Chapter 3

After half a day of traveling down the road,

there was nothing much to do on the carriage, so I had my first real conversation with Brother Paul.

"Did you also receive a territory, Brother Paul?"

"Yeah, one ranch and two villages..."

Brother Paul usually doesn't show much emotion.

So, I couldn't tell from his expression whether he was satisfied with the territory he inherited.

Considering the size of the earldom, Brother Paul's share must have been quite small.

Most of the territory must have gone to Brother Alexei.

Brother Paul might be unhappy about it, but I thought it was a matter to leave alone.

The carriage started to climb a gentle hill.

"Do you know what my island is like?"

"Not really. I've heard there's a small house."

"Hmm..."

I had assumed there would be a house.

I had even imagined something like a lord's manor, but from his tone, it might be much smaller.

It's probably just a regular house.

I don't really want to be extravagant.

As long as it can shelter me from the rain and wind, that's enough.

Wait, does that mean I'll be living there all alone?

I had thought there would at least be someone to take care of me...

"Will there be servants there?"

Brother Paul looked at me for a moment before turning his gaze back to the front.

"Seddie, from now on, you'll be living on your own."

I see, so there won't be any servants.

Sigh, the sky is so blue...

It's so bright it makes me want to cry.

The carriage reached the top of the pass, and the sea spread out below.

"There's Gandalcia."

Following Brother Paul's gaze, I saw a small island nestled in a wide bay.

It wasn't far from the coast, and it looked like you could easily cross by boat.

"It's not a very big island..."

"Yeah."

From here, it looked like the island was surrounded by sandy beaches and cliffs, with no sign of any houses.

"Does anyone live there?"

"It's an uninhabited island."

"Huh...?"

"Didn't you know?"

For the first time today, a clear emotion appeared on Brother Paul's usually expressionless face.

It was a look of pity.

Yeah, even the devil in hell would shed a tear in this situation.

I had imagined a peaceful fishing village.

After all, no one had told me it was an uninhabited island!

I guess even Nurse Mary and everyone else didn't know.

Zero inhabitants is unbelievable.

It sounds like a well-crafted light novel title!

Wait, what's a light novel again?

That's strange, my memory has been getting hazy lately.

It feels like memories of a past I never experienced are resurfacing.

I hope I don't have some strange disease...

The carriage arrived at the shore with me still in a daze.

"It seems you'll have to cross to the island from here."

From the shore, a rocky path extends into the waves.

It seems there's no bridge to my territory.

If the tide rises, you won't be able to go or come back.

Brother Paul, speaking in a gentler voice than usual, called out to me, who couldn't move.

"Do you want to come to my place? You could work on the ranch if you want, Seddie."

I almost cried at his kind words, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Living on an uninhabited island is really daunting, but I want to see what this island is like first.

I am the lord of this island, after all, even at twelve.

"I'll take a look at the island first. Can I give you an answer later?"

"Alright..."

Brother Paul didn't try to stop me forcefully, but instead gave me a small leather pouch.

It contained a few silver coins.

"Can you see that town over there?"

In the distance, along the coast, I could see a settlement.

The impressive bell tower suggested it was a fairly large town.

"That's the town of Lubon in the Simpson territory. There are shops there. If you're in trouble, you can buy something to eat with that."

"Brother..."

Suddenly, Brother Paul felt like a close presence.

"They say there are no dangerous creatures, but you should still be careful. Is your sword in good condition?"

I checked the sword at my waist.

The heavy weight gave me a strange sense of reassurance.

I had received the usual training as a noble child.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Can you use offensive magic?"

"Fireball."

"If you can do that, you should be fine. A few shots should scare off any wild animals."

I had to worry about such things too.

I really was too naive.

"I'll be careful."

"If you're in trouble, come to my ranch. I can't offer luxury, but I'll make sure you can get by."

Brother Paul nodded slightly and set the carriage in motion.

The sound of the waves and I were left behind.

What will happen from now on?

The future seems as treacherous as the rocky path ahead.

"Wh-What!?"

On closer inspection, the rocky path had become narrower than before!

The tide was rising.

I couldn't just stand here.

If I don't reach the house on the island today, I won't have a place to sleep tonight.

I lifted my heavy travel bag and jumped onto the first rock still visible above the water.

I managed to reach Gandalcia Island by following the rocky path.

I fell a few times on the way, and my clothes and shoes were soaked.

I sat down on the white sand and took a deep breath.

What a desolate island.

As far as I could see, there were no signs of human activity.

There was a faint path, but it was overgrown with grass, making it difficult to walk.

The trees along the path had many branches.

It would take an eternity to clear this place by myself.

I regretted coming here.

But why?

Despite how terrible this place is, it feels somehow familiar.

Even though I've never been here before, it seems familiar.

In fancy terms, it's called déjà vu, right?

It feels like I'm seeing a scene from a long time ago, before I was born.

I looked around, trying to find something that might trigger my memory.

"..."

No, that's impossible.

I must be seeing illusions because I'm worried about the future.

Maybe I should have gone with Brother Paul...

"No, no!"

I shouted loudly to encourage myself.

I've only just arrived on the island, and I'm already feeling weak.

If I keep this up, I'll never make it.

Instead of crying, I need to start moving.

First, I need to find the house that should be somewhere!

"Ugh..."

I tried to cheer myself up and stand up, but I was suddenly hit by dizziness and had to kneel on one knee.

Did I trip on the sand?

Or was it the bright sun?

Both could be true, but the main reason was that my severed memories suddenly connected.

They were memories from my past life.

I can't remember clearly, but I recalled that I lived in a country called Japan.

That's right!

The reason this island feels familiar isn't wrong.

It looks exactly like the game "Island Maker" that I loved when I was in elementary school.

"Island Maker" is a slow-life game where you develop an uninhabited island and enjoy island life.

You can develop the island, farm, or go on adventures.

It was a game with a lot of freedom.

The game starts with the player finding their house on the island.

If I go this way...

Relying on my past life's memories, I pushed through the overgrown path.

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