Azusa Aizawa, twenty-seven, female, single.

Corporate wage slave.

I lived for my job and only for my job.

I set aside romance, leisure, and everything else for the daily slog.

My record was fifty consecutive work days. I wonder what happened to the Labor Standards Act…

One day, while I was working away, I blacked out.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw the face of a young woman. She appeared to have angel wings, or something like them.

"Oh. I died, didn't I…?"

In the end, my life had been empty of everything except punching the clock.

I didn't know whether this individual was an angel or a grim reaper, but she was probably something along those lines.

"That's right. You worked too much, and it killed you in your twenties. You poor thing…"

The girl pitied me. She must have been a kind person.

"Though this could never truly make up for it, I will ensure that your next life has the potential to bring you sheer happiness. What sort of power would you like? If you wish, you could be reborn as a royal princess. Oh, and either gender is fine. You are free to choose nearly anything."

"I can wish for anything? Really?"

"Yes! I have a habit of indulging women, you see."

Isn't that gender inequality? Well, I suppose I'd rather have fewer restrictions than more.

"Make me completely immortal, then, if you would."

That was what I wished for.

Work had run me ragged until the end of a short life, so for this round, I wanted to take my time.

"In that case, I'll reincarnate you in a body that circulates mana so you won't age."

Evidently, she could just do things like that. Fantastic.

"Do you have any other requests?"

"No, that's enough for me."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. What I want is a long, slow, laid-back life. I'd like to be self-sufficient for the basics and live up in the mountains or somewhere similar. Then, if I could help out in a nearby village in exchange for things like salt that are harder to come by, I'm not sure I could ask for more."

I'd lived in metropolitan Tokyo, so I wanted a carefree existence in a house in the mountains. Granted, all I'd seen of that metropolis was the route between my apartment and my office, so I couldn't exactly claim to have had my fill of big-city life, but still.

"I can see how hard your former life must have been. All right. I'll give you a fresh start with eternal youth in the peaceful highlands. I'm sure you didn't intend to request a long life as an old lady, so let's make you immortal at seventeen."

My consciousness faded out again.

***

When I awoke, I was lying on a high plain.

There was a single house nearby.

As I approached, I noticed a sign posted on the door.

Interestingly enough, although it couldn't have been in Japanese, I could somehow read it.

This has been our house for a long time, but we're going to move in with our son and his wife, who live in town. 

If anyone wants it, they're welcome to it. We've left the door unlocked.

"What incredibly generous people. Luck is really on my side. No, I suppose it isn't really luck. That angel-girl did reincarnate me here on purpose."

Speaking of reincarnation, I wondered what I looked like now. I went into the house and hunted for a mirror.

"I'm seventeen, all right. Not a bad face. The European features will take some getting used to, but still."

I had stunning blond hair that fell to my waist, and my eyes were a vivid light blue, almost turquoise. I didn't know how beauty was measured in this world, but I was pretty cute. If I decided to go to high school, I'd probably get all the boys.

I wasn't wearing the white clothes of the dead, either. These were straight out of a fantasy world, complete with a pointy black hat that would be unmistakable even from a distance. It looked vaguely witchy.

"Okay. Starting today, this is my house. Azusa's house!"

I was in another world now, and I thought katakana script might fit the atmosphere better than the standard kanji character I'd always used to write my name. It would also help it sink in that I'd turned over a new leaf. That settled it: I'd start calling myself "Azusa" in katakana.

There was a plowed field beside the house that I'd most likely be able to harvest vegetables from. If I wanted a self-sufficient life, this place was ready-made for it.

There were fifteen or so gold coins in the clothes I'd been reincarnated in, so buying the bare necessities was unlikely to present a problem.

A knife hung at my waist as well. I was a woman living alone, so it was probably wise to have something like this.

At the bottom of the hill, I saw a small town. More of a village, really.

"Maybe I'll wander over and do a little shopping."

I wanted to ask about the area anyway.

On the way to the village, my path was blocked by a jiggly, jellylike creature.

"Oh. A slime?"

Maybe it was the thing's appearance, but I wasn't worried at all. A cat might as well have stepped out in front of me. That said, like any monster, it clearly meant to attack me. With cats, the mere sight of a human was generally enough to give them a start and make them back off, so the situations weren't exactly the same.

I drew my knife. If this was a slime, I had to kill it.

I attacked.

The knife slid into the gelatinous body.

Blorp! A weird sensation traveled through my hand to the rest of me.

Had that done anything…? Well, I'd stabbed it, so I'd probably inflicted damage.

Round two.

Blorp!

That one had more of an effect, maybe.

The angry (I assumed) slime rammed me. The impact knocked me back a step, but it didn't really hurt.

Safe in the knowledge I wouldn't be harmed, I went after it mercilessly.

"Take that, and that, and that!"

One of those blows must have finished it off, as the slime changed shape and became a small jewel.

In games, when you kill monsters, you get money. This probably served that purpose.

Self-sufficient though I might have been, I'd need currency to buy daily necessities, so I took it without hesitation.

Before I reached the village, I encountered and killed two more slimes.

Slimes seem to be pretty common.

The village wasn't that big, but it was trim and tidy. It looked rather Swiss.

Come to think of it, sightseeing in Switzerland had been a dream of mine, but in the end, I worked myself to death and had never gotten to do it.

Well, even if I'd had vacation time, I probably would have spent it at home sleeping as much as I possibly could instead of going on a trip.

I spotted a kind-looking woman and called to her.

"Excuse me. I've just moved into a house in the highlands. Could you tell me about this village?"

"This is the village of Flatta. I'd say young Natalie at Guild Reception is quite knowledgeable about the place. She introduces it to adventurers who journey here from other areas, so she's used to explaining things."

I see. Makes sense.

"Thank you very much."

"This is your first time visiting, isn't it? I'll take you to the guild. Though, it's a small village, so I imagine you'd find it on your own before too long."

"Great, thanks!"

I followed the woman—who actually was as kind as she'd looked—to the guild. It was indeed small. This place was peaceful enough, and there probably wasn't a need for many adventurers around these parts.

"Oh, Mrs. Imal, good afternoon."

"Natalie, this girl is our new neighbor. Tell her about the village, would you?"

"Yes, of course. I'll go over it with you right here at reception."

Mrs. Imal left us then. She lived nearby, so we'd probably run into each other again soon.

"I'm Azusa. I moved into the house in the highlands."

"Oh, there? It's a nice place, but not so convenient for the elderly. It'll be ideal to have someone young living there."

Then Natalie gave me the rundown about this little hamlet.

Maybe because she'd explained the same things many, many times before, her spiel was smooth and practiced.

First and foremost, she said, the village was peaceful, tranquil, and serene. Even on a casual stroll you could sense the clearly pastoral atmosphere. Cows and sheep were in no short supply, and if the area had a local specialty, it was their dairy products.

The count who owned this land lived far away, and the village chief he'd appointed was a native with a drama-free regime.

"Slimes are just about the only monsters around here. As a result, it's so safe that you could even nap outside the village."

"Excellent."

"It's a small community, but you'll be able to buy the basic everyday staples—bread and salt and things—so don't worry. However, with our low population, trading may prove difficult."

What Natalie said reminded me of something.

"Oh yeah, so on the way here, I defeated a few slimes and ended up with these jewels. What are they?"

"Ah, when you kill a monster, you receive a gem known as a magic stone. You can exchange them for money here at the guild. These are worth six hundred gold—meaning six copper coins."

In Japanese currency, would that be about six hundred yen? That wouldn't cover more than a single trip to a café, but if rent was a nonissue, I'd be able to make a living killing only as many slimes as I needed.

"Okay, exchange them for me right away, please."

"To do that, you'll need to register with the guild as an adventurer. Is that all right?"

"Sure, no problem."

At that point, Natalie brought out an object that looked like a slate.

"First, place your hand on this slate, please. It'll display your class and status, and then we'll register that information at the guild."

I set my hand on it, mentally commenting that this reminded me of fingerprint authentication.

My status popped up in the upper part of the tablet.

*****

AZUSA

Class: Witch | Level 1

HP: 6 MP: 9

ATK: 6 AGL: 8

DEF: 7 INT: 7

SPECIAL ABILITIES, ETC.

Knowledge of medical herbs; immortality due to powers as a witch

EXPERIENCE POINTS

6

"Whoa! You're immortal! That's incredible!"

Natalie was startled. Well, I guess you would be. My class was "witch," apparently.

"It's true that some witches can fine-tune the circulation of mana—er, magical power—in their bodies to extend their lives, but immortal at level 1… How can that be? You must have a tremendous aptitude for it."

"It sure is strange… Maybe I'm just lucky."

I'll keep the stuff about the reincarnation bonus to myself.

"Here, let me pay you for those magic stones."

She gave me six coppers.

"I'll start saving up by killing slimes, then."

"Yes, and the guild is looking forward to your patronage, Miss Azusa!"

I'd gotten some gold coins when I reincarnated, so I spent them on groceries and seeds to plant in my field.

Looked like I was all set to live here for a while.

Three more slimes showed up on my way home, so I vanquished them with my knife.

More magic stones and more of the money they would bring me.

***

After that day, my laid-back life began.

I did virtually nothing, day in and day out.

First, I slept as long as I wanted. I tended the field here and there. When I wanted some exercise, I killed slimes. Since they were a valuable source of cash, I made sure to dispatch at least twenty of them daily.

Sometimes I ventured into the nearby woods.

Maybe it was my status as a witch that let me immediately identify which plants were medicinal herbs. From time to time, I blended them into various concoctions and took them down to the village to sell. I wasn't trying to turn a profit, so I priced them at less than the market value.

When people in the village were suddenly taken ill, I'd examine them and give them my homemade herbal medicines. After all, I couldn't just stand by and watch the villagers drop like flies.

Thanks to that, people started calling me "the great Witch of the Highlands" out of respect.

Some of them even brought gifts like cheese and other dairy products up to the house. That was much appreciated.

I considered reading grimoires in my spare time, but they were really expensive! Still, after mowing down slimes for a while, I'd saved enough to buy several! Once I set my sights on something I wanted, slime slaying lit a fire in me.

Other than that…nothing unusual happened.

Possibly because I was immortal, I didn't age (of course), and I almost never got sick.

As a rule, no one came to see me at my house in the highlands which didn't trouble me much. I'd lived alone when I was an office worker in Japan, too.

It was during my second life that I first came to understand the meaning of "leisure with dignity," for sure.

And three hundred years passed.