02 — A Peaceful Life Before the Story Begins

At some point, I stopped counting the days.

Honestly… not much had changed. I was still busy adjusting to my new body, to the silver hair that always fell over my face. I ate three meals a day

(plus snacks that were always there, I don’t know why), slept in a spacious room with a soft bed, living a life with no pressure to work.

And with my new Mama and Papa… well, you could say they were a bit too affectionate for a pair of parents.

I laughed as I watched them.

My laughter sounded normal… somehow, it felt as if I were merely watching from the outside.

Of course, there was no advanced technology like in my original world.

No smartphones, no PC, no internet.

But at the very least, I could still gather information

—from the books in the library, and from my parents themselves.

(This house… even has its own library. Seriously. And its size is ridiculous for something called a “home library.”)

...—★—...

From there, I learned that I am currently on the Continent of Elysium,

and that the calendar marks the year as 1970 of the New Era.

That name appears frequently in the books I’ve read.

‘Elysium appears far too often to be a coincidence.’

‘…and Mama mentions it often as well.’

This continent was once on the brink of annihilation, overrun by monsters that destroyed settlements without mercy.

It took the heroes roughly ten years to reclaim it.

Ten years.

I paused my reading.

‘Ten years… I’m not even sure I’d survive ten days if I had lived in that era.’

Aside from that, this world has a talent-ranking system for each class.

For reference, someone with an intellectual stat above 50 is considered Rank E.

Every increase of ten points raises the rank by one tier.

The same rules apply to other classes as well.

While I was flipping through the pages, Papa’s calm voice came from across the room.

He was searching for a book.

“Back then, your Mama’s average talent was over seventy-eight points,” he said casually, as if it were nothing.

I immediately stopped reading.

“Wait… what? Over seventy eight?”

I stared at him with wide eyes.

“That means Mama’s average talent was almost Rank B?!”

“Well, that’s true. Your Mama was strong,”

Papa nodded calmly, a faint smile on his face.

“Though… her physical strength was still below Rank B.”

“No!!”

Mama cut in immediately. “That’s a lie! Don’t listen to Papa, dear! Your Papa is a liar!”

Papa chuckled softly.

“See? She always reacts like that when start talking about her own strengths.”

Mama fell silent for a moment.

“Who just said my physical strength was weak?!”

She narrowed her eyes and shot Papa a sharp glare.

Papa only laughed, and Mama immediately started punching his shoulder.

“Owh, hey—mercy, mercy,” he said, laughing as well.

I grinned.

“So indirectly… Mama’s physical ability is Rank B then?”

“E-eh? No!”

Mama panicked instantly. “Mama doesn’t have that!”

Papa glanced at her, his smile widening.

“Who says? Back then, your physical stat even sur—”

“Michael!”

The name flew like a blade.

Papa and I looked at each other-then burst out laughing together.

– – – – – — – –

Aside from reading, I also spent time observing the photos displayed along the walls of the house.

I stopped in front of one photo.

A young man with a neat smile, calm eyes, and a face that was undoubtedly popular.

For some reason, standing before someone like that made me feel like an ant next to an elephant.

Beside it was the portrait of a young woman.

Her gaze was sharp yet lively, with a faint smile as if she were challenging anyone who looked at her. Her hair flowed freely, far less orderly than the photo next to hers.

And that was exactly what made her stand out.

There was something about her that made me feel… slightly wary.

...——•°•——...

While I was still looking at the photos on the wall, I asked Mama.

“Mama, who are these people?” I asked curiously, even though that uneasy feeling lingered as I looked at them.

Mama followed the direction of my finger, then smiled softly.

“Oh, you might not remember, but those are your older siblings. This one is named Leren Von Artheus.”

Then she pointed to the photo beside it.

“And this is your older sister, Cerys Von Seraphion.”

After that, Mama began to talk about them

—from her own point of view.

She said my older brother was the diligent type, always trying to be a role model for the family. However, his demeanor could change quite drastically when he was around his younger siblings. At present, he was studying at the Aetherium Academy, training to become a knight.

Still, according to Mama, there was one thing about him that made him a little strange.

He had a personality very similar to Papa’s.

...—★—...

“What is Papa actually like?” I asked.

“Isn’t Papa usually cheerful?”

Mama replied in a calm tone

“You might not have noticed yet, but your Papa has two sides. One for when he’s in public, and another for when he’s with family.”

“Why is that?” I asked, growing more curious.

Mama smiled faintly, as if recalling something long past.

“Back when Papa was still an academy student, just like Mama, he was almost impossible to approach. His face was always cold, and he hardly ever smiled.”

“And then?” I pressed.

“He would only truly pay attention to someone if they surpassed his rank,” Mama replied.

“Just because of rank?” I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

Mama chuckled softly.

“There was actually another reason… but his ego refused to admit it. In his mind, anyone capable of surpassing his rank had to be watched carefully.”

“So Mama once surpassed Papa’s rank?” I asked quickly.

“Eh—not like that!” Mama hurried to defend herself.

“The point is, your Papa’s ego back then was extremely high. Even the tallest mountain couldn’t compare.”

I fell silent for a moment, then muttered,

“That sounds troublesome…”

Mama nodded in agreement.

“And strangely enough, once someone manages to shatter his ego, Papa will stick to that person endlessly.”

“So… that’s why Papa sticks to Mama like that?” I asked.

Mama let out a small sigh, then smiled helplessly.

“I hate to admit it, but... That’s true.”

She paused for a moment, as if hesitating to continue.

“But… your brother is different.”

“Leren?” I asked.

“Yes,” Mama replied softly.

“Your brother always carries a small notebook.”

I frowned. “A notebook?”

Mama nodded.

“Even though what’s inside it… is your siblings’ embarrassing secrets.”

I froze on the spot.

“…Why does that sound dangerous?”

———

Meanwhile, elsewhere—

Papa suddenly felt a wave of heat crawl up the back of his neck, despite the temperature being minus four degrees.

He stopped and glanced around.

There was nothing. No strange presence. Even the flow of mana felt perfectly stable.

He let out a quiet breath.

“…Am I being talked about?”

The thought lingered longer than it should have.

Strange.

After a moment, he shook his head.

“…Maybe just my imagination.”

———

Mama gently brushed her fingers over the frame of my older sister’s photo.

After that, she began telling me about her.

Her story was very different.

According to Mama, my older sister was far freer and much harder to control. Instead of learning etiquette or playing like a normal girl, she often sneaked off to the library to learn new things

-or challenged boys to magic duels simply out of curiosity.

Mama chuckled softly as she remembered.

I didn’t laugh. Somehow, every story about my sister always ended at the same place.

‘Papa.’

“When you think about it,” Mama continued, “she’s actually similar to your Papa.”

I lifted my head.

“Similar… to Papa again?”

“Yes,”

Mama smiled faintly.

“Too free. Too cheerful. And just as difficult to manage.”

She paused.

“The difference is, she inherited that side of him from the very beginning.”