Chapter 270 The Outsider
"I know I'm being unreasonable, so you don't have to point it out. I'm aware that my careless personality is causing me trouble. I've already messed up and caught attention from all over."
"Yeah, I can easily imagine that. I mean, that's pretty common for reincarnators."
"What do you mean?"
Rihito created several simple benches made of earth and encouraged everyone present to sit down. He himself sat on the bed.
"I really wanted to meet another reincarnator from my own world. I was abandoned right after being born in this world, and I can't shake the feeling of being an outsider no matter where I am. The grandma who picked me up and raised me died when I was 7. She was just a woman who knew a lot about herbs, often found in remote villages, but the villagers didn't like her."
"Really? Wouldn't a pharmacist be treated well?"
"Sara would understand, right? This world is still immature, and people often avoid things they don't understand. They called her a witch, and they only came to her for help when they were in trouble, but otherwise, they avoided her."
Rihito stared at the mug that had coffee in it, and when he confirmed it was empty, he looked a bit disappointed. Seeing this, Sara took out some herbal tea leaves from her storage space and skillfully brewed herbal tea with magic. Just like before, she poured it into the makeshift tea set, and without being told, the golem naturally moved to distribute cups to everyone.
"You're really good at this. Your magic control is amazing. It's proof that you use magic in your daily life."
"Thank you. The bench Rihito made is really comfortable."
Sara and Rihito looked at each other and both smiled a little.
"Back to the story, my grandma was killed like a witch hunt during a bad harvest year. In those years, the blessings from the mountains and forests decrease, so the beasts also starve. The village was often attacked by wild animals and monsters, and many people got hurt. The villagers decided that my grandma was the one who cursed them, and one night, a lot of them came to attack her."
"Why would they do something so terrible?!"
"I was one of the reasons. I used magic without holding back to survive. I asked the fairies to make sure my grandma's garden was full of crops, and I also used magic to hunt a lot of animals. So, we had plenty of food, firewood, and fur, and we were ready for winter. I knew the village was struggling that year, so I took some extra food and fur to the village. I thought it was unfair that my grandma was hated, and I hoped it would improve her image a little."
"I think that's a good thing."
"Yeah, it is. But I didn't have enough to share with all the villagers. I told them I would go hunt more and went into the forest, but that same day, my grandma was killed, and everything she had saved for winter was taken away. When I returned to the village 3 days later with a lot of prey, I saw the terrible scene and confronted the villagers. But they called me 'the child of a monster' and decided that my grandma was a 'witch' who raised a child of a monster. They said, 'The witch hoarded the village's harvest. She deserved to be killed,' and they threw stones at me."
Rihito looked far away, and Sara didn't know what to say to him. Not just Sara, but everyone there was silently staring at Rihito with painful eyes.
"I was really sad and really angry. For a moment, I seriously thought about killing all the villagers."
"But, Rihito, you didn't do that, right?"
"The kid who threw stones at me from the front was the one who drank the fever medicine my grandma made and got better. There were many other patients my grandma helped too. Even though I was brought to this world without my consent, the 'Hippocratic Oath' crossed my mind. It's funny, right? In my past life, I was a research doctor and hardly ever faced patients directly. But at that moment, I couldn't harm the villagers."
"I see... Rihito was a good doctor."
The Hippocratic Oath is a declaration of medical ethics for doctors. It is said to have been created by Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician, and it still influences the medical field today in different forms.
"Sir Rihito, what is the Hippocratic Oath? I understand that being a doctor refers to a profession like a pharmacist."
Suddenly, Amelia asked Rihito a question.
"Oh, you don't have to call me 'sir.' It's a declaration that those involved in medicine swear to uphold professional ethics. The original oath was written a very long time ago, so its content varies a bit depending on the time and place, but it includes things like providing medical care regardless of a patient's status, gender, or religion, and not providing harmful medical treatments. Doctors swear this when they become one."
"I see. Please tell me more about it next time. As a pharmacist, I want to know, and if possible, I'd like to take the oath too!"
"Ms. Amelia is serious, huh? You must be a good pharmacist."
Rihito took a sip of his herbal tea from the cup and began to continue the story.
"I think I stood out too much. I believed that if I could help people, their view of us would change. Back then, I was an idiot, thinking, 'Yahha! I'm in another world! I'm gonna be super awesome!' I thought that was what people expected from me. Since I died from being stabbed by a random attacker in my past life, I wondered if I would end up being the one to use violence next."
"I'm sorry to hear you were a victim of a random attack, but I don't think anyone was expecting you to be 'Yahha!' I'm glad you didn't turn out that way."
"Yeah, that's true. When you get reincarnated, you have memories from your past life, so you think you're an adult, but I realized that my heart was really starting over from childhood. I was foolishly trusting in people's kindness and desperately wanted friends."
"I think that's a normal feeling for a person."
"But I didn't understand that in this world, I was an unusual existence. If I showed my power, I would stand out and be avoided. Honestly, it would have been better if my memories came back after I grew up more."
Sara noticed that Rihito was worried about her.
"Rihito, thank you for worrying about me. I also think it might have been better if my memories returned when I was a bit more mature. I've already stood out too much in various ways. But luckily, it seems like many people are protecting me. So I want to make sure I give back properly."
"Yeah. Meeting people is important. I loved my grandma, but I ended up not telling her that I was a reincarnated person. I didn't think she would understand if I talked about it."
"That's understandable."
"So, I've lived a long time searching for someone who understands me. I've made friends, and I have a wife and kids. Plus, I've even connected with my great-great-grandchild, like Alicia. But I always felt like a stranger, like I was different from everyone else in this world, and I think I was aware of that in the back of my mind."
However, Sara didn't completely understand Rihito's feelings.
"Rihito, I get what you're saying in my head, but I don't feel like a stranger myself. Maybe it's because I don't remember all my past life. I'm slowly starting to remember some things, but I think the reason I don't feel attached to my family and friends is that there are still many things I haven't recalled."
"Ah, so you just started remembering not long ago. But it seems like you've done a lot already. Well, it's not just me and Sara; it seems like other reincarnators are the same. I think there are still many things from that world left in this one."
"I feel that too. I play instruments, and the piano and violin are almost the same as on Earth in the 21st century."
"That's why I've been looking for other reincarnators and visiting different places. I believe there were reincarnators in ancient civilizations too. I think ancient languages are similar to programming languages, and magic circles seem like programs to me."
"I can understand that feeling."
"Right? Reincarnators often use their past life memories to improve their lives or make money. I feel like if a technician reincarnated, they would be the first to create something. But that can also make them stand out and get killed sometimes."
"So, that's a common thing for reincarnators, huh?"
"That's how it is. When I research history, I sometimes feel something is off about certain people, and suddenly, civilization seems to advance too quickly. I think it's probably because of reincarnators. That's why I wanted to meet a living reincarnator and talk to them. I really wanted a friend who could understand me."
"I see. I understand what Rihito is saying. There's an age difference of over 300 years, but would you be my friend?"
"Then, tell me your past life name too."
"It's Uno Sarasa."
Sara stood up from the bench and walked over to Rihito, and the two of them shook hands firmly.
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