Volume 1: The Commoner's Child
Chapter 1: Reincarnation
"Leon! Are you okay!?"
"Leon! You woke up!?"
Ugh, it's so noisy. But more importantly, my head hurts. The noise is pounding in my head, please be quiet.
As I thought that, I managed to lift my heavy eyelids and saw an unfamiliar person in front of me. Who are they? Where am I?
As I was confused, I saw a wooden ceiling in my line of sight. My house should have had a white ceiling...
"Leon, are you okay? You fell down the stairs and hit your head. You seemed to have lost consciousness for a while, but do you feel sick or anything?"
Fell down the stairs... and who is Leon? I'm Riyosuke Ichigaya. I don't know anyone with a name like Leon who's a foreigner...
Ah, my head is throbbing so much, it's too much of a hassle to think about this strange situation.
I'll just go back to sleep. This is probably just a dream. If I sleep and wake up, I should be back to my usual daily life.
Thinking that, I closed my eyes.
"Ah~. I slept well... where am I!?"
Come to think of it, it feels like I had a dream waking up in an unfamiliar place... could it be that wasn't a dream!?
Why am I here in this place? I remember going to university to attend a lecture, but it got canceled just before it started. Then I was going to go home, but what happened after that?
Hmm, I don't remember. No, I have a memory of something like an explosion, but I'm not sure... I can't remember.
Wait, are my hands smaller? I cautiously look down at my body and... they're definitely smaller. What's going on? Am I turning into a child!?
"Ah, ah..."
"My voice is different! It's like it's become higher. What's going on?"
"Come to think of it, I was surrounded by people I didn't know in my dream. And they were calling me Leon. Could it be that I have become Leon? No way, that's ridiculous..."
As I was pondering this, memories of when I was Leon suddenly flooded my mind. What is this memory? Did I become Leon?
Why would that happen... And according to my memory, this place isn't just not Japan, it's not even Earth. Could it be that I have been reincarnated into another world? But that only happens in stories, right!? Then, did I die on Earth?
As I was in the midst of confusion, the door in the room where I was sleeping suddenly opened.
"Leon, did you wake up? Are you okay now?"
This person is Leon's mother, as can be understood from Leon's memory. But for me, she is someone I don't know, although she was a beloved mother in Leon's memory...
It's definitely better if no one finds out that Leon has become Ichigaya Ryosuke. No one would believe it, and it would be troublesome if they were to say that he was possessed by a demon and avoided him...
I have no choice but to become Leon here.
"Good morning, mother. I'm not hurt anywhere and I'm fine. I fell down the stairs, right?"
"That's right! You have to be careful. I was really worried, you know."
"I'm sorry. I'll be careful from now on."
"Please do. By the way, Leon, we've already had breakfast, but can you eat now?"
Mom peered into my face with a very worried expression. I shouldn't make her worry here, but... I'm not hungry due to the confusion, and I want to be alone a little longer to sort out my thoughts.
"I'm not hungry yet, so it's okay for now. I'll eat lunch later."
"Is that so? Then make sure to sleep until lunchtime."
With that, my mother patted my head and left the room.
Phew, I feel tired. But I need to sort out my thoughts.
Did I die on Earth or something? I don't remember well, but anyway, it's almost impossible to return to Earth and this isn't a dream.
Even though I worked hard for the university entrance exam and went to the university I wanted to go to, I can no longer see my mother, father, or friends....
Thinking about what happened on Earth, tears kept coming to my eyes.
I cried quietly for a while. However, there's no point in crying, so I decided to accept reality for now.
"Alright! It's sad, but I have to understand the current situation."
I slapped both of my cheeks with my hands to psych myself up. The first thing I need to think about is Leon's memories. It's strange, but even though my body is Leon's, my personality has completely become Ichigaya Ryosuke.
I can remember all of Leon's memories if I try, but they won't come to mind unless I make an effort to remember them.
According to my memory, it seems that Leon had just turned eight years old recently. I remember celebrating his eighth birthday.
The seasons seem to exist, but it's a comfortable place to live as the summer doesn't get too hot and the winter isn't too cold.
Moreover, it seems that Leon lives in the capital city of the Larslasia Kingdom, called Lasria. His family runs a dining establishment there. His father's name is Jean, his mother's name is Roana, and he has a younger sister named Marie.
In Leon's daily life, he helps out at the dining establishment when it's open, and when it's closed, he goes to the nearby forest with the local kids to gather fruits, mountain vegetables, firewood, and so on. He also seems to buy snacks with his small allowance.
Leon doesn't know the exact number of days in a year or the hours in a day, but it seems that churches are located in each region, and people keep track of time by the sound of the bells that ring from them.
Four bells ring throughout the day: morning, noon, evening, and bedtime. It seems that the number of times the bell rings in the morning represents the day of the week.
1 ring - Fireday
2 rings - Waterday
3 rings - Windday
4 rings - Earthday
5 rings - Recoveryday
Since it seems like these five days are repeating, I suppose a week consists of only five days.
I thought the Recovery Day might be like Sunday, but according to Leon's memory, the cafeteria seems to be open year-round unless there are exceptional circumstances, so maybe there's no concept of holidays in this world.
Also, when converted to Japanese yen, the currency seems to be worth about ten yen for iron coins, a hundred yen for small copper coins, and a thousand yen for copper coins. There might be coins of higher value, but Leon has never seen them.
And this is the most important thing. In this world, there seems to be magic. According to Leon's memory, almost everyone can use basic magic.
Each person can use magic of one attribute: fire, water, wind, earth, body strengthening, or healing. It seems that the amount of magical power determines how much magic one can use.
Around the age of eight, it seems that Leon had his magical powers measured at a church and learned his attribute and how to use magic. Since Leon recently turned eight, it seems he's planning to go do this now. I'm looking forward to it.
Also, I forgot something important. The level of development in this world.
At least in Leon's living area, this world is far less developed than Earth. For example, there is no running water, only well water. Therefore, inevitably there are no baths or flush toilets.
For baths, you use water scooped into a bucket and wipe your body with a towel. The toilet is a pit latrine-like thing that requires manual removal.
Well, you can tell the level of development by looking at this room, right? There are no glass windows, only wooden pull-up windows. There is a wooden frame for the bed, but it is only covered with straw and cloth.
There is no electricity. They probably use candles at night since there are some placed around. Right now, the window is open, so they rely only on natural light. And the door that Mom just went out of. That's all there is.
I feel like I won't be able to bear it if I don't somehow raise the living standard. I guess I need to gather information.
This is probably the most important thing I can remember from Leon's memories. He's still a child, so he has a lot of vague knowledge and there are many things he doesn't know yet. I'll have to learn those things as I go.
For now, I need to adapt to this world and make sure that no one finds out that I've become Leon.