I was Reincarnated as an Ant! Vol.2

Chapter 02 - Hi, am Jan!

I was Reincarnated as an ANT!, Vol. 2
<<Note: Monster Encyclopedia Card has Typos>>

Chapter 02: Hi, am Jan!

I was born in the winter nights, on the half-moonlight of the heavens. My mother always said I was destined for the crown. She was the fourth wife to my father. I hadn't seen him until I was four years old. Young nobles weren't allowed to interact with grown nobles let alone be around them until of age. The time I spent was with my mother and caretakers, who really raised me. Love? That wasn't a noble's deal, we were models for society. I had to learn to mask my emotions and adapt to the reality or else I would be removed from the line. That meant death, which was something a four year old had to learn quick. Nobles weren't weak and they were calculating individuals, always measured other vessels of mana and skill capacity of their peers constantly. The king on the continent didn't bother to care of what things were happening with lesser house nobles. He cared for his kingdom's progress more than anything and this was how I third line Prince grew to understand.

I hated the cold eyes of constant watching that never left me. Everyone feared me yet wanted to use me for something, I had to learn quicker than them and failure was nonexistent or else...I'd be removed from the line. The third wife was unable to have children therefore, my mother having me had made her the third wife shortly. This didn't sit well with the original third wife. She had really loved my father but that wasn't something allowed as nobles, we were crushed with our title's demands. Nobles had power but that also was the crippling part of it. At age 5, I was able to ride a horse with help and even though I enjoyed music, I couldn't enjoy enough to show a weakness. This life was one I didn't want, my mother my sole ally would vow to me that I shouldn't share my thoughts to none but her. She was always one that saw through me. My caretakers, who had raised me knew more, yet they vowed that I shouldn't trust her. Alliance of friends and family wasn't one thing at face value. Everyone was always shifting sides, my friends were merely pawns to their families. The crown was the only choice for me. Yet, upon leaning of my older siblings, two in fact. I'd see how much I paled in comparison, i was reaching what they called a noble's dead end. I wasn't progressing fast enough, even as a prodigy, it wasn't enough to compare. They were so much I couldn't keep up with. Now at 7, conflict of nobles within the lands of my country had resulted in the second Prince killing the first prince. The king was old, he had lived 200ish years now and his skills couldn't prolong his reign on the region. Potions and alchemy was his sole lifeline in this life he had left. So I studied Alchemy to try to be of use.

Only to find myself at odds at with the second prince. This inner conflict of power always caused stress for all those below, lesser nobles below me now had bandwagon on the winning horse leaving me in dire need of positive accounts of deeds to offset the change. Sadly, no matter what feats I could provide or do, the second prince was always 2 steps ahead of me. His mother was something terribly unbeatable to challenge, she was the mastermind of all political games. My mother dying had resulted in me having to flee the mainlands in hopes to resettle myself away from a possible assassination that could very ensue. At age 9, I would return to see the new king crowned. It was my older brother indeed, the king had past and my chance at survival had disappeared, I prayed that everything would simply end. The life I had been born into was one I wished I wasn't. I wanted to live the loving picture of how commoners lived. They had families that cared for each other and didn't bother with nonsense of power politics that I had been groomed into, the more I was thinking about pointless things. The less I saw myself losing the mind games of noble schemes. At age 11, a demon lord would be invited to create peace. Hearing he had wanted the youngest prince as an alliance pact to set the terms. I would flee the nation, after all he was after none other than me, which later upon return, the kingdom was in a war. They were against odds of winning as they fought the demon lord, they still fought a war that only resulted in the end of my kingdom. Retuning to the castle that resided my older brother, I'd see the demon lord, he was terrifyingly powerful, more than anything I had seen, rushing to try and protect the king, only for one of my vessels to use a skill crystal to remove me from the scene.