[The Next Day]
Isaac spent the whole night sleeping like he owned the busiest shop in a bazaar.
He had wanted to keep himself awake to plan his next course of action, but his weak body refused such notion.
After a night's sleep, he had gotten a lot calmer than before.
What woke him in the morning was the shrieking bell of the church.
Isaac lay still for a moment, listening. Then he turned toward the window.
A crowd had gathered outside the front door.
He stared outside, too afraid to go out, because he could see a mob of people waiting for him at the front door.
They were all happily chatting while carrying a lot of gifts with them.
'I still have no idea why they act like I am their Messiah when I am just a normal guy.'
Isaac was still having a hard time digesting that he had possessed the body of such a legendary person.
He turned around and headed downstairs.
He was halfway to the main hall when Lancel appeared from the opposite corridor.
Lancel looked at him for a long second before he walked past him.
'….What is with this guy?'
Isaac watched him go, then carried on toward the kitchen.
The motherly woman smiled when she saw him. "What happened?"
"I want to roam around the town," Isaac said awkwardly. "But the people outside….."
He couldn't find the right word for them. Calling them fans would be too arrogant of him.
'Well, I am not wrong.'
Rhea sighed through her nose, set down what she was holding, and rinsed her hands in the stone sink.
She ruffled Isaac's hair and walked past him toward the main door.
She opened it and walked outside, and all Isaac heard after that was Rhea's scolding.
'She's more like an older sister than a mother sometimes.'
Isaac did feel a little weird for asking her to clear the path, but he really wanted to go outside.
After a few minutes of scolding, Rhea walked back inside with a smile.
She reached up and ruffled his hair in passing. "Go. Nobody will bother you."
"Thank you."
"And if someone offers you something," she added, already heading back toward the stove, "take it politely."
Isaac waited a full ten minutes at the door to make sure they had all left.
After that he took a deep breath and walked outside into the open.
The warm breeze touched his face as the earthy smell hit his nostrils.
His body immediately felt relaxed and he took a step forward.
The first thing that caught his eyes was the giant World Tree.
Contrary to Isaac's belief, for a World Tree this was red instead of the classic golden or green.
A full, living red, running from the bark outward to the tips of every leaf, as though the tree had been fed on something other than soil and rain.
'Well, fairytales are not always true.'
He walked on, following the paved path that curved gently through the heart of the settlement.
The town, as he had seen before, was all built around the tree as its centre.
Be it the roots or branches, the elves had used it cleverly in their architecture.
It was the time of late August and the sun was hidden behind a thin layer of clouds.
The Angmar Kingdom was said to be at the eastern side of the world, and by extension this town as well.
Because of the two oceans on either side of the kingdom, August was the peak season for rain.
And by looking at the sky, Isaac wondered if he could see rain today.
"Messiah. Messiah."
Just as he was lost in his own world, a young couple walked towards him.
An elven man with ginger hair and a woman with deep black hair worn loose past her shoulders.
They both dipped into a bow before they had even fully stopped walking, which made Isaac extremely uncomfortable.
"Messiah, my name is Nicole," the man said, his posture still inclined forward in a half-bow. "This is my wife, Shanta."
He hesitated, then pressed on. "We have been married six years but we still have no offspring."
Shanta continued with a sorrowful voice. "If you would be willing to offer us your blessing, Messiah… we would be deeply grateful."
They both looked at him eagerly, like they were ready to fall to their knees if he asked.
"Ah, yes," Isaac said quickly. "I bless you both."
A beautiful smile bloomed on both of their faces as they repeatedly bowed.
"Thank you! Thank you!"
They bowed again, several times, both of them speaking over each other in their thanks as they backed away down the path.
Isaac watched them go, his own smile fixed in place through sheer effort of will.
He wanted to advise them to not stop trying, but was too shy to speak.
'I really hope they don't leave it all to me.'
Isaac began to walk again, though now he had more to think about.
'This is much worse than I thought.'
If people think that he can help a couple have a child, what is stopping them from thinking that he can kill a god?
'To become a popular religion, it is only necessary for a superstition to enslave a philosophy.'
And Isaac saw a seed of superstition planted right in front of his eyes.
'….Let's not think about this for now.'
He did not want to ruin his own mood by overthinking.
So he took a deep breath and began to admire the beautiful town.
He proceeded forward until he reached a playground for young children.
A young woman sat at the centre of it, playing a wooden flute, and several small children danced around her in loose, unselfconscious circles, their laughter carrying over the music.
Along with them was a girl who sat on the corner playing with a small wooden toy.
"Maia!"
Isaac instinctively called out to the child, who looked up toward him.
The others also took notice of him and began talking among themselves.
The little girl quickly ran toward Isaac while lowering her face.
"What are you doing outside?" she asked, once she had reached him.
"Why?" Isaac returned with his own question. "Can I not be out?"
"N-no, that's not what I meant!"
He chuckled softly and looked back at the dancing children. "Why are you not playing with them?"
"I am too old for that," Maia said, rubbing her toy. "Mother asked me to stay here so she can focus on her work."
Isaac could feel that the girl didn't like being around people much.
'Well, she is the same as me in that regard.'
On impulse, Isaac reached out and plucked the toy from her hands.
It was a tortoise, and they were given to young children as a good luck charm.
He turned it over once, then tucked both hands behind his back.
When he brought his hands forward again, both fists were closed.
"Which hand?" he asked.
Maia stared at his hands, then at his face, then back at his hands. She pointed at the left. "That one."
Isaac smiled and opened both his empty hands. The girl's eyes widened instantly as she looked up in astonishment.
"Where did my toy go?"
The smile on his face only grew bigger as he put his hand behind her back and the toy magically appeared in his hand.
The girl could only look at him blankly when he returned the toy to her. "Go play."
He patted the confused girl's head and walked away.
'Glad I was wearing long sleeves. Wouldn't have worked otherwise.'
Isaac was sure the trick would have a long lasting effect on the girl.
'My stupid sister never found out how I did that.'
His smile slowly dimmed when he thought about his own little sister.
'….I hope they are doing fine without me.'
Isaac could clearly remember the time he had spent with his family and how much he wished he had spent even more.
Though Isaac couldn't be sad for long when he caught something from the side of his eyes.
'A bookstore!'
He couldn't believe his eyes and his legs instinctively turned toward it.
'There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island.'
Reminiscing the quote from his previous life, Isaac walked inside the store with a big smile.
Isaac took a deep breath in the silence and smell of old books.
The place, as he had thought, was mostly made of shelves carved out from the branches of the World Tree.
There were a lot of books, and along with them were maps and even a collection of coins at the side. Coins that dated back up to eons.
"Have you looked around enough?"
A hoarse voice made Isaac stop in his tracks as he turned toward it.
An old elf with a wrinkling face sat on the opposite side of a desk, wearing an old robe.
He looked like an old grandpa found in the park, but with pointy ears.
"Ah, I'm sorry for the intrusion," Isaac said awkwardly. "I just got excited seeing all the books."
"They all belong to me, so go away," he grunted in reply.
"Pardon?"
The conversation, as far as he seemed to be concerned, was over.
Isaac didn't back down either.
"Would you mind if I read your books?"
The old man acknowledged his presence once again.
He pointed at Isaac, his voice gruff and apathetic.
"I know you are no Messiah, child."