Chapter 1 — Did I Alone Have a Bad Day?

The evening city breathed in quiet exhaustion.

Office workers drifted along the sidewalks like a slow-moving river, their ties loosened, their footsteps heavy, their conversations dull and repetitive. The golden glow of the setting sun stretched across the streets, painting everything in a tired warmth—another day ending, just like any other.

And yet—

“I finally did it…”

A soft, almost trembling voice escaped my lips.

Clutched tightly in my hands was a single book.

My book.

I stared at it again, as if afraid it might disappear the moment I looked away. The freshly printed pages, the crisp cover, the faint scent of ink—it was all real.

“Finally… it’s happening…”

A laugh slipped out.

Not a dignified one. Not even a normal one.

Just… a foolish, uncontrollable grin spreading across my face.

If anyone looked at me right now, they’d probably think I’d lost my mind.

But I didn’t care.

Because tomorrow—

Tomorrow was my debut.

After years of writing. Years of doubt. Years of wondering whether any of it would ever mean something…

Tomorrow, I would finally become what I had always dreamed of.

An author.

Not just in name—

But in reality.

My steps felt lighter than air as I walked down the crowded street, completely detached from the world around me. People passed by, conversations overlapped, vehicles hummed in the distance—but none of it reached me.

My entire world… was in my hands.

“…Heh.”

I hugged the book slightly closer.

It was worth it.

Every sleepless night. Every rejection. Every moment of uncertainty—

All of it led to this.

And then—

Thud.

Someone bumped into me.

“Ah—sorry—”

I turned slightly, instinctively glancing back.

But the person had already disappeared into the crowd.

“…Well, whatever.”

It didn’t matter.

Nothing could ruin this moment.

Not today.

I took another step forward.

Then another.

And then—

“…Huh?”

A voice.

Sharp. Panicked.

“—Hey! Look!”

Another voice followed.

“W-What happened to him?!”

More footsteps. More noise. More confusion.

I frowned slightly, my thoughts still slow to catch up.

What are they talking about…?

And then—

I looked down.

“…Ah.”

For a moment—

I didn’t understand what I was seeing.

A dark stain spread across my clothes.

Slowly.

Silently.

My fingers moved on their own, pressing against it.

Warm.

Wet.

When I lifted my hand—

…it was red.

“…Oh.”

A strange sound escaped my throat.

So that’s what it was.

I’d been—

stabbed.

“…When?”

I didn’t even feel it.

My mind had been too far away… too consumed by my own happiness to notice something so simple.

And then—

It came.

A sharp, burning pain tore through my body all at once.

“—Ah…!”

My knees gave out.

The world tilted violently.

Voices erupted around me.

“Someone call an ambulance!”

“He’s bleeding—!”

“Move, give him space—!”

Footsteps rushed. Shadows gathered. Faces blurred.

But none of it felt real.

It was as if I was watching everything from a distance… like it had nothing to do with me.

“…This is… kind of funny…”

A weak smile formed on my lips.

Out of all days—

Why today?

The day before my debut.

“…Seriously…?”

My vision flickered.

I could hear sirens in the distance now.

Closer.

Louder.

People were shouting. Someone was holding me down. Another voice was trying to keep me awake.

“Stay with us!”

“…Stay…?”

My body didn’t listen.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t even properly breathe.

And yet—

I could hear everything.

Feel everything.

But control… was already slipping away.

So this is how it ends…?

The ambulance arrived.

Hands lifted me.

Voices overlapped.

The world spun.

And then—

Darkness.

My eyelids fell shut.

…But I didn’t disappear.

“…Huh?”

There was no pain.

No sound.

No weight.

Only—

Silence.

Endless, suffocating silence.

When I opened my eyes—

There was nothing.

No sky.

No ground.

No body.

Just an infinite void stretching in every direction.

“…What is this…?”

I tried to move—

—or at least, I thought I did.

But instead of a body…

I saw light.

A faint, flickering glow.

“…Me?”

It was small.

Insignificant.

Like a lone star drifting in a universe of absolute darkness.

“…So…”

A quiet breath escaped—though I wasn’t even sure if I was breathing anymore.

“It’s over, huh…”

No pain.

No fear.

Just… acceptance.

“I really died…”

The words felt distant.

Unreal.

“I thought… maybe things would finally start going well…”

A bitter chuckle echoed into the void.

“I might’ve even made some money from writing…”

Silence answered me.

“…But I guess this is it.”

No audience.

No readers.

No tomorrow.

Just emptiness.

“…So what now?”

I looked around the endless void.

“Heaven…? Hell…?”

Nothing responded.

No light.

No judgment.

No salvation.

“…Or…”

A faint smile formed.

“…am I just going to stay like this forever?”

A single, lonely existence—

floating endlessly

in the dark.

“…So this is the afterlife, huh?”

If I even had a body, I would’ve shrugged.

Instead, I simply floated—a faint, flickering light in an endless void.

No ground. No sky. No direction.

Just silence.

“…I thought it would be more dramatic.”

A quiet sigh escaped me.

“Like… two massive gates. Heaven on one side, hell on the other…”

A faint pause.

“Or at least something like Angel Beats!… you know, unfinished dreams, regrets, redemption…”

Nothing.

No response.

No system.

No judge.

“…Guess that was all just fiction.”

A weak chuckle echoed into nothingness.

“And here I thought… if I got hit by a truck, I’d at least get isekai’d properly…”

Another pause.

“…Well, I didn’t even get that.”

Silence swallowed my words again.

“…My whole life, I was alone.”

The thought came naturally.

No bitterness. No anger.

Just… a simple statement.

“And even now…”

I looked—or at least, felt—the endless void around me.

“…I’ll stay alone, huh.”

For a moment, I said nothing.

“…Well, whatever.”

What was there to complain about?

“What am I even supposed to do here… for eternity?”

“…Fufu.”

A laugh.

Soft.

Gentle.

Amused.

It didn’t belong to the void.

“…Huh?”

For the first time since arriving here—

Something changed.

A golden light shimmered in the distance.

Brighter than me.

Warmer.

Alive.

“…Where did that come from?”

The light pulsed—

And then, slowly…

It began to take form.

A figure.

Elegant.

Radiant.

A woman—no—

A presence far beyond human.

Golden hair flowed like liquid sunlight, her form wrapped in a faint divine glow. Her eyes held an ancient calm, yet within them danced quiet amusement.

“…You are quite the interesting one, little soul.”

Her voice was gentle.

Yet it carried a strange weight—as if the space itself listened to her.

“…A goddess?”

The word slipped out instinctively.

She smiled.

“A correct assumption.”

“…I see.”

Honestly, that made things easier.

“At least there’s someone who can explain what’s going on.”

I paused for a moment before asking the obvious.

“So… where do I go now? Heaven? Hell?”

“…Heaven? Hell?”

For the first time—

She looked… confused.

“…Yeah?”

I tilted slightly, or at least felt like I did.

“You know… judgment? Good deeds, bad deeds, that kind of thing?”

“…Ah.”

A soft, amused breath escaped her lips.

“So that is how your world understands it.”

“…Don’t tell me it’s wrong.”

“It is… slightly inaccurate.”

“…Of course it is.”

She raised a hand lightly, as if explaining something trivial.

“Heaven exists. Hell exists.”

A pause.

“But they are not places where souls are judged.”

“…What?”

“Heaven is a realm for gods and angels.”

“And hell… belongs to demons.”

Her gaze returned to me.

“Human souls are not sent to either.”

“…So all those stories were just wrong?”

“…Not entirely.”

A faint smile.

“Just misunderstood.”

“…Great.”

I let out a small sigh.

“So then… what happens to people after they die?”

“Normally?”

She answered calmly.

“They are reborn.”

“…Reborn?”

“In countless forms.”

Her voice carried a quiet rhythm now, like she was reciting something ancient.

“Humans. Animals. Birds. Creatures beyond your comprehension.”

“At every moment, as life ends… new life begins.”

“A cycle.”

“Endless.”

“And memories?”

“…Erased.”

Of course they were.

“…Then what about me?”

A small pause.

“…Why am I here?”

Her gaze softened.

“…Because your case is… unusual.”

“…Unusual?”

“Most souls do not come here.”

“They pass directly into the cycle.”

“…So I’m an exception?”

“…Yes.”

Silence fell between us.

“…That doesn’t sound reassuring.”

For the first time—

A hint of unease crept into my thoughts.

“…Am I going to disappear or something?”

“…No.”

Her answer was immediate.

“You misunderstand.”

A step closer.

“You are not here to be erased.”

“…Then why?”

She watched me quietly.

“…Because your life was… unjust.”

“…Unjust?”

“I have observed you.”

Her voice softened further.

“Since the moment you were born.”

“…That’s not creepy at all.”

“…Fufu.”

A small laugh escaped her.

“…And yet, despite everything…”

Her gaze sharpened slightly.

“You never once begged.”

“…What?”

“You questioned.”

“You doubted.”

“You even grew angry at times.”

“But you never prayed for salvation.”

“…That’s…”

I hesitated.

“…Because it didn’t make sense.”

“If beings like you existed… then you’d be managing billions of lives at once.”

“So blaming you for everything felt… pointless.”

Silence.

Then—

“…Exactly.”

Her smile deepened.

“That is what makes you different.”

“…Different?”

“You are not chosen.”

“You are not special.”

A pause.

“But your nature… is rare.”

“…So?”

She straightened slightly.

“I will grant you a chance.”

“…A chance?”

“To live again.”

Silence.

“…Why me?”

“There are others who suffered more than I did.”

“What makes me worth it?”

She answered without hesitation.

“…Because you did not break.”

“…Hah.”

A faint laugh escaped me.

“…That’s a pretty vague reason.”

“…Perhaps.”

Her golden aura shimmered slightly.

“But it is enough for me.”

“…So what now?”

“I get reincarnated or something?”

“Yes.”

“…In another world?”

“Yes.”

“…Magic and all that?”

“Yes.”

“…Seriously?”

“…Fufu. Yes.”

I paused.

“…And what kind of life are you throwing me into?”

Her eyes gleamed faintly.

“You will be born into a royal family.”

“…No.”

She ignored me.

“As the third prince of a great kingdom.”

“…Absolutely not.”

“I chose that position specifically.”

“…Why third?”

“So you are not burdened by the throne.”

“…And not ignored either, I guess…”

“…Precisely.”

I sighed.

“…I don’t like attention, you know.”

“I am aware.”

“…Then why royalty?”

“…Because for once…”

Her voice softened—

“…you deserve comfort.”

“…One last question.”

“What is it?”

“…Do I have a mission or something?”

“You know… defeat a demon king, save the world…”

“…No.”

“…Seriously?”

“I have no such expectations.”

“…Huh.”

“You may live as you wish.”

“A hero.”

“A villain.”

“Or simply… yourself.”

“…That’s surprisingly generous.”

“…However.”

A faint smile.

“Demons do exist.”

“…Of course they do.”

“But whether you face them or not…”

“…is entirely your choice.”

“…Then I guess…”

I let out a quiet breath.

“…I’ll just live properly this time.”

“…I believe you will do more than that.”

“…What does that mean?”

Her smile deepened.

“…You will surpass even the concept of a hero.”

“…Wait—what?”

Before I could respond—

The world shattered.

Light engulfed everything.

My consciousness stretched—

Fell—

And disappeared.

“…Then I suppose… that’s it.”

The golden light before me shimmered softly.

The goddess said nothing for a moment—

Only watched me.

With that same quiet, knowing smile.

“…One last thing.”

Her voice stopped me just as everything around me began to fade.

“…Hmm?”

Her expression softened.

Not as a goddess.

But almost—

As someone… human.

“…Do not worry about your father.”

My thoughts froze.

“…What?”

For the first time—

Emotion broke through my calm.

“He… arrived here.”

A gentle pause.

“And do you know what he said?”

The void seemed to hold its breath.

“…He was happy.”

“…Happy?”

“He said… he was proud.”

My light trembled.

“…Proud…?”

“That you were his son.”

Silence.

Complete.

Absolute.

“…I see.”

No tears.

No voice breaking.

Just—

A quiet acceptance.

“…That’s… good.”

A faint, almost invisible smile formed within that tiny flicker of light.

“…Then… I guess…”

My consciousness began to blur.

“…I didn’t do too bad after all.”

“…Little one.”

Her voice echoed once more.

Fading.

“…You will become more than just a hero.”

“…What does that even—”

Before I could finish—

Everything shattered.

Darkness.

Not the calm void from before—

But something deeper.

Heavier.

Colder.

My sense of self stretched… and twisted…

Then—

Sound.

Distant.

Muffled.

“…—Push!”

A voice.

“…Your Majesty, please—!”

Another.

“…Just a little more!”

The darkness trembled.

Pressure.

Heat.

A strange, suffocating force wrapped around me.

“…What… is this…?”

I couldn’t think properly.

I couldn’t move.

And yet—

I was being pulled.

Dragged—

Into something.

“…It’s coming!”

“Hold on, Your Majesty—!”

The voices became clearer.

Sharper.

Closer.

And then—

Light.

Blinding.

Overwhelming.

“—The child is born!”

A voice rang out, filled with relief.

“It’s a boy!”

“The prince…!”

“The prince has been born!”

Cold air struck my skin.

For the first time—

I could feel.

My lungs burned.

Instinct took over—

And I cried.

A weak, trembling sound.

Yet it echoed louder than anything I had ever known.

“…A prince…”

“…The third prince…”

“…His Highness has arrived…”

My vision blurred.

Shapes formed.

Figures moved.

A grand ceiling.

Golden ornaments.

Luxurious fabrics.

Voices—refined, controlled, yet trembling with excitement.

And somewhere—

Faintly—

That voice echoed once more.

“…You will become more than just a hero.”

…And so—

My story began.

Not as a writer.

Not as a nobody walking down a street.

But—

As someone reborn.

I, who once dreamed of writing stories…

Had become part of one.

Reincarnated—

As the Third Prince of a Great Kingdom.