Chapter 2

* * *

I wasn't human in my past life.

What was I, you ask...

‘A graduate student.’

Wow, it really wasn't a human life.

At the tender age of twenty-five, I died from overwork after staying up all night writing a thesis.

‘The stress of the thesis must have been so intense that it even led to my reincarnation in a novel.’

My thesis title was as follows:

[A Study on the Characteristics of Social Reform Suggested in Genre Novels: Focusing on the Fantasy Novel <Rebellion of Doss>]

I had read <Rebellion of Doss> about ten times to write my thesis.

In other words, I knew the original story and various settings in the novel better than anyone else.

‘Well, as an extra, I don’t really need to recall the novel’s content in detail, though.’

To recall the novel’s content, I would have to strain my brain and remember my past life...

Then, I would feel very hungry, and my mental age would revert to that of an adult, causing discomfort.

Well, anyway, the two main characters, who are father and son, are supposed to handle the bloody war and revolution.

Once they create a world where even non-magicians are treated as humans, I can just live a leisurely life after that.

‘Life as an extra, the best!’

I giggled while hugging Aunt Susan and shouted to my dad.

“Dad, be careful!”

Dad was fixing the leaky roof of Aunt Susan’s house.

Thump, thump, thump—!

The sight of Dad climbing the ladder, nails in his mouth, and hammering away was very familiar.

Everyone in this mountain village calls Dad when their ceilings leak or their chicken coops break.

‘The people here take advantage of my dad’s kindness, treating him like a pushover. Of course, Aunt Susan is an exception.’

She always shares her delicious food with us and takes care of me when Dad is not around.

The rest of the neighbors have no conscience at all.

“Oh, James. I’m sorry for always asking for your help.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m the one who always relies on you. Could you take care of Lylis today?”

“Rely on me? Don’t be silly. Lylis is such a well-behaved child; I don’t have to worry about anything. How can there be such a sweet and cute kid?”

“Haha.”

I hugged Aunt Susan’s neck and smiled.

Of course, I’m well-behaved.

It’s awkward to compare me to a typical seven-year-old.

“Look at that smile. So cute... How beautiful will you be when you grow up? Who do you take after, Lylis?”

If I say I take after Dad, it’s not really true.

I look nothing like him because I have white silver hair and blue eyes.

Being an extra 1, I was so conspicuous that I was suspicious—

“Hey, maybe I was found, right?”

—I asked Dad that.

“You look like your mom!”

“Really?”

Dad said my silver hair and blue eyes were like my mom, who left when I was a baby.

“Ha ha, yes. You look like... your mom.”

Dad, who was hammering nails, laughed awkwardly.

“Your mom was very beautiful.”

I can’t prove it since I don’t know what my mom looked like.

At first, I was worried that I might not be Dad’s biological daughter.

But now, I’m sure I am!

As I grew, the way my eyes crinkle when I smile, the shape of my nose, and the upward curve of my lips became just like Dad’s.

‘I’m definitely Dad’s daughter! And a confident extra!’

Brown hair, brown eyes.

Even my name, James Brown.

Anyone can see that I’m the daughter of my dad, a commoner in this empire, so I’m definitely an extra with a peaceful future!

“Now it won’t leak. And you mentioned the doorknob was problematic last time. I’ll check it when I come back.”

“Oh, I’m so grateful. What would I do without James? My husband just eats and scratches his belly all day. He’s useless.”

The “parasite” Aunt Susan is talking about is her husband, Joe.

“Ha ha... Then, I’ll leave Lylis in your care today. Princess, I’ll be back from the market soon.”

Dad put a load of wood on his back and poked my nose, which was pressed against Aunt Susan.

“Come back quickly! And don’t forget our promise?”

“Yes, Princess. Of course. I’ll bring macarons.”

“Haha.”

I waved to Dad until he disappeared, still hugging Aunt Susan.

When Dad was no longer in sight, I lowered my hand, and Aunt Susan laughed.

“Do you like your dad so much, Lylis?”

“Yes, of course!”

In my past life, I was an orphan, and the only memory of a caring guardian is this life’s dad.

It must have been hard for a young man to raise a baby alone...

Dad changed my diapers, fed me baby food, and gave me baths every day without fail.

The significance of having Dad by my side from the time I formed an attachment as a baby was immense to me.

Kind, handsome, tall, and affectionate.

And the one who made me the most comfortable extra in this terrifying world.

‘I have to grow up quickly and take care of him!’

I clenched my small fist, determined.

* * *

I ate honeyed milk and cookies at Aunt Susan’s and played about ten rounds of card games with Uncle Joe.

Aunt Susan told stories from the past while watching the card games.

“One night, someone was banging on the door, and when I opened it, your dad was standing there, pale as a ghost, holding a baby. That baby was you, Lylis.”

“I knew he was the baby’s dad then.”

Uncle Joe, holding cards, chewed on dried meat and said,

“A young man suddenly came to this mountain village and lived quietly without introducing himself. I thought he had some story...”

“Ha ha, that’s right. Anyway, your dad said the baby was clearly not sick but wouldn’t eat. He said the baby would cry and thrash when given a bottle, even though it was hungry. When I looked into it, it was because...”

“What? Why didn’t I eat?”

I took a card and bet a lot of acorns, which were used as chips.

“The baby was over five months old but had only been fed formula. It must have been so tired of it that it refused to eat, trying to express itself in its own way.”

Aunt Susan burst out laughing, imagining Dad’s awkwardness.

“I told him to come in, and I made some mashed apples and bananas mixed with formula as baby food. The baby, who wouldn’t eat, finished a whole bowl, and your dad’s eyes went wide.”

“Ha ha... From then on, he was very polite. He would run over to greet me whenever he saw me from afar, and he would share half of the wood he cut. It made my life much easier.”

“Tsk, he’s such a parasite. If you eat, you should do your part. He just lounges around and takes advantage of kind people.”

“Well, James insists on sharing. It’s rude to refuse someone’s kindness, you know.”

“Anyway, since it was his first time raising a baby, he was clueless and started asking all sorts of questions from that day on.”

It was surprising. Dad, who is now a master homemaker, was once so clueless.

“Ha ha. This time, I won, kid.”

Uncle Joe grinned and revealed his cards.

Five hearts.

“A flush! Ha ha ha!”

Uncle Joe, with his bristly arms, gathered the pile of acorns on the table.

“Wait.”

I grabbed Uncle Joe’s arm and revealed my cards.

K, K, K, 7, 7.

“Ha, a full house.”

Uncle Joe’s mouth dropped open.

I hopped off the chair, spread my skirt, and swept up all the acorns.

“We can play again tomorrow. I welcome any challenge.”

“What, a full house!”

Uncle Joe and I burst out laughing at his shock.

I returned home with Aunt Susan, my skirt full of acorns.

Dad would be back soon.

“Thank you for a fun day.”

I politely clasped my hands and bowed to Aunt Susan.

“Aunt, I’ll go do the laundry. You go ahead.”

“What? Why are you doing the laundry? Just leave it.”

“If Dad comes back and has to do the laundry too, he’ll be tired. I’ll do it for him!”

“Goodness... Lylis, you’re an angel. I’ll do it for you. Is this the laundry?”

Aunt Susan asked, pointing at the basket of laundry I was holding.

I was startled and hugged the basket.

“Oh, no. There are Dad’s underpants too.”

“Goodness.”

“Ha ha, don’t worry. I’m good at laundry. It’s easy. I just need to go to the stream and scrub a bit.”

Aunt Susan was surprised.

“Your dad was worried because you’re small and slow to talk... but it seems you’re a genius. What seven-year-old can play card games so well and do the laundry for their dad?”

“Ahem.”

Aunt Susan, seeing my nose in the air, patted my head proudly.

“I’ll go ahead. Make sure to eat dinner.”

“Yes, Aunt! Goodbye!”

I saw Aunt Susan off and headed to the laundry area.

‘Dad doesn’t like it when I do the laundry secretly...’

But I’ll keep doing it.

I understand the struggles of James, a single dad who raises a child alone, does all the housework, and even cuts wood.

“I’m the filial daughter who washes her dad’s underpants at seven. Yes, Lylis Brown!”

I sat by the stream, took out the laundry, and giggled.

The surrounding mountains and clear water were as peaceful as always.

‘Wow, the life of an extra is so leisurely. I wish every day could be like today.’

Even though I’m a non-magician, a commoner, and a bit poor in this world.

‘The main characters will soon create a better world, so there’s no need to worry. Compared to my past life, this is the best life. Reincarnation is the best!’

Then it happened.

Clatter, clatter—.

‘Huh? What’s that sound of hooves?’

While I was scrubbing the laundry with my small hands, a strange presence came from beyond the forest.

A small rural fiefdom in the southern part of the continent, Zeon. Even in Zeon, this is a remote mountain village.

There are only six households, including ours, in this isolated place.

In other words, it’s almost impossible for someone to ride a horse here...

‘What, something feels off...’

My intuition was spot on.

“Halt!”

Neigh—!

Six strangers on horseback suddenly appeared and stopped in front of me.

They all wore blue cloaks over silver armor.

I immediately recognized the emblem on the cloaks.

The royal crest.

They are the imperial army!

And the blue cloaks mean...

‘D, Dos Class Holy Knights? Why are such important people here in this remote place?’

I was so shocked that my mouth dropped open.

“Seize her.”

The man at the center of the knights ordered, and one of his subordinates grabbed the back of my neck.

“Gah!”

Then, he jabbed a police baton-like object into my chest without mercy.

“Ouch! It hurts...”

From what I know, that’s an artifact used to identify magic users.

The rod-like artifact immediately glowed blue.

“She’s a magic user, Captain. She seems to be the daughter of Enoch Rubinstein.”

Me? Is this thing broken?

“Her appearance is enough to tell.”

As I was panicking, a black-haired handsome man, likely the captain, sneered and took me from his subordinate.