Chapter 1

“In light of the sudden turn of events, you must be quite surprised, but first, allow me to apologize. I truly am sorry.”

“Sigh…”

Surrounded by white clouds and a blue sky stretching 360 degrees, I found myself seated on a floating tatami mat. Across from me, an elderly gentleman bowed his head, while between us rested an antique, amber-colored low table. Upon it sat two servings of fish-shaped ceramic cups filled with tea at just the right temperature and chestnut yokan*, densely inscribed with kanji characters. Taking a sip for starters…

“Oh? Delicious.”

“Is that so? Well, that’s to be expected, considering it’s yokan from Yamazaki. Feel free to indulge.”

“Wow. You must be wealthy then. In that case, I won’t hold back.”

With that assurance, it tasted even better. After all, it had been years since I last enjoyed such a treat.

After graduating from university, I had hoped for a normal job, but with employment opportunities scarce in these times, I ended up working for a typical black company. Most of my meager salary vanished into rent, leaving me with a life of hardship and no respite. So, luxuries like sweets were a distant memory.

“Now then… shall we get to the point?”

“Ah, my apologies for the delay.”

Having thoroughly savored the sweetness and taken a breather with tea, it was time to listen to the old man’s story.

Apparently— I, Suzuki Hajime, had been killed by the man before me.

“Why was I killed?”

“I got a little carried away during a drunken revelry with the gods of Earth…”

I wish I hadn’t asked.

But, upon revealing that I had no recollection of such an event due to excruciating pain whenever I tried to recall, I was told that those memories had been discarded as garbage. What on earth… my memories were truly…

Well, I wouldn’t have any regrets if I had just continued working until I died anyway. But when I asked why I had been brought to such a place—

“It’s because I inadvertently made it impossible for your soul to be reincarnated as an Earth organism.”

“What do you mean?”

The man before me seemed to be a god from a different world, and apparently, when he killed me, the power of that other world got mixed in. Unless I expelled it, reincarnation on Earth was impossible.

“So, what happens to me?”

“You’ll live and die as a new human in my world.”

“So, it’s like being reincarnated in another world?”

“Exactly. It’s quite popular in Japan these days.”

Oh… to think that the rumored privilege of reincarnation in another world would come to me.

Certainly, there are many people like me, who worked for black companies. From among them, I was selected with a lottery-like chance of winning the jackpot. Hmm… is it good luck or bad luck?

“Well, whatever. So, what’s next? Where will I be reincarnated?”

“I’ll let you choose your favorite place. It’s entirely my fault, so I’ll indulge you to a certain extent.”

“What kind of world is the destination?”

“It’s a medieval world of swords and magic. There are also monsters, so it’s moderately dangerous.”

“In that case, maybe noble?”

Since I had worked so hard in my previous life, which was practically poverty with no respite, I just wanted to spend the next life leisurely in a safe place and enjoy some delicious food from time to time. And of course, I wanted a beautiful girlfriend. I’m not asking for a harem, just to be clear.

So, the only choice is to be a noble. And maybe aiming for a baron or viscount, not too poor but not too rich. It’s just my imagination, but upper-class nobles seem wealthy but also seem burdened with things like etiquette lessons, parties, and it seems like a real hassle.

“Well… there are no nobles that fit that description.”

“Then it’s okay to be poor.”

“In that case, there’s an opening for the second son of a baron.”

His parents apparently held territory on the edge of a certain kingdom, but it seems that they were appointed as nobles after a mercenary who had distinguished himself in war. As a result, there were no backers or allies, and this man, with his merits, had brought the country back from the brink of collapse, only to be rewarded with vast but impoverished land with only one village.

The second son of such a baron… As long as I can live healthily, I won’t be tied down to poor territory, and I can live at ease.

“That’s fine.”

“Hmm… Do you have any other wishes?”

“In that case, I want to be able to use magic.”

“Then I’ll make it possible for you to use magic of all attributes.”

“Oh… Thank you.”

“Well, you’ll need proper training.”

“Well, starting from infancy means there’s plenty of time.”

As for the training method—

First, it starts with sensing magical power.

Next, understanding attributes.

Then, memorizing incantations.