I who was reincarnated as the shadowy villain with the power to antagonize the nation, worked hard since infancy to avoid the flag of ruin, resulting in an extraordinary magical power that made me the strongest.

‘I think that’s enough for today.’

“……………………”

“Shall we call it a day for now?” Ginko spoke.

A few hours later.

I was lying on the ground like a corpse.

Under Ginko’s guidance, I had been earnestly repeating the kneading and releasing of spell power. ……

To be honest, it was so hard that I almost cried.

How many times did I almost lose consciousness?

But every time I did, Ginko would blackmail me and force me to awaken.

As a result, I couldn’t even faint and had to spend a hellish time.

“Hey, how long do you plan to keep napping?”

“Ugh…”

She patted my cheeks several times.

“Honestly, you’re such a weakling.”

“I’m only three years old, you know.”

I wasn’t lying. Despite having an adult’s mind, my body was that of a three-year-old.

“Hmph, well, I suppose that’ll do for today. But are you sure about this? Your mother will be waking up soon.”

“…You’re right. This might be bad.”

Oh yeah, I remembered. My mother had told me to “stay absolutely still for a while” because I had lost consciousness during the ritual.

I was undoubtedly going to get scolded if I didn’t hurry. I had woken up early to avoid getting caught, but now it seemed like all my efforts were in vain.

For now, I needed to rush back to my room. As I attempted to sit up, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the aches that seemed to encroach upon my entire body, as if I had been struck by lightning. Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Ouch!”

“Don’t be so dramatic. Well, I suppose I might’ve overdone it a bit.”

According to Ginko, the pain I was experiencing was a result of forcibly releasing the “chains” placed all over my body by “Shiden” when I unconsciously wielded it.

— “Shiden.”

After Ginko sliced through the clouds, she explained the details of this spell to me.

There were two things “Shiden” could do:

The first was enveloping oneself with Shiden, which unlocked the potential ability to release the “chains” placed on the body. This power was called “Sozuka,” allowing the unrestricted control of these chains. The “chains” were unconscious restrictions placed on the body, and removing them allowed individuals to unleash their full potential, often referred to as superhuman strength.

However, normally these chains were placed for a reason, as the body couldn’t withstand the associated stress. Forcibly removing them resulted in the agonizing pain I was feeling.

Therefore, “Sozuka” allowed one to adjust the percentage of release with their own abilities to avoid severe pain. But this time, Ginko had gone overboard.

The second ability was transferring Shiden to physical objects, which was called “Jorai.” As Ginko demonstrated earlier, it involved infusing Shiden into objects like swords and then releasing it. The performance of “Jorai” significantly depended on the amount of magic power and output that could be imbued into the object.

With his exceptional talent for magic power and output, it could be said that this was the ultimate spell for Tenji.

“Well, no matter what they say, it doesn’t concern me,” Ginko said dismissively.

With those words, Ginko hopped onto the veranda and headed towards the room.

“Wait up!” I shouted as I struggled to get up and dragged myself after her.

“Next, we’ll move on to swordsmanship and martial arts training,” Ginko announced.

That night, I found myself in a pure white space without realizing how I got there. In front of me, Ginko stood in human form, holding a large sword.

“Um, where are we?”

“In the realm of consciousness, in simple terms, it’s a dream world.”

“I see…”

No wonder I felt so light, and I couldn’t feel any pain in this dream.

“Now, let’s get started,” Ginko said as she handed me a large sword identical to hers.

“Alright…”

Not knowing how to hold the sword, I clumsily imitated Ginko’s stance.

Seeing me like that, Ginko couldn’t help but smile.

“When do you think people break out of their shells and grow?”

In an instant, Ginko’s figure disappeared.

Suddenly, I felt a killing intent from behind.

“The answer is when they feel death close by.”

My head was severed, and my entire headless body was reflected in my vision.

My consciousness was split, and…

“Haah!?”

I woke up abruptly.

In the white-dominated space, Ginko’s voice, with a hint of sadism, still lingered.

“Come on, if you don’t do it like your life depends on it, you’ll die again.”

Once more, a silver flash flashed before my eyes.

And so, my days of hell continued.

I would wake up in the morning, meditate, and practice magic power refinement. At night, under Ginko’s guidance, I would relentlessly swing my sword and engage in sparring.

Ginko, who would come to kill me with a smile on her face, had become a permanent trauma.

As I continued with this life, I unknowingly turned four years old.