Inside a dark, damp cave.
Pale white candles emit a dim flame, casting twisted, grim shadows of more than a dozen figures in black robes along the walls...
"Mother of Nature, Queen of the Forest, Source of All Life!"
"With fervent piety, I offer this sacrifice to you, presenting the blood of my enemies, the flesh of my prey, and the bones of my ancestors!"
"Grant me harvest, grant me youth, grant me strength..."
The leading figure prays loudly, cutting a piece of succulent venison with a silver dagger in hand, offering it on a stone altar.
On the altar are also patches of mottled blood, innards, intestines, and a few pale bones.
Drops of dark red blood flow down the crevices of the stone platform.
Bloody, terrifying, mysterious...
It all feels like followers of some evil deity conducting a sacrificial ceremony.
Alan Sothos follows the crowd's actions with devout expressions, though inwardly he feels no ripples, even finding it somewhat laughable.
'After sixteen years, I am certain that this region has no supernatural powers, including the primitive worship of the Sothos Family—the so-called God of Fertility—Granny Green Banyan.'
'Of course, in a time where such belief is deeply ingrained, openly revealing oneself as an atheist is foolish. When has any religious reform not resulted in death? Even in another world, it's the same!'
'Moreover, the Sothos Family's priest is my biological father, a conservative nobleman, and I am his second son. Opposing him by declaring the gods are mere illusions... that's suicide, right?'
'Additionally, one must admit that religion is quite useful in pacifying the masses and consolidating feudal rule.'
Thus, even if it's just for show, Alan Sothos has to follow along with those around him, playing his role as the secondary son of a lord.
He has slightly curly black hair, light purple eyes that seem to hold boundless wisdom and mystery, a high-bridged nose below lips often curled in a faint smile, and a tall, slender figure, making him naturally likable at first sight.
Although Alan has some complaints about the surname Sothos, he is thankful to have reincarnated into a noble family.
After all, in this ancient society with a high infant mortality rate, low literacy among commoners, and a high risk of death from rain or infected wounds, being born a noble means not starving to death and having access to education.
Because of his cautious nature from two lifetimes, even as a second son, Alan lives quite well. Fearful of dying from illness, he keeps exercising and has a strong physique.
While Alan is daydreaming, he and the people around him—actually the high-ranking members of the Sothos territory—finish the ritual and walk out of the cave one after another.
Whoosh!
Fresh air hits their faces, making them instinctively take a deep breath.
Turning back, Alan sees the cave situated under a giant banyan tree, with a canopy that blocks out the sun and numerous aerial roots hanging from the branches, forming a bizarre symbiotic relationship with the stone walls.
In the distance, the sun shines brightly, the clear blue sky is cloudless, and at the end of a muddy, stone-filled path, a cluster of European-style buildings made mostly of logs can be seen. Some logs still have a few lively buds on their unstripped bark.
A gentle breeze blows, and black ravens circle in the air, letting out hoarse, unpleasant cries.
An exceptionally majestic black raven with a cylinder tied to its leg lands on a window of the central building of a castle built from large rocks.
"The cawing of ravens, an ominous sign. But in this world, ravens are just messengers for lords, and there's no such unlucky connotation..."
"A messenger raven's arrival means something is happening in the castle."
Alan muses idly.
"Let's return to the castle!"
The leading black-robed figure, who previously led the ritual, removes his robe, revealing a gray wolf fur coat with a long sword slash mark on the wolf's head and a pair of deer leather boots. His face is rugged like granite, and his deep purple eyes also gaze at the castle.
This is Theodore Sothos, Alan's father, the protector of the lower Green Forest, lord of the Sothos territory, a stern ruler.
In a deep voice, he gives the order, tossing the black robe to Alan without even glancing at his son, and mounts his warhorse.
The group leaves quickly. Among them, a young man with golden hair in his twenties looks back, seemingly both comforting and boasting.
He rides a pure white stallion, closely following Theodore, as if to assert his position as the heir to the territory.
Alan remains unfazed. After all, he has no deep relationship with his half-brother Colin, merely observing calmly.
He can sense Colin's slight hostility, but not too much, likely because he doesn't pose much of a threat.
As a reincarnator, childhood antics like being overly affectionate felt awkward, and any emotional bond requires time to develop and nurture.
Raising someone else's child for over ten years might even create a stronger bond than with a biological child who was never cared for.
As a child, Alan found it hard to get close to a stranger.
Over time, Theodore's indifference and distance toward Alan became natural.
Nevertheless, Alan has no regrets.
A threatening heir would provoke Colin even more. His third brother, who broke his leg from falling off a horse, is a perfect example.
This third brother is the son of Theodore's third wife. His first two wives died in childbirth and from illness, respectively. The third wife, Lady Sonia, bore him a son and a daughter.
Alan skillfully mounts his own horse and follows the group back to the castle.
At the castle gate, a group of people is already waiting.
Leading them are Theodore's wife Sonia and his sister Ginny. Besides them, the castle's steward and scholar are present.
At this moment, the scholar is holding a letter.
Theodore takes it and quickly reads through it, his expression turning grim. He says in a deep voice, "The Davis Family from the upper Green Forest wants to annul the sacred marriage contract signed under the banyan tree. This is a declaration of war!"
Alan immediately notices Colin's previously proud face looking as though it has been slashed.
'Hmm, after all, it's Colin who's engaged to the Davis Family... It's surprising that they didn't break off the engagement with me, the reincarnator. That's not logical! Although... I don't even have a fiancée...'
He inwardly mocks, glancing sympathetically at Colin.
For some reincarnators, being rejected from an engagement is a great humiliation. How much more so for an ordinary young man?
(End of this chapter)