A loud cry echoed through the small room, breaking the quiet that followed the birth. The mother held the baby close to her chest, her hands trembling slightly as she looked down at him. Tears rolled down her cheeks, yet a gentle smile rested on her face. The baby had silver-white hair, soft and thin, and his eyes carried a faint golden shine as he cried with all his strength.
Three women stood beside the bed, watching the child with warm smiles. One of them laughed softly and said the boy had inherited his father's hair color. Another nodded in agreement, adding that his facial features looked just like his mother's. Their voices were filled with happiness and relief.
Suddenly, one of the women rushed to the door and opened it wide. "Congratulations!" she said cheerfully. "You've been blessed with a boy." The man standing outside froze for a moment before tears filled his eyes. He hurried inside, his silver-white hair matching the child's, and stopped beside the bed. Seeing his crying son in his wife's arms, his heart softened.
The mother looked up at him and smiled. "Hold him," she said quietly.
The father carefully took the baby into his arms and began making strange, playful faces to calm him down. Slowly, the crying grew softer. Still holding the child, he turned to his wife and asked, "What should we name him, dear?"
Without hesitation, she replied with a warm smile, "Alan."
And so, in that simple room filled with love, Alan's story began.
——
Two years later…
A small boy lay sprawled on a wooden bed, staring blankly at the low ceiling.
So… I'm Alan now.
After living an awful, tiring life back on Earth, I had reincarnated into a fantasy world. That part was great. Amazing, even. Magic, swords, nobles, status—everything I had read about in novels.
But then came the reality.
Why the FUCK am I still broke?
Seriously. Why is it that whenever people reincarnate, they become villainous nobles, young masters of powerful families, or heirs to massive fortunes? I've read tons of novels. Tons. And yet here I am—a nobody kid from a nobody family living in the backwaters of who-knows-where.
This sucks. Badly.
When I turned one, memories of my past life slowly returned through strange, broken dreams. I was excited at first, dreaming about living like a noble, enjoying status, power, and luxury. Instead, I woke up every day in the same small house, listening to the wind creak through old wooden walls.
Still… it wasn't all bad.
At least, this time, I had parents who truly loved me.
Unlike before.
Creak… creak…
The door slowly opened, pulling me out of my thoughts.
A woman stepped inside. She had golden eyes and soft blonde hair that fell past her shoulders. Her features were gentle yet striking—honestly, she could easily rival any top actress from Earth. No exaggeration.
This was my mother, Silva.
To this day, I still didn't understand how my father managed to marry her. That man was seriously lucky.
"Ohh, my boy," she said warmly as she walked closer. "Are you hungry? Were you missing mumma?"
I decided to answer the only way a two-year-old should.
"Yesh… waaahhh!"
Yeah. I hated acting like a child despite having an adult mind, but I didn't want to steal the joy of watching their child grow from my parents. They deserved this happiness.
"Awaaah… food… mu-mma."
She froze for a moment.
"Oh my!" her eyes widened, then sparkled. "You called me mumma?"
She hugged me gently, clearly overjoyed. "Your dad will be so jealous when he finds out you said 'mumma' first."
Worth it.
Anyway, my father's name is Jonathan. He's tall, broad-shouldered, and has a strong build. At first glance, people often mistake him for a knight or a mercenary.
Couldn't be further from the truth.
The man is a complete softy. He can't even hurt animals. Giving him a sword would be a crime against common sense.
Instead, he's a small-time merchant. Not rich, not powerful—just enough to get by.
Surprisingly, both my parents are young. My father is twenty-four, and my mother is only twenty-three. Honestly, I have no idea why they decided to have a child so early, especially when our financial situation isn't exactly great.
Then again… maybe they just wanted a child.
As I lay there in my mother's arms, listening to her gentle voice, one thing became clear.
I might have reincarnated poor.
But this time… I wasn't alone.
And for now, that was enough.
——
As the sun slowly set, I rested on my mother's lap and stared out the window, watching the streets below. Every time I did this, the same thought hit me again and again.
Yep. I'm really in another world.
The streets were crowded, filled with people moving about their lives. There were no electric lights like on Earth. Instead, soft glowing lamps lit the roads, their light powered by magic. It still felt strange to see something so normal here, yet so impossible back home.
We lived on the third floor of a public apartment-type building, rented of course. This area was known as the backwaters, and just a short distance away were the slums. Anyone could guess our family's situation from that alone.
My father usually came home late at night, exhausted after a long day of work. Even though both my parents always smiled in front of me, I could see the stress they tried to hide. Being poor was miserable in any world—it didn't change just because magic existed. Recently, my father had managed to secure a contract from a noble, but instead of easing things, it only increased his workload.
As I watched the streets below, the environment didn't look safe at all. Thugs loitered in corners, thieves blended into the crowds, and shady deals happened in plain sight. Maybe that was why my father worked so hard—he wanted to get us out of this place.
Still, despite everything, our small family lived together, struggling but happy in our own way, slowly trying to climb up one step at a time.
But I wasn't satisfied with just this.
In this world… I will rise in status.
"Oh?" my mother's gentle voice broke my thoughts. "Did you fall asleep just watching the streets? You're mumma's good boy."
…Damn it.
This body really gets sleepy way too easily.