NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1
One day, about a month before my fifth birthday, a message window appeared before my eyes, and along with it, I regained the memories of my past life.
[Message from Heaven]
(Notification) The 〈Reincarnation〉 trial period is scheduled to end soon.
In accordance with the plan of the product you signed up for, the 〈Reincarnation Subscription〉 trial will terminate on your fifth birthday.
After that, the 〈Reincarnation Subscription〉 will convert to a paid service, and the subscription fee can be paid monthly using ‘Heaven Coins.’
※Please note that, according to the terms and conditions you accepted in advance, cancellation of the subscription is not allowed.
That’s right.
It was a ‘Reincarnation’!
[Message from Heaven]
(Notification) ▷▶Special Event◀◁
As a special privilege for first-time subscribers, you have been awarded the title of ‘Saint’ and a ‘3-Month Free Subscription Coupon’! An additional 3 months have been automatically applied to your subscription period.
– Remaining subscription period: 3 months 29 days
– Monthly subscription fee: 10,000 Heaven Coins
– Payment method: Heaven Coin donation
※Heaven Coins can be earned by completing Heaven Quests.
※Please note that if the remaining subscription period reaches 0 days due to non-payment, you will die immediately.
But paid service?
And “immediate death upon non-payment of subscription fee”?
What kind of reincarnation is this…?
* * *
The Archmage of Despair, Greslin.
That’s what people called me.
It was a nickname that embodied both reverence for a mage so powerful they could instill despair in their opponents and fear of the dark magic I wielded.
Out of the five members of the expedition that defeated the Mad Dragon, I was the only one who earned such a grim title.
The others had respectable professions and backgrounds, unlike me, who came from the slums and wielded the power of darkness.
There was Prince Kirke of the Empire, the Swordmaster…
The second son of a duke’s family, the White Mage Axel.
An elite of the central church, the priest Bael.
The chief researcher of the Imperial Academy, the Spirit Sorcerer Servian.
‘Even when I think about it now, it’s an impressive list.’
And there I was, the ‘Black Mage from the slums, Greslin,’ included in that illustrious lineup.
It was a combination that really didn’t fit.
If it hadn’t been for the expedition, these were people I would never have crossed paths with in my lifetime.
‘In fact, after the Mad Dragon was defeated, we barely saw each other at all.’
The warm and easygoing prince had become emperor, and the picky noble White Mage had become the master of the Mage Tower.
The eccentric Spirit Sorcerer retreated to the Forest of Knowledge, where the Imperial Academy was located, and the cleric returned to the southern headquarters of the church in Kydsha.
Among them, the Spirit Sorcerer was the only one who continued to visit me regularly, even after becoming the head of the Imperial Academy.
The Empire had never had a favorable view of black magic, so they only reached out to me for help in defeating the Mad Dragon.
There were misunderstandings about black magic, like sacrificing humans to gain power or drinking blood.
After joining the expedition and helping to defeat the Mad Dragon, I wasn’t outright shunned like before, but I still wasn’t exactly welcomed either.
So, I spent my time researching black magic in a small estate in the northern region, far from the capital.
The Swordmaster, who had become emperor, gave me a large research grant as a reward for defeating the Mad Dragon.
Thanks to that, I was able to take on disciples and conduct my research freely.
‘It was around three years later, wasn’t it?’
I started to think there might have been something wrong with the magic we used to defeat the Mad Dragon, so I went to the site of our final battle to confirm my suspicions…
‘And I got caught up in a mysterious and powerful force.’
It was a strange power, a mixture of magic and holy energy.
I was utterly defenseless against a force like that, something I had never encountered before in my life.
‘I still don’t know what it was.’
I groaned as I got up from my seat.
In fact, the mention of this ‘Reincarnation Subscription’ product reminded me of something.
‘That eccentric Spirit Sorcerer sent me some ancient documents, claiming he had found something strange, and they ended up in my lab.’
– Are you afraid of death? You too can do it! Experience the reincarnation everyone dreams of! (However, the life you dream of is not guaranteed.)
– Zero sign-up fee! Enjoy a reincarnation subscription with just a signature! (Note: Subscription fees will be billed separately.)
– Special benefits for first-time subscribers! Various perks provided for a satisfying life experience! (Warning: Subscription cancellation is **absolutely** impossible after signing up.)
The content was so absurd and the form so crude that it didn’t seem like an important document at all.
Just in case, I wrote my name in the ‘Subscriber’ section and even signed it, but nothing happened.
‘Yeah. Just some old trash.’
I shoved the document into a drawer and completely forgot about it, not knowing that I had become a hapless subscriber to the malicious product called the ‘Reincarnation Subscription’!
***
‘Ugh… my head hurts so much.’
My mind was in chaos, tangled between memories of my past and present life.
‘I need to get rid of this annoying message window first.’
I pressed hard on the X at the top of the ‘Message from Heaven’ window, which seemed to emanate a strange power, as if holy energy had been condensed into it. The floating message disappeared in an instant.
I had encountered a similar message window once before when we got sucked into a strange dungeon while trying to slay the Mad Dragon, so I had no trouble handling it.
Back then, the five of us from the expedition struggled for a long time, racking our brains because we had no idea what that bizarre window was or how to deal with it.
‘Although, the message window back then felt like it was filled with magic power, not holy energy.’
Anyway, since pressing the X worked, the basic nature of the window seemed similar.
With the noisy message gone, my head cleared up a bit.
I closed my eyes and calmly began to piece together the situation.
I have been reincarnated.
(I can now tell those quack priest who believe in Heaven. When a person dies, they reincarnate, so instead of preparing for Heaven, they should prepare thoroughly for reincarnation.)
I’m currently a little kid, about a month away from my 5th birthday.
It seems I was reincarnated immediately after getting caught up in that mysterious force and dying.
(Interestingly, the date of my death in my past life and this kid’s birthdate exactly match.)
Reincarnation is a paid subscription service.
Cancellation is not an option.
(What kind of trashy service is this…?)
Judging by my clothes, I seem to be a noble…
‘Then why on earth am I cleaning in a storage room?’
In my past life, I wasn’t a noble. However, during the three years I spent on the adventure to slay the Mad Dragon, I was closely associated with some of the noblest figures: the prince and the fussy young master of a duke’s family.
I had more than enough understanding of noble life.
‘Hmm…’
I tried to grasp the situation, but my mind was in chaos, still reeling from the sudden return of my past life’s memories.
At that moment, the door burst open, and a sharp-eyed blond boy walked in, accompanied by a sturdy male servant.
The boy looked about three or four years older than ‘me’. Despite his young age, he was already strikingly handsome, making one naturally think he would grow into a fine-looking man in the future.
But his tone was far from pleasant.
“Hey! Why are you just lazing around instead of cleaning? You didn’t think you could just slack off and I’d let you go, did you?”
I just stared at him, wondering who on earth this kid was. The sharp-eyed boy sneered and kicked a book that was lying on the floor.
“A dumbass like you can’t do anything on your own, can you? You should be grateful that your kindhearted nephew is here to help you out.”
As the boy gave a signal with his eyes, the servant began to stomp around the storage room, causing a mess.
If by “helping,” he meant turning the place into a disaster zone, then his actions made sense.
Crash. Bang.
The servant’s merciless hands broke items, and all sorts of things scattered across the floor.
It wasn’t until the room was a complete wreck, with nothing left to ruin, that the servant finally stopped and whispered something into the boy’s ear.