I'm Rin, and right now, I find myself crying like a baby within this cradle.
No... I'm not crying like a baby—I am one!
WHY AM I A BABY?!
SOMBER MAN!
Why would he reincarnate me like this!?
Damn it!
The walls of this room are made of stone. My cradle is near a frosted window with dark velvet curtains.
I couldn't see it properly, but there was a deep crimson rug that covered the entire stone floor. There's a shelf nearby, obviously containing baby stuff.
I don't know.
There's a fireplace near my cradle, but it's unlit, and it feels so cold!
I'm shaking...
Must be a very chilly part of the world.
Who on earth would be so irresponsible as to leave a baby in a freezing room?!
Are my current parents irresponsible?!
I'M DONE FOR!
Wahhh wahhh whahhh!!
Wahhh wahhh wahhh!
I kept crying—that's all I can do anyway—
I just shit myself...
It made me cry even harder...
WAHHH WAHHH WAHHH!
WAHHH WAHHH WHAHHH!!
I'm a grown man... I hate this...
Then the wooden door opened. I saw a very beautiful woman come in. Well, she was wearing a maidservant outfit, so clearly not my mother.
"???? ????"
I couldn't understand a single word she said, but she was panicking.
She looked exhausted and a bit sweaty—probably just had a long day.
She rushed to my cradle and softly inspected me before realizing... yeah, I just shit myself.
...
Still, she smiled at me, making weird faces and hand gestures, trying to stop me from crying.
I must say, she looked even more beautiful up close—too different, in fact.
The woman had long, silky white hair and looked young, maybe in her twenties. Her skin was pale, her lips soft and pink.
Though I had already stopped crying, not because of her gimmicks, but because something caught my eye, it was her ears.
Both of them were wrapped in bandages, even the earlobes.
What kind of injury would cause that?
"???? ????"
I hadn't realized how attracted I was to hearing her voice. It was strangely alluring, and it didn't help that her glassy white eyes were mesmerizing, almost luminous.
What kind of human is this?
What race is she?
Am I the same race as her?
"???? ????"
She spoke once more, and somehow, I understood what she meant.
Her tone was surprised, but not angry.
It finally hit her.
She wasn't shocked that I'd shit myself, she'd already figured that out.
It was more so the realization that she's the one who has to wipe my ass and clean it.
As morbid as that sounds...
The woman sighed, her shoulders slumping a little, but I did appreciate that she wasn't mad.
"????... ????"
Even if I didn't understand a word, her tone was straightforward enough; she probably wanted to get this over with.
Then she walked to the nearby shelf and grabbed something, I think it was a cloth and a small bowl.
There was a table right next to the cradle; I could see it through the cradle's wooden gaps. Then she placed the bowl on the table's surface, but something miraculous happened.
On her right hand, a white intricate crest appeared, and I instinctively remembered the arsenal crest.
I looked at my right hand.
It wasn't there...
However, the girl's crest started glowing softly with white light. Her hands were placed above the bowl; there was no chanting, her eyes were closed, and then suddenly—
In the small bowl, steaming water appeared out of thin air.
Then it was clear to me that those crests allowed those kinds of magic. I do think I still have the arsenal crest, maybe it will appear later, but right now...
I do wonder what the arsenal crest is capable of.
But in the middle of my really deep thinking, the woman stood up, looking over me with those glassy eyes of hers…
Wait, don't tell me—
Oh no.
She's gonna do it! She's gonna wipe my ass! I hope you know you're wiping the ass of a grown man—woman!
Woman?
She only smiled; her expression remained soft and a little resigned. Then her hands got closer. I started wailing again.
Wahhh wahhh whahhh!!
Wahhh wahhh wahhh!!
"????..." she whispered gently, almost cooing, her voice calm and soothing.
I couldn't move, couldn't even resist!
My tiny limbs just flailed uselessly while she went about cleaning me with the patience comparable to a saint!
She removed my diapers and turned me around, fully witnessing the disaster-covered domes.
The humiliation was unbearable.
I'm a grown man!
I used to pay taxes!
.
..
Wait—
Uhh! I CAN FEEL IT!
IT'S SO WARM AND DEEP!
MAKE IT STOP!
Wahhh wahhh whahhh!!
Wahhh wahhh wahhh!!
And now... I'm being wiped clean by a stranger with white hair and bandaged ears.
I want to… die… again…
I closed my eyes, and eventually, everything was finished. She changed my clothes and undies.
She was hardworking— not a single complaint in her expression.
She was a little too perfect.
I hope whoever my parents are is paying her well.
Then I saw her tending to the fire near the cradle. It was far enough, a few feet away, to avoid the sparks and smoke hitting my humble abode.
She carried timber toward it, and I expected her to use some sort of magic to light it, but to my surprise, she just used a matchstick.
I guess she's restricted to one element? Though she looked worried, and there were small moments where she would check my temperature and look for any signs of disease.
I can only speculate that she forgot to light the fireplace. Don't worry, pretty lady, I won't snitch when I grow up!
I do wonder about her name—I bet it's as charming as her appearance.
Then the fire lit. It was warm, though I realized there was another bed within the room. I think it was her bed; she was sleeping in the same room as me.
That's great, I wouldn't be so lonely at night...
Well, this situation is quite difficult, as my memories are too vivid. Usually, at this age, you wouldn't even remember anything.
It's messed up...
I'll remember her wiping my ass...
I shook my head...
There was a bigger concern—which was me being a baby.
What am I supposed to do? Just lie here and wait until I grow up? That's mental. And boring.
Days will pass, months even, and all I can do is cry, eat, sleep, and shit myself.
It's like being imprisoned in my own body, aware of everything, but unable to do anything!
For someone who's lived an entire life, this… this is torture.
Yet again...
This is a small price to pay for a restart.
Somber man, what were you thinking when you decided to reincarnate me here...
You're crueler than I thought...
.
..
...
The warmth of the fire engulfed the room, fading away the cold I felt earlier.
Then the girl carried me in her arms, cradling me.
I think I'm falling in love at this point if she keeps doing that!
However, she began to sing a lullaby...
I still couldn't understand the words, which is a pity, as it was a blessing to my ears.
Slowly, I drifted to sleep, and with it, into a new tomorrow.
I do wonder...
Should I be happy that I finally have parents?
Chapter End.