S2 Fourth Prince

A sensation as if immersed in warm, lukewarm water.

Dully, a comforting warmth enveloping the self, a sense of security arises.

That ends after a while, passing through a narrow passage and exiting outward.

The anxiety of losing the warmth that had surrounded one just moments before, and above all, the relief of emerging into open space.

That is the oldest memory currently held.

"Your Highness, you'll catch a chill standing there like that."

The maid's voice reaches the prince, who had been gazing outside from the windowsill.

Indeed, it is cold.

The landscape outside is covered in snow.

He had been enjoying the view of the snowy scenery, lost in thought for so long that he had remained motionless for an extended period.

It seems lately, when focused on a single thing, time passes unnoticed.

"Yes. Let us return."

The maid lifts the prince (……), carrying him to the bed.

The large bed, meant for one, already held a guest.

A very young infant.

Asleep deeply, expression relaxed.

I am gently laid down beside the infant.

This cradle was custom-made to accommodate two infants side by side.

By this point, it should be clear.

I was once that infant.

The reason I, as an infant, can think so distinctly, is because I retain memories from a previous life.

In that prior life, I was an ordinary high school student.

Then, without warning, I found myself reborn as an infant.

Reincarnation.

A deceased human being reborn as another person.

Thus, my previous self is now dead.

My final memory from that life was during a classical literature class.

At that moment, I noticed a fissure in space above the classroom. Beyond that point, memory ends.

A spatial rift—such things do not occur under normal conditions on Earth.

Probably, that was the cause of my death.

And yet, I was reborn, retaining the memories of my previous life.

To say I had no attachment to that past life would be untrue.

In fact, I was burdened with attachment.

My youth was still in full bloom. I had not spent enough time with friends. I had not yet escaped the record of never having had a romantic partner.

To die before even my grandparents, let alone my parents, felt like the ultimate filial impropriety.

The thought that I would never see my family again made my emotions sink deeper and deeper.

I also wondered about the school after my death.

I remember the moment the spatial fissure ruptured.

If I died like that, what became of the others?

Keisuke, Kadu, Mr. Hasebe from the seat next to me—did they all die with me?

Thinking about it makes me afraid.

Nothing had been wrong that morning, yet now I can never see them again.

Since rebirth, I have fought a suffocating anxiety nonstop.

It was natural to feel anxious. I didn't understand anything, and when I realized it, I was already a newborn.

Moreover, the nation into which I was reincarnated was not Japan.

Not even on Earth.

This was another world—no Earth.

At first, I didn’t understand that.

I couldn’t understand the language. I rarely left this nursery room.

So, many things were unclear.

At first, I thought it was some European country.

But the moment I saw magic, I knew it was not so.

Magic exists in this world.

The first time I witnessed it was when a high-ranking church official performed a blessing upon me.

A shimmering light enveloped me. I felt strength surge through my body.

This was not mere trickery. Not a trick of the mind.

I experienced magic firsthand.

The realization that magic existed—initially, I felt excitement.

Then, anxiety followed.

In a world where magic exists, can I truly survive?

In my previous life, I was an ordinary man.

In Japan, that was sufficient.

But in this world, being ordinary is not permitted.

Can I meet the expectations placed upon me?

Anxiety returns.

I learned words desperately.

Not understanding words was more terrifying than imagined.

Not knowing what the other person was saying.

Never thought it could feel this isolated.

A delusion of being the only one in the world, cut off from everyone else.

Anxiety from being born in a different world.

Anxiety from not understanding the language.

Anxiety about whether I could survive from now on.

Everything was anxiety. What saved me was the presence of my younger sister, breathing calmly beside me.

This younger half-sibling, so small, held not a single worry.

She seemed to stretch freely, as if the world contained nothing worth worrying about.

Well, she is a baby, after all.

Dependent on others for everything, a fragile being relying entirely on the world.

Babies are meant to be this way.

The reason I feel so anxious is because of my memories from a previous life.

And then I realized.

I have memories from a previous life. Mentally, I should be above my younger sister.

Yet here I am, lingering in anxiety while she appears so happy beside me.

I am her elder brother.

What kind of brother am I, showing such weakness?

Shouldn't a brother act like a brother? Shouldn't I present a respectable image?

It’s just vanity, nothing more.

But after that, I stopped worrying.

The anxiety hasn’t vanished entirely.

Still, I want to protect this powerless sister.

I learned to speak. From the voices I heard, I gradually understood this world.

To move as soon as possible, I forced my infant body to crawl.

Thanks to that, I achieved crawling far earlier than average.

Thus, driven by the need to appear worthy in front of my sister, I found motivation.

To become a brother worthy of pride in the eyes of my sister.

That was the starting point for me, the Fourth Prince of the Anareit Kingdom, Schrein Zagan Anareit.