I felt terribly sick. I didn’t know exactly how long I had been drifting in and out of sleep, but my internal clock told me it had been about two days—though there was no way to confirm that while I remained like this.

  The moments I was awake were heavy. I almost always heard the same voices. One belonged to my mother, and the others usually alternated between two maids who had been taking care of me since I was a child—possibly since I was born.

  Three more days passed, and I could stay awake without any issues. My fever had almost completely gone, and I could move without much muscle pain.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” I couldn’t even try to get up when my mother opened the door and found me attempting to get out of bed.

  “I already told you, you need to stay in bed for at least one more day. After that, we’ll check your condition and decide if it’s a good idea for you to walk.”

  Her voice is etched in my memories, yet still feels new to me. It’s strange to know something that feels new and familiar at the same time.

  “Mother, don’t worry. I feel fine and strong enough to walk around my room,” I said, looking into her violet eyes, which were the same as mine, trying to make her understand. But it was completely useless.

  “No means NO, young man. Stay in bed until we hear the doctor’s verdict tonight.”, I caught a glimpse of her stern stance faltering. My mother has always been indulgent with her children. You can see her stern expression, but if you look closely into her eyes, she’s soft inside. If I insist just a little more, she might give in.

  “Please, Mother, it’ll only be for a moment. I promise, no more than…”

  “Your mother already said no, stop insisting, Maki.”, Before I could finish pleading, someone very important to me interrupted—my grandmother, Rita.

  She’s my father’s mother. Her long platinum-white hair, not as long as my mother’s, showed her age. Her brown eyes held deep wisdom, and her upright demeanor put even my mother’s to shame.

  “Grandmother… please, I’m almost fully healed. Moving my body a little will make me feel better...”, Usually, pleading with my grandmother is pointless, but I didn’t want to give up. I needed to move this body. I’d been bedridden and sick for too long. I needed to know the condition of my body—if I’d fully adapted.

  I hadn’t had any mental issues since the assimilation, but I hadn’t tested my physical form. What if… I couldn’t walk properly? Or my body didn’t respond as expected? Or worse—what if I couldn’t control it at all?

  My grandmother and mother exchanged glances for a few seconds, looking back at me and then at each other. After about ten seconds, they reached a silent decision.

  “You can walk,” my mother said. I made a fist in triumph before she could finish, earning me a scolding. “Let me finish, young man. Only within your room, and for no more than two minutes. Your grandmother and I will be here to assess your condition.”

  “Maki, listen to me. If you feel weak or tired, sit down immediately and rest. I know how boring it can be for a child to be stuck in bed all day. We’re only doing this because we care about you.”, My grandmother said the words my mother was probably thinking.

  “Thank you. Don’t worry. If I feel any discomfort or something goes wrong, I’ll let you know. Really, thank you.”, I saw a big smile form on both their faces as I got ready for a short walk around my room.

  I was probably the most worried person in the room about my condition, but that was something I’d never say out loud in front of the two of them.

  I placed my feet on the floor, feeling the warm wood beneath them, and stood up. I felt no discomfort as I took my first steps.

  This situation reminded me a lot of my past life in the hospital after a tough fight. I used to go through similar routines to check my body’s condition after sustaining minor cuts or blunt hits.

  I kept walking for over a minute. My mother and grandmother silently followed me with their eyes—I could feel their gaze on my back the whole time. Wait… can I actually feel their gaze on my back?

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  In my past life, I prided myself on having sharp senses. Most contact sport athletes develop a combat sense. It helps you react faster, anticipate strikes, and even detect blows from blind spots. But this felt different. I couldn’t sense exactly where they were or if they were moving—just a vague feeling of being watched.

  “It’s been almost two minutes. May I walk a little more?”, I knew both women too well—they would’ve sat me down the moment the time was up. So, I asked in advance.

  To my surprise, my grandmother was the first to respond.

  “You look more lively after that little walk. You must’ve missed moving around. Your mother has the final say on this decision, but I think you should walk two more minutes to continue testing your physical state.”

  My mother didn’t respond right away. I don’t think she had moved from her spot for the last two minutes. Her expression showed a fierce internal conflict.

  “Fine. Two more minutes. Then back to bed, young man. No more asking or begging.”, She let out a deep sigh. What did that mean? Was she tired of my pleas since this morning? Or was it a sigh of relief, seeing her son walk without issues? I’ll never know.

  “Thanks to both of you,” I said with a sincere smile. I received two smiles in return.

  A week has passed since then. The doctor arrived the next morning—he couldn’t come the night before due to an emergency.

  I didn’t hear his conversation with my mother and grandmother, but they gave me a summary later. According to the doctor, the fever and body aches shouldn’t return. He couldn’t figure out what illness I had. His only guess was that it was an unknown disease I miraculously overcame.

  Those words reminded me of everything that had happened recently. If I hadn’t assimilated Maki’s body, he would have died from this strange disease. No—he did die. That’s why I’m here.

  Since then, I’ve been allowed to walk freely around the house. It’s large, though not quite castle-sized. I don’t know what the houses of other nobles of my father’s rank look like, so I can’t compare.

  His rank is Baronet of the Kar Empire—the second-lowest in the nine-tier nobility system, with some slight differences from what I knew in my old world.

  Here, the lowest rank is Knight, followed by Baronet (my father’s rank), then Baron, Viscount, Count, Marquis, and then Duke and Archduke. The ninth rank varies depending on whether you live in a kingdom or an empire. The main difference is land size.

  There are three kingdoms and one empire in this world. We live in the empire. Although the Emperor holds the highest authority, our family serves under Marquis Julo Timal.

  According to bedtime stories from my parents and grandmother, my grandparents fought in a war against overflowing monsters alongside the former Marquis Jol Timal. After their contributions, the Marquis awarded them a knighthood and granted them this land. My father earned a higher rank through effort and good results.

  So much history... if it weren’t for the blended memories, I wouldn’t be able to recall all this information.

  I sighed deeply and focused on what’s coming. I’ll probably return to my training routine tomorrow to rebuild strength. My body is itching to train—I need to test every possibility in this entirely new world of magic.

  Today my father is supposed to return. If I get his approval, I can begin tomorrow, even if at a slow pace.

  While I was eating dinner, someone entered the dining room.

  “Family, I’m back! How are y—”, Before he could finish, my father appeared at my side, pulling me into a tight hug. “Son, I’m so glad to see you healthy and eating. I was really worried about you. How are you? Does anything hurt? No more fever?”

  I returned his hug, wrapping my arms around him. Family love warms my soul.

  Family love is something I never got to experience in my past life. After these past few days, I can proudly say: Every child in the world should feel family love.

  It sounds ridiculous—it’s utopian to expect something so beautiful from the world.

  “I’m fine, Dad. Thanks for asking. I’ve been getting a lot better these days,” I said, pulling back slightly to show him my smile. I meant every word.

  “I feel strong and emotionally well—enough to resume my training from before the illness.”

  I dropped a bomb without warning. Better to strike while the iron’s hot.

  My father’s expression changed from joy to confusion, then to thoughtful hesitation.

  “Son, honestly, I don’t think you should train so soon,” he said, about to continue when my mother interrupted.

  “Jarrid, I believe Maki is ready to train. He’s improved greatly and is terribly eager to resume training.” We were all surprised. Ninety percent of the time, my father is the energetic one, and my mother is the conservative. Today, they switched roles.

  My father looked at my mother, then at me, and finally made his decision.

  “Maki, you can train,” he said, before I could cheer, “on one condition: Let me spar with you to test your current limits. If I notice anything off, you’ll rest for one more week.”

  A slight detour, but the destination was the same. I wasn’t going to argue. “All right, Father. Thank you for understanding how I feel.”

  He gave me another hug before joining us at dinner.

  As they chatted about various topics, I couldn’t stop thinking: How much of my sword skills should I reveal?