Chapter 3

It has been two years since I received my second life.

Recently, I have been able to walk around to some extent, but I still need to use a ladder to go upstairs, and I don’t get to go outside much, so basically, my world is limited to the first floor of my house.

From the information I’ve gathered over these two years, it seems that I was reborn as the eldest son of the Berrek family, a family of the Maren tribe. My name is Abel, full name Abel Berrek.

The white skin and red eyes are apparently common features of the Maren tribe. I had them too. I had a rough idea from looking at my parents, but I was still taken aback when I saw myself in the mirror for the first time.

At first, I was always flustered, but over these two years, I have gradually started to accept my current situation. However, in my previous life, I was raised by a single parent, and the one who remained was a carefree and foolish father, so I still feel a bit out of place living with both parents.

I have learned the language to some extent, but I still don’t know where this country is located on Earth. It’s a continent I’ve never heard of. I often think that I should have studied geography more in my previous life. I even asked my father for a world map, but he just said that if there was one, he would let me see it.

There are no electrical appliances in the house, and it doesn’t seem to be a very developed place. I never thought such a place existed in this day and age. I miss my smartphone and TV.

Every morning, my parents close their eyes and face the decorated window in the bedroom, saying, "We pray to the spirits of our Maren ancestors," and make a cross in the air with their left hand. They both look very serious, and the first time I saw it, I almost cried. My father in this life often tells me, "Abel, you should also offer your prayers," and tries to get me to mimic this prayer. I take advantage of being a child and pretend not to understand, faking it. But it’s only a matter of time before I have to do it every morning too.

This prayer is not only done when waking up in the morning but also when doing something wrong. In such cases, one must make a cross in the air with the left hand and say, "Spirits of our Maren ancestors, please forgive me." I don’t know much about it, but it seems that the spirits of our ancestors usually overlook most things. It turns out that our Maren ancestors are quite forgiving.

As for the food culture, this has been the biggest challenge. The meals are basically black, hard bread and a white soup, which is a diluted stew made from goat’s milk.

That’s fine, but I wish they wouldn’t serve things like pig’s heads or boiled snake blood on the dining table. They are apparently ritual foods eaten on specific days.

Here, they use a calendar made up of several combined disks called a "day counter." It is manually operated, and the day count changes every few weeks, considering something like a leap year. When I looked at the day counter, I found that there were twelve months in a year, just like in Japan, but the total number of days was 352. When I realized this, I wondered if this place might not even be on Earth.

Apart from the food, the other thing I can’t accept is the Otem. Otem are cylindrical figures carved from wood. Most of them don’t have legs, and they look like drum cans with faces and wings.

Otem are displayed in large numbers both inside and outside the house. They have strange makeup and are quite creepy. What’s even more creepy is that I don’t know why they exist. I’ve even had dreams where they chase me.

I thought Otem were important for religious reasons, but my mother used one as a stand to reach books on a high shelf. However, after using it, she made a cross in the air and asked the spirits of the ancestors for forgiveness, so maybe they are important. But if you have to ask for forgiveness, why not just not do it in the first place? I’m not a child, you know.

"What’s the matter, Abel? Why are you staring at the Otem so intently?"

My mother, who was sitting in a chair reading a book, looked at me. I know she is my biological mother, but I still get a shock when I see her face unexpectedly. How old is she? She’s probably not even thirty.

"Mother, what are the Otem for?"

I stroked the Otem and asked my mother.

"Oh, Abel, you’re interested in Otem now? That’s promising."

My mother smiled happily. So, the people of this tribe really like Otem?

"The Otem are made by Zere for magical training. There are also ones made for celebrations and decoration..."

Zere is my father. His name is Zereht, and I’ve seen the neighbors call him Zere or Mr. Zere. Zere seems to be a nickname. However, why does my mother call him with the honorific "sama"? It might be a custom to respect one’s husband, but it’s a bit too affectionate, and they seem to get along well... Maybe it’s just a difference in Japanese sensibilities.

Putting that aside... I didn’t expect to hear the word "magic" from my mother. The Maren tribe not only has deep faith but also seems to believe in magical things. It’s hard not to think that they are quite backward. Can I really return to Japan, where there are smartphones and TVs, from this Maren village?

"By the way, the one you’re stroking now is for celebrating this child... Jizel."

My mother closed her eyes and gently stroked her pregnant belly. Yes, my mother is expecting her second child.

Incidentally, through some kind of divination, they know it’s a girl. I think it’s a bit dubious, but my parents seem to believe in it blindly. I’m a little curious to see their faces if it turns out to be wrong.

I moved closer to my mother, asked for permission, and placed my hand on her belly. If this child also has memories from a previous life, it would be nice to have a good conversation about our past lives.