Chapter 02….
I Just Woke Up a Moment Ago…
There are certain standard elements — what you might call template developments — that appear in almost every “isekai reincarnation” story.
In most cases, the protagonist either suddenly becomes strong after reincarnation or is already strong from the start. These are the two major types of “overpowered reincarnation” stories.
So I thought, what about me? — and spent about three months after being reincarnated investigating both this world and myself.
When I summarized the results, this is what I got:
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I have white hair and blue eyes — meaning I’m clearly a main character.
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Magic exists in this world.
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I only have the memories and knowledge from my previous life (ten years’ worth), so I’m not overpowered.
That’s roughly it.
The first point is based on the classic trope.
The second I deduced from the maids’ behavior.
By the way, this is another world — an isekai — and that hazy white mist drifting around my body is apparently mana. They say your mana increases as you grow up.
—Still, magic, huh…
To be honest, I’m not that interested in it right now.
The reason’s simple: I can’t speak properly.
Magic won’t activate unless you chant it aloud. In other words, I can’t even begin to use magic until I learn how to talk.
So, for now, I’m not “the strongest.”
But that’s only for now.
Once I can speak, I’ll be able to use magic.
When that time comes, I’ll find out just how strong I can become — and then I’ll know whether I’m “overpowered” or not.
—Still, being overpowered sounds like such a hassle.
Some people might enjoy being admired by everyone, but to me, it would only get in the way of my reading time.
And besides, it would just mean more chances of getting into fights.
Getting hurt is painful, and I’d rather be reading anyway.
So, according to my personal preferences, being “the strongest” really isn’t ideal.
—But seriously, how does chanting make magic work, exactly?
In my previous life, things in stories could happen for no real reason — that was just how fiction worked.
Convenient logic was everywhere, so I never thought too hard about how it all functioned.
But now that I’ve actually reincarnated in another world, I can’t help but wonder how the whole system operates.
Something that used to be someone else’s problem suddenly became my own.
—Anyone would feel the same way, right? Yeah.
But since I can’t talk yet, there’s only a handful of things I can do.
For now, all I can do is wait and grow.
“Excuse me, Lady Yuliana.”
“Ah—ah!”
—Sasha…!
Black hair, black eyes — the perfect image of a maid. That’s Sasha.
She’s my chief attendant, an exceptionally capable and reliable woman.
“It’s such a beautiful day today. Once you turn one, you’ll be permitted to go outside, so please be patient until then.”
—Hmm… so at least nine months to go, huh.
But time passes surprisingly quickly.
Sasha lifted me gently and set me on her lap, then took out a picture book.
“Today as well, may I read you a picture book?”
—Daily storytime? Absolutely fine by me!
Books are my one and only entertainment.
That hasn’t changed from my previous life to this one.
Whether it’s a textbook or a picture book, I’ll gladly accept it — because books bring me new knowledge and new emotions.
“Then let’s begin. …Once upon a time, in a certain place…”
Sasha read beautifully; her voice was clear and pleasant to listen to.
Oh, and by the way, here’s another classic trope: while I can understand what she’s saying, the written language here is completely different from my previous life’s.
I’ll have to learn it from scratch — but once I do, I’ll be able to read countless books.
And if I can learn the ancient script too, I’ll get to read even older texts.
The thought made me a little excited.
“…And they lived happily ever after. The end. How was that, Lady Yuliana? Did you enjoy it?”
“Ai!”
I meant to say “Of course!” but I wonder if that got across to her.
—Also, wow, babies can really only say vowels like “ah” and “oo,” huh? It’s honestly kind of embarrassing, considering I lived almost ten years in my previous life…
Then my vision began to blur, and I felt my senses fading.
Maybe because Sasha was gently rocking me.
I could feel myself drifting off to sleep.
—But I just woke up a little while ago…
Maybe it’s because I’m a baby, but drowsiness hits fast.
—If I remember right, I sleep about fifteen hours a day.
I recall grumbling, “How much sleep do I need, anyway?”
“Good night, Lady Yuliana.”
Wrapped in Sasha’s warm embrace, I peacefully drifted into dreamland.
