Chapter 1

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: This Reincarnation is a Paid Service
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One day, a month before my fifth birthday.

I regained the memories of my past life along with a message window that appeared before my eyes.

[From Heaven]

(Notice) Trial Version Ending Soon.

Based on the plan you previously subscribed to, the trial will end on your fifth birthday.

The will then convert to a paid service, and the subscription fee can be paid monthly with ‘Heaven Coins.’

※In accordance with the terms and conditions you previously accepted, this subscription cannot be canceled.

That's right.

It was ‘reincarnation’!

[From Heaven]

(Notice) ▷▶S/P/E/C/I/A/L/ /E/V/E/N/T◀◁

A special ‘Saintess’ title and a ‘3-Month Free Subscription Pass’ for the first subscriber! +3 months have been automatically applied to your subscription period.

- Remaining Subscription Period: 3 months and 29 days

- Monthly Subscription Fee: 10,000 Heaven Coins

- Payment Method: Heaven Coin Donation

※Heaven Coins can be obtained by completing Heaven Quests.

※Please be aware that if your remaining subscription period reaches 0 days due to non-payment, you will die immediately.

But it’s a paid service?

‘Immediate death for non-payment’?

What kind of reincarnation is this…?

* * *

Greslin, the Great Mage of Despair.

That’s what people called me.

A tribute to a mage so powerful she brought despair to her opponents, and a fear of me, a black mage.

It was a nickname that held both meanings at once.

Among the five-person expedition that subjugated the Mad Dragon, I was the only one with such a gloomy nickname.

The others had respectable professions and backgrounds, so their standing was different from mine—a commoner from the slums who wielded the power of darkness.

The Imperial Prince, Swordmaster Kirke.

The second son of a duke, White Mage Axel.

The elite of the Central Church, Cleric Bael.

The head researcher of the Royal Academy, Spiritist Servian.

*‘What a spectacular lineup, even thinking back on it now.’*

To think that ‘Greslin, the black mage from the slums’ was part of that spectacular list.

It truly was an ill-fitting combination.

They were people I never would have crossed paths with if we hadn’t been brought together for the expedition.

*‘In fact, we rarely saw each other after subjugating the Mad Dragon.’*

The kind and easygoing prince became the emperor, and the fussy, noble white mage became the Master of the Magic Tower.

The eccentric spiritist returned to the Forest of Knowledge where the Royal Academy was located, and the cleric went back to the church’s headquarters in the southern region of Kidsha.

At least that spiritist fellow seemed to visit me regularly, even after he became the head of the Royal Academy.

They had only reached out to a black mage to subjugate the Mad Dragon; the image of black magic in the empire was originally very poor.

This was due to misunderstandings, like us sacrificing people or drinking blood to gain power.

After I joined the expedition and defeated the Mad Dragon, I was no longer turned away at the door like before, but the atmosphere was still far from welcoming.

So I spent my time researching black magic in a small mansion in the north, far from the capital.

That swordmaster fellow who became emperor gave me a hefty research grant as a reward for defeating the Mad Dragon, allowing me to take on apprentices and research to my heart’s content.

*‘Was it about three years after that?’*

I began to suspect there was something wrong with the magic used to defeat the Mad Dragon, so I went to the site of our final battle to confirm my suspicions, and then…

*‘I was swept away by a powerful, mysterious energy.’*

It was a strange power, a mixture of magical and holy energy.

Faced with a power I had never encountered before, I was utterly helpless.

*‘I still have no idea what that was.’*

I let out a groan and got up.

Actually, when I thought about the ‘Reincarnation Subscription,’ something did come to mind.

*‘That eccentric spiritist sent some strange ancient document to my lab, saying he’d found it.’*

- Are you afraid of death? You can do it too! The reincarnation everyone dreams of! (Note: a dream life is not guaranteed.)

- Zero sign-up fee! Enjoy a Reincarnation Subscription with just one signature! (Note: the subscription fee will be charged.)

- Benefits exclusive to the first subscriber! Various perks provided for a satisfying life experience! (Warning: cancellation after signing up is **absolutely** impossible.)

The content was so absurd and the format so crude that it didn't seem like any important document.

Just in case, I wrote my name in the ‘Subscriber’ section and even signed it, but nothing happened.

*‘Yep. Just a piece of old trash.’*

I carelessly shoved the document into a drawer and completely forgot about it.

Completely unaware that I had become the sucker who signed up for a malicious product called the ‘Reincarnation Subscription’!

* * *

*‘Ugh… my head hurts so much.’*

The memories of my past and present lives were jumbled together, making my thoughts a mess.

*‘First, I need to get rid of this distracting message window.’*

I pressed the X at the top of the ‘From Heaven’ message window, which emanated a strange power that felt like condensed holy energy, and the text floating before my eyes vanished in an instant.

It wasn't hard to handle, as I'd experienced a similar message window once before when I was dragged into a strange dungeon while trying to catch the Mad Dragon.

Back then, we had no idea what this strange window was or how to operate it, and all five of us on the expedition struggled with it for a long time.

*‘Though, to be honest, the message window back then felt of magical energy, not holy energy.’*

In any case, the fact that pressing X worked suggested their basic properties were similar.

With the flashy message window gone, my mind felt a bit calmer.

I closed my eyes and quietly tried to sort out the situation.

1. I have been reincarnated.

(Now I can tell that quack cleric who believes in heaven.

That what comes after death is reincarnation, so he should prepare thoroughly for that instead of getting ready for heaven.)

2. I am now a kid, a month away from my fifth birthday.

It seems I was reincarnated immediately after dying from being swept up in that mysterious power.

(The date of my death in my past life and this kid’s date of birth match perfectly.)

3. Reincarnation is a paid subscription service.

And cancellation is impossible.

(What kind of garbage product is this…?)

And judging by my clothes, I seem to be a noble…

*‘So why on earth am I cleaning a storage room like this?’*

In my past life, I wasn't a noble.

But during my adventures hunting the Mad Dragon, I spent three years alongside an imperial prince, a man of the highest birth, and a fussy young master from a ducal house.

I had a sufficient understanding of the noble life.

*‘Hmm…’*

I tried to grasp the situation, but my mind was a jumble since I had just regained my past memories.

Just then, the door burst open, and a sharp-eyed, blond-haired brat entered with a burly male servant.

The boy looked to be three or four years older than ‘me.’

He was a kid with a promising future, handsome enough to make one think so even at his young age.

But his way of speaking was anything but pretty.

“Hey! I told you to clean, so why are you lazing around? You didn't really think I’d let you out if you just wasted time, did you?”

As I stared blankly, wondering who on earth he was, the sharp-eyed brat scoffed and kicked a book lying on the floor.

“A dimwit like you really can’t do anything on your own, can you? You should be grateful that your magnanimous cousin has come to help you.”

The boy gestured to the servant with his eyes, and the man began to stomp around, trashing the storage room.

It would make sense if by ‘help’ he meant helping to turn the place into a complete mess, not clean it.

Crash.

Clatter.

At the servant’s merciless touch, things broke and all sorts of items were scattered across the floor.

When it seemed there was nothing left to wreck, the servant scurried over to the boy’s side and whispered in his ear.