Even a Scoundrel Gets Tired

1 – 1 *Revised*

Alright, let’s sort this out.

The place where I was born in this life

is an empire named Aslan.

A world where distinctions of commoner and noble were absolute.

Yet, not all nobles held equal standing,

the Four Great Houses a prime example.

The House of Iris, guardian of the Empire’s south, wielding diplomatic might and

wealth rivaling even the Imperial Family.

The House of Renuel, guardian of the Empire’s east,

producers of exceptional mages through the ages.

The House of Charlotte, guardian of the Empire’s west,

overseeing the Empire’s shadowed underbelly.

The House of Reinhardt, guardian of the Empire’s north,

nurturing knights of unparalleled honor.

Each of the Four Houses possessed influence that

dwarfed even the most prominent of other nobles.

They existed on a different plane altogether.

And I, in this life,

was born the second son of House Reinhardt.

My previous existences were, without exception, defined by

bleak circumstances. Born an orphan with no friends, not even family.

But this time, it was different.

I had a mother who loved me dearly,

an elder brother, Allen, the favored

candidate to inherit the Reinhardt estate,

and a younger sister, Aria, who, despite her youth,

rivaled the Renuel heiress in magical prowess.

And my father, a man who, during the Imperial War,

single-handedly defended a fortress against enemy knights.

‘If things are like this… perhaps… I can finally know peace?’

A peaceful life.

The reason I yearned for it was simple.

All six of my previous lives,

summed together, barely reached two centuries.

An average lifespan of less than forty years,

and each ending not by natural causes, but by murder and

disease. Perhaps my longing for a tranquil existence was,

under the circumstances, only natural.

House Reinhardt was tranquility itself.

The servants were kind,

My mother wrapped me in a warm embrace.

Even the Duke, though stern,

seemed like a genuinely decent man.

Perhaps a bit too strict at times.

It could have been called a good home.

My brother and my sister, too,

..it should have been.

It had to be, it should have come to pass…

This damned god doesn’t seem to want me happy just yet.

*

It was the year I turned ten.

Imperial Year 1932, October 31st.

The night of my tenth birthday party.

The woman seated before me,

hair as black as the deepest night.

But unlike her hair,

eyes of a profound crimson, like gazing into the sun.

Yes, this woman was my mother.

Sariel Reinhardt, the Duchess.

I had no complaints about my life with her.

Even if my mother was said to be from the maid class,

Because no one dared to openly disregard her, at least within the estate.

Rather, it was her gentle

nature that earned her so much respect.

“Congratulations, Jennison. You’ve become ten years old before we know it..”

My mother, in a voice tinged with

lingering affection, celebrated my birthday.

Jennison, by the way, is my name.

“Now that you’re ten… your

unique Mana Form will manifest.”

“Yes, Mother..”

A unique Mana Form refers to the

distinctive characteristic of one’s own Mana.

It appears in everyone between the

ages of eight and ten, but it’s an especially important event for nobles.

Depending on what characteristics

Mana possesses, things change from magical power to occupation.

The Renuel Dukedom is the most famous for magic.

The Mana attribute specializes in elemental magic and

the Reinhardt family is famous for their knights.

The Duke’s family, they were inclined toward defense when it came to mana affinities.

Naturally, due to the characteristic, the individual’s power too

would differ, making it perfect for nobles to nurture their family’s strength, and thus

it was only natural that

my mother would soothe me, saying that even if

a characteristic unrelated to combat manifested within me,

she wouldn’t be disappointed… but,

honestly, I was anticipating it.

Well, one might say I was acting immature… but think about it.

My father was the Duke of the Reinhardt family, one of the four great houses, and

I inherited that blood. My younger sister and older brother,

despite their young age, far surpassed their peers.

So wouldn’t it be natural for me to have expectations,

for the hope that I too possessed talent, to surge within me?

“Yes, whatever appears, I will absolutely

not be disappointed.”

Of course, that was a lie.

I would be incredibly disappointed.

“Alright, now go back to your room.”

And so, after a pleasant

conversation with my mother, I entered my room, and

the solitary bed, stark and empty, greeted me.

There was nothing remarkable in my room.

No, it was more accurate to say there were hardly any belongings at all.

I never expected them to provide much

support to a b*stard child.

Wasn’t a bed and pillow enough for a room in the first place?

“Young Master, do you require assistance with your bath?”

A female voice called from outside the door.

Her name was Ella.

A maid who served

both my mother and me in the Reinhardt household.

She was about my age, but unlike me, she was skilled at housework, and

with her pretty appearance, she was the darling of the other maids.

Perhaps they’d assigned her to me thinking that, since we were of similar age,

we’d be a good match… but…

‘Still, I’m this old now… having a child assist with my bath is a bit…’

It felt like a prick to my conscience in several ways,

so I politely declined and washed myself,

before sinking my weary, relaxed body

He laid me gently on the bed as I was,

and at that very instant, a fierce

pain erupted in my heart,

quickly followed by a hot yet cold, contradictory sensation.

Instinctively, I knew.

This was mana.

The manifestation of my mana’s trait was about to begin.

The moment I understood this,

I switched on the Mana Manifestation Device my mother had entrusted to me.

If I imbued it with mana here and waited a short while, a symbol representing my mana’s characteristic would appear.

Ordinary people possess one, talented

individuals, two or more.

There was even talk that a person’s future

was determined by their mana’s trait, such was the variety of symbols.

However, the symbol doesn’t dictate everyone’s destiny entirely.

While talents clearly diverge depending on

the symbol’s shape,

there are those who, by applying it in different ways,

end up active in fields no one ever anticipated.

My own father, Duke Reinhardt, was a prime example of that.

Still, the influence the symbol’s shape holds

over one’s future

was not insignificant by any means.

Even I, who had weathered so many storms,

couldn’t help but feel tense about this.

“Huff… please… please…”

Having suffered so much until now, I

fervently prayed in my heart for something good

this time,

and then, I immediately placed my hand

on the Mana Manifestation Device and infused it with my aura.

Only after it had completely absorbed my energy,

did a red light begin to illuminate

at the very top of the device.

If this turns completely blue,

it will mean my symbol is about to reveal itself.

“Haa… what will my symbol be?

At the very least, I hope I can use magic

as freely as Aria…”

For reference, my older brother, Allen’s…

The hilt was optimized for gripping a blade, and

my younger sister, Aria, possessed a talent even the de Rnuiel family would envy.

And thanks to that, the two of them were

enjoying the height of popularity

despite their tender age.

“If only I could be at least as capable as the Duke…”

And as I mentioned earlier,

Duke Reinhardt, who employs his talent in ways no one could have foreseen,

his gift wasn’t related to swordsmanship,

but rather the ‘Mana Eyes’, an ability to

perceive the mana residing within objects.

Simply the ability to see mana,

nothing more, nothing less.

With that simple talent, he

ascended to the pinnacle of all knights.

Fighting by observing the flow

of mana within his blade,

and by watching the disruptive

currents of mana created by every moving object.

Of course, achieving that

is by no means an easy feat.

Firstly, the dynamic visual acuity to react instantly to scattering mana,

and a body honed to keep pace with it

were required,

and putting it into practice demanded even more time.

That is precisely why many knights

revere him even now.

Respect for the effort that brought him

to where he stands, despite possessing a less impressive gift than theirs.

In that manner, he rendered great service even in the Imperial War,

broadcasting his name

throughout the entire Empire,

and revealing his capabilities to all.

Therefore, I also,

strictly speaking, while my soul doesn’t share his lineage,

this body inherently possesses his blood,

so perhaps I, too, could become like them, I thought.

Besides, unlike them,

it wasn’t my

first time around this life, you see.

Lost in such delightful dreams,

I maintained a long, dark silence,

praying for my mark to appear

on the magic manifesting device as soon as possible.

‘What kind of mark will it be…’

Sword? Magic?

If something like that showed up, Mother would

oppose it, saying it’s dangerous, but such a talent emerging must be fate.

‘Finally, I too have a talented body… hehe.’

*Beeeep—*

Lost in such pointless thoughts,

grinning to myself, the sound signaling

the completion of my magic’s manifestation reached me,

and the moment I heard it, my gaze shot straight to the device,

“…What is this?”

Before quickly tilting downwards.