The Hero King, Reincarnate to Master the Art of War (LN) - Volume 1 - Chapter 1

Chapter I: Inglis, Age 0

Even though Inglis had been born anew through divine powers, an infant was a delicate thing—barely able to move and exhausted within minutes when it did. Before his—no, her—first birthday, she could do nothing but live as a regular infant.

Inglis had been born into House Eucus, a minor chivalric family. Her father, Luke Eucus, was captain of the local lord’s knights, and her mother, Serena, had fought in his company before retiring. Even as a baby, Inglis understood that much. She couldn’t speak yet, but she could listen.

Whatever initial shock she may have felt at being reborn as a girl, the inconvenience of being so young was far more intense. Inglis had never cared much about gender anyway. How much time had passed since her past life? What had become of the hero-king’s beloved Silvare Kingdom, raised by Inglis’s own hand? As burning as those questions were, her inabilities to speak or even move independently were far more frustrating.

Today, Inglis’s mother, Serena, had placed her in a cradle around noon. Inglis pretended to sleep while her mother, believing the child was resting, kept herself busy with household chores; these moments were Inglis’s own opportunity to sneak in a little training. She would no doubt tire before long and fall asleep...

Until then, she spent that short time training.

An infant may not be able to grasp the hilt of a sword, but there were things she could do. Even as a newborn, she maintained Alistia’s blessings.

She was still a divine knight, half-human and half-god, clad in the divine will... Her powers were intact, including her ability to sense not only aether but also everything that implied.

Aether was the source of all things. Everything in the world was composed of aether, differing only in nature. Even mana, the source of magic, was crystallized aether.

To weave the flow of aether, to shape the world to one’s will, to control destiny itself—that was the might of the divine. It was a difficult task, far more demanding than drawing out magic from the flow of mana. It was also far more powerful. When King Inglis had received the gift of aether manipulation, in another lifetime, she had been an adult. His technique was rough, basic. It had been enough to claim the title Hero-King and to build up the Silvare Kingdom, but...

Even though her powers had been superhuman, she could only barely scrape at the door of possibility. The years rushing in had pushed away the scant hours the hero-king had wanted to use for training. As Inglis Eucus, however, she had every chance to hone her aether skills from infancy to far surpass her past life. She could perfect the path of the divine knight, to tread where even gods feared.

What would the view be from that lofty perch? She had no idea, but she would find out. She’d been given a second life to master the blade, and she wouldn’t waste a single moment.

Despite her inability to move her own limbs, she could manipulate aether. Concentrating, she reached out with her mind. With the faintest touch of aether, her body floated in the air. Not bad for a newborn. Now to practice holding the effect in place...

Or so she thought, but it seemed that wasn’t in the cards for today.

Panicked voices echoed in from the streets outside. “Magicite beasts! Everyone, evacuate! Get to the castle!”

What was a magicite beast? She’d heard her parents mention them occasionally but had never actually seen one. They hadn’t existed in her past life. Were they some kind of fearsome monster?

“Chris! Let’s get out of— Eeek! You’re... You’re flying?!” her mother exclaimed as she burst into the nursery, using a nickname for the girl.

Did she see me?! Inglis quickly settled in her cradle and began to cry as a distraction. “Waaah! Waaah!”

“I—I must have been seeing things! Anyway, we have to get you out of here! If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to... Don’t worry, Inglis. Mommy’s here to get you somewhere safe.” Taking up Inglis in her arms, Serena rushed from the house.

Will I get to see what a magicite beast is? I’m far stronger than I was in my past life. It’s a shame I haven’t been able to try out my powers on something, like a fearsome monster!

So the infant Inglis hoped, cradled in her mother’s arms.

◆◇◆

As Serena fled toward the castle with Inglis, she encountered someone looking for her at the gates.

“Serena! Thank goodness, you’re safe!”

“Irina! Were you waiting for me?!”

Irina was Serena’s sister—in other words, Inglis’s aunt. The two sisters were close, so Inglis had seen Irina often. Irina had married Duke Bilford, the lord of the Citadel of Ymir where she had been born, and was thus Duchess, and Serena had married the captain of Duke Bilford’s knights.

This was Inglis’s new life: she was a close relative of the duke and the daughter of the captain of his knights. It was a night-and-day difference from her previous life’s birth in a lowly farming village. Regardless, she wasn’t as concerned with her social status as she was with what she could make of it.

“Of course I was! I was worried!”

“But you can’t leave Rafael and Rafinha alone like that! They must be so scared.”

Irina had a son and a daughter, and the daughter, Rafinha, was an infant too. Inglis had met the girl many times. Was Rafinha as irked by the inconvenience of a baby’s body as Inglis? If she had the mind of an adult, then surely. That was unlikely, though. Rafinha probably didn’t understand what was happening.

“It’s okay, Rafael is looking after Rafinha! Let’s go!”

“All right!”

Serena carried Inglis into the castle. The third floor was the ducal family’s private quarters, where they would be provided shelter. The robust construction of the castle was much safer than their house.

As they arrived at their destination, they saw a seven- or eight-year-old boy holding an infant waiting for them.

“Mother! You’re safe!” said Rafael, Duke Bilford’s eldest son and presumptive heir. He was an intelligent-looking boy with dark hair and dark eyes.

“Rafael, is Rafinha safe?”

“Yes, she’s right here! She’s being a good girl.”

“I see. Good, then.” Irina turned to Serena. “Let’s wait here until the knights drive away the magicite beasts.”

“As you say,” Serena agreed as both mothers nodded to each other.

From her mother’s arms, Inglis fixed her gaze on the scene outside. The room had a good view. From here she could see the battle on top of the walls that circled the city. There was a gigantic lizard-like monster several times larger than a human. A pair of hard, bladelike wings protruded from its back, and its forehead, neck, and back were studded with crystallized gemlike protrusions of mixed colors, ranging from red to aqua to purple. Inglis wondered if those gemlike things on its body were why it was called a magicite beast. Even from a distance, the way those gems shone implied that they were condensed mana.

There seemed to be at least ten of the lizards throughout the duchy. Warriors who must have been the knights her mother mentioned readied their weapons to drive the beasts back. Inglis’s family watched anxiously. Their expressions were serious but not surprised. Therefore, Inglis surmised that attacks like this must occur from time to time in this new era.

Hmm, seems like life in this age is dangerous. But I’m just fine with that.

There seemed to be plenty of opportunity for battle. Hunting the foul, gigantic magicite beasts probably wouldn’t be a bad path in life. She just had to grow up so she could give it a try.

My hands! My hands are calling out to me! But I can’t move how I want to! Inglis screamed inside her heart, but the only sounds that could leave her mouth were “Daaa! Ga-ga-ga!”

“Chris! Calm down!” her mother exclaimed.

“It’s only natural. This must be the first time she’s seen a magicite beast.” Irina embraced Rafinha, who was also crying. “It’s no wonder she’s scared.”

“You’re right. If only these children could live in simpler times, in a world without magicite beasts, but...”

No, Mother! I need a foe to fight! I need to take on these magicite beasts! I need to find out what I can learn by beating them! “Waaa!” she yowled.

“There, there, Chris. Don’t be scared. Mommy will keep you safe.” Serena cradled Inglis in her arms, her eyes full of a mother’s love.

No! I hate this! This is my chance, and I can’t even move!

There was another person who felt the same way.

“That’s a shame. I’ve already gotten my Rune, yet I have to watch from here,” Rafael grumbled after a pause.

This was another new development, but Inglis could tell it was likely a mark on the bodies of this era’s knights. Her father, the captain of the knights, and her mother, a former knight, both carried a crest-like symbol on their dominant hand. It seemed that it was something necessary to control the weapons used to fight magicite beasts.

“Rafael, yours is a special Rune,” Irina lectured. “It’s the mark of those chosen to bring hope. We can’t risk you now. Not until you grow into your power. You understand, right?”

So Rafael’s Rune determined he would be a hero. Inglis understood well from a past life as the hero-king how tightly a hero’s duty could bind, or even the duty of a noble heir. Heavy were the burdens.

“Yes, mother...” Rafael sounded taken aback by Irina’s insistence. He wanted to shoulder that responsibility now; he hadn’t expected to be held back.

“This should serve as a clear reminder. No matter what happens here, you need to survive. Even if it means abandoning the rest of us. Remember how important you are.”

“But! Mother, I—!”

Clearly his mother didn’t expect such a thing to happen today, but even the thought was hard for an earnest boy like Rafael to stomach.

That said, sometimes words take on a meaning all their own.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Craaasssh!

The window of their room burst from its frame as one of the magicite beasts leaped away from the knights and toward the family’s hiding place.

“Eeeek!”

Irina was sent flying by the winged lizard’s impact. She shielded Rafinha in her arms but couldn’t safely roll with the blow. She crashed headfirst and fell unconscious. The shock of the landing stirred Rafinha, who began to wail.

“Mother!” Rafael shouted.

“No! You need to escape!”

Serena held back Rafael’s hand as he began to draw his sword before she scooped up Rafinha. She pressed both infants into Rafael’s arms and took a rapier from a rack on the wall.

“I’ll hold it off! Take them and get out of here!”

“But—Aunt Serena! That sword can’t even scratch them!”

The lizard turned its baleful gaze on Serena. Even though she was no longer a knight, she could manage to parry its fierce assault. The problem was the unreliable blade she had at hand. Its thin construction couldn’t bear many blows before bending into uselessness.

“Hurry! What are you waiting for?!” Serena barked orders at Rafael.

“Rani! Chris! Sorry, just hold on!” Hiding Inglis and Rafinha in the shade of a pillar, Rafael drew his sword and ran beside Serena. “I’ve got your back! If we can hold out a little longer, a knight with an Artifact will be here!”

An Artifact—that must be the sort of weapon modern knights wielded against magicite beasts.

“No! I told you—no! Get out of here!”

“I’m not going anywhere! If I can’t save the people right here in front of me, how will I ever be able to save anyone?!”

His young voice, still high-pitched, nevertheless rang with passion. Inglis was growing to appreciate her cousin the more she saw of him. Fighting through danger and always rising to one’s feet was what made someone a hero, not by being called one. It was proven through determination and effort.

“Ngh...ugh! Whoa!”

“Aaaaah!”

Yet as hard as the two struggled, eventually, they were slammed back into the wall.

“Aunt Serena! A-Are you okay?!”

“Ugh...”

The world was beginning to go dim around them. Soon, they’d be at the beast’s mercy—and then, with them gone, there’d be no one to protect the unconscious Irina or the young Inglis and Rafinha.

Guess it’s my turn, then. I can’t let my own mother be killed. And the boy’s definitely proven his worth as well...

Inglis had resolved to live her new life for herself. She had no interest in becoming a hero—but she certainly had no objection to helping out someone who did. It’d be a shame if he were to die here.

There wasn’t much an infant could do, but... No harm in giving it a try. Even without moving a finger, she could smash the beast with raw, physical aether. It was a basic technique, one she’d known even in her past life. “Aether Strike,” if she had to give it a name. She’d never tried it from her cradle, afraid of bringing the house down around herself, but here, with everything in shambles and every potential witness out cold, there was no reason not to.

“Daaa! Goo-goo, ga-ga-ga!”

Young as they were, Inglis’s eyes had a clear sparkle. A pale blue flash of light welled up, transforming into a gigantic glowing bullet which smashed into the beast.

Blammmmmm!

The bullet then wrapped around the lizard-like creature, carrying its body straight through the wall. As it fell, it crumpled and burned away midair into a cloud of white ash in the wind.

Not bad for a baby, I guess, she thought. Her practice obviously had been time well spent.

Rafael, his back propped up against the wall, gasped in shock. “Chris?! Wh-What was—”

Inglis would have grit her teeth if she’d had full control over her jaw.

“We’re saved...” He slumped to the floor, unconscious this time.

If he remembered it as a dream, or as a stress hallucination, so much the better. As she planned for the aftermath, Inglis felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Despite having such raw power, she was still an infant, after all.

Concerned shouts echoed up the stairwell from below. “Lady Irina! Rafael! Are you safe?!”

The reinforcements must have arrived. Perhaps she, too, would slip away into slumber. She’d wanted to witness everything, but her newborn body betrayed her.

When next she awoke, she was back in the safety of her own cradle, under her own roof. She could hear the voices of her mother and father, so they, at least, were safe.

For some time after, Rafael seemed to treat her with a bit of restrained awe, although he was still suspicious. With no adult willing to believe, however, that an infant had achieved such feats, and no sign of her power in the peaceful months following, even he began to believe that the stress, confusion, and pain had simply tricked his eyes.

Most importantly, though, Inglis now knew magicite beasts were something new in the world. From what she could overhear between her parents, the attacking creatures were among the smallest of their weakest form, and there were far fiercer foes yet to face. Her father had even mentioned some were powerful enough to lay a whole kingdom to waste.

A fascinating prospect. For now, then, to develop her own skills until she could battle one of those!

Thus, the infant Inglis went on.