Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Reincarnator's User Manual
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"You're weaker than me."
For a fleeting second, Shiron stood frozen, wondering if his own ears had betrayed him or if he had truly heard those blunt words.
That little punk... what did she just say to me?
A sudden, searing bolt of lightning seemed to strike through his mind at Lucia's unexpected jab, leaving him breathless.
His heart pounded against his ribs with a rhythmic violence, and for a moment, the world around him began to spin in a dizzying whirl of confusion.
It had been an eternity since such a pathetic, childish taunt had managed to rattle his carefully guarded emotions so profoundly.
Shiron mocked himself inwardly, lamenting how low his threshold for irritation had dropped since inhabiting this young, fragile body.
'Is it because my physical form is still so underdeveloped that she feels entitled to act like such a condescending child?'
When her words had failed her, she resorted to a personal attack, a move so inherently immature that it made him shudder with disdain.
Still, deep down, he could somewhat understand the sheer depth of her frustration; she must have been truly pushed to her limit to utter such a thing.
However, understanding Lucia's internal turmoil did not mean Shiron was obligated to remain silent like a mute observer to his own humiliation.
'Does she truly remain oblivious to my past life, or does she actually believe that collapsing from a single hit by the Reincarnated Sword God is something to brag about?'
It was a truly ridiculous notion, one that caused a mask of cold anger to twist across Shiron's youthful features.
Fortunately, his boiling emotions caused his eyes to narrow naturally, projecting an intensity that required no extra effort on his part.
"...Ah."
Perhaps that sharp shift in his aura was why Lucia's eyes widened suddenly, as if she had only just realized the gravity of what she'd let slip.
But Shiron was not about to let this opening pass; he intended to press his advantage while her guard was momentarily lowered.
"Hey, say it again if you dare."
"...That I'm stronger than you," she stammered, her voice lacking its previous conviction.
"Yeah, you're stronger than me; even if it was a cowardly sneak attack, you managed to knock me out before I could even react."
"... ."
Lucia's face stiffened into a mask of stone as the weight of her actions toward a child finally began to sink into her conscious mind.
But Shiron remained indifferent to her hardening expression; in his past life, the jagged wound of inferiority had stung far too deeply for him to show mercy now.
"But tell me, what does your raw strength have to do with the necessity of me following your specific training method?"
"... ."
"And you have the audacity to treat me like a common lunatic every single time I attempt to engage you in a serious conversation."
Shiron spat the words out like bitter chews, his voice dripping with a cold, calculated venom that seemed to paralyze her.
Lucia stared at him with blank, unseeing eyes before eventually lowering her gaze, her lips moving silently as if she were searching for words that would not come.
The heat of the moment had already consumed her, leaving behind nothing but the cold ash of embarrassment and self-loathing.
This was already the second time she had resorted to violence against a child, only to follow it up by mocking his weakness.
As she reflected on her behavior, a deep flush of shame crept up her neck, coloring her cheeks with a searing heat.
'Just got lucky, huh.'
Lucia mulled over the thought, realizing that in the grand scheme of things, she had indeed been favored by fortune beyond measure.
She was born with an abundance of talent and reborn with the priceless gift of all her memories and experiences intact.
Her life had started from a vastly different line than others, having been taken straight into the comforts of a noble family.
If she possessed even a shred of conscience, she could not deny the immense luck that had paved her path.
What was she doing to a kid? Who was the real, immature child in this snowy training ground?
Lucia let out a wry, self-mocking smile as the ghosts of her past life—Seira and Yura—flashed through her mind, echoing their old warnings about her temper.
She had shouldered the heavy fate of a hero as Kylie, yet at her core, she remained that same hot-headed girl from the northern barbarians.
If not for the constant guidance and intervention of her comrades, she never would have navigated the complexities of her past life so smoothly.
With no news of those old friends, their unknown fates began to blur with Shiron's in her mind, and a genuine twinge of regret finally took root.
'Yeah. I should apologize again. I've barely managed to find a family; we should be building bonds, not puffing up my stupid pride.'
But just as she resolved to offer a sincere apology—
Splat—
"Eek!"
"What, has the cat got your tongue? Why are you suddenly clamming up like a frightened bird?"
Lucia let out a shrill, piercing scream as something biting and cold slipped down the back of her shirt, startling her out of her thoughts.
Shiron had taken advantage of her momentary lapse in concentration to shove a cold snowball down her back.
"You try it first; once you experience it, your narrow mind will change. This will help you so much in the battles to come..."
Shiron never got to finish his sentence.
Lucia swung a fist with a glare so terrifying it seemed to freeze the very air between them.
Crack!
The sound of the impact echoed across the training grounds as her fist slammed squarely into Shiron's face.
"Gah!"
"You absolute lunatic!"
And so, Shiron's second descent into darkness had begun.
Thud—
Shiron collapsed limply into the pristine snow, his body becoming a dark stain against the white expanse.
"Ah... Aah!"
Lucia stood in frozen shock, her breath hitching as she realized that her fist had once again flown before her thoughts could intervene.
'You idiot... you savage bitch! No, this isn't the time for self-reflection!'
Her warrior's senses snapped back, and she rushed to Shiron's side to check if he was still among the living.
Fortunately, he was breathing steadily, and aside from a split lip trickling a thin line of crimson, he appeared to be peacefully asleep.
Lucia exhaled a long sigh of relief, feeling the cold sweat of panic trickling down her back.
"Ugh... this is utterly maddening," she groaned, clutching her head in frustration.
She plopped down into the snow, uncaring of the cold, relieved only by the fact that the drifts had cushioned his fall.
Dark clouds began to blanket the sky as a single, lonely snowflake landed on the bridge of her nose.
She hoisted the unconscious boy over her shoulder with practiced ease and hurried back toward the safety of the castle.
Lucia laid Shiron neatly on his bed and tucked him in just as the first rumble of thunder shook the mansion.
She wiped the drying blood from his mouth with her sleeve, her heart feeling heavier than it ever had after a full day of sword training.
She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this emotionally shaken during her eight years in this new life.
"...If you'd just learn when to shut your mouth, I might actually think you were somewhat cute."
Knock knock.
"The items you requested, Young Lady."
Lucia snapped out of her reverie and hurried to open the door, finding Head Maid Yuma standing there with fresh bedding and clothes.
Yuma entered the room with her usual mechanical precision and began changing Shiron's damp attire.
"You two have managed to fight before a single day has even passed, Young Lady," Yuma noted without looking up.
"And you carried the Young Master back here all by yourself; as I told you before, you are always free to use the servants."
Lucia averted her eyes, feeling a deep sense of unease under the intense gaze of the maid's slitted pupils.
"...Why didn't you stop it? You were watching us the entire time, weren't you?"
Yuma closed her eyes briefly before responding. "No. It doesn't matter. Whether you fought or left him in the freezing snow, no one would blame you."
Lucia bowed her head at the gruesome reality of Yuma's words; the staff would not interfere even if the children sought to kill one another.
"I saw it this morning... you were hugging Shiron so tightly, and that is not an act devoid of affection."
"Is that really okay? To care for him like that?"
"Yes. It is," Yuma replied as she rose and walked toward the door with unwavering steps.
"In the end, you did not abandon him, not last time, and not today. Because you are both Priens, you must take responsibility for your own actions."
With that, Yuma shut the door, leaving only the soft, rhythmic sound of Shiron's breathing to fill the silence.
Lucia stared at his face, a hollow laugh escaping her lips. "What the hell is a 'Prien' anyway?"
"The man who founded this line didn't even take a single disciple in his old life, let alone have children of his own."