How many? Just how many of them have I killed? My body is tired. I'm TIRED.
"Is this what you truly amount to? The first son of the Jun family ?"
I could feel my legs shudder each time I tried to stand back up.
'What sort of situation is this ?'
I looked around, glaring at the wholesome army surrounding me and the one who led them.
"Prince Jullian….why ?"
I served the nation all my life. I fought till the end. I wasn't strong but I got stronger with each passing time.
"Isn't it obvious? You're too much of an uncertainty…as if your father wasn't a threat alone…you just had to grow as strong as him…."
Blood dribbled down my lips as I stood back up again, holding the hilt of my blade tightly.
"You…what do you mean ?"
I always suspected it. What this man was capable of.
"Kill him". He ordered, and a man with rough black hair and golden armor walked up to me. He held a great sword and a gloomy expression exuded his face.
"You…have fought well.."
"Don't….don't pity me !"
I pointed the blade at him and screamed out, forcing the little aura out of me.
"I shall not die like this !".
I charged at him, swinging my blade up, and he struck back with the same timing.
Our blades struck each other and the force pushed me back. I was weak, far too weak.
Heaps of soldiers lay dead behind me, and they were all at the 8th star.
I defeated hundreds and hundreds of masters of the sword and my body was crumbling in pain.
I back-flipped, flinging short knives at him at the same time.
He deflected them when I used that opportunity to get behind him.
"Oh….you still move even in this state?" The crown prince chuckled.
"Get this over with!" He had a scowl on his face as if he felt disgusted at just the thought of me surviving.
"Yes ! Master !". He slammed the great sword behind me, pushing me to the ground.
My bones snapped and I screamed in pain.
I was unable to move, Unable to speak, and unable to hear. My eyes could still see and I marked each one of their faces.
'I'll kill them….I'll drag them to Hades and kill them all! I will come after their souls…after their generations…and kill them all
There were 11 officials. All from the 12 great families. They took everything from me and killed everyone that tried to assist me.
They isolated me from the world and ordered me to save humanity from the demons in exchange for my freedom.
And this? This is what I get in return.
"IF I RETURN…I SHALL TAKE YOUR HEAD-".
The last thing I saw was the ground rotating with the sky and some piles of bodies as I felt mud in my mouth.
I couldn't feel my body….I couldn't breathe. My eyes blurred and slowly…reality faded away.
****
*Wa
'What…what is this noise?'
*Wa
'Oh…is this the afterlife…does the afterlife involve me meeting a baby ?'
"Lord Michaelo! Your 6th child is a son !"
'Michaelo ? Funny…that was the name of my father….'
*Waaaa
'Hah…I can…see…Enh ?'
My eyes slowly opened up as I stared at these little hands that seemed to be coming from my body.
*Waaaa
'What? Why did I just say that?'
"We finally have a son, my lord"
'That voice….' My eyes slowly searched the room for the source of the voice. 'Mother ?!'
'What ?! What is going on here ?!'.
*Waaaa
"He's such a crybaby!" I heard a little girl cry out behind a tall figure that seemed too familiar to be true.
"He's a baby…of course, he should be crying," The man said, laughing out loud. A voice too familiar for me to forget.
'Father ….ehn ?' Reality finally dawned on me as he picked me up like I was a piece of feather. 'I am the baby ?'
"Our little boy, Raffaello Jun has been born"
'Ehhhhhhhhh ????'
***
Two years have passed since I regressed or at least that's what it seems like. I still have the memories of my past life, and everyone I've seen so far is just as they should have been at the time I was born.
My five elder sisters were always meddling with me in one way or another, and the maids never let me out of their sight.
So it's been difficult to find a way to be alone, and my mother seemed to always see through my intentions.
"Why do you keep running away from your sisters, Raph," my mum said as she patted my head. I looked up at her with excitement in my eyes.
In my past life, my mother died when I was 10 after going for the demon subjugation that the king had ordered at the time.
Our family was a family of knights, and my father was a 10th star grandmaster. My mother was an 8th star but she wasn't weak in any way. 'To think she got killed during a demon subjugation….something else must have happened at the time….and it was then that the Jun family became prey to the King'
I turned away from her and tapped her hand to continue reading the book she held. I was unable to write but I was able to read and was fully aware of what was going on around me. Though, a two year old reading on his own might get too much attention.
My eldest sister, Gloria Jun, was 11 years old and a 4-star knight. She was a genius amongst the youngsters, and her beauty was unparalleled, just like my mother's.
My 2nd eldest sister, Fiona Jun, was 10 and, unlike my eldest, was vested in mage craft and magic. She was a 3rd circle magician and she became a future grandmaster. She was just as beautiful yet she could not hold up a candle to my eldest.
My 3rd elder sister, Rebecca Jun, was 7 and a 3-star knight. She was just as talented as my eldest, if not more, but she was assassinated at a young age and unable to grow to her full potential.
My 4th elder sister, Thalia Jun was 5 and wasn't interested in the sword or magic. She chose to live as an administrator of the law and her aid in the King's court was helpful in the future until she was assassinated in her attempt to prove my innocence. In this life, I will have to push her to choose either one so she can protect herself this time.
My 5th eldest, Morganna Jun, as well as the prettiest, was 4. She was still young, yet her wisdom was abnormal for a 4-year-old. She later grew up to become a priestess and her wisdom spread wide and far. She was unable to get involved during my trial because of the church's neutrality.
They all went through different hardships and pain and it all began with the expedition 8 years from now. If I want to prevent the downfall of my family, I will have to grow stronger in the future.
It was an obvious plan and I had already begun. I was still a child who had just learned how to walk, so building up my mana was what I had decided to do first.
"Mother !" I slowly turned towards the door where Morganna stood holding a little doll.
"Can you read to me too ?" She asked with childish eyes that were unbelievably cute.
"My dear, Morgan" Mother said as she signaled for her to come closer.
Just as she walked in, the door opened wider revealing the rest of my sister.
A baffled expression exuded my mother's face as she chuckled.
"Weren't you having fun with your dad?" She asked.
They all shook their heads as they ran towards her. "He went out for work" Gloria replied with a faint smile as they gathered around her.
I sighed, resting my head on my mother.
'I wish to protect this family….and I will grow stronger by doing so'
'We were a beautiful family'
***
5 years later.
I just turned 7 and my once very affectionate mother has reduced her contact with me by just a little. It's not something I wasn't used to before but it still feels weird.
"Master Raffaello"
"Just call me Raph, Serena"
Serena, the maid that was in charge of me even before I regressed. She was always by my side and remained with the family even after most of our people abandoned us. I will never forget them.
"Has my teacher arrived ?"
"...he…quit…" she said with a solemn expression and a sigh escaped my lips.
I was currently on my bed in my room meditating. I had finally reached 3 stars and I was slowly gaining an understanding of mana. In this life, I decided to become a Magic Swordsman. A job that became a rarity in the future and to do so, I would need to form a mana circle.
Swordsmen made use of stars to count the level of mana they had accumulated in their dantian. Each star is equivalent to a circle formed around a mage's heart, and having both was thought to be suicide or at least until a way to possess both were leaked by the magic tower.
"This is the 3rd sword teacher that has quit…can't Father find someone that has the guts ?" I asked while stretching my body.
Serena had a baffled expression on her face as she nodded. "Your father hired Ballom Jack….an adventurer this time…"
"Oh? An adventurer ?"
At this time..they were people known as adventurers who performed mundane and not-so-mundane tasks. They were helpful during the war, and Ballom Jack…isn't a name I've heard before.
"If he's an adventurer..then he wouldn't be so scared right ?"
"Of course…your growth is simply astounding…that is why it has been hard to find the right teacher"
Well, it was only right that I grow strong quickly. I intend on reaching the 12th star, The Great Grand Swordsman. A level thought unachievable.
"When will he be here ?"
"He's at the training yard at the moment with your father," she said.
"Then…take me to them". I stood up from my bed as I headed out of my room when I was stopped by an unwanted guest.
"Where are you off to Raph ?"
"Morgan…" I slowly turned towards her and then glared at my maid at her incompetence for not telling me about her arrival. She looked away guiltily.
"...to the training yard…" I replied. "Is there a reason why you're here and not at Mother's residence?"
"Of course! To witness the growth of my baby brother," she suddenly pulled me into a bear hug, and I begrudgingly accepted my fate.
The affection my sisters and mother had for me was no joke and it was stifling.
"You..you can let me go now.."
She sighed as she pulled me away. "When did you grow to become so mean…" she pouted.
'Nonetheless..she is still a 9-year-old girl'. I thought.
"I'm going to be late….I have training practice" I slowly pulled away and continued my way to the training yard.
Morganna sighed as she turned towards Serena. "Come and explain how his growth has been these days".
"Yes, my lady" she nodded and walked after her.