agreed with Ciel.

Seven years ago, he had met Eward for the first time.
The fifteen-year-old Eward was…weak.
He was a boy who had fallen deeply in love with magic.
His eyes used to twinkle as he watched Lovellian use magic.

Three years ago, Eugene had seen how pathetic Eward was in Aroth’s Bolero Street.

He was nineteen at the time, two years older than Eugene.

“Although I think three years is enough to change a person…” Eugene shook his head, clucking.
“Eward isn’t someone who will change, and his surroundings don ’t help him one bit.”

“Lady Tanis is overzealous,” Ciel said bitterly.

“Yes, for Eward to really change, he has to get out from behind Lady Tanis ’ skirt.
But he couldn’t, could he? On top of all that, Eward has been controlled by Tanis in her parents’ house for three years.”

Tanis’ ferocious look came to Ciel’s mind, and it made her shudder.
“Horrible.”

If Ancilla hadn’t witnessed what happened to Eward, she might have had become the same kind of mother as Tanis.

“But where are you going?” Ciel asked as she saw Eugene turning away.

“Forest.”

“Why?”

“It’s time for me to train,” Eugene answered casually.

Ciel’s mouth fell open.“Are you not going to play with me?”

“We can play while we train.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, she followed Eugene.

* * *

“You don’t have to worry too much.”

His mother was full of love.

“I decided on my own.
Yes, I know.
They won’t like me.”

He understood that it was natural for a mother to love her son.
The son was pathetic, but the mother loved him still.

“That gives me more reason to prove myself.”

Beaming, Eward put down his tableware.

His mother, Tanis, was tenderly smiling as she was sitting across from him.
Eward liked his mother’s tender smile.
At some point in his childhood, his mother had stopped smiling like that.

She always watched him with a dissatisfied look.
Instead of smiling, the corner of her mouth twitched in anger.
She didn’t whisper any praise or loving words to her son; instead, she kept talking about a future her son never wanted and scolding him for not being up to standard.

Everything happened because Eward was incompetent and did something wrong.
After realizing that, everything had become simple.
If he changed himself of his own volition, he could easily change the way his mother looked at him.

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

“You are going to do well in the hunt.”

Listening to his mother, Eward nodded.

“You are my son.
My lovely son, Eward, you are the first son in the Lionheart family.”

“Yes, I’m your son, Mother.”

“You aren’t able to become a Patriarch, but you are still my son.”

“Yes, you are right.
That’s a given from the start.
I’m sorry, Mother.
If I hadn’t made any mistakes, I would have become a Patriarch, just like you wanted me to be.”

“Eward, please don’t call that a mistake.
It’s all my fault that you ended up doing something like that.
If I had loved you more and tried to understand you more…”

“I’m fine.” Eward shook his head, smiling.
“Your scolding made me who I am today.”

“Ah…thank you so much…for putting it that way…”

“You didn’t treat me like that because you hated me.
Your every action was out of love for me, too much love.”

“You will do well.”

“Yes, I will.”

“You are a great child, Eward.”

Edward could feel his mother’s love from her words.
Keeping his bright smile on his face, he stood up.
Warm, beautiful sunlight from outside the window warmed up the table.
He smiled at the chirping birds outside.

Today was a good day.

“I will get going now,” Eward said as he drew the curtain.
Although he liked sunlight, his mother didn’t.
“Don’t see me off.”

“Are you sure you don’t need me to come with you?”

“Yes, of course.
Please stay here and cheer for me.”

“My love will be with you.”

When he exited after leaving the dining table, he could see servants standing in the hallway.

“Isn’t today the day, Master Eward?”

“You will do well, Master Eward.”

Passing the cheering servants, he exited the mansion alone.
His grandfather, Count Bossar, was standing outside.

“Oh, Eward.
Are you going now?” Count Bossar asked.

“Grandfather…you didn’t have to see me off.”

“Haha! How could I not?! My lovely grandson is finally going back to the world!”

Although Eward looked embarrassed, he approached Count Bossar and hugged him.

“Thank you, grandfather.”

“What does it matter even if you don’t become a Patriarch of the Lionhearts? What matters is what you want to do, Eward.
I completely respect your decision.”

“Thank you so much, so much.”

After leaving his grandfather ’s arms, Eward stood in front of the closed gate.
He stared at it for a moment and turned back.

Even though he had told her not to see him off, his mother was standing beside his grandfather, smiling at Eward.
Dozens of servants working in the mansion had stopped what they were doing and came out to cheer for Eward.

“See you later,” Eward said as he wiped away his tears, feeling touched.