Novice Reincarnator

Life at Cecilia’s mansion was not particularly different from my life back at the dorm. The maids stopped treating me like a guest once it was announced I would be working as one at the end of the week.

I ate meals with Byleth and Cecilia, but I did not see the pair too much other than that. Byleth spent every waking moment next to Cecilia when they were both in the mansion, but the two of them had their own lives to lead and often were out on their own.

While the paperwork for my admission to the academy as Fang was finalized, I spent my time getting to know the people I would be working with and familiarizing myself with the mansion. These days also allowed me to get used to my new body.

My body was unusually warm to the point where I started to sweat if I wore thick clothes. I had taken to dressing in only the academy’s thin white blouse and short shorts. Sadly, my days of covering myself up with a hoodie were over.

My skill, [Ash Demon Princess], remained something of a mystery to me. I did not have an increased urge to use the bathroom like the cursed skill [Weak Bladder] had inflicted on me. I also hadn’t been able to activate any of my skills as a Demon like [Summoning Magic] or [Contract].

When I asked Cecilia if she could have someone appraise the skill to tell me what it did, the appraiser’s [Appraisal III] came back with only [???]. The appraiser couldn’t even see what the name of my skill was. At the very least, I learned that my skill had to be a strong one since it couldn’t be appraised.

Under Byleth’s scary smile, I started wearing a sports bra. I didn’t think I needed one and it made my chest feel hot and stuffy, but the Demon Princess wouldn’t listen to reason and Cecilia turned a deaf ear to my pleading eyes.

Overall, I wasn’t too unhappy with this reincarnation. In fact, I saw a lot of positives once I sat down and thought about it. I had changed from a Demon to a Beastman. Surely, that meant I was getting closer to returning to being a man again.

Additionally, my level cap had doubled and my talent had improved. I had closed the gap between Leah Maxwell and I by one step. Even if I stayed as Ash and fought with my contracted monsters, my low level would have eventually been a fatal handicap that held me back.

It was also a huge plus that my new body wasn’t as girly as Ash’s had been. I wouldn’t be getting any leers from other guys and I didn’t have to deal with all the complications a large chest brought with it.

Monday morning rolled around and I woke up far earlier than usual to get ready for my first day. It didn’t take a lot of preparation to make myself presentable. I grabbed a quick bite of breakfast that the kitchen cooks had whipped up for me and then made my way to the servant quarters that were detached from the main mansion.

One of the newer maids, Tina, was waiting for me in our school’s uniform. A good portion of the employees at the Snowlight mansion either graduated from Saint Mikhail Explorer Academy or they were currently attending it. Many of them were in a similar position that I was. We had all found ourselves without a place to go and were given a place to stay by working for Cecilia.

Tina was already an intermediate explorer, but she volunteered to help me get settled in at the academy. The two of us joined the rest of the staff that had classes early in the morning and walked to the academy in one big group.

We had a pleasant and lively conversation. The staff of the Snowlight mansion were a friendly and talkative bunch as long as they were not within the presence of their employer. They all adored Cecilia and it showed in their voices.

“Cecilia and Byleth are so cute together.”

“You can only say that because you haven’t been working in the Snowlight mansion for long. It was adorable how the shy Beast King’s daughter poked her head out from behind a pillar whenever she thought Cecilia wasn’t looking.”

“Oh yeah? I thought the elf princess was our Empress’ favorite. Those two would read in the library together until dawn every day.”

I had always known that there were countless people that loved Cecilia, but this situation was starting to sound eerily familiar. Curiosity pricked my heart and I spoke up to my new friend.

“How did Cecilia and Byleth meet?”

“The rulers of each territory all sent their daughters to her in the hopes that they might give birth to the next generation of Legendary talents. I wasn’t around during that time, but I heard that everyday was quite hectic.”

Huh? Helen had said that there were five princesses around Cecilia, but there were seven territories. I filed the thought away for now and responded to Tina.

“I see…”

Now that I thought about it, it was like I had ended up running away from the Legendary Hero’s harem to dive straight into the arms of the Legendary Archangel’s harem. Thankfully, Cecilia and I were only friends. I tried my best not to dwell on the fact that Leo and I had only been friends until he asked me out.

We entered the campus together and split up to go to the various teaching facilities. All of the classes taught for beginner explorers were located in the same building. I slipped into a class on explorer basics and a minute later, the lecturer began his talk.

Nobody paid me any extra attention. Explorers were free to come and go as they wished amidst classes and the only grades that mattered were the finals. I took out some pen and paper and took notes.

It was easy to fall into the familiar rhythm that I had lived by for most of my life. Listening to an explorer speak on their experience wasn’t nearly as nerve wracking or stressful as fighting a monster.

Of course, not all lectures were that simple. Some subjects would have us venture into the dungeon and accomplish an assignment, but that was a task for another day.

Life as a student was easy and familiar. If it wasn’t for my changed appearance and the lack of harem hero antics around me, I would have thought I was back in my homeworld as Asta Ashford.

My carefree, leisurely time lasted until I sat down at a cafeteria table and heard what my fellow beginner explorers were chatting about.

“Did you know? It only took a little over a month for the Peeing Demon Princess to go from being helpless in front of a Crystalline Colossus to massacring them.”

“You need to check your facts. Our Demon Princess had only been active as an explorer for two weeks when she slaughtered the Crystalline Caverns. Geez, I was still fighting goblins after two weeks.”

“Pfft. What is the big deal about a girl that pees herself in fright.”

Several explorers next to me grew angry at the young man’s words and pulled out a video of my broadcast that day. Both the girls and the boys sounded really excited when they heard the words Ash said to form a contract.

“I thought I was on team Cecilia for life, but I sold my body and soul to the Ash Demon Princess the moment I heard her tell me to become hers.”

“Unlike those other explorers who succeed because of their high talent and levels, Ash is someone who overcame her fears and crossed the difference of level to win. Haven’t you heard of our instructors using her as a role model these days?”

“My bad, my bad. I really didn't know. I just arrived at the academy recently.”

I just wanted to eat my food in peace, but embarrassing conversations like that were happening everywhere. I didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened if I had shown up to take classes as Ash. I really dodged a bullet by reincarnating as a Beastman.

The afternoon classes were much the same. I made a few friends and was even invited to join an explorer party, but I declined the invitation. Most of my classmates were Rare talented explorers. Even if we were all under level 20, our growth rates and level caps were different.

Not everything was sunshine and rainbows. I was attending an incredibly prestigious academy that new explorers as a tailless Beastman with an Uncommon talent.

Tailless Beastman were already discriminated against by their own race and my lack of talent didn’t help my case. The discontentment and resentment was certainly present in the eyes of several of the other Beastman explorers, but they never acted against me.

If I didn’t have the talent or pedigree to get here, then that meant I had used my connections. In fact, it wasn’t long until the more inquisitive Beastman caught wind that I was seen with Cecilia’s group of maids.

Once that news was spread, the other Beastman began to keep a big distance from me. No one wanted to draw the ire of my backer. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of my torment. I finally began to hear what the students in the cafeteria were talking about when a lecturer brought up that infamous day as an example in his lecture.

“There are no bad skills. I know some of you might doubt me, but even the seemingly most useless skills have their proper uses. Let me give you an example using a popular figure these days. Here is the status of Ash.”

 

Name: Ash

Gender: Female

Race: Demon Princess

Class: Novice

Level: 10/10

Personal Skills (3/3): [Weak Bladder], [Summoning Magic I], [Shadow’s Refuge II]

Racial Skills: [Contract IV], [Mana III], [Health II], [Gluttony]

Class Skills: [Novice]

 

A familiar status appeared on the screen behind the lecturer. He continued on with the ease and experience of a man used to teaching.

My face turned bright red. I knew my status had been found out, but personally seeing my [Weak Bladder] skill exposed to the class was enough to make me want to cry.

“Here is the suspected status of Ash when she fought her first colossus.”

 

Name: Ash

Gender: Female

Race: Hornless Demon

Class: Novice

Level: 10/10

Personal Skills (3/3): [Weak Bladder], [Summoning Magic I], [Shadow’s Refuge I]

Racial Skills: [Contract I]

Class Skills: [Novice]

 

“Now tell me, what skill played the most critical role in Ash’s survival?”

Several hands raised up and students answered one after the other. Most students said [Shadow’s Refuge], the next highest picked option was [Contract], and the last voiced skill was [Summoning Magic].

“Hahaha, I liked hearing your reasoning, but most of you misunderstood my question. I asked about what skill helped Ash survive the fight, not what skill helped Ash win the fight. There is a difference. Let's take a look.”

A familiar scene played out on the screen behind the lecturer. A big breasted little girl had collapsed on her butt in abject terror as a Crystalline Colossus approached her. She shook in horror and was completely defenseless.

The sight of a Crystalline Colossus no longer scared me. What horrified me was the knowledge of what would come next. I wanted to close my eyes but it was no use.

The girl peed herself in fright. A moment later, she woke up and shouted for her companions. The lecturer paused the video as soon as a skeleton popped up wielding a black sword.

“Many of you will find yourself in situations similar to Ash. You will be drastically outmatched and facing all but certain death. When you are frozen in terror, all of your safety measures and carefully laid plans lose their meaning. You can’t respond to anything while you sit there, waiting for your death.”

The lecturer brought my status back up. I wanted to die. If I banged my head over and over against my desk, would that be enough to kill me? Luckily, the rest of the class was too engrossed in what the lecturer was saying to take note of my red face.

“When Ash was paralyzed by fear, it was her [Weak Bladder] skill that kicked in and woke her from her trance. Without that skill, she would not be here today. That is why I firmly believe that the [Weak Bladder] skill played the largest role in her survival and success. There are no weak skills.”

His words were met with a standing ovation and loud cheers. I refused to believe that anyone agreed with this nonsense. [Weak Bladder] was useful? If he liked the skill so much, then he should get it himself. I was certain he would be singing a different tune once he peed himself in the middle of a dungeon exploration in front of thousands of people.

My torture didn’t end there. To several of the lecturers, Ash was a beacon of hope for low leveled explorers. She represented the heights one could reach and how talent wasn’t needed to succeed. Demon Princess Ash had become less of a person and more of a symbol.

It was all ridiculous, but the other beginner explorers in my lectures ate it all up like it was the tastiest thing in the world. I learned a lot from many veteran explorers who shared their stories. I also learned a lot that I didn’t want to know about how the rest of the world reacted to my adventures.

With heavy feet and an even heavier heart, I made my way to one of the biggest reasons I wanted to attend school. There weren’t many in a prestigious school like ours, but White... Cecilia had told me about a club dedicated to exploring the full potential of the Novice class.

I opened the door and gave my greeting.

“Hello, I would like to join the Novice Club.”

My eyes fell on a group of students that were eagerly listening to a demon. I only caught the end of what he was saying. For some reason, he was holding a printed out picture of Ash.

“—And that is why, a girl is most beautiful when she is peeing herself.”

“Sorry, wrong room.”

I shut the door and walked away.