Chapter 2

I was just an ordinary commoner, but I lost my life in a duel and, for some reason, reincarnated as a royal.

Lloyd Di Salm, the seventh prince of the Kingdom of Salm. That is my new name.

Now ten years old, I think I've gotten quite used to this life.

By the way, when I compare the scenery, culture, and atmosphere of this country, it seems I reincarnated into this body right after I died.

When I was in school, they were talking about a new prince being born soon.

I feel a bit guilty, but there's nothing I can do about it now.

My older brothers are already adults, and since I am much younger, I have almost nothing to do with the succession disputes.

Besides, I am small in stature, plain in appearance, and show no interest in politics, so I don't seem to be expected much.

But when I see my brothers studying manners, academics, and martial arts intensively every day to become king, I think it was for the best.

Thanks to that, I can study magic, which I love, to my heart's content.

Waking up in the morning and spending my days holed up in the library, engrossed in magic books.

The collection is enormous, with hundreds of magic books alone.

Starting from the basics and going all the way to specialized topics, I have read through all of them.

Thanks to the solid foundation I laid in my previous life, I was able to understand even the difficult magic books.

Of course, I can also reproduce magic, and I am currently working on various application techniques.

By the way, the magic that killed me back then used an expensive medium and, looking at it now, wasn't such a big deal. A bit disappointing.

I don't hide the fact that I like magic, but I do keep my true strength, the ability to produce such power, hidden.

If it were known that I can use such magic, it would definitely cause trouble, and I wouldn't be able to focus on my magic research.

It would be a problem if I were expected to be involved in the succession, too.

I should be known as a slightly eccentric prince who loves magic.

"Lloyd-sama! Where are you? Lloyd-sama!"

The silence of the library was broken by a woman's voice.

While I am having a fulfilling life, there are a few troublesome things.

One of them is the owner of the voice, Silfa, the maid in charge of my education.

When Silfa finds me, she runs over, crouches down, and smiles gently.

Her long silver hair falls softly, and she picks it up with her fingers.

"Of course, you're in the library again. You know, reading books all the time isn't good for your health. Why don't you play outside with me?"

Her smile had a forceful quality to it.

For Silfa, it's normal for children to run around outside, and she often tries to take me out, worried about my health from being cooped up in the library.

It's a bit of an overreaction, but I can tell she cares about me, so I can't really say anything.

I sigh and reluctantly close my book.

"...Alright. Silfa."

"Don't look so sad. You can read books anytime. Look, it's such a nice day. Let's go outside."

So, with Silfa leading me by the hand, I went out to the garden.

"Lloyd-sama, let's play pretend sword fighting today!"

"Ugh, again?"

"A man should be proficient in at least one martial art. Here, take this wooden sword."

Silfa hands me a wooden sword and takes a stance herself.

"Come at me from any direction!"

Silfa smiles broadly.

Her stance is relaxed but dignified.

No wonder, as her father is the captain of the knights and has been the royal sword instructor for generations.

Silfa, being his daughter, is quite skilled. I once saw her quickly disarm a soldier who was pestering her and point her sword at his neck.

She is serious and beautiful but inflexible and a bit intimidating. That's Silfa.

So if I slack off, she will immediately notice, and I have to take it seriously.

I grip the sword again and take a proper stance.

"...Here I come."

Silfa grips her wooden sword and strikes straight at me.

I easily deflect her sword and return the tip of my wooden sword to her.

Silfa blocks it and steps back.

"Good job, Lloyd-sama."

Silfa smiles and exchanges blows with me.

Good, I'm managing to fool her well.

The first time Silfa suggested pretend sword fighting, I cried.

I was just too weak.

Even though I was around seven years old, Silfa said I was so weak it seemed like I was joking.

I was trying my best, but, to my embarrassment, I have always been bad at sports since my previous life.

After that, Silfa's Spartan training began.

Every day, I was made to grip a wooden sword and practice striking dummies over and over.

For me, who hates exercise, it was pure hell.

It went beyond pretend sword fighting and affected my reading afterward.

So, I decided to cheat a little.

There are types of magic that can manipulate and control objects.

This is control magic.

Using this, I can program my body to move automatically.

Currently, I am tracing Silfa's movements and reproducing them with my body.

Clank! Clank! Clank!

The sound of wooden swords clashing echoes around.

"Ah! Wonderful, Lloyd-sama!"

Since I am tracing Silfa's movements, it's natural that we are evenly matched.

If I focus on defense and observation, the physical strain is relatively less.

"...Phew, let's call it a day for today."

After a while, Silfa seems satisfied and wipes the sweat from her forehead.

Phew, finally it's over.

Even though I was moving automatically, it was still quite tiring.

My body feels a bit heavy.

As I sit down to rest, Silfa looks at me with sparkling eyes.

"Lloyd-sama, your sword skills are improving rapidly! Before long, you might be able to match me!"

"Hehe... R-really..."

I can't say that I'm tracing Silfa's movements.

She is probably holding back, but compared to the beginning, she is getting a bit faster and stronger.

Despite that, I am keeping up, so it seems like I am improving rapidly.

I am just matching her movements with control magic.

...Well, she won't suddenly attack me seriously, so I should be able to keep cheating with magic for a while.

If it's discovered, I'll deal with it then.

For now, I want to get back to my book in the library.

"Then, I'm going back to the library."

"Yes, good work. ...Mm-hmm, your improvement is remarkable. Perhaps you'll become a captain of the knights or a sword saint... Hehe, I'm looking forward to your future!"

Silfa is muttering something that sounds a bit scary, but it's probably just my imagination.

Silfa sends me off with a smile as I head back to the library.