I Reincarnated Into A Single-Celled Organism!

With the morning light, my eyes flickered open. I didn’t sleep, but I could shut down certain bodily activities when it suited me. My brain continued to remain lucid, and should a sentinel alert me to a problem, or if someone approached me in my room, I’d be aware. I decided to remain in an unconscious state just in case I was being watched. I didn’t want to give Lady Giselle any doubts that she was able to fool me.

I also became all too aware that my understanding of this world was narrow. For example, my heightened senses didn’t detect anyone spying on me, but my unfamiliarity with such spy techniques, I had no doubt there were ways I could be observed without my knowledge. After all, my sentinels I thought were foolproof had also been seen through by those with high enough talent. If I chose to try to depend solely on my evolutionary status, I’d find myself continually being caught by surprise.

For example, while I was pretending to sleep, I had chemically analyzed the amnesia pill that Lady Giselle had forced me to swallow. After analyzing it and comparing it to the information I had studied on alchemy, I was confident that it was completely effective. Had I not put it in my Luminal Space, even I might have found my memories foggy, come morning. Had I allowed my hubris to let me swallow it under the presumption that nothing could hurt me, I might have seriously lost those memories.

Just thinking about it made me sweat. Ultimately, it all had to do with magic. My mana utilization was simply too low. Anyone with a greater amount of mana could bully me in that department. Having a high-strength status meant nothing when it was a magical attack on the mind. Had I not just recently studied all of those botany books, even my chemical analysis of the pill might have failed. It was only because I had a better understanding of mythic plants that I was able to determine just how spectacular the amnesia pill was. As for recreating it, I currently didn’t have the ability, which was humbling to admit.

“Master, how many times must I tell you, if you sleep out here, you will get a cold!” The door slid open, and the familiar maid stepped out.

I had been left on the balcony of my abode. That meant that whoever brought me home had managed to sneak into the Capala household and also knew where I lived with enough accuracy to drop me off on my porch. The only reason I didn’t wake up in my bedroom was because the maid was already sleeping in my bed. I had offered her the bed the previous night, and with me gone and not delivering on her bedroom as promised, she must have slept there again.

“How did I get here, maid?” I asked out loud while grabbing my head to sell the story.

“My name is Priscilla, Master,” she responded, putting her hands on her hips and looking at me unhappily. “And you must have gone out drinking last night. Was the exam so rough that you needed to go galivanting around the city? The young miss even sent her maid to check on you last night, and I had to tell her you never came home! You shouldn’t make the young miss worry like that!”

“I bet…” I groaned, sitting up like I had a headache. “I believe I owe you a room, right?”

Her face turned a bit red. “You don’t owe me anything. I work for the Capala family, after all. As long as you don’t do anything to embarrass the Capala family, then I have nothing to complain about.”

As if her words were a call, a person came storming up the path toward my cottage. It was Steward Pierre. He had a furious expression on his face, and his eyes were locked on the balcony where I was having my breakfast. He stopped at the foot of the cottage and glanced up at me.

“The Capala family demands your presence immediately.”

“Abigail wants me?” I asked innocently.

“Hmph, while you were roving about last night, things in the Capala household have changed.” A dark glint of self-satisfaction appeared on his face.

I glanced at the maid, but she looked as confused as me. Even if I stayed the whole day away, I couldn’t seem to avoid trouble. I let out a soft sigh. I was hoping that joining a family would lead to less trouble, but it seemed like joining a family could only protect you so much. You couldn’t avoid the internal conflicts of the family themselves, no matter who you joined.

“I’ll be right down.” I stood up and headed back into my room.

Priscilla already had my clothing laid out. She provided me with a wash basin with warm water. Although I probably could clean myself at a microbial level and control my scent, after spending my purgatory years living in a pond, something was refreshing about cleaning myself with water. She helped me dress afterwards.

“There,” she stated as she helped me comb my hair. “Now, you’ll have a chance while facing the Capala household.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That almost sounds like you’re on my side.”

“Master, I am your servant. I’ve already said unless you…”

“Yes, yes… unless I harm the Capala family,” I cut her off. “But which Capala family do I protect?”

She blinked, a confused look on her face. It must’ve been nice to keep one’s thoughts so simple. I reached out and patted her head.

“Sir…” She looked embarrassed.

“I hope you never change,” I told her before turning away and heading outside.

Pierre was waiting for me. As soon as we met eyes, he snorted and started to lead the way.

“What has happened since yesterday?” I asked as we headed for the main building. “Is her uncle causing more trouble?”

“You dare speak ill of Master Baron? If it wasn’t for his assistance, this branch would have already been crippled when the old branch family died,” he snapped.

“That reminds me, how did this branch reach its current state? I mean, why was Abigail sent here, and who came before her? I looked through the library and it was notably lacking in current events.”

Pierre paused for a second, and then he let out a calming breath. “It was a tragedy. My former master, his wife, and their son formerly occupied this estate. The wife was only a second cousin, so there was no direct bloodline to the main branch. Master got his position by skill and tenacity. It paid off, as their son had a unique mutation though. He was going to be brought into the main family and personally trained in the capital.”

He stopped, his eyes looking somewhat distant.

“What happened?”

“He grew ill. It was a wasting illness. They brought in various doctors and botanists, but no one could figure out what was wrong. The boy grew weaker and weaker, and Master and his wife did everything possible to save their son. Some of these things betrayed the Capala family. The family punished them severely. Someone was sent to manage the fields in their absence, but they were corrupt. If Master Baron hadn’t discovered that corruption, there would likely be nothing left of this branch.

“Where were you when all this corruption was going on?” I asked.

He glared at me. “I wasn’t a part of it! I used to be the stable master. It was Abigail who promoted me to steward, a favor I will never forget!”

“Okay, I believe you!” I responded, and he glowered.

I suspected his story was the true public story put out. He had no reason to lie to me about information that was otherwise publicly available. Although, while I said public, commoners seemed to know nothing about the ongoings within the families. To them, faces changed, but other than those popularized during tournaments, the average commoner would know nothing. Being part of a paragon family did change one’s perspective on things.

However, I was suspicious of many parts of this story as well. An up-and-coming prodigy suddenly becoming ill? A loyal family being dragged into destruction? If that didn’t have conspiracy written all over it, I didn’t know what did. If every family was buried in just as many conspiracies, how was I ever going to sort out the ones that led to Mara’s family demise? Even Abigail was trying to figure out the death of her parents, and now there is another conspiracy involving Abigail’s uncle. I suspected both were related to him, but I had no proof of that.

Pierre stopped in front of a set of double doors. This was their receiving hall, the place I had been escorted to the first time Mara and I came to the Capala household. However, this time, there were nearly a half dozen guards in front of it, and rather than old or haggard, they appeared strong and youthful. Some of them even looked me up and down challengingly. It was a completely different atmosphere from the sleepy feeling before.

Pierre looked hesitant for a moment before he leaned close. “Prepare yourself. You’ll be dealing with the young master of the main family. He is next in line to function as head of the Capala household, and whatever he says has a great deal of weight! Be on your best behavior.”

It appeared like I had already caught the attention of those at the top.