I felt terribly ill. I don’t know exactly how long I stayed drifting between sleeping and waking in brief moments. My internal clock told me it was about two days, although I had no way to verify it while I remained like this.

  The moments I was awake were very heavy. I almost always heard the same voices. One belonged to my mother, and the others usually varied between two maids. They have been taking care of me since I was a child, possibly since my birth.

  Three more days passed, and now I can stay awake without any problem. My fever has almost completely gone down, and I can move my body without much muscle pain.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I try to get out of bed just as my mother opens the door. “I already told you, you must remain in bed for at least one more day. After that, we’ll check your condition and decide whether it’s a good idea for you to walk.” I have her voice ingrained in my memories, yet at the same time it feels new to me. It’s strange to recognize something familiar while experiencing it as something new.

  “Mother, don’t worry. I already feel fine.” I form the best smile I can. “I think I’ve recovered enough to walk around my room.” Looking into her violet eyes, the same color as mine, I try to show strength in this small body.

  “No means NO, young man. Stay in bed until we receive the doctor’s verdict tonight.” I glance at her firm stance, wavering just a little. My mother has always been very indulgent with her children. I can see her stern expression, but if I focus on her eyes, she’s hesitating inside. If I push a little more, she’ll probably give in.

  “Please, Mother, it’ll only be a moment. I promise, it won’t be more than—” I try to press a little further, but before I can finish my plea, the door opens again.

  “Your mother already said no. Don’t insist, little one.” My grandmother Rita’s voice interrupts my pleas, and I fall silent. I can’t defeat these two people in an argument.

  She is my father’s mother, her platinum-white hair reaching down to her waist. It’s a different kind of white when compared to my mother’s hair. My grandmother has brown eyes filled with deep wisdom and carries a straight, imposing attitude that puts my mother’s to shame.

  “Grandmother… please, I’m almost completely healed. Moving my body a little will make me feel better…” Usually, pleas are useless with my grandmother, but I don’t want to give up.

  I want to move this body. I’ve been lying in bed sick for a long time. I need to know the condition of my body, to check if I’m fully adapted. I haven’t had any mental issues after the assimilation, but I haven’t been able to test my mobility. What if I can’t walk properly, or my body doesn’t respond the way I expect? Worse still, what if I can’t fully control each movement?

  My grandmother and my mother looked at each other for a few seconds, then shifted their gaze to me, only to look back at each other again. After about ten seconds, they reached a tacit decision.

  “You can walk.” My mother is the first to speak. My desperation makes me move instantly, but my rushed actions earn me a firm scolding. “Let me finish, young man. Only inside your room, and only for two minutes. Your grandmother and I will stay here to check your condition.” I nod softly when my mother finishes speaking.

  “Maki, listen to me. If you feel weak or tired, sit down immediately and rest. I know how boring it can be for a child to stay in bed all day. We’re only doing this because we care about you so much.” My grandmother speaks. I listen attentively and nod like an obedient child.

  “Thank you for worrying about me. If I feel any discomfort or something goes wrong, I’ll let you know.” I see the big smiles forming on both women’s faces. I begin preparing myself mentally for a short walk around my room. I was probably the most worried person about my condition in this room, but that’s a thought I should never voice in front of them.

  I placed my feet on the floor. I could feel the warm wood and decided to lift my entire body. At first, I didn’t feel any discomfort as I took my first steps. This situation reminds me a lot of my past life in the hospital after duels. It was routine to check my body’s condition after receiving minor cuts or heavy blows.

  I kept walking for more than a minute. My mother and grandmother remained silent, following me with their eyes. I could feel their gaze on my back at all times. Wait… can I feel their gaze on my back?

  In my past life, I used to pride myself on having sharp senses. Most contact-sport athletes develop a combat sense—it makes you react faster, predict blows, or even perceive attacks from blind spots. But this is something completely different. I can’t sense where they are positioned or if they’re moving, just a faint feeling of being watched, a presence behind me.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “It’s almost been two minutes. Can I continue a little longer?” I kept track of the time in my head. I know these two women very well. They would sit me back on the bed at the exact moment, so I decided to get ahead of it and ask before time ran out.

  To my surprise, my grandmother was the first to respond. “You look happy and more lively after that short walk. You must have missed moving your body a lot. Your mother has the final say on this decision. I think you should walk at least two more minutes to keep checking your physical condition.” My grandmother supports me. That’s a pleasant surprise.

  My mother didn’t speak immediately. I don’t think she’s moved from that same spot for the last two minutes. She must be in a very conflicted internal debate, judging by that serious and worried look.

  “Alright, just two more minutes. After that, back to bed, young man. No more asking or pleading.” She lets out a deep sigh. What does that mean? Is she tired of my pleas since this morning, or was it a sigh of relief knowing her son can walk without issues? I’ll never know.

  “Thank you, both of you.” I can only speak the most sincere words from my heart and smile. I receive two smiles in return.

  A week has passed since then. The doctor arrived the following morning. He couldn’t come at night due to an emergency.

  I couldn’t hear the conversation between the doctor, my mother, and my grandmother. They later gave me a summary in my room. According to the doctor, the fever and body pain shouldn’t return. He couldn’t determine why I had been sick. The only suspicion was an unknown illness, and somehow, I managed to overcome it.

  Those words made me remember everything that had happened recently. If I hadn’t assimilated Maki’s body, he would have died from this strange illness. No, he wouldn’t have died—Maki died, and that’s why I’m here.

  From that moment on, they allowed me to walk freely throughout the house. It could be considered large, but not enough to be called a castle. I don’t know the houses of other nobles of my father’s rank to compare.

  His rank is Baronet of the Kar Empire, the second lowest on the scale of nine. There are small differences compared to what I learned in my old world.

  In this world, the lowest rank is Knight, followed by Baronet, my father’s rank. In third position is Baron, fourth Viscount, then Count, sixth Marquis, and finally, seventh and eighth are Duke and Archduke. The ninth varies depending on whether you live in a kingdom or an empire, with the main difference being the size of the territory.

  There are three kingdoms and one empire—the one I live in. Although the highest authority is the Emperor, my family follows Marquis Julo Timal. According to stories told by my parents and grandmother before bedtime, my grandparents fought in a war against overflowing monsters alongside the previous Marquis Jol Timal. After their contributions, the Marquis decided to grant them a knighthood and pass this land to them. My father earned a higher rank through great effort and good results.

  So much history. Without the combined memories, it would be impossible to know all this information. Letting out a long sigh, I decide to think about what comes next. Possibly tomorrow I’ll return to a training routine to strengthen my body. I need to relax my muscles after being in bed for so long. My body is itching to train. I need to test all possibilities in a completely new world of magic.

  My father should arrive today, and if I get the green light, I’ll be able to start tomorrow, though surely at a moderate pace.

  While we were having dinner, someone entered the dining room. “Family, I’m back. How are you a—?” Before he could finish, my father appeared beside me and gave me a tight hug. “Son, I’m so glad to see you healthy and eating. I was very worried about your health. How are you? Does anything hurt? Do you still have a fever?”

  I return his embrace and wrap my arms around him. Family love warms my soul. Family love is something I couldn’t feel in my past life. After these days, I can proudly say this: family love is something every child in the world should feel. It’s ridiculous to think something like that, honestly—it’s a utopia to expect something so beautiful from the world.

  “I’m fine, Dad. Thanks for asking. I’ve improved a lot these days.” I try to pull back a little to show my smile and let him see the sincerity in my words. “I feel strong and emotionally well, enough to continue training like before the illness.”

  I dropped a bomb without warning. It’s better to strike the iron while it’s hot. My father’s expression changed from happiness to confusion, then to thoughtfulness and doubt.

  “Son, honestly, I don’t think you should train so soon.” My father leaves his mouth open as he’s interrupted.

  “Jarrid, I think Maki is in condition to train. He’s improved a lot and is terribly anxious to train.” My eyes widen in shock at my mother’s support. She wouldn’t even let me walk a week ago.

  We were all surprised. Ninety percent of the time, my father is the energetic one and my mother the cautious one. Today, the roles were reversed. My father looked at my mother, then at me for a while, and finally made his decision.

  “Maki, you may train.” Before I can celebrate, he continues speaking. “On one condition. Let me spar with you to check your current limits. If I notice any irregularity, you’ll have another week of rest.” His serious gaze makes it clear—if he notices the slightest problem, everything will be suspended.

  The reins took a detour, but they eventually reached the same goal. I won’t complain or refuse. “Alright, Father. Thank you for understanding my feelings.” A small, warm smile forms on my face.

  He gave me another hug before joining us at dinner. While they talked about different topics, I couldn’t help but think: how much of my sword skills should I show?