“You are in luck, young man. I still have a few slices left.”

  “I’ll take them. All four.”

  “Of course. Let me just heat them up for you.”

  “Pack one of them to go, if you don't mind. Add two of those sausage rolls, too. Oh, I'll also have this tomato salad with my pie.”

  “Anything else, young man?”

  I shook my head, and happily placed three silver and a few copper coins in the old lady's hand.

  Ever since I started frequenting the woods, by the time I returned to town, the dining house would already be closed.

  I did come here on my two days off, but unfortunately, the legendary pie appeared during neither of my visitors - until now.

  I took a plate of sliced tomatoes, and patiently waited for the old lady to put the now-cold pie back into the oven, letting it regain its former glory over the next two minutes.

  By the time it reached my table, the rich fragrance of the juicy meat, the fresh crust, and the slightly hot spices brought back nearly-forgotten feelings.

  Trying to savor the moment, I took a small bite, followed by a single tomato slice.

  ‘Huh?’

  Before I noticed, the first pie slice was already gone, and so were a third of the tomatoes.

  ‘Guess good things just aren't meant to last.’

  Doing my best to ingrain every bite into my memory, I swiftly devoured the rest of my dinner.

  ‘I hope the city has something on this level. Otherwise, I'm really going to miss this town.’

  With a heavy heart, and a heavier stomach, I left Old Laria's Dining House behind, making my way to the Sun Shrine.

  ***

  “Sebastian! I didn't think you'd come today.”

  “I finished my route early. Early enough to make it in time to a certain nearby place.”

  “What are you- Ah!”

  Amelia covered her mouth with her delicate hand, as the scent of the tightly wrapped pastries finally escaped its confinement.

  I smiled, handing over the basket which was casually hidden behind my back.

  “Y-you shouldn't have…”

  “Consider this repayment for that promise.”

  I once promised Amelia I'd bring her pastries from Laria's place every time I came to visit – however, I was busy in the following days, and after my first mission, I was in no mood for any social interaction.

  However, the day after the funeral, I decided to visit Amelia again. Although this time, I categorically refused to ask her any general questions about the world. Perhaps this was my own way of defying that damned voice in my head, one that suggested I see Amelia as nothing but a useful tool - a rich source of information.

  And so, my conversation with her, as well as those in my subsequent visits, mainly revolved about her apprenticeship, and life in this town, and her earlier life in the temple - and the city, in general.

  When the conversation shifted to me, there was little I could say – so far, most of my memories from Sebastian's life involved him living with his father in a small remote house, helping him with mundane tasks such as gathering firewood, cooking, and tending to the small garden - and, of course, training.

  Thus, most of those conversations - which often didn't last longer than half an hour, as I still had to train afterwards - were focused on Amelia, Silverveil, other faiths, or this town.

  However, every time I came by, the sun had already set, and the dining house - which was the only bakery that sold meat-filled pastries, at least that I knew of in this town - was already closed.

  I did visit Amelia on one of my days off, but that day was the Day Of Respite (or Respite, for short), which corresponded to Sunday on Earth, and most shops, including the bakery, were closed.

  All in all, this was the first time since I made my promise that I finally brought anything edible with me - and it just so happened I managed to hit the jackpot.

  “This… mhhm.. is delicious.”

  Half of the pie slice was already gone.

  “I’ve wondered.. you don't live far from the Dining House, and you have a few free hours in the afternoon. Didn't you ever want to go buy a few pastries yourself?”

  Perhaps the question hit a sensitive topic, as Amelia’s eyes awkwardly looked downwards.

  “Well…”

  Her fingers started fiddling with her golden hair.

  “Priests are not supposed to indulge in food, among other things.”

  “...”

  “Of course!” She quickly added, waving her free hand (as the other still held the half-eaten pie slice). “A little bit is fine, from time to time. But usually, the only feasts we enjoy are those tied to our faith’s celebration. And…”

  Amelia shifted her gaze in a different direction, her face gaining a faint shade of red.

  “The old priest is responsible for managing the shrine’s funds, and I never asked for a personal allowance…”

  Feeling the conversation veer in an awkward direction, I decided to change the subject.

  “Speaking of the old priest, I haven't seen him in a while.”

  In fact, since I specifically came to the shrine to see Amelia, I never encountered the priest during his short reception hours.

  However, perhaps due to spending most of my days sleeping, training, or searching the forest for mushrooms and herbs, I haven't encountered him in town, either.

  The last time I saw him was actually all the way back on my first day (or rather, night) in this world.

  “He.. hasn't been feeling well recently.”

  Amelia's voice was tinted with sadness.

  “He went on a few strolls in the forest, the last one around ten days ago.”

  She sighed.

  “He must have caught a cold – or perhaps, at his age, he could no longer handle such physical strain. But he has mostly stayed in bed since then.”

  “I see. May he have a speedy recovery.”

  “Thank you.”

  Amelia's gaze was still slightly downcast, but then her eyes suddenly opened in recollection.

  “By the way! Remember the letter I sent my master, around two weeks ago?”

  “Regarding my.. condition?”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Yes! A reply came yesterday.”

  “Really? That fast? I thought it would take two weeks to travel to Silverveil with a caravan.”

  “It does. But mail couriers take around one week.”

  “Oh. They must be riding non-stop, then, while the caravan has a few stops along the road, right?”

  “Not exactly. It's true caravans stop along their journey, but beyond that, the route itself is different.”

  She decided to elaborate.

  “Caravans travel along the Silver Step road, which heads north from here, and leads all the way to Silverveil, through a few relatively large settlements, while solo travelers on horseback tend to take the Crimson Stream – the road heading to the north-west, bordering the Red Pine Forest, which is also shorter.”

  “If it's shorter, who do caravans avoid it?”

  “The road may be shorter, but most of it isn't paved, so wagons and carriages have a hard time making it through - at least at the same speed.”

  “From the sound of it, it's a smaller side road bordering the forest.. isn't it more dangerous?”

  “I heard it used to be. No, it still is, even after the Silvertons began sending regular patrols. However, it’s not like anyone can be a courier, either.”

  “It's… not?”

  “???”

  Hearing the word ‘courier’, the first image that came to mind was that of a friendly neighborhood mailman, but, judging by Amelia's confused look, that image was clearly far from reality in this world.

  “Maybe it’s different in Luskar…”

  After mumbling those words, Amelia decided to fix my misconception.

  “‘Courier’, or sometimes ‘Messenger’, is a dangerous occupation. In some cases, adventurers are hired for the job, but even among professional couriers, it would be rare to find one without a Path.”

  “...Really?”

  “Of course! On the road, one can encounter anything – from a pack of ravenous monsters, to a group of bandits, to something as simple as a landslide or a broken bridge, forcing one to take a large detour, often through the dangerous wilderness. Besides having a good horse, a courier must be able to protect himself, and survive in the wild for some time..”

  Seeing the look on my face, the young priestess voice trailed off, and her eyebrow rose up.

  “Have you really never heard of this?”

  “Never. I really had no clue.”

  “Perhaps it's truly different in Luskar, then. In Valoria, couriers are adorned even more than the average adventurer. When kids play with wooden sticks, if they aren't a legendary Warrior fighting a dragon, or a mythical Sorcerer raining flame and ice over an enemy army, they are often brave couriers, making their way through the storm while fighting off bandits and wolves, with their trusty horse by their side.”

  “...That does sound quite c.. impressive, now that you put it that way.”

  “Well, such professions often sound that way when you're a child. The stories they hear talk about the one adventurer who braved a hidden dungeon to uncover its secret treasure – not the thousands who met their end before they even saw anything like that dungeon.”

  I wordlessly nodded, my mind going back to the not-so-distant past for a few moments.

  “Ehem! Anyway, my master said he will meet you. In fact, he said he was eager to help.”

  “That’s great news.”

  Could my biggest troubles be resolved so easily? I had a creeping feeling the answer to this question was the expected one, but even so, a glimmer of hope lingered in my heart.

  Even if the priest - the High Priest of the Sun Temple of Silverveil - couldn't provide a complete solution, I held hope he would at least have a way to alleviate my conditions, perhaps buying me more time. At worst, even if he held no answers, he could at least point me to someone who did.

  “He also asked whether you told anyone else about the geas, or asked anyone about ‘soul corrosion’.”

  Noticing the question in Amelia's gaze, I shook my head. In response, her face became solemn.

  “That’s good. He said you must not mention the latter to anyone until you see him, and try to keep the former secret, too..”

  A bad feeling started brewing at the back of my mind. No, at the forefront of my mind, actually.

  “Is… something wrong?”

  “Geas is a curse often associated with evil. Even if you claim its goal is harmless, people still hold inherent bias against those who bear it.”

  “I see.”

  “As for soul corrosion… I truly do not know. But I trust that master had a reason for his warning.”

  “...Then I shall heed it. Thanks, Amelia. I owe you once again.”

  In response to my words, her face flushed red once again, and her demeanor shifted from a solemn priestess to that of a flustered young woman.

  “N-no, not at all! I-if anything, it's my master you should thank! I only sent a letter…”

  She fidgeted with her medallion for a few seconds.

  “If you really want to pay me back.. there was a small sweets shop, two streets north of the temple. When I return to Silverveil, please take me there!”

  “I… sure. Is it really that good? I feel like your help was worth more than that.”

  “No! I-it's really fine. When we were children, many of us at the temple used to sneak out to that shop.”

  A nostalgic smile slowly appeared on the young priestess’s face.

  “We used to save up for weeks before going, only to buy a silver's worth of sweet rolls. But those rolls tasted better than anything we've ever had.”

  Amelia's smile deepened, her mind drifting into the past. Then, her eyes lit with recollection once more.

  “I almost forgot! Master also passed you an entry token with the latter. When you show it at the temple, they'll let you see him without making a fuss.”

  That made sense. Religion held great importance in a world with literal gods, and the head priest of a temple, in the central city of one of the kingdom's provinces, was definitely someone of high importance. He was probably not someone you could just meet.

  Perhaps I could also meet him without this token, if I managed to convince one of the guards or regular priests to speak to him about my arrival, but there was probably a high chance my request would be dismissed half-way. The token, at the very least, a key to avoid such misunderstandings.

  In truth, now that I thought about it, I was very lucky a man like that agreed to see me at all. Was it due to the young priestess’s request? Or did the reason lay with my conditions?

  Regardless, I stretched out my hand, waiting for Amelia to hand me the token.

  However, as she felt her robe, likely in the locations of its inner pockets, a look of confusion appeared on her face - replaced by a look of embarrassment.

  “I’m sorry! I think I left it in my room, with the letter…”

  “It's fine.”

  “If you want to wait, I will be done in less than two hours. I could give it to you then.”

  “No need to rush. It's not like I'm leaving tomorrow.”

  “In that case, how about you visit before your harvesting run tomorrow?”

  “It’s actually my day off.”

  “Oh. That's great! Then how about you come two or so hours after sunrise?”

  “Shouldn’t you be in the shrine by then?”

  “The shrine opens up late on Mercy, and reception only lasts until late afternoon.”

  Mercy was the day before Respite, corresponding to Saturday, and was typically the “short day” in this world.

  The names of each weekday were tied to an ancient story, which presumably took place at the dawn of the age of humanity, when dragons and other terrifying monsters still ruled the land.

  According to Amelia, there were countless versions of The Oldest Story – both the protagonists, who could be a small tribe, a party, or a single hero, and the challenges, ranging from low level monsters and bad weather to dragons, alien gods and unspeakable abominations, could be completely different between each two versions.

  What remained consistent was the story’s structure, which served as the basis for each day's name:

  Rise, corresponding to Monday, then Labour, Harvest, Strife, Perseverance, which was today, Mercy and finally - Respite.

  In my head, I still called them Monday to Sunday, but my memory of the old names was slowly being eroded by the new ones.

  Either way, this meant I could eat a proper breakfast at the inn before seeing Amelia, and even sneak in an hour of training.

  “It’s settled, then. See you tomorrow.”

  “Have a peaceful night, Sebastian.”

  “You too, Amelia.”

  Exiting the shrine, I made my way to the guild, or more specifically - its training grounds. By now, this has become a daily routine.

  My proficiency in the sword fighting style which Sebastian’s father was teaching him - and that I internally dubbed the ‘Flow Style’ - had greatly increased.

  At this point, I felt like was very close to Sebastian's level during his most recent memories.

  In fact, I might have already surpassed him – after all, I already held his memories for nearly three weeks, and the fruits of his training had been ingrained in this body from the start.

  The one advantage I held over him in that regard were real combat experiences - even a near-death one.

  Although, perhaps this body simply had great talent for swordsmanship, and Sebastian would have progressed even faster? Or perhaps my way of thinking, combined with this body's aptitude, combined to produce the superior result?

  Trying to find an answer to this question was as meaningless as it was futile, so I instead emptied my mind, simply focusing on the movements of my sword and muscles, shifting my stance, and maintaining my balance, with an occasional skill or two mixed in, in an effort to chain them as seamlessly as possible.

  Before I knew it, Jane, who sounded a bit dejected today, had already arrived to shoo me away, together with a few other adventurers to whom I paid no mind.

  I realized I forgot to eat dinner, but at this hour, it was already too late for regrets.

  With a mournful stomach, but a satisfied spirit, I returned to the inn, and after a quick lukewarm bath, it was time to finish this day.

  As my consciousness was teetering on the edge of slumber, an innocent, yet ominous thought flickered in my mind.

  ‘I wish things would continue like this a little longer.’

  by Yu Kei

  “The Life After Death” follows Arther Valentine, a cold and calculating crime lord from a futuristic world, who dies and is reincarnated into a realm of magic and monsters as a newborn named Emrys Valenhart. But instead of power, all he wants now is something he never had. Love, family, and peace. Haunted by his past and tested by a violent world, Emrys begins a journey of rediscovery, facing monsters, betrayal, and the weight of his own actions as he learns that every bond comes with a cost.

  What to expect:

  - Reincarnation & Growth

  - Deep Worldbuilding

  - Emotional Bonds

  - Dark Fantasy Tone

  - Slow-Burn Romance

  - Epic Progression

  Release Schedule:

  - Two chapters weekly - Wednesday and Friday

  Notes:

  Please check out my for up to an additional 12 unreleased chapters. (Tier dependent)

  Cover was commissioned and rights are reserved to myself and the artist only.