Elegy from Another World

I hid behind a thicket not far from the village, observing carefully. It was a quiet and simple village, with smoke rising from the wooden houses and villagers occasionally moving about; the atmosphere seemed peaceful. But the shadow in my heart had not yet dissipated, and I dared not show myself easily. However, perhaps it was fate, but an old hunter carrying firewood, preparing to return to the village, still spotted my swaying golden hair with his keen eyes.

My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively took a step back, almost falling because of my injured leg. The hunter hesitated for a moment, but instead of shouting or showing hostility, he put down the bundle of firewood, raised his hands to indicate that he had no weapon, and slowly approached.

A wave of overwhelming fear gripped me. I stared intently at him, and when he was a few steps away, I asked directly in a trembling but clear voice, "Are you... a good person?"

This question is naive to the point of being stupid, but after everything I've been through, it's the only, most direct way I can think of to make a judgment.

The hunter seemed taken aback, then gave a slightly helpless yet gentle smile and nodded vigorously: "Yes, little girl, I'm a good person. You look like you need help; are you injured?"

His eyes were sincere, and there was not a trace of lewdness or scheming in his tone. My tense nerves relaxed a little, and with the thought that "the worst that could happen is that I'll be imprisoned again, but maybe I can gamble on his kindness," I followed him into the village with a half-believing and half-doubting attitude, limping along.

What happened next was far beyond my expectations. Seeing my disheveled state, the villagers gathered around me, their eyes filled not with greed or curiosity, but with pure concern and compassion. They immediately found an elderly woman in the village who knew herbal medicine, and she carefully cleaned the wounds on my body—the cuts from branches and stones during my escape, some even embedded in my flesh. Warm water washed away the last trace of dirt, and a warmth spread through my heart. They prepared clean, comfortable coarse cloth clothing and steaming soup for me. I ate the food cautiously, carefully sensing my body's reaction—no dizziness, no drowsiness, only the genuine warmth and fullness of the food. It seemed they truly meant me no harm.

Afterwards, the village elders gently inquired about my name and origin. I had already prepared my explanation.

"My name is Liscia," I said softly, the name the status bar told me. "I...I don't seem to remember anything from before." I lowered my head, perfectly conveying confusion and vulnerability. Tell them I'm an old man who died and was reincarnated? They'd just think I'm crazy, or worse. Amnesia is the most plausible and safest excuse.

The villagers readily believed me and expressed their sympathy. Over the next few days, I recuperated under their care, my broken leg was properly immobilized, and my body gradually recovered. At the same time, under the guise of "understanding the world," I desperately absorbed knowledge about the world from the villagers' casual conversations and answers.

As the information gradually became clearer, it deeply shocked me. This was a genuine, hardcore fantasy world of swords and magic, just like the ones depicted in the anime and games I had been obsessed with!

The gods reign supreme in their divine realm, occasionally bestowing divine pronouncements or blessings upon devout believers; mighty dragons dwell in distant mountains and hidden realms, their scales and breath being legendary nightmares and treasures; every few centuries, when darkness spreads and the demon army rises, a "hero" chosen by the goddess descends to lead a coalition of races against evil; magic is not rare, elemental magic, holy magic, dark magic... forming the core of this world's power system. Humans, elves, orcs, dwarves, and other races coexist on this vast continent, forming alliances as well as clashing.

This is a world full of infinite possibilities, but also rife with deadly dangers.