I was the Seventh Prince of the Kingdom of Saloom, Lloyd di Saloom.
I was also just your ordinary, magic-obsessed ten-year-old.
In my previous life, I had been a lowly, penniless mage. One day, I drew the unwanted attention of the nobility and was subjected to a lynching they called a "duel." It was there that I saw advanced-grade magic for the first time. I was so captivated by its beauty that I took the hit head-on and lost my life, only to find myself reincarnated into this body.
I was blessed with a physical form of extraordinary talent, a castle library with one of the greatest collections on the continent, vast lands, precious magic tools, and more money than I could ever spend. Furthermore, as the Seventh Prince with no real claim to the right of succession, I had been told to live however I pleased. Thus, I was enjoying a carefree life of magic research.
"Morning, Lloyd. It’s a fine morning, isn’t it?"
"Good morning, Albert-niisan."
The person I was exchanging morning greetings with was the Second Prince of Saloom, Albert di Saloom.
He was handsome, brilliant, and the top candidate for the throne. Since he single-handedly managed the kingdom's internal affairs, he was indispensable to the country. He had always looked out for me, taking me to all sorts of interesting places and listening to my requests. He was a truly caring older brother.
Lately, it seemed I’d earned a fair amount of his trust, as he had even allowed me a degree of freedom in my movements. Thanks to that, my magic research was progressing smoothly. This was surely the result of my exemplary daily behavior. Yes, indeed.
"What kind of convenient nonsense are you spouting, Master Lloyd? Most of the time, you just slip away without saying a word," Grimo grumbled.
"And those 'interesting places' your brother takes you are usually expeditions or battlefields. Half the time, he’s basically kidnapping you..." Jiriel added.
The familiars lurking in my palms, the Majin Grimo and the Angel Jiriel, both chimed in with their retorts.
Well, they weren't wrong. But listing facts like that is in very poor taste.
"Well, if your brothers ever found out your true strength, Master Lloyd, they’d be absolutely floored. We have to keep it a secret," Grimo said.
"The time before last you defeated the Demon King, and last time you went to meet God in the Celestial Realm. You have gone far beyond the realm of merely overdoing it," Jiriel noted.
They were being quite harsh... though it was true that I might have been a bit too active lately.
Albert's complexion didn't look very good; perhaps he was suffering from the mental strain.
Hmm, maybe I should refrain from going out for a while. Having visited various places, I’d gathered quite a bit of useful information, and this might be a good opportunity to test it all thoroughly. I was naturally more of an indoor type anyway.
"Well then, I suppose I’ll devote myself to magic research with vigor today as well."
Just as I was giving a big stretch...
Thud. I heard the sound of someone collapsing behind me.
When I turned around, Albert was lying on the floor.
The news that Albert had collapsed spread through the castle instantly, causing a massive uproar.
In no time at all, castle staff and siblings gathered in front of the infirmary, but the doctor dispersed them, saying it would be a burden on the patient, and sent them back to work. Since I had been the one with him, I was the only one allowed to stay in the room to provide a detailed account of the circumstances.
"Mmm, this is worrying. I wonder if your brother will be alright," Grimo said.
"Indeed. I imagine you must be quite anxious, Master Lloyd," Jiriel added.
I replied to their words with a serious voice.
"Yeah... if Albert-niisan is gone, a mountain of troublesome administrative work will fall on me. I'm truly worried."
After all, every kind of job passed through this man. He was, so to speak, the heart of Saloom. The loss if he were gone would be immeasurable. That damage would surely reach me as well, and I wouldn't be able to do any magic research.
"Well, I figured that's what you were worried about... but even so, you look a bit downcast..."
"Dummy, that's just Master Lloyd's way of hiding his embarrassment. Deep down, he’s worried about him."
I felt like they were looking at me with somewhat lukewarm eyes, but it was probably my imagination. At any rate, I couldn't just leave him like this.
"Can't you do something with your magic, Master Lloyd?"
"Hmm, it’s difficult. Healing magic is fairly effective for injuries and restoring physical strength, but it doesn't distinguish or treat specific diseased parts of the body."
Healing system magic was basically designed to activate natural healing power. Consequently, it could sometimes activate the source of a disease as well, so healing magic was by no means an all-purpose cure for illness. If you tried to force a cure by pouring mana into it, you could actually make things worse.
I knew this because I had tried it on myself before. When I was feeling dazed from a light cold, I used healing magic because I wanted to get over it quickly, but the cold germs in my body increased exponentially. While my physical strength was restored, I ended up suffering from an even higher fever.
Furthermore, Albert's condition was unknown. Since I lacked medical knowledge, there was no telling what might happen if I meddled with him. In the end, having him recover through his own healing power was the fastest and most certain way. In times like this, medicine was the best solution, but there was nothing to be done if we didn't know the cause.
"Excuse me."
It was while I was thinking about this that the door to the room opened, and a boy in a white coat entered.
He had the same black hair as me, and though his was a bit longer and wavy, he had a very similar hairstyle and slanted eyes. He was about the same height as me, and the hem of his white coat almost touched the floor.
The boy stood before me with his arms crossed and spoke in a blunt voice.
"It's been a long time, Lloyd. Glad to see you're doing well."
He was acting quite high and mighty... Er, who was this again?
At my reaction, the boy tilted his head with a look of disbelief.
"Lloyd, you... don't tell me you've forgotten me."
"...Er."
It was exactly as he suspected; I had completely forgotten him. While I was pondering how to answer, Ren of the Poison Moth spoke up.
"My name is Ren. Forgive me if I am mistaken, but... are you perhaps Lord Rion?"
"Ah!"
With those words, I finally remembered.
The Sixth Prince of the Kingdom of Saloom, Rion di Saloom. He was my brother, just one year older than me.
Ren, who had recently become a maid, should have been seeing him for the first time, but she likely had heard about him from Sylpha. Nice follow.
Man, it brought back memories. When we were little, he used to always ask me to play with him. I hadn't been interested in children's games, so I usually turned him down.
"Ahaha... It was Rion-niisan, wasn't it? It's been a long time."
"...Lloyd, you really did forget, didn't you?"
"No, no, of course not!"
"You just said 'Ah' a moment ago!"
He caught me. He was surprisingly sharp.
I gave a dry laugh in response to Rion's skeptical glare.
"Honestly... well, it's been a while, so I’ll let it slide. Besides, the fact that you didn't recognize me must mean I've grown quite a bit since the old days, right? Hahaha!"
"Hahaha, that's true..."
Of course, I didn't have the slightest memory of what he looked like before, but I decided to laugh it off for now.
"He really doesn't show any mercy when it comes to forgetting his own brothers... But I've never seen this little brother before either," Grimo whispered.
"Well, Master Lloyd's siblings are rarely in the country. Based on the patterns so far, he was likely away studying in some other kingdom," Jiriel replied.
That was right; Albert and the others had mentioned it from time to time. I was sure he had been studying abroad for something. Ase... it was right on the tip of my tongue.
"Um, I am very sorry, Lord Rion. I don't mind you celebrating your reunion, but Master Albert is resting here. Could you please move to another room..."
At the doctor's apologetic words, Rion gave a confident snort.
"Hmph, I am Albert-niisan's brother. That means I’m not an outsider. Besides, I’ve spent five years studying in the Medical Powerhouse Assembla. There are things I can do now."
Saying this, Rion brushed past the doctor and pushed his way toward Albert's bed.
That was it; I remembered now. Assembla. It was an advanced medical nation that focused on treating illnesses that could not be cured by magic. They dispatched medical teams to various countries, and despite being surrounded by bellicose nations, they had never been invaded. There were even legends of warring nations cooperating to rescue their medical teams when they were left behind on a battlefield.
"Actually, I heard over there that Albert-niisan had collapsed, so I rushed back. Let me take a look. ...Hmph, he’s suffering from organ failure. The source of the illness is likely around his abdomen. The cause is probably stress; Albert-niisan has the kind of personality where he takes everything on himself."
"We already went over that part just now," I said.
"What?! I—I see... You guys are surprisingly capable. I underestimated you..."
Rion nearly tripped over his own feet at my words.
Still, to immediately notice the location of the disease that even the doctors couldn't find...
This person might actually be quite amazing.