A mother gently placed the baby in her crib and asked her to sleep since there were chores to be done. The tiny infant fell asleep as she was told, but as time passed, she awakened and managed to get out of her crib, ready for some adventure around the home. While exploring, her curious eyes spotted a book on a table beside her. Excitedly, she tried to reach for it but was too tiny to grasp it. Despite her efforts, the book accidentally fell off the table and landed near her. Intrigued, she opened its pages and began to look at what was inside it. In a pretty village, people were busy farming in their fields. Suddenly, a little girl spotted something and told everyone to look up. It was a carriage pulled by flying horses. The girl thought it was a magician. Everyone was amazed as the carriage flew towards their village’s castle. In their home, a baby girl named Sephi gazed at a book. Her mother came over, gently picked her up, and mentioned that Sephi was again in her daddy’s room. The mother placed the reader on a nearby table, holding Sephi. The mother told Sephi that her brother would be coming home soon. Suddenly, a teenage girl and two younger children, a boy and a girl, entered the room and greeted their mother Marsha. Marsha informed them that she would be serving dinner shortly. The teenage girl in the family gently took the infant Sephi from Marsha’s arms, remarked how cute Sephi was, and asked if she could hold her. The young boy, one of Sephi’s siblings, mentioned that he saw a flying horse carriage outside and informed their mother Mara. While cradling Sephi, the teenage sister explained that a magician likely returned after completing a task. Sephi looked intrigued by this. The older sister, still holding Sephi, praised her intelligence and expressed hope that Sephi would become a magician when she grew up. The young girl, Sephi’s sibling, chimed in excitedly, sharing her dreams of becoming a magician. She mentioned that magicians were summoned to the capital and associated with nobles. She explained how magicians could use magic to create fire and perform dazzling displays in the sky. Playfully teasing her brother Runa, she recounted that he had witnessed those magical feats too. Runa joined the conversation, mentioning that he had seen similar things, and he also said that his dad knew someone who was a magician. The young girl teasingly accused Runa of lying, but he insisted they even had a magic book in their house. Upon hearing the word magic, Sephi became visibly excited and repeated the word softly to herself. As Sephi uttered her first word, the entire family fell into a hushed silence, astonished by her achievement.
Their disbelief turned into jubilation as they all exclaimed in amazement at Sephi’s milestone. Holding Sephi up, the older sister playfully wondered if Sephi might be a child prodigy. This statement surprised their mother Marsha. Curious about her reaction, the older sister asked Mara why she was silent. In response, Mara exclaimed in a mix of shock and jest, wondering why Sephi hadn’t said Mama as her first word. This marked the second birth of Sephi. Situated on the outskirts of the Virian Empire, there lay a diminutive settlement known as Arif Village, home to a population of fewer than 100 individuals. Within their modest dwelling resided Sephi, her mother, and her brother. Unfortunately, her father and the other grown men of the village were conscripted to participate in the ongoing war. The perpetual conflict between humans and the demon folk had endured extensively in this realm. The societal structure mirrored that of the medieval era. As anticipated, the ordinary folk in the village needed more access to formal education, leading to the majority needing help to read, write, or perform simple calculations. However, this did not hold for Sephi due to a peculiar twist of fate. Sephi retained memories from her previous existence. In her prior life, she had toiled excessively, resulting in her succumbing to fatigue. Hence, this time, Sephi was determined not to repeat the error of overexertion. Sephi contemplated the reality that working too much leads to losing in life, yet she recognized that poverty and idleness weren’t fulfilling either. It felt low class. Sephi aspired to attain a luxurious lifestyle without the need to work, aiming for a first-class existence. She concluded that owning a residence in the imperial capital was a priority, urging her to act promptly on her life’s goals. Understanding that the language in this world differed from her previous one, Sephi realized that her proficiency in Japanese was of little use here. Fortunately, Sephi possessed a wealth of knowledge in her mind: mathematics, science, human history, and her adult work experiences. She believed she could ascend the societal ranks with this valuable information from her past life. Yet Sephi was cautious about utilizing these skills overtly, mainly since her current abilities were limited to basic actions like feeding, crying, sleeping, and diaper changes. Sephi understood the importance of building solid relationships with the villagers, which could give her valuable insights through regular conversations. However, she acknowledged that no one in the village could teach her to read or write, a limitation she had to accept helplessly. Sephi observed the passing days and waited for her chance. According to their ancestors’ wisdom, one should become a prodigy at 10 years old, a genius at 15, and by the age of 20, exceed the capabilities of an average person. However, many skilled adults in Arif Village have already achieved these milestones. In the town, a person was considered an adult by age 15, meaning Sephi had to surpass typical achievements by that age. Realizing this, Sephi contemplated that she would need to be recognized as a prodigy by age seven to accomplish her goal. With seven years remaining until she turned 15, Sephi knew she had to make the most of her time and efforts from her infant stage. In her previous life, we observed Sephi working diligently in an office, seated in front of a computer. Her senior colleagues were impressed by the quality of her work, but Sephi was well aware that she invested a considerable amount of time in completing those tasks. Her seniors viewed her as a hardworking employee, yet Sephi felt tired and decided to take a brief break
. Sephi walked through the office, noticing how fatigued workers were resting on the floor and their desks. This scene was familiar in IT companies, where employees often pushed themselves to their limits, leading to exhaustion beyond repair. Sephi found herself in a similar situation as her colleagues. Despite her mother’s continuous concerns about her intense workload and pleas for her to prioritize her health, Sephi often disregarded these warnings. The effects of exhaustion and fatigue led her to develop a reliance on coffee, which she consumed frequently during her work hours. One day, the CEO of the office entered and delivered the news that to receive their full pay, all employees were required to work additional hours. This announcement left the employees shocked and disheartened. Sephi responded by pushing herself even harder, using medications to keep up with the demanding pace. Unfortunately, the cycle of overwork and strain eventually took its toll, resulting in Sephi’s untimely passing. Upon awakening, Sephi found herself in a new beginning. She resolved not to repeat the same fate as her previous life. Her new goal was striving for the top position, which required diligent self-study. Sephi determinedly retrieved her father’s book on magic and began reading its contents. She recognized the immense value of readers as a source of knowledge. Even though she could only gaze at the unfamiliar letters and attempt to decipher their meaning, Sephi contemplated this challenge deeply. As a quick crawler, she entered the kitchen, where she observed wood stacked near the fireplace and clothes hanging on a rope for soaking. Sephi took a piece of coal from the fireplace and grabbed a cloth from the string, preparing to embark on a task. However, before she could proceed, her mother Marsha entered the scene. Marsha gently admonished Sephi, reminding her that her items were not toys and expressing concern that Sephi’s hands were now dirtied with coal. Despite the circumstances, Sephi had no other option. At times, Mara lifted Sephi and embraced her warmly, showering her with affection. On another occasion, Sephi again seized the opportunity to use the coal. This time, she grabbed a page and copied the characters she had observed in the magic book.
Sephi marveled at the sheer number of characters that existed in this world. Since no one present could teach her to read and write, she believed learning through writing would be the quickest method. Persistently, Sephi continued to reproduce the characters from the book onto the page. However, she soon noticed two distinct types of characters written in the book. This revelation left Sephi amazed and intrigued. Sephi recalled her brother Runa mentioning that their father had received the book from a magician. As she pondered, it dawned on her that the book was a grimoire. She realized that being a grimoire meant it contained magic spells in the language of this world. Unbeknownst to her, Runa approached from behind and noticed Sephi engrossed in reading the magical book. He swiftly took the book from her hands, emphasizing its importance. His eyes then fell upon the page Sephi had filled with characters. The sight of characters written by an infant left Runa utterly astonished and taken aback. Shaken, Runa questioned Sephi with disbelief, asking if she was genuinely attempting to become a magician. Sephi, determined, crawled towards him and tugged at his clothes, signaling for the book’s return. Despite Sephi’s persistence, Runa resisted, citing that their elder sister Chia would never forgive her if she continued. Sephi’s
frustration grew as Runa disregarded her plea, and in a moment of frustration, she bit his leg. Runa’s surprise was palpable, and he yelled in pain. He admonished Sephi, telling her that biting wasn’t allowed. The commotion drew Marsha’s attention, and she asked Runa about the situation. Runa pointed to Sephi, explaining her unexpected behavior. Marsha was taken aback by Sephi’s actions. Cradling Sephi, Marsha noticed the page filled with characters and acknowledged the effort Sephi had put into it. Runa, in awe, praised Sephi for her exceptional talent and intelligence. He highlighted that Sephi’s genius was evident even at a young age. Acknowledging this, Marsha gently kissed Sephi on her forehead, offering words of encouragement for her growth. After that, Marsha addressed Runa, directing him to focus on tending to their garden and specifically the potatoes.
