I heard a voice behind me. I turned around and saw an older woman. I didn't know at what point she had arrived or if she had been there from the beginning. Looking at her, I couldn't find any information about her in my memories, but she looked familiar.
Although I could tell she was quite old, I could tell that in her youth her beauty could have thrown a nation into chaos.
There was something that bothered me; I felt that she looked like me, or rather the image I saw in my memories every time I looked in the mirror. Looking at her, I could only come to one conclusion.
"Y-you are the ghost of my m-mother."
"Who is your mother... cof... cof... cof?"
'Oh, looks like I was wrong.'
According to my memories Seraphina did not know her mother, because she died when she was born, but that woman looked like Seraphina or rather like myself.
'Maybe she's my grandmother...that's what I should have started there, what a fool I am....wait humm'
In the end I gave up thinking since I didn't remember having any grandmother, so I dismissed it, I was going to ask her who she was and why she was here, since in the end no one else came to mind, but..
"Listen to me, I don't have much time left... cof... cof..... blugh."
"..."
'Oh no, what have I gotten myself into?' This person is vomiting blood and looks like they are about to die. I didn't think my first day in another world I'd have to worry about how to dispose of a corpse.
"Coof... Adrian, listen to me. I am your future self. don't make that choice, what you were about to do will lead us down a bad path."
At the shocking revelation I froze. I didn't think it was a lie. 'Who in this world, besides the Goddess, would know my true name?' And it didn't seem like the Goddess was in the mood to do this.
"..."
"Listen and only listen. Don't choose any (EX) class skills. They come with strings attached and you will regret it...coff...coff...coff...coff...cooff...listen, everything you need to know is in this journal. Don't go down the same path as me."
His voice weakened with each word, his hands trembled as he held out the little book to me, I didn't know what but I felt that his actions had a meaning beyond my comprehension, and even in his state he continued to speak.
"coof.... this world is not a game Adrian, don't for a moment think it is, cooof...always keep your goals in sight...lose your virginity being a man and make the harem of beautiful women, do anything you want.... don't let anyone say your motivations are stupid, even though they really are cooff...coooff coff...."
seemed to give his all to say what he wanted to say
"Do it for you and me...cooff...I hope you can.... accomplish what... I have failed... to do. coofg..this is the end.... for me.... but for you.... it's the ....begi...nning....."
her words slowly faded out as she stopped moving. he died. I reached over and took the book from his hands. Slowly, his body turned to dust.
I don't know if what he said was true, but I could see a set of emotions in his destroyed and old eyes, which made me respect him for having come so far.
At that moment, I started reading the diary and it slowly told me what happened after I came to this world, or my future, to put it easily.
I read it for a while and when I got to the end, I closed it. Manly tears streamed down my face. What I suffered, or rather, what awaits me, is much worse than I thought.
I was crying as I looked at the book with inexplicable feelings inside me. As I took a good look at it I could notice that, on the front that I ignored at first, there were some letters written.
{Put your mana here.} This body doesn't specialize in fighting, but handling mana, even a little, is like a must in noble studies.
So, with the memories helping me, I was more or less able to draw mana from me and use it. I put it in the book as my manly tears continued to fall.
"My lady, did she wake up yet, how is she? She suddenly fainted, my lady! What's wrong, why is she crying?"
I heard again the voice I think I heard before. Turning around, I saw the same maid from before coming over to check on my health.
"Yes, I'm fine...snif...the thing earlier was..... " I was distracted for a moment while putting mana into the book, which didn't make me realize that it started to glow.
Before I knew it, the feeling of dizziness and nausea that I had felt before repeated itself, making me nauseous, and my experience told me what would happen next.
"bluuegghhh."
Now, either because I lived it before or because I got a little used to it, I had a small moment to realize that I was vomiting while crying on top of the beautiful maid, who made the mistake of coming to check on me.
'Damn future me, just the writing was enough,' with that last thought I blacked out.
..
.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
Or so I want to say, but this is the third time I've seen it today.
Haaaaaaa.... damn, I feel like a fool. To begin with, the book wasn't meant to be read, but a means of transferring the memories printed in it, so I spent hours reading in vain.
In the end all the information was printed directly in my head, not to mention that there was a lot more to it than what was written.
It's the second time in my life I've gone through that experience, who knew it would happen on the same day.
"Good morning, Miss. How are you feeling?"
I hadn't noticed, but next to me was an old man who seemed to have dark circles under his eyes as he asked me about my health. 'Hey old man, I want to ask you the same thing. You look like you're going to die any minute.' The old man I recognized as the family doctor.
"Ah, yes, I'm fine."
"Don't you feel anything wrong, doesn't your stomach hurt or your head hurt?"
After what happened last night, it seems they called him. But I wasn't feeling bad, so after a few questions and answers, I sent him to sleep.
He looked like he would drop dead at any moment. When he came out, I had more time to think about what was in my head.
"Well, I can see what my future self wanted to convey to me...what a sorry life I had."
Just like Serafina's memories before, memories, or rather, fragments of the most important memories of my future self were forced into my head, which caused a replay of the events that occurred.
I hope this is the last time I have to experience that. Once was enough, now I have twice as much on my record.
"Anyway, that damned goddess, she was the cause and origin of many of my misfortunes."
In the memories of my future I understood more or less what this world was about and the goddess' goal in reincarnating me.
What great evil, what heroes? That didn't exist. It was simply a scenario where the chosen ones of the Gods fought to achieve something. Unfortunately, in the memories it doesn't say exactly what it is, but what I do know is that the trap in choosing a rank ability (EX).
If I had chosen it as I was about to do, I could have been very strong right away, but that comes at a price, and that was being hermetically subservient to the goddess.
I could not disobey her and any of my movements were monitored.
Unfortunately, I already have her divine protection, but that's not enough to keep an eye on me always. She would only find out what I have done if I visit her temple, so for now I am off her radar. My future self took it upon herself to create a plan for my future.
Seeing the memories of him (her) crying while printing his memories and feelings in the book so he would understand things better, brought my mood back down. Yes, that's right, I can't let his (her) efforts be in vain. I need to act immediately.
I looked again at the window where my skill was chosen and ignored all the ones that were of rank (EX), or, rather, I ignored all but one among the hundreds.
I chose the skill Heir (A). It wasn't even SS rank, which were the best after EX rank, but I knew it was a gem I had to pick at any cost. It was a skill that, at first glance, makes no sense and lacks explanation from the name alone.
Even with experience in this world, you would hardly know what it does. Or rather, right now no one knows what it does, but in a few years, another reincarnate chose it.
The reason nobody knows, but it was one of the best choices that, in potential, could far surpass the rank (EX) skills. So, without any hesitation and trusting my future self, I chose her.