Javier took another small sip of the wine, leaning back against Buddy's warm, feathery side. The setting sun turned the sky into soft gold and crimson, casting long shadows across the clearing.
He tilted his head lazily to look at Buddy.
"You know, Buddy?"
Cuquawked? Buddy turned his big head toward him, blinking those wide, curious eyes.
Javier chuckled quietly.
"Now I'm thirteen in this world." He lifted his hand, fingers spread out toward the sky. "Plus my twenty-four years from my old life as Nakamura Junichi. Back in Japan."
He closed his hand slowly, like trying to catch a star he couldn't reach.
"Man… I miss those days."
He laughed softly, a little bitter, a little warm.
"The days when I could just enjoy life like a real brat… flipping Liana's skirt, sneaking a peek at the maids' panties..."
Buddy tilted his head slowly.
He took another sip of the wine, letting the mory linger.
"But now…"
He stared at the rising stars, the soft wind brushing past the trees.
"This world's in trouble. The Celestial War... the dark aura spreading... Kenjirou... war drums starting to echo across kingdoms..."
He let his arm fall back to the ground, his voice growing quieter.
"I can't be that brat anymore."
He smiled, sad but accepting.
"Sotis... growing up feels like saying goodbye."
Buddy leaned closer, gently bumping his forehead against Javier's shoulder—a silent I'm here.
Javier chuckled softly.
"Thanks, Buddy."
The fire crackled beside them, and for just a mont, the world felt still—before the storms that Javier knew were soon to co.
The freedom he once had—the precious freedom to live as a child, to laugh, to run wild without fear, even with the mories of his past life as Nakamura Junichi intact—was slowly, inevitably fading.
It wasn't just ti passing; it was sothing deeper. A silent farewell.
He felt it inside himself: the world no longer letting him stay that mischievous boy, the one who flipped Liana's skirt to see her flustered, who teased Gloria by hiding in the garden, who smirked and ducked responsibility with the luxury of innocence.
That chapter of his life was closing.
He could no longer act like a brat.
He could no longer pretend he had all the ti in the world.
He could never go back.
The battlefield was calling him.
The world was changing, shifting, cracks forming everywhere—unseen by most, but clear as day to him, soone who felt the weight of it all.
And he had to choose.
No more in-betweens.
No more hiding his abilities behind a lazy grin.
No more pushing burdens onto others with charm or excuses.
He needed to stand.
He needed to rise.
He needed to beco the peak version of himself—without fear, without excuses.
Because if he didn't, the people he loved—Liana, Gloria, his family, his people—would be the ones to pay the price.
He clenched his fist softly, feeling the pulse of mana running through him—steady, deep, strong.
It was no longer about what he wanted. It was about what he had to beco.
A protector.
A leader.
A true heir of Armand.
Javier exhaled slowly, lowering his hand.
He sat there, staring into the flickering firelight, the warm glow dancing across his face.
The at on the grill crackled softly.
Buddy, sensing the heavy mood, stayed quiet, simply resting close by.
And in the stillness, Javier's thoughts kept spiraling.
"Why?" he whispered.
His voice barely stirred the night air.
"Why can't we live in peace?"
He stared at the flas, as if they might answer.
"Why is everyone after power?"
He rembered the faces of nobles, of kings, of rulers—each clawing at invisible thrones, forgetting the people they ruled.
"Why is everyone greedy?"
The rich exploiting the poor. The strong crushing the weak.
"Why is everyone so selfish?"
Friendships, alliances, loyalties—all so easily broken for personal gain.
His heart ached—not with anger, but with a quiet, tired sorrow.
"Why?"
He closed his eyes.
And deep within, an answer whispered ,not from the world, but from his own mories. From his old life. From his adult mind, too jaded by the reality of humanity.
Is it because of weakness?
Is it because people fear losing?
Is it because everyone believes... if they don't take, they'll be the ones taken from?
Fear.
Insecurity.
Hunger for survival, twisted into hunger for dominance.
Maybe it wasn't pure evil.
Maybe it was just... brokenness.
But even knowing that, Javier refused to accept it.
He refused to believe power had to be bought at the price of innocence.
He refused to believe greed was stronger than love.
He opened his eyes slowly, the firelight reflecting in his gaze—a gaze sharper now, clearer.
If the world demanded he pick a side.
Then he would choose to fight against it.
Fight for the simple peace he wanted.
Fight for the people he loved.
Fight to protect the fleeting, precious monts of laughter he once had—and could still have again.
Even if it ant standing against kings, celestial beings, or entire world.
He would not bend.
Not ever.
Javier smiled faintly as he leaned back against Buddy's warm side, the stars slowly blinking into life above him.
"Heh... I'm lucky."
The words slipped out softly, almost like a secret he was telling only to the night.
"Lucky to be born... as the son of a good ruler."
He closed his eyes for a mont, letting the mories of Garius De Armand fill his mind—not just as a father, but as a man.
A good man.
A man who cared about his family.
A man who cared about his people.
A small ruler, yes.
Just a Count in the grand hierarchy of nobility.
And yet.
Garius never oppressed his people.
He shared his wealth instead of hoarding it.
He opened land so farrs could build their futures.
He kept taxes low, even when other lords raised theirs rcilessly.
He made sure no one starved.
He made sure every child could grow without fear.
He made sure that every person felt like they were part of sothing worth protecting.
He never ruled through fear.
He ruled through trust.
Through honor.
Through love.
And because of that.
Because of that strength of heart.
Every citizen of Armand stood behind him with loyalty that no gold could ever buy.
Javier opened his eyes again, gazing at the distant stars.
"Maybe..." he whispered, "maybe that's the reason."
The reason he was reborn in this world.
The reason fate—chose this family for him.
Not into royalty. Not into wealth. Not into fa.
But into goodness.
Into strength.
Into a family that would give him a real chance to beco more than just another selfish soul chasing power.
Reborn into a ho worth protecting.
Into a na—Armand—that he could be proud to carry.
He smiled, a real, quiet, unshakable smile.
For once, he didn't feel bitter about what he lost.
He felt grateful.
( End Of Chapter )
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