*Ah, yes! Of course, this is punishment. I am a sinner. God must be punishing me by making me unable to speak. I thank you, God.*
But if that's true, then whose baby's cries are these that are so clear? His heart was filled with confusion.
"Madam, judging by the cries, it seems he's hungry, Madam."
"You're right. As soon as he was born into this world, my baby was hungry."
"And my son is very handsome, isn't he?" she said, looking with great warmth.
I understand what they're saying. But this language isn't English. It's a foreign language. This is the first time I've heard this language.
Ah, no! Not that facial expression again!
"Uaaakk.. Oaaa.. " Jayde's cries grew louder; he seemed truly hungry.
*It seems I've been reincarnated. And now I'm a baby. Really? I've truly been reincarnated! Yeah!* he thought, feeling something impossible happening to him.
The woman turned her gaze towards the nurse and several burly men present. She gestured for them to give her and her baby some space.
Slowly, they left the room, leaving only her and her baby. Yes, just the two of them, no one else.
"Listen, my baby. Mother is very happy now."
"Mother will protect you, care for you, and raise you with love and affection."
"I hope you won't be sad..." She gently stroked his head.
"... because you don't see your father here. But, I assure you of one thing. Your father will be here soon, to hold you!" Her voice was soothing, and she smiled at her child.
"Your father... is an extraordinary person and... very busy, hihi."
"Uakkkk!" The baby cried.
"Shh! Shh! Shh!"
"You must be very hungry."
"Before I give you milk, I want to give you a name first, darling. Just a moment, umm..."
"Because your father is busy, I have this responsibility. Actually, this is a responsibility your father gave to me."
"Wait a moment, Mother is thinking, ummm..."
What does it feel like to be a baby? I've wanted to speak since earlier, but only cries came out, damn it! This woman... is my mother now? Jayde thought.
Not bad. I feel warmth and affection from her. The way she treats me like glass, so carefully, so as not to break or hurt me.
"Mother has found a suitable name for you!"
"I'll include your father's surname, so..."
"... now your name is Aland Ben Celeste. A good name, isn't it? Because I hope you will be a good child wherever you are and always be devoted to your parents."
"Welcome to the world, Aland Ben Celeste!" She hugged her baby warmly, her eyes glistening.
Far away, a man stood gazing toward a window. From the tall building, he could see everything beneath his view. The approaching new night troubled his thoughts.
"The madam and her baby are safe, my lord. They are currently undergoing intensive care at the hospital."
"Hm... keep reporting their progress to me. You may leave now."
"Yes, my lord!" The man speaking to him was his confidant, the one he relied on and trusted most in certain situations.
"Wait!" he called out again. "Once their condition improves, immediately inform them of what I told you. Move them. I don't want any future trouble because of them." He turned, staring intently at his confidant.
"Move them to the planned location. Arrange it so that no one else sees them. Silence the people around them."
"As you command, my lord!"
...
Hah, six years have passed since I was born into this world. Reincarnated as a child named Aland Ben Celeste. I am beginning to understand some of the new circumstances of my current life.
Namely, reincarnation. My reincarnation did not take place on Earth. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the place where I live is a twin of planet Earth, as the environment is quite identical: oxygen, plants, animals, and humans.
And according to my grandmother, there are other races living in this world besides humans. The technology here could also be described as advanced or modern.
I can still see tall buildings, but they are confined only to major cities. There are also weapons, but they differ from the ones I knew on Earth. These weapons are loaded with a stone called Mana Stone.
My grandmother also mentioned that this world has three major continents. Furthermore, the educational system operates differently; people here attend schools they call Academies.
The governing system here is led by a King in each city. Well... that's not too bad. Since it's not drastically different from my previous life on Earth, I think I'll be able to adapt easily.
I'll start with the continents. It's quite easy to distinguish them here. The Fertilesoil Continent is the largest of the three. This is the continent where I currently live.
All green plants and trees thrive here; you could call it the dream continent for all living creatures. Why do I say that?
Because the other continents consist only of arid land and snowdrifts. However, they have their advantages. The desert, or the arid land continent called Tegeun Molae possesses abundant petroleum.
The people living here are reportedly very happy because the government frequently distributes money to the public once a year. This is earned through work, of course. Nothing in this world is free.
The final continent is Esratzs Asna. It is an extremely cold place, but that doesn't mean it's uninhabitable. I hear that humans are quite content living there because the ice mountains contain gold and diamonds.
The value is so fantastic it could easily make people lazy. Even so, the work is risky; searching for those chunks of gold and diamonds requires enduring the biting cold.
Every continent has its pros and cons. Haha! I forgot to mention the advantage of the continent where I live. You could say there isn't one I mean, it's just average, only excelling in green vegetation.
Yes, this is a tropical continent with high rainfall, making it suitable for life forms like humans.
What's more, I was also shocked to learn I was an unwanted child. I mean, my parents never intended to have a baby. Well, I was born to a waitress at a nightclub. As far as I know, a mistake occurred that night.
My birth mother was delivering many bottles of alcohol repeatedly to a foreign customer who was visiting the club for the first time. That customer was my father.
Long story short, my father got heavily intoxicated. And without realizing what he was doing, he forcibly dragged my mother into a room.
Since it was already past midnight, many of the staff had gone home. Only my mother and one cashier, who was also a woman, remained.
My mother managed to scream, but no one dared to interfere with my father at that moment. That's what I heard from my grandmother's story... she always told me this tale every night, to the point where I thought it was just a made-up story.
After learning she was pregnant, my father was shocked and tried to hide my mother as best he could, even though abortion was another option. My mother attempted to abort me twice, forced by my father's threats, but both attempts failed.
My father kept insisting on the abortion, even bringing in medical specialists from several cities. But my mother had made up her mind to give birth to me, even if it meant doing so without a father.
That's what my grandmother told me; she never tired of recounting this tale. Though, I didn't really care about the content of the story.
Not wanting his family to find out, my father hid my mother and me by sending us to a remote location on the Fertilesoil Continent three days after my birth. Specifically, to the village of Portego a village deep in the forest, far from any of the cities there.