Rebirth: Childhood friend of the heroine

Alex's parents worked in the main palace of the capital, which was why Alex got acquainted with the Princess in the first place.

His father was one of the gardeners and his mother served as a maid in the palace. Alex often went to work with them and had a very close relationship with his parents until a few years ago.

Then, a year ago, when Celestria returned to the Capital with Edric but not Alex, for some reason, their behaviour suddenly changed.

Celestria wanted to show Edric the capital and Alex had to stay back in the academy to finish his assignments.

Alex's absence beside Celestria and Edric's presence made them believe that Alex was no longer as close to the Princess as he was before. As such, they lost hope in their child.

Alex was well aware of his parents' behaviour. Through the memories of the ex-owner, he could see how his parents always focused on his visits to the palace and always encouraged Alex to be in Celestria's good books.

But now, after they have heard that Alex was caught in an act which could grant him a death sentence and also affect their jobs, the first thing they did was write a declaration that they no longer have anything to do with their child.

Alex looked at the letter and felt his heart rate elevating. However, on his face, there was a smirk of mockery.

Crumbling the paper in a ball he threw it away and finished his food.

Seeing such nonchalant behaviour, Jullie couldn't help but ask, "Did you not understand what was written in that letter?"

"I do, Professor, "Gulping a few mouthfuls of water, he said, "I just don't care about what they think anymore."

Jullie's lips parted in shock, torn between the feelings of grief of what that letter contained, and shocked because of how indifferently he brushed off the matter.

She knows Alex enough to expect his reaction to the news of getting abandoned. But right now, this was far from what she expected.

Alex heaved a sigh before telling her, "Ma'am, I have already realised my parents' true colours. They loved me because of my relationship with Cela. And until now, I was also just keeping up the act in order to not make my relationship bitter with my only blood-related relatives. But now that they have decided that this should be the point where we part, I have nothing to say against it."

Jullie bit her lips in annoyance. Which parents love their children for their selfish desires? She knows how much Alex has suffered in these twenty hours, and instead of sympathy, they outrightly severed their connection with him.

'What a fucked up world is this...' Getting up from her seat, she stepped forward and knelt before Alex.

Taking his hand in hers, she spoke in utmost sincerity, "Alex...I know I can never take your parent's place, but if you feel like sharing something...want to vent or cry, do not hesitate to approach me, okay?"

Alex stared at the woman blankly. As Ceaser and Alex...this might be the first time someone reached out to him not because of some interest or because they were burdened under some responsibility.

There was nothing Jullie could gain from being so kind towards him. Even last night, she was risking her job and reputation by feeding an accused. And now, she was getting angry in his stead.

A smile lifted the edges of his lips as Alex slowly nodded, "I will, Professor."

Jullie soon left since she had to accompany the Princess to the capital along with the Headmaster. After what happened in the morning, she has to make sure that the Princess reaches her home before the Headmaster informs the King about the whole situation.

And now she has the chance to visit the capital...she surely would meet the two shitty humans who dared abandon such a sweet child as Alex.

....

After Jullie left, Alex rested for a few hours and allowed his body to recover. In the afternoon someone arrived to check on him and gave him his lunch.

Once Alex finished the lunch, he felt himself back to full energy.

"Now, let's see..." Standing in the middle of his fairly big dormitory, he closed his eyes.

He could feel the strange, warm energy inside him, which, as an earthling, he had never experienced.

This was a familiar sensation since Alex felt it back when he ate the cookies in the jail, as well.

The warm sensation inside him is the Soul Energy. The power which manifests from one's soul.

With every attack, spell and damage taken, one's soul energy decreases. However, through enough rest, one could regain their soul energy.

'Hmm...the primary and the only skill Alex possessed was storage....' It wasn't any simple skill; Alex could make anything his spatial storage, and based on how much soul energy he spent on the object, he could expand the storage area within the object.

To maintain the spell, he needs to continuously feed his soul energy to it...but in the long run, it can be harmful.

"Garesta," Alex called out cluelessly, unsure if it will work. But fortunately, it did.

A book, his grimoire to be precise, came into life and began levitating before him.

A grimoire is like a status panel for everyone in the world, which only the user can look at.

And currently, Alex's stats look like,

[Name: Alex]

[Age: 17]

[Str: 25] (Avg: 30)

[Spd: 32] (Avg: 30)

[Int: 81] (Avg: 25)

[Skill: Storage, Sword Arts, Rapid regeneration, Heightened comprehensibility.]

[Soul Energy: 383]

[Upper limit: 500]

[Lower limit: 25]

.

Ignoring everything else, Alex focused on his upper and lower limit. These limits are determined at the time of awakening.

The upper limit is the threshold after which the person grows their stats significantly. And the lower limit is the last line of warning. If one's soul energy drops below the lower limit, they start exhausting their life energy and start losing their years of life.

As of now, Alex's soul energy was quite average and based on that he could rank himself around E or something. However, thanks to the knowledge he retained from his previous life, he would now gain more soul energy and grow his stats within the time he has left.

And the best way to increase soul energy?

'Battle.'

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A/N:- The world system would take some time to completely unfold. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. Save the book in your collection.