Some time went by. I was brought food and water by the maid and was fed by my new mother. This was very pleasing, as I had never experienced a mother's care before—it felt deeply emotional, and I almost cried.
The meal was simple: some bread, stew, and a few fruits I had never seen before. They were some kind of berries—round, red, and seedless. Their outer layer was a thin skin that my mother carefully peeled before placing them in my mouth. Sweet, with a little tartness—they tasted surprisingly good.
Now was the time to ask some questions to my mother. I started with, "Can you tell me what my name is?" I asked. She replied with a smile, though her eyes were still red from all the crying.
"Your name is Arnold von Remdell. Your father is Rynel von Remdell, and I am Elicia von Remdell," she said softly. Then she continued, "Your father is the Baron of this small village we live in, called Peldor. You were attacked by some small-time thugs and were kidnapped, but now you don't have to worry—we've dealt with them."
The general information wasn't much, but it explained several things. I thought to myself: if my father is the baron of this village, that must mean he's a noble—and they kidnapped me to exchange me for money. The thought wasn't very pleasant. I was in a lawless world, after all. But still, there was some comfort in it.
After the meal, I rested—my body clearly needed it. It was still afternoon, and it felt wonderful to finally take an afternoon nap. The busy schedule of a scientist never really gave me much time for that. I slept like a baby, though ironically, I was in the body of a child.
A few hours of sleep did me good. When I woke up, my mother was still sleeping right beside me, her eyes red and swollen. I got out of bed; I could barely stand, though I somehow managed to summon the strength.
I walked out of the bedroom, curious to see what was happening outside. As I opened the door, I noticed a man in body armor standing near the window. I panicked a little—I had never seen such a frightening face before. I stepped back and fell on my backside. To make things worse, he had a sword strapped to his waist.
I screamed a little, and that's when my mother woke up. Another person rushed into the room—he too had a sword and was wearing armor. My panic grew worse. Though I was a grown man inside, I instinctively felt fear—something that would never have happened if I were still in my old body.
My mother quickly picked me up, holding me securely the way you would a toddler, completely under control. She was alert, her tone sharp as she asked, "What happened?" She looked around, but no one was there except the two armored men.
Then she called out, "Dareal." The man outside looked at her as she asked again, "What happened?" Dareal and the other man exchanged confused looks—there was clearly no sign of danger. The panic settled, and the scene turned slightly awkward.
After a moment of calm, my mother looked down at me and asked gently, "What happened, Arnold?"
I looked up at her and replied in a small, awkward voice, "Well… I wanted some fresh air, so I walked outside and saw that man with a scary face—and he had a sword, so I panicked. Then another person came in, also with a sword and armor, so… yeah, that was it."
My mother hugged me tightly again, and the two men burst into laughter. My mother also smiled. Well, everything turned out fine in the end. I never imagined something like this would happen this early in a new world, I thought to myself.