Survival Strategies of a Struggling Aristocrat

Underneath a dark and silent expanse of space that seemed to stretch infinitely, shimmering orbs of light emerged and soared in swirling patterns. These light orbs flickered and twinkled like birds, forming two distinct streams.

These streams had their own characteristics. One was fewer in number but possessed great momentum, while the other had a larger quantity but lacked force. The fewer orbs, propelled with vigor, soared upwards, piercing through the sky before vanishing.

The orbs that lacked the force to pierce the sky began descending midway, falling towards a boundary resembling the surface of the sea and sinking down into the lower depths.

The other stream, overwhelmingly abundant in numbers, scarcely had any orbs that managed to break through the sky. They would start descending without even reaching halfway, falling towards the sea-like boundary and sinking down.

An entity stood there, silently observing this spectacle. It stood in the empty void of space, a place where ordinary creatures could not survive. It was a being known as a transcendent.

The transcendent being, radiating an overwhelming presence and brimming with immense power, compared the two worlds with eyes capable of seeing beyond dimensions.

“The harmony of the worlds has begun to distort,” 

The transcendent examined the stream of glowing orbs known as souls before exhaling a heavy sigh.

“It seems that some intervention is necessary,” 

From the stream that held a greater number of orbs, the transcendent plucked tens of thousands of them. Then, with deliberate precision, the orbs were split in half. The transcendent infused its own energy into the halves, restoring them to their original form.

Through this act, the number of orbs doubled. The transcendent returned half of them to the original stream, while the remaining half was cast into the stream with fewer orbs.

However, these orbs lacked the momentum to ascend to the heavens and soon began their descent, sinking down to the lower depths.

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Masaya Hijiritani, once again, realized that he was experiencing a lucid dream, still the dream felt very vivid.

After returning from work and having dinner, he had watched television to pass the time before going to bed. Yet now, he found himself standing in a place overlooking the sea.

The morning sun was about to emerge from beneath the sea’s surface. The sparkling sight of the crimson-stained sea, radiating a mesmerizing glow, aimed to enchant and draw people into a realm of mystique.

A small boat floating on the water caught his attention. Squinting his eyes, he could make out a man, seemingly a fisherman, rowing the oars with great effort. The boat was so small that it could barely accommodate two people.

Glancing down at his feet, he noticed a tiny crab bravely battling against the waves as it made its way towards the sea. The cries of seagulls reached his ears, and the sea breeze gently brushed his cheeks, carrying the scent of the humble houses that lay behind him.

This was a small town called Beneshof, with a population of about 4,000 people. It was a fishing village ruled by the Baron Briones family.

In the corner of his vision, he caught a glimpse of his younger sister. She, who was five years younger than him raised her voice loudly.

“Dennis, it’s time for breakfast.”

“Got it, Amelia.”

In this dream world, he was known as Dennis von Briones. It seemed that somehow Masaya’s consciousness was connected to Dennis’ consciousness when he dreamed.

It wasn’t like multiple personalities emerging at different times; rather, the knowledge possessed by the two personalities merged, creating the illusion of a new persona being born.

However, in this world, the dominant personality was Dennis, and Masaya’s consciousness assumed the position of a bystander.

This phenomenon began about two months ago. At first, Masaya felt a sense of unease. However, as it repeated every time he had a dream, he started to get used to it.

He shifted his gaze toward Amelia. Despite being of noble birth, she wore simple and worn-out clothes. They were the same clothes their mother had worn as a child. However, her features were refined, and her smiling face seemed to radiate with brightness.

Dennis moved away from the coastline and retraced his steps along the unpaved road, hardened by countless footsteps. Scattered sparsely along the road’s edges were evergreen trees that resembled pine trees.

Within the pine forest stood the fishing huts used by the fishermen. They were constructed with slender logs and planks, giving off an air of simplicity. Inside, fishing tools and everyday items were neatly arranged.

“Hey, big brother. Elma said we’re running low on salt. What should we do?”

Elma served as the head maid in the lord’s mansion.

“Have you informed Father about it?”

Amelia’s cute face contorted in displeasure.

“We should find a way ourselves when it comes to salt.”

If the lord’s family requested salt from a merchant, they would surely provide it without any issues. However, Amelia disliked obtaining it through such means.

“I’ll go buy it,” Dennis offered.

“Thank you.”

Beneshof was a town located on the outskirts of the Zelman Kingdom. To the south lay the sea, where salt, a necessity of life, should have been abundant.

However, the kingdom had imposed restrictions on salt production. Only noble families with notable achievements were granted permission, while others were prohibited from owning salt fields.

To acquire salt, they had no choice but to purchase it from the town’s sole general store or from traveling merchants. And to buy it, they needed money. Dennis had never received any allowance or financial support from his parents.

The lord’s mansion was an old building, showing signs of wear and tear in various places. It was Dennis’ responsibility to handle the repairs. Stepping into the dilapidated mansion, he made his way to the dining room.

The staple food in this country was said to be wheat. There were types of wheat that looked and tasted the same as those consumed in Japan. Not only that, but there were also foods such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, and others that were indistinguishable from what they had in Japan.

Breakfast consisted of the usual hard rye bread and a thin, salty soup. It was a meal that resembled the contents of a common farmer’s plate rather than that of a noble.

There was a reason for this. The Beneshof territory, ruled by the Baron Briones family, had been struck by a massive fire nine years ago. The fields, which were about to be harvested, were also burned, and many of the residents became victims.

Lord Egmont, the ruler of the territory, expended his reserves to aid in the recovery. However, funds quickly depleted, and nine years had passed, leaving behind deep scars and an empty treasury.

So, the Briones family could be said to have no money. They didn’t even have enough funds to give their son an allowance.

After eating a bland breakfast, Dennis stepped outside. He was a sixteen-year-old boy with black hair and amber eyes. Normally, he would be of age to attend school in the royal capital. However, due to the financial difficulties of the Briones family, they couldn’t afford to send their second son to school. Only their eldest son, Gerald, had the opportunity to study in the royal capital and was currently training to become an officer in the city’s royal guards.

In the future, when Lord Egmont retired, Gerald would have to leave the city’s royal guards and return to Beneshof to learn how to manage the estate.

Dennis served as a backup in case something happened to his older brother, Gerald. Normally, he should have received a proper education, so instead, he was allowed to have freedom until the age of eighteen. Well, it was more like he was ordered to study on his own.

He was only taught reading and writing. Therefore, he learned about history, geography, and general knowledge to some extent from the books in the mansion’s study.

However, there were limits to self-study. Due to a lack of fundamental knowledge, Dennis found it difficult to comprehend books beyond general knowledge. But that changed two months ago.

Dennis’s mind connected with the soul of Masaya, a Japanese working adult. Suddenly, knowledge that hadn’t existed in his mind surged forth. It was initially confusing, but as time passed, he grew accustomed to it. Eventually, Dennis became capable of understanding every book in the mansion’s study.

Among those books, there were also writings about a form of magic in this world known as “Mana Art (True Name Art).” Mana (true name) Art involves knowing the true names of beings, principles, and phenomena and using them as a core to manipulate reality.

For Masaya, who lived in a world without magic, it was incredibly fascinating.

While Dennis stood outside, gazing at the scenery, he pondered how to procure the necessary money to buy salt. Two ideas came to mind: exploring a place called a Labyrinth (Dungeon) or hunting lucrative prey in the forest.

“To acquire the necessary funds quickly, the Labyrinth seems to be the best option. After all, both choices come with their fair share of danger,”

At that moment, Dennis made a miscalculation regarding the danger level of the Labyrinth. The information in the records he found in the study stated that the first and second floors of the Labyrinth only contained weak monsters like slimes and bats.

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TN: It is literally translated as True Name Art but its spelling is “Mana” and I think most if not everyone knows what mana is, so just for the sake of translating things as author wants to convey I’m going to keep on using the term Mana, but you keep in mind that it means ‘true name’.