Jobless Reincarnation: The King with a Mental Problem

Early summer of the 410th year of the Konohaku calendar.

According to the customs of this world, birthdays are celebrated once every five years, and on ordinary days, the family simply has a nice meal together and exchanges small gifts. Life in the village is simple, without grand celebrations, but Paul and Senis still solemnly marked this day on the calendar.

Happy birthday, Trevor!

Early in the morning, Senis pushed open my door, carrying a tray with steaming hot soup and freshly baked bread. She was wearing casual loungewear, her hair loosely tied back, and a smile on her face that I couldn't quite describe.

"……Thanks."

I got out of bed a little awkwardly.

Birthdays don't really feel real to me; the last time I celebrated my birthday was in my past life.

The big cake was delicious, but it took us several days to finish it.

Senis placed the tray on the bedside table, leaned down and kissed me on the forehead: "Eat up, and then come to the living room. Paul has something for you too."

"Lord Paul...?"

"Hmm!" Senis laughed even more heartily. "Although that idiot is usually unreliable, he's really serious today."

She turned and left after she finished speaking, leaving me alone staring blankly at the bowl of thick soup.

Father.

It still feels a little awkward to say that word.

Although no one asked me to do this, there was a subtle feeling in my heart—not resistance, but more like... discomfort.

I shook my head and started drinking the soup.

In the living room, Paul sat upright, with a long, rectangular object wrapped in cloth beside him.

Rudius was sitting to one side, his short legs swinging back and forth, his face clearly showing an "what's it to me?" expression. But when he saw me come in, his eyes lit up for a moment—then quickly returned to their expressionless state.

This kid is waiting to see me make a fool of myself.

"You're here?" Paul patted the seat next to him. "Sit down."

I sat down next to him, my gaze involuntarily drifting towards the long, narrow package.

Paul noticed my gaze and grinned. "You guessed it?"

"……sword?"

"You guessed right!" Paul grabbed the package, tore open the cloth, and revealed a brand-new short sword.

The scabbard was made of dark brown leather, with little decoration, but the stitching was fine and the feel was solid. Paul handed me the sword, which I took and drew—

The silvery-white blade reflected the morning light. Its length was just right for my current height, and its weight wasn't much heavier than the wooden swords used for practice in the yard. The hilt was wrapped with non-slip hemp rope, making it comfortable to hold.

This is not a toy.

This is a real, sharpened sword, ready for combat.

It's a bit small...

From now on, this sword will be called EA.

"I had a blacksmith friend in town make it," Paul said, scratching his head and trying to sound casual. "The material isn't the best, but it's lightweight, which is good for a child. I'll get you a better one when you're older."

I gripped the sword, momentarily at a loss for words.

Did you have someone specially forge it for me? It has the shape of a straight sword but the size of a short sword. Normally, no one would go out of their way to have it forged.

"Don't get me wrong!" Paul suddenly raised his voice. "I didn't give it to you because I felt sorry for you getting beaten up! I just thought... I just felt... since you're going to practice swordsmanship, you should at least have your own weapon, right?"

He turned his face away, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

I looked at Senis, who was covering her mouth and chuckling.

Ludius, on the other hand, had an expression that said, "I've seen through everything all along," nodding his little head back and forth.

"...Thank you." I looked down at the sword in my hand, my voice a little muffled. "Father."

Paul's body visibly stiffened.

Then he reached out and vigorously ruffled my hair, turning it into a bird's nest.

"No need to thank me, you're my son."

son.

Those two words hit me hard, and I blinked, suppressing a bittersweet feeling.

Seriously, am I a vampire?

"Alright, alright, it's my turn!"

Senis clapped her hands, took out a small box from behind her back, and handed it to me.

"Does Mom get a gift too?"

"Of course! How could Mom not prepare anything for Trevor's birthday?"

I took the box and opened it.

There was a pendant lying inside.

The chain is silver, and the pendant is an irregularly shaped red stone, a dull red with little luster. If it were cut and polished, it would probably become a beautiful gemstone.

"This is……"

"Do you remember?" Senis crouched down to look me in the eye. "Five years ago, when Paul found you by the river, you were clutching this stone tightly in your hand. We tried many methods to get it out, but we couldn't. In the end, you let go of it yourself and gave it to me."

I was stunned.

Am I holding a stone in my hand?

I do not remember.

When I traveled through time, my consciousness was in a state of chaos. I don't even know how I ended up in that desolate place, let alone what kind of stone I was holding.

"I thought back then that this stone must be your lucky charm, or something very important," Senis said gently, "so I've been keeping it for you. Now that you're five, it's time to return it to you."

She hung the pendant around my neck.

The stone was pressed against my chest, feeling slightly cool.

"No matter what happened in your past, you are family to us."

Senis opened her arms and hugged me.

Her embrace was warm, with a faint scent of herbs.

I closed my eyes and didn't struggle.

Family.

It turned out to be the case.

The vampire was exposed to direct sunlight.

He will soon be passing away peacefully with a smile on his face.

"Wow—how heartwarming—" Rudius exaggeratedly wiped his eyes, "I'm so touched."

"Don't give me that crap!" Paul slapped Rudy on the back of the head. "I'll get you something for your birthday too!"

"Then I'll definitely be looking forward to it!"

Senis released me, wiped her eyes, and said with a smile, "Alright, time to eat the cake! It may not be as big as the cakes in the city, but I put a lot of effort into making it!"

She turned and ran to the kitchen, and Paul followed to help her.

Only Rudius and I remained in the living room.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"...It's quite pretty," Rudy said, pointing to my pendant.

"Um."

"Stone."

"Um."

"Did you almost cry just now?"

"Shut up."

Rudius gave a smug grin.

I took a deep breath, sheathed my short sword at my waist, and then said in a very calm tone:

"During the afternoon sword practice, I will tell my father that you think his teaching is too bad and that I should be your sword teacher."

Rudy's smile froze.

"Lord Trevor! My king! You are the greatest brother in the world! I didn't say anything!"

"Really?"

"real!"

Seneca's laughter came from the kitchen, along with Paul's bewildered question, "What's wrong with you two again?"

I touched the stone in my chest and looked out at the clear sky.

Sigh, I need to cross Senis's name off my mental notebook.

Then it was family members.

That night, the Shadow King lay in bed, holding the pendant up to his eyes.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, and the pale blue stones gleamed faintly in the moonlight.

What is this?

It doesn't look like an ordinary stone.

Why was I clutching it when I traveled through time?

System, are you related to this stone?

...Never mind, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore.

I tucked the pendant back into my clothes, pressing it against my chest.

Anyway, it's mine now.

It was returned by the "mother" to the "son".

That's fine.