The 8th Son? Are You Kidding Me?

A Japanese salaryman falls asleep before waking up and finding himself as a five year old boy named Wendelin von Benno Baumeister, during the wedding of his oldest brother Kurt and his wife Amalie. Despite being nobles, Wendelin discovers the Baumeisters are poor and only owns small farmlands which most of it will be inherit by Kurt while the rest of his six older brothers have either married into another family, finding work as a government official or soldier, leaving him nothing to inherit. Wendelin later discovers he has the ability to use magic. While searching for firewood for his family, Wendelin meets Alfred Rainford, who detected the boy's magic, saving him from a wild boar and vows to teach him how to use magic.

Wendelin decides to keep his magic a secret after learning it moves him ahead of Kurt in the line of family inheritance, risking assassination attempts from Kurt. Alfred discovers Wendelin has an extraordinarily high magic capacity. Alfred displays several unusual symptoms, cold skin, no sense of taste and bouts of physical pain. Wendelin’s strange behaviour draws Kurt’s attention. Wendelin decides he wants to be an adventurer instead of a lord, making Kurt less suspicious, but Adventurers Academy is expensive, so Wendelin decides to work to pay his own tuition. To help with travelling Alfred teaches Wendelin flight magic. Wendelin’s father hears a rumour of a Whispering Dead nearby, a sentient corpse doomed to become a mindless zombie. Wendelin realises he means Alfred and confronts him. Alfred admits he is dead but came back as a Whispering Dead to pass on his knowledge to an apprentice.

At Adventurers Academy Wendelin tries to make friends but due to his lack of communications skills and high level of magic, the rest of the students are too afraid to approach him. Three students, Erwin, Louise and Iina, share a bond over being the youngest children of lower class families. Wanting to gain Wendelin's recognition, they attempt to hunt a large pack of wolves but are overwhelmed until Wendelin rescues them. Due to a misunderstanding, the three believe Wendelin sees them as a burden when in reality he wants to be friends. Their class attend a party hosted by Duke Braihiraider who takes an interest in Wendelin as Wendelin's father is a vassal of Braihiraider. Wendelin asks Erwin, Louise and Iina to join him much to their surprise. They learn Braihiraider brought them to meet his court wizard, Brantack Lyngstad, Alfred's former teacher, who confirms his suspicions that Alfred passed his knowledge to Wendelin.