Insignificant Emily and the Intellectual Idiots

Chapter 1

Insignificant Emily

Hello. I was twenty-three years old and the eldest daughter of the Kim family when I died. I hope you’ll understand if I can’t reveal my full name for privacy reasons. Right now, I go by the name Emily Ritibel. What does that mean? It means I died and woke up in a new body! And not just in a new body, but also in a wonderful new world I know nothing about.

In novels, when people fall into a different world, they usually discover many new things. The same goes for being possessed. In most cases, the newly possessed bodies typically have some special power or status, which helps the rest of the story unfold. Emily Ritibel wasn’t born with any of that. Anyone could tell this story was doomed from the start. It’s clear that I’ll die in this world without ever leaving my mark.

Anyway, I’m currently living in this world. This world is perfect, even if my life isn’t. It’s been three years since I came into ownership of this body. I would’ve been twenty-six years old in my original body, but Emily Ritibel was twenty-four and a student at the Academy. Of course, what is an academy without classes?

“Thus, the worldview changed as people accepted the supporting theory. People held an unsophisticated view of cosmic structure for a long time—the skies were round while the ground was square. This belief was based on the idea that the heavens revolved around the North Pole with the orbital radius of the sun fluctuating according to the seasons—smaller radii expand resulting in a larger, semicircular trajectory.”

God, why is this so freaking hard? Honestly, I thought about becoming an adventurer, but that comes with many obstacles.

First, my gender is one limitation. Emily Ritibel is a woman, which is limiting. Isn’t that just the way the world is? Of course, the world I used to live in was also limiting for women, but there are far more hurdles in this world. It’s just a cold reality that I can’t be an adventurer.

Second is my physical strength. Even as the eldest daughter of the Kim family, I wasn’t very strong. Emily Ritibel is no different. She doesn’t have the body of a fighter. She can’t run very far, let alone wield a sword, but that’s all right. Even before I died, I couldn’t do most physical activities—let alone run for any amount of time, without running out of breath. Do you know what it’s like to struggle with even the most basic exercises? In any case, becoming an adventurer with this body was a ridiculous idea.

Finally, you can’t make a living as an adventurer. That’s no different from my original world. So, I chose to study. Emily just happened to be enrolled in the academy, and I just happened to be a student before I died. Studying was the only thing I was good at.

“And since the heavens can’t be observed with the naked eye, people believed the skies were circular while the ground was square. However, defining the ground as a ‘square’ is ambiguous. If we had believed our forefathers, the ground would have been flat and motionless. However, the Record of the Heavens and the Earth describes the heavens as an egg while the earth is the yolk within, implying that the ground is spherical. Now, we know that when the ground is described as square, it’s not entirely quadrilateral. Rather, the conventional wisdom of the past differed from the present, meaning that some people truly believed the world was square.”

What the hell is he talking about? I’m sorry. I don’t think I’m cut out for studying. I’m sorry for thinking that this world’s civilization is less advanced than my previous one. This is so hard. Pythagoras lived in ancient times, right? That means my intellectual level is lower than Pythagoras’! I give up.

Here’s to all the dimension jumpers who came before me, all the Earth’s evil souls that took over people’s bodies and refused to leave, and all the Earthlings who made a name for themselves after adapting to a new world.

“No, perhaps the nature of circles is common sense to us. If you consider the inclusive meaning of ‘square,’ it could be hexagonal or octagonal. Historically, people were cognizant that the ground took some rather unclear shape, but the geomorphology of the ground became more frequently discussed after the works of Meteor Lich. In honor of his accomplishments, mages gave his first name to the spells that summoned stars. Mages who returned as the undead to continue their studies are called by his last name.”

I can’t do this. I’m sorry. I have sullied the honor of Earthlings.

Anyway, I have this new body, and I am living the best I can in this new world—just an ordinary life. However, I’m not physically strong, particularly smart, or magically gifted.

***

From what I can remember… King Taejo, the father of our greatest king, was a real asshole to his vassals but a benevolent king to his people. He said something like this before he cut down Jeong Mongju.

“What does it matter if it’s this way or that? What does it matter if the vines of Mount Mansu are entangled?”

That’s how I feel. What does it matter now that I’m here? What difference does it make? I’ve already been in this body for three years.

Of course, I made many mistakes when I first woke up here. For the most part, I knew nothing—my only saving grace was that I could speak the same language. I looked at Baron Ritibel and asked who he was. I ran away from the servants. Do you have any idea how humiliating it was when they stripped me? I mean, I can wash myself! I’m still not used to having a maid bathe me.

Anyway, the baron was incredibly concerned by this sudden change in Lady Emily. He planned to send me to an institution or a temple instead of the Academy, thinking that I must’ve had some kind of mental problem. Honestly, I think I would’ve been better off in an institution. I’m definitely not saying that because I’m stuck with all these assignments.

Anyway, counselors—or something like them—exist in this world too. Technically, I think they’re mages, but I can’t say for sure because I’m unfamiliar with the system. They ran a few tests and deemed that I was “more or less” normal. Baron Ritibel fixated on the “or less” part and insisted I be sent away, but the baroness and Callum begged him to let me return to the Academy.

Everyone, I’d like to draw your attention to the two words “go back.” Yes, Emily Ritibel attended the academy but was sent home after some mishap. What kind of mishap was that? Who knows? Either way, she had been attending the Academy.

“Oh, Emily,” I say aloud.

She had been studying astronomy.

“Why, Emily?”

God help me. Why astronomy, of all things? Just end me already.

You can probably see what kind of world I live in by now. This is true of most fantasy worlds, but the primary professions are either related to magic or the sword. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if a swordsman is a legitimate profession anymore. Anyway, many people still fight with swords. Learning how to fight is a requirement if you want to go into politics, apparently.

I thought maybe it was because this world doesn’t have guns. These people can’t even imagine what that’s like. So, possessing the knowledge of the future—or at least, of another world—I will develop guns! But I don’t even know the first thing about guns.

When I tried to explain the concept to a mage, they asked if I was just firing off a minor spell. They said that combat magic would be more efficient. I argued that not everyone knows how to use combat magic, and that there was always room for development when it came to allowing everyone to use murder weapons. The mage looked at me as if I had been transported 180 years from the past.

“You know, they make a lot of good magical artifacts these days,” they said.

Good god, however, is this world so perfect already—it’s too much!

Still, I didn’t give up. How am I different from the other Earthlings? What am I missing? I might not be able to create a new culture just like all the evil souls on Earth, but there must be something I can use from my arsenal of skills. For example, I considered using math to make magic spells easier.

“What do you mean? We stopped using magic formulas decades ago. Haven’t you read Graffid?”

I didn’t.

I haven’t.

I won’t forget this, Graffid!

Actually, never mind. Thanks, Graffid.

To be honest, I forgot everything I knew about math after I took the college entrance exams. I was a liberal arts major back in college.

Anyway, it’s been three years since I became Emily Ritibel, meaning it’s been three years since I started studying astronomy. In the astronomy department, I’ve been playing the role of benevolent student, sacrificing myself to support everyone else. That’s right—my grades are at the bottom of the barrel. I started as a first-year student again, but the barrel is deep.

This was never my intention! No, this sweet Earthling is just looking out for the indigenous people of this world. I swear, I never intended it in any way!

Good grief. Life is too cruel. I’ve studied my whole life, but this place is filled with geniuses—and they’re younger than me, too.

Why am I in this body? God! Hey, God! Are you listening?

As time passed, I just gave up. It turns out that this place is just where all the elites gather. Everyone here majors in something different, but they all seem to be really smart. They’re all well-mannered, young, healthy, and possess good brains. They think of things I could never imagine—they even research and present their findings!

Who the hell said fantasy realms were full of ignorant people living in an uncivilized society? Listen, Earthlings. My roommate studies prime numbers for fun—as a hobby! I thought they didn’t need magic formulas anymore. Why would she subject herself to such a horrid task? She even suggested I memorize them, too. Why should I? Do I need them for astronomy?

Oh my god, astronomy. Every time I hear my major, I flinch like a burnt child.

They say that in ancient times, the only thing people knew was that the heavens were above, and the earth was below. However, as they saw the world around them, they became interested in the shape of heaven and earth. The space they occupied formed the center of their world—the radius of which expanded with the progress of civilization through evolution and conquest.

They should’ve just stopped there, but they didn’t. So Emily is studying astronomy at the academy today.

The day I look at the stars, I can tell your fortune by your birthday. However, if Professor Flavio heard me say that, he’d probably berate me and say that astronomy and astrology are two different things. Sadly, I still can’t tell the difference.