Alternative Reincarnation

Chapter 3.5 — So Victor is Scary? PartOne

That was something he had wanted. Even in his previous body, he had emotions, though they weren't strong. At least he could smile, laugh, or scream.

King seemed to understand.

"Maybe you like this body better. Maybe you should try to live longer."

Victor thought about it.

"Maybe. But if I see myself as this thing, I'll probably do something stupid and die early so I don't have to suffer more."

King asked him, "Don't you even want to consider Victor's feelings? Don't you want to help Victor?"

"Maybe. But first, I want to understand the condition I'm in. Victor turned toward Richard.

"Richard."

Richard answered, "Yes?"

"We're not going tomorrow morning."

"Why?"

"We'll be gone in the next two weeks. I'll be busy in the library and in my study room. Don't disrupt me, because I'll be very angry if you do."

Richard looked down. This man was really bossy. How could he talk like that when he was in the situation he was in?

But Richard knew that Victor was no pushover. Everything he said, he meant. And they still didn't know what Victor's real actions would be this time.

Richard laughed internally. How could people really believe Victor when he scammed them? The nobles of this country were too dumb.

He almost felt that he needed to be more like Victor sometimes. It was free money walking around. Victor returned inside the castle and went to his room.

He needed to know everything about this place. He needed to understand the natural order of this world. Its laws. The empire. And, above all else, its energies and forces.

King recognized what he was thinking.

"Even though this world seems too similar to yours, there's something different about it. This world is more conflicted. There are much more energies and forces, and they completely clash with each other. It feels like everything is in an imbalance that can't be controlled."

Victor considered it.

"I don't have any artifacts, and I don't have some superpower that can appraise this world. But I can feel it. This world is completely different. It feels more... free than the previous one."

King answered, "Maybe that's because, in the previous one, your parents decided to remove your specialty before you even decided anything for yourself." King paused.

"Do you regret not having the power to teleport in your last life?"

Victor shook his head.

"No. That power would have been terrible for me. In such a high society such power is only used for transport."

King answered, "Yeah. You're really pathetic. Don't you remember your family?"

Victor immediately told him to shut up. They were going to study the natural orders of this world. They went through what seemed like an endless corridor, marveling at the house as they made their way through it.

Victor realized that this was the first time he had truly explored the whole place. King admired it too.

"This place is really great."

Eventually, they reached the study room. But the moment they entered, the situation changed. The younh man who had called Victor "little brother" was there.

Victor wondered whether he was another son from another family. King immediately interrupted.

"You should really look into Victor's life more instead of letting your fantasies take over and assuming everyone comes from a different branch of the family."

Victor answered, "People in this world probably have many families." King asked, "How do you know that?" Victor marveled.

"Because sometimes it's my wish to have more than one wife."

King was disgusted.

"You are truly disgusting."

The young man, after seeing Victor, seemed indifferent and looked as if he wanted to leave. Victor stopped him.

"Wait. What's your name?"

King immediately asked why Victor hadn't simply looked into his memories. The boy answered.

"My name is Miloth."

The little brother looked at him with uncertainty.

"Did you forget about me, brother?"

Victor quickly told him to be quiet.

"Don't you think calling me brother right now is a little strange? We've been brothers for a long time."

Miloth answered quietly.

"Is it my fault, though?" As if guilt consuming him.

Victor looked at him. Then he looked into the air.

"We shall know soon. The truth will be discovered."

Miloth began to panic internally. What was this? Why did Victor sound like he was planning some kind of revenge?

Why did he look like he wasn't comfortable with his own life? Then he answered his own question. Victor was dying. Miloth lowered his head.

"I'm sorry."

Victor looked at him calmly.

"Raise your head."

Miloth obeyed.

"Do you really want to be sorry in this situation? Don't you think you should do something about it and change? Why are you even apologizing? Did you make any mistakes?"

Miloth couldn't hold back his tears thinking that it was truly over for Victor.

"I neglected my responsibilities as a brother. I couldn't see how blinded I was. Everything, everything I thought about was about myself, and I'm really sorry."

Victor looked at him.

"A brother's job is just to live sometimes, maybe."

He didn't actually care about anything else. He wasn't going to die, at leats that's what he thought. Miloth looked confused, but there was something close to happiness in his expression even as tears rolled down his face.

Victor himself wondered why he felt the need to make this boy feel better. Was it because the body was telling him that Miloth was the little gift their precious mother had left him? He felt that he was indebted to their mother.

If it hadn't been for her, he couldn't have done anything with his life. The thought disappeared as quickly as it came. Victor told Miloth to leave the library because he needed to use it.

Miloth was surprised. But Victor was a man of surprises. He left, believing that if he could do something for Victor, he would. The debt he felt toward his brother was more than enough. Victor looked around the library.

Then he asked King if there was anything he could help him with. Victor could read quickly, but he didn't want to spend two weeks locked inside a library doing everything alone. Meanwhile, in the patron of the house's office, Vothiel von Verdaschi received a letter.

He wondered who had sent it. Then he saw the seal. It was clearly from the imperial family.

More than that, it carried the seal of one of the imperial princes. Vothiel's expression changed. What was this?

Had his bastard son somehow gone so far as to scam even the imperial family? He couldn't believe it. Victor wouldn't have gone that far.

Then he read the first words of the letter.

"I find that you are a man of your word and a very respected noble, and I do recommend you for that. But I am sure you know your son's actions. Though quite a man, a man of intelligence, his words and actions disgust me, and I couldn't abide seeing such talent go to waste.

I know he is going to be killed, and there is no way he can avoid the wrath of more than six noble houses. So please try to convince your son to come as soon as possible to the third imperial house and stay there for a moment. I will see if I can do anything to save him."

Vothiel stared at the letter. Why would they want to help his son if they wanted him dead? For the first time, he wondered if what he was doing was wrong.

Had he really hated his son? He wanted to love him.

But he couldn't. It was as if something was blocking his love from ever reaching Victor. Every connection he felt with his son seemed severed. There was something almost demonic between them, something constantly ruining what should have been a father and son's relationship.

He looked at the letter again. Was this his fault? Or was it Victor's? A knock came at the door.

Vothiel quickly tried to compose himself.

"Enter."

Victor walked inside. Vothiel had been standing near the window, and in his distraction he had forgotten to pick up the letter. Victor noticed it on the floor and picked it up.

He looked at the seal. Something about it told him that the letter was important. It might help him.

Without hesitation, he slipped it into his pocket. Vothiel looked at him, still struggling with the thoughts inside his own mind. Part of him wanted to help his son. Another part of him wanted nothing to do with him.

"What are you doing here?"

Victor looked at him.

"Are you really going to let me die?"

Vothiel remained silent. Victor continued.

"Are you perhaps considering helping me?"

"No, I do not."

Victor nodded.

"I didn't come here to ask for mercy. I already know you're not a man who would help a child in sorrow."

Vothiel suddenly snapped. He turned around.

"What do you know about mercy?"

Victor remained calm.

"I know everything about mercy. But that isn't what brought me here."

"Watch your tone, young man."

"My name is Victor."

Vothiel couldn't take another step. There was something in Victor's determination, something in the complete lack of emotion on his face, that stopped him. All he could think was that his son really needed to die.

And if he could do it right now, part of him wanted to. Victor finally asked for what he had come for.

"I need a key to the hidden library."

Vothiel froze. His illegitimate son knew about the hidden library? Victor looked at him.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid? I can see you've lost your trust in me."

Vothiel said nothing. Victor left with the key. Not long after, he was inside the hidden library.

He opened a book and began reading. He still had no idea what this world truly was. But as he turned the pages, one thought became clear.

This world was his to conquer. And he was going to conquer it.