.｡.:✧ Chapter 1 ✧:.｡.

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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I was reincarnated.

And without any trouble, I lived well for nearly 20 years.

In fact, there was a reason for that. The full name of my reincarnated self was Rudrick Weiss. In this medieval fantasy era, commoners were mostly called things like Undertown Charles or Hunter Bill. However, I had the surname Weiss and was mainly called Young Master Rudrick.

If you’ve come this far, you probably have a rough idea of what’s going on, don’t you?

I was the eldest son and heir of the Weiss Count, Rudrick Weiss.

That was my status after being reincarnated.

But someone might ask, “Isn’t the term ‘heir’ usually used for daughters?” To which I could boldly answer:

“Why, you ask? Because this world is strange. What’s wrong with that?”

Men do physical labor. Men are physically stronger than women, and society naturally has certain sexual roles it expects men to fulfill. These roles have been passed down since primitive times. For example, men hunt while women gather fruits instead, and so on.

This principle, which one would naturally come to understand from birth, was completely reversed in this world.

In this world, which seemed to be a jumbled mix of the medieval, Renaissance, Rococo, and who knows what other eras, it was common for men to do household chores. Women were stronger than men, and it wasn’t strange for a wife to physically abuse her husband after drinking.

If there was someone who created this world, you’d have to wonder if they were a feminist, because gender roles were perfectly reversed here.

Yes.

A gender-reversed world.

The world I was reincarnated into was a distorted one like that.

“The weather is nice again today. What a pointless thing to say.”

I sat up in bed, drew the curtains, and opened the window, letting the sunlight pour in.

My daily routine as a twenty-year-old was ordinary. I practiced magic I had taught myself from studying magic books, and as a noble son, I idled and loafed around without working.

Living without computers, TVs, or smartphones wasn’t easy, but I had adapted, and those things were slowly fading from my memory. My life in this reincarnated world had lasted so long that I was starting to forget the feeling of holding a cell phone.

Of course, this process was accompanied by nagging from my father in this life.

“Rudrick, you’re up?”

“Good morning, Father.”

“Your attire is sloppy as usual… How will you ever find a spouse like that? That’s why you haven’t even gotten engaged at your age.”

No matter how many times I saw it, the sight of a middle-aged man rolling his eyes and nagging was hard to get used to. But he was still my father, even if his actions were exactly like a mother from my previous life.

By now, I had long since overcome such minor dissonances and adapted to this life.

Ignoring my father’s nagging, I hastily retied the drawstring on my baggy pants and went downstairs in my indoor slippers, dragging my feet.

As a former Republic of Korea Army reserve corporal—or more grandly, as someone who had been called a warrior—walking around dragging my slippers was basic etiquette. I let out a small yawn and headed to the dining room on the first floor, where the family’s chefs and servants were already bustling about, carrying dishes.

“Ah, you’re up, Rudrick.”

At the head of the table, a well-dressed middle-aged woman greeted me while holding the daily newspaper delivered from the capital.

Aline Weiss, the Countess.

My mother and the head of the Weiss Count’s household.

I simply nodded in greeting to my mother, who was adjusting her glasses and reading the newspaper, before taking a seat at the table.

Nobles are often imagined to have a stiff and heavy atmosphere, but at least our family didn’t have that. My mother wasn’t particularly stern, and my father was close to the epitome of what this world called a “virtuous wife.”

Our territory was situated in a rural corner of the western empire, far from the kind of noble gossip and rumors of illegitimate children that commoners loved to consume. We might have been independent landed nobles and high-ranking counts, but in reality, we had less power than a strong baron who had made it into the central government.

In other words, we lived a prosperous life without want, but we couldn’t indulge in wealth and glory either.

That was the current state of the Weiss County.

“Look at this, Rudrick.”

“Yes?”

“Your sister made it into the newspaper. She came in second overall at the academy this time. Haha. I wonder who she takes after to be so gifted.”

“You mean my older sister? Or my younger sister?”

“Your elder sister.”

My mother, who had been reading the newspaper with a smile, handed it to me. In a small corner, there was a brief article about my eldest sister coming in second place at the academy.

Considering her status as the daughter of an unremarkable rural count, this was a great achievement for the entire Weiss County.

With a satisfied smile, my mother spoke up.

“This calls for a festival with all the residents of our territory. What a joyous occasion, a joyous occasion indeed.”

“You know I find such things bothersome, Mother.”

“Hmph.”

At the mention of a festival, I instinctively tried to back out, prompting my mother to frown.

…Truth be told, I hadn’t seen my elder or younger sister’s face in about 10 years since they went to the capital at a young age to enroll in the academy. Aside from their childhood appearances, I could hardly remember them anymore.

I saw my mother and father’s faces every day, but even they were slowly fading from my sense of family.

I shook my head in resignation, the gesture of surrender. Just as all the dishes were served, I began my breakfast.

Our modestly sized manor only housed my mother, father, and myself, since my two sisters had gone to the capital. Like the lord of the Weiss household, my father began nagging as soon as he returned from inspecting the second floor, before he had even picked up his fork and knife.

“So when do you plan to get engaged? I’d like to see my grandchildren sooner or later.”

“…Maybe someday? If I find a good person.”

“All my children are reaching that age without getting married…”

At my vague response, my father clicked his tongue. Although she didn’t show it, my mother seemed to agree with him.

In this world where child marriage was rampant, twenty years old was already well past marriageable age. Considering that my younger sister, who was two years older than me, and my elder sister, three years my senior, were still in their early twenties, they would be considered old maids who had missed their chance in this world. It really was a strange world, in a way.

But I had no intention of marrying quickly.

If I got married in this gender-reversed world, I’d probably end up following the same life path as my father. I’d get engaged to a suitable noble girl from around our territory, get married, and when my wife inherited her household, I’d become the lord’s husband of that household.

Just imagining it was dreadful…

As someone who still couldn’t let go of my 21st century modern mindset, that kind of life didn’t appeal to me at all.

Rather, I’d prefer to enroll at the magic tower and further deepen my study of magic, or perhaps live freely as an adventurer.

I’m not sure if I have a talent for magic, but so far I’ve been able to learn it well through self-study without any roadblocks. Still, studying magic systematically at the tower would probably be helpful.

“Dear, that’s enough of that. Rudrick must have his own thoughts on the matter.”

“But Rudrick is already twenty years old. Do you want to see our son miss his marriageable years and fail to get married properly?”

“…Ahem. I’ll look into some good prospects.”

My mother, who had tried to put a stop to the relentless nagging, immediately raised the white flag in the face of my father’s sharp retort.

…Being henpecked is the same in this life as it was in my previous one.

Of course, before I could dwell on that thought any further, my father’s nagging turned its aim back to me.

In any case, I somehow managed to finish breakfast and return to my room.

“…His nagging keeps getting worse and worse.”

After closing the door to my room, I let out a sigh of exasperation.

It started with whether I intended to get married, then moved on to how my noble conduct was unbecoming, how sloppy my attire was, and covered every kind of nagging imaginable. His nagging had been getting progressively worse lately.

But I had no intention of getting married… And in this situation, if I asked to be sent to the magic tower, I might actually get kicked out of the house…

*Sigh* What can I do? It’s all because this world’s gender norms are strangely reversed, so there’s no helping it.

If the nagging gets a little worse, I might have to seriously consider the option of running away to the magic tower in the capital.

Forcing myself into an arranged engagement could also be a solution.

I was pondering the future when, just as I reached for the magic book I had been reading the day before, something happened.

*Ding!*

A strange sound rang in my ears.

“…Huh?”

It was a familiar sound that brought back nostalgic yet long-unheard memories.

It sounded like a game’s sound effect.

– System synchronization complete. Primary heroines will now regress.

– Eileen, the Archduchess, regresses. Eileen becomes aware that she has regressed and is confused.

– Lassiel, the Admiral, regresses. Upon realizing her regression, Lassiel immediately turns the fleet she had just deployed back towards the home port.

– Princess Elena regresses. Elena ponders the past before her regression as she prepares to inspect the Weiss County.

– Sylphia regresses. Aware of her regression, Sylphia abandons the hibernation she was preparing for and immediately begins seeking new amusement.

– Arwen regresses. Recalling the past before her regression, Arwen sheds tears, then pushes open the coffin lid and rises.

“…The fuck is this?”

What the hell is going on? I’m scared.

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