My consciousness faded into darkness. Then, I saw a glimmer of flickering light.Unconsciously, I reached my hand out at the last second. As I touched it, the darkness was completely swallowed by that single light, and my consciousness went with it...
My mind felt different as I slowly opened my eyes. I wasn’t in the hospital anymore. Instead, I was lying on the ground of a huge arena. Looking upward, I saw a man standing over me with a contemptuous look. All around us, dozens of kids were cheering his name.
"ERWIN!" "ERWIN!"
"BEAT THAT SCUMBAG!"
"BREAK HIS BONES!"
"See that, Vale? Nobody in this arena supports you," Erwin said, moving in closer. He raised his hand, reaching for the air, and fire wrapped around his fist. A staff materialized in his grip.
What the hell was that? I thought.
Just as he was about to raise the staff, a smooth, slender hand caught his shoulder. A girl had appeared out of nowhere.
She was stunningly beautiful, with golden hair tied up into a high ponytail. However, there was nothing ordinary about her. When her gaze met mine, the faint smile on her lips vanished, replaced by an intense pressure. It felt as if boulders had suddenly crashed onto my back.
My hand clutched my chest. It felt like thousands of needles were stabbing through my skin. What is this feeling? I thought.
Suddenly, a massive flood of information rushed into my mind. I clutched my head and screamed.
"AAAAAAAAaaaaa...hhhh!"
The loud cheers erupted into silence. Students began murmuring around us. Thousands of eyes were now locked on a student screaming in the middle of the arena.
Erwin, confused by my scream, looked at the girl. "Did you do something?" he asked in a low voice.
"Huh? No," she replied, looking equally confused. "I thought it was you."
Erwin instantly shook his head. Looking down at me as I screamed, he muttered, "I think he’s gone mad."
The infirmary staff arrived just in time, lifting me up and rushing me away from the arena.
Behind us, the students continued to gossip.
"What the hell was that about?"
"I think he actually went crazy."
"He’s probably just acting."
The whispers echoed through the stadium. In one corner of the arena, a girl watched me leave with a frustrated expression, biting her lip. "Now he’s tarnished our family name..."
She stood up and stormed away.
After what felt like hours, I slowly opened my eyes on a medical bed. I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room. Widening my eyes in pure shock, I tried to stand up, but a wreck of pain shattered the movement. I fell back onto the mattress, unable to move.
What a fucked-up life, I thought, looking at my pale hands. Just a few minutes ago I was packing food, and now I’m in a different world. This body feels completely different. Did this guy ever eat anything?
"Oh, you’re awake," a lady said, emerging from the corner of the room. From her outfit, she looked like a doctor.
My mind was still deep in thought, trying to piece together what was going on.
"Can’t you talk?" the lady asked. Her voice was laced with annoyance and disgust.
It was that same look. The exact same displeased expression that the girl and Erwin had given me. I was already tired of it.
"Can you stop looking at me like that?" I asked, locking my calm gaze onto hers.
"Like what?" she asked flatly.
"That look. That weary expression, as if you’re looking at a disgusting creature," I replied.
The lady was taken aback by my words. "Ha! Since when do you care about how other people react to you?"
"Since now," I replied instantly.
The lady chuckled lightly, though her eyes remained cold. "It’s rude, isn’t it? I heard you used to do whatever you wanted just because of your family name, without ever considering how it affected others. What brought about this sudden change?"
I paused for a moment, my voice cracking slightly when I spoke. "People change... Lady... Uh, what is your name?"
The lady looked confused by the question. "Eriana."
"Ah, yes. Lady Eriana... I am just saying that people change over time."
Lady Eriana got irritated and snapped, "Do you expect me to believe a rotten scum like you could change? At first, I felt pity toward you for being born without mana. But after what you did to Helen, I believe you deserve this fate. You deserve to be born without mana, Vale Roderick."
Ah, yes. Now I remember. I am Vale Roderick, the youngest son of the Roderick family—one of the ducal families ruling the northern part of the Vinescia Empire.
Though I was born into a ducal family, I was completely incompetent compared to my brother and sister. I was born without a mana circuit, meaning I couldn’t use magic. No one noticed my presence in the mansion. Even my own mother had never looked at me or spoken to me with a shred of affection.
What Eriana said was a hundred percent true. In this world, no one would believe me anyway.
Breaking the silence, I looked at her. "You don’t need to believe me," I said seriously.
"WHAT?!"
"I said, I don’t want you to believe me, nor am I going to try and earn your trust. I am alone, and I only need to believe in myself."
Eriana opened her mouth to argue, but seeing the unprecedented seriousness on my face, she stopped. Instead, she stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her.
I lay back down, processing the conversation and trying to understand my position in this academy. Wait... who is Helen? What the fuck did I do to her?
I racked my brain, thinking deeply until it finally clicked.
This bastard... who did I offend in my past life to end up like this?
I recalled the memory: a girl had tried to help carry Vale to the infirmary and stayed by his side until he woke up. But instead of showing gratitude, Vale had panicked and tried to strangle her. She had only survived by blasting him away with magic.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS BODY? I thought, clenching my jaw so hard it felt like it might break.
"At least give me a peaceful nap right now," I muttered, closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.