Now it’s the second time, and even reincarnation feels familiar.
Lee Han — now an 11-year-old boy named Lloyd in this life — sat on a damp rock, staring blankly at the splashing river.
The river swelled by the torrential rain was fierce.
If he threw himself into it, wouldn’t he disappear without a trace?
He chuckled.
Lloyd scratched his neck. Ever since his neck was cut in his previous life, it had been perpetually itchy. And whenever it itched, he always heard a hallucination.
— Clap clap clap clap clap.
It was the sound of applause from that time again. Ever since he got his second life, this noise had been incessantly ringing in his ears. The clapping sound that barged into his head grew louder by the day.
“I wish it would just stop.”
Lloyd muttered helplessly.
Every time he heard it, the hallucination still made his insides turn.
And for good reason: the applause reminded him of the moment he was executed.
It was the sound of thousands of spectators applauding around him.
— Clap clap clap clap clap.
In a world with no proper entertainment, public executions were the most stimulating amusement for commoners. They clapped as if a curtain call of a play had descended when the guillotine fell on Lee Han’s neck.
‘Damn it.’
Lloyd bit his lip.
The applause, as always, dragged him down into darkness.
It felt like he was on the execution ground again.
That applause was unbearably unjust. The Demon King was regaining strength. If the Demon King descended, the powerless commoners would be the first to die. Lee Han had burned up his mana circuits to stop the Demon King.
But they clapped as they watched his neck being severed.
— Clap clap clap clap clap.
He felt nauseous. Even though he had heard it thousands, tens of thousands of times, it was the same every time. A thread of reason in his mind snapped.
‘Stop.’
He had certainly fought with all his might to save them. But they! Lloyd plugged his ears. He desperately wanted to stop the echoing applause. But there was no way. It was a hallucination.
— Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
— The demon from another world is dead!
Cheering added to it. Yes. They cheered.
‘Stop…!’
It was painful. They should have just let him die after his neck was cut. Did they really have to go this far?
— Clap clap clap clap clap clap!
‘Stop…’
I’m sorry. I’m sorry! Lloyd mumbled tearfully. He apologized without knowing what he did wrong, hoping the pain would end.
No. Maybe he should throw himself into the river.
The river, swollen by the torrential rain, surged violently and deeply, enough to swallow a house whole. Like a giant monster breathing.
“…”
Lloyd reached out to the river.
It felt like someone was coming to meet him.
But the attempt was thwarted.
“Are you trying to stop the river this time, Young Master?”
Lloyd quickly pulled his hand back.
His hazy pupils regained their color.
He swallowed hard and turned around.
“Don’t mock your master, Bella.”
“Didn’t you say to think of you as a younger brother?”
“You asked me to lower my speech first.”
“What master speaks formally to a maid?”
A girl in a maid’s outfit lightly grumbled.
Bella, the maid of the Arenberg family. Though she was only fourteen, her mature speech and actions made her seem like an older sister to Lloyd, who was physically younger. Her scent, like freshly dried laundry in the sun, was enough to make those around her feel at ease.
“Besides, I’m not mocking you.”
“Then what is it?”
“Because you can stop that river, Lloyd.”
“Do you think I’m some kind of great mage?”
“Yes. Didn’t you stop a collapsing building last time? When we went to the village.”
“… That was.”
Lloyd frowned.
That was a mistake.
While walking, a building suddenly collapsed, and Bella was underneath.
He cast a spell reflexively.
The magic circuits that should have burned away in the fight against the Demon King activated naturally in another body.
The debris of the building froze in place.
[Wide-Area Telekinesis], considered a high-difficulty magic.
For an eleven-year-old boy to use it, it was the kind of high-level magic that would earn him the title of ‘genius’.
Clap. Bella clapped her hands together and murmured with an expression of awe.
“You used your hidden power to save me!”
“That’s not it.”
“When I saw the floating debris, I just knew! Ah! Our young master will become a great mage!”
“It’s not like that.”
“I decided to serve you with all my heart! Because you’re destined for greatness!”
“So you weren’t doing that before?”
“You felt more like a little brother before. I only put in half the effort when serving you.”
“I hate opportunists. So please continue with just half the effort.”
“Hehe. You look just like a boy when you’re embarrassed.”
Lloyd silently accepted the maid’s hand as it tousled his hair. It was too bothersome to point it out, and it seemed pointless to assert authority.
Most importantly, the hallucinations subsided when he was with this somewhat naive maid. There was genuine sincerity in her touch. Despite being a maid of a viscount’s household, Bella had manners, and she continued speaking while neatly combing Lloyd’s hair again.
“By the way, I heard war heroes are coming to the neighboring village.”
“… War heroes?”
“Yes. The three heroes: Princess Aina, Saint Aria, and Lady Claire!”
Bella’s excitement was typical of a girl her age.
Lloyd frowned.
“They’re all frauds. Ow!”
“Frauds? Oh dear.”
Bella looked at the few strands of hair she had unintentionally pulled out.
She let them flutter away as if nothing had happened and spoke again.
“It’s okay.”
“Isn’t that my line?”
“It was a mistake. I was just surprised.”
“Remember, a man’s hair is precious.”
“It’s alright. If Lloyd becomes bald, I’ll take responsibility.”
“…”
For a while, the sound of the flowing river filled the air.
Bella, who had been fiddling with Lloyd’s hair, cautiously spoke.
“It seems like you don’t like them, Lloyd. You don’t even read the newspaper when they’re mentioned.”
“I dislike them a lot.”
“Why?”
“They’re worse than they look.”
“Oh my!”
Bella hastily looked around and whispered.
“But they defeated the Demon King! The real bad one is…”
“The hero from another world, right?”
“Yes! The one who was even executed!”
“What you see isn’t everything.”
Lloyd’s lips tightened lightly. Bella, noticing Lloyd’s mood, carefully continued.
“I’m ignorant, so I just believe what people say. Does that make me too foolish?”
“No. Most people are like that. Political maneuvering is subtle.”
“Political maneuvering…?”
“Emotions like hatred and disgust are more important than right and wrong. Leaders exploit that. They manipulate public opinion and distort the truth. The masses can’t help but be foolish.”
Even though Bella wasn’t particularly smart, she could understand Lloyd’s words.
“Are you saying I’m a fool?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Hehe. Just kidding. So, what should I do? To not get swept up in such political maneuvering.”
“…”
Lloyd looked up at Bella as if tired of her teasing.
Bella, with a warm smile, returned his gaze to its original direction. Lloyd sighed deeply and spoke.
“It’s okay to get swept up. Just believe.”
“… Pardon?”
“If you’re lucky, a good leader will emerge. It’s better to focus on your own life.”
“That’s… so cold. I feel like I’m going to be hurt.”
Lloyd glanced up at her again. Bella’s eyes seemed genuinely hurt. ‘Is she more interested in these things than she appears?’ Interest in politics and manipulation was rare for someone from another world.
“If you don’t like that, then pursue what you believe to be right. Abandon your emotions and seek the truth. Then people will follow. Whether you dominate or get dominated is your choice.”
Bella scratched her head for a moment.
“That… sounds too difficult.”
Lloyd frowned.
“What more do you want me to tell you?”
“I don’t want to just believe foolishly. But I don’t have the ability to lead anyone.”
“Then follow.”
“Pardon?”
“Follow someone who pursues what aligns closest with your truth.”
Her eyes deepened with contemplation.
Lloyd looked at the river. It seemed she needed some time to reflect. After a while, he stood up.
“Go ahead inside. I’ll come in soon. You said you were going to the neighboring village tonight, right?”
“Oh… yes. What about you, young master?”
“I’ll stay by the river a bit longer.”
“Did you drop something in the river?”
“No.”
With a soft rustle, Bella walked away.
The sound of squelching came from the still muddy ground.
“I just like this river. I feel like I won’t see it for a while, so I want to look at it as much as I can.”
A second life in another world.
He saved others in his previous life only to end up executed. Resentment and exhaustion, along with the endless hallucinations, were the only legacies of that past life. It was clearly post-traumatic stress disorder.
I just want to die.
Lloyd repeated the words he’d muttered tens of thousands of times. But he endured. Or rather, he just lived. There were two things that brought him peace. One was the maid, Bella. The other was this river.
The swollen river washed everything away.
Lloyd hoped the river would sweep everything away. The horrible memory of his beheading. The memories with those women. The moment he resolved to change this primitive world. He wanted it all to be swept away.
Along with these damn hallucinations.
And then he steeled himself.
He decided to go with the flow, as if being carried away by the river.
He wanted to quell the flickering desire for revenge in a corner of his heart.
“Are you thinking of jumping into the river?”
At the soft voice, he turned around to see Bella looking at him with concern.
“What do you think of me?”
“A tired old man.”
“At least call me an eleven-year-old going through a rebellious phase, will you?”
“… No matter how I look at it, that’s not it. Maybe a boy living his 11th life.”
“You’ve got a good eye for people.”
“I’m good at judging people. I’ve got some years of experience.”
“As if, you’re only fourteen.”
Sigh.
Grinning, Bella turned back towards the mansion.
“You should come in soon. Your parents are good people, you know. They’re very worried.”
Lloyd agreed that his parents were good people. But did that mean he would live under their care forever? The answer was no.
The House of Viscount Arenberg had recently fallen on hard times. They were so poor they could afford only one servant, Bella, and the debt was so large they struggled to even pay the interest. To make matters worse, Princess Aina had doubled the tolls on the imperial roads. This destroyed the distribution of agricultural products, the main source of income for the Arenberg family.
And then a genius was born into the family.
Rumor had it that recently, among the nobility, collecting promising young boys and girls like trophies had become a pastime.
Lloyd thought his fate was somewhat decided.
“Bella.”
“Yes?”
“Trust no one. Not even family.”
“You’re too cold, Lloyd. Like a person made of ice.”
“The world is cold.”
“There you go again, sounding like an old man. But the head of the Arenberg family is a good person. Maybe not as cute as you, but still.”
Pinch.
Lloyd rubbed his cheek where the maid had pinched him, with a dumbfounded expression.
“…What are you.”
Bella smiled and twirled, her maid’s dress fluttering elegantly like it was the highlight of a ballroom dance.
Winking at him, she spoke.
“I trust my own eyes. See you after my trip.”
Lloyd quietly watched as Bella walked away.
Despite her bright smile, the sky looked dark, as if it might rain again at any moment.
That night.
His parents sold Lloyd to a sl*ve trader.
It was an unusually rainy summer.
