Reincarnated Without a Cheat, I Adopted the Former Hero as My Mom

Silence fell over the carriage. Uriel sat there, completely petrified.

Uriel sat petrified. The words hung in the stale air of the carriage, dissecting themselves in his head until only one conclusion remained—the same soul-crushing revelation.

He just stared blankly ahead.

Seraphina leaned back into her seat. The light vanished from her eyes, leaving them a flat, tranquil gray.

"My cousin would not stop harassing me. She never listened to a word I said. I could not deal with it."

Her delivery was pure monotone. She sounded like she was reading a police report about someone else.

"I used to think the world would be better off if it just burned down. Really."

She let the silence hang for two seconds. The carriage clattered over a curved track. Streetlights outside flickered across her face in rhythmic intervals.

Uriel gave a heavy nod. He remembered the blurry memories of his past life, the endless overtime and six-day work weeks.

I feel that. I really do.

Same. That hit way too close to home.

"That is also why I keep my distance. I run away when girls get too close."

Uriel nodded again and hummed in agreement. His shoulders slumped just a fraction.

He had seen too many people running from something. Lumina and the others had chased the Witch's faith for three years. Oswald had chased a secret elixir straight into his own grave. And now Seraphina—running from an inescapable cousin.

"The situation is a bit severe. It really is."

Seraphina pulled her gaze from the window and fixed it on the front of the carriage. She folded her hands neatly on her lap. Her posture was so elegant it created a deeply unsettling contrast with her words.

"I also react this way to guys who look like girls. It is a reflex."

She added a quick follow-up. It was necessary context.

"Like your roommate, for example. That pretty guy you live with."

Uriel snapped his head toward her. The movement was so fast his neck let out a sharp crack. His jaw went slack, and his eyes shot wide.

His brain flat-out short-circuited.

His mind went into rapid rewind. When Tian confessed to Seraphina, her reaction was breaking out in a cold sweat and muttering about being sleepy. He had thought it was a bizarre rejection. Now the mystery was solved.

So that was it.

She hadn't been rejecting Tian.

She'd been escaping.

The light returned to Seraphina's eyes. Her polite smile did not come back, but her expression relaxed. She had finally found a breathing point in an otherwise suffocating topic.

"Accepting your confession was partially because of that. It felt safer."

She turned to look at him. Her gaze carried a blunt, matter-of-fact honesty.

"Also, I took a leave of absence on the day the Academy was attacked for the same reason. I was terrified he would come looking for me again. So I just skipped."

Uriel's brain completely flatlined. The revelation trampled over every elaborate conspiracy theory he had built. Then it danced on the ashe.

He thought Seraphina was probing his identity. He thought she had uncovered Tian's background. He thought she was playing 4D chess. In reality, she was just hiding from a pretty boy who might ask her out again.

On the day of the attack, he had written a thousand-word script on the rooftop. He watched his mom swat assassins like flies. He watched Lumina scale the walls and execute his flawless playbook to perfection.

The catalyst for it all was ridiculous. Seraphina skipped school because of a lesbian cousin and a pretty face.

He raised his hand and slowly dragged it down his face. His fingers scraped from his forehead to his chin, rubbing his features before stopping at his mouth. He exhaled a muffled breath into his palm, dropped his hand, and took a deep breath.

If the Headmaster had known the truth, he would have been speechless. But he never did. He died without ever figuring out why his primary target had suddenly taken the day off.

That middle-aged crisis of a man spent a month setting up an elaborate trap. It was nuked by a butterfly effect caused by a cousin he had never even met. It was a good thing he was dead. If he came back to life, the sheer stupidity of it would kill him all over again.

"My cousin seems to be coming to visit me soon. It is going to be a mess."

Seraphina's voice pulled him out of his silent mourning for the late Headmaster. She stood. The train was decelerating, and the platform slowly slid into view outside the window.

"So I will be counting on you, boyfriend. Do not let me down."

Uriel's emotions were too tangled to form a reply. He just stood up with her, his fingers instinctively gripping the backrest of the seat ahead. Seraphina noticed the gesture and took it as his consent.

Stepping off the train, Uriel glanced around the platform. This district was far quieter than the commercial zone. The roads were paved with immaculate stone slabs, and the street trees were trimmed with geometric precision.

Detached mansions lined both sides of the street. Each boasted a manicured garden. Wrought-iron fences were choked by blooming climbing roses and lush ivy.

"Where exactly are we? This looks expensive."

"The villa district. My family lives around here."

Uriel's brain automatically calculated the local real estate prices. Based on his five hundred gold coin monthly rent, he would have to starve for several years just to afford a front porch. He shook his head to clear the useless math.

"Since I am already here, I will walk you home. It is getting late."

"If you walk me back, basic manners dictate I invite you in for dinner. Then I might have to let you stay the night. It is only a ten-minute walk, so I will not trouble you."

Uriel was busy wondering if staying the night was aristocratic politeness or a warning about her cousin. Then Seraphina delivered the follow-up strike.

"Oh, right. This area is very far from your inn. It is in the complete opposite direction. The trip back will take a long time."

Uriel's temple twitched. He stared at her.

Then why did you bring me here? Make it make sense.

Before he could snap, Seraphina did something that completely defused his anger. She pressed a train ticket into his hand. The paper still held the faint warmth of her fingertips.

"I bought two tickets. This one is for your ride back."

"What about yours? You need one too."

"I have a transit card. I am good."

This woman had calculated everything from the start. From the milk tea stall to this exact moment, every step was mapped out. She brought him on the train to show him the route, then handed him a return ticket while she used her pass. Even the transit fare was part of the master plan.

She'd planned all of this. Every last step.

Uriel shoved the ticket into his pocket and waved her off. He turned toward the platform, then suddenly looked back.

"Hey. Wait a second."

Seraphina had already walked a few paces. She stopped at his voice and turned her head.

"Stay safe out there. Watch your back."

He turned away immediately, his pace quick. His uniform sleeves swayed in the night breeze.

Perfect. He would ride back to the commercial district. The tailor shop should still be open. It was not far from the blacksmith where he ordered his sword. He had glanced at the custom tailoring sign and the glass window displaying various formal wear.

He was getting the official Holy Sword Witch uniform sorted tonight. It was time to execute the vision.

The clothes were ordered, and the tailor told him to pick them up in five days. Uriel also spotted a ready-made dress in the window that looked perfect. He bought it on the spot and walked back to the inn through the night streets. The paper package was tucked securely under his arm.

When he arrived, a midnight feast was already laid out in the dining area. Uriel carried a long, tightly wrapped brown paper package containing the dress he just bought. It was just one skirt, but it looked right, so he pulled the trigger.

He pushed open his room door, and the warm air hit him. It was thick with the smell of food. Then he froze.

There were two people in the room. Tian sat by the bed, back in her usual indoor attire.

She held a plate of pastries, and the table was crowded with small dishes. Every single one was piled high. There was thick with the smell of food. The table groaned under the weight of at least seven overloaded plates: honey-glazed wyvern ribs, thick slices of roasted dire-boar, golden meat pies, a small mountain of mashed potatoes, and a steaming bowl of carrot and water chestnut soup.

Judging by the spread, she was obviously waiting for him. The effort was undeniable.

The other person sat nearby. Short green hair framed elven ears, and ice-blue eyes locked onto Uriel the second he walked in.

Lumina stood up immediately. She pressed one hand to her chest, kept her spine rigid, and gave him a crisp bow.

"Scribe. You have returned."

Uriel tossed the package onto his bed and nodded at her. Before he could ask anything, Tian was already standing up with her tray.

"Little Uri, you must be starving. I brought back food, all your favorites."

She set the tray on the table, arranging the chopsticks and spoons with meticulous care. The fried meat pies glistened under the lamplight. Uriel eyed the portions.

There were three meat pies and a literal mountain of mashed potatoes. The roasted vegetables were carefully picked for the most tender cuts. Then there were the three steamed delicacies. He had never even seen such exotic dishes before. This was not just grabbed randomly.

"Lumina, want some? You should eat."

Uriel pulled out a chair and grabbed his chopsticks.

Lumina shook her head.

"I have already eaten. I came for an urgent matter, and I have already informed the Witch."

Uriel had just picked up a meat pie, but his chopsticks paused at her words. He looked at Tian.

Tian was pushing the soup bowl closer to his hand. She felt his gaze, looked up, and blinked her wide eyes.

"Eat first. The food will get cold."

Her tone was as gentle as always, but Uriel caught the subtext. She already knew, but she decided his dinner was more important. Uriel shoved the meat pie into his mouth, chewed twice, and gestured at Lumina with his chin.

"Give the report again. From the top."

Lumina stood a little straighter, resting her hand on her waist without breaking her posture.

"The Curse Cult has resumed activity. They are moving."

"Location? Give me the details."

"The Royal Capital. Right near the Fourth Academy."

Uriel's chopsticks stalled. The next piece of meat nearly slipped from his grip.

He waited for the punchline, but the next words were far worse than he anticipated.

"Furthermore, based on our investigation and deductions, the picture is clear."

Lumina's eyes met his.

"There is an eighty percent chance their target is Seraphina Waldrich. She is in danger."

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