Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2 – The Former Demon King, Confirming The Skills From His Previous Life

Yuuki Grossalia, the second son of the baron Grossalia Family.

That’s my name now.

It has been three years since I regained my memories, and I have finally adapted myself to both the memories of my previous life and my current memories.

I’m Dean Nosferatu, the ‘Immortal Mage, Lord of Nosferatu’, and Yuuki Grossalia, the second son of the Grossalia Family.

And now, I’ve come to accept either memory calmly.

“Even so…I wonder what that voice was back then”

I remembered the moment before I was reincarnated.

Getting stabbed by Lyle was part of my plan. And so, I have been thinking about the events that followed after I was killed.

I gave some of my blood to a bat familiar in advance so that it could adapt to my magic.

After getting stabbed by Lyle, I was supposed to transfer my soul into the bat’s body.

But…it failed miserably.

It was the first time I used that magic, and it was also the first time I died. I guess that’s why it was inevitable to have failed as well.

After the soul transfer magic had failed, I heard that voice.

‘…Do you wish to reincarnate?’ said the voice, and then I lost consciousness.

The next thing I knew, I was reincarnated as a human.

Who reincarnated me?

…I don’t know. At the moment, there’s no way to find that out.

“I wonder how long has it been since then”

I sat down on a chair in my room.

There’s a desk, a chair, and a bed in my room. On the desk is a book on noble etiquette. Hanging on the wall is the wooden sword I use for sword practice.

When I stand in front of the mirror, my current figure is reflected on it.

Black hair, black eyes. The looks…well, not bad, I guess.

I don’t look very strong, but that’s to be expected at the age of thirteen.

My height is a little taller compared to the children of the same age group.

This is the current me, the second son of the Grossalia Family, Yuuki Grossalia.

This place is the family’s territory. It’s a long distance from the Royal Capital as it is located in the countryside.

There are three children in the Grossalia Family.

The legitimate children, Xellos nii-sama and the little sister, Rumia. And then there’s me, Yuuki.

I’m not a descendant from the first wife. In other words, I’m an illegitimate child.

My Father is the Baron Georg Grossalia. His first wife, Teremia-sama, died shortly after giving birth to Rumia. Neither I nor Rumia can remember her face. The rest of the people in this mansion are just servants.

……Oh, there’s one more person, but he doesn’t fall within that category.

Anyway, I’m an illegitimate child. I, who is not a child of the first wife, have no right to inherit the Grossalia Family.

Therefore, I’ll have to decide my own future soon.

Do I leave the house and enroll into a school somewhere? Or, do I become an adventurer?

“Hmm…but before that, I should learn more about humans”

Dean Nosferatu tried to blend into the human world and failed.

Before he took up residence in the old castle, he was ostracized as a monster, and after he took up residence in the old castle, he helped the villagers of the ‘Fila Village’ as their guardian deity. That’s what had happened.

I wasn’t a human in my previous life.

In the truest sense, the current me isn’t really a human either.

Even now that I’ve been reincarnated, I still have the skills from my previous life. The blood as well, is still ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ that contains a large amount of magic power.

After I get past puberty, I probably won’t age as well.

Eventually, I’ll deviate further away from what is defined as being a human.

That’s why I will try to master the art of ‘being a human’ in this life.

I will study what it means to be a human while I’m still a child. When I stop growing and aging, I will use the results of my research to somehow blend in with the humans.

“Let’s use magic for that purpose. In order to know the humans and blend in with them”

‘Kii Kii’

Before I knew it, I heard a cry from outside the window.

It’s a bat.

“Did you come from the mountains?”

‘……Kii’

The bat didn’t fly away even after I opened the window and called out to it.

For a long time, bats are always attracted to me.

That’s why I got the ‘Vampire King, Vampire Lord’ nickname.

“Good timing. Would you be willing to accompany me on my magic experiments?”

‘Kii?’

“Hold on a minute”

I cut my fingertips with a dagger.

Then, I held out my blood-tinged fingers to the bat.

“This is my blood. It’s called ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ and it contains a large amount of magic power. Drink this and you will become my underling, but in return, you will gain wisdom and power. So, what will you do?”

‘…Kii’

The bat stuck out its tongue and licked the blood on my finger.

The wound on my finger will disappear soon.

Because the ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ has both healing and purification abilities, so it’s perfect for sterilization, too.

‘…Nice to meet you, master’

said the bat.

Other than me, anyone else should only be able to hear, ‘Kii Kii’.

‘I’m grateful for receiving this amazing power. Thanks to master’s blood, we are now able to communicate like this. It’s truly convenient, so please accept my regards’

It’s a success. Even after I’ve reincarnated, my ‘Magical Blood, Mistel Blood’ is still effective.

Just as in my previous life, it is possible to create servants by giving them my blood.

However, they cannot become my servant without giving me their consent, nor do I have complete control over my servants. It is just something like ‘I will give you some magic power, but in return, please help me out’.

Even so, people were still wary of me in my previous life. Even though I don’t suck blood, I was still called a vampire.

“I’ve just awakened to my power, too. So I’ll be counting on you”

I patted the bat’s head.

“This may be a bit of a sudden, but do you know of any places where I could experiment with magic?”

‘I think the mountains behind this mansion would be good. It is also the place where I live’

I nodded at the bat resting on my shoulder.

‘But you need to be careful, because there are monsters lurking in the shadows of the mountains’

“What kind of monsters are they?”

‘They’re the Dark Bears, Guinea Owls, and Large Rabbits’

“In that case, I can handle it just fine”

‘You’re amazing, master! If I encountered a monster, I’d have flown away!’

“I’ll be there at night. You’ll have to guide me then”

‘Yes, I’ll be waiting for you, master!’

With that said, the bat flew away.

I was able to confirm that I could use the skills from my previous life.

Let’s do a full-scale experiment after I reach the mountains behind the mansion at night.

While I was thinking about that—‘Knock-knock’, there was the sound of someone knocking on the door.

“Yuuki nii-sama. This is Rumia. Are you there?”

From the other side of the door came the voice of my little sister, Rumia.

“Rumia has come to see nii-sama. Can you open the door, Yuuki nii-sama?”

Seems like Rumia has sneaked into this building again.

There are two buildings on the grounds of Grossalia Family’s mansion.

One is the main building where Father, Xellos nii-sama, and my little sister, Rumia live in.

The other building that is detached from the main building is the one that I live in.

The detached building is a small two-story building, and the only people here are me and my maid, Martha.

It’s connected to the main building through a connecting corridor, but I’ve been told not to show my face there.

“Xellos nii-sama told you not to come here, didn’t he? Rumia”

“I think it’s only natural for the little sister to come and see her brother”

The door was opened, and a blonde girl appeared.

She is a petite girl with big, cherry blossom eyes.

This is my little sister Rumia. She will be ten years old this year.

“It’s time for dinner, so I’ve come to call Yuuki nii-sama in behalf of Martha”

said Rumia, fiddling with her fingers.

“I wish to talk to nii-sama on the way to the dining hall”

“About my current situation?”

“Yes, that’s right”

“I woke up this morning and had my breakfast. After reading the books to get into public school, Father tried to teach me swordsmanship, but Xellos nii-sama took that from me. After lunch, I swung a wooden sword alone. And that brings us to now”

“I think nii-sama should be more considerate of a girl’s feelings”

“Why are you angry?”

“I’m not angry”

“Well anyway, let’s go halfway together. Rumia”

I took Rumia’s hand.

“Yes. Nii-sama!”

Rumia immediately broke into a smile.

Geez, I don’t understand humans after all….

The Baron’s buildings are old. The severed Grossalia Family was taken over by Father, who made a name for himself in the war. Since the territory is not even that rich, the mansion couldn’t be rebuilt, and is being occupied as it is.

This is in the north of the Royal Capital, and it’s extremely cold during the winter.

The specialties here are fruits and furs. So far, there’s no unsavory characters showing up here.

The inhabitants of this mansion are Father, Xellos nii-sama, me, Rumia, and the rest are the servants, and my maid, Martha.

There’s also one more person who is a magic instructor.

The guards guarding the mansion commute in from the nearby villages. There are always a few stationed guards, so the mansion is surprisingly lively. Though, the detached building is rather deserted.

“There’s a lot of cold drafts here in the detached building. Nii-sama”

“I wonder if there’s some kind of magic that can help”

“It would be nice to have a magic item like that”

“Maybe the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’ where nii-sama is aiming for has it”

Our brother, Xellos Grossalia, is aiming to become a trainee in the Royal Capital’s magic guild.

The ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’ is a huge organization that combines the institute of magic education and research.

It seems that one can learn the powerful ‘Ancient Magic’ by becoming a guild trainee there.

The guild includes high ranking nobles such as the Duke and Marquis, as well as the royal family.

For this reason, it is a status symbol for the nobles to have their children join the magic guild.

That’s why the Grossalia Family hired a private tutor and is trying to get nii-sama into the magic guild.

I’m interested in it as well…but honestly, I don’t want to get involved.

Because when I think of the ‘Ancient Magic’, I would only be reminded of the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’.

But still…how many years have passed since my previous life…?

I don’t think it has been a mere ten or twenty years.

Since my reincarnation, the names of the countries, royal families or nobles that I had learned, there were none of them that I knew of. It has been thirteen years since I became a human, but I’ve never even heard of the name ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’.

Is that how long time has passed?

I really wonder what happened to the world after my first death.

“—Yuuki nii-sama, are you listening?”

“Sorry. I wasn’t listening. What were you saying?”

“It’s the usual revision. I’ll read to nii-sama what I had learned today, so please listen”

Rumia begins to hum a verse from a poem.

This poem existed in my era as well. It is used to learn the pronunciation needed for chanting  magic.

“……so, how was it? Nii-sama”

“The name that came up first, its pronunciation was weird. And the last phrase was too fast. I faintly remember the original, are you trying to deceive me?”

“……Uuuu. I wasn’t even exposed by Father…”

“Rumia, your pronunciation often stutters. You should try to slow down and be aware of your tongue movement”

“‘Roiii’, like this?”

“Try taking longer breaths”

“I’ll give it a try, nii-sama”

This reminds me of my previous life.

Back then, I used to teach the children in the village with their studies.

They used to come to the old castle where I lived every morning.

The room where I died wasn’t a Throne Room or anything, it was just a classroom. In that classroom, I was the teacher for the village for about 120 years.

Come to think of it, before I even knew it, the literacy rate in ‘Fila Village’ had reached 100%, and travelers from the Royal Capital were surprised by that as well.

After I was reincarnated, I was taught by butlers and maids.

The only child within the Grossalia Family that has a private tutor is Xellos nii-sama, the legitimate child.

As for me, I’m already glad that I could learn the knowledge of this era, so I don’t have any complaints at all….

…Rumia whined to me, ‘I can’t keep up with my studies’.

Inadvertently as I comfort her, it has become a habit.

I have told Rumia to keep it a secret. And since nobody has said anything about it yet, it seems that they’ve yet to find out that I have been teaching her magic and her typical studies at the moment.

“—‘those who control the flame’  ‘O, the great bearers of light’— What do nii-sama think?”

“Your pronunciation is getting better. You can ask Father for advice later. You might soon be able to proceed to magic activation”

“…I want nii-sama to see Rumia, too”

“I told you not to tell anyone about me, didn’t I?”

“Then, next time. Nii-sama. Next time…”

“We’re running out of time. Rumia”

Before we knew it, we found ourselves on the first floor of the detached building.

Straight ahead is the dining hall. Turn left, and there will be the connecting corridor leading to the main building.

“I’m going to the dining hall in this building. Rumia’s destination will be the dining hall in the main building”

I let go of Rumia’s hand.

“Go on, get going. Father and Xellos nii-sama are waiting for you”

“Rumia wants to have a meal with nii-sama”

Rumia puffed out her cheeks.

“Why can’t nii-sama join us as well?”

“I can’t eat over there. You know that”

“Father said he doesn’t mind if nii-sama wants to!”

Did Father say that to Rumia?

That’s sly.

Father should understand that I can’t go to the main building with that man around.

“Let’s go together. Nii-sama will be going to school sometime this year, right?”

“I haven’t decided what to do yet”

“Nii-sama is excellent, so it shouldn’t be a problem getting into any school. For sure!”

Rumia grasped my hands tightly with her small hands.

“Nii-sama’s teaching method is easier to understand than anybody else’s. If it’s nii-sama, I think nii-sama can even receive a certified full proficiency in magic from the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’!”

“You have overestimated me too much”

“I don’t think so!”

“That’s because Rumia hasn’t had a private tutor yet. Rumia will change her mind when she gets a proper tutor in a couple of years”

“I will never change my mind”

Rumia looks at me with a twinkle in her eyes.

“Nii-sama is all Rumia needs. Something like a private tutor, I don’t need it!”

“You’re being too loud”

“……Let’s eat together, Yuuki nii-sama”

“Rumia”

“I’m sure nii-sama will someday become a great man beyond the reach of Rumia. So for now, I want to be with nii-sama as much as possible. Please…”

“Don’t be selfish. Rumia ojou-sama”

A voice came from the main building.

As we looked towards where the voice came from, there stood a man with ash gray hair.

Standing right behind him is a blond boy, that’s our brother, Xellos.

“One should know their place, that is important for those who are involved in magic. The first wife’s child, Rumia ojou-sama, and the illegitimate child, Yuuki-dono, are not allowed to sit together at the same dining table”

The ash gray-haired man looked at me as he said that.

The man’s name is Kachel Mieghem.

He’s the private tutor hired by Father to get Xellos nii-sama into the ‘Lindbel Magic Guild’.

“I’ll say it over and over again. An illegitimate child should feel lucky just to be in this mansion”

said the tutor Kachel.

I don’t like his tone, but what he said is right.

I’m the child Father had with a local woman when he went to war.

That’s why I’m not a legitimate child, but an illegitimate child. I’m just lucky to have been taken into this mansion.

I think Father is overall a pretty good guy for a nobleman.

In the middle of a war, an ordinary nobleman would have left behind the child that they had after inadvertently having fallen in love with a local woman.

Even more so when the woman passed away and only sent a will stating, “Please take care of this child”.

But still, Father took me in.

Everyone in the family accepted me with no issue as well.

However, the situation changed three years ago when the tutor Kachel arrived.

“Yuuki-dono…no, Yuuki-kun, you may not know this, but people have a certain status that they are born with”

“I know”

“Oh? Let us hear it”

“The highest-ranking species are humans. Next is the demi-human such as Elves. Monsters that have intelligence are the lowest such as Lich, Vampires, etc.”

“Then what is the ranking in a noble’s household?”

“Father is the highest rank, the head of the family. Next is the first wife, Teremia-sama. Then, Xellos nii-sama, Rumia-sama, the legitimate children…and below that is me, the illegitimate child, Yuuki Grossalia”

“You’re wrong about one thing. You have no right to claim the family name of Grossalia”

“I apologize”

“Kachel-sensei!!”

“Yes? Rumia ojou-sama”

“Please correct your statement! Yuuki nii-sama is Rumia’s nii-sama and a member of the Grossalia Family!!”

“Is that so? Xellos-sama”

……Don’t ask nii-sama. You know you’re an adult.

“I’ve taught you what it’s like to be a legitimate child of nobility, haven’t I? Have you forgotten about that?”

“……An illegitimate child is no different than commoners”

Xellos nii-sama turned his gaze away from me and Rumia.

“Nobles are not allowed to dine with commoners. I, as the one above, have to be aware of my nobility”

“What did your older brother say? Rumia-sama”

“……nii-sama”

“Why don’t you go to the dining hall? Rumia”

I pushed Rumia on the back.

“I’m not too keen on eating at the main building either. So I will eat with my maid, Martha, in the annex”

“……I understand. Yuuki nii-sama”

Rumia nodded with teary eyes.

The status system, huh? As usual, humans like that kind of thing, don’t they?

“May I ask you a question, Kachel-sensei?”

I turned to the tutor Kachel and asked.

“How many years has it been since the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ once discovered Ancient Magic and Artifacts within the Holy Grounds—or rather, the ‘Capital of Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium’?”

“Don’t speak the name ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ lightly. That’s a taboo!”

Tutor Kachel exclaimed.

“However, I will answer your question. This year marks 220 years since the discovery of the ‘Capital of Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium’. It is a mercy to answer your question. Otherwise, you will probably be asking anybody this insensitive question”

With that, Kachel walked away.

“……The ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ is a taboo?”

That kind of organization?

The organization that found the ‘Capital of Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium’ and obtained a large number of relics…?

Really, that’s how much time has passed….

In my previous life, I died 20 years after the ‘Sanctuary Church, Elysium Temple’ discovered the ‘Capital of Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium’.

In other words, currently, it has been 200 years since my death.