Chapter 2: Reincarnation

“If I could live again, I would do so honorably. I am not wrong.”

“Then prove it.”

The pain from the bullets never returned. Instead, my eyes opened wide, and the first thing I saw was a stone ceiling, utterly unlike the concrete ceiling of a hospital.

“My son!”

A woman with black hair and a long brown dress called me “son.” Was she confused? My mother had died when I was born, so her words made no sense. She looked far too young to be the mother of a twenty-nine-year-old man.

“Are you all right? How do you feel?”

I had no idea how to answer.

I had just been shot to pieces.

Surely my body had to be full of fatal wounds and clotted blood. How could she ask me something like that?

Wasn’t the answer obvious?

“Give him time to react, my lady. The boy nearly died from the fever.”

Another woman, slightly younger, placed her right hand on my “mother’s” shoulder.

“Can you hear us?”

“It is a miracle. The boy truly died a few seconds ago. He had no vital signs, and I was about to deliver the news.”

The third person in the room was a scrawny, dark-skinned man wearing white robes that resembled the vestments of a Catholic priest.

“My son! My precious little boy!”

The woman continued to cry, countless tears running down her pale cheeks.

“Your Highness, can you hear us?”

The other woman had brown hair and wore a maid’s uniform very similar to the ones I used to see in medieval dramas. It covered her entire body, leaving only part of her neck and brown shoulders visible.

“I am Sora. Do you remember me?”

Huh?

Did she just say “Your Highness”?

What the hell was this woman talking about?

“What’s going on?”

I nearly died of fright.

No…

I definitely did.

T-This was not my voice.

“Your Highness?”

Sora placed her right hand directly against my forehead. I could feel the warmth of her palm in contrast with a fever I had barely noticed.

“What happened?” I asked again, in a voice that was definitely not mine.

It sounded like a small child’s.

“Your Highness.”

The man stepped forward and touched my cheeks as well. Then he made a surprised grimace and backed away.

“I-Impossible. The fever has almost disappeared…”

“Your mind must be exhausted, my son. You fell ill with blue fever, a deadly disease in children.”

The woman who called herself my mother smiled at me with incredible tenderness. I had never received that kind of expression in the past, so I couldn’t help blushing from embarrassment.

“Blue fever?” I whispered. “I-I don’t know that illness.”

“Take it easy, my sweet boy. You nearly died today.”

“I need a mirror. Please, bring me a mirror.”

Part of me did not want to see the truth. This definitely had to be a dream.

There was no other explanation.

Surely I was rotting away in a hospital.

Yes, yes, yes, yes… It couldn’t be anything else.

“As you command, sir.”

The man in the robes brought a handheld mirror large enough for me to see my entire reflection.

And that was when I saw myself.

Red hair and honey-colored eyes. Nothing at all like my real appearance. On top of that, this skin was far too white to be mine. It looked pale compared to my natural complexion.

And most shocking of all…

This was the body of a thin, lanky child.

As a last resort, I pinched my right arm to try to wake myself up. However, all I felt was a sting as real as life itself.

I see…

Yes, there was definitely no mistake.

I had reincarnated in another world.

I thought this only happened in Japanese light novels, but apparently Mexicans could get isekai’d too without any problem.

Even so, it all felt so unreal that not a single word left my lips.

“Has that been enough?” the maid asked.

“Yes.”

The entire situation still felt strange to me. In fact, I wanted to scream right then and there and deny it with every ounce of strength I had. But my body was dazed, and my thoughts were not completely clear.

“Thank you.”

Okay. Calm down.

I had to keep my composure, or I might raise suspicion.

“Do you need anything else?” the man in the robes asked again.

“Yes. Could you remind me of your name, please?”

“I am Gonzalo, Your Highness. Your personal tutor and specialized physician. Are you certain you feel well?”

“I feel a little disoriented. Could you remind me of my name, please? Everything is spinning, and I don’t really know how things stand.”

Technically, I wasn’t lying. My brain was anywhere but here.

“The blue fever must have damaged your memories. That does not surprise me. Very well. You are King Ulric León I. You rule the Kingdom of Etrica after the death of your royal father. At present, you are eight years old.”

“Do I have any brothers or sisters?”

“You have an older half-sister, Your Highness. Her name is Alda.”

Okay. That was enough information for now.

“T-Thank you, Gonzalo. I think I need to rest a little longer.”

In truth, I had countless questions about myself—no, about the entire world. But stuffing my head with information would not be useful right now.

“Mother, could you all let me sleep alone?”

“Are you sure, my son?”

My mother’s eyes looked calmer now. The worst of my illness had already passed.

“Yes. I need some time alone to clear my thoughts.”

“Very well. Rest, my son.”

My mother left the room along with Gonzalo and the maid, leaving me lying in bed with countless questions waiting to be answered.

Why had I reincarnated in this world?

Was there a purpose behind my arrival, or was I merely the product of chance?

I closed my eyes and tried to communicate with a deity or something of the sort. However, I heard nothing. Not even a sign from beyond.

“And it just happened like that? Ridiculous.”

I remembered the final moments of my past life. I had been gunned down by a group of hitmen one day before my presentation.

I had so many ideas and plans to help people…

Motherfucker.

Why did they kill me?

I felt so uncomfortable, so angry with myself.

“Fuck my life,” I whispered, fed up with the way things had ended. “I tried to do the right thing, and I failed.”

No.

This was no time to mourn a lost life.

If I had been a useless representative in my previous life, then now I would become a great king. I didn’t know whether my destiny was to become a good ruler or to die without accomplishing anything.

And I didn’t care!

I had been given a new chance to live, and I definitely would not waste it.

“So, Ulric, huh? Not a bad name.”

I ignored the recommendations of the doctor and my mother, then got out of bed and felt the cold floor beneath my bare feet.

“I can’t let myself be defeated!”

I shouted those words as I took my first step with this new body.

And so, my adventure as a KING in another world finally began.