Chapter 4

WBC is hot, yes.

I was born into a family that was reasonably wealthy in the merchant trade. The family had always been a significant merchant, but it grew considerably during my father's generation. We lived in the city and did not have to travel to remote villages to do business, which would have exposed us to life-threatening dangers, such as monsters and bandits.

My father was more in a position to lead and organize other merchants. In this world, there are people who possess mysterious abilities called skills. People with skills are called skill holders, and both my father and I had the skill known as "Appraiser."

Skills can be either innate or acquired later in life. Innate skill holders are rare and highly valued because their skills are often more precise and powerful than those acquired later in life.

My father used his appraising skill to buy rare magic items and valuable gems from retailers and adventurers, then resell them for profit. His appraising skill was powerful and accurate, and because of his honest character, both buyers and sellers praised him for the mutual benefits.

By the time I was seven, I was already learning the business by following my father. As I grew, the scope of our business expanded, catering to guilds and the general public.

It was around this time that my mother passed away. Incurable diseases do exist. She had always been frail, and her condition deteriorated rapidly.

I do have clear memories of living in Japan. Sometimes, my memories of Japan overlap with my current reality, reminding me of things that happened in the past. As I grew and gained more experience, my past self and present self slowly merged.

Therefore, I never felt any dissonance in considering both my previous life's mother and this world's mother as my mother. Though they looked and sounded different, there was a certain similarity.

Incidentally, my father in this world is almost nothing like my previous life's father. In this world, he was more of a mentor and a superior before being a father.

When my mother died, the confusion of my memories became more intense. Probably because my previous mother died when I was around sixteen. I had nightmares about my mother's death, both from my past life and this one, for a while.

The adults around me were not surprised, thinking it was due to the shock. My father's business associates took care of me, thinking I was pitiful. I was unconscious for two months and could not get out of bed.

When I finally awoke from the long confusion of memories, my father was dead.

My father had been working tirelessly, using all his connections to find a cure for my mother's illness. If I had been a child in spirit, I might have wondered why he wasn't there for her. However, he couldn't stay still. He bought and tried many medicines, but none worked, and his physical strength was reaching its limit. All I could do was ask the spirits to maintain the temperature and environment, but they are not my servants and their abilities are far from omnipotent.

When my mother was on her deathbed, my father was still on a journey to find medicine. He learned of her death three days too late and was killed by monsters on his way back.

It was hard to believe that such a wise and great person had died. By the time I recovered and could get out of bed, my parents' funerals were long over. Even though my mind was that of a twenty-year-old, my body was still only ten.

The wealth we had saved to buy medicine was almost depleted. My father probably thought he could earn more if he lived, and the urgency of the situation was understandable, but there is no life insurance in this world.

People who were interested in my father's wealth and business connections quickly left. A few of his close associates, who knew I was a skill holder, wanted to take me in. However, I was bedridden for over a month after my parents' funeral, and the discussions proceeded without my knowledge.

In the end, the person who took me in was a mercenary named Nigel and his employer, Lord Essex. Nigel is a young black lycanthrope. When he was starting out, my father helped him a lot. Since lycanthropes still have low social status, a merchant like my father who treated them fairly was rare. Nigel felt a deep sense of gratitude and had sworn to come to our aid if anything happened. He was on a long expedition and apologized for not being there when my parents died.

Lord Essex, whose full name is Randolph, is a sturdy nobleman. He is not at all pretentious about his nobility and is more of a practical, martial type. He was one of my father's clients, and I remember meeting him when I was young. My father had also introduced Nigel to him.

Uncle Randolph and Nigel talked to me about the future when I awoke. They mourned the loss of my parents. When I heard about my father's death, I was shocked, but I did not fall into a deep depression this time. They were worried about that, too.

Probably because the confusion of my memories had settled after my mother's death. What was once vague had now taken root. My mind had returned to a state close to my previous life.

Uncle Randolph gave me time to think about my future and provided a guarantee for my living. He instructed Nigel to take care of me in his busy absence. I would live in one of the rooms in the castle owned by Lord Essex for several years.

2015/01/10 Revised