Chapter 1 : Ugly five years old (1)

“Ah… I’m screwed, aren’t I…”
A faint voice, laced with a sigh, reaches my ears.
It’s probably the truck driver who hit me.

“….”
Yeah.
I’m screwed.
I want to reply with the same words, but I can’t.
My body won’t move, and the blood pooling from me has soaked the asphalt within my fading sight.
I’m already dying, and soon I’ll be gone.
It was an ordinary day, but now that day is coming to an end.

There’s not much to regret about dying, but if I had to pick one thing, it’s the phone still clutched in my powerless hand.
The screen, with its slowly drifting text fragments.

That novel.
I didn’t even get through half of it.

A slightly warm ray of sunlight.
A gentle breeze rustling through.
When I walk, following these sensations, a voice always seems to follow.

“Ain! I told you not to wander off alone!”
“….”
It’s the voice of a young woman, panting as she grabs the back of my neck.
“Ugh… who the heck did this kid take after to be so disobedient…!”

Well, you see.
“….”
I’ve told you.
“Again, again! I’m talking to you, and you don’t even answer!”
“….”

If I had to say, it’s probably because I inherited the fiery temper and pointless curiosity of Bokja Park and Chunsik Kim, who are still living back on Earth.
I keep these thoughts to myself, letting her drag me along by the scruff of my neck.
After all, this shrunken body can’t overpower an adult woman.

A naughty five-year-old.
That’s what I am now.
Of course, I only look five. Inside, I’m an adult who’s experienced the ways of the world.
But being five means, despite my past life as an adult, I’m still just a carefree, thoughtless kid.

What do I mean by that?
…
Oh, a butterfly I’ve never seen before.

“Ughhh… son! Please, just stay by Mommy’s side…!”
“….”
No, really.
It’s not like I’m doing this on purpose.
It’s just the innocent curiosity of a child.
I don’t even care or wonder about things, but sometimes random curiosity just sparks.
Plus, the genes from Bokja Park and Chunsik Kim might have something to do with it…

Oh, a dragonfly.
“Son, please! Mommy just wants to catch her breath…!”
Sorry about that.

Five years have passed since I was hit by that truck, died, and was reborn.
I never believed in things like the afterlife, past lives, or reincarnation, but here I am, reborn as a baby, living an ordinary life anew.
It was quite a mystical experience.
The fact that a newborn, fresh from their mother’s womb, could think at all.

My tiny fingers twitched, unbidden cries burst out, and incomprehensible words floated around me from the adults nearby.
To take in all those scenes with such a small field of vision, yet be unable to act, was so bizarre.
And the humiliation of helplessly wetting myself, only to have my groin mercilessly cleaned—how mortifying.
“….”
It was very mystical, but I never want to go through it again.

Anyway.
After being reborn, I’ve noticed something: butterflies are pretty nice.
“Son.”
“…Butterfly.”
“No way.”
“….”

And the rat peeking out from the sewer is kind of cute, too.
“Ah, son!! That’s a definite no! Let’s just look at butterflies, okay?!”
“Why? It’s cute.”
“Please… I don’t know who you take after to act like this…”

I look at my sighing mom and flash a cheeky grin.
Teasing her is pretty fun, too.
Being reborn, everything feels endlessly fun and joyful.

Pop
“Don’t tease Mommy.”
“….”
The smack on my head stings a bit, though.

What was I like in my past life?
An ordinary person who wanted an ordinary life.
I grew up in a less-than-ordinary family but managed an ordinary school life.
I never had an ordinary romance, but I worked at an ordinary company.
No particular talents, no particular ambitions, just content with a simple, small-town life.
Just an average guy.

And being such a person, even after dying and being reborn, I didn’t have any grand thoughts.
If there’s one regret, it’s that I didn’t finish reading that novel before I died.
“…That’s a bit of a shame.”
“Hm? What’s a shame, sweetie?”

Somehow catching my quiet murmur, Mom tilts her head and asks.
I can’t exactly say I want to reread a novel from my past life, so I come up with a quick excuse.
“The rat.”
“….”
Not exactly a fitting excuse for her, I guess.
But to look at her own son with such disgust—that’s a bit much, don’t you think?

With that thought, I give her a bright smile and sink back into my musings.
What happened next in that story?
Did the hero and the saintess survive, get married, and live happily ever after? Or was the final boss so strong that the world ended in tragedy?

“…Son, I’ve thought about it, and you need to focus on things other than that stuff!”
To be honest, it’s probably a predictable story, so it’s not that important. But frankly, that grand setting and worldbuilding deserved more exploration.

The vast Empire, Efrin.
The first republic, Silon.
“Like, maybe fairy tales about the Efrin Empire we live in… or stories about the Silon Republic beyond it. I found those pretty interesting…”

The eastern lands beyond, the elves’ forest, the dwarves’ mines, the dragons’ lairs, the demon realm where the Demon King resides.
“Instead of… rats or whatever, how about reading fairy tales? Elves and dwarves! Doesn’t that sound interesting? Dragon treasures! The elves’ World Tree! Hm? Hm?!”

The hero, Fris, and the saintess, Lua, adventuring through that world to save it.
“And they say a prophecy about the hero and saintess being chosen is coming soon. Don’t you want to see it, son?”

That novel, packed with all that, was always ranked number one in real-time…
“…?”
“What’s wrong, son?”
Did I hear that right?
“…?”
“…?”

And so, Mom and I kept tilting our heads at each other until the carriage arrived home.

That’s right.
This world, which granted me the precious experience of being reborn, was the world of the novel I was reading.
Titled The Three Great Heroes and the Demon Saintess…

Hmm.
The title’s a bit crappy, but the content was incredibly detailed and intricate, a true masterpiece.
I had been reborn as a character in that novel.

But how did I not realize this was a novel’s world until I was five?
Well, in my memory, the name Ain never appeared in the story even once, so how could I have known?
In short, I’m an extra among extras.
Just a background character, maybe part of the crowd in a passing scene.

Hmm.
“….”
I kinda…
“Like this.”

I’m so pleased with it that I flash a wide grin.

Who needs to be an important character in a novel?
I don’t need that kind of role.
The hero and saintess can go kill the Demon King, get married, bang like crazy, have three kids, and live happily ever after—that’s their story, not mine.
My interest in this novel was always more about the vast worldbuilding, the settings, and the brief glimpses of various characters.

So, realizing this is the world of the novel, I decide I want to step away from the main story and travel this world instead.
With that resolve firmly in place, I speak up.
“Mom.”
“Yes, sweetie? Want more food?”

It’s a sad thing to say to my loving mom, who looks at me with such affection, but it has to be said.
“…I’m going to go on a journey.”

The Empire, the Republic, the elves’ forest, the dwarves’ mines.
The demon realm of the Demon King, the dragons’ lairs.
I declare my intent to explore this vast world, to venture far and wide.

To my solemn declaration, Mom smiles brightly and nods.
“Alright, alright. Finish the carrots and bell peppers on your plate first, then talk.”
“….”

First, I need to deal with the enemy right in front of me.
“Good job, eating so well! If you want to go on a journey, eat lots and grow up fast~ Here’s more bell peppers, so don’t worry!”
“….”

Why is it?
Why, when I’m an adult inside, am I treated like a kid who can’t even eat bell peppers and carrots?
And why do I actually dread eating them, my fork trembling in my hand?
I just don’t get it.

With those thoughts, I shoot a playful glare at my smirking mom and shove a handful of bell peppers into my mouth.
“Wow~ My son’s gonna be ready for his journey! Look at him go!”
“….”
Stop it.
You’re only doing this because I teased you about the rat at the market.

I want to shout that, but I can’t bring myself to voice those thoughts and just swallow hard.
A kid who can’t even eat carrots and bell peppers declaring they’ll go on a journey? That’s just ridiculous.
So, this is about adult pride.

Ugh.
This tastes f*cking awful, seriously.