Late dawn.
A man folded a letter thinly and put it into a small bottle. He then hung it at the pigeon’s leg and sent it into the sky.
“There is going to be a storm in the magic world.”
He recalled the contents of the letter.
[Jamie Welton, eldest son of Count Welton. 7 years old. Estimated to be over 4th class. A rare genius in magic has appeared.]
This news will soon cover the entire kingdom.
No, the continent will be shaken.
The man went back with a face full of anticipation.
After a while, a few more pigeons appeared above the sky.
The contents in all the pigeons were the same.
The greatest talent has appeared.
Early morning.
Jamie went out for a walk.
Even though he hadn’t slept for more than a few hours, his whole body felt energized by a breathing technique.
Kik!
“You also want fresh air?”
Kik kik!
Black sat on top of his head and flapped its wings.
Jamie smiled.
Since early morning, the employees of the Simon family were busy. It was the last day, so it seemed like there was a lot of preparation.
Escaping them, he entered the secluded park. The refreshing smell of grass tickled his nose.
Jamie flicked the dewy leaf with his finger and walked to the lake.
“It’s nice and quiet.”
It was a quiet space where yesterday’s noise wouldn’t follow.
Jamie magically pushed the water away from the bench and sat down.
“Finally, we are done.”
All of the schedules in Regen are finished.
He wanted to head back to Haiss to get some rest. But before that, he had to meet Jane’s reincarnation.
‘What was her name?’
Come to think of it. He never heard her name.
It shouldn’t be difficult to find Ash.
He’ll have to make some time during the day.
It was around the time he was thinking.
Drip!
The clear sound of water drops.
Drip!
Next was the sound of a stone rolling.
Jamie got up and looked around. There was no sign of anyone nearby.
He released Mana to sense.
Since the trees around the lake weren’t well-groomed, it was difficult to track it.
Drip!
Jamie took a step in the direction of the sound.
He didn’t know why he was walking towards the source of the sound, but he just kept moving.
He crossed the lake and entered the forest where there was no road.
The deeper he went, the clearer the sound was.
As he passed the trees and grasses which had grown long, Jamie stopped.
“Undine.”
A two-headed creature in the shape of a girl whose body was made of water was smiling and creating water droplets.
It was Undine, the lesser spirit of water.
But it was strange. Spirits were invisible beings. There is only one reason for a spirit to be visible.
“Oh. Count Welton?”
The meeting was too stubborn.
Jamie gulped as he looked in the direction where the voice came from.
The eldest daughter of Viscount Balle was looking at him.
“Uh…name?”
“Rebecca. Rebecca Balle. I hope you are feeling fine?”
Rebecca walked over to Jamie.
“I was too shocked with what happened, though I look fine on the outside.”
Unlike Ash, she seemed to have learned the nobles etiquette, and her tone sounded more mature.
“Ah, I am fine. I wasn’t feeling well, but that was just exhaustion for using magic. Thank you for your concern.”
“I am glad you are okay.”
Rebecca’s smile made Jamie’s heart flutter. Her smile was beautiful too.
But unfortunately, he didn’t feel the way he felt with his lover.
‘The water spirit too is the same.’
The appearance of the previous life was overlapping.
‘Diablo! Never forget me.’
Her last words.
Jane never forgot her smile till the end.
Despite being helpless and in front of a worthless magician.
“Why do you have such sad eyes?”
Rebecca tilted her head and looked at Jamie. He seemed like a sad person. Was it because of what happened yesterday?
She heard from Ash that he was 7.
Quite young, she was three years older than Jamie.
With a bright smile, she walked over.
“Everything will be fine.”
And gently embraced Jamie, who was smaller than her.
Jamie was taken aback by the sudden embrace but closed his eyes at the familiar warmth.
The dark magician who abandoned the feeling of love. He never loved again. What he was feeling wasn’t love either.
‘These are just the remnants of past memories.’
They will disappear soon.
So, for now, he was going to enjoy it a little more.
“Better now?”
“Thank you.”
Rebecca shook her head with a light smile.
“My father said that sad things disappear quickly if you share it with everyone.”
“Viscount Balle?”
“Yes. Come to think of it, your father is Count Welton, right?”
Jamie nodded his head.
Viscount Balle was a close friend before turning into a subordinate of Count Welton.
Ash didn’t seem to know about it.
Indeed, the eldest one was different.
“It was a pity that we could hardly talk yesterday, but I’m glad we got to meet this way.”
“Me too.”
“Hehe.”
Her laughter was similar to that of Ash.
Even though Jane’s reincarnation had similarities, it just seemed way different from the one he knew.
It was better that way. Had she been exactly the same, it would have been more confusing.
“By the way, I thought that the Balle family only makes contracts with the wind spirits.”
“Ah… right. I too wanted to sign a contract with the wind spirit, but it didn’t work out.”
Rebecca had a bitter expression.
She said that like Ash, she too had great affinity with nature.
So she tried to make a contract with the wind spirit, but strangely, it seems the wind spirit didn’t make a contract with her.
The spirit liked Rebecca as a human being but couldn’t make a contract. One day, when she was troubled, the water spirit Undine came to visit her.
She asked her to make a contract.
Since the matter with the spirits was something the family takes seriously, she had to inform her father.
‘Is it the past influence?’
That was the only thing he could think of.
Jane was a water spirit user. The number of spirits she could control exceeded a thousand, and she made a contract with the water spirit king to obtain power to fight the gods.
Her affinity with nature surpassed that of humans.
Rebecca was Jane’s reincarnation.
Her affinity with water seemed to be high. Besides, the water spirit had directly gone to her and offered the contract.
‘The Spirit King seems to know.’
The Water Spirit King and Jane made a soul contract.
That was different from the normal spirit contract, and it was a contract with each other’s lives as collateral.
Even if reincarnated, the soul doesn’t disappear, so there was a high possibility that he knew about Rebecca’s existence.
Jamie thought so.
“Did Viscount… not like it?”
“No. my father isn’t that kind of a person. But, he was a little upset.”
It must have been a little disturbing from the family head’s point of view, as a water spirit was in contract with a family that depended on the wind spirits.
“Even then, this is special.”
“What?”
“The spirit came to me and asked me to sign a contract. I’ve never heard of such things in my life. It’s a pity that I couldn’t sign with a wind spirit, but the water spirit chose me itself.”
Jamie didn’t say anything.
He didn’t have to ask for an explanation because he knew what she was talking about.
Chosen by the spirit. It was impossible to dream of another spirit to come and ask for it. This opened the chance for her getting in contact with the spirit king.
Her potential could be greater than anyone else in the world.
“Believe in yourself.”
Jamie said that and got up.
“And thank you for today. I need to leave now.”
“Ah, yes.”
Rebecca looked at Jamie as he walked away.
She felt her face turn hot.
She rubbed her two cheeks with her small hands.
“Why am I being like this?”
Strangely, her heart throbbed.
It was like she had known him for a long time. Even though it couldn’t be, so what was that stinging feeling?
It was difficult for her to know what the emotions she was feeling were.
Rebecca stared at Jamie.
“I couldn’t say anything.”
Jamie scratched his cheek.
He didn’t get the chance to say anything as she did all the talking. He didn’t want to go, but he had to.
He didn’t like the first meeting with Alf, so he wasn’t in a mood to talk with anyone.
But with Rebecca, it was fine. He had the chance to talk, but he didn’t know why he stayed silent.
“Do kids usually change when they are young?”
Rebecca had a strong adult side, unlike normal kids.
Kik!
Black said something like ‘why are you asking me that?’
After all, it was rude to ask a non-human about a human.
“Rebecca.”
After a brief conversation with her, Jamie was convinced of one thing.
She wasn’t Jane.
She was Jane’s reincarnation, but that didn’t make her Jane. They look alike but completely different people. So he wouldn’t think of her as Jane.
Rebecca was Rebecca.
“We will meet again one day.”
The Dark Magician buried his old memories again.
The past wasn’t forgotten.
For the sake of revenge, he didn’t forget the past. When everything was done, he wanted to relieve the past.
“Look here!”
He heard a familiar voice.
When he turned around, there was a boy he had never seen with Alf.
Alf flinched as Jamie turned. The boy next to him stayed the same.
Jamie looked at the two and then spoke to Alf.
“I thought you would never appear in front of me again.”
“I didn’t come on my own accord.”
“Then what? Did you come to apologize? Did the Count make you do this?”
“…”
“Really?”
Jamie thought that this was a childish situation.
Alf stood still. The boy next to him was also a kid.
“Who is that?”
“My younger brother.”
“Why did you bring him here? Too afraid to come alone?”
“Because I was the one who gave him the artefact.”
“…”
Jamie was speechless at Lenon’s words. That means that both brothers tried to mess with him.
Even if they were idiots, they seemed to work together, but Jamie didn’t like that the fight was two against one.
“Name?”
“Lenon. Lenon Simon.”
Jamie narrowed his eyes.
Lenon’s body was visible to him.
Alf might have heard that he was a genius since he was young, but Lenon was even more talented than him.
He knew that Count Simon wasn’t interested in his sons.
‘This should be enough for Count’s eyes.’
And that face.
Lenon thought that he was hiding it well, but that poker face was so immature.
Lenon looked at Jamie. His eyes, the corners of his lips, and his proudly outstretched shoulders told him that.
Since Count Simon had ordered them, it was natural that they were acting as such.
Then, Lenon said that he was the one who gave the artefact. At first, Jamie thought that he was trying to look out for his brother, but seeing the kid, he was wrong.
It was because of the way he was looking down on Jamie.
The problem wasn’t just that.
‘Alf is an idiot.’
He didn’t even realize that he was being used.
The proof was that Lenon didn’t show up yesterday.
Alf didn’t care. It wasn’t because he was stupid, but apparently, because Lenon was the one supporting him from the back.
It was a matter of perception.
‘He isn’t the smartest guy.’
Alf was pretty dense.
Although Lenon was young and there were flaws, there were chances that he would grow up incredibly.
“Alf, you are going to have a hard time.”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“You might not be the next heir. Right, Lenon?”
“What?”
Lenon didn’t answer.
Alf frowned and asked.
Jamie took a step ahead.
“Wh-what!”
Seeing Jamie walk, Alf took a step back. But Jamie wasn’t approaching him.
He looked at Lenon.
The two were of the same height, which meant Jamie and Lenon were of the same age.
However, Lenon had a terrible brain. He remembered Count Simon. Lenon was his blood. If that cold-blooded personality and twisted nature passed on, then this guy would become a problem.
So it was important to fix the problem.
“If you are the reason for this, you should be punished accordingly.”
“… I am here to apologize on my father’s orders.”
“What use is an apology on someone’s order?”
Jamie didn’t know how to set it right. All he knew was to show who was vital to make them back down.
Something he preferred.
“I…!”
Lenon didn’t get to complete his words.
His eyes turned blurry.
And in the dark, where nothing could be seen-
‘Uh…’
There, Lenon was stiff, unable to do anything.
Not just the body. His thoughts slowly stopped. Deprived of his senses, nothing could be felt.
However, he didn’t want to stop thinking.
He was conscious that he was sucked into an abyss.
He wanted to scream for help, but there was nothing he could do.
Struggling and trembling.
‘Do I have my hands?’
A world in which illusion didn’t seem like an illusion.
“No second chance.”
Huge purple eyes flashed in the darkness.
Lenon couldn’t breathe.
His five senses, which he couldn’t feel, revived back, and gasps escaped from his mouth.
But his body stiffens again.
The fingers outstretched were stiff like stone.
“Lenon!”
“Ugh-!”
Lenon sighed and sat down.
All the veins on his body bulged out.
The taste of blood in his mouth was evident to him.
It was a short time before everything went back to normal.
Lenon wasn’t even sure what to expect.
He lifted his trembling head to see Jamie’s face.
With a smile, he was warned.
“No second chance.”
Fear reigned over Lenon.
This time, he said sincerely.
“I-I apologize.”
Alf titled his head as he looked at his brother.
Jamie turned away from them.
His favourite thing.
None other than shock therapy.
‘I am too kind.’
He smiled broadly as he remembered the hell he had shown Lenon.
