Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles (Manga)

Meet Rio: a callous orphaned boy living in the slums. At only 7-years-old, he realizes he’s actually the reincarnation of Haruto Amakawa, a Japanese university student with a tragic past. While still reeling from this shocking epiphany, Rio also comes to learn that he possesses extremely potent magical abilities and uses his new powers to solve the kidnapping case of a little girl. His good deed is acknowledged, and he’s rewarded by being enrolled into… a prestigious academy for noble children...?

The time has come for the otherworldly orphan to embark on a journey of self-discovery! Rio was always alone at the Royal Academy of Beltrum - save for his friendship with Professor Celia Claire. But after five years of class rivalry in and out of the lecture hall, his hard work is about to pay off. With graduation just around the corner, Rio participates in his final field drill - only for a meticulously planned trap to potentially destroy everything.

Rio's taken off for his homeland and enters parts unknown... or at least they SHOULD be. But somehow, aspects of his former life begin cropping up everywhere he looks, from udon restaurants to vanquished enemies hellbent on vengeance. Is it possible that Rio's not the only one with a spirit connection in this world? And why's there a fox girl trying to kill him?

Feel the Spirit Within! Rio's journey back to his hometown in Yagumo takes him and Latifa further into the forest. But even here, danger lurks when the local inhabitants attack! Can Latifa convince the Spirit Folk's warriors of Rio's innocence and begin building a new bond? And what of Haruto's spirit, still residing within? Drunken dwarves and harem hijinks are great and all, but trouble is never far away.

Rio and Latifa’s pleasant days in the spirit forest together sadly couldn’t last forever. Promising a reunion sometime in the future, Rio then heads for his parents’ hometown in the Yagumo region, where a village awaits that holds the secrets of his birth.

Rio's journey finds him stumbling upon a village in the Yagumo region, where he is welcomed into the home of Chief Yuba and finds friendship with Sayo and Ruri, two girls close to him in age. Suddenly, the king and queen request Rio's audience in the capital, where they discuss the secret of his parents' origins, his birth, and a tragic past that has made him an arbiter of vengeance. As time passes and Rio prepares to leave the village, Sayo's feelings morph into something more complicated—but will she be able to articulate them before their time together is up?

After leaving his parents' hometown in the Yagumo region, Rio visits the spirit folk village and reunites with Latifa. There, he listens to her feelings and promises to return before departing for his next destination. Along the way, he passes the city of Amande, where he witnesses six great pillars of light rising up towards the sky. A voice in his head seeks help, leading him to an unexpected discovery...

With the emergence of the pillars of light comes a shocking reunion! Among the group of children Rio rescues stands Miharu, Haruto’s beloved childhood friend from his past life. But Miharu and the kids are only the beginning. Rio learns of a sacred prophecy which connects the pillars to the arrival of six heroes, two of whom may well be Miharu’s missing companions. It’s said that the heroes will appear before the sacred stones, but where are those? And what does it mean for someone to be a hero, anyway? All the while, reports of missing adventurers continue to pile up...

As the heroes from Earth become entwined in the fraught politics of his world, Rio remains resolved to investigate where they are and how they were summoned here. He determines the next best location to search for information is Strahl, where he can reunite with the teacher he holds so dear. However, power has shifted in Strahl, and Rio’s beloved professor now has a prior engagement...

When Rio discovers that Professor Celia is soon to marry the contemptible Charles Arbor, he infiltrates the royal castle to confirm how Celia feels directly—unfortunately, it’s all too clear to him the marriage will not be a happy one. He offers to help her escape, but with the threat of the Arbors’ retribution toward her father looming large in her mind, Celia rejects his help and resigns herself to her fate... Knowing he has few other options to liberate his beloved professor, Rio hatches a plan that will pit him against the military might of an entire army. Will his bold ploy manage to obstruct Celia’s unholy matrimony?

After successfully rescuing Professor Celia, Rio tells her about his memories from a past life in another world—the same world that the heroes he’s seeking are from—and she agrees to join him on his quest. But while the pair are bringing each other up to speed on their lives and their knowledge of current affairs, the people pulling the strings in the Strahl region waste no time capitalizing on the Arbors’ humiliation...and in the Spirit Village, the girls from Japan begin to make some startling realizations. What will become of Rio and his companions as his past life continues to color more of his relationships and as it becomes ever more deeply entwined in regional power struggles?