Chapter 02 - Reincarnation

In one of the royal castles, a woman held her one-year-old child while gently whistling. Behind her, a maid dressed in traditional uniform spoke with a worried face. "Queen, can you, not take the prince outside yet? His fever has only just passed."

She smiled and replied, "It's okay, right? Look... he's healthy now." She then hugged her child closer and nuzzled his head. "Right, Paul?"

The baby, though still confused about his situation, blinked in wonder. "Where is this? Wasn't I just on a plane? Why am I in the arms of this giant, beautiful woman? Wait a minute... my hands—they're smaller. My legs too. Like a baby's... Is this reincarnation?"

He stared at his tiny hands while still being cradled by his mother. Just as he was lost in thought, the queen lifted him slightly and offered her breast. "Paul, aah~," she cooed with a smile.

Surprised, his mouth instinctively opened, and after a moment of hesitation, he began to drink. "I guess I should drink this... since it's necessary for my growth," he thought.

As he nursed, he took in his surroundings—a grand, lavish home. No, it looked more like a royal castle. Countless female servants stood attentively, and even the guards appeared to be women.

While breastfeeding, the queen turned to the head maid and asked, "What is the matter?"

The head maid bowed slightly. "Nothing urgent, Your Majesty. Only that the king will be returning soon..."

Hearing this, the queen's expression softened, her gaze shifting to her child. "Oh... I hope he's no longer angry about this situation," she mused.

The atmosphere grew slightly tense, but the baby was still trying to process the conversation, most of which he couldn't understand. "What language is this? I don't recognize it... Not even one of the 200 languages on Google," he thought.

Before he could dwell on it further, a voice rang out from the hallway. "The king has arrived!"

At those words, everyone immediately stood at attention, preparing to welcome their ruler. As the doors swung open, thud... thud... thud... firm footsteps echoed through the chamber. In an instant, the guards and maids knelt, bowing their heads.

"Your Majesty," they greeted in unison.

The king raised his hand with a serious face. "At ease," he said in a calm tone. At his command, the attendants returned to their positions.

The king walked toward the queen, his expression unreadable. Still holding her child, the queen met his gaze with a slightly sorrowful look. "Dear, are you still angry?" she asked gently.

The king's face remained emotionless. "That is not the issue. You know how this country's factions operate... especially the nobles."

"Yes..." the queen murmured, glancing down at the baby in her arms.

"I only hope he grows strong enough to lead this country one day," she whispered.

The king's cold gaze remained fixed on the child. "Yes..." he said, his expression unreadable.

While the king was talking to the queen, there was a knock on the door. The king said in a low tone, "Come in."

At his command, a guard entered, opened the door, performed a knight's salute toward the king and queen, and said, "Your Majesty," in a firm tone.

Hearing that, the king simply nodded and asked, "What's wrong?" with a confused expression.

The guard replied, "There is a letter from one of the spies," while taking out a sealed letter. Seeing that, the king stretched out his hand, asking for the letter. The soldier quickly walked toward him and handed it to him.

After receiving the letter, the guard saluted with a knight's gesture, saying, "Then, Your Majesty," as if seeking permission to leave the room.

"You may go," the King said in a relaxed tone as both he and the Queen gave a nod.
With a respectful bow, the bodyguard turned and quietly left the room.

While watching the guard leave, the king opened the letter and read it. After a while, he said, "Oh..." Then he looked at the queen and said, "It seems like I have something to take care of in the office. I'll go first," while walking toward the exit.

Hearing that, the queen asked, "My dear, what's wrong?" in an anxious tone.

The king turned around with a smile and said, "It's okay, just a small conflict between federations."

As the king walked out of the room, the queen, who heard that, felt relieved and said, "Don't be too busy, my dear," with a sad expression.

The king, while walking, replied in a calm tone, "Of course, my dear."

King Louis' POV (Paul's Father):
'After saying goodbye to Cecilia before my departure, I felt a bit drained. But this is my duty…'
I looked out the window of the horse-drawn carriage, watching the trees sway gently.
"Such a beautiful forest…" I murmured to myself, gazing at the scenery from the highland road.
"It's a shame this is the border region… it'd be hard to develop and defend," I added with a resigned sigh.

Outside, I could hear my escorts talking as they rode beside the carriage.
CLOP-CLOP-CLOP!
CLOP-CLOP-CLOP!

"Nice weather today, huh?"
"Yeah… yawn… but my body's sore from riding too long…"
"Well, not much we can do. The schedule was set too suddenly," one grumbled.

CLOP-CLOP-CLOP!
"But why did His Majesty only bring 100 guards? Even the commanders stayed in the capital…" said one with concern.

—SMACK!—
His friend slapped the back of his head.
"Idiot… His Majesty is the strongest Hero alive right now. We're the ones who should be considered a burden, remember?" he snapped.
"Right… good point," the other muttered, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

Hearing them, I smiled faintly and opened the window, calling out,
"Hey… how much longer until we arrive?"

They immediately straightened up and saluted from their horses.
"Your Majesty!"

After I nodded, one of them replied,
"We just passed Wrynwood, sire. We estimate another three to four days before we reach Élysandria."

I leaned back, nodding calmly.
"Very well… I'll leave the rest to you," I said in a firm tone.

They immediately stood at attention and gave a crisp knight's salute,
"YES, SIRE!!"

After I gave them a nod of approval, they quickly moved — one heading to the front of the procession, the other to the rear — issuing orders to the other guards along the way.

I remained seated, turning my gaze back to the window, where the scenery rolled gently past. Forests swayed under the afternoon breeze, and the distant mountains framed the horizon. The air that slipped through the window carried the scent of damp leaves and cool mountain wind. I leaned back, allowing myself a moment of quiet, absorbing the calm that stood in stark contrast to the duty that lay ahead.

Four days later
After arriving at the capital of the Kingdom of Lyon — Élysandria, the Federation council meeting was already in turmoil.

"What is the meaning of this?!" — BAM!
The King of Bansel slammed his palm on the table, his face flushed with anger. He pointed a finger straight at the King of Munster.
"My troops were slaughtered! Your kingdom must take responsibility!!" he shouted.

The King of Munster shot up from his seat, equally furious.
"What nonsense! Your forces attacked several villages in my territory! And now you accuse me?!"

The room quickly descended into shouting.
I simply shook my head, watching silently.
The King of Lyon forced a smile, clearly trying to de-escalate the situation. The King of Versailles wiped the sweat from his brow nervously.

Several other seats remained empty — rulers who hadn't shown up.
I muttered in my heart,
"This is why we can't rush into decisions…"

Three hours later
Still no resolution.

Finally, the King of Bansel stood up coldly.
"Then let war decide everything."
Without another word, he walked out of the council chamber.

The King of Munster clenched his fists, his face still flushed with anger, but remained seated, trying to calm himself.

Seeing the outcome, the King of Lyon stood and gave a strained smile.
"Very well… let's adjourn this meeting."
He walked away, followed silently by the King of Versailles.

I turned to the King of Munster.
"Alaric… it seems there's no other way. Strengthen your borders. Immediately."

Alaric nodded solemnly.
"I knew this would happen… he's always been greedy."

I gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Come on, let's go."
And together, we left the chamber.