Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The 7-Year-Old Black Sorcerer (1)
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In an era when the world was tangled with all sorts of myths.
A Black Sorcerer existed.
He was the first to Defying Heaven, resurrecting the dead.
The first to wield Evil Law, crafting curses.
The first to harness Darkness, summoning shadows.
That mighty being stood above all others in a world brimming with myths.
But even the mightiest has limits when standing alone.
"We shall seal you away."
The 12 Gods who ruled the heavens.
Individually weaker than the Black Sorcerer, but as a group, they overwhelmed him.
"Kukukukuku!"
And so the Black Sorcerer laughed.
"Even gathering as a group, you can't kill just one of me."
To speak of sealing meant they had failed to kill him.
How could he not laugh?
"Fine. Seal me if you can. But when I awaken once more..."
The Black Sorcerer grinned even more wickedly as he continued.
"Your radiant light will turn pitch black, and in despair, you will beg for death that never comes."
At that horrific curse, the 12 Gods without hesitation imprisoned him in the eternal void.
From then on, an unimaginable span of time passed.
"The time has come...!"
The Black Sorcerer awoke.
"Wahhh!"
"Oh my, Jamie's awake?!"
"Dear me, Madam! I'll go check on him, so please rest!"
"Jamie is crying! Jamie!!"
"Wahhh!!!"
"M-Madam!"
As the eldest son of a very peaceful noble household.
"...Another one of those dreams."
A boy slowly opened his eyes.
He was a striking young boy with emerald eyes set in large sockets and long eyelashes.
The boy brushed back his hair, the same color as his eyes, and sat up.
The room was excessively spacious for a child living alone.
It had been hard to adjust to at first, but now, after seven years, waking up anywhere else would feel strange.
Jamie Welton, now seven years old, climbed down from the large bed and walked to the sunlit window.
"Ahh-"
The boy stretched refreshingly and opened the window.
Winter had passed, and spring was just beginning.
The scent of blooming spring flowers tickled his nose pleasantly, but it stirred no emotion in him whatsoever.
Leaning against the window, Jamie gazed at the outside scenery.
His face was that of a child, but the expression within held the weight of an adult who had weathered the world's storms.
"Already seven years..."
His tone matched his expression—far too mature for a child.
His parents or nanny would have been shocked to hear it.
That was why Jamie never showed this side in front of adults.
He acted as childlike as possible.
"Tch. Another tiring day ahead."
From infancy after reincarnation up to now, he had grown under his parents' care.
For someone who retained all memories of his past life, it had been quite the ordeal.
And the most grueling part of it—
Just thinking about it made Jamie frown.
"Being loved is truly exhausting."
Jamie sighed, recalling the way his parents looked at him.
He found his own situation utterly ridiculous.
Jamie Welton.
Eldest son and official heir of the Welton County in the Kingdom of Selden.
And...
The strongest Black Sorcerer in history, who had once sought to topple the heavens and their masters, the 12 Gods.
Diablo Volpir!
That was the true name of the being now inhabiting this child's body.
And yet, here he was in the form of such a little kid.
'Not bad, though.'
Not bad at all.
Reincarnation had given him a new chance.
An eternal seal he thought impossible to escape.
This frail body aside, time had delightfully been on his side.
'Those bastards haven't vanished somewhere.'
A quick look around revealed the gods still leeching off the faith of their believers like parasites.
They hadn't checked the seal even once in tens of thousands of years.
In their memories, Diablo Volpir was as good as erased.
Arrogant fools.
Always had been.
'Time is absolutely on my side.'
Until he fully revealed himself, those arrogant, lazy lot wouldn't stir.
They might even scoff and ignore the news of his reincarnation.
That was their way.
The problem was—
"My current power level is pathetically low."
A black bat-shaped figure materialized above Jamie's hand.
His familiar.
Kirururu-!
The familiar rubbed its face happily against his hand.
Jamie gently scratched its small head with a finger before dismissing it.
Due to his young body, there were magical limitations.
To wield his prime power, he needed at least an adult body.
Or some modifications.
But in this peaceful era, such forbidden arts didn't exist on the surface.
They might lurk in the shadows somewhere, but nothing had surfaced.
He could scour the underworld, but not in this form.
Fortunately, he had been born into a fine family.
The Welton County was one of the kingdom's greatest houses.
They held the fifth-largest territory, with over ten knightly orders under them.
Above all, his father, Count Welton, was one of the kingdom's five Sword Masters.
And his mother came from an equally prestigious lineage.
'Sorry, but I'll use everything I can.'
What would they think if they knew the son they'd raised for seven years was a monster from the mythic age?
Of course, he had no intention of telling them.
They might not even believe him, and even if they did, they weren't the type to harm their child.
In the seven years he'd observed them, they were undeniably kind.
Discomfortingly so.
That was when it happened.
Knock knock knock-
"Young Master!"
A familiar voice accompanied the knock.
A voice he'd grown utterly sick of over seven years.
"Already that time?"
Jamie glanced at the mana-powered wall clock.
The hour hand was nearing 8.
He must have lost track of time in idle contemplation since morning.
Knock knock knock-!
"Young Master!"
The nanny called again with another knock.
Jamie rubbed his throat and cleared it.
Shedding his momentary adult gruffness, he opened his mouth in the high, chirpy tone unique to children.
"Yes, Nanny? I'm up!"
"May I come in?"
"Come in."
The door swung open, and an elderly maid with white hair entered.
Her name was Anna.
Jamie’s nanny, who had served two generations of the Welton bloodline.
Seeing Jamie still in his pajamas, she said,
"The Master and Madam are waiting. Hurry and change."
"I was just admiring the pretty morning sky."
"Our Young Master has such fine sensibilities too."
Anna praised him with a wrinkled smile.
Sensibilities.
Did he have any?
Jamie sneered inwardly as he changed clothes.
And so it began again.
The tedious, exhausting daily routine that had dragged on for seven years.
With Anna's help, Jamie finished dressing and headed straight to the dining hall.
His expression soured along the way.
He already knew what was coming.
Seven years of nonstop rituals, set to continue for several more.
"Young Master."
At Anna's call, Jamie halted.
Standing before the large door, his face grew complicated.
Seven years should be enough to get used to it.
'As if.'
Wasn't this the first thing he'd discarded to master black magic and slay gods?
"Young Master Jamie has arrived."
Anna opened the door with a creak, revealing the interior at a glance.
Beneath a grand chandelier, a simple yet nutritionally balanced breakfast was laid out on the long wooden table.
A man and woman sat at the head and to the right.
They beamed at Jamie, who hadn't yet entered.
"Come to my darling baby~ Hurry and sit."
"Hehe. Wonder who he takes after to be so cute."
"Who else? He takes after you."
"No way. I meant an angel like you came down from heaven."
"Oh, you! Hohohoho."
"Hahahahaha!"
...
Jamie eyed the pair—his parents—with discomfort.
Argent Welton, Count of Welton and Jamie's father.
A genius swordsman who reached Sword Master at thirty-seven, one of the kingdom's top five.
And Sears Bell Welton, the countess and Jamie's mother.
The sole daughter of the great Bell family, now managing the Welton household.
Between them sat a quiet three-year-old girl.
Small and hard to spot, but she was Jamie's only sister, Sara Welton.
And finally, himself, Jamie Welton.
These four made up the Welton County.
The problem was...
"Come here, baby. Sit by Mommy. Hurry, time for num-nums."
"Ho ho ho. Mommy's calling. Come eat your num-nums, cutie pie."
The Welton family overflowed with love.
Excessively so for a Black Sorcerer who had forsaken 'love'.
Feeling goosebumps rise, Jamie forced the brightest response he could.
"Yes!"
As always.
"Whew."
After breakfast, Jamie returned to his room and flopped onto the bed with a weary face.
Overwhelmed by the excessive affection, his body felt drained.
He was somewhat used to it now, but as a newborn, he had wanted to die.
Long ago, when he discarded the emotion of love, he never imagined this.
'Damn it all.'
He wanted more rest, but in thirty minutes, he was due to read picture books with his mother, Sears.
Pleading illness would only worsen things.
Her worry and love would turn into smothering care.
"Sigh. I want to go to the library."
The world tens of thousands of years after Diablo Volpir's era had advanced immensely.
History was recorded in books that still remained.
To Jamie, the library was paradise.
Even he, with his vast achievements, craved new knowledge endlessly.
He'd had full access for two years.
Yet even devouring books nonstop, he hadn't covered a third of the count's vast collection.
That alone surpassed most scholars, but Jamie was a sorcerer before a Black Sorcerer.
Sorcerers hungered for all the world's knowledge.
Scholar-level satisfaction was beneath him.
'And modern magic is fun too.'
He invented black magic because conventional spells couldn't fell gods.
But modern magic shamed the old in excellence.
Especially the nine-class system.
In his time, magic tiers existed but lacked precision.
Systems were essential.
Without them, things crumbled or lacked polish.
Modern magic had an impressive system, even in his eyes.
'Very useful.'
Lethality couldn't match black magic, but versatility often surpassed or equaled it.
He could evolve black magic further.
"Hm."
His body felt decent now.
Sure enough, footsteps of his nanny approached outside.
Sears beckoned her son with eyes full of adoration.
"Come here, my cute baby."
"Yes, Mother."
Jamie hid his reluctance and approached.
Then, as if with no choice, he dove into her embrace.
"Hehe. My little cutie."
Sears rubbed her cheek vigorously against her son's.
Jamie's face soured, but luckily, no one saw.
"Now, today's story is this one."
She read the book vividly in a cheerful voice.
Jamie stifled a yawn—for this woman was his mother in this body.
"And so Heinz lived happily ever after~ The end!"
Closing the book, Sears smiled and asked her son,
"Wasn't it fun?"
"Yes. I want to become a great sorcerer like Heinz someday."
Jamie gave an age-appropriate answer she'd love.
"Hehe. Our son is so smart; he'll surely become a great sorcerer. Already beat three sorcerer teachers, our genius."
"Haha..."
Was that sarcasm?
When the count learned Jamie frequented the library devouring tomes, he hired sorcerers as tutors.
But all knelt before the prodigy and fled their posts.
"Daddy said he's found an excellent sorcerer for you."
"It's fine."
Excellent meant 4th or 5th class at best.
Even 7th class might barely impress.
Who could teach him, the pinnacle sorcerer of old?
Not even the world's greatest.
Unless just for info exchange.
"Off to the library now?"
"Yes!"
"Don't just read; play a bit too."
"Don't worry."
"Whose son do you think you are?"
Sears hugged him fiercely, as if she might squeeze him to death.
'Ease up, Mother!'
Jamie screamed silently.