Elias Ashcroft died a man who built machines that changed the world—and understood nothing about the people he built them for. Reborn in a rural village with his memories and genius intact, he has one goal and one alone: this time, he'll use his gifts to make his family's life easier. Bamboo water pipes. A heated bathhouse. A purification-stone toilet. For his tired mother, his aching father, his adoring little siblings, these small miracles are enough.
But small miracles don't stay small. The
An Old Soul's New Heart - Awakening and the Moment of Promise
Beyond his eyelids, the world was a hazy white.
Heavy. His body felt like lead.
(Where... am I?)
That was the first question that surfaced. His mind was still foggy. The memories of his past life and this one were slowly overlapping.
A wooden ceiling. The familiar beams of his own room.
Elias Ashcroft opened his eyes slowly.
(I was... I remember...)
Black fog. Rough men. Himself falling. That much he could recall. After that, only the sensation of plummeting into absolute darkness.
A flat voice echoed in his mind.
'Master, consciousness recovery confirmed. Recovery from mana depletion syndrome progressing favorably.'
(Aleria... so I'm alive, then.)
Relief washed over him, but with it came a dull ache throughout his body. He tried moving his fingertips slowly. They moved. They moved properly.
That's when something shifted at the edge of his vision.
Seraphina was sitting in the chair by his pillow. Her green hair had fallen across her shoulder, disheveled. Dark circles shadowed the skin beneath her eyes. Her head, which had been nodding drowsily, swayed with a soft bob.
(She's been here the whole time?)
Something deep in Elias Ashcroft's chest began to warm. In his previous life, he couldn't remember anyone ever keeping vigil beside him like this.
"...Seraphina."
His voice came out more hoarse than expected.
At that single word, Seraphina's body jerked. Her jade-green eyes flew wide open.
"Elias...!"
The chair clattered backward. She didn't hesitate—she dropped to her knees beside the bed.
"...Thank goodness. Thank goodness..."
Her voice trembled. Tears spilled from her eyes. She wrapped both her hands around Elias Ashcroft's hand. They were surprisingly cold. Just from that, he could sense how long she'd been holding it.
"...You were that worried?"
He'd meant it as a light jest. But his voice couldn't quite manage a laugh.
"Of course I was. If you hadn't woken up, I..."
She stopped there. Without finishing, she simply squeezed his hand tighter.
(I don't need to hear the rest.)
Elias Ashcroft squeezed back. In his previous life, had he ever held someone's hand like this? He couldn't find the memory. This was the first time he'd felt this sensation.
The door burst open.
"Elias!"
Fiona Ashcroft rushed in. Behind her came Toma Ashcroft, ducking his broad frame through the doorway.
"Thank goodness... truly, thank goodness..."
Fiona Ashcroft gently cradled Elias Ashcroft's head in both her hands. The scent of medicinal herbs. Always—his mother's scent.
Toma Ashcroft said nothing. He simply placed a hand on his son's shoulder. It trembled slightly.
"Big brother!"
Lily Ashcroft burst into the room. But she stopped abruptly before the bed, crossing her arms.
"Three days of sleeping? Even for a genius, that's oversleeping, isn't it?"
Her voice wavered slightly. He could tell it was bravado.
"...Troublesome, but unavoidable—that's not going to cut it this time, is it?"
The familiar phrase slipped out. Lily Ashcroft burst out laughing.
"You're just accepting it like that?"
Finally, Owen Ashcroft clung to Fiona Ashcroft's leg from the corner of the room, watching intently. The four-year-old didn't seem to fully understand the situation.
"Big brother's awake!"
It was a short sentence, but it carried pure joy from the depths of his heart. Owen Ashcroft toddled over and grabbed the edge of the bed.
"You slept for so long. You must be hungry!"
At that innocent question, the air in the room eased slightly. Elias Ashcroft found himself smiling faintly.
(For him, being hungry is probably the most important thing in the world.)
For a four-year-old, rumors and incidents were still distant concerns. That innocence was deeply appreciated right now.
"...Yes. I'm hungry."
Owen Ashcroft nodded contentedly at the answer.
Fiona Ashcroft released him and, wiping her eyes, spoke in a slightly steadier voice.
"...You didn't wake for three days. I diagnosed it as a severe case of mana depletion syndrome."
Three days. That word caught on something in Elias Ashcroft's mind.
(Three days...)
The words Felix had spoken at the gathering hall surfaced in his thoughts. In three days, the lord himself would visit this village.
"...That promised day is already..."
Toma Ashcroft nodded slowly. He answered in a low voice.
"Today. Lord Kestrel will be entering the village very soon."
With that single statement, the air in the room tensed.
Seraphina's hand squeezed Elias Ashcroft's more tightly. Her shoulders curled inward.
"...It's because of me, again..."
"No."
The word was sharp. Even he was slightly surprised by it.
"It's not your fault. The ones who sent those rough men, who spread the rumors through the village—it was all someone else's doing."
Toma Ashcroft withdrew something from his pocket. It was the short sword those rough men had dropped that night. An unfamiliar crest was carved into the hilt.
"The Darius Company's crest. I took this to the lord's office. Lord Kestrel listened to what I had to say."
(Father was already moving after that night.)
Elias Ashcroft felt something stir in his chest at that realization. His taciturn father had walked dozens of kilometers, protecting his wound, to lodge a complaint.
"But that's not all. That 'Foreign Protection Law' the old man Bern mentioned—no such law exists in the kingdom's legal code. I confirmed it myself."
With those words, several points connected in Elias Ashcroft's mind.
(Someone used the old man Bern to incite the village. And sent those rough men. Both for the same purpose—to extract Seraphina from this village.)
Aleria's voice continued in his thoughts.
'Analysis complete. The old man Bern's behavioral patterns indicate a high probability of external manipulation. No evidence of monetary exchange has been found, but the probability is estimated to be high.'
(Troublesome, but unavoidable. If that's the case—I'll settle everything today.)
Elias Ashcroft pushed himself up from the bed. His body still felt heavy. But not so heavy that he couldn't move.
"I can stand. Let's go to the gathering hall."
Fiona Ashcroft hurried to stop him.
"You're not fully recovered yet. Don't push yourself—"
"I understand. But if I don't go, things will only get more complicated."
With that declaration, Fiona Ashcroft looked troubled for a moment, then nodded slightly.
---
The gathering hall was already filled with villagers. Inside the stone building of Hornberry Village, murmurs rippled like waves. In the center stood Village Chief Doran Haze and the white-bearded old man Bern. When Bern saw Elias Ashcroft and the others enter, his eyes flickered with what looked like agitation.
(That expression—he can't hide it.)
From outside the door, the sound of horse hooves drew near. A procession of multiple carriages and armored soldiers. The moment Elias Ashcroft saw the man leading them, a sharp intake of breath escaped from among the villagers.
"Is that... Lord Kestrel...?"
A cloak of deep green, nearly black. At his waist hung a practical sword, its decoration minimal. Likely in his early forties, sharp eyes held a quiet intelligence in their depths. There was a presence about him—the kind that tightened the very air around him with each step.
It was Victor Kestrel.
Felix stood behind him, maintaining the same flawless posture as when he'd visited the village before.
"It seems this village has been causing quite a disturbance."
His voice was low and calm. Yet that single statement made the gathering hall's atmosphere snap taut.
Bern hurried forward.
"Lord Kestrel! A grave matter has occurred in this village. This family is harboring an elf without permission, breaking the law!"
"The Foreign Protection Law, was it?"
Victor Kestrel's eyes narrowed.
"Yes. A law prohibiting the unlicensed harboring of other races in the village."
"...No such law exists."
The words were quiet. But their weight froze the entire gathering hall.
The color drained from Bern's face.
"Wh-what are you... saying...?"
"I had the records keeper at the lord's office verify it. There is no such provision in the kingdom's legal code. It's a law you fabricated yourself—one that doesn't exist."
The gathering hall stirred. Every villager's gaze turned to Bern at once.
(Now.)
Elias Ashcroft stepped forward.
"That's not all. The day my younger brother was struck with stones, rough men broke into our home. They dropped this."
Toma Ashcroft held up the short sword. Light reflected off the crest on its hilt.
"The Darius Company's crest. I delivered it to the lord's office."
Victor Kestrel nodded quietly.
"We are already pursuing those connected to the Darius Company. Their objective remains unclear, but—they were almost certainly targeting the elf."
His gaze returned to Bern.
"Why did you incite the village? For money?"
Bern's staff began to shake. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
"No, no, I... I was thinking of the village..."
"If you were thinking of the village, you wouldn't have needed to fabricate a law that doesn't exist."
With that statement, Bern's legs gave way. He collapsed where he stood. He couldn't meet anyone's eyes anymore.
(It's over.)
The oppressive authority that had held the villagers in thrall moments before had vanished. Only a trembling old man remained.
The villagers' murmurs gradually subsided. Elias Ashcroft could see Martha looking away uncomfortably.
Victor Kestrel turned to face Elias Ashcroft directly.
"So you're the water channel child."
"Elias Ashcroft."
He answered curtly. Victor Kestrel studied him with those dark eyes for a long moment. It was an appraising gaze.
"...Interesting. The water channel itself, and your handling of this matter—you don't seem like a seven-year-old."
(Is that... a compliment?)
Elias Ashcroft met that gaze directly. He kept his expression flat, revealing nothing.
"I formally recognize this elf girl's protection in this village. Should anyone attempt to incite the village over this matter again, I will handle it personally."
With those words, the atmosphere in the gathering hall shifted decisively. A collective sigh of relief escaped the villagers.
Seraphina instinctively moved closer to Elias Ashcroft's back, her hand gently grasping his sleeve.
"...Is it really over?"
"The troublesome part is."
At those words, Seraphina laughed softly—a mixture of exasperation and relief.
As Victor Kestrel departed, he glanced back at Elias Ashcroft one more time.
"...We'll speak again someday. I'm interested in your inventions."
With that, he and Felix returned to the carriage. The sound of hooves faded into the distance.
(I've caught his attention again. Troublesome, but unavoidable.)
---
On the walk home, the evening light glimmered on the water channel. The same scene as that morning. Yet it felt like the light of something far heavier, something that had been overcome.
Lily Ashcroft walked beside him, deliberately keeping her tone light.
"Big brother's the talk of the whole village again."
"Just troublesome gossip, though."
"But it was cool. Watching that old man Bern just crumble like that—it felt good."
At those words, his mouth relaxed slightly.
When they reached the backyard, the familiar sound of water flowed from the channel's spout. Seraphina extended her fingertips toward it. Touched by the evening sun, small ripples spread quietly outward.
"...Your family is amazing. No one abandoned me."
"Protecting family is the objective. Casting you out would contradict that."
He'd meant it matter-of-factly. But Seraphina seemed to understand what lay beneath those words.
"...You never change the way you say things, do you?"
She said it with her jade-green eyes narrowed. In the glow of the sunset, her hair swayed gently in the breeze.
"...Thank you, Elias."
She'd called his name. It was such a small thing, and yet something deep in his chest warmed.
(This feeling doesn't have a n
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