I was trembling as the rain fell mercilessly over the exposed entrance of my underground base.
The sensors had already failed.
They were here.
Androids everywhere, surrounding every exit, every tunnel, every hope I still pretended to have.
My base had been discovered, invaded, profaned.
But I had already foreseen this scenario.
Since the day my world was invaded by high-tech androids, sent by a race from a nearby galaxy, I knew there would be no happy ending.
Only endings… useful ones.
— Hand over the research.
The metallic whisper came from a creature that resembled a dog, made of dark steel and red eyes far too cold for this planet.
I was completely surrounded.
There was nowhere to run.
As one of the few humans who refused to accept slavery, I felt the sadness weigh more heavily than the fear.
Everyone who fought by my side was dead.
Or worse.
They had accepted being slaves.
I was one of the last truly free humans.
And they knew it.
That was why they wanted the research stored in my biochip.
After all, I was an extraordinary engineer.
Unfortunately for them, I was also paranoid.
["Warning! Energy dropping rapidly..."]
I heard the chip's cold voice echo in my mind.
Of course.
My base had been conquered.
And, as a countermeasure, they were draining the energy from the central reactor.
They were trying to stop me.
But they were too late.
This would be my final blow.
I laughed.
A broken, desperate, almost happy laugh.
— HAHAHAHAHAHA!
— Goodbye, damned androids.
— I hope the entire race that built you is conquered and obliterated by another, more advanced species.
— Just as you did to us.
BANG~~
BANG~~
BANG~~
Before I could press the button hidden in my pocket, my body was pierced by gunfire.
I felt bones turn into nothing.
Flesh come apart.
I fell heavily to the side, without control, without air.
But then…
The weight of my body pressed the button.
Click.
My final blow was effective.
BOOOOM~~~
Everything turned white.
And then…
The entire place turned to dust.
...
Some time later.
Well…
Maybe seconds?
Minutes?
Days or years?
No one knows.
...
— Hurg… what the hell is this? Where am I?
That was my first thought upon waking up.
It felt as if there were a huge lump on my forehead, hurting so much that it seemed my skull was about to split in half.
When my consciousness cleared a little more, I realized something even more absurd.
I was moving.
My body swayed up and down, shaken by something that felt like waves.
The impact made the pain in my forehead throb like a hammer.
I took several deep breaths, trying not to vomit.
— Urrgg~~
I opened my eyes with difficulty.
What filled my vision were edges made of white planks, worn down by time and water.
I was lying on the deck of a large boat.
No.
A ship.
Scattered around me were several young people with light hair and blue eyes.
They talked, laughed, seemed relaxed.
And completely ignored me.
As if I didn't exist.
My body bounced lightly to the rhythm of the ship being pulled through turbulent waters.
And then I noticed something else impossible.
The ship was being pulled.
By mermaids.
— What the hell is this…?
The shock of the discovery made the pain in my head explode again.
The cold of the wood against my back pierced through my clothes.
I knew I wouldn't be able to stay there much longer.
If I remained lying down, my body wouldn't endure it.
With effort, I tried to get up as quickly as possible.
The moment I forced the movement, an absurd pain shot through my head.
I felt something burst.
The lump on my forehead ruptured.
Blood splattered.
SLISHH~~
The sudden pain came accompanied by something even worse.
Strange memories began to flood my mind.
Images that were not mine.
Sensations I had never lived.
My field of vision spun.
My eyes rolled back.
And I fainted.
Everything went dark again.
...
— Eduard… Eduard! Wake up…
I heard my name being called through the haze.
Against my will, I opened my eyes.
Could this be… reincarnation?
The blinding flames of the reactor explosion were still vivid in my memory.
I remembered clearly.
It was impossible to survive that without protection, and to make matters worse I had been shot.
Besides, a ship made of wooden planks was an absurd relic in my past world.
It definitely wouldn't be in use.
And mermaids… simply shouldn't exist.
As I took a deep breath, I organized the new memories flooding my mind.
Little by little, a conclusion began to form.
This world resembled Medieval Europe.
But there was something more.
Something that did not exist in my previous world.
A mysterious force.
The presence… of magic.
The original owner of this body was also named Eduard.
A parallel version of myself.
He was the son of an unimportant noble.
He had been tested and shown talent to become a mage.
Because of that, his father had pulled some strings.
Viscount Saly Edson.
Thanks to that, I — or rather, this Eduard — had become a mage in training.
An acolyte.
The ship I was on was traveling to a magic academy.
Finally, my eyes focused on the one who had awakened me.
She was a young woman.
A girl.
Her large eyes were framed by thin eyebrows.
Her long, straight nose matched perfectly with her shining golden hair.
Her face was delicate, clearly youthful.
But her body was tall and slender.
She looked like a thief, for at her waist there were two daggers.
When she realized I had awakened, she laughed cheerfully.
— Haha… Eduard, you finally woke up!
— If you had taken a few more minutes, you probably would've missed dinner.
— You don't want to starve to death, do you?
I lowered my gaze.
I thought for a few moments.
Then, her identity surfaced naturally in my mind.
— Thank you, Emily!
All the young people on this ship had been tested.
All of them possessed talent for magic.
Emily was the legitimate daughter of a Count.
And also one of the favored ones.
When her talent was revealed, the Count spent absurd resources.
He pulled countless strings.
All to ensure she entered an academy.
— A Count…? I thought inwardly.
My memories turned to this Eduard's father.
Saly Edson was a Viscount, unlike Emily's father.
His lands were the size of a single city in my previous world.
And he commanded thousands of soldiers.
In this world, the ranking of nobility was directly linked to personal strength.
His possessions must be equivalent to several cities.
His annual income must reach thousands of gold coins.
A Viscount was already so rich, so imagine a Count, or someone above…
Absurd.
While I was still thinking about this matter, another intense pain shook my head.
Before I could react, a new scene emerged in my mind.
I was in a small castle.
Before me, a man sat on a simple wooden throne.
Under the dim light of torches, Saly Edson observed me solemnly.
He then extended his hand and placed something in mine.
A small blue stone.
— Eduard, my dear son, this is the inheritance of the Edson Family.
— A gift from a Mage.
His voice was deep and heavy.
— Your grandfather survived a brutal experiment carried out by a Mage.
— In return, he received this small blue stone.
He paused, as if reliving old memories.
— This blue stone is a promise.
— If any descendant of your grandfather possessed talent for magic, they could use it to enter a magic academy free of charge.
— I give you this stone now in the hope that you will become the pride of the Edson Family.
— And defend our legacy.
The blue stone!
My eyes narrowed.
My right hand moved subconsciously to my pocket.
When I touched over my clothes, I felt something solid.
It was there.
The small blue stone.
I sighed in relief.
— Phew…
— There is certainly some kind of restriction.
— Otherwise, someone would have already stolen this.
In my previous life, I was a brilliant engineer.
The mere mention of a mysterious force like magic awakened in me an almost obsessive desire for research.
Moreover, I definitely did not want to return home for having lost the supposed magical stone that guaranteed my entry into the academy.
Although I had taken over this body — and even its memories — I was still very different from the original Eduard.
The family members, who had lived with him for years, would easily notice that.
If they considered me possessed by a demon…
And begged one of those mysterious Mages to investigate…
It was extremely likely that I would be discovered.
However…
If I manage to enter a magic academy, I probably will not return for several years.
When that happens, any change in my behavior will be natural.
After all, it would be strange if I had not changed after so long away.
While I was thinking deeply, a pair of soft, quick hands pulled me up.
— What are you thinking about? — Emily asked.
— I'm thinking about you!
I shook my head quickly.
Right after, I held it again, feeling the pain throb.
— What?
Emily frowned and stared at me.
— Obviously I have a horrible headache.
Suddenly, I turned my head and looked directly at her.
The girl's heart almost stopped.
For an instant, she felt as if she were being watched by a venomous snake.
I rolled my eyes and asked:
— Dear Emily, why didn't you wake me up earlier?
— Instead of leaving me lying on the floor for so long?
I looked around.
There was no one else on the deck.
The blue sky above us was beginning to darken.
— Heh heh!
— You looked like you were sleeping so well that I thought you were enjoying staying there!
She scratched her head, clearly embarrassed.
Even so, her eyes shone with a cunning air.
Under my deadly gaze, she raised her hands in surrender.
— Okay! Okay!
— But who told you to try to sexually assault Lucy?
— Offending her I could still overlook…
— As a friend, I could ignore that.
— But now everyone on the ship sees you as an enemy.
— And I don't want to end up isolated too!
— What?!
My eyes widened.
Then…
I remembered.
The Eduard of this reality had tried to rape a princess.
As a consequence, he was brutally beaten by the youths around him.
And that beating…
Culminated in my reincarnation.
I slowly shook my head.
I let out a long sigh.
Still dazed, I accepted this unbelievable situation.
....
1816 Words
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