Chapter 1: Reborn

TL Note:

The author used a modern fantasy setting world of magic, but referenced some of the real world's places or events with modified name or terms, although they are, sometimes, not actually or chronologically true to their real life counterparts.

I will list all the references in the after note in each chapter (only those that I know though)

And also....

TRIGGER WARNING: This novel contains various heavy topics, so reader discretion is highly advised.

That's being said, enjoy your ride.

10 Years Old Arc: A Girl from an Inferior Race

Reborn

I died.

It seems I was stabbed from behind.

When I turned around, suddenly feeling a 'heat' on my back, I saw a man with a desperate look on his face.

The man exuded a desolate aura, clearly indicating he had lived a life without fulfilling his self-esteem.

He was probably a random attacker.

And I was a random victim.

The man, still in the same momentum as when he stabbed me, ran off into the distance.

I fell forward.

I felt life draining from my back.

Amidst the intense pain that followed, I lost consciousness.

And so, I said goodbye to the world I was born into.

★★★

My vision is slowly returning to normal.

I can see something that looks like a white ceiling.

It seems I've been reborn as a creature that can live under a roof.

As an unpleasant sensation spreads from my rear end, I let out a cry from my throat, just as I've done before, and I hear footsteps rushing towards me.

A woman's face fills my vision, speaking to me with a gentle expression.

She has very beautiful features.

'Did I win in the genetic lottery?'

I thought naively, having not been particularly blessed with good looks in my previous life.

However, I was bothered by the fact that the woman who seemed to be my mother had yellowish-silver hair, a color I hadn't seen in my previous life, and that she had triangular, animal-ear-like protrusions on her head.

★★★

I turned 10 years old.

After finishing the breakfast my mother had prepared, I returned to my room to get ready.

Opening the door, I looked in the mirror and saw a girl standing there, dressed in a white dress.

The girl had a well-proportioned face, a straight nose, and beautifully shaped, cherry-pink lips.

Her large eyes, perhaps inherited from her father, droop slightly, and she has a tear-shaped mole next to her right eye. Her pupils shine with a golden hue.

The hair, grown long at my parents' urging, is so soft that it unravels easily with just a touch of my fingers, and it's a yellowish-silver color inherited from my mother.

I let that silver hair hang down on both sides of my back and tie it with a large blue ribbon around my shoulders.

And... I have large triangular ears on top of my head, and a bushy, fox-like tail growing from my tailbone.

This new world I was born into is called [Naraka].

My father is a pure-blooded Albanian, a major ethnic group in the country of Mittelland in this Naraka world.

My mother is a member of the Korsak tribe, a nomadic group of beastmen living in the Central Asia region.

I am apparently a half-human, half-beastman child born from their union (since you only inherit one trait from either parent, my appearance is that of a beastman).

And this is something I later learned in detail, but my parents' love story was among the worst.

A marriage by abduction.

My father apparently fell in love with my mother while traveling, at a Korsak nomadic camp, put her to sleep with magic, stuffed her into a suitcase, and brought her to Mittelland.

This marriage by abduction ruined my father's career.

My father was originally a member of the State Assembly in Baynern, and was considered a promising young politician with a bright future, expected to become prime minister or president.

However, when his abduction of my mother became a scandal and was covered by all media outlets, he faced backlash from all sides, especially from women's groups.

It became a major international issue, even developing into a diplomatic problem with the Kazarov Republic, where the Korsak people live.

Only older generations of artists and entertainment figures defended him, but their defense, lacking any ethical considerations, was meaningless.

As a result, my father was forced to hold a press conference under the cover of flashing cameras and resigned at the urging of his party.

Foreign media outlets also widely covered the kidnapping incident as an example of the arrogance of the Alba people.

In particular, talk shows in Yashima, Mittelland's biggest perceived enemy, reported on the incident in a sensational and exaggerated manner every day.

In other words, my existence is the culmination of Mittelland's shame.

That's the story of how I was born.

★

["Celica, what are you doing? You'll be late for school!"]

["...I'm coming now."]

My mother, Najka Ahrenheim, came into my room and called out to me in Korsak language.

I suppressed my gloomy mood, but unaware that my tail was hanging down, and replied, picking up my bag.

As I left the room, my father came out of his study into the hallway, apparently having finished his work.

My father, Gerald Ahrenheim, after losing his political career, seems to be doing odd jobs like writing that allow him to stay at home as much as possible to support my mother, who is unfamiliar with this country.

"Celica, are you going to school now? Have a good day. Be careful of cars."

"... I'm... going... now."

I responded to my father's gentle voice in Alban, with a clearly less articulate Alban than other children my age.

To avoid revealing my true feelings through my facial expression, I opened the apartment door with my head down, just like today.

★

"The Great Alba Empire, the predecessor of the Mittelland Federal Republic, was originally nothing more than a loose confederation of territorial states. However, faced with the threat of the Vostknislyag Empire and the territorial ambitions of the Gallic Empire. Bismerk, the leader of the Kingdom of Prozia…"

A classmate was standing and fluently reading from the history textbook.

It was elementary school history class.

Suddenly, I felt a slight impact on the back of my head.

I turned around and saw a boy two seats behind me grinning.

I looked at the floor and saw a piece of eraser lying there; it seemed he had thrown it at my head.

"Celica Ahrenheim! Where are you looking! We're in class right now!!"

"Y-yes! I'm sorry!"

Laughter erupted from throughout the classroom.

I glanced at the boy, he had a triumphant look on his face.

"Good grief... Okay, now it's Ahrenheim's turn to read."

"Yes... The North Alba... Federation... and the Baynern Kingdom... the Allied forces... in the blink of an eye... occupied Letetia, the capital of the Gallic Empire.... then the Valheim—"

"Okay, stop!"

The teacher interrupted my hesitant reading.

"First of all, it's not Letetia, it's Lutetia. Lu-Te-Ti-A! Well, that's Gaulish, so that's fine. But what comes after is unacceptable. It's Valherheim! Val-Her-Heim! How dare you get the title of a great Alba figure wrong!

Well... maybe because you're half Albanian."

"Teacher! I think Alban is too difficult for a Beast!"

"You're right! Maybe the structure of her throat isn't suited to speaking Alban."

One boy started taunting, and the boys around him started making a fuss, seemingly finding it hilarious.

I could barely stand, feeling my head getting hot.

My mother doesn't speak Alban at home; she speaks to me in Korsak language.

As a result, my Alban skill was lagging behind the other kids.

At that moment, I resented my mother for stubbornly insisting on teaching me Korsak language instead of Alban.

★

"That concludes homeroom. Everyone, please go straight home without making any detours."

The teacher, having fulfilled his minimum obligation, strode out of the classroom.

Before I could even get up from my seat, a group of five boys, having confirmed the teacher's absence, surrounded me.

"You made a mistake in Alban again today, didn't you?"

The boy at the front mocked me.

I looked down.

Because I couldn't use the language properly, my thoughts were jumbled, and I couldn't say anything back.

Perhaps pleased by my silence and lack of response, the boys continued their attack.

"You can't even speak Alban! You belong in a barn, not a school!!"

"You're a disgrace to Alba!! Get out of Mittelland!!"

"I hear your family goes to a Buddhist church every month! Buddhism is a teaching meant for humans. It's probably meaningless to a half-animal like you, hahaha!"

"Die!! Get out of this Naraka world, you inferior race!!"

I felt like my heart was being gouged by the blades of their words.

I remained silent.

I mustn't react.

That would only please them more.

However, the boys' taunts showed no sign of stopping.

Then, one of the boys' arms suddenly reached out towards me.

"Come with us. We'll teach you Arba language, since you're a slow learner."

"N-no..."

I'm scared!

"Stop it! You guys!!"

"Al!"

Someone burst through the classroom door, jumped and punched one of the boys surrounding me.　

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"You come again! Traitor!!"

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson today!!"

A fight broke out.　

Al is a strong fighter. No boy could beat him one-on-one.

But now it was 1 against 5.

Al would soon be beaten to a pulp.　

Seeing that, I...

....

.... I ran away.　

"Hey!! She escaped again!!"　

I ignored the voice of the boy who was bullying me and ran out of the classroom.

If I stayed there, I'd be taken hostage, putting Al at an even greater disadvantage.　

'Is this the only thing I can do on my second life?'

I ran down the corridor, overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness.

★

A park in Nygenburg.

Away from the playground and open area, in a corner overgrown with dense bushes—a place probably no one would go to, even if they were curious.

That was the usual meeting place for me and Al, or by his full name, Albert Mergen.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... Sorry, I'm late."

"Al!!"　

I rushed up to Al, who stumbled out, and helped him sit behind the bushes.　

"So terrible..."　

Al's injuries were more severe than usual, even from a distance.

His bare arms and legs, exposed by his short-sleeved shirt and shorts, were covered in scrapes.

His face, which usually conveyed brightness rather than coldness, was ruined by bruises on his right eyelid and left cheek, swollen and bruised.

His lip was probably cut as a thin stream of blood dripped down his handsome chin.

Al, with his friendly, cheerful personality and handsome looks—a guy who probably had many girls admiring him—was in a terrible state.

'It was... my fault...'

....

'No, now's not the time to wallow in self-loathing!'

"Wait... I'll heal you now..."

I concentrated the mana I'd taken in from the air into my index and middle fingers and gently stroked his lips as slowly as possible.

Next, his right hand... his left hand... his right foot... his left foot...

Al's wounds, which he was probably enduring the pain of, began to close.

I gently placed my palm on the blue bruise on his swollen face and concentrated mana there as well.

The blue discoloration of his skin didn't change, but the swelling subsided.

"... Let me see your stomach..."

When I lifted his shirt, I saw that his stomach was discolored blue in places, probably from being punched many times (maybe even kneed).

I treated the wounds with my palms.

When the pain subsided, he flashed his usual smile, reached out to my head, and gently stroked it.

"Sorry. Thanks for always healing me."

"...!! Why are you apologizing!? It's my fault that Al got hurt!!"

Tears welled up at my own helplessness.

Why am I, with the mental age of an adult, being protected by a child so young?

I've left him so covered in wounds...

"...I should tell the Teacher after all—"

"NO!!!"

"!!"

Al's sudden, sharp voice, even louder than the one he'd shouted earlier to save me, made my body freeze.

Scary.

'...Huh? Why I feel scared towards Al?'

He sacrificed himself to save me.

A boy who gave up the fun childhood he could have had if he had ignored me, all for my sake.

Seeing me like that, Al's expression showed a deep "Oh no" look on his face, then he ran his fingers over my head again, combing my hair back as he spoke gently.　

"It's useless to tell the Teacher. They'll definitely take their side."

"But—!!"

"Celica, don't worry, just let me protect you. Besides, even if I get hurt, Celica will heal me, right?"

Al interrupted my protest, his expression becoming playful towards the end of his sentence.　

He didn't want me to worry, since I was the cause of the trouble befalling him...

My heart was filled with regret, and I hugged Al tightly.

"I'm sorry... It's my fault... I'm sorry..."　

Al didn't say anything, just gently stroked my back.

We held each other in that position until sunset.

★

This is my daily life.

A miserable, horrible life in another world, ruining the life of one boy.

To Be Continued...

Glossary:

Alba: The previous name of the country where this novel takes place. Real life counterpart is Almain (The previous name of Germany before 16th Century) In turn, Albanian refers to people from Alba.

Alban: The most common language speaks by almost everyone in Alba (Mittelland). Real life counterpart, of course, German.

Baynern: Refer to the one of the federal states in Alba (or in current name is Mittelland). Real life counterpart is Bavaria or Bayern, the state in West Germany.

Bismerk: A direct reference to Otto von Bismarck, the Minister President of Prussia in 1862. The one successfully united various German states into the powerful German Empire in 1871 and served as its first chancellor.

Gallic Empire: In this novel is a counterpart of France. But if you want to go technical, Gallic Empire era is really France, just in very different era, to be exact, 260–274 CE.

Gaulish: The language used by people from Gallic Empire. Real life counterpart is, of course, French.

Great Alba Empire: Real life counterpart is the Holy Roman Empire, a loose multi-ethnic confederation of territories in Central Europe that lasted for over a millennium (800 AD), before eventually become German Confederation in 1815.

Kazarov Republic: The real life counterpart is the Khazar Empire, a powerful semi-nomadic Turkic trading state that dominated the region between the Black and Caspian seas from about 650 to 965 CE. But in this novel, it's most likely refer to their modern country of Kazakhstan.

Kingdom of Prozia: Direct reference to Kingdom of Prussia, led by Otto von Bismarck.

Korsak: a nomadic beastman tribe that live in Kazarov Republic.

Lutetia: It is the ancient name for the city of Paris, France.

Mittelland: The current name of the Great Alba Empire. Real life counterpart, German.

Naraka: the name of the planet this novel takes place. In other word, Earth. Though in Sanskrit, Naraka means Hell.

Nygenburg: The second largest city in the Baynern state of Mittelland country. Real life counterpart is Nuremberg, the second largest city in Bavaria federal state, Germany.

Valherheim: the title of Alba leader. Real life counterpart is "Führer", which in German literally means "Leader".

Vostknislyag Empire: Real life counterpart is Russia(?) Actually I'm not really sure about this one.

Yashima: Mittelland's biggest enemy in this world. Real life counterpart, probably, is Japan or China(?)