Just Another Reincarnation

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
After leaving the throne room, the maid led me through a few hallways, and soon after, we arrived in front of what I correctly assumed to be my room. She opened the door and gestured for me to enter.
"Wow," I muttered due to the sheer size of the room.
"Master Arthur's living quarters include a spacious living room, a dining table for six people, an open terrace, a master bedroom, and a servant's quarters where I will be staying in case master needs something," she explained.
"I see," I replied, giving the maid a closer look.
'Hm? She looks familiar, but I can't remember where I saw her...'
She had long oranger hair that turned light green at the ends, a pair of big magenta-colored eyes, a friendly smile, and a shapely yet athletic figure. She seemed to be around twenty years old and 165 cm tall since she was a head taller than me. Her maid uniform consisted of a black dress with white frills and bows and a white apron held by a big white bow on her back. In addition, the dress had a big opening on the chest, showing off her breasts, and only reached the middle of her thigh, showing off her slender legs and the pair of white stockings.
'Maid outfits are the best!' I thought to myself.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"My name is Kiara Takanashi," she replied with a slight bow.
(A/N: So yeah. Please, don't kill me for this.)
"Eh? Isn't that a Japanese surname?" I asked, slightly confused, finally recognizing who the person in front of me was.
"That is indeed the case. One of my ancestors came from Japan, and the surname survived until today," she replied.
"Are you, by any chance, a phoenix?" I inquired.
This time it was her turn to be surprised.
"Eh?" she exclaimed in surprise. "I am not, but one of my ancestors was. How did young master know I was related to them?" she asked.
'I see, so it's just her name and appearance that are the same,' I concluded.
"Just a feeling," I replied. "Also, please call me Arthur. I am not used to being called young master, and it honestly makes me uncomfortable," I added.
"I am sorry, young master, but I can't do that," she replied apologetically. "Can I call you Arthur-sama instead?" she asked.
"*Sigh* Fine..." I said in resignation. "Kiara, can you show me to the knights' training grounds? I am honestly not that tired, and there is probably still a lot of time until the banquet," I asked.
"As you wish," she replied, and we left the room.
***
The training grounds consisted of two parts. One was for close combat training, which included swords, spears, and other weapons, while the second was a shooting range for magical muskets. Both were filled with knights hard at work, with a certain girl being particularly eye-catching due to her young age.
"What brings you here, Arthur?" resounded the familiar voice of captain Lawrance, causing me to look in his direction.
Like every other knight here, he wore a scarlet uniform with black and golden accents, resembling the British Army's Infantry, gold aigrettes on the right shoulder, and a pair of white trousers. What made his uniform different was the emblem on the right side of his chest denoting his rank.
"I wanted to see how the knights train," I replied.
"Why? Do you want to become one?" he inquired.
"Not really," I answered. "I have some experience with swords, so I was hoping I could find someone to spare with," I added, and a playful smile appeared on Lawrence's face.
"Why don't you spare with me then?" he proposed.
"Sure!" I replied with an innocent smile, fully aware of his underestimating my abilities.
"Follow me," he said and went towards the space reserved for duels.
Once there, he grabbed two training swords, threw one toward me, and entered the stage. It was a thirty-centimeter thick platform with a white ten-meter wide circle drawn on top.
"Aren't you going to take a stance?" I asked.
"Nah, I will be fine," he replied with a relaxed smile.
"Don't say I didn't warn you!" I shouted and made my move.
In less than a second, I was already in front of him, holding my sword close to his neck. Everyone paying attention at that moment was stunned, not even noticing that Lawrence's sword was no longer in his hand.
"I told you to take me seriously," I said with a cheeky smile bringing him out of his stupor.
"Even if I did, I don't think I would be able to react to that speed," he replied with an awkward smile. "You are something else, kid," he added.
"Care for another round?" I inquired, not satisfied with how fast it ended. "Sure. I wouldn't be the captain if I gave up easily," he replied with a grin.
"Good. I will slow down a bit then. If I keep winning like this, it won't be fun," I said cheekily and waited for Lawrence to grab another sword.
Once he got back in the ring, he took a proper stance this time, and his face turned serious. He was visibly determined to win this time.
I lunged at him again, albeit slower, not wanting to keep him waiting. In contrast to the first time, he replied by slashing at me.
Since I didn't want to end it too fast, I stepped to the side and slashed back at him, to which he countered with a slash of his own. With each exchange, our swords generated a loud sound, and despite being made out of wood, they didn't break under the torrents of attacks they received.
'Are these enhanced with magic by any chance?' I thought to myself and performed a quick scan confirming my suspicions.
We continued in such a manner until something I didn't anticipate happened.
*Bang bang*
The first bullet hit Lawrence in the head, after which he fell to the ground in pain but uninjured. The other one, on the other hand, passed right in front of my eyes, as my instinct warned me in time to step back.
"Captain Lawrence, with all due respect, you were supposed to watch over our training, not distract us," said a girl around my age, with golden brown hair tied in a ponytail by a black and white ribbon and golden eyes, holding a musket.
"Ugh," groaned Lawrence while standing up. "Do you have to be so strict when I haven't had this much fun in a long time?" he asked with a tired expression. "But I get what you mean," he added after glancing at the crowd around us consisting of the previously training knights.
"I guess this is the end of our spar?" I inquired.
"Yeah. If you have nothing against it, I would like to repeat it on another occasion. I feel like just this short sparring helped me improve," Lawrence said.
"Sure, I had fun as well. Just keep in mind that I will have to leave in a few weeks," I said, an apologetic smile plastered on my face.
Sparring against people was far more interesting than the golems inside The Orb. It just felt more 'real.'
"I will keep that in mind," he replied.
After that, we left the stage, but as I was about to leave the training grounds, someone called out to me from behind.
"How did you dodge my bullet without even looking?" said the girl from before in a flat tone.
'Ok, if this doesn't scream cliche and fate, then I don't know what does,' I thought to myself after considering how many times I already saw her and how many times our gazes met.
"My instincts told me to dodge, so I did," I replied while shrugging my shoulders casually. "Also, it's rude to call out like that to someone. At least tell me your name first," I added.
"My apologies," she said while performing a bow. At the same time, her ears gained a pinkish coloration due to embarrassment. "My name is Isuzuruha Centollusia," she added.
"My name is Arthur Yuuki," I replied. "Now, unless there is something more you would like to ask me, I will excuse myself since I need to prepare for the upcoming banquet," I continued, and after confirming there was nothing more, I left.
***
"Ugh..." I muttered while falling face-first on top of my bed.
"Was all of that necessary?" I asked while glancing back at Kiara, preparing my clothes for the banquet.
"Of course. It's a maid's duty to help her master bath," she replied.
"But I could have cleaned the front myself..." I commented.
"Arthur-sama has nothing to be embarrassed about," she said. "You are very well endowed for your age," she added with a teasing smile.
"You seem to find it funny, but it took my all not to pounce on you," I said in annoyance.
"Even if the master did, as a maid, I could only accept," she replied with a helpless smile at which I deadpanned.
"..." I decided not to continue any further and quietly waited for my clothes to get ready.

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
'These clothes are so restrictive,' I thought as I loosened the bowtie around my neck while entering the banquet hall.
I wore a midnight blue suit with golden embroidery and the symbol of Mapleland on the right side of my chest and a white shirt underneath. The other male guests wore similar outfits with crests of their own houses, while the women walked around in colorful ball gowns.
I looked around the hall, and after spotting a familiar face, I directed my steps toward them.
"This gown suits you," I said after approaching Isuzuruha.
Despite her cold countenance, the gown made her look rather cute.
"Thank you. Your clothes also suit you," Isuzuruha said back. There was a bit of awkwardness and uncertainty in her eyes.
That part of her was very peculiar. Most of the time, her face lacked expression and seemed dull. Despite that, however, I could get a good grasp on how she felt.
"Are you alone?" I asked.
"No, but my father is busy talking with his old friends," replied Isuzuruha with a complicated expression. Soon after, she glanced at a group of middle-aged men in the central part of the hall. One of them, in particular, shared the same hair and eye color as her. He was well built and gave a feeling of a seasoned warrior, something even his elegant clothing couldn't hide.
"I see..." I muttered, not sure what to say. "Do you mind if I stay next to you? I don't really know anyone else here," I asked.
"Of course," Isuzuruha replied, but then her eyes widened as she saw the symbol on my chest. "You are a part of the royal family...?" she muttered, audibly confused. Shortly after, in contrast to her usual countenance, her expression became flustered as she exclaimed as if realizing something, "Ah! I am sorry for my disrespectful behavior!"
She nearly bowed to me, but I managed to stop her. Unfortunately, it was too late, as her outburst piqued the interest of the people around us.
"Let's move somewhere else," I said, slightly troubled, and grabbed her hand before dragging her toward the empty balcony area.
Once there, after confirming no one was eavesdropping, I looked at her seriously and said, "First, you did nothing wrong. I am not really a part of the royal family, at least not yet. Second, I am not used to this kind of treatment. Considering you got invited to this party, you must be a daughter of a well-known family, so there is even less of a reason to be so polite. Can you please act more like when you called out to me on the training grounds?"
"I understand," Isuzuruha asserted after a moment of silence, following it with a nod. "But what do you mean by 'not yet'?" she inquired, a bit more relaxed.
"The king decided that as a reward for removing the curse, Latifa and I will get married in the future," I explained. "He plans to reveal our engagement during today's party," I added.
After hearing that, Isuzuruha's eyes widened. However, before she managed to say anything, the servants announced the king's arrival, "His Majesty, Feran Fleuranza, and princess Latifa Fleuranza have arrived!!!"
Following the announcement, all the conversations stopped as everyone focused on the two figures descending the flight of stairs from the entrance reserved for the royal family. The king wore a suit similar to my own and his usual blue robe over it, while Latifa had on a light blue frilly ball gown. After descending the stairs, they directed their steps towards the small platform hosting the seats for the royal family.
"My loyal subjects," the king started after stepping on the platform, all eyes focused on him. "We have gathered here for two reasons. The first one is to celebrate the removal of the curse which plagued my daughter for the past few years," he said, receiving loud cheers and applause from the guests. After a while, he raised his right hand, signaling them to quiet down. "The second reason is that I have decided on the person who will marry my daughter and become the next king of Mapleland," he declared, once again receiving cheers and applause. This time, however, the crowd was visibly surprised.
Most of the gathered nobles looked around at each other with accusatory gazes, wondering which lucky bastard managed to get the king on his side. That made the king's following words even more surprising to them.
"That person is the young man who, despite his age, managed to do something none of us could. The boy who lifted the curse, Arthur Yuuki," the king said while extending his right hand in my direction.
Following the direction of the king's outstretched hand, everyone proceeded to turn around until their gazes focused on me.
'Greedy bastards...' I thought after getting swept by a veritable sea of negative emotions like anger and envy.
Of course, that will only make me stronger since all that energy gets swallowed by the [Body of Seven Sins] and the tattoo on my back. I have yet to unlock any transformation like this, but my instinct tells me it will make it easier, at the very least.
With a confident look, I strode toward Latifa and her father.
"Your Majesty," I bowed slightly after getting a few meters away from him.
"I have to say these clothes suit you. Your good character and talent aren't the only things befitting my daughter," he said with a smile.
"Thank you, your majesty," I replied with a slight bow.
"Good. Now, take a seat next to my daughter," he nodded and said.
After I did so, part of the nobles started to gather in front of the king, paying their respects, while the rest went back to chatting, awaiting their turn.
***
"I am glad the dances here are nearly identical to the ones on earth," I said with a sigh of relief while dancing together with Latifa in the center of the hall. We were performing a dance remarkably similar to Waltz.
"*Giggle* Knowing you, I am sure you would pull it off even if they were completely different," Latifa commented with a happy smile.
"I can't deny that. You know how good my memory and body control are," I responded with a cheeky smile.
"Indeed," Latifa affirmed. She didn't say anything else, evidently focusing on enjoying the moment.
We danced in silence until the end of the song. After that, Latifa returned to her seat to take a break, and I directed my steps toward the balcony area to catch a breath of fresh air.
At least, that was my plan until my intuition kicked in. Feeling like something horrible was about to happen, I darted toward Latifa. Soon after, a magic circle appeared in the middle of the banquet hall, from which came waves of a violent wind that pushed back all the people in a radius of five meters, causing many to fall on the floor. After that, the magic circle flashed again. As the wind died, everyone's attention got piqued by the silhouette of a man in dark mage-like robes, often seen in fantasy movies.
"You!!!" the king bellowed furiously, abruptly standing up from his seat.
"It's nice to see you as well," the mage replied with a disdainful smirk.
He was a rather tall, around 185 centimeters tall man, sporting slicked backlight blonde hair, with one bang hanging on the left side of his face and violet eyes. His facial features would make him rather handsome if not for the sadistic glimmer in his eyes.
"How are you still alive?! I received a report stating you jumped to your death from a cliff! You were too weak to fight back, so how did you survive?!" the king questioned angrily.
On the other hand, the crowd finally realized who it was that decided to invade the castle. The guests murmured in disbelief, most surprised by the change in the mage's appearance. If not for the symbol on his robe representing his house, they would never guess who he was.
"Shouldn't you ask why did I return rather than how?" the dark mage replied. "It took me some time, but I am finally ready to repay all of you for that day's humiliation!!!" he exclaimed, and a new magical circle appeared underneath him.
"Sorry, but I can't let you do that," I coldly said as I moved next to him. Then, I slashed at the circle with my zanpakuto, shattering it and nearly causing an explosion as the energy comprising it went wild.
Fortunately, while the mage and the king had a chat, I used that time to spread my energy mixed with willpower throughout the room, creating a zone of sorts. With its help, I took over the violent energy and dispersed it.
"You!?!" The mage exclaimed in surprise, his face contorted by hate.
"Yes, me," I replied and slashed at him.

IMPORTANT!!! This was NOT written by Einlion. Enjoy. 
MC POV:
"Latifa-sama, we have arrived!" exclaimed the couch as the carriage stopped. Soon after, the carriage's door opened, and what greeted us was the sight of an expansive courtyard filled with flowers and some taller greenery, like decorative bushes, closer to the walls and a fountain in the center.
It was also full of maids, butlers, knights, and other servants.
"""Welcome back, Latifa-sama!!!""" they exclaimed in unison upon witnessing Latifa exit the carriage.
'This is just like when we arrived at the port... just different clothes...' I thought to myself, slightly tired of experiencing this again and again.
Fortunately, we didn't have to stay there for long.
After entering through the main gate consisting of two four-meter-tall wooden doors and passing a few hallways decorated with paintings depicting the history of Mapleland, its kings, and other art pieces, we arrived in front of another large pair of doors with gold ornaments and the kingdom's crest.
Seeing who it was, the guards at the entrance didn't dare to delay us for even a second longer and promptly opened the door revealing the throne room. It was a rectangular-shaped room with columns supporting the ceiling, around twenty meters above the ground, and galleries on each side of the room. Above them were stained-glass-filled windows filling the room with bright colors. On the wall opposite the entrance was a similar, albeit much bigger stained-glass-filled window under which stood the throne on an elevated section of the floor and steps in front.
On the throne sat a middle-aged man in a crown. He had slightly long blonde hair, just like Latifa, but his eyes were green instead. He exuded a dignified presence, and his beard and the occasional white strands of hair and wrinkles only seemed to add to it. He wore a blue robe and clothes with golden embroidery while a scepter rested in his right hand.
The guards led us halfway through the room when Latifa, seemingly unable to hold back any longer, darted towards the throne.
"Father!" she exclaimed with teary eyes and nearly jumped at her father, disregarding the proper etiquette.
"My child," Feran Fleuranza replied while catching Latifa in his arms.
They stayed like that for a moment, after which he released her and waited for us to get closer.
"I see you are well, Moffle," The king said, looking at the mascot standing next to me.
"I am, your Majesty," he replied. "I see that the same stands for your Majesty," he added, with nearly unnoticeable disappointment in his voice.
'Is this siscon still holding a grudge after so many years...?' I thought, amazed by Moffle's pettiness.
"And you must be Arthur," the king said after turning in my direction. "I can't express how much what you did means to me. Is there something you desire as a reward?" he asked after scrutinizing me.
"You are flattering me, your majesty," I replied and bowed slightly. "I just did as I pleased. There is no need for a reward," I added.
"It's good to be humble, but my pride as a king won't allow me to leave you without a reward. How about marrying my daughter?" Feran said and glanced at Latifa.
"F-father!?" exclaimed Latifa, her face red as a tomato.
"Mofu!?!" exclaimed Moffle, nearly spitting blood from the shock.
"I can tell she has feelings for you, so I am sure she will agree," he added, ignoring Latifa's and Moffle's reactions.
"Your Majesty, with all due respect, I don't think it's a good idea," I responded with a strained smile.
"And why is that so?" he asked calmly.
"Your Majesty, I am still too young, and more importantly, there is already someone I promised to marry," I answered.
'It's not a lie. It's just that I don't plan to honor that promise since the girl in question will forget about it,' I thought.
"That's not a problem," the king said, unaffected. "We can wait with the marriage until you are older. As for the promise, you will be able to keep it. I have no son, so once you marry Latifa, you will be the future king of Mapleland. It's not unusual for a king to have more than one wife," he added.
'Why is he so persistent?! He offended a sorcerer capable of killing a dragon to save her from an arranged marriage! I thought she was his treasure!' I thought to myself.
Honestly, I am not against marrying Latifa. She is kind, supportive, empathetic, and utterly adorable. Marrying such a woman can be said to be a great fortune. Once she matures, she will become an astonishing beauty, making the offer even more tempting.
If she can accept sharing me with other women, I would be a fool not to marry her.
The fact she doesn't know I am a reincarnator makes me feel guilty, but it's not something I can influence. Unless I decide to live without getting into a relationship, I have to accept the mental age gap between me and other people my age. It's not like I would mind being with a woman older than me, even by hundreds of years, as long as she was my type. I shouldn't assume she will change her mind before even asking.
Then, there is only one more problem.
"Your Majesty," I started again. "The king has to sit on a throne and rule the country, whereas I want to travel to many places once I am older," I said. "Even if I marry Latifa, I can't be the king of Mapleland. Not to mention that my family and friends are on Earth," I added.
"Don't worry. You won't have to be the king unless I die or abdicate the throne. We, Maplelanders, have a lot longer lifespans than Earthlings. You will have enough time to travel around. As for your family, they can come here as well, and if they don't want to, you can always visit them from time to time," he said with a slight, triumphant smile.
I glanced toward Latifa once again. She turned her eyes away in embarrassment, and her face became even redder, but I could tell she wasn't against it. In contrast, she seemed happy at the prospect.
'If I refuse after all this, I will break her heart...' I thought.
"In that case, I can only accept," I said with an exasperated smile.
"Splendid!" the king exclaimed, visibly pleased. "You must be tired after the journey. The servants will lead you to your room. Rest well. Tonight, we will hold a banquet to celebrate my daughter's return and the engagement," he continued.
After that, a maid approached me, and we left the throne room.
***
Third-person POV:
"Do you have something to say?" asked Feran while looking back.
"Why?" asked Moffle coldly, his fists slightly clenched.
The two of them were alone in one of the rooms only known to the royal family.
"You have to be more precise," replied the king.
"Why were you so insistent on a marriage? You could have offered him gold, a title, or land. What are you scheming?" Moffle asked again.
"I only want what's best for my daughter and the country," Feran replied. "That boy removed the curse no one else could, and I couldn't see through him even with royal magic. If his children inherit that potential, combined with the royal magic, they will be able to lead Mapleland into an even brighter future," he explained. "Is that not enough of a reason?" the king asked.
At that, Moffle fell silent. He had no choice but to admit Arthur's talent. He used their usual bickering to test the boy's strength himself. Every time he used more force, Arthur would respond in kind. As a warrior, he instinctively knew the boy was holding back a lot.
It was also a lot better for his beloved niece to get married to someone she liked rather than get forced into a political marriage.
The Dark Wizard was powerful, but in contrast to some of the oldest noble families of Mapleland, he held little to no political power. When the king refused to keep his end of the bargain with the Dark Wizard, all the influential noble houses spread a rumor that the wizard had summoned the dragon in the first place. They wanted the future king to come from one of their families, not some fallen wizard house. Soon, the wizard turned from a hero into the devil himself in the eyes of the public, while the king was able to keep his popularity.
Now that the curse got lifted, they would soon start sending marriage proposals until one of them got chosen.
Suddenly Moffle realized something.
"The banquet tonight will be a mess..." he said.

Chapter 24: Before the storm