Chapter 2: Unique Skill
Even after a day, or even a week, no one appeared to answer Ren’s questions.
At some point, he had gained the ability to open his eyes, but all he had managed to confirm was that he was in a shabby room where the wind blew freely through the cracks, and that he was, indeed, an infant.
──Time passed, and before he knew it, half a year had gone by.
(There’s no doubt about it anymore. I’ve been reincarnated into Legend of the Seven Heroes I as Ren Ashton.)
Recently, he had even begun to feel like he was becoming someone new—someone different from the Ren he once was.
At first, right after being born as Ren, he had desperately wanted to return to his original world.
But over the past few weeks, he had stopped thinking about that altogether.
(I just need to live a peaceful life. No way am I letting the emperor order my extermination.)
If he truly was that Ren Ashton, all he had to do was take a different path than the one in the game.
Live a clean and honest life, walk a proper path—just as he made that vow to himself, a woman entered the room and looked at him.
“My, my, were you waiting for me?”
Her name was Mireille. She was Ren’s mother.
She had well-defined features, and just like Ren, she had dark brown hair, almost black in shade.
From what Ren had gathered over the past six months, she had just turned twenty-one.
“Alright, time to eat~”
Mireille picked up Ren and loosened her clothes.
To be honest, back when he had just been born, Ren had felt a strong sense of reluctance about being breastfed.
After all, Mireille was a woman who, in his previous life, would have been around his own age—plus, she was married.
(Well… in the end, I never felt anything inappropriate.)
Perhaps it was instinct.
His body knew that he had been born from this woman, so there was no way he could develop any improper feelings toward her.
So, as always, Ren surrendered to his hunger, and once he was satisfied, he focused on resting.
Since he couldn’t express his gratitude in words, he simply gave Mireille a big smile to show his appreciation.
Mireille smiled back at him before leaving the room.
(…I’m bored.)
And so, the boredom set in.
As an infant, all he could do was some light exercises on the bed.
There was no way to spend his time in any meaningful way.
For Ren, that was pure agony.
His fully developed consciousness only made it worse, leaving him with nothing to do but endure the endless hours of boredom.
(Is there anything I can do…?)
Ren racked his brain.
But just when he was bracing himself for another long day of nothingness—about ten minutes later—──Something appeared in his mind.
The words Magic Sword Summoning flashed through his thoughts, and his mood shifted in an instant.
(I didn’t try it before since it seemed dangerous, but maybe it’s time to test it out.)
Right after being reincarnated into this world, Ren had considered using Magic Sword Summoning.
However, he hesitated.
What if the summoned sword appeared right above him?
What if it fell and impaled him?
That was too great a risk, so he had decided to wait until his body was a little stronger.
He was still an infant, but now he could sit up on his bed, and crawling was second nature to him.
With that, he figured it was finally time to give it a shot.
(──Alright, so…)
The question was how to summon it.
In Legend of the Seven Heroes, players could access a menu screen by pressing a specific button.
From there, they could use items on party members, recover health and mana, and so on.
But in reality, there were no such buttons.
Even when he tried thinking Status Open in his mind, nothing happened.
“…Baba.”
Resigned, Ren slumped his tiny body and started chanting in his mind.
Magic Sword Summoning, Magic Sword Summoning, Magic Sword Summoning…
It was a desperate plea—almost like a curse—repeated over and over again.
Until, eventually──“Ah!”
Something fell onto his lap with a soft thud.
It wasn’t a sword.
It was a bracelet.
It was just the right size for Ren’s tiny infant arm, made of intricate silverwork, with a large crystal embedded in it.
(What the…? Wait, the reflection in the crystal──!)
He had been hoping for a sword, so at first, he felt a pang of disappointment.
But when he lifted the bracelet, he noticed something within the crystal—
Letters, floating in the center.
They looked almost like a status screen.
However, unlike in the game, there were no indicators for his level, health, mana, or attack power.
Those numbers had only been there to make things clearer for the player—perhaps it was more realistic for them not to be displayed in this world.
(Magic Sword Summoning Arts… A skill linked to Magic Sword Summoning, maybe?)
There was precedent for this in Legend of the Seven Heroes.
For example, if a player chose the powerful Guardian class, they would start the game with both swordsmanship and white magic.
(I think Magic swords had to be leveled up using magic stones, right?)
According to the bracelet, he could gain mastery in Magic Sword Summoning Arts simply by using summoned swords.
The 0/100 figure next to its level was probably an indicator of his proficiency.
On the other hand, Magic Sword Summoning itself didn’t seem to improve through level-ups.
(I remember you could unlock more Magic swords by meeting certain conditions…)
Right now, the only summonable sword was the Wooden Magic Sword, and even if he unlocked another, it would only be an Iron Magic Sword.
However, the description of the Wooden Magic Sword caught Ren’s eye.
(Nature Magic… That was the one that let you create and manipulate plants, wasn’t it?)
Suddenly, he recalled an enemy from Legend of the Seven Heroes—one who had wielded nature magic in battle.
That enemy was an elf fought deep in the forest.
Not only did they possess impressive physical abilities, but they also used nature magic to summon plants that restrained the protagonists.
On top of that, they could control monsters with another spell, making them a troublesome opponent.
(That elf’s nature magic was powerful… but the fact that mine has ‘Lesser’ in its name bothers me.)
It was probably best to assume that this version of nature magic was weaker than the standard one.
(If that’s the case, I really want to test it out. If I can’t fight in a world full of monsters, then living peacefully isn’t even an option.)
With that thought in mind, Ren repeatedly chanted Wooden Magic Sword… Wooden Magic Sword… in his head.
But nothing happened.
Just as he was about to lower his head in disappointment, his gaze fell on the bracelet before him.
(Maybe I have to wear it for the summoning to work?)
Curious, he moved his right arm closer.
The moment his skin touched the bracelet, it slipped onto his wrist on its own.
Startled by the movement, Ren instinctively murmured Wooden Magic Sword… in his mind.
A split second later, a crack formed in the empty air before him.
From within that crack, as if being drawn from its sheath, a wooden sword slowly emerged.
With a soft plop, the Wooden Magic Sword landed unceremoniously on the shabby bed.
(It’s so… small…)
Ren had been on the verge of smiling, but his excitement quickly faded.
As expected, despite its grandiose name, the Wooden Magic Sword was just that—wooden.
And it wasn’t even long enough to be called a short sword.
At best, it was about the size of an ordinary kitchen knife.
(W-Well, my level hasn’t gone up yet… and at least it lets me use nature magic…)
Feeling a twinge of dissatisfaction, Ren picked up the Wooden Magic Sword.
But for some reason, his body suddenly felt heavier.
His head was starting to ache as well, though he brushed it off as his imagination.
Determined, he tightened his grip on the sword and attempted to swing it——And that’s when it hit.
(Guh… ah…)
The headache he had dismissed as nothing suddenly intensified.
A relentless wave of pain crashed down on him.
The overwhelming sensation was too much for the infant Ren to handle—his consciousness faded in an instant.
And at some point, the bracelet on his wrist had quietly disappeared.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Several weeks had passed since Ren lost consciousness from the headache.
Looking out the window from his bed, he could see that the trees outside had completely shed their leaves.
Since he first attempted Magic Sword Summoning when he was about six months old, that would mean he was now around seven to eight months old.
By that estimate, his birthday was probably sometime in April.
—And so, as Ren continued to grow little by little…
(I think I’ve got it now.)
Holding the Wooden Magic Sword he had summoned, Ren grinned in satisfaction.
Ever since the day he first attempted Magic Sword Summoning, he had been summoning the Wooden Magic Sword almost daily—except for the day immediately after, when he was too afraid of that dreadful headache to try again.
But he couldn’t let it go, so he attempted it a second time.
And surprisingly, the second summoning wasn’t nearly as painful as the first.
By the third and fourth attempts, he noticed that the headaches and fatigue had become significantly more manageable.
(So that first time was because I ran out of mana…)
In The Legend of the Seven Heroes, characters who exhausted their mana would experience a temporary drop in their stats.
Ren realized that he had been in the same situation.
(I bet this world doesn’t have a level system like in games. Otherwise, my progress wouldn’t make sense.)
For example, stamina—and even attack power—weren’t tied to levels.
While there were individual differences, physical growth naturally led to an increase in stamina and strength.
Or, in Ren’s case, repeatedly pushing his mana to the limit had likely contributed to his development.
The same was probably true for physical strength.
In other words, he’d have to put in actual effort.
(Still… that ruins one of my plans.)
Ren had knowledge of an efficient leveling method—assuming this world worked the same way as The Legend of the Seven Heroes.
He had hoped to use that knowledge to take it easy and live a peaceful life.
But unfortunately, it seemed that wouldn’t be an option.
He let out a deep sigh, resigning himself to the fact that he’d have to train properly—
"Ren? You awake?"
Just then, the door to his room swung open, and a well-built man stepped inside.
Startled, Ren quickly willed the bracelet and magic sword to disappear before they could be seen.
He had only recently figured out how to do that.
"Oh, looking out the window again? Alright, I’ll take you closer so you can see better!"
The man who spoke was none other than Ren’s father.
His name was Roy Ashton, a young man the same age as Mireille.
With his rugged features, he looked quite fitting standing next to her.
As Ren gazed up at his father’s face, Roy flashed a bright smile, showing off his white teeth.
"Take a look outside. Our nameless village is still proudly frontiering today!"
Using “frontiering” as a verb, Roy opened the window, letting the cool breeze ruffle his short blond hair.
(Yeah. It’s as much of a frontier as ever.)
Although The Legend of the Seven Heroes never specified Ren Ashton’s birthplace, he now knew the truth.
His hometown was deep in the countryside—no, even worse than that.
It was an absolute backwater, a tiny village with fewer than a hundred people.
Beyond the window stretched vast fields dotted with simple houses.
"See that? That’s the forest over there."
Roy pointed toward a dense thicket of trees.
At first glance, it was an ordinary forest, except for one distinct feature—a massive, towering rock.
"Dau?"
Ren pointed at it, prompting Roy to explain.
"That’s Tsurugi Rock. It’s as sharp as a sword, just like its name suggests. You’d reach it after about an hour and a half of walking through the forest."
The rock stood as tall as a multi-story building.
As Ren absentmindedly observed it, a sudden gust of wind brushed against his cheek.
"But listen up. You must never go into the forest beyond the fields. The monsters around here are weak, but they’d still attack you if they saw you."
After giving that warning, Roy added something that immediately piqued Ren’s interest.
"Well, thanks to how weak they are, this village manages to get by. If you take them down, you get meat to eat, and their magic stones can be sold for money. That’s why I can handle things on my own."
(That’s it! Magic stones!)
Summoning the Wooden Magic Sword to train his mana was one thing, but there was something else he could do.
He needed to use magic stones to increase his proficiency.
(I wonder if he’d show me one…)
As Ren secretly hoped for that, Roy suddenly spoke up.
"Hey, wanna go for a little walk outside your room?"
Without waiting for a response, he lifted Ren up and carried him out.
For the first time, Ren saw what lay beyond his own room.
And much like his room, it wasn’t in great shape.
The wooden floorboards in the hallway were old and worn, with some areas losing their color entirely.
Perhaps some decorations would have helped, but the house had no furnishings to speak of.
"Hmm… looks like it’s about time to fix this place up…"
A loud creak from the floor made Roy chuckle wryly.
"This old house, along with my knighthood, was passed down from my father. But honestly, it’s reaching its limit. Well, I’ll think about repairs if the village ever makes some money."
Then, he turned to Ren with a grin.
"Remember this, Ren—poor knights don’t have money to spare."
As Roy had said, the Ashton family was a knightly house that governed this frontier village.
Ren had assumed that knighthood was a title granted for a single generation, but apparently, that wasn’t the case in this world—or at least, not in this country.
(Still, Dad, that’s not the kind of thing you tell a baby…)
Eventually, Roy came to a stop at the end of the hallway and pushed open a door.
"Mireille! I brought Ren!"
Beyond the door was the kitchen.
Most of the space was earthen flooring, with an old-fashioned door leading outside.
"H-Honey!? What are you doing, suddenly bringing Ren in here!?"
Mireille stood near a stone sink and a small soot-covered stove.
"Well, you see, Ren was looking like he wanted to see a magic stone—"
"That’s not true at all! Honestly!"
Ren thought to himself, But it actually is.
However, Mireille, convinced that it was nonsense, let out a sigh and gave Roy a doubtful look as he approached her.
"Sigh... You’ve always been obsessed with swords. Ever since the old days, all you ever did was fight monsters, and you even liked collecting magic stones. You must have gotten some strange idea in your head."
"Wh-what do you mean a strange idea?! We’ll know for sure if we check! Come on, let me see the magic stone from the monster I hunted this morning!"
"Fine, fine. I’ve already finished processing it, so do as you like."
Hearing that, Roy handed Ren over to Mireille and walked toward the corner of the dirt-floored kitchen.
There, a piece of fur—still slightly dirty with mud—was laid out, and on top of it rested a semi-transparent stone.
(That looks like Little Boar fur...)
The Little Boar was the first monster the protagonist fought in The Legend of the Seven Heroes. It closely resembled a wild boar in appearance.
"Ren, thanks to your father hunting monsters, we earn money, and the village can share the meat. That’s why I respect him so much... But, Ren, promise me you won’t become a boy who only cares about swords and magic stones, okay?"
Ren couldn’t make that promise.
So instead, he simply gave a dry smile.
Still, Mireille seemed pleased with that response.
Just then, Roy returned triumphantly, holding the semi-transparent stone Ren had spotted earlier.
"Alright, Ren, this is a magic stone!"
Roy handed the magic stone to Ren, letting him hold it. Up close, it had a faint green tint. If polished, it could probably look as beautiful as a gemstone.
Holding the magic stone with both hands, Ren couldn’t help but smile even more.
Mireille, who had been skeptical of Roy’s words just moments ago, was now sighing at the sight.
"First my husband, and now my son has fallen in love with magic stones..."
She let out another sigh but smiled wryly as if she had already resigned herself to this fate.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Some time later, Ren was back in his room with Roy.
He had been given the magic stone as a toy, and now, finally, he could gain proficiency.
Excited, he immediately summoned his bracelet.
(...Huh?)
But nothing happened.
Even after several seconds... even after several minutes, the situation remained unchanged.
Feeling uneasy, Ren glanced at his bracelet.
There, a message appeared:
[This magic stone cannot be used.]
(Don’t tell me...)
A few possibilities crossed Ren’s mind.
Maybe only magic stones from monsters he had personally defeated could be used.
Or maybe only certain types of magic stones would work.
He suspected it was the first option. The second possibility seemed more like a condition for obtaining new magic swords rather than just increasing proficiency.
(I see how it is...)
If any magic stone could be used, then simply buying them would allow someone to raise their proficiency.
To prevent that, it made sense that only magic stones from monsters one had personally defeated would count.
(This world really won’t let me take the easy way out, huh...)
Realizing this, Ren flopped onto his bed.
He stared up at the ceiling, his face filled with an unfamiliar sense of disappointment.
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