I Refused To Be Reincarnated

"Who's next?"

Adam turned, anger rumbling in his eyes like an erupting volcano. Each time he glared at the two teachers—no, the two bastards—a surge of reproach crashed over him.

They had been there, plotting in plain sight against Julius and in his naivety, he believed Alexander had no ulterior motives.

'What a fool I am.'

Indeed, a fool who trusted that Shepard, who couldn't even manage his city-state properly, would have checked their backgrounds extensively. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.

'Let it be a lesson not to trust others blindly because of their strength or position.'

Like a bucket of icy water, Alexander's solemn voice broke his thought process as his determination firmed in his mind.

"I don't want to fight you. Reynard is my captive, and Nathan is useless," the adept said, pointing at the two men before continuing. "You win."

Despite his pessimistic analysis of Adam, he had to admit that witnessing his elemental mastery sent a jolt course through him. After all, it was incredible for someone to wield three of the most potent rare affinities. Even Reynard stood on the ground, his mouth opening and closing in utter confusion.

Truthfully, if he weren't a ghost... or a puppet now? Anyway, he would have considered helping him in overthrowing Thorian and crowning him king. Yet, a ruler must have descendants, something Adam's state wouldn't allow. It was an iron-clad rule in his vision of the ideal kingdom of Belloria.

'What a shame.' Your next chapter is on empire

A heavy silence lingered in the air as he gazed at Adam, waiting for his answer.

"You already betrayed our trust once. I won't believe you!" Adam said, his brows twitching in frustration.

Without wasting time on useless blabbers, his blades glinted above the luminous magic circle as he stepped forward to end the three venomous vipers who dared kidnap his brother.

However, he froze in his tracks as Alexander's next statement sent a wave of realisation crashing over him.

"Think about it. How can I betray you if I wasn't on your side?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Noticing the impact his words had and that Adam seemed more prone to dialogue rather than senseless killing, he continued.

"It's time to reveal my goal. I've been observing the both of you to assess your worthiness as Bellorian citizens and drew several conclusions."

His solemn voice reverberated in the room as he raised a finger to emphasise his words.

"The kingdom is doomed with Thorian leading it. I first thought about my family to replace him, but the only candidate was this madman."

He pointed at Nathan, who shrugged, unafraid of the dangerous direction the discussion veered to.

Then, he glanced at the still-frozen Adam, sighing in relief before continuing.

"To avoid my beloved country's collapse, I considered separating our dynasty from the throne. That's when I turned my eyes to Julius. He is a nice boy with great potential, knows how hard life can be for commoners, and has a lot of empathy. After a few years of guidance, I'm sure he'll become an outstanding leader."

Everyone's expression distorted into complex grimaces.

Nathan because he hadn't seen that coming. Just like Reynard, he never considered the ludicrous idea of putting someone who didn't carry the Bellor's blood on the throne. Despite his high intelligence, he couldn't predict what would happen in a fool's head. And that's how he saw this uncle of his now: a total fool.

Meanwhile, Reynard's brain failed to register the words for a moment, hearing sizzling noises instead. Then his eyes enlarged, and his fists tightened as he opened his mouth to yell.

"Crazy dog! You want to destroy an eight-hundred-year dynasty because you don't like the current rulers?"

Alexander gazed at his cousin, shrugging and forcing his mouth shut.

"There won't be a next ruler if the country collapses under this current one's reign."

Then he turned back towards Adam, his lips stretching into a genuine smile and his eyes burning in righteousness.

"You know everything now. With Gabriel dead, I can inherit his faction's leadership and plan for the uprising."

He outstretched his hand, letting the silence linger for a second before adding.

"Leave your suspicion in the past and join me. We'll rebuild this ruin into a magnificent country together."

Stunned by the sudden offer and unable to verify Alexander's claims, Adam stood rooted, his soul shuddering and his mind racing at maximum speed.

'Is he crazy?'

Despite his struggles to understand Alexander's words, his mind refused to process them. Since when did people select king candidates like that? Julius was just a poor commoner. He had helped him become a noble, sure. But still, there must be other nobles to consider.

Anyway, that wasn't even the problem. Why would Julius wage war to claim the throne in the first place? They lived well in the college and could probably stay there for at least ten years. And he didn't want to think about how stressful the boy's existence would become.

He had seen it through Prometheus' memories: rulership was a crushing burden. Each day was a battle to offer the citizens a better and safer life.

'It's even worse than becoming a hero!'

No, he wouldn't accept it! How would they explore the world if the boy stood behind a desk to manage the country daily? Anyway, why was he thinking so much? It's not like he would forgive Alexander just because he had grand ambitions. Yet, killing the adept wouldn't bring him anything, either.

After a moment of pondering, his lips stretched into a grin, and greed flashed in his eyes as he spoke.

"You can ask Julius about this boring stuff. Instead, how do you plan to make me forgive you?"

Alexander's mind reeled in shock this time. Was a country's crown not enough? Even if he wouldn't wear it personally, he would hold eminent authority as the king's brother.

Icy sweat dripped from his forehead as his mind raced for a solution. A direct confrontation would strain any possible cooperation, and since Adam was willing to negotiate, refusing would only break the noble image he had built.