CH 1

Prologue

Translated by Rafligo102

The warmth of the morning sun roused me from slumber. As I sat up, I found myself in an unfamiliar place.

“Where am I…?”

I surveyed my surroundings and saw several beds lined up. It seemed like I had been resting in some sort of infirmary.

“Why was I sleeping in a place like this…”

I couldn’t recall why I had been lying in the infirmary. I checked my body for injuries, but there was no pain or wounds. However, my body felt… smaller? Almost like that of a child. Wait, how old am I again?

Lost in thought about what had happened, voices from outside the room caught my attention. The voices gradually drew closer, and three boys and a girl entered the room. The girl with blue hair among them spoke up.

“Eddie! You’re awake. We were worried. Are you feeling any pain?”

I was the only person in the room. Since it seemed like they were addressing me, Eddie, I decided to respond.

“I seem to be fine…”

“That’s a relief! During the Blessing Ceremony, you suddenly held your head and collapsed. We were all really surprised.”

Eddie… is that my name? And who is this girl? I can’t seem to remember her name. Also, her hair is an incredible shade of blue. Is she dressed up for some kind of cosplay?

Next, a brown-haired, sharp-eyed boy approached and spoke.

“If you’re awake, that’s good. Eddie, while you were collapsed, we decided on something without your input. To put it bluntly, you can’t be in our party anymore. We’ve decided to team up with Jürgen, the one from the mayor’s office. He’s got the talent for fire magic from the Blessing Ceremony. Quite impressive, right? Teaming up with him makes our party’s balance better than having you.”

The brown-haired boy conveyed this to me.

What kind of party are they talking about? And did they mention magic just now? Oh, right, they were talking about some Blessing Ceremony earlier…

As I tried to process the information, a tall boy with a shield stepped forward.

“Isn’t this shield cool? Jürgen’s dad gave me equipment that matches my shield skills as a celebration for forming the party. Allen, who received sword skills, got a sword. Mary, who received water magic, even got a healing magic book!”

“This sword is pretty impressive too. This equipment is something the other kids at the orphanage wouldn’t even dream of having. It’s all thanks to Jürgen.”

“Absolutely, having water magic skills is great, but you can’t use magic without a magic book. It’s a relief to be able to learn magic right from the start.”

Whoa, these guys are quite excited. Looking closely, none of them seem to be Japanese. There’s a brown-haired boy with a reddish tinge who’s been smirking in the back, he’s probably Jürgen. The one with a sword is Allen, and the girl with blue hair is Mary. However, I can’t recall the name of the shield-wielding boy.

As I pondered about the shield-wielder, Mary spoke up again.

“Since Eddie is a production class, Allen and Jürgen say it’s too dangerous for him to be an adventurer. So, Eddie, focus on your sewing, okay?”

Wait, what did she just say? My acquired skill is… sewing?

Jürgen, who had been smirking in the background, chimed in.

“I’m sorry it had to come to this, making you leave the party. But having a production class become an adventurer would only be a hindrance. It’s for the best for both of us, don’t you think?”

The four of them took turns speaking their piece and then left. However, I was in shock about my sewing ability and couldn’t process much of what they said.

One thing was clear though: I seemed to have been expelled from the party even before forming one.

“It’s almost like something out of a light novel…”

I muttered, then realized something was amiss.

What’s a light novel?

As I pondered this, I became aware of memories that weren’t my own, strange and foreign. In that instant, my own memories merged with these foreign ones.

That’s right! After receiving abilities from the Blessing Ceremony, I remembered the intense pain… but then I collapsed, didn’t I?

“…Was I… reborn as a protagonist in a light novel?”