Chapter 288: Perseus and Skanda

Chapter 288: Perseus and Skanda

Sarua Legston and Sieg were friends. Both of them had parents who had moved to Talosheim, the capital city of the Demon Empire of Vidal, and both of them had parents who were important figures, so they had many opportunities to meet.

Sarua was the nephew of Chezare, who was the general and prime minister of the Demon Empire of Vidal, and his younger brother Kurt. Meanwhile, Sieg was the stepson of the Pure-breed Vampire Zorcodrio.

Most importantly, their ages were similar. This alone was enough for children to become friends.

“I think we should reveal our identities as soon as possible.”

“… Would it be impossible to just keep it a secret and leave peacefully?”

“I’ve said it over and over. I don’t think there’s any chance we can do that.”

The two of them were bound strongly together by a shared secret, and this secret was not something that one might smile at upon hearing, such as a prank that they had pulled or a secret hideout they had made together.

“But if we pretend that we don’t know anything and don’t use our abilities, won’t we be fine? Our names and faces are completely different, after all…”

“Do you think we’d be able to do that? It’s true that Kanako and Legion don’t seem to recognize us, but the people who come later on might.”

The two of them were reincarnated individuals who had been sent here from Origin.

Ordinarily, their memories and personalities would have returned around the age of five or six, but as a result of unexpected encounters with Vandalieu, they had returned fleetingly and vanished again several times. Recently, their previous memories and personalities had finally become stable and fixed.

Before his memories and personality were stable, Sarua had constantly been in fear: When would he remember next? Would he be killed by Vandalieu? Would he be turned into an Undead if his identity was discovered?

But by coincidence, he had learned that Sieg was a reincarnated individual as well, and he gained a little peace of mind.

The two of them had then realized that they were related to important figures in the nation and they would not be executed so easily even if their identities as reincarnated individuals were discovered.

Thanks to that, Sarua had regained his appetite and was able to sleep at night once more. His parents had thought that he had stabilized mentally because he was able to make a friend close to his own age in Sieg.

That was why Earl Legston and his wife, who were former nobles, had made sure that their son had plenty of opportunities to play with Sieg.

A noble’s child being friends and spending time with a child from a commoner family – this alone was not something that would have been allowed by nobles who thought of commoners as being on the same level as the livestock they cared for.

But thanks to Sarua’s parents’ decision, Sarua and Sieg had been able to talk about various things and discuss things with each other.

What had happened to Kay Mackenzie, who had died and should have been reincarnated at around the same time as their own reincarnation? Were Kanako and the others not aware of them? Rodcorte had sent a single message after their memories and personalities had become stable; why wasn’t he saying anything anymore?

And the other thing they had discussed was whether or not to reveal their identities to Vandalieu. He often came to see Sarua and Sieg, and he had frequently had them play with the other children.

It seemed that he had taken the time to see Sarua frequently in particular, as Sarua’s health had not been very good until quite recently.

“I’m sure Van-nii would understand… I really hope so,” said Sieg.

“I’m really scared. Sieg, you were there as well, right? We didn’t attack him directly, but we were still a part of it,” said Sarua.

The two of them had felt guilt towards Vandalieu every time their memories and personalities from their previous lives returned. Even when they remembered their pasts, they didn’t forget the things that Vandalieu did for them during the times when they didn’t.

There was also the message that Rodcorte had sent once their memories had returned. And they would never forget the shock of seeing ‘Vandalieu’s Divine Protection’ on their Statuses rather than Rodcorte’s divine protection.

The two of them had not been particularly close to the ‘Gungnir’ Kaidou Kanata, whose soul had been destroyed, and they didn’t worship Rodcorte.

However, Rodcorte’s divine protection was nowhere to be seen on their Statuses. They took this to mean that they were isolated from the rest of the reincarnated individuals.

They were currently in the Demon Empire of Vidal, which was ruled by Vandalieu, and both of them understood that it would be difficult for them to leave the nation and live independently. Their abilities had returned along with their memories and personalities from their previous lives, so it wasn’t a lack of capability that made this impossible. As long as they avoided high-difficulty Dungeons, they would be able to slaughter monsters that were around Rank 3 or 4.

However, it would be impossible for them to cross the range of mountains that were thousands of meters tall in order to get to another nation.

“But even so, is it really alright to be honest with him? Can’t we keep pretenses up by keeping quiet?” Sarua suggested.

“There’s no way we could. We’ve got our memories back now, after all,” said Sieg.

The ‘Perseus’ Samejima Yuuri… Sarua Legston, now had the appearance of a young boy from a noble family and a high-pitched voice with a lisp. Sieg had known him since their previous lives; it was very strange to see his current appearance and hear his current voice.

But the same was true for the ‘Skanda’ Tanaka Jin… Sieg. He was a year older than Sarua, but anyone who looked at them would see nothing but a pair of adorable boys.

“Do you think you’d be able to act like you don’t remember? I’m pretty sure I’d slip up somewhere,” said Sieg.

“Well, I do think it’d be difficult to act as if nothing happened, but…” said Sarua.

“I definitely wouldn’t be able to keep it up.”

“… Yeah, me neither.”

Although their memories from their previous lives had returned, they hadn’t forgotten the memories of their current lives. However, it would be simply too difficult to continue being the same little boys that they were until recently.

Both of them had received military training in their previous lives, but that military training had not included acting training to the point that they would be able to pretend to be young children.

If they were in any ordinary nation, both of them would have decided to continue acting. Even if they occasionally did or said things that children of their age wouldn’t, no ordinary family would suspect that their child had retained their memories from their previous lives. They would simply think that their child was more intelligent than other children, or that they were just a little unusual.

However, they were in a nation ruled by Vandalieu. The emperor of the nation was the one whom the reincarnated individuals were targeting. On top of that, he had made it public knowledge that he was a reincarnated individual from another world, as were Kanako and the others.

Sieg had read various works on Earth of that genre, and he had felt dizzy when remembering that typically, such characters kept quiet about their secret.

“And Van-nii is able to talk to spirits that we can’t see. Even when we’re just whispering to ourselves… and maybe even when we’re discussing things like this, it’s all being overheard,” said Sieg.

Sarua and Sieg looked around them and let out sighs that were far too heavy for boys of their age to be making.

They were unable to see spirits; they had no way of knowing whether there were spirits listening to their conversation right now.

Sarua’s ‘Perseus’ was an ability that allowed him to freeze anyone that was looking at him. It wasn’t a paralysis ability and it wasn’t like ‘Death Scythe,’ which stopped the movements of the target. It fixed the target in place in their exact current state.

Time stopped for anyone under the effects of ‘Perseus,’ and nothing external could affect them. Whether one slashed them with a sword, shot them, or burned them, they would be unharmed. The targets would also have no memory of the duration they were under its effects – as if they had been petrified by the head of Medusa, the monster who was slain and whose decapitated head was wielded as a weapon by the hero Perseus.

… With that being the case, Sarua had initially thought that ‘Medusa’ would be more suitable than ‘Perseus’ when his codename was decided, but ‘Perseus’ had apparently been better in terms of his public image.

In any case, ‘Perseus’ was a powerful ability. It couldn’t affect targets through recorded footage and photos, but it was able to affect someone looking at him through a live camera.

In his previous life, he had been driven into a corner by mercenaries with magic-enhanced hearing and a blind swordsman, then died after being caught in a booby trap, but he would never lose against any enemy that relied on their eyesight.

But still, Sarua’s ability couldn’t target spirits that he couldn’t see… or perhaps he could freeze spirits, but he couldn’t just keep the ability constantly active. ‘Perseus’ consumed Mana during its use, and the amount of Mana it consumed increased with the number of targets it affected.

As for Sieg’s ‘Skanda,’ it was an ability that allowed him to drastically increase the speed of himself or any objects on him. With the ability active, he could run at what felt like a normal speed to him but actually be traveling as fast as a sports car, and he could perform what felt like an ordinary punch to him that was actually faster than the speed of sound.

He could also increase the speed of any machines, plants, animals, and people that were in contact with him… although it couldn’t accelerate bullets and other projectiles fired by weapons, as they lost contact with him after being fired, but it was still a powerful ability.

And even though Sieg accelerated himself, Sieg… at the time, Tanaka Jin, hadn’t grown or aged any more rapidly than anyone else. The ability was indeed very cheat-like.

However, no matter how much he sped himself up, he was powerless against spirits. He couldn’t see or touch them, after all.

“But wouldn’t it be better to think more carefully about the timing? It doesn’t seem like Kanako and the others have recognized us, after all,” said Sarua.

“Everyone other than Kanako, Doug, and Melissa might already know who we are,” said Sieg. “If any of them told Van-nii about us, it would be the worst-case scenario.”

“I see… but… what should I do if I end up causing trouble for Father and the rest of my family?”

“I’m worried about causing trouble for Papa and Ma… my mother and father as well. But I’m sure it will be better than Van-nii finding out about us from an enemy, at an even worse timing than now.”

Even though they had regained their memories and personalities from their previous lives, it didn’t weaken their feelings for their families in their current lives. Their impression of Vandalieu was also based on their relationship with him in their current lives.

To Sarua, Vandalieu was the superior of his father and uncles, and to Sieg, Vandalieu was the apprentice of his father… Zod. And Vandalieu was also an older friend to them both; they had played together many times in the past.

“Alright. We’ve made up our minds, so let’s go and apologize!” said Sarua.

“Yeah. Let’s go!” said Sieg.

And so, the two of them told Vandalieu the truth and apologized to them.

Having heard their story, Vandalieu looked at them with a piercing gaze that looked as if it could see right through them. “Thank you for confessing of your own volition. In consideration of your bravery, I will completely forget all grudges from our previous lives.”

And with that, Vandalieu patted Sarua and Sieg’s heads.

They looked up at him with surprised expressions.

“Huh? Are you sure? We attacked you after you became an Undead in our previous lives, Van-nii,” said Sieg.

“I was there as well. Are you really going to forgive us?” asked Sarua.

Vandalieu continued looking at them with a piercing gaze… that was actually not very perceptive.

“It doesn’t matter to me. Though I did really hate you right after my death. And I have plenty of things I want to say to Amemiya Hiroto and Narumi. Asagi is annoying as hell, and I intend to kill Rikudou,” said Vandalieu.

Hearing Vandalieu mention their former comrades as if it were the most normal thing in the world, Sarua and Sieg trembled with anxiety, their faces pale.

“Ah, so, I don’t have any remaining grudge towards you two,” Vandalieu added hastily, realizing that he had scared them by voicing his true feelings based on the things he was aware of through Banda’s presence in Origin. “I don’t intend to complain about things that happened in the past or do anything to you. I swear on the gods.”

Despite Vandalieu’s promise, Sarua and Sieg looked even more worried for some reason. As Vandalieu found himself at a complete loss as for what else to say, Gufadgarn appeared behind him and whispered some advice in his ear.

“… I swear on my mother,” said Vandalieu, taking Gufadgarn’s advice.

The moment he said that, the tension left Sarua and Sieg’s bodies, and their pale faces returned to their normal color. It seemed that even the children were aware that Vandalieu was a big mother-con – to the point that a promise sworn on his mother was more trustworthy than one sworn on the gods.

“Mom is an incarnation of Vida, so I would definitely keep a promise I swear on the gods…” said Vandalieu.

“What about Rodcorte?” asked Sarua.

“That is something that’s just categorized as a god, and not a being that I respect or revere. Just like Alda. I’d rather build a grand temple to a god of poverty than pray to him,” Vandalieu replied.

“I see. Well, I don’t revere him either,” said Sieg.

It seemed that Sarua and Sieg had no respect for Rodcorte. Part of the reason was that they had essentially been abandoned by him, but also because they believed that he had pulled a fast one on them.

The two of them, as well as the ‘Urðr’ Kay Mackenzie who wasn’t here, were reincarnated individuals who had refused to fight Vandalieu. Rodcorte was aware of that.

And yet, Sarua and Sieg had been reincarnated as the children of people who were connected to Vandalieu.

Sieg was still unaware that his true father was Marshukzarl, the former emperor of the Amid Empire, but he believed that it would have been impossible to avoid encountering Vandalieu, considering that his stepfather was the Pure-breed Vampire Zorcodrio.

There was no doubt as to what Rodcorte had intended.

In reality, however, Vandalieu had become a guider who was capable of moving the souls of those he guided to Vida’s circle of transmigration system, so the exact opposite of Rodcorte’s intentions had taken place instead.

Of course, Sarua and Sieg had no complaints in regards to who their parents were. One of Sarua’s uncles was an Undead, and Sieg’s father was muscular to the extreme, but neither of them had ever wished they were born to different parents.

“Most importantly, I don’t want to become enemies with the nephew of Chezare and Kurt or the son of my master. And I know the two of you quite well too,” said Vandalieu.

Sarua and Sieg’s families were the biggest reason for his acceptance of them.

Chezare had been turned into an Undead who worshiped Vandalieu fanatically, and although he would grieve deeply if Vandalieu were to kill Sarua, he would not betray his master… although something might break in his mind. But Kurt would be greatly shaken and tormented by internal conflicts in his heart.

Zorcodrio would never forgive Vandalieu for killing his son even after learning that Sieg was a reincarnated individual. A battle to the death would be the likely outcome of that.

Vandalieu wanted to avoid such circumstances at all costs. Thus, he was very grateful that the Sarua and Sieg had revealed their identities as reincarnated individuals so quickly.

“If you two had chosen to be my enemy, I would have had to make amends to at least keep up peaceful appearances using whatever methods I have at my disposal. I’m so relieved,” said Vandalieu.

“Y-yeah. I’m glad that we didn’t become your enemies, Van-nii,” said Sieg.

“M-me too!” said Sarua.

The two small boys were nodding their heads enthusiastically as they agreed. Judging from Vandalieu’s words, they could guess that if it had been necessary, Vandalieu would have forced them to come to an understanding using methods other than violence.

The two of them were undoubtedly fortunate to avoid being subjected to brainwashing through the ‘Mental Encroachment’ Skill or drugs created using ‘Deadly Venom Secretion,’ or even a reconstruction of their brains using the Demon King’s shadow, for the purpose of keeping up ‘peaceful’ appearances.

“Kay is like us, but she’s either not in Talosheim or hasn’t got her memories back yet,” said Sieg. “So you should…”

“If she tells me that she has no intention of becoming my enemy, then I guarantee her safety. As for her family… well, it depends on them,” said Vandalieu.

He didn’t know much about Kay. He didn’t even remember who she had been on Earth. He had no interest in her beyond the fact that she was a reincarnated individual who could potentially become an enemy, but he had no ill will towards her.

It was likely that she had been born in a family with some connection to Vandalieu, like Sarua and Sieg. However, it was possible that some information manipulation had taken place, similar to the way that Sieg’s true father had been kept a secret, so it would be difficult to search for her.

Vandalieu had been involved in three duchies in the Orbaume Kingdom – Hartner, Sauron, and Alcrem. Even if the search was narrowed to just these three, each duke was served by two or three marquises, at least five earls, more than a dozen viscounts, and plenty more nobles with a court rank of baron and below.

As for the Amid Empire, there were so many that even attempting to count them was futile.

And there were a countless number of children born – not just legitimate children, but illegitimate and secret children as well.

At this stage, it was impossible for Vandalieu and his companions to find Kay… and even if they search for her, if her memories and abilities from her previous life hadn’t returned, there would be no way to tell her apart from any other ordinary young child.

And as for Kay’s family in this life, Vandalieu couldn’t say anything beyond that it would depend on them.

“I’ll continue gathering information on Kay… Well then, I suppose we should tell your families that you’re reincarnated individuals,” said Vandalieu.

“C-can’t we just not tell them?” said Sarua, clearly wanting to keep it a secret.

“We could do that, but it’ll become apparent sooner or later,” said Vandalieu. “You two might not be aware of it, but the fact that your abilities from your previous lives have returned means that your Skills and Attribute Values have returned as well. You have physical abilities and high-Level Skills that no child could possibly have. It’ll be a difficult secret to keep.”

Even when playing with other children, because they had incredible physical strength, they would constantly need to hold their strength back. If they got into an argument and accidentally let out even a small part of their real strength, they’d end up killing someone.

The Levels of their Skills were high as well, so if they showed their abilities in handling knives, archery, or magic that no toddlers should have, they would draw attention as prodigies or geniuses.

“Come to think of it… we were so caught up in worrying about what we’d do about you that we didn’t notice, Van-nii,” said Sieg.

“‘Status!’ … Ah, you’re right. I’d probably beat Father in an arm wrestle,” said Sarua.

It seemed that Sieg and Sarua hadn’t noticed this up until now. They had been busy discussing what to do regarding Vandalieu, so they hadn’t had opportunities to play with the other (ordinary) children lately – so there hadn’t been any instances of them drawing attention to themselves.

However, it seemed that the two of them now realized that it would be difficult to continue keeping it a secret without drawing attention to themselves.

“Alright. But will things turn out alright?” asked Sarua.

“I’ll be there to explain things with you so that they do,” said Vandalieu. “After all, you were all strangers to each other in your past lives; the only difference is that you have your memories of them.”

Vandalieu wasn’t particularly well-informed when it came to Rodcorte’s circle of transmigration system, but given that it was possible to send reincarnated individuals to another world, he believed that there were no clear connections between any individual’s previous life and their current life.

The idea that one’s family and children must have been family and relatives in previous lives as well – Vandalieu believed that this idea was not true. He suspected that if such connections existed, it would be impossible to bring individuals from another world who were completely foreign existences and have them reincarnated in this world as specific people… children of people who were close to him.

And these suspicions were correct. In Rodcorte’s circle of transmigration system, there was no connection between any given individual’s current life and their previous one.

It was entirely possible for there to be a family with a mother who was an influential chief carpenter in her previous life, a father who was a jaguar hunter in his previous life, and a son who was previously a pig raised in a farm.

“Your parents might think that your reincarnation caused you to steal the place of the soul that was supposed to be their real child. But even if that’s true, it’s pointless to think about it,” said Vandalieu. “I’m sure the souls that were supposed to be born instead of you two do exist, but they would have been no different from your souls before they regained your memories and personalities from your previous lives.”

Rodcorte, the god who ruled over reincarnation, was able to arbitrarily control it at a whim. That fact alone made it pointless to think about ‘the soul that should have been born as my child’… That soul had been a complete stranger in their previous life, and even if they had been born, they would have been born having forgotten all of their previous memories and everything else.

To Sarua and Sieg’s parents, it would be most simple and meaningful to think of it as their sons having gained their memories and personalities from their previous lives.

“And if you were to ask who is responsible for all of this, it would be me, not you two. It’s only natural that I explain things,” Vandalieu said.

The ‘Perseus’ Samejima had been reincarnated as Sarua Legston and the ‘Skanda’ Tanaka Jin had been reincarnated as Sieg, and it was all because the two of them had refused to fight against Vandalieu.

That was why they had been reincarnated as the children of parents who had connections to Vandalieu. With that being the case, Vandalieu believed that he himself was the one responsible for this.

“Th-that’s not true! The one who reincarnated us is Rodcorte,” said Sarua.

“Sarua, I agree with you, but saying that Rodcorte is at fault is as obvious as saying ‘villains are bad.’ And he’s not going to do anything to put your parents’ minds at ease,” said Vandalieu.

It wasn’t necessary to hold the one who was truly responsible for this situation to account. There just needed to be someone to explain the situation to Sarua and Sieg’s parents and accept the blame. That was what Vandalieu had decided.

“Of course, I don’t think things will get that serious. There are precedents in me, Kanako, and Legion, after all,” Vandalieu added.

Following this, Vandalieu explained to Sarua and Sieg’s parents that their children were reincarnated individuals, and as he had predicted, things didn’t turn out too serious.

Sarua’s parents were surprised that the ruler of the nation, the very person they served, had come to personally explain the situation. They were also surprised that their son was a reincarnated individual, but they did not reject him.

As Vandalieu explained, Sarua had regained his memories and personality from his previous life, but he had not forgotten the memories of his current one.

And Sarua’s parents, the Legston family, had lived turbulent lives. They seemed to logically come to the conclusion that they just needed to think of their son as having been born with this particular quirk and treat him accordingly.

Things were simpler with Sieg’s parents. After all, his father was the Pure-breed Vampire Zorcodrio. There was no blood relation to begin with.

“This boy loves me as his father even though I am of a completely different race. That is more than enough for me. But if he is ever troubled, I would like for you to help him as much as possible, as you are a reincarnated individual yourself,” Zod said.

Sieg’s mother Rachel quickly accepted him as well. Her memories had been erased and replaced by false ones by the intelligence organizations of the Amid Empire; she had lived a turbulent life as well. She was likely accustomed to unusual situations occurring.

“But Your Majesty, if this boy enters a rebellious phase after reaching adolescence, I am sure that even I will have all kinds of thoughts, so I will be in your care,” Zod added.

“Our house is in your care as well,” said Sarua’s father.

“Yes. Let us be in each other’s care for many years to come,” said Vandalieu.

And so, Sarua and Sieg came to a peaceful understanding with Vandalieu, and their families formed deeper bonds with him.