Jobless Reincarnation: The King with a Mental Problem

On the way back to Bouyena village

[Rudy's Perspective]

My older brother's face looked rather grim ever since he left the meeting room with those important figures...

He said he wanted to go home...

So now my older brother and I are riding in a horse-drawn carriage home.

I was driving the horses ahead, while my older brother lay on the plank behind him, hands behind his head, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, staring at the sky. We didn't exchange a single word the entire way...

Honestly...

The atmosphere is really weird...

Has my older brother really become a melancholy prince?

He was supposed to go home, but he didn't look happy at all...

This is nothing like the feeling of brothers reuniting that I had imagined...

He looked completely unfamiliar...

Okay, at first he seemed quite familiar with me when he played pranks on me, and I could guess that he would definitely be furious about the birthday present I gave him and then beat me up.

I just never expected the retribution to come so quickly...

And I just celebrated Alice's tenth birthday yesterday, and I think I even made a promise with Alice... that we'd meet when she turns fifteen...

Something good just happened, but I can't feel happy about it.

My older brother is different now...

I've thought about what will happen when we meet again, and what he will be like.

He'll probably become a bit stronger and look a bit more handsome, but overall he'll still be that childish older brother who loves to tease people and says some cringey things...

only......

Although he still loves playing pranks, something has changed...

Moreover, his power is somewhat exaggerated...

I roughly know how strong Gilead is, so strong that I can't even see the limits, so I can roughly deduce what level it would take to defeat Gilead with one hand...

That's not just a little impressive, that's power from another dimension...

The eldest brother is still the same eldest brother...

But the things he did, the power he possessed, the things he thought about, and even the expression on his face—he and I no longer seemed to be from the same world...

I don't know how to respond to this new version of the older brother.

The old approach seemed frivolous, the serious approach seemed distant, and the silent approach seemed aloof.

Suddenly, all my communication options with him have become...inappropriate...

Originally, the two of us could have ridden one horse, which would have been faster, but in the end, my older brother chose a wooden cart.

He was the one who said he wanted to go home, but there's something about him that seems to be afraid of...

So you want to get home more slowly?

I......

There are still things I want to say to him...

For example, Gilead, Alice, and I would fight crime together in Roja City, eliminating gangs...

For example, Noren is almost two years old; she's very cute and sensible...

For example... Senis always complains that her brother only sends gifts home but never writes letters...

For example... Paul really should repent and start anew...

My brother had only been gone for a month when I received my first paycheck and couldn't wait to go back to Buena village. It was the first time I had ever earned money, and I didn't know what gift to buy for my parents, so I just took the money back with me.

And I want to talk to Paul...

Back then, whenever Paul mentioned his older brother, he would look completely lost, but he would put on a brave face in front of Senis.

Paul and my older brother are both people I respect... I want to try and mend the relationship between them...

So I told Paul about my brother's dream, gave him some direction, and also said that I wanted to become someone like my brother and father...

Paul was incredibly excited at the time...

But at the time, I was just taking advantage of Paul's conscience, sense of responsibility, and guilt...

Because any father, upon hearing that his child wants to be a role model, will naturally hold himself to even higher standards, and Paul was that kind of father...

Even though I lied, it's not a big deal, as long as the result is good.

Paul did indeed bounce back.

He's really changed these past two years. He practices swordsmanship more diligently, earnestly teaches the village militia how to deal with monsters, and strives to be the perfect knight. He's also more willing to help anyone in need...

According to the plan, once the older brother sees the change in Paul, maybe...

But......

But now I dare not speak...

My older brother is deep in thought again, looking melancholy, and I'm afraid of disturbing his train of thought...

When they were having a meeting in the conference room, Alice and I hid outside and tried to eavesdrop.

Although I don't know exactly what they talked about, the silver-haired man in their conversation was none other than Ankylosaurus, one of the legendary three heroes—a character from the fairy tales my brother told me when I was a kid...

Even Shaolus and Philip treated him with utmost respect, but his older brother seemed to be his equal. He also valued his older brother highly. Unlike me, who flaunted some insignificant knowledge of my past life to Alice and Kyrie, his older brother's words were taken seriously by those important figures...

And then there's Alucard, who, despite his seemingly clumsy appearance, already has a reputation for being a divinely crafted weapon, though it feels more like boasting...

After the meeting, they all wore solemn expressions...

Therefore, the matters they handle in their meetings must be very important, clearly more important than my daily routines...

His time, energy, and attention are more valuable than mine...

So if I use something trivial to occupy his attention, it would be a waste.

Compared to his transformation, what I've done in the past two years...

The man didn't explain anything to me; he just continued lying on the cart, looking at the sky. If he felt it necessary, he probably would have explained it to me himself...

After a long time, we finally arrived at our brother's doorstep.

only......

My older brother...

How can someone instantly transform into a different person?

"Mom! I'm home!"

[Trevor's Perspective]

To be honest, the closer I get to the village, the faster my heart beats. I have too many masks to wear these days, and I don't know which one to wear when I face Paul and Senis.

They hadn't even made the decision when they got to their doorstep.

But before I could make a decision, my body cried out on its own...

Ugh......

Garlic bird, garlic bird...

All I want right now is a hug from Senis.

But even after pushing open the courtyard gate, no one responded...

"Father and Mother are probably not home. Father has been busy being a knight every day lately, and Mother is probably at the clinic and hasn't come back yet. Meow~"

"Hmm... that should be it..."

I feel inexplicably lost...

My good little brother led the carriage to find a place to stop, while I simply pushed open the door of the house, intending to lie down on the sofa for a while first.

Since Senis isn't home, should we go to the clinic to find her?

Should we prepare the meal in advance and wait for her to come back?

Um......

Let's rest first and then cook. She'll be exhausted when she gets home, and she'll be even happier to see the food ready.

But just as I was lying on the sofa, I heard a sound—a sobbing sound.

It came from under the coffee table!

There are rats!?

Oh shit!

Watch as I, the King, annihilate you!

The Shadow King is the nemesis of that evil rat!

I jumped up and climbed onto the coffee table like a toad, then poked my head out from above, while in my other hand I was ready to use compressed air to eliminate the mouse with a "Bang!"

But......

What I saw was not a little mouse...

No, you could call it a rat, since it's Grellatt...

What I saw was a little girl with beautiful blonde hair like Senis, but for some reason she was filthy. She was lying under the coffee table, covering her mouth, and tears looked like they were about to fall at any moment.

After exchanging a glance with me, she could no longer hold back and burst into tears, running out of the house with her short little legs!

"Dad! Mom! A bad guy has broken into the house!"

[After a short period of time]

Rudy held the adorable little Norren and comforted her for a while before finally stopping her from crying out loud.

It seems Rudy goes home often, which is why he's quite familiar with Norman.

Yes. That's more like it. It's only a day's journey from Roya City at most, yet they're making it sound like they haven't seen each other for years. Any excuse is just a ridiculous pretext!

"Noren, this is the older brother I told you about, the one who always sends you gifts~"

Little Nuonuo blew her nose, then rubbed her face with her inexplicably dark and messy hands, making her face look like a big, messy cat.

They look even more pitiful...

What's going on? Did this little guy go to dig for coal?

He's so dirty, Senis will be devastated when she sees him, right?

After all, Lilia isn't helping with the laundry anymore...

And what's going on? How did Senis and Paul, these amazing parents, just leave their child home alone like that?

Is your heart still that big?

"Are you... Santa Claus?"

"Huh? Why is it Santa Claus?"

"Because my second brother said that you always send gifts to everyone, just like Santa Claus."

"Oh, I see. So I am indeed the elder brother of Christmas."

"Then why aren't you dressed entirely in red?"

"Hmm...do you know why Santa Claus always wears all red?"

Cute little Norren shook his head.

"That's because the red color was stained with blood!"

"Huh? Why?"

"Because Santa Claus is actually the ruthless and vicious Crimson Demon King, who is hiding in the world of shadows."

"But my second brother said... Santa Claus is... a good person who brings presents to every child..."

"Yes, but only half right, because Santa Claus doesn't bring presents to every child, does he?"

"Yes, they said it's only for well-behaved children."

"That's right, but who exactly is the good child? That standard is entirely up to Santa Claus himself, and that's what makes Santa Claus cruel."

Imagine how desperate those kids who thought they were good children must be when they woke up the next day and didn't receive a gift.

The red on Santa Claus represents the blood flowing from the hearts of those children who were overcome with despair!

"That's so mean! But... then... brother... why are you dressed all in black?"

"Because if it's black, the blood won't be visible when it's stained."

"...Santa Claus...so cool~"

Although little Norren's face was dark, his eyes lit up when he looked at me!

She reached out her arms, wanting me to hug her, and of course I wouldn't mind my slightly dirty little sister, so I pulled her into my arms!

But to be honest, I'm a little jealous...

Because Norren should only be about two months older than Aisha, right?

Why does Norlen speak so fluently?

Although I know that there are precocious white people in other worlds, this is just too much...

But my genius little Aisha can only gurgle and coo...

Is it my fault?

"Noren, why are you all dirty?"

Rudy asked on my behalf, well, actually I wanted to know too.

"Dad said Santa Claus comes in through the chimney, but the chimney was too dirty, so he made me... clean it up. That way, Santa Claus will bring me presents tonight. Dad wasn't lying! Santa Claus really did come! But... I used so much effort to clean the chimney, why didn't he come through the chimney?"

The Lord of Shadows is enraged!

The Sorcerer King is furious!

As dusk fell, the Buena brothers stood at the door waiting for Paul to come home!

......

Next chapter—No regrets for killing my father!