Compensation θ ~ I might be late for reincarnation, but since I was born as the talented eldest son of a prestigious noble, I might be on the winning side.

AN: This hidden chapter reveals information that the main character is not aware of (spoilers). Many of these hidden episodes are from a third-person perspective and provide a deeper understanding of the story’s setting and the main character’s background.

If you want to continue reading the story from the main character’s perspective without any preconceptions, please skip this hidden episode. The hidden episodes are written in a way that they can be skipped without disrupting the context of the story.

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A long-awaited male heir was born to the Kilyam Duke’s family.

For the young Duchess, this was her first childbirth, and it had come earlier than expected due to premature rupture of the membranes.

The main mansion in the capital city of Glassbridge had been prepared meticulously, both in terms of personnel and resources, and the impact of the birth month on the baby’s development was not expected to be a problem.

However, things quickly took a strange turn.

The baby cried as if on fire, and even the meager milk they managed to feed him was immediately vomited back up. At times, he would stop breathing, his heart would stop, and he would faint as if he were dead.

This would keep repeating.

While it was common for babies to cry and vomit, this was not normal.

There were suspicions of serious internal organ issues, but the team of doctors found nothing physically wrong with the baby.

As the days went by, the baby’s condition deteriorated, but such a situation had not been anticipated at all.

Amidst the anxiety and panic of those involved, the head of the household, who was in charge of the main mansion, made the decision to urgently transfer the baby to another location.

The baby was relocated to the [Hexagonal Prism Hall] at the Valenfield territory, a place filled with spiritual energy.

The [Hexagonal Prism Hall] was a place that could be called a sacred ground filled with spiritual power, one of the legacies of the first Lord Lucas.

Hundreds of years ago, Lord Lucas had made a covenant with a great spirit in this place, and it brought about a great transformation to the land.

The benefits of the covenant extended not only to his generation but also made descendants of Lord Lucas more likely to have a high affinity with spirits, with the most prominent being the covenant called [Blessing of Spirits].

With a glimmer of hope, the baby’s upbringing began at the [Hexagonal Prism Hall], but the precarious condition where his life could extinguish at any moment continued.

Taking the situation seriously, the Duke decided to invite the Head Priest from the capital’s Shrine Temple.

The [Rite of Manifestation] was usually conducted after the [Rite of Revelation] at the age of seven, but it was conducted for his child, whose survival prospects were grim.

Because, if the baby possessed the [Blessing of Spirits], it would be a compelling reason to value his life.

“A lost class? Is that true?”

“We can’t be certain. The class is listed in the Manifestation as something the child was born with, but it’s not displaying the class correctly. There’s no mention of the abilities associated with the class, meaning it’s an inept class. From these two characteristics, it suggests a certain lost class.”

“Lost Class” refers to a rare class that is believed to have existed in the past but whose details remain unknown to this day.

“An class that doesn’t display correctly? Does this child even have a class?”

“That’s a bit uncertain. Please look at this. It’s a copy of the Manifestation.”

Individual Name: ――

Age: 0 years

Race: Human

Class: 【＃Emperor】

@%◼️〆

◼️Å≒♭

“What does this mean? The information below the class is practically unreadable, isn’t it?”

“Yes. What we could decipher apart from the age and race was only the part that reads【＃Emperor】in the class section. Such abnormal displays are possible for the Emperor class, but…”

“Emperor, you mean… the ‘Hero King’?”

“Your Grace, you are aware of that? Currently, the official historical records state that the ‘Hero King’s’ class was ‘Warrior King.’ However, our temple recognizes it as ‘Warrior Emperor.'”

The ‘Hero King’

A legendary figure who united the continent and established the Unified Kingdom hundreds of years ago.

At that time, the world was in constant conflict, order and justice were in disarray.

In an era where society was in turmoil, and the weak were drowned in despair, the ‘Hero King’ appeared like a comet. Alongside two of his comrades, he achieved the unification of the continent with overwhelming force.

In the Regis continent, there are currently multiple nations, many of which had submitted to the Unified Kingdom during that time. Hence, some still refer to the ‘Hero King’ as the ‘Unified King.’

The achievements of the ‘Hero King’ have become fodder for bards, and numerous legends, including fairy tales, that have been passed down for generation to come.

However, on the other hand, there are many mysteries surrounding the ‘Hero King’s’ personality, class, abilities, and it’s even rumored in some circles that he might be a fabricated hero or a fictional character that never actually existed.

“The ‘Hero King’ held the higher-ranking Emperor class. It has been passed down as such in our family as well.”

“Do you happen to know the class of the other two members of the [Three Heroes]?”

The [Three Heroes] refers to Belfast and his two companion.

Aaron Belfast, the Hero King,

Lilia Menas, the Holy Maiden of Salvation,

and Lucas Kilyam, the Peerless Spirit User.

“Sir Belfast united the people and founded the nation. Lady Menas rectified the wayward Church of Life, laying the foundation for its transformation into the Church of Dedication. Meanwhile, Lord Kilyam withdrew from worldly power struggles and transformed the barren wilderness where he had secluded himself into a fertile land with the power of spirits.”

These were the legendary founders of the nation, known to every citizen.

“As for the Holy Maiden, I must refrain from speaking about her out of respect. Regarding the founder of our family, my ancestors’ precise class has not been disclosed even to us, their descendants.”

Both of these were sensitive secrets. Thus, the Duke seemed to be choosing his words carefully.

“Why did the founder keep their class a secret?”

“I don’t know. However, there’s a saying attributed to Lord Lucas, ‘Excessive power will destroy oneself. Do not desire much; focus only on preserving Kilyam’s bloodline.’ This has been passed down as Lord Lucas’s will.”

“That’s… quite a mysterious statement.”

The Head Priest, perhaps unconsciously, furrowed his brow slightly as he spoke. He might have been unsure about the truthfulness of the Duke’s words.

“However, if we assume that two of the [Three Heroes] had Emperor class, is it possible that the remaining one also had the same?”

“Do you think so? Our family has benefited for generations from covenants with spirits. This kind of situation has never happened before. Additionally, there was a marriage from the royal family several generations ago.”

In response to the priest’s probing question, the Duke expressed a negative opinion.

“I see. So, this might not be from the direct line of the founder of the Duke’s family but from the recent royal bloodline?”

“I’m afraid not. The records do not show anyone from our family with an Emperor class. If the Emperor class were hereditary, it might be more likely to have come from the recent royal bloodline.”

“I see. In any case, as far as we know, the Emperor class rarely appears in specific lineages. But it’s considered a flawed class. Do you know why?”

“Is it because those born with it don’t survive? Is that the reason?”

“Yes. With a few exceptions, individuals who were considered to have the Emperor class are considered inept and all died as infants.”

“Inept, meaning there’s some flaw in the class, causing them to die prematurely?”

“We don’t know. The ‘Hero King’ had overwhelming might. How can we produce his successor with that ability? Various royal families have secretly attempted, but the high infant mortality rate has led many to consider them a flawed class.”

“Is it so difficult to survive? Do you know why the ‘Hero King’s’ class is written as [Warrior King] in official history?”

“That’s probably because he was born inept. At that time, inept individuals were discriminated against and persecuted as the lowest of society. Discrimination should be avoided, but changing long-established perceptions is not easy.”

In a world where everyone received class and gained unique abilities from the gods, being inept meant a difficult life, where one couldn’t receive divine grace and was seen as abandoned by the gods.

Belfast had spent his younger years as an inept, but he had overcome many hardships and only acquired the unique abilities of his class when he became an adult.

However, when recording his achievements for posterity, it had been deemed inappropriate to mention the inept phase of the nation’s founding hero. Consequently, official records left out not only his unique abilities but also his rise to prominence and upbringing.

The truth had been passed down only to the direct descendants of the royal families and the upper echelons of the temple responsible for the [Rite of Manifestation].

“If… if my child survives, could he eventually gain a powerful ability? Is it alright to think that way?”

“It’s possible. However, everyone has dreamed at some point, and they’ve all ended up with disappointing results. It’s incredibly difficult to even survive.”

“Is there a possibility that the Manifestation could be corrected in the future? My child is a direct descendant of the Kilyam Duke’s family, and his mother’s side belongs to a special lineage. Even if there were the blessing of spirits or gods, would survival still be difficult?”

“A special lineage? Could you tell me about the origins of the Lady’s family?”

“It’s the Spinning Count’s family. However, my wife herself doesn’t have any blessings.”

“I see. With those covenants, special blessings, and the Emperor class, one can make some assumptions about the Manifestation.”

“What kind of assumptions?”

“I must emphasize that this is just a personal opinion. Nevertheless, please listen.”

It was said that powerful covenants and blessings that were inherited through generations were already acquired during their time in the mother’s womb.

In addition to that, the [Rite of Manifestation] at the age of seven granted the class as a blessing from the gods.

One person could not contain multiple blessings. At least, it was considered difficult to accept them simultaneously.

It is said that the reason why the [Rite of Manifestation] is held at the age of 7 is that those who have covenants and blessings need a grace period of 7 years to accept another the blessing from the gods.

In this case, it seemed like there were two abnormalities listed below the class section on the Manifestation.

Perhaps the excessive blessings concentrated on the newborn, causing none of them to settle and instead remain uncertain.

Alternatively, there could be some connection between the supposed flawed ‘class has negative effects on the potential for covenants and blessings.

While it was only the Head Priest opinion, his explanation largely aligned with the opinions developed within the temple over the years.

“It’s not necessarily better to have more blessings. They don’t necessarily work out together.”

“I hate to say this, but you should be prepared for the worst. Unmanifested blessings and protections probably won’t be of any use.”

“I see. So, even though we’ve brought the child to this place, his condition isn’t improving at all. It seems he occasionally feel the power of spirits, but it quickly disappears, as if something is suppressing it. I understand after hearing your explanation.”

“If the child can sense the power of spirits, he might possess the potential for a covenant. It’s truly unfortunate.”

“It’s our first child, and a son at that, with the potential for a covenant. He’s a precious child. I want to keep him alive at all costs. However, if I were to consider the survival of the family, it seems I’ll have to rely on the next child.”

“Even if the result is unpleasant, but please, I implore you to keep this [Rite of Revelation] confidential.”

“I understand. I truly appreciate the help you’ve given us. Thank you very much.”