After five long years, I could say with confidence that I was now fluent in the spoken common language of this world. Unfortunately, I couldn't say the same about the writing system. I don't know who even designed this, but it was like a mix of classical Chinese and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. However, what surprised me the most was the population's literacy rate. They didn't fund public education here so hardly anyone could do mental arithmetic, yet somehow three quarters of the population could read and write without problems…

I tried to teach people basic mathematics and science during the time I've been here, but nobody took me seriously since I lacked fame and titles. The few who listened to my mini-lectures to the end were skeptical, saying the correctness of what I said was just some strange coincidence. I also tried introducing and teaching a new, simpler writing system to the people here, but that was coldly rejected as well. They said it looked too similar to random scribbles made by a toddler, and as a result treated it like a joke.

I also found out that learning magic was physically impossible, too. It's hard to explain in words, but apparently learning how to control and use mana was like learning a new language: it was easier to do so at a young age while one's brain was still in a "critical period". There was also some unexplainable phenomenon that happened only in the body of a child, which would start degrading over time upon entering puberty if not utilized properly by then. While one could technically still learn magic after puberty, doing so would take significantly longer, and such degradation within the body would have already happened for so long that one's potential for magic would be too low. I was already almost 40 years old so my potential, if I had any to begin with, would only be enough to lift a strand of hair up just slightly if I completely exhausted all my mana, according to the sage.

Alchemy was also out of the question. Making potions and scrolls was like making medicine: it required precise amounts of materials and ingredients. Unfortunately, specially converted mana was one of those crafting materials for most products. The only items that didn't require mana were poisons, but processing the materials that went into such products required using magic to prevent the people making that from poisoning themselves.

I had no idea why the sage let me stay at his home for the past 5 years when I was of no help to his research on magic. I felt bad about being a freeloader, so I worked various odd jobs to cover my own expenses, and helped with various household chores. Out of all the jobs I took, operating a food stall at the city's marketplace was the highest paying. All I did was introduce some fast-food items from home, but apparently such savory and unhealthy things were wildly popular with the locals who had never seen such "exotic" dishes before. It really puzzled me: these people sold bread and various types of meats at the marketplace, yet nobody had ever invented sandwiches or hamburgers before…

Servants of the regional Earl's household invited me to become one of his personal cooks at some point two years ago, but I declined. The only things I knew could make well were fast-food and instant noodles, and I was worried that feeding the Earl this kind of food every day would eventually put him into cardiac arrest, and consequently put me into trouble, so I just gave them some recipes instead. The next thing I knew, a large sack of silver coins was delivered to me, along with a letter of thanks from the Earl. There was even a note saying he shared my recipes with other noble families across the kingdom, and the "simple but exotic pizza dish" would even be served at royal banquets.

In any case, I failed to advance this world's knowledge on scientific matters, so it really seemed like I would never have any chance of returning home.

Maybe it was fate that my life would turn out to be this mediocre…

* * * * *

"Badoth, come to my room now!"

My evening routine consisted of heating up ready-made meals from the marketplace for dinner, cleaning up the house, and bringing the sage some herbal tea at around 8 o'clock. It was currently a few minutes past 7, so I found it strange that he called me this early.

"Yes? Erm… You seem different."

This old man who usually showed no emotion was now suddenly cheerfully smiling.

"Thanks to you helping with housework, I've finally completed my lifelong research!"

So that's why he let me stay here. He needed someone to reliably do his housework so he could focus on his research…

"Well congratulations, sir! Um… could I ask about what the research is about?"

"Magic that extends one's lifespan. Shall I test it on you?"

"Sure, I guess."

Maybe this was going to be the day my fate changed. If his research really was successful, then I would now have more time to try to spread my scientific knowledge to this world. If it failed, well, it's not like I have any regrets. I already thought about giving up on life several times when I realized it was essentially impossible to go home.

After drawing a large magic circle on the floor, the sage began mumbling an impossibly long chant. The magic circle glowed brighter and brighter, eventually reaching a point when the light completely whited out my vision.

"My body feels… weird."

There was an uncomfortable sensation running through my body that was hard to describe. As soon as I finished my sentence, the sage's mumbling stopped and quickly turned into laughter.

"Hohoho… so my magic is working! Ahahaha! This is splendid indeed!"

Now I couldn't tell what was more disturbing: the strange feeling in my body, or the creepy laughter.

"Let me tell you one thing: the reason why I kept you here! This spell transfers the remaining lifespan of one person to another! You, who came from another world, shall not be missed! Hohohoho!"

"Ugh…"

Of course. Nobody knew me that well in this world, so nobody would ever inquire if I suddenly disappeared one day.

I wanted to run away, but couldn't move my body. It felt as though the magic circle was binding me to one spot. I even tried screaming for help, but even my vocal tract wasn't cooperating, either.

There was nothing I could do but listen to the sage's cruel laughter as I grew dizzier and dizzier.

* * * * *

When the laughter and light finally faded away, my clothes and the world around me felt bigger. On the ground in front of me was the motionless body of the sage, who looked as though he had just aged 30 or so years before passing away.

I looked in a mirror to find that I now had the appearance of an 8 year old child. Even my Adam's apple was gone, so it seemed like my physical body got reverted to that age, too. Looks like the sage's magic worked miraculously, although in the opposite direction of what he intended.

I felt shocked and horrified at the events that unfolded just now, yet I was somewhat happy at the same time: I'm now at a youthful age that made learning magic possible!