Seven years have passed since I reincarnated in this world. Unofficially, I'm only seven; but my current age is fifteen. It feels horrible to be this age again.
Apparently, in this strange and bizarre fantasy world, you are considered an adult at this age. My older brother, Lyle, told me that the children of nobility had a debut into society before the age of thirteen; having one after that age would be embarrassing. But we didn't have one since we aren't considered part of it.
(It feels sad to be marginalized just for being poor.)
My older brothers are currently at their respective academies. Bram is at the academy for future knights, which I will also attend. Meanwhile, Lyle, as the next head of the house, attended the kingdom's royal academy. After finishing his schooling, he will prepare to go to the military academy. I feel a little sorry for him since he left crying.
After they moved out of the house, I thought I would finally have my own room. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case because I live in the shed, and the reason is…
"Onii-chan~ good morning ♡."
Without knocking and opening the door brusquely, a girl with long hair entered; it was my little sister, Pola van Bradford.
She is the reason I can't have my own room. But, I don't mind because she is super adorable.
Apparently, my parents truly wanted a girl, so after much trying, they were finally blessed.
Like the other family members, her hair and eyes were black, but her face was very fine and beautiful. From the moment I saw her, I promised myself to make her happy.
Before my parents threw the three of us into the shed to live. I suggested sleeping in the stables until my brothers, or at least Lyle, left for the academy, which had its own dormitories.
The stables were bigger than my old apartment, so I was a little happy about the space, even though it smelled like manure.
"Buuah~, good morning Pola-chan. Is something happening that you're so energetic in the morning?"
With some sleepiness, I asked if something was up, and with her sweet voice, she responded.
"Anone~ anone~, Father asked me to tell you to go immediately to his study after getting up."
After hearing that, I told her okay. I went to get dressed and then brush my teeth while she ran off to the house.
(It's too early for planting and harvesting before the due time. Does he need help with something?)
I murmured while buttoning my shirt, opened the door, and went out, closing it while thinking about it.
"The sky with the sun just rising in the east is truly beautiful."
It was supposed to be a day like any other.
That's right, it was supposed to be, until I heard that news.
◇
"Excuse me… I think I didn't understand well. Could you repeat it?"
It was me, responding to my father, still confused by what I had heard while in his study—although, to be more accurate, it was just a medium-sized room with a desk, several papers around, and a large window in the back.
"..."
"As I said, I'm sorry, but we have decided to sell you to pay off some debts. I hope you understand this is to support the family."
"..."
After an awkward silence between us, I said to myself.
(That damn shitty old man!!! What do you mean debts? Do you think I don't know about your midnight escapes to the town, or that Mother buys expensive dresses to pretend she's high class? Don't give me that garbage! If you knew how to save, invest money, and not spend it on nonsense, we wouldn't be scared of debt collectors!)
My mind was filled with many hostile and unpleasant thoughts toward my father.
*Ahem*
"Well, as I was saying, you will be sold, but not as you imagine. Rather, this is an opportunity for you. I'm sure you remember that from the age of fifteen, you will be of legal age to seek an engagement, and, coincidentally, you will save yourself the search since someone has been watching you a lot."
I was still cursing my father, but what he said caught my attention.
It's true that from this age, it's legal to look for a fiancée and get married. I thought I should do that at the academy, but it seems fate came for me earlier.
"C-Certainly, that's true… I-I don't really mind if my partner is an older woman as long as she's fertile and—"
"You're mistaken…"
Father suddenly interrupted me while I was talking.
"C-Certainly, it is an older person, but… that's not the problem."
(If that's not the problem, then why are you sweating so much?)
I didn't understand what made him so nervous. He already confirmed it's an older woman; if she's not attractive, that wouldn't be a problem for me.
"It's a male…"
"Is she the unmarried daughter of a baron? Then I don't see a problem with that. What has you so weirded out?"
"No… it's literally a male… a man who desires you."
"..."
"What the hell are you saying?!!"
My brain was trying to process this while my mouth moved on its own.
"You see, it seems that Baron Lebrón has been watching you lately, and you caught his interest."
"…"
"L-Lebrón… you mean the guy from the neighboring territory, the one everyone in town talks about, who, despite having a son, has an excessive interest in the male physique!"
"… That one."
My father responded very shamelessly.
"I know it seems horrible, but the baron is a man of renown around these parts. I'm sure you'll live well since he has several businesses, and it seems he's only interested in your physique. Thank the seven years of hard work I put you through!"
"You are a terrible father, you know?!! I'm annoyed now by the fact that he's interested in my body, but my face doesn't seem to matter. Wait, that's not the problem here!"
I was truly annoyed and scared. An old man wanted my body? Do I have an ugly face for him to only mention my body?
I know since I grew up, my innocent face wasn't normal. My iris and pupils are the same color, so you'd think the center of my eyes is a large black dot, and shadows like dark circles had appeared under my eyes.
I was scared at first, but it seems to be just an aesthetic problem. I can see totally fine and I feel well. Not to mention my hair, which seems to have a life of its own, as several locks stand up on their own, and my bangs magically part to the right.
I asked anxiously how much time I had left before my rear end was occupied.
"I'd say about four months, since he'll return from a seventeen-month trip."
(Good. I'll pack my things and run away.) I thought and wanted to say, but I responded with something equally shocking.
"Tomorrow morning, I will go to find a treasure on some island in the far reaches. They're supposed to be abandoned islands because they're too dangerous for anyone to enter, right? Well, I will find a treasure."
My father's mouth was agape upon hearing my crazy plan. It may be improvised, but it's true—my great-great-grandfather and several ancient nobles achieved their wealth and lands by going out to conquer them.
No problem, I'll do it too. I have the blood of one, plus a body worked for seven years; I learned fencing, martial arts, and how to use firearms, although the only weapon I had used was a rifle called a Winchester.
It seemed to have been created several years ago by a very revolutionary noble. All this time, I've forged my body to prepare it for the future. I knew that as a son without inheritance, they would send me to some battlefield, and that's why I trained hard.
"I will store some weapons, food, water, and use the boat you've had me take care of all this time. For once in your lives, have faith in me."
After saying that, I left the room. I went to talk with Mother and Pola; obviously, their faces were of astonishment and horror in that order. They seemed to want to cry, but I didn't mind. I went to prepare everything I needed for tomorrow.
◇
I was very optimistic. I was truly very optimistic and ignorant.
"Ha… ha… have they gone yet?"
I was hiding behind a large, robust rock. The reason I was hiding was because of that damned thing.
"When they told me these islands were inhabited by magical beasts, I imagined something totally weak and adorable would come out, but I never thought they would be some damn dinosaurs!!"
They were four meters long and one meter tall. Some were orange or brown. They were exactly like those fast-running bastards in a certain movie I saw.
But what scared me more was that the whites of their eyes were black with white pupils. There were also some with purple pupils, but those seemed to be able to use some kind of magic circle in their mouths to shoot fireballs, among other things.
The reason I'm on this island is because I crashed—to be more exact, I jumped for my life because of some bandits and ended up here. After two or three weeks on the boat.
It was a horrible experience. My food ran out sooner than expected, then my water ran out. I spent two days thinking I would die of dehydration, but to my misfortune, I encountered a ship of sky pirates.
I thought it was a joke about pirates in the sky, but I remembered I was in a strange fantasy world, so my fear grew.
They fired cannons at me just for fun. I tried to flee, but they were faster, so as they were on a collision course with my boat, I grabbed the weapons and my backpack and jumped.
I fell from a height of twenty meters. I should be dead, but thanks to some super-developed palm trees, I managed to cushion the blow and fell unconscious.
I slept for about five to eight hours, since when I woke up it was night. Fortunately, there was a palm tree with a hollow where I could hide and sleep.
I've been on this island for four days. There is plenty of vegetation and exotic fruits, but the greatest danger are those creatures. They seem to be carnivorous and also cannibalistic. In my first encounter with them, I saw they were eating one of their own. I fled from there, but it seems when they set their eyes on something, they follow it to the end.
After escaping from those bastards, I kept walking while eating some berries. They are delicious, although a bit bland at the beginning. There was also a large lake from which I drank water. The damned creatures also drank from it, so I deduced it was healthy.
After dying, my belief about the other world and divine beings expanded greatly. Right now, I was praying to find some lost object, get out of here, and avoid my ruin at home.
While I was having pure and sincere thoughts about surviving, a crack began to form where I was walking, and I fell through it.
I couldn't process it very well, because when I understood what was happening, I saw myself falling down a long dark hole. After a few seconds, I reached the bottom and got up. It was dark, and my flashlight was cracked, but it worked, so I continued. I walked for several minutes until I reached another end that was illuminated, and I was amazed by what I saw.
"I-Is this for real?"
Words are short to express what I saw, but it was due to the majesty my eyes beheld; buildings, houses, and ships totally made of steel were as far as my sight could reach.
Like a child, without looking around, I walked, admiring what I saw. The structure looked like a combination between natural and industrial. It was very unreal, but what left me shocked for a few seconds was….
"Those… are… human bones!?"
On one of the streets, there was a large pile of bones and skulls grouped together as if it were a trash mountain. Moss had covered the bones and structures, so they couldn't be seen at first glance.
I kept walking aimlessly. I had no idea where to go, so I just kept going, and without paying attention, I arrived at something like a hangar.
I estimated it to be about eighty meters tall, perhaps, and it seemed to have no end in terms of length. I entered cautiously, taking out my rifle. The place, like the town, was destroyed and covered in moss. Light filtered in from different parts, illuminating almost everything. That's when I saw it.
"Hey, hey, isn't this thing damn huge!!"
There was a kind of aircraft of metallic black color, large and long enough. I couldn't calculate its length, but as the hangar seemed endless, it seemed it was long enough to fit in here.
Maybe, if I'm not mistaken, about three hundred to four hundred meters in length; in terms of height, thirty to fifty meters. Despite being covered in moss, it didn't seem damaged.
Luckily, there was a large pile of rubble that formed a staircase to the top. I stored my rifle and climbed it until I reached the top, where I saw a large hole showing its interior. With a big jump, I landed at the bottom and felt a great pain in my calves.
"Atatata, that hurt, but it doesn't matter, I'm inside now. Let's look for the central cockpit and see if I can get this big boy out."
I took out my rifle, my flashlight, and walked from top to bottom, left to right. I have no idea how much time passed, but my legs hurt.
"Now that I think about it, the flashlight is battered, but it still emits light. This thing called 'prana' is truly very useful."
In this fantasy world, it seems the most cliché element couldn't be missing: "magic." According to my brother, Bram, beneath the floating islands, there is a strange energy called "mana." When it rises to the surface, it mixes with oxygen and becomes "magical element." We can't see it, but it's there.
Apparently, centuries ago, there was a calamity that made the earth float due to an overload of mana. Since humans couldn't survive at great heights, obviously many died, but the new generations became stronger, and they inherited a great factor that had never been seen before; this was called magical power.
The new generations who inherited this through immense leaks of mana from the ground to the surface caused people to develop a strange power they called "magical power."
Magical power is something like a switch that turns on by its own will upon breathing oxygen and aether together. Curiously, after they began raising their territories and communities is where the current hierarchy of nobles and commoners began.
In ancient times, those born with magical power would be considered nobles, and those who didn't obtain it would be treated as commoners. Apparently, commoners can have children who develop magical power, but that would only mean the father or mother was a noble, and that would be very shameful for the child.
For some reason, despite possessing magical power, they don't call themselves "mages." When I said this to my brothers, they laughed and called me stupid.
Since then, I didn't ask anything that seemed strange to me again. I even once tried to ask my father how we can obtain fresh water if seawater rises to the islands. He called me a fool and hit me very hard on the head.
I, too, being a noble, possess magical power. But, compared to the great families who have passed it down from generation to generation, improving it—unlike mine, which seems like a union between people from different communities, thus obtaining something that barely allows us to create a flame on our finger.
While walking, lost in my thoughts, I found a large door. It was half-open, so I entered slowly, careful not to cut myself.
I illuminated the interior, and everything looked to be in order for some reason. Despite being dark, it looked clean and orderly. While walking curiously, I tripped over something and fell to the floor, my face hitting it.
"Ouch, what is this piece of garbage doing here, and how did I not see it when I arrived—"
I was astonished by what I saw, because this was an object very similar to what existed in my old world.
"A softball? No, it's too medium-sized for that. It feels very light for its size, feels cold, and has many lines as if it were assembled… eh?"
Handling the strange sphere, which was metallic gray, I found something like a button on the back—it's worth noting it truly had a back in every sense of the word.
"Let's see if this junk still works."
I put my finger in and pushed it to the bottom. Upon reaching the bottom, my finger was pricked by something, and I could feel the blood coming out.
I threw the strange bowling ball-like thing to tend to my finger. With the light of my flashlight focusing forward, the strange sphere slowly stood up.
It didn't have legs to do so, but for some reason, it floated slowly. Slowly, it turned around, and we were face to face.
(W-What is this strange sensation I feel? It's different from when I felt death on the train tracks or from those strange dinosaurs.)
"□□●○."
While thinking about it, I heard a strange sound coming from the floating metallic sphere.
"○●□■□●○□○."
"A-Are you trying to communicate with me?"
"I'm sorry, I don't understand anything you're saying."
"…"
After saying I didn't understand it, it fell silent.
"…"
We both remained mutually silent. I wanted to get out of here since I have no idea what this thing is.
"… me."
"Huh?"
"You… can… understand… me."
(This thing, it's trying to speak my language!) I thought, amazed by what I saw.
"Now… you can… understand me?"
"Almost."
In a light tone, I responded, amazed by its question.
"Can you understand me now?" said the machine.
"…"
"It spoke!! This thing really spoke my language!!"
My mouth opened completely in astonishment. Then a bright red light illuminated from the center of the sphere. It was so bright it blinded me, and I had to cover my eyes with both hands.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, but, as my central system was booting up after a long time, I couldn't regulate its luminous effect, and it hit you in the face."
It spoke to me in a very polite tone, then magically turned on the lights of this place.
"W-Who are you?" I asked, scared. "What is this place?" I asked again with fear.
"…"
"I am the administrator of this ship. Approximately three hundred twenty-eight thousand five hundred days have passed since my last function. Ah, in case you didn't understand, that's exactly nine hundred human years."
"Through your blood, I could calculate the year and your language."
"That's so long!!! And even more…"
"Such incredible technology!!"
"Have you really been here all that time inactive?"
It's incredible.
(Were the people of antiquity really so advanced?) But how did such an advanced civilization end up extinct?
"Before continuing with your questions, I want to confirm something."
"What do you want to confirm?"
"You… are not a descendant of ancient humanity, are you?"
(It's got me. This thing knows I'm not part of the ancient people who lived here. What should I do? What should I do to get out of this situation?)
I was scared while thinking about how to get out of here. Its red eye looked at me intensely. What should I do… shoot it or maybe…
"You're right, I'm not. I'm an adventurer. I came here looking for riches and something useful." I responded honestly while thinking how to deceive this thing.
"But I didn't come alone." I responded confidently. "I came with a large fleet, and since I'm the captain's son, I came to earn honor and respect from the members by coming without escorts." With a big smile and confidence, I told this to the strange machine with the bright eye.
"So, if something happens to me and I don't return soon, they will send a large force to raze this place, so you won't have it easy either."
(Yes, that should work, so definitely—)
I was claiming victory in my thoughts when its words left me in suspense.
"You know very well that's a lie."
"Huh!?"
"It's impossible for someone so important to be alone and without escorts. No matter how different the times are, an important person would never wander around like a marked object."
(It's my end!)
"I have a request to ask you." I exclaimed with fear.
"And what might that be?" the machine asked confidently.
"It's not asking much, but… please, make it quick."
With my eyes closed and in a kneeling position with my head on the floor and my hands on the same place, I asked the machine to do it quickly.
"…"
"What are you talking about?" said the intrigued machine, its red eye making a buzzing sound.
"I said if you're going to end my life, please, make it quick and painless!"
With my head on the ground, I shouted it with all my might. But what it said next left me speechless.
"Kill you? Why would I do that? Do you have some problem in your head that caused low self-esteem, or maybe… masochism?"
With great astonishment, I was left speechless by what it said. But this was only the beginning of my shock.
"I never said anything about eliminating you. I think your brain has a serious comprehension problem. Should I analyze and detect if you have any faults?"
(Is this thing… making fun of me, isn't it?)
"I only asked if you weren't a descendant of the people who lived here, since you used a secret activation method, which consisted of, in case of theft of this property, being used to regain control. That's why I am the administrator of this ship, since ignorant people would think this ship is an automaton… by the way, I am an artificial intelligence, nice to meet you."
Every word it says is a surprise to me, but even so, it annoys me a lot that it speaks with that confidence of superiority.
"When you pressed your finger to the bottom, a needle pricked your finger, drawing blood and analyzing it to verify you are the true owner."
"But after being inactive for so long and you using the secret method, I misinterpreted, thinking you were a descendant of the ship's owner, making it, to my misfortune, appoint you as my new owner."
(Wait… what is this thing saying…. Am I the new master and lord of this thing!?)
"…"
(I'm happy and laughing inside.)
"Hahaha!"
Without wanting to, I let out a great laugh in front of the machine.
For the first time in my life, fortune smiles upon me.
A gigantic ship, a personal artificial intelligence, everything in this land will now be mine.
(I'm happy. I won't have to endure anyone's humiliation or be a doormat anymore.)
(Finally, I'll be someone who looks down on those below and not the other way around.)
"Very well, strange floating sphere, from today on, I will be your new master and lord, you hear!! Engrave the name of your new master and never forget it. I am Rudel van Bradford, the new master of this entire place, hahahaha."
"Understood. Rudel van Bradford has been named the owner of the ship 'Brunhilde.' Now that everything is in order, I would like you to quickly accompany me to the medical room."
While I was laughing like a champion, I heard something strange.
"Huh?? Medical room? Why and for what? And wait, there's a medical room here?!"
"There seems to be no time left…"
I was asking, puzzled by what it was saying, when suddenly I felt dizzy, and from deep in my throat, a large amount of hot red liquid came out.
The dizziness intensified, and I fell like a tree in the direction where the sphere was. I started to writhe and convulse after that.
The sphere approached, looking at me very calmly.
"Through the analysis of the blood I took from you, I detected that you managed to ingest large amounts of water from the contaminated river, which has organ-eating parasites, added to eating berries, which are very toxic."
"My analysis calculates that for the past four days, your immune system has been arduously battling to avoid the current situation, but in the end, it lost."
I didn't understand what it was saying because my ears were secreting fluid and my vision was red, so I didn't know where I was.
"Don't worry, I'll have to perform the treatment here, but I guarantee your life is not in danger. Do you hear me?"
A piercing sound was in my head, and my consciousness was fading.
(Having come this far… I'll die here.) My mind went dark after that.