Chapter 1: Memories of Emily

I fold the cover and sit on the wooden fence, running my fingers through my hair. The rough texture of the bandage brushes against my fingertips.

To think that after falling from the tree and hitting my head, I would recall memories of a past life. How many would believe me if I seriously confessed this?

On the first day I regained consciousness, I tried to share this with my mom while she was giving me first aid, but all I received in return was her tears. Seeing her like that made it impossible for me to mention the past life again.

But is my memory of the past life really certain? What if it’s just a delusion? Perhaps I’ve lost my mind due to the impact from the fall.

Heavy thoughts, unbefitting a 13-year-old girl, start to swirl in my head.

“Emily!”

A boy suddenly ran up to me, panting heavily. He had a basket made of twigs slung over his back, filled with potatoes caked in dirt. His gaze was as full of affection as the potatoes piled behind him.

How much genuine feeling could a boy my age have for a pretty girl? His emotions were simple, and because of that, they were also intense. It felt overwhelming.

I slightly averted my gaze from the boy’s stare and opened my mouth. “Why?”

“Is, is it okay now…?” His response came out cold, and he seemed a bit flustered.

Naturally, his gaze was fixed on my head. The concern in his eyes as he looked at the bandaged area was almost too much to bear.

“I’m fine. See? I’m moving like this,” I replied.

“I see…”

The conversation came to a halt. The boy kept glancing at me, as if eager to continue talking, but I didn’t feel the need to say anything.

A gentle breeze swept through, scattering my hair like strands of golden thread slowly unraveling.

“Hey.”

“Uh, what?”

I broke the silence. It was time to head home, and I couldn’t remember this boy’s name.

“What was your name again?”

“My, my name…?” His expression twisted into a pout.

If I really tried to remember, I might recall his name, but I didn’t want to put in the effort to remember a sweaty boy’s name.

“It’s Jack!”

“Right, Jack. I hope you find the beanstalk.”

“Be, beanstalk? We grow potatoes at home.”

I babbled whatever came to mind, but Jack clearly didn’t understand. I jumped down from the fence and started to walk away.

“Where are you going…?”

“Home.”

As I walked home, I looked up at the sky. A massive, unnamed creature flew across the vast expanse.

A fantasy world, indeed. It was hard to believe, but this world felt real to me now.

Since recalling memories of my past life, the most common thing I heard from the village adults was that I had “become more subdued.”

It made sense in a way. My memories of living as Emily were far fewer than those of living as an adult man, so how could I return to my old way of life?

Moreover, there was a significant difference between Emily’s personality and my own.

“Are you going out again today?” my mom asked.

“Yeah.”

A week had passed since I started recalling my past life. I nodded at her question and stepped out of the house.

Staying cooped up at home meant my mom would nag me to help with chores, and I found that bothersome. Even if I protested about my head injury, it was useless. She said I could still do sewing since I could move my hands.

Ultimately, I chose to go outside. Although my mom looked worried, she didn’t try to stop me. It seemed she subtly hoped I would find a suitable husband while I was out.

Of course, I had no intention of fulfilling her expectations and headed toward the village entrance.

At the entrance, the gatekeeper lived in a hut that remained cool even in the hot weather, so I planned to spend some time there.

“You’re here again?”

As I approached the village entrance, I saw a scruffy-looking middle-aged man in leather armor, wearing a sullen expression. Despite his demeanor, I knew he was secretly glad to see me.

“Should I just go?”

“No…”

The gatekeeper shook his head at my question. I couldn’t remember his name, but it didn’t feel awkward.

According to the village elders, the gatekeeper was a retired knight. He neither confirmed nor denied the rumor, so no one knew if it was true or false.

“Sir.”

“What?”

“Show me your swordsmanship.”

“Hmm…”

As a knight, he should have the skills to match. I looked at him with eager eyes. However, he raised an eyebrow and turned away from my request.

“My sword doesn’t just come out whenever I want…”

“But you drew it to chop firewood!”

“Hmm…”

In the end, the gatekeeper didn’t draw his sword. He must not be in the mood today. I wasn’t inclined to push him, so the conversation naturally ended.

It was only natural for me to be interested in his swordsmanship. This world was one of magic and swords, things that didn’t exist in my previous life. How could I not find that intriguing?

I wanted to learn about magic, but in this small village, there were no magical items to be found. That’s why I began visiting this retired knight. He would show me his sword techniques whenever he felt like it. Even if they appeared to me as mere faint afterimages, just watching was enjoyable—it felt like witnessing a fascinating magic show.

“Emily!”

“Emily, come out!”

I was reading a book in the gatekeeper’s hut when I heard the voices of two kids outside.

Peeking out the window, I saw twins with long fishing rods waving at me. They had quite a few fish hanging from their backs, suggesting they had a good catch today.

Playing with young kids was a hassle. But if I wanted to stay here for a while, I had to engage with them to some extent.

I stepped out of the hut, recalling the twins’ names. The girl with long blue hair was Su, and the boy with short hair beside her was Shu.

I thought their names were rather uninspired, but I waved back at them.

“Hey! Looks like you caught quite a few today!”

“Yeah!”

Among the two kids, it was Shu who had something to share with me. With a slight blush on his face, he proudly recounted the day’s events. His story, filled with lies and exaggerations, made catching small fish sound like battling a giant monster.

Though it was a boring tale, he beamed with joy when I smiled and encouraged him.

As always, his stories ended with a gift. Shu handed me the largest fish he had caught.

“Thanks!”

“Uh, uh…”

After giving me the gift, Shu mumbled something and then ran off. Left alone, Su stared at her twin for a while before turning away.

Unlike Shu, who was expressive, Su seemed emotionally distant.

“Is it fish today?” I asked.

“Yeah, it seems pretty big.”

“Oh…”

I walked slowly toward the approaching gatekeeper and handed him the fish.

It was instinct for animals to compete for a beautiful mate. Most boys in the village brought me gifts to win my favor, but I passed everything on to the gatekeeper.

It was a sort of trade. If I hadn’t given him these gifts, he would have likely chased me away.

Rumors spread that I spent time in the gatekeeper’s hut, which led more boys to come visit me. Consequently, I received an abundance of gifts, especially today.

Today’s haul included a large fish, five potatoes, two sweet potatoes, three ears of corn, and a small chunk of cheese. Cheese was particularly rare in this countryside.

The gatekeeper laughed heartily as he looked at the gifts. He seemed in a good mood, which made me think he might agree to my request.

I subtly moved closer and spoke up.

“Sir.”

“What is it?”

“Can you teach me swordsmanship?”

“Swordsmanship…? You? What would you do with that…?”

“I’d use it for self-defense. The outside world is dangerous, you know.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

The next morning, I headed to the gatekeeper’s hut as usual. He threw a long wooden stick my way. Upon closer inspection, it was a well-carved wooden sword.

“This is…?”

“You asked me to teach you swordsmanship, right?”

“Are you really going to teach me?”

“Of course, unless you don’t want me to.”

“No way!”

And so, I began learning swordsmanship from him.

Of course, “swordsmanship” meant only learning how to swing and thrust. I couldn’t hide my disappointment as I asked him, “Is there no way to handle mana…?”

“What, mana? Do you want to be a wizard or something?”

“No, I read in storybooks that knights use mana too…”

“Stop talking nonsense and just swing the sword.”

Did he really intend to teach me properly? As I looked at him doubtfully, the gatekeeper shook his head and returned to his post, as if to say it was up to me whether or not to practice what he had shown me.

News of my lessons quickly spread. Consequently, the boys who had shown me interest began coming to learn swordsmanship from the gatekeeper.

He didn’t turn them away, nor did he welcome them warmly. It seemed he had no intention of teaching them anything, so the boys started bribing him with gifts, just as they had done with me.

As a result, the gatekeeper naturally doubled his income.

Most of the kids who started learning swordsmanship gave up within a week. After a hard day’s labor, they had no energy left to practice swordsmanship.

There wasn’t any noticeable change either, so they quickly lost interest.

However, there were still those who didn’t give up—twins Su and Shu, and a boy named Jack, who reminded me of a beanstalk.

Shu and Jack seemed to stay for the time spent with me rather than the swordsmanship, but Su looked a bit different.

Time passed quickly, and winter arrived.