"I am Seto Kaiba," he muttered, "and I am completely fucked." Elbows resting on his thighs, he leaned forward, steepling his fingers over his mouth.
'At least I have a better name now,' he thought, readily accepting the new identity. 'Compared to my previous one, it's far better. From now on, I'm Seto Kaiba.'
He sighed, the events of the last hour crashing down on him.
'I thought I'd gotten at least one summonable monster, but no. An unsummonable monster.' He couldn't believe his luck. 'Not that I ever believed in that "Heart of the Cards" nonsense anyway.'
He stood up. "I need to find a place to live."
As he scanned his surroundings, his eyes landed on a church building in the distance.
'Let's hope I can get a place to stay there,' Kaiba sighed as he started walking. 'I never imagined I'd be dropped here with no knowledge or memories of this body.'
He was still fuming over his card pull. 'Even the trap card I got is useless. Fine. First, I get a room. Then, I work to get money for better cards. There is no way I'm becoming a Magic Knight with this shit.'
As he arrived at the massive church, Kaiba took a deep breath, steeling himself to step inside. Before he could, a hand patted his back.
"Ease your nervousness, brat," said a voice gruff, but not unkind.
He spun around, nearly losing his balance, to find an old nun smiling at him.
"You look like you could use some help," she observed. "What can I do for you?"
"I need a place to stay," Kaiba said, hating how vulnerable he sounded. "I have no money, and I... I don't even remember if I have a home."
The nun's eyes studied him, then dropped to the new-looking grimoire in his hand. "What's your name?"
"Seto Kaiba."
"Can you do chores?"
"I can," Kaiba said, forcing a smile in his desperation.
"I'm Sister Theresa." She introduced herself and began walking. "Follow me, Kaiba."
"Thank you," he said, his gratitude genuine.
Sister Theresa simply smiled. "No problem."
As she led him through the church, a few children waved to Theresa, their eyes flicking to Kaiba with open curiosity. When they waved at him too, he offered a slight, hesitant smile and waved back.
They passed other nuns and a priest, all of whom showed respect to Sister Theresa. Kaiba responded by slightly lowering his head in turn.
"Did you just turn fifteen?" Sister Theresa asked as they walked.
"Yes."
"Hmm. Do you want to become a Magic Knight?"
"Yes."
"What for?"
"To survive, I guess," Kaiba said, the words tasting as uncertain as he felt.
The answer seemed to surprise her, but she said nothing more. Soon, they arrived at a spare room.
"This one is empty," Sister Theresa said, opening the door to reveal a simple, tidy space.
"Thank you," Kaiba said, the genuineness clear in his voice. "This means a great deal to me."
Sister Theresa smiled, pleased by his politeness. "I'll send someone to call you for dinner."
"Understood."
With a final nod, she left him to his new quarters.
Kaiba entered his room and closed the door. He took a seat on the bed, testing its comfort with a few bounces before lying back. He placed the grimoire on the pillow to the left of his head.
"Not bad," he murmured with a smile.
Staring at the ceiling in the quiet room, he decided to review his cards.
"Duel."
In response, the grimoire dissolved and reformed into the futuristic gauntlet on his forearm and the sleek communications device over his eye and ear.
He studied the gauntlet for a moment, then pressed his right hand against the glowing blue orb on its surface. With a faint hum, three solid cards were ejected into his grasp.
Kaiba sighed as he reviewed the cards in his hand. As he reached across his body to access the second orb on his deltoid, the one housing his Extra Deck, he fumbled, and the cards he was holding tumbled from his grip.
But before they could land on his chest, the physical cards dissolved into light, transforming into hovering holograms that floated directly in front of his eyes.
"Cool," Kaiba said, reaching through the holograms to deftly pull two new cards from the Extra Deck.
He grabbed the last monster card floating in front of him, now holding all three in his hand.
Mementotlan Twin Dragon.
Duel Link Dragon, Duel Dragon.
Eidos the Underworld Monarch.
As he studied them, he sensed something different about these cards, a strange feeling that at least two of them were watching him.
His concentration was broken by a knock at the door. "Kaiba-san, it's time for dinner."
Quickly, Kaiba deactivated the spell. The gauntlet and holograms dissipated, leaving only the grimoire, which he picked up and took with him.
The door opened to reveal a child, a young girl with short blonde hair swept to the left and striking purple eyes.
"Follow me, Kaiba-san," she said softly.
Intrigued, Kaiba fell into step behind her. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Marie," she introduced herself.
Kaiba nodded, though the name meant nothing to him; characters from anime looked entirely different in this real world.
"Why are you here, Kaiba-san?" Marie inquired as they walked.
"I needed a place to stay, and I found this orphanage," Kaiba explained.
"So, you will be staying here for a while?" she asked.
"Yes, until I leave for the Magic Knights Exam."
"My Onii-san is a Magic Knight," Marie said, her voice brimming with pride.
"Really? What squad is he in?" Kaiba asked.
Before she could answer, they arrived at a bustling dining room. It was filled with children, all younger than Kaiba, eating alongside a nun and a priest.
Sister Theresa noticed their arrival and beckoned Kaiba over. He wove through the tables and stood beside her.
"Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?" Sister Theresa called, and the room quieted. "This is Seto Kaiba. He will be living with us from now on."
A warm round of applause echoed through the room, which was interrupted when a boy named Adam raised his hand.
"Theresa, what magic does he have?" Adam asked, pointing.
All eyes turned to Kaiba. "Dueling Magic," he answered.
Another child's hand shot up. "What does it do?"
"For now, not much without money to back it up. But I can do this..." Kaiba declared, holding up his grimoire. "DUEL!"
In a flash of light, the book digitized, its energy solidifying into a futuristic gauntlet and communication device on his arm.
A collective "Woah!" swept through the children.
With a smirk, Kaiba deactivated the gear, and it dissolved back into his grimoire. Theresa smiled, pleased by how well he was handling their curiosity.
"That's enough excitement for one day," she announced gently. "Kaiba, please take a seat."
Kaiba found an empty spot near the priest as Theresa said, "Let us now begin our prayer."
Kaiba bowed his head respectfully, mimicking the others. As the final "amen" faded, the cheerful clamor of dinner began.
As he ate, the priest beside him broke the silence. "You are Kaiba, correct?"
"Yes," Kaiba replied.
"I am Father Kirei."
Kaiba's fork stilled for a fraction of a second, and he couldn't suppress a slight wince at the name.
"Is something wrong?" Father Kirei asked, his tone gentle but perceptive.
"It's nothing. I just... knew someone with that name once," Kaiba said, his mind racing. Now that I look at him, the resemblance to that Kirei from the Nasuverse is uncanny.
Father Kirei offered a small, knowing smile. "He must have been quite a villainous man, to cause such a reaction merely by sharing his name."
"I apologize if that was disrespectful," Kaiba said, recovering his composure.
"Think nothing of it. Sister Theresa mentioned you plan to attend the Magic Knights Exam."
Kaiba nodded. "I do."
"A word of caution, then," Father Kirei leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. "The nobles will not play fair with a commoner. Be prepared."
"I understand," Kaiba said, storing the advice away. He then ventured a question of his own. "Father Kirei, if you don't mind me asking, what did you do before you joined the church?"
"A path similar to the one you walk. I was a Magic Knight," he explained, his smile fading into something more somber. "I retired early after sustaining a heavy injury—one that severed my connection to mana." He paused, letting the weight of the statement settle. "If you require training for the exam, I would be glad to offer my assistance. While I can no longer wield magic, the strategy and discipline have not left me."
"Thank you for the offer," Kaiba said, genuinely appreciative. "I would be honored to accept your help."
A smile returned to Father Kirei's lips. "No wonder Sister Theresa spoke so highly of you. She said you were a polite young man. I can see she was right."
After dinner, Sister Theresa gave Kaiba a tour of the church and orphanage, which were connected buildings. As she showed him each important room, the kitchen, the laundry, the common area, she explained, "Your daily chores will rotate, so you'll get to know every part of this place."
Kaiba nodded in understanding.
Their final stop was a small storage room. Sister Theresa retrieved a heavy box and handed it to him.
"What's this for?" Kaiba asked, adjusting his grip on the weight.
"Donated clothes," she said. "Choose what you like and what fits. When you're done, just return the box to this room."
"I can take all of it?" Kaiba clarified.
Sister Theresa smiled. "If you wish, though I doubt you need that many."
After the tour concluded, Kaiba returned to his room, feeling slightly tired from the day. He set the box down, deciding to sort through the clothes tomorrow. For now, he was ready to end the day. He lay on the bed, and within moments, fell asleep.
. . . .
The Next Day
Kaiba worked diligently to finish his daily chore: laundry. The pile was substantial, but he didn't mind; using mana made the task significantly easier.
'I'm glad mana can simplify this,' he thought, a faint smile on his face as he directed the energy to lift and scrub the garments.
A nun with black hair and glasses, who appeared to be around his age, Yumie chuckled from her own washing station. She watched with amusement as Kaiba tackled the chore with intense focus.
Within an hour, he had not only finished washing but had also hung the last of the wet clothes on the drying rack. As he wiped his hands, he turned to the nun.
"Please tell Sister Theresa I've gone to look for a job," Kaiba said before heading out.
He walked through the streets, his mind turning over a single question: What kind of job could be considered training while also making money?
"Isn't blacksmithing a good way to do both?" he muttered to himself.
Guided by this idea, he began asking locals for directions to a smithy. To his surprise, he found one nestled just a few blocks from the church. Even better, a "Help Wanted" poster was prominently displayed in the window.
"Lucky me," Kaiba said under his breath.
He pushed the door open, the chime of a bell announcing his entry. He approached the counter and rang the service bell. Moments later, a heavily muscled, middle-aged man emerged from the back, wiping his hands on a soot-stained apron.
"Welcome. What can I do for you?" the man asked, his voice a low rumble.
"I'm here about the job," Kaiba stated.
The man's eyes, sharp and assessing, scanned Kaiba from head to toe. After a brief but heavy silence, he gave a single, firm nod. "You're hired."