Just like that, a month went by. 

I spent my time refining my “game plan” and practicing with my body. As expected of the second son of the Valrien House, I was already in good shape. It seems my father had begun my sword and fire magic training as soon as I could be trusted not to hurt myself with them.

As for the “game plan,” that was a list of dungeons, items, and events I could remember from the game. I wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or depressed that I could remember almost all of it. At the top of the list was, naturally, Verzix’s signature daggers from his hidden route. Those two daggers, named Blinding Darkness and Moonlit Shadow, could only be described as absurd. Though considering the genre of game I came from, balance was probably the last thing on the developer’s minds.

Of course, that was something I did early in the morning and at night, when there was nothing else to do. During regular daylight hours, since I was prohibited from doing my regular training, I spent most of my time reading. Though the kingdom’s map was practically engraved into my mind, the game didn’t deal with trivial things like roads and villages. 

By the time the month was over, I had copied over two dozen of the maps from the library, adding in the rough locations of dungeons and hidden shrines. The House’s staff muttered things like, “The Second Master has changed,” and, “How diligent,” but I ignored them. The House would belong to my elder brother in the future, so I didn’t need to care about the feelings of the menial staff.

At some point during the month, I had to undergo swimming lessons, but it was barely worth mentioning. I knew how to swim from my other life, so it only took two lessons to get used to it again.

“““Happy Birthday Verzix!”””

My recovery period was officially over on my sixth birthday. It was an odd sensation, as my last birthday party was my 21st, around ten years ago, but not a bad one.

Only my family participated in the celebration, which was held in one of the smaller dining rooms. As I blew out the six candles atop my artisanally crafted mango cake, I bit back a smile at how strange yet normal I found it.

My other self lived in arid mountains, and my diet was primarily red meat and grains. The Valrien House was located in the tropics though, and what my other self considered exotic fruits and spices were the norm. While both shared grains, here we ate many more fruits and vegetables, and our meat was mostly sourced from the ever-present sea monsters which attacked our ports and shipping lanes.

Our House offered a generous reward for every monster hunted, making “fishing” the most common and profitable occupation. The finest pieces found their way onto our tables, and those of the wealthy. The good and acceptable were sold through grocery stores our House owned. Finally, the barely edible were used to thicken soups provided to the poor of our territory. 

“As expected from my son, you recovered from your water-breathing exercise quite quickly,” said my father, Viscard Valrien. He was a beast of a man, though thankfully my brother and I only inherited his red hair. Standing at six-foot-eight, bulky, and with a face criss-crossed with scars, he resembled a bandit far more than one of the Kingdom’s most powerful nobles. Though it was thanks to those features that he earned the nickname in high-society 「Red Bear」.

“Indeed, father,” I replied. “I believe at the time I was overcome with shock, otherwise I ought to have been able to keep my head above water, at the least.” Since merging my memories, I began to find my speech strange. My stiff formality didn’t suit the casual nature of my other life. Eventually I’ll change that, I thought, but it’s fine for now. After all, they’re still my mannerisms, and they always have been.

“Enough about that,” my mother cut in. “That useless fool has been punished, and Zik has learned to swim since then. We don’t need to speak of that event anymore.” The Lady of House Valrien, my mother Ada Valrien, was considered to be among the top ten most beautiful women in the kingdom. Classically so, with slim limbs, blonde hair, blue eyes, and curves in all the right places. At only five-foot-five, she and my father were known as 「The Beauty and the Beast」 to friends.

She was also the true head of the house, despite marrying in. Though my father was no fool, my mother had a wit sharper than honed runesteel. Her tongue was likewise a match, to the detriment of any of our family caught on the wrong end of it. Indeed, my mother was the one to sentence that butler to death.

“Yeah. Here, Zik, your present.” My brother handed me my present while agreeing. Vincent Valrien… could only be described like my mother, as a classic handsome guy. He was athletic without being too buff, a face naturally suited to smiling, and striking features. We both share our father’s red hair and mother’s clear blue eyes, but they suit him more, making him seem wild but gentle. Despite only being nine at the time, he had already stolen the hearts of a few young women. Of course, in the future, I wouldn’t lose to him.

“Thank you, brother.” I took the present and promptly opened it. Contained within was an exquisitely crafted pendant of the Valrien House Crest─a roc with a sword clutched in its talons. Except, the roc was carved from red coral of the same shade as the famous Valrien red hair, and the sword of blue diamond in the same color as our eyes.

I was completely taken aback by the gift. In the game, Verzix wore this pendant at all times. Though he was always a jerk in the game, the only time he gets truly angry is when the protagonist slightly chips the pendant, and a minute piece of the blue diamond falls to the ground. It was the trigger of the second boss fight with him, which was a must-win, as Verzix will kill the player if the player loses. At the time I had assumed it was a bauble he had made to show his status, but to think it actually had such a story behind it.

My family watched me with warm eyes as I gazed at the pendant, mesmerized. Though my brother chose to break the silence. “Do you like it, Zik?”

“It’s amazing. Thanks, Vince.” I wanted to say more, but thirty-six years of vocabulary were gone in that instant. Even if I couldn’t put it into words, it seemed like my family understood my feelings.

“Remember this, Verzix,” my father said sternly. “As a Valrien, you are responsible for the lives of tens of thousands of people. You must always be watching the whole territory. It is too easy to get lost looking at a few rabbits and miss the foxes making their moves. Keep watch, take it all in, then like the roc, swoop in and end it all at once. Don’t be paralyzed by doubts.”

“What your father is saying,” added my mother, “is that it’s fine to do something and be wrong. However, you should never let the fear of being wrong stop you from doing. Remember, you can mend something that’s broken, but you can’t do anything about it if you never had it.”

I didn’t need much time to think about that. It resonated all too well with my other life. In that life, I often chose to not take a risk for fear of it not working out. Ask someone out? What if they say no, then I’ll have ruined my relationship with them; better to just keep things as they are. Take the managing position at one of the bank’s failing branches? Again, what if I do poorly, then I might have no job instead of a better one; let’s just stay here.

Though I was weak in my other life, I vowed not to be the same in this life. Here, I had every advantage possible, between my family and my knowledge about the game. From that moment on, the concept of failure was never even considered.

“I understand.” Seeing the smiles on my family’s faces, I knew that was all that was needed to be said. As I made that declaration, I was no longer a child, but instead the second son of the Valrien House. And I would be treated as such.

“Good. Now that you’ve recovered, your training will begin for real. You will train your swordsmanship every–”

“Father, I too have something I would like to say,” I interrupted. Though he was taken aback, my father settled back into his oversized chair, and made a motion for me to speak.

“Thank you, father.” I found the situation amusing. There I was, seated in my tall chair so I could see over the table, yet everyone’s face was so serious. Of course, mine was too.

“I have been thinking over the past month, father. About the future; who I want to be. And I have decided: I will not fight with Vincent over the successor’s position.”

“Zik, you–”

“Quiet!” My father glared at my brother until he sat back down, then turned his attention to me. It seemed he was only amusing himself earlier by letting me speak, but now I felt a great pressure weighing down on me. The 「Red Bear」 was projecting his magical energy into the room, and I was reminded that despite how he acted within the house, Viscard Valrien was the second-in-command of the kingdom’s armies. I heard a cracking sound as the floor tiles, unconducive to magical energy, began to splinter under the immensity of it. Despite the cold sweat breaking out on my neck, I glared defiantly back at my father.

“Good.” My father smiled, easing up the pressure slightly. “Verzix, why do you wish to give up your right as a potential successor?”

“Father, an army cannot have two commanders. I believe the reason that we fight over the successor’s spot is to ensure the most capable child takes over the House. But, I don’t think that will work for Vincent and I. My esteemed brother is older and more talented in both swords and magic, and it isn’t a gap I can overcome.”

“So, you wish to just give up?” This time my mother spoke, her gaze cold enough to freeze any of the volcanoes in our territory.

“No, mother. Over the last month, I have found that I have talents that will be useful to the House once Vincent takes over, but aren’t suitable for the Head. For instance…” 

I picked up a nearby knife, the one used to cut the cake which had sadly gone untouched thus far, and began to twirl it between my fingers. It was a skill I had learned in my other life with pens, thinking it would make me a little more interesting. It didn’t work, but it still became a habit, and by the time I died for the first time, I could do the trick completely unconsciously. 

While I was practicing using (blunt) knives in this body, I found that my inherent talent with daggers made the trick a joke. If I had these fingers in my other life–long, slender, and dexterous,–I could have been one of the greatest pianists in the world.

The knife was a blur in my hand, and to make a point, I picked up a second one, spinning it in my right hand. Twice I switched which hand held each knife, which my brother missed, but my parents didn’t, giving it appreciative nods.

While mindlessly continuing to spin the knives, I kept speaking. “Though my talent with swords isn’t mediocre, it also isn’t very high. Instead, I have found that my hands hold knives and daggers so naturally it almost scares me. Furthermore, I have always been light on my feet and seen well at night. I believe I should hone these aspects instead.” Suddenly, I stoped twirling the knives, holding them in a readied position. “My brother can be the sun behind the roc, and I will be the shadow it casts.”

There was a full minute of silence before my father spoke again. My mother had a contemplative look, while my brother appeared shocked. He had always practiced with me to set a goal, so I apologized in my heart to him for the wasted effort.

“I refuse.”

I felt my eyes go wide and jaw slacken at that. I had planned my speech carefully, and was sure that it would succeed. Though my father was a traditionalist, he also understood making the most of a person’s talents.

At that time, my mother held up a hand to her mouth to stifle a short laugh. Smilingly, she spoke to my father while I was stunned. “Dear, why don’t you explain? I don’t think our sons understand.” Vincent and I turned to each other at that moment, and I found he was just as surprised as I.

“Hmph,” my father snorted as he pulled back his magical energy, though it was too late for the floor of the dining room. “Zik, you’ve clearly thought this out well, but not enough. Tell me, what use will you be as Vincent’s shadow if everyone knows about it?” 

Even as I opened my mouth, I realized I had no response. Indeed, I hadn’t considered that if I pulled out of the competition for the successor’s position, I would have already failed when it came to subterfuge. The far better course of action would be to pretend like I was fighting for it, while secretly swaying support in favor of my brother.

“It seems you understand; you really are cut out for such a role, Zik. Then, your training will now change. You’ll practice with your sword twice, daggers once, magic once, and studies twice each week. When you come of age, you and Vincent will still duel.” Smiling, my father sat forward in his seat. With a simple application of his magic, he pulled the carving knife away from me and began to cut the cake. “We will discuss that later though. For now, it’s your birthday, so have some cake.”

Despite the interruption, the remainder of the party was enjoyable. The cake was delicious, with the sweetness of the mango cut by an intensely tart lime curd. We laughed and spoke as a family, and played a few board games, which my mother won all but once. Eventually, my father declared that we would call it a night there, once I was given my present from him and my mother. Though I knew what it would be, I was still excited.

“Verzix. Your mother and I feel that you could use a companion your age, both to play together and learn from. Your brother has one in his personal attendant, Anil. After searching, we found a suitable one for you.”

As he said that, the doors to the small dining room opened, and the head butler escorted in a young girl.

She had short, light blue hair, and the cute, rounded face of a young girl. Her amber eyes took in the whole room with wonder, alighting on the remains of the cake with interest, almost causing me to laugh. Between her short stature and the blue cat ears twitching atop her head, I believed that men and women alike would want to fawn over her. Of course, I was no exception. 

After all, this was the first girl I planned on making mine. The kind and curvy catgirl healer…

“Verzix, this is Nanami. She will be your personal maid and companion for the next thirteen years. Nanami, I would like to introduce you to my son Verzix. Now introduce yourselves.”

“Of course, madam.” Nanami curtsied in her child-sized sari, black and white to reflect her status as a maid. Her soft voice was just as sweet as I remembered from the game, albeit slightly higher pitched, as she was only six. “My name is Nanami. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Versik.” Though it drew a scowl from the butler, I found the way she mispronounced my name to be adorable.

“Likewise, it is lovely to meet you, Nanami." I gave a short bow, just deep enough to show respect, but not enough to imply she was my equal. The degree of the bow was an etiquette deeply engrained into my memory from birth. "My name is Verzix Valrien. I hope we can become good friends over the coming years. Though, if I may ask, what is your full name?” 

“Miyara Nanami. That is my full name, Lord Versix. Um, Lord Verzix.” The blush that colored her cheeks as she mispronounced my name a second time made me want to hug her and fluff her ears badly, but that could come later. For now, I was about to do something beyond simply amoral.

“Miyara Nanami, do you swear to follow me, Verzix Valrien, as my loyal subordinate, to the best of your ability, as long as we bear our agreement?”

The gazes I received from my family and the butler ought to have killed me where I stood, but this was necessary. Even if, inside, I wanted to kill myself for following the same path as Verzix from the game.

“Um… Yes, Lord Verzix. I, Miyara Nanami, swear to follow you as your loyal maid, to the best of my abilities, as long as you will have me.”

The butler’s face went ashen at her words, but it was too late. I had already begun speaking, and he wouldn’t dream of cutting me off in front of the Lord of the House.

“Very well. Contract established.”

Two marks appeared on our hands. The marking on my hand was a light blue wave with amber eyes gazing out from the depths, while Nanami’s was a crescent moon with a dagger hilt.

“Miyara Nanami, my dear slave, I hope we get along in the coming years.”

Fisherman

The present tense was, as expected, too hard to continue writing in. I tried to make sure the edit was properly in the past tense, but I may have missed a few lines. Sorry.

As a side note, the English translation of the game left some names in their original languages, and anglicized others. Naturally, Nanami's name is Japanese.