The Reincarnated Count's Daughter Is the Strongest as She Is Loved by the Spirits, Though She Is Only Wishing for Regular Romance!

The story told by the Spirit Kings of the Starke Kingdom and the Azelia Empire was about a girl who was so serious and kind-hearted that she ended up driving herself to despair.

Starke is by far the oldest kingdom around the Empire. The pride of its nobility and royalty, who strictly adhere to ancient traditions and customs, is immense. It's a country where, if you can't keep up with these rigorous standards, you can't survive as a noble.

This girl from Starke was born into a small countryside count's family. In the rural setting, the boundary between nobles and commoners was thin, allowing her to play outside with friends. However, being the only one with abundant magic and a spirit companion, she stood out. If she hadn’t been the lord’s daughter, she would likely have been bullied.

When her spirit beast manifested and she met the Spirit King, the royal palace came to fetch her immediately. A count's house couldn't defy the royal family. Her feelings were ignored, and she was whisked away to the palace as if she were being kidnapped.

From then on, it was daily education to become the next queen. Imagine a company training camp lasting for years. She couldn't see her family, became an object of envy, and made no friends. She was even subjected to bullying. Even if her relationship with her fiancé had been good, it might have saved her, but the crown prince was unhappy with this sudden countryside girl as his betrothed and had little interaction with her.

If anyone dreams of reincarnating into a fantasy world, think about this: a world with no games, TV, smartphones, or comics. What could you do for leisure? Boys might manage, but do you realize how restrictive and boring a noble lady’s life can be? 

Morning lessons in studies, etiquette, dance, and horse riding. One-on-one strict teaching, no slacking off. And in the afternoon, all you can do in your free time is read, embroider, or chat with invited friends. No impromptu shopping trips; you have to arrange appointments and security well in advance. Just showing up at a commoner’s shop as a high-ranking noble lady would cause chaos, possibly ruining the shop’s future if they angered you. So, they would want to prepare thoroughly for days.

Even with security, it’s just a matter of riding from home to the shop and back. If an unmarried young noble lady wants to walk around town, she needs to be escorted by her fiancé, father, or an adult brother. Rumors about a lady being seen alone or with a commoner man would spread quickly, possibly ruining her prospects.

So, you can imagine how grim it was for the count's daughter locked in the palace, enduring strict lessons all day. She spent most of her time in her room, eating alone. No TV, games, smartphones, or comics, just a few books. Her spirit beast might have been her only companion, but even that would strain her mental health.

“We visited her in the palace and invited her to join us, but she insisted on staying to avoid causing trouble for her family,” said one of the spirit kings.

Her rigorous education wore her down, leaving her with no mental resilience. She likely developed something akin to depression, losing control over her magic, unable to sustain her spirit beast, and eventually even stopped talking to it. She moved like a puppet, expressionless, just to avoid scolding. She spent most of her time in her room, sleeping.

Without magic to share, the spirit beast starved, unable to manifest, and eventually disappeared. Feeling guilty for weakening her spirit beast, she drove herself further into despair and ultimately took her own life.

“We offered to take her away, but she refused, fearing the trouble it would cause her family. In hindsight, we should have taken her away, no matter what she said,” said one of the spirit kings.

The maids and tutors must have noticed her declining state but did nothing, likely because they found her presence troublesome.

Her death angered the spirit kings, who withdrew with their spirits from the royal capital. The city, originally paved with stones, showed no visible change, but the surrounding agricultural production began to decline.

“Starke's agricultural yield has been decreasing steadily. They’ll soon have to rely on imports from the Empire,” one spirit king said.

“Only a few nobles know the true reason for the spirit kings’ disappearance. The common folk must be wondering why they’ve abandoned the country,” another added.

“The Empire’s influence is spreading, and even in Starke, more people are starting to raise spirits. But many still believe only farmers need spirit beasts, which isn’t feasible for common farmers with little magic.”

I felt sorry but also thought it was pointless to argue with people so rigid in their thinking. Change is happening in other countries, and the influence of the Empire and Luftanen will eventually reach Starke. When that happens, even nobles might start raising spirits, depending on the royal family's stance.

But that's not my concern. I'm neither a saint nor a savior. I'm already overwhelmed by what I can manage. What worries me is that the next person who reincarnates here might not adapt and could end up like that girl.

Leisure options are crucial. I was so bored that I often channeled magic to the point of fainting. I had the freedom to train and run around, but my noble friends don’t do morning exercises. They’re all embroidery experts instead.

Even if I could occupy myself during the day, once night fell, I was confined to my room. I couldn't meet my brothers without going through the butler, and I couldn’t always ask them to play with me.

So, what did I do? I became a fanfiction artist, drawing comics and writing lightly plotted stories with dialogues and stage directions. Practicing consistently improved my skills. My locked drawer is full of secret stories I’ve completed.

Drawing occupied so much of my time that I never felt bored again. Without manga in this world, I had to create my own. I believe there are others like me who would enjoy this. I want to share the joy of writing and reading stories. Thin books are fine, or rather, thin books are the best!

This world does have romance novels, but they’re often too literary and formal. While I’ve read many compelling ones, sometimes you just want something lighter.

I plan to illustrate some scenes and gauge the reaction. Though realistic art is the norm, I’ve seen caricatures, so manga might not be entirely out of place.

Seeing manga here would make you think a Japanese person had reincarnated, right? Reading manga on a boring night might bring some joy. If people think a fool spread manga to another world, that’s fine. I remained a fanfiction artist even after reincarnation. Maybe the wise king of Luftanen felt the same when he introduced aloha shirts.

However, it’s not suitable for a fairy princess to draw manga. I must remain anonymous, hiding my true identity while gathering fellow enthusiasts.

“Dia, are you okay?”

I looked up to see Kurisu-oniisama peering at me with concern.

“You seemed deep in thought.”

“You don’t need to worry about other countries, Dia. They’re all just being selfish and not thinking about your happiness,” Aran-oniisama said.

“The other spirit kings have nothing to do with what I was thinking about. Shouldn’t they be leaving by now?”

“What were you thinking about so seriously, then?”

“I realized how important entertainment is!”

“I see... yes, that sounds like you, Dia,” Kurisu-oniisama said, patting my head with a gentle smile.

“It’s vague, but did you come up with something? What are you planning?” Aran-oniisama asked, looking at me expectantly. It seems they think my serious face means I’ve had a good idea.

“No, I won’t do anything. Publicly, at least.”

“Wait a minute. You just created the float last time. Are you planning something else?”

The spirit kings were less concerned than everyone else about the potential chaos another Berisario invention could cause. Everyone, not just the crown prince, gathered around me. The float, a wooden platform with handles, was something my brothers made, not me.

The Berisario castle is on a hill, with the castle grounds full of gentle slopes that get steeper near the gates. Carrying people and goods up these slopes is tough, especially when visiting the Fairy Company near the gates. Since spirits can lift spirit cars, floating people should be easy. But standing still while floating is hard and scary without something to hold on to.

So, we added handles to a thin wooden board. Just that made floating much easier. The added stability and comfort of standing on something increased confidence. We made variations, including seats and sidecars for carrying luggage, leading to a castle-wide craze.

“Wow! I can fly! I can fly!”

Seeing me happily glide around, Kurisu-oniisama named it the “Float” and started selling it. With spirit cars being made elsewhere, Berisario focused on customizing floats for orders.

Of course, we presented them to the royal family. The crown prince saw them during his visits, and the Luftanen delegation loved borrowing them during their stay.

“I won’t start anything new. But... I do wish I could listen to music alone in my room sometimes. Yes, music is important. We should recruit my teacher to make magic tools.”

“That's already something!”

“No, no, it’s just a thought. I was merely thinking of spreading easily readable stories. Illustrated scenes... turning parts of stories into pictures.”

“There are already books like that.”

Kurisu-oniisama’s comment made everyone nod. They seemed more interested in the music-playing magic tool idea, though I really hadn’t thought it through. I was more focused on magic cartridges for storing mana.

“Noble ladies who can’t go out need stories they can read over and over again.”

“What kind of stories?”

“... Stories of the crown prince’s romances.”

“Those would be banned.”

Well, yes. Fictional stories about real people are tricky. I’ll stick to fictional princes’ love stories. 

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Author Notes:

  Thank you for reading.

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