I am five years old now, and for the first time, I can go outside like any normal child. But in this neighborhood, crawling with criminals and dangers lurking in every shadowed alley, stepping out is never safe. I know that one day, after Alexander dies, I will inherit the kingdom, and I wonder how that will feel. Being a king doesn't sound so bad. Growing up among the broken streets and wary eyes of the city has sharpened my awareness. I cannot stand people staring at me, knowing who I am and where I come from. This goes for my other goals too-becoming the number one knight and the strongest magic user.
In this world, everyone's life is shaped by two forces: their magical power and their choices. Even sword users rely on magic, though differently from pure magical users. Magical users form the backbone of society-they provide electricity, gas, and every convenience. Knights protect the people in wars, while magic users support them with healing, battle magic, and more. Those with low magical power take normal jobs, working in farms or stores, while the more talented meet at the adventure guild. These guilds send them on missions to collect rare plants, magical creatures, or other dangerous tasks. Most people with little education choose these roles, since they require less thinking, though they still teach tactical skills and discipline.
Magic also determines social rank, but society isn't just "survival of the strongest." Companies need educated magic users. For the royal family, ranks are even stricter-twelve in total, inspired by the Japanese swords favored by the kingdom's founders, legendary sword welders fascinated by their craftsmanship. The ranks start with the tiny dagger, then Yoroi-dōshi, Kodachi, Shinobigatana, Wakizashi, Uchigatana, Katana, Tachi, Chokutō, Tsurugi, Ōdachi, and Guntō, each growing stronger and deadlier.
I'm at the tachi level for now, while my father Alexander only appears at four in the morning. No one sees him break the perfect image he maintains, but behind the cover, he is the Guntō, the greatest rank. For me to take the throne one day, I have to shine brighter than any siblings I'm certain exist-after all, a king like him will have more than one family. I never understood his relationship with my mother until last night.
Elizabeth Glass, leopard rank, had a good position and education before meeting Alexander. From a well-off family, she should have had protection, but both were abusers. Alexander exploited her youth, killing her ex-boyfriend in cold blood, and Elizabeth vanished into this dilapidated world. I hate him for that alone, though the deeper reason might be that he's never been with me-beyond a brief lecture about my behavior, and sneaking to satisfy his own desires with a fifteen-year-old. I can't reconcile the fact that I have any connection with someone like him.
I sneak through the streets of the city, watching life as it flows around me. I envy them-the people with freedom, with choices I have not been allowed. And I wonder: if I die again, is there a worse fate waiting? I cannot tell, so I set my plan. When I turn twelve, I will train my magic and physical skills and join an adventure clan. Not for fun, not for prestige-joining will grant me access to the best schools and better paths than this cursed neighborhood.
Even now, loneliness gnaws at me. I spend my days wandering the city, listening to its rhythm, feeling it press against my nerves. I've heard of other kingdoms: Holmes, Alt, and Fentesy. Holmes is oppressive, choked by government corruption and suffering, a place where life is a constant grind. Alt offers better healthcare, more security, and fairer jobs. Fentesy is a fantasy land, full of elves and strange creatures. Not perfect, but better than the human kingdoms in some ways. It shows how prejudiced people can be, even in worlds they claim to admire.
My father loved Isekai games, the kind I despise from the very core of my being. "Hate" doesn't even capture it. And yet, I troll them anyway, for personal amusement-just to see the lives of the people I despise for very real reasons. The first ones I met left little impression, but as the wind hit my back, I let my thoughts drift. Where will my path take me?