Kacha kacha
I could feel the compartment shaking as the train sped from one place to another.
I turned my attention away from the newspaper in my hand for a moment and watched the changing scenery outside the window.
After a while, I got bored and shifted my gaze to the person sitting in front of me.
It was a four-seat compartment. Since I sat on one side, the man across from me could only face me directly. Yet, he was completely absorbed in the documents in his hands. Sometimes he looked troubled, and other times his face lit up, as if he had just solved a problem.
He was a mature man in his thirties. Despite it being just the two of us in this compartment, there was no awkwardness between us. Why?
Because we're family.
That's right—he's my father.
No, I know not every family is like that. But my point is: because we know each other, there's none of the awkwardness that exists between strangers.
Now, back to me. As his child, I resembled him—we shared the same blond hair and blue eyes.
My father looked like the average office worker, with a slim build.
I'm not much different, though I find it a bit lacking. I'm planning to put on some muscle.
Despite my young appearance, no one could see any liveliness in my gaze.
Well, it's strange for me to say it, but that's how I feel.
It's been two weeks since I woke up in this body. The usual transmigration, reincarnation, or possession situation—I'm still not sure which.
Most people nowadays would be thrilled to be in my position. That's how I felt at first, too.
Until I realized the truth.
Backlund, Loen Kingdom, Evernight Goddess…
Fuck!
Oh—sorry for the bad language, but still...
Even living in a city constantly assaulted by Titans would be better than this!
Fk!
...Okay. Much better.
Anyway, I asked my father to let me come along to Tingen City. It's the perfect chance to check the timeline. I'm just a casual fan; I don't remember the exact timeline, but I hope it's far from the main events.
While I was lost in thought, I noticed my father bringing the documents closer to his face, trying to read something.
Even then, it seemed like he couldn't make out the words. That's when—
He took out a monocle from his pocket and placed it on his eye.
"..."
"Father," I called.
"Hmm?" he replied casually.
"Let's buy glasses after this. It's not convenient to use a monocle."
Fk!
I swear I'll destroy every monocle in this world!
After some back-and-forth about the advantages of glasses, my father finally agreed to my suggestion.
Sigh… I slumped into my seat.
Two weeks ago, I found myself in this body. Conveniently—or inconveniently—I don't have any memories from either life.
No, it's not quite right to say I don't have those memories. Rather, I can't recall them without a catalyst.
For example, when I met my parents, I immediately knew: my father, Grandar Diffodil, and my mother, Peytra Diffodil.
Or when I entered our house, I instantly recognized which room was mine. But before that, I couldn't even recall the house itself.
Without those memories, I've only been able to act like myself these past two weeks.
Even so, my parents didn't seem to notice anything strange. I didn't act out of character in their eyes.
Because of that, I still don't know whether I transmigrated or was reincarnated.
Honestly, I'm fine with this situation where I don't have to pretend to be someone else.
During that time, I tried to gather as much information as possible.
From what I learned, I'm the only child of Grandar and Peytra Diffodil.
We live in Backlund, in the Loen Kingdom.
My father is a clockmaker, and my mother makes dresses for nobles.
We're what you'd call upper-middle-class commoners.
That's when I realized what kind of world I was in.
Three days ago, my father asked me to accompany him to look for fresh blood to join his work.
Apparently, the "me" from before had suggested this idea to him—
Instead of waiting for a university graduate who might or might not match his working style (and might not even want the job),
it was better to sponsor a promising student under contract.
Thanks to that past version of me, I'm now heading to Tingen City—the place where everything begins.
But wait…
Isn't this too much of a coincidence?
"…"
Wait, that thing's range shouldn't be able to cover the whole kingdom.
Am I just being paranoid… or not?
Sigh… I have to doubt everything here.
I straightened my posture and sat properly before picking up the newspaper again.
The only rope keeping me from falling into the deep hole of depression is this:
'The Grain Act Saved Many Citizens'
After reading the headline and the article—
+1 Pt
These green announcements appear only to me.
My only solace in this wonderful world:
Seeker's System.
I read the next headline and its content:
'A Burglar Broke Into the Welsh Residence. The Young Master and His Friend Were Killed.'
No points.
This must be a lie.
There's no explanation or user guide for this system. I can only test things out and learn through experience.
But I've realized one thing—it's a pretty effective lie detector.
There are two main conditions for me to earn Points:
One, the information I receive must be true.
Two, I have to be able to comprehend it. (This one might be optional.)
Yeah, I say "optional" because I'm still unsure.
There are a lot of people who are good with words, able to twist the truth without technically lying.
This condition is a safeguard—it keeps me from blindly trusting the system's feedback.
I turned my attention to the system interface:
Current Points: 19,981 Points.
Since I started from scratch, even learning about my geographic location gave me points.
But I suspect it'll get harder to earn more as my knowledge increases.
Let's just call the early gains a beginner's bonus.
I opened the shop tab:
'Occlumency' – Price: 19,999 Points.
That's my goal. A small one, for now.
I don't know why or how something like that exists in the shop,
but if my memory serves me right, it'll significantly increase my chances of survival.