I woke up groggy and weak. Even turning my neck felt like a herculean task.

  “He's awake!” someone shouted, which I heard as a muffled voice.

  “Where am I?” I croaked.

  “We're in a valley nestled within the Erz Mountains, my lord,” a man answered in a gentle tone.

  Erz. A large mountain range that bordered the Nanon kingdom. Why did I recognize that name when I'd never been to this Nanon place? No, I had been there and I had lived there, but that wasn't me; that was the previous owner of this body. Nothing made sense, until a certain conversation in an infinite void resurfaced.

  I had been reincarnated.

  I looked at “my” hands. They were similar, but not quite mine, and rather gaunt.

  So, this wasn't reincarnation in the traditional sense; not a fresh start as a child as I had expected. Instead, I had been shoved into the failing body of a man on his deathbed.

  The faces surrounding me looked at me as if I had crawled out of a grave. They weren’t completely wrong. I was about to ask them more questions, when my stomach lurched. I barely managed to move my head to the side, as it emptied its contents onto the dirt floor.

  Over time, as I became more lucid, bits of memory began coming to me. I inhabited the body of Viscount Jack Nobart, a young man, twenty-five years old, a decade younger than me. He had a sharp mind and a compassionate heart, which he had to hide, lest he be ridiculed; his jackass of a father was almost a cartoon villain. Count Zock did not suffer “weaklings,” as he called them.

  Sifting through his memories, I found them to be a patchwork, riddled with holes. I could clearly recall moments spent with his mother and sister, but not much with his friends and acquaintances.

  Memories of my own past life were also patchy, and seemed to be fading. From what I could remember, it wasn't a great life anyway. I had been an intelligent but haughty man; a gifted child who grew arrogant with every praise. Snubbing my nose at anyone who wasn’t my intellectual peer. The revelation that the people around me only tolerated me for what I could provide came too late, when I was barred from the entire industry for a mistake; an excuse. The moment I was no longer irreplaceable, I was let go at the first opportunity.

  The failure finally taught me some humility. I couldn’t remember much of what happened afterwards and how I died, so I didn’t feel too bad about losing that life.

  I did feel sad for my poor parents, who would grieve at the loss of their only son, but I couldn’t do anything about their situation. So I prayed to God to look after them and decided to focus on what lay ahead.

  The first thing I did once I grew lucid was look for a transparent window or icon in my field of view, but found it absent.

  “Status?” I asked the air tentatively.

  Nothing.

  “My status?”

  A pane of light flickered into existence:

  “No magic, then. What about appraisal? Isn't that part of the standard package?” I asked the air.

  “You want the power to instantly know everything about any item you see? Do you want my position as well?” He answered in my mind, jolting me awake.

  “Oh, hi God! Can I get the power to see people’s feelings? That would be very useful.”

  I got nothing but silence in response.

  Cheap bastard. While I would have liked to receive the standard isekai protagonist package, what I had gotten wasn’t half bad either, considering the time period.

  Thanks to this new body’s memories, I already knew the history and geography of this part of the world. The ‘realms’ here were in a medieval era, where mounted knights were the pinnacle warriors, firearms not yet invented, and people believed that bad air caused all diseases. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about dying from drinking dirty water or a rotten tooth.

  I couldn’t grant the people complete immunity like I had, but I could contribute a lot to this world, if I could only regain my health.

  Surprisingly, I began recovering at a rapid pace, probably due to that God's blessing. Within a week, I could feed myself and stand up on my own.

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  One morning, I woke up to the cries of a child that would not stop.

  When it kept going on for minutes, I pushed myself and got out to see what was happening. Outside, a woman was sobbing into the chest of a man, while worried women surrounded them.

  “What happened?” I asked a woman standing nearby in a hushed voice. Thanks to my new body, I spoke the people’s language, so I understood them just fine.

  She did a double take upon seeing me, then said in a soothing tone. “We’re sorry to disturb you, milord. A child burned himself while playing.”

  “How bad?”

  “He will probably recover, if God wills it,” she said weakly, as if trying to reassure herself.

  I hobbled my way past the crowd and entered the tent, where the child, a boy of seven or eight, was moaning in pain. Old Matilda and his assistant were attending to him, placing wet rags on the burns on his left arm and chest. Probably second degree ones. Infection would get to the poor boy.

  “How is he doing?” I asked the old hunched woman.

  She jerked back with surprising agility. Her angry expression softened upon seeing me. “My lord. He’s, uh, he’s burned quite badly. I’m not sure if he will make it.”

  “What are you using for the burns?”

  Her face crumpled. “Cold water. I would have used honey or oil, if we had any.”

  “Hmm. What about fish?”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Fish?”

  “Yes. Some fish’s skin can work as an excellent barrier for burns. Keeps the moisture in and disease out, just like our own skin.”

  She looked at me skeptically, but eventually nodded. “I’ve never heard of anyone using fish skin for burns, but the world’s a big place. It can’t be worse than what we have.”

  I couldn’t help myself from smiling. If the woman hadn’t possessed any humility, this would have been a very difficult task.

  The old woman turned to her short assistant and barked, “Emma. Ask someone to get the fishermen’s catch.”

  “And a butcher for later,” I added. “The skin has to be properly descaled and sliced thin.”

  The cute girl met my eyes, nodded shyly; her face growing red.

  “No need for that, my lord,” Matilda said sweetly, a knife in her hand. “I have plenty of experience gutting fish.”

  I smiled cautiously. I had done what I could. Rest was indeed up to the child’s luck.

  That evening, a man I would place in his early to mid-thirties came into my tent. He was broad-shouldered, covered in bandages, but standing in a firm stance. I recalled that he was the leader of their hunters, the only men among the Cha who had any experience in wielding weapons.

  He looked over me, as if I were a curiosity, before realizing I was looking back at him.

  “I’m glad to see you recovering so quickly, my lord,” he said, inclining his head.

  “Thank you, uh.. I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.”

  “Lothar. We met when you gave the Cha a path to escape persecution.”

  “Yes… at the border, if I recall.”

  “Precisely. I just wanted to see how you were doing.” He smiled, inclined his head again and left the tent.

  If there was some hidden reason behind his visit, which I suspected there was, I didn’t manage to figure out.

  The next morning the parents of the child entered the tent. A grizzled man in his thirties and his short wife. They bowed to me and almost fell down at my feet.

  “Thank you, milord,” the father said between sobs. “Thank you for saving our child’s life! Old Matilda told us he would not have survived without your treatment.”

  I cringed in response. “Please. You don’t need to act like that.”

  “We do,” he said from the ground. “We could never repay such a debt. We don’t even have anything to offer you.”

  “I don’t need anything. I was just helping you out, as any good person ought to. Nothing more.”

  They rose up, wiping their tears. “We will never forget your kindness. ”

  That day, they helped me sit outside the tent to soak up some sun. I was about to drink a cup of water when my eyes fell upon my reflection in it, widening in surprise.

  “Who's that handsome guy in my cup?” I said, scrunching my eyebrows. “”

  This guy was quite a looker. Which meant I was now a looker. No wonder the ladies who took care of me were all smiles and giggles, and not just sympathetic. Another tool in my arsenal.

  One day, the Council of Elders, who led the free Cha, invited me to a meeting. Ignoring the people’s pleas to lean on them, I gingerly walked out of my tent on my own, only to be blinded by bright, warm sunshine. As my eyes adjusted, a beautiful vista of tall mountains, rising like jagged teeth, and pristine forests unfolded before me. Looking around, I saw that we were in a valley, a few kilometers wide, stretching as far as the eye could see.

  ──────── ??? ────────

  “Should you be out and about in your condition, Lothar?” Erickson asked the younger man swathed in bandages.

  “Elder Erickson,” Lothar acknowledged him with a slight bow of the head. “Sorry, I cannot bow properly. I’ve been told I can walk around.”

  “It’s good to see you recovering quickly.” Erickson nodded.

  “Thank you, but it’s nothing compared to Lord Jack’s recovery.”

  “No. His seems like a genuine miracle to me, not that yours was ordinary in any way. You almost died as well, but he had turned into a reed and I was sure for a few moments that he had passed away one night. Yet somehow he is in better health than you. How are the hunters doing?”

  “Well enough, but capturing game is becoming a problem. They’re having to go farther and farther to catch prey. The farther they go, the less they can hunt and carry back.”

  “I guess our trials haven’t ended yet. Let’s hope that Lord Jack’s recovery is indeed a sign of better times and we can come out of this hardship alive and well.”

  “We will, Elder.” Lothar said with confidence that Erickson definitely did not feel. “What did you think of my proposal?”

  “I don’t believe others will agree, Lothar. Leading the soldiers is one thing, but-”

  “All I’m asking you is to put the proposal forth,” Lothar insisted, “if you believe it has merit.”

  “It has, but I’m not going to support disbanding the Council, Lothar.” Erickson answered, with an edge to his voice.

  “Of course not.” Lothar put his hands up in a placating gesture. “If he tries to become a tyrant, I will support you against him myself.”

  Erickson spent some time thinking, then replied, “Fine. I will put forth the proposal.”

  “Thank you, Elder.” Lothar bowed slightly, as they went to attend the meeting.

  ──────── ??? ────────

  Inside the large but dimly lit Council's tent, the five Elders sat in a semicircle. I clumsily sat on the cushion that had been left for me.

  “My lord, words cannot express how grateful we are for your help. You risked your station and your own life for us. For that, you have the Cha people's eternal gratitude,” the eldest among them said to me grudgingly, as they slightly bowed in unison.

  “Please. No need for that. Any good person would have done the same,” I replied, while trying to gauge their intentions. Now you can fuck off. Is that what you old-timers are implying?

  “I seriously doubt that.” Elder Erickson interjected. “Not everyone is as brave as you, my lord. May we ask why you went to such lengths to help us?”

  I tried to recall the exact reason, but got no response from my mind. All I could remember was that it was very important to Jack that the Cha be helped.

  “You were a people in need of help and I was in a position to give it. There might have been a specific reason, but my memory seems to have been affected by my prolonged condition.” I replied.

  “We will pray to God for your speedy recovery. Whatever the reason, we are immensely grateful for your sacrifice.”

  Sacrifice? Right; Jack's father must've disowned him.

  “My lord, as you know, our people were forbidden from joining the military. We were reminded of our vulnerability when we were attacked by some brigands this side of the Bog. You are the only man with any proper military training in this valley, and we would like you to train our youngsters. After you have fully recovered, of course.”

  Ah. I wondered why they kept using the ‘lord’ title. It was to curry favor with me. I considered their proposal, taking my time. I had to establish a position here, as Jack's father definitely wouldn't be taking him back, but I also couldn't appear too desperate or eager.

  A jittery Elder spoke up. “My lord, we were just discussing your remarkable recovery. You were at death's door for days, yet you somehow recovered in less than a week! Many people are calling it a miracle.”

  Hmm. This could work in my favor.

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