Chapter 1 : Fairies

When I woke up, I was surrounded by a dazzling light. The light was so strong, I couldn't even open my eyes.
No, more like, my eyes weren't strong enough to withstand the light?
"With our second son born, this will definitely secure the Hawkwood family lineage!"
I was hearing the voice of a man in his mid thirties.
"Honey, how shall we name this child?"
This time the voice was younger and feminine, the sound of a woman in her twenties.
"This child, he has black hair with ashen reflections, and deep black eyes, hasn't he?"
"That's true, this seems to be the result of the union between you, honey, and me."
"Hmm... Ash, black, brown..."
"Honey, do you think that because he is only the second son, you don't need to search properly for an appropriate name?"
"N, no, of course no... OK, I decided, this boy will be called Ash!"

I was hearing a conversation between a man and a woman.
"So it is Ash then. Not a bad name."
I was embraced by someone.
"Your name will be Ash, my cute little boy."
I heard that as the woman whispered close to my ears.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. This seems ridiculous, but..
I was reincarnated as a baby?

This was ridiculous, but true.

******

3 years have passed since then.
I finally accepted the fact that this Earth is not the same as the one I know, and also that I've been reincarnated into a baby.
Fortunately, even if I were in a really rural village, my parents were some nobles governing the locality. Kind of like rural lords.
That's why I could live my life without worrying about anything. Also, as a noble, I received an education: I learned how to read and write, and some etiquette.
From my family discussions, I learned that magic is something real is this world. Also, the lord of the small city Lahn is my father, who serves under the Lunelecia kingdom, where magical knowledge seems the most advanced compared to the rest of the continent.
The village had only maybe around 100 people in it, and was quite far from the capital, so only my parents were able to use magic. Well, if my parents can use magic, I should also be able to do that too, I thought.
That was actually quite exciting.
Also, recently I have begun to sometime see strange things.
If I look into the sky, I can see flying translucent winged women.
If I look at the ground, I can see the upper half of translucent winged women popping from it.
If I look into the water of a lake, I can see translucent winged women playing in it.
If I look into the fire in a stove, I can see translucent winged women playing around the flames.
Furthermore, all these women were nude. And were doll sized, maybe around 30 to 40 cm. That's why I don't think I felt any excitement for seeing them without any clothes. Among them were some real beauties, with beautiful curves and faces, but they were still doll sized, after all.
Were they fairies, or maybe spirits?
I went to talk about that with my parents.
My usually gentle parents suddenly wore a really serious face.
"Listen well, Ash. You absolutely can't tell that to anyone except us."
"Ash, if you hear fairies trying to talk to you, ignore them. You need to act like you didn't hear anything."
I was told these frightening warnings.
This time, I finally knew that these translucent small girls were fairies.
Also, I didn't know why, but I was told to promise to never talk about this to anyone, and to never listen to the fairies.
No, not a promise, more like a vow.
If I break this vow, bad people will take me,etc etc, my parents threatened me.
I had a 3 year old body, but my mind was the one of an adult, so of course it was not really effective. But I felt from my parents attitude that the ability to see fairies was something bad, at least in the country we were living.

******

It has been 10 years since my reincarnation
As I aged, I could see more and more fairies around me. Compared to when I was 3, I could see them even more clearly. But until now, I never talked about it with anyone. And I think that I hid pretty well from these doll sized women the fact I can see them.
I really wanted to talk about it with someone, but due to the vow I made with my parents, I was hesitant. Not only that, but it seems that my misanthropy has reincarnated with me, and my distrust of other human beings unfortunately didn't heal at all...
Moreover, I felt grateful to my parents for them raising me with family love. That's why I couldn't break the vow I made with them until now. Even so, lately I seem to receive less affection from them, but I suppose I understand why.
I don't have any talent with magic.
Despite how much enthusiasm my parents put in teaching me, I couldn't use magic at all.
I understood well the theory behind the use of magic, but in practice I was inapt.
Somehow magic wasn't flowing in my body.
Compared to my older brother, my younger brother or my younger sister, I didn't have any magic within me.
Lunelecia seems to really value people having magical talent. Be it common people or members of the aristocracy, having any talent in magic will assure them a better standing.
And yet, I don't have any talent in magic.
I've put a lot of effort into it, but if magical power itself was insufficient in me, what could I do?
Despite trying to remember as many Runes as possible, this was basically wasted effort. Also, it seemed that magical power was something that was fixed at birth, so trying to increase it was quite impossible.
Without talent in that field, my future was bleak.
To begin with, if the high aristocracy can distribute plots to its children, for a small noble the second and third sons are simply spare, and will have no inheritance. In fact, as long as the eldest son doesn't die naturally, from an accident or be killed, they can have a life living at home (like parasites).
Although, if a kid is found to be exceptionally gifted in magic, he would be adopted by a childless noble, and will inherit his title and propriety.

The life of an adopted son, instructed in the art of magic, that's not something the talentless me can wish for.
Well, even if I live a life at home, looked down by everyone, even if I have to ask my brother something to eat everyday, it's not that bad. For example, if I could be cured from my distrust of other human, living in my parents home, still being unable to be married would be―― No, at least I would have a worry free life, not that bad either actually.
In this world, needy peasants selling their kids as slaves to slave traders is an everyday occurrence.
In the little country town where I live, Lahn, the mild climate is appropriate for having good crops, thus the region was somewhat prosperous, and so, as far as I know, I didn't hear about any kids sold by their parents. I don't hear that much anyway, as even if the town has only 100 inhabitants, I have close to no contact with them.
I didn't play with kids of my age, and didn't have any close friend. Was that related to the fact that my mental age is about 30?
Of course, that was the obvious consequence of me avoiding other human beings. My misanthropy, even after my reincarnation, is continuing to making me avoid people.
I am conscious though of what people think of me in town. If I was not the son of the local ruling lord, I would surely be bullied by the other kids around. But nevertheless I was treated as the oddball by everyone.
I tried to avoid people, and in return people avoided me.
As I was always looked down and made fun of by my brothers and little sister, I was by myself.
I was all alone in my room, so I usually walked in the forest to kill time. Since lately, as my parents weren't expecting anything much from me, I've got a lot of free time. My parents needed a lot of time to teach my brothers and sister how to use magic, and as they basically gave up on me, I had more and more "self study" time.

Today too, I chose to walk in the forest.
Just in case, I had a wooden sword to defend myself. Even if the country had a thing for magic, to some degree the art of the sword was also to the aristocracy liking, so my father taught me fencing to some extent.
As for myself, I have not the best talent in that, but since this forest doesn't have any dangerous beasts, I don't think I will have any opportunity to use my skills.
I walked deep inside the forest.
It was time to turn back and come back home―― when I sensed something behind me. I turned my head...
And there was a bear.
W, wait a minute, why is there a bear in a forest supposed to be safe... Did it came from another forest?
Anyway, I have to escape.
If I remember what I read from the Internet before being reincarnated, playing dead is suicidal if the bear is hungry.
Trying to be as gentle as possible to not upset the bear, I stepped back to build some distance between us.
But the bear was now moving with great speed toward me!
Turning my back to it, I began to escape in a random direction. Although, I don't think I can get away from it. That's why I chose to climb a tree.
Since I had no friends, I was always playing by myself... thanks to that I was able to get really good at tree climbing. Before the bear could catch up with me, I need to be at the top of  the tree. So that the bear would give up and leave, I hoped.
Unfortunately, maybe the hunger was too great, so the bear didn't seem to give up.
On the contrary, it began to climb the tree where I was!
My face became deathly pale as I remembered that there were some bear species able to do tree climbing.
That's bad... Really bad.
I was above a tree branch, shivering while holding my head with one hand.
At this time, I saw several semi transparent women. Looking at me, they were giggling and pointing their fingers at me.
What is so funny?
A man was about to be eaten by a bear, you know?
Not only humans, but also fairies are trash, it seems.
Sensing that death was near, I lost my composure.

I betrayed the vow I made with my parents.

"What's so funny! These feathers, I will tear them apart!!"
I shouted in an outburst of anger.
While looking at the fairies.
All of them made a startled face.
Then they began to whisper among themselves.
One of them, a representative it seems, approached me.
Then.
"Ne~, can you see us? Even if you are only a human!"
//(Ne~ in the beginning of a sentence is a cute way to query someone, like a really feminine or maybe childish "hey, you!")//
Inclining her head in an interrogative way, she asked me that.
"Yes, I can see you!"
I replied out of desperation.
"Oh, you can even hear our voices... You, you look like that, but really you are a druid or shaman of great knowledge, aren't you?"
Druid?
Shaman?
Ah yes, the heretic sorcerers my parents told me about.
"I don't have any knowledge in taboo topics like that. I learned only Runes, and I study authentic magic."
"Heeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!??????"
All of them made a surprised like sound.
What?
"Th, this human, even though he has no knowledge about familiar spirits, he can hear us!"
"Genius! This guy is a genius!"
"I can't help but to admit that he has a natural talent."
"It seems that he has a rare natural talent as a familiar spirit user."
"if you raise your talent, you will surely become a legendary level familiar spirit user!"
"Letting you be eaten by a bear, what a waste of talent!"
----
raw
Second pass done with CNine chapter 2