Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Beloved No More

The fire was spreading.

As far as his blue eyes could see, flames took their harvest. The capital… no, the entire territory of Lugunica, it burned with an intensity that defied nature itself. Buildings crumbled into skeletal frames, their wooden bones cracking and splintering beneath the inferno's relentless appetite. Screams echoed through streets that had once bustled with life, a chorus of the dying that would haunt his dreams for eternity.

Undoubtedly, the population of Lugunica will become much lesser from this point onward.

Reinhard stood atop the hill, his white regalia marred by soot and ash, while fierce winds tugged at his fiery red hair and carried with them the acrid stench of death. His gaze drifted across the ruins of the kingdom he had sworn to protect, the countless lives he had vowed to defend, now reduced to smoldering wreckage, drifting embers, and endless fields of ash.

And all of this is because of him. Pride. The Archbishop of the Witch Cult with unknown motivations.

The dark-haired boy who had knelt before him moments ago, spewing madness and conviction in equal measure. The one who had spoken of love with such twisted devotion that it made Reinhard's stomach churn.

He wasn't strong enough to save the kingdom he was meant to protect even as the strongest of his bloodline. In other words, the Sword Saint failed this oath spectacularly.

The title felt like ash in his mouth.

"I WISH I'D BEEN LIKE YOU."

The cultist’s words echoed in his skull.

To be honest. To be strong. To possess the power to save everyone.

Lies. All lies.

This was hardly the first monster Reinhard had stood before. Throughout his life, he had faced countless calamities that would have broken ordinary people, and each time he had answered them with the same unwavering composure expected of the Sword Saint.

But this…

This was different.

This was hatred.

The emotion burned through him like the flames consuming his kingdom, hot and alien and utterly consuming. He didn't think he was capable of feeling such heavy emotions as right now. Even his divine protections that kept his mind clear, that shielded him from the chaos of the world, were incapable of processing the sheer amount of emotion he was feeling.

His thoughts fractured. Splintered. Reformed into jagged shards of rage.

"You truly are outside the norm, aren't you?"

The sultry voice cut through his spiralling thoughts like a blade. Reinhard's eyes snapped into focus as he deflected a strike intent on tearing through his gut.

A black silhouette emerged from the shadows of the burning cityscape. The Gut Hunter. Elsa Granhiert. Covered in blood, with her dark outfit torn in places and strips of pale skin exposed, she was, much to Reinhard's displeasure, very much alive.

She should be dead. I killed her.

"…How many times must I cut you down?"

Reinhard's voice emerged flat, devoid of the emotion that raged within him. He had severed her limbs. Pierced her heart. Removed her head. And still she stood.

“Oh?”

Elsa licked her lips, her dark eyes gleaming with that familiar, deranged delight.

"As many times as it takes, Sword Saint. That's the beauty of this dance, isn't it?"

She lunged.

The distance between them vanished in an instant. Her kukri—where had she found another blade?—sang through the air, aimed at his throat. Reinhard moved without thought, his body responding automatically. Even now, part of him remained fixed on the sea of flames swallowing the city beyond her.

His hand shot up, palm flat, and intercepted the blade.

Crack.

The knife shattered against his skin. Shards of metal scattered across the stone roadway, glittering like fallen stars.

"You're persistent," Reinhard muttered, a strange inflection creeping into his voice as he stepped forward. "I'll grant you that."

"I have someone to protect, after all." Elsa spun, her leg sweeping toward his head. "A prized customer, you could say."

Pride.

The thought of the dark-haired boy, the one who had spoken of love while setting the world aflame, sent a fresh wave of fury through Reinhard's veins.

He caught her leg. Squeezed. Felt the bones shift beneath his grip.

Elsa's eyes widened, but the smile never left her face. "There it is. That fire in your eyes. That's what I've been waiting for."

"Even after witnessing all of this... you can still smile."

"Isn't it beautiful?" She twisted in his grasp, her other foot connecting with his jaw. The impact would have shattered a normal man's skull. Reinhard barely felt it. "All this suffering, all this pain… what else could it be but a grand performance?"

She's insane. They're all insane.

Reinhard released her leg and stepped back. His hand moved to his waist, toward the sheathed blade that hung there. The Dragon Sword Reid.

It had refused to be drawn against her before.

But now?

The legendary sword hummed at his touch. A vibration that travelled up his arm, through his chest, settling in his heart like a promise.

Yes. This is worth drawing for.

Elsa noticed. Her eyes flickered to the sword at his waist, enacting something that might have been genuine excitement crossed her features.

"Ah. The fabled Dragon Blade. It's decided to acknowledge me after all?"

"Acknowledgment would be a strong word for it." Reinhard's hand closed around the hilt. "The Dragon Sword Reid is drawn only against those it deems worthy of its edge. That you have earned this honor—"

"Means I'm truly special?"

Means your sins are great enough to warrant death by the blade that once slew dragons.

"That you are deserving of the ending you'll receive," Reinhard finished.

He drew.

The blade emerged from its sheath with a sound like a sigh, like the world itself exhaling. The steel gleamed with a light that seemed to come from within, ancient and terrible, carrying the weight of a thousand battles.

The Dragon Sword was drawn against which he deemed worthy.

That's right. I shouldn't be so surprised.

If Pride managed to get so many people to stand in his path and burn the kingdom to the ground, then surely the legendary sword would deem the cultist worthy to die by its sharp blade.

Elsa laughed.

Not a mocking laugh, not a cruel laugh. This, this was something else. Something that bordered on genuine joy.

"There it is! Finally! I've been waiting for this moment ever since I first heard of you, Sword Saint. To see that blade drawn in my honor… I could die happy."

"You will," Reinhard promised. "One last time."

The battle that followed was brief.

Reinhard moved with a speed that defied comprehension, the Dragon Sword singing through the air like a beam of light. Elsa met him head-on, her kukri flashing, her body twisting and spinning in patterns that would have been beautiful if they weren't so deadly.

But the Dragon Sword was not a blade to be matched by mortal steel.

The first strike severed her right arm at the shoulder. The second took her left leg above the knee. The third—

She regenerated.

Reinhard watched in something approaching horror as the wounds sealed themselves, as flesh knitted and bones reformed. The Bowel Hunter's body repaired itself faster than he could damage it.

"How many times?" he demanded, his voice rising. "How many times must I cut you down before you stay dead?!"

"As many as it takes!" Elsa's voice emerged as a laugh, unhinged and glorious. "As many as it takes, Sword Saint! I will never stop! I will protect him until my dying breath, and then I will rise again and protect him some more!"

Protect him. Protect Pride. Protect the man who set the world ablaze.

The incongruity of it all struck Reinhard like a physical blow. Elsa Granhiert, the Bowel Hunter, the woman who killed for pleasure, who delighted in the suffering of others… and she was willing to die for a monster.

Why? Because she is a monster herself?

"Pride…" Reinhard's grip on the hilt tightened. "What did he do to earn such loyalty? What could he possibly offer that would make you willing to throw away your own life?"

Elsa's eyes softened. It was such an incongruous expression on her face that Reinhard almost missed it.

"He let me choose," she said with a bloody smile. "For the first time in my life, I chose my own path. And he honored that choice. He honored me."

She's speaking of him. She's praising him. The man who burned cities, who destroyed the kingdom, who killed innocents. She speaks of him as though he's a savior.

How could she not see the truth? How could she not understand the horror of what she was defending?

"You're not going to run," Reinhard said. It wasn't a question.

"No." Elsa's smile was peaceful. "I'm going to fight. And I'm going to die. And it will be beautiful."

"Such a waste." Reinhard spat the words out. Had anyone seen him now, they would never have believed it. But there was no one left to witness it, and little time left to care.

"We're all waste, Sword Saint. We're all trash, one way or another. The only difference is whether we choose what we're thrown away for."

For a moment, Reinhard didn't know what to say.

She's choosing this. She's choosing her end. She's choosing to believe in a monster because that monster believed in her.

One thought naturally led to another, from the dark-haired boy's resentment toward Reinhard's strength to the Kingdom in flames, and finally to his father, who, regardless of the skill he had once possessed as a knight, could never have survived a calamity of that scale.

In the end, Pride got what he wanted. He took everything he wanted. And I can't even save one lost soul from his influence.

Perhaps it was nothing more than an attempt to escape the guilt that had begun consuming him, but Reinhard nevertheless chose to speak with the murderer before him.

"You truly are a weapon of fate," Reinhard said coolly, his voice carrying neither triumph nor anger. His gaze rested upon Elsa, whose lips still carried a smile despite the certainty of death. "Even now... you can still laugh. Is it because you accepted your death long before this moment?"

"Laugh?" Elsa tilted her head, a genuine smile spreading across her features. "Oh, Sword Saint. I'm not laughing because I've accepted my death."

The kukri came up. The Dragon Sword swung down.

"——I'm laughing because I'm free."

And thus, Reinhard rasps a goodbye to Elsa who LAUGHS in his face.

"Goodbye, Bowel Hunter."

"Goodbye, Sword Saint. It's been a wonderful dance."

The Dragon Sword descended amid a mesmerizing chorus of blue light that shook the very foundations of the world.

The blade that had once slain dragons, that could cut through the fabric of fate itself, found its mark. It pierced Elsa's heart, her soul, her very existence. This time, there was no regeneration, no resurrection, no return.

The laughter stopped. Once and for all.

Elsa Granhiert, who had killed countless innocents and found joy in their suffering, was reduced to ash by the blue light.

Reinhard stared down at the ashes. The Dragon Sword Reid hummed in his grip, unsatisfied. She wasn’t the one the sword wanted to battle.

Still, it's over. She's dead.

But it didn't feel like victory.

It felt like failure.

Reinhard lifted his gaze from Elsa's body, scanning the burning cityscape. Smoke rose in thick pillars, blotting out the sky. The screams were dying down now, not because the people were saved, but because there were fewer people left to scream.

Pride. Where is Pride?

The dark-haired boy had fled. And Reinhard had been too busy fighting his deluded servant to stop him.

A fool. I'm a fool.

"So this is what it feels like to lose everything."

Even then, none of this was truly his.

The fire continued to spread.

But Pride had escaped.

And somewhere out there, he would finish his work.

The fire continued its feast.

I shall find you.

Reinhard swore, turning his gaze to the burning horizon. 

His foot lifted from the scorched stone.

I shall find you, and I will end you.

The wind howled around him, carrying ash and embers like malevolent fireflies.

For the Kingdom. For the people you burned. For the loyalties you twisted.

His toes touched the ground, ready to launch.

"Please... someone..."

Reinhard froze.

"Anyone... please..."

His head turned, blue eyes scanning the inferno. Through the flames, through the collapsing buildings, he could see a family. A mother clutching two children, trapped beneath a fallen beam. Their faces were blackened with soot, their eyes wide with terror, their lungs filling with smoke.

They need help.

But Pride was getting away. Every second he delayed, the Archbishop of Sin would escape to continue his madness.

I must pursue. I must end this.

"Help us..."

The mother's hand reached through the flames, her fingers curling toward nothing.

Reinhard's jaw tightened. His duty as a knight. His duty as the Sword Saint. His duty to the kingdom.

Which duty matters more?

"Weren't you supposed to protect us?!"

The accusation came from somewhere to his left in the form of a man, his clothes burning, his face twisted with rage and despair.

"Weren't you the Sword Saint?! Weren't you supposed to save us?!"

Reinhard's throat constricted.

"What kind of Sword Saint are you?!"

Another voice. A woman, cradling a child in her arms.

"What kind of knight abandons people to die?!"

"Please... it hurts... it hurts so much..."

A child's voice. Small. Weak.

"Mommy... I can't breathe..."

"Please... anyone..."

A mother's voice. Desperate. Dying.

"Help... help us..."

Another voice. Another family. Another plea.

"Water... please... give us water..."

"Help... please... I don't want to die..."

"I can't see... I can't see anything..."

"Where are the knights?!”

"Please... please don't leave us..."

"I don't want to die... I don't want to die...  I don't want to die alone..."

"Someone... anyone... please... please..."

The voices came from everywhere. From the burning buildings, from the collapsing streets, from the dying people scattered across the capital like broken dolls. The flames lit their faces. Mothers, fathers, children, elderly, all of them looking to him with eyes that demanded answers.

Answers he didn't have.

Answers he would never have.

The Dragon Sword hummed in its sheath, as if urging him forward, as if telling him that vengeance would be the better path.

But the voices…

"Please... please..."

"I can't... I can't breathe..."

"Help us... please help us..."

A child cried for their mother. A mother cried for their child. A husband cried for his wife. A wife cried for her husband.

And Reinhard stood in the heart of it all, paralyzed by the weight of a thousand pleas.

His gaze naturally turned toward the path Pride had taken. He let him escape. He chose to save the few instead of stopping the one who killed the many.

His friends.

The thought struck him like a blade to the chest.

Julius is dead.

Poisoned. Killed because he was an obstacle.

Ferris is gone.

Disappeared under unknown circumstances.

The rest of the knights most likely dead by the cult.

Slaughtered. Burned. Annihilated!

Reinhard's knees buckled.

He fell to the ground, his hands pressing against the scorched stone, his head hanging low. The fire crackled around him, the screams echoed in his ears, the smoke burned his lungs.

"How many times! Do you think I've tried to kill you!? How many times, tens and hundreds and thousands of times, do you think I've faced you!?"

Pride's words from before echoed in his skull.

There was no point in listening to lunatics. Monsters like the Bowel Hunter or the Archbishops were just that, monsters with no goal beyond the destruction of everything around them and the sick joy they took in it. They were a different kind of monster from him, a monster who was supposed to protect the kingdom.

He died thousands of times to bring me here.

A metaphor? Perhaps that was the horror of it. That was the tragedy. Pride had spent what must have felt like centuries orchestrating this, burning the kingdom, destroying the knights, killing his friends, all to make Reinhard suffer and achieve some twisted goal.

And Reinhard had never known.

What kind of monster... what kind of monster dedicates their entire existence to destroying someone else?

He raised his head. His eyes, usually so clear, so certain, were clouded with confusion.

The contradiction tore at him.

He did all of this... for what?

Reinhard forced himself to his feet. His legs shook. His hands trembled. His entire being felt... wrong. Broken. Like a sword that had been forged incorrectly, that would shatter at the first impact.

He stumbled forward, through the flames, through the smoke, through the dying. His eyes scanned the burning cityscape, searching for something that could make sense of this nightmare.

Where is he? Where is Pride?

He had to know. He had to understand why. Why all of this death. Why all of this suffering. Why—

Reinhard stopped.

Ahead of him, in the middle of a clearing ringed by flames, stood a figure.

Silver hair that caught the firelight like spun moonlight.

Amethyst eyes that held the weight of a thousand unshed tears.

White attire stained with ash and soot and something darker.

A half-elf stood alone, her hands at her sides, her shoulders trembling. Before her, crumpled on the ground, lay a body.

A body with dark hair.

A body with a hole in its chest, a hole that had been carved by ice.

Reinhard took a step forward. His voice came out as a rasp.

"Emilia-sama..."

She turned.

And Reinhard's heart shattered.

She was crying.

These were ugly tears. They came from a place so deep, so wounded, that there was no stopping them.

Her face was red. Her eyes were swollen. Her cheeks were streaked with tears that cut paths through the soot.

"Emilia-sama..."

"Who...?" Her voice cracked. "Who was he?"

Reinhard didn't understand. "What?"

"Who was he?!" She pointed at the body at her feet to the body of Pride. "He said he loved me! He said he burned the world for me! He said he wanted me to be the ruler! But I don't even know his name!"

"His name was Natsuki Subaru," Reinhard stared at the corpse.

“H-He… He said something similar…”

"He was the Sin Archbishop of Pride."

The words emerged flat and lifeless. His voice sounded distant, as though part of him remained unable to reconcile the man before him with the monster who had brought the Kingdom to ruin.

"Pride..." Emilia's laugh was hollow, broken. "Pride. He was proud of this? He was proud of burning cities and killing innocents and..." She looked down at her hands. "And making me do this..."

Her hands were covered in blood.

So, so much blood.

Reinhard stepped closer, his gaze falling to the body. Pride's face was peaceful, almost serene. His eyes were closed. His lips were curved into a small smile.

He died smiling.

He wanted this. He wanted to die at her hands.

Absentmindedly, Reinhard studied the wound. A single ice projectile, piercing through the chest, straight through the heart. Clean. Precise. Just as Lady Emilia's magic was known to be.

She didn't give him a chance to escape. She didn't give him a chance to use any tricks. She killed him instantly, without hesitation.

Reinhard's hands trembled. He was in such turmoil that he didn't even question why Pride hadn't attempted to escape. The inconsistency never registered with him.

"I couldn't defeat him in time," he whispered. "I couldn't catch him. I couldn't... I couldn't stop him."

Emilia looked at him, her tear-streaked face unreadable.

"But Lady Emilia did so swiftly. She ended him without him slithering his way out using some trick."

He looked at his own hands. The hands that had cut down Elsa, that had slaughtered cultists, that had failed to reach Pride in time.

"Truly," Reinhard said, his voice barely audible over the crackling flames, "I must be cursed."

Emilia blinked. "Cursed?"

The Sword Saint.

And yet, I couldn’t save the kingdom I swore to protect. I couldn’t save my friends. I couldn’t save the people who looked to me for protection.

He looked at the peaceful face of the man who had destroyed everything.

"I couldn’t even be the one to kill him."

Emilia was silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, she knelt beside Pride's body.

"I don't understand him," she said softly. "I don't understand why he did this. I don't understand why he loved me. I don't understand why he wanted me to be happy when he knew... when he must have known..."

She reached out, her fingers trembling, and brushed a strand of dark hair from Pride's forehead.

"When he must have known that I would kill him for it."

"Perhaps," Reinhard said, "that was what he wanted."

Emilia's hand stilled. "What do you mean?"

"Consider the plan he laid out," Reinhard said, his voice gaining some strength. "He burned the kingdom. He destroyed my reputation. He eliminated the other candidates and their supporters. He created a crisis only you could resolve. The one who would slay the culprit behind it all... would be you."

Emilia's eyes widened.

"He wanted me to kill him. He wanted... he wanted to make me a hero."

Because he loved you.

"That's not..." Emilia shook her head. "That's not love. That's not... that's not what I wanted."

"Perhaps not. But it's what he believed."

Emilia looked down at Pride's body, her tears falling freely again.

"You fool," she whispered. "You absolute, utter fool."

Reinhard watched her, his heart aching with a sorrow he had never known.

"Emilia-sama," he intended to ask gently, but the words emerged as fractured as the man speaking them. "What will you do now?"

Emilia looked up at him, her amethyst eyes raw with grief.

"What can I do? The kingdom is in ruins. People are dying. The Royal Selection is a mess. I have to... I have to help. I have to fix this."

"Then you shall fix it," Reinhard said. "For the Kingdom. For the people who survived. For..."

For the knight I failed to be.

He didn't say it aloud. But Emilia seemed to understand.

"Reinhard," she said his name sadly, "what will you do with him?"

She gestured to Pride's body.

Reinhard's gaze fell upon the one responsible for it all. The Capital in flames. His comrades lying dead. The countless failures he had believed were his alone. Every one of them began and ended with the man standing before him.

The man who had died smiling because he had given his love one final gift.

"The flames," The Sword Saint decided. "We will let the flames take him."

Emilia nodded slowly. "And his legacy?"

"Whatever you decide," Reinhard said with finality. "If you choose to claim the victory over Pride, the people will believe it. They will celebrate you. They will make you queen."

Emilia was silent for a long moment. Then, slowly, she shook her head.

"No," she denied. "I won't lie. I won't build my kingdom on a foundation of lies. I'll tell them the truth. I killed a man who surrendered. I didn't want any of this."

"The people may not understand."

"They don't have to understand. They just have to know."

She still chose the truth.

"Emilia-sama," Reinhard said, bowing his head, "you are the truest ruler this kingdom could ask for."

Emilia didn't respond. She just looked down at Pride's body, her tears falling silently onto his face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

And from somewhere in the burning city, the voices continued to cry for help, for mercy, for salvation, for someone to save them.

Reinhard heard them.

"What… what are you planning to do now?"

The question was directed at him. Emilia's amethyst eyes, still red from weeping, searched his face for answers he didn't have.

Reinhard didn't respond. His gaze remained fixed on Pride's body, now being consumed by the encroaching flames.

He died smiling.

The words repeated in his head.

"Wait… your sword is unsheathed?"

Emilia's voice cracked with sudden alarm.

Reinhard looked down at his hand. The Dragon Sword Reid gleamed in the firelight.

He should sheathe it. The battle was over. Pride was dead.

But his hand wouldn't move.

"……"

"R-Reinhard," Her voice shaking, Emilia stepping closer. "will you help me rebuild this kingdom?"

Rebuild. The kingdom. Him?

Reinhard's eyes finally lifted from Pride's body.

She was asking him, the Sword Saint who had failed everyone, to help her.

She doesn't understand. She doesn't know what I've done. What I failed to do.

"I'm afraid," Reinhard said, his voice hollow, "that I don't deserve such kindness."

"E-Eh?! W… Wait!"

Emilia reached for him, her fingers brushing against his sleeve. But before she could say another word…

Reinhard vanished.

.

.

.

.

.

The flames screamed past him as he moved.

Faster than he had ever moved before. Faster than thought, faster than time, faster than the agony that clawed at his heart.

He appeared in burning buildings, pulling families from collapsing structures. He appeared in crumbling streets, carrying children to safety. He appeared in the smoke-choked alleyways, lifting the elderly, the wounded, the dying.

Everywhere he went, there were people.

Everywhere he went, there were screams.

Everywhere he went, there were eyes.

Accusing, desperate, pleading.

"Weren't you supposed to protect us?!"

"What kind of Sword Saint are you?!"

"Please… please don't leave us…"

Save. Carry. Protect.

His mind burned with exhaustion, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. If he stopped, the guilt would consume him. If he stopped, the voices would drown him. If he stopped, then…

I would have to face what I've become.

So he moved. Faster. Faster. Faster.

Until dawn broke over the ruins of Lugunica.

.

.

.

.

.

Reinhard stood at the highest point of the capital, overlooking the devastation.

The sun rose behind him, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson. But the light only made the destruction more visible.

The collapsed buildings, the burned streets, the bodies that still lay where they had fallen.

I saved who I could. But I couldn't save everyone.

His hand tightened around the Dragon Sword Reid. The blade was still drawn, still unsheathed, gleaming with a light that seemed to mock him.

“…There is one thing I can still do.”

He turned his gaze westward, toward the distant mountains where the White Whale had been sighted.

The beast that had devoured countless lives.

One final duty.

Then...

Then he could finally rest.

Reinhard moved.

The distance between one point and another disappeared in an instant, a deafening sonic boom arriving only after the figure racing through the night sky had already become a blur beyond the limits of sight.

Not long afterward, what appeared before Reinhard was the White Whale itself.

For the briefest of moments, the Sword Saint could not remember why he had left the White Whale alive despite the suffering it had inflicted upon the world. The, he realized the truth.

His father, who had become depressed after his wife fell into a coma, had feared that Reinhard would one day share the same fate as Theresia, Reinhard’s grandmother.

The colossal Demon Beast drifted above the clouds as though it alone had become the sky, its enormous body still bearing wounds left behind by those who had challenged it before meeting their end.

Whoever they had been...

Reinhard silently prayed that they would finally be allowed to rest.

“…….”

There was no desire to test its strength.

That being the case, there was no reason to grant it even a single additional moment.

What flashed across the heavens was not merely a streak of blue light, but a slash that severed everything lying upon its path. The White Whale released its pale fog in a desperate attempt to erase the approaching Sword Saint from existence, yet before that mist could envelop him, the legendary blade had already divided both the fog and the monster that produced it, essentially splitting it in half.

Blood scattered across the night sky.

And yet, not a single drop reached Reinhard.

As though even the blood of the slain recognized that staining the Sword Saint would be an act of blasphemy, the crimson rain curved around him before falling toward the earth.

Only then did the White Whale begin to fall.

Its colossal corpse descended from the heavens like a collapsing mountain before striking the distant peaks with a thunderous impact that echoed throughout the valley. Shortly afterward, the dense fog that had imprisoned the world for centuries gradually began to disperse, as though reality itself had finally been permitted to breathe once more.

"——Huh?"

Together with the disappearing mist...

The memories returned.

"What did I...?"

Reinhard noticed it first as a subtle sense of wrongness, one that gradually gave way to clarity before finally becoming a flood of memories that had never truly disappeared, merely been buried beneath the White Whale's fog. Wilhelm. His grandfather. The hatred that had burned within those eyes. The accusation that had shattered the Astrea family. Heinkel. His father, who had long since buried himself beneath alcohol after Theresia's death.

Wilhelm. His grandfather. The hatred that had burned in those eyes. The accusation that had shattered their family. The grief that had turned Heinkel into a hollow shell of a man.

Father...

With it came the recollection of the expedition led by Crusch Karsten to subjugate the White Whale. The reason the Demon Beast had been wounded before Reinhard found it was because countless people had already risked their lives fighting it.

In this world, Wilhelm, and everyone else who had stood against the White Whale were erased from existence, leaving behind only Felix so that even his survival could be twisted into another tool.

The fog had not merely erased people. It had erased everything that had accompanied them, the grief, the resentment, the years of suffering, and the countless memories that should have remained. And now that the White Whale had fallen, all of it returned at once. The memory of Heinkel's distant gaze, of the alcohol that had replaced a father's affection, and of the silence that had settled over the Astrea household after Theresia's death came crashing back, sweeping away the comforting lie the White Whale had left behind.

He blamed me. He always blamed me. He simply couldn't remember why.

Standing atop the White Whale's corpse, Reinhard kept his eyes closed, his lips drawn into a thin, solemn line.

He thought of Grandfather. Of the words that had passed between them. Of the hatred that had never been resolved, because the erasure had stolen that too.

I should have been there. I should have saved him. I should have—

He turned back toward the capital, toward the ruins.

Then, he looked at the legendary sword in his grip.

The Dragon Sword Reid. The sword that chooses its opponents. The sword that was drawn against Pride because he was deemed worthy of its edge.

But it had also been drawn against Pride's servant.

That meant something. The sword's selection was not arbitrary. It had deemed Elsa worthy of being slain by its legendary blade because of the nearby presence of Pride.

And yet, I never got the chance to use it against him.

Pride was dead. Killed by Emilia.

Again, his gaze drifted to the Dragon Sword in his hand.

I used the fact that Pride was the candidate for its unsheathing. I forced the sword open. I used it to cut down Elsa, to protect myself from failing, to survive.

The Dragon Sword Reid.

The legendary blade said to sever all things.

This is probably the last time I shall wield you.

Reinhard raised the Dragon Sword above his head. The blade caught the morning light, blazing like a second sun.

If there truly existed nothing that blade could not cut...

Then perhaps it can cut through me.

One smooth motion followed another as Reinhard reversed his grip, the point of the Dragon Sword gradually coming to rest against his own chest.

Julius Juukulius.

Felix Argyle.

The countless knights who had entrusted their lives to the Sword Saint.

I failed.

The burning city.

The children whose cries had never reached him. The mothers who had continued searching through the flames until there was nothing left to search. The comrades who had fallen while believing Reinhard would arrive in time.

I failed them all.

Slowly, Reinhard closed his eyes.

"Forgive me," he whispered.

The Dragon Sword descended.

Its point pierced cloth.

Then flesh.

Then the [heart] that had carried every failure as though each had been his alone…

.

.

.

.

.

The very essence of his being was cleanly cut through.

Reinhard felt it.

The Severing.

The countless threads that had quietly accompanied him since birth, invisible yet ever-present, unraveled one after another. The blessings bestowed upon him by the world, the protection that had always answered before danger could arrive, and the unseen connection that had quietly supported the existence known as Reinhard van Astrea all disappeared beyond the edge of the Dragon Sword.

There was no pain.

It's over.

The burden that had accompanied him for as long as he could remember vanished together with those unseen bonds, leaving behind only a silence so profound that even Reinhard found himself unable to distinguish where his own consciousness ended and the surrounding darkness began.

Finally. I can rest.

It was warm.

Gentle.

Peaceful.

Perhaps...

This was what rest felt like.

Relinquishing even the final remnants of resistance, Reinhard quietly surrendered himself to the welcoming darkness.

.

.

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.

~Ba dump~

Reinhard's eyes snapped open.

No.

~Ba dump~

He could feel it. The unmistakable rhythm of life. The beating of a heart that should have stopped.

~Ba dump~

No. No, no, no.

What spread before him was neither heaven nor earth, but an endless darkness without beginning or end. There was no Dragon Sword. No blood. No wound left upon his chest.

Alive.

"It... should be impossible."

His voice echoed through the emptiness.

One hand slowly rose toward his chest. The warmth spreading through his chest. The sensation he had believed would never return. The familiar, inescapable flame of life.

The Divine Protection of the Phoenix.. The blessing that returned its owner from death.

"...No."

Reinhard's hands began to tremble.

"NO! NO! NO!"

His voice broke, cracked, shattered into a thousand pieces.

He clawed at his chest, at the place where the wound had been, at the heart that refused to stop beating.

This body defied death.

He fell to his knees, his fists pounding against the void.

"There has to be..."

His voice trembled.

"There has to be a mistake."

One fist struck the empty darkness beneath him.

Then another.

Neither produced the slightest sound.

"I..."

The words caught within his throat.

"I don't..."

His breathing faltered.

"I don't want this anymore."

Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die! Let me die!

The phoenix flame burned brighter, warmer, more inescapable.

I don’t want to live! I don’t want to be the Sword Saint! I don’t want to be anything!

His body healed. His heart beat. His lungs filled with air he didn't want.

"PLEASE…"

His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Please… just let me die…"

.

.

.

.

.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH HE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF YOU?!"

The voice was not his own. It was ancient. Terrible. Full of rage and grief and something that might have been love.

Reinhard looked up.

Before him stood a presence. A woman? A being? Something that defied description. Shadows wrapped around her form, darker than the void itself. Her eyes gleamed with an intensity that could swallow worlds.

"I'm sorry…" Reinhard could only apologize, too lost to realize who was standing before him in this black void. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

The words erupted from her like a torrent of hatred. Reinhard flinched as the shadows around her writhed and twisted, forming grasping hands that reached for him.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

She wants me dead. She wants me dead as much as I want myself dead.

Reinhard couldn't help the bitter laugh that escaped his lips.

Finally. Someone who understands.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

The shadow hands descended upon him. They wrapped around his body, squeezing, crushing, destroying.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

Reinhard could only kneel, his head bowed, accepting the hatred that washed over him like a tidal wave.

She's right. I deserve this. I deserve all of this.

"HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO ESCAPE WHEN HE COULDN'T! WHEN HE DIED FOR HER! WHEN HE DIED OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER!"

Her form rippled with rage. The shadow hands tightened around him, plunging into his chest, seeking the source of his immortality.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

The hands grasped the essence of the phoenix. The Divine Protection that had kept him alive, that had brought him back from death, that had made him immortal.

The hands squeezed. Crushed. Snuffed out.

Reinhard felt the warmth fading, the flame dying, the protection crumbling to ash. He could easily overwhelm her if only he wished, but what was the point if both of them seek the same thing?

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

The hands didn't stop. They ground the phoenix's essence into nothing, scattered its ashes across the void, ensured that it could never rise again.

Again. And again. And again.

Until it stopped.

The Divine Protection of the Phoenix was gone. Destroyed. Erased from existence.

Finally.

Reinhard felt his body growing cold. His heart slowing. His consciousness fading.

Finally, it's over.

The hatred in the voice began to fade. Her form rippled, as if confused by the sudden silence.

"Thank you…"

Reinhard's eyes, still open, still aware, looked up at her through the darkness.

"Thank you…"

The witch’s expression shifted, from rage, to confusion, to something that might have been understanding.

I wanted this. I wanted to die. I wanted to escape.

I’m a coward.

Reinhard smiled. It was the first smile in years that bore neither guilt nor regret.

Free of the pain that had crushed him.

"Thank you… for letting me die…"

.

.

.

.

.

The void swallowed him.

Reinhard felt his body dissolving, his consciousness fragmenting, his soul scattering into the emptiness.

I am nothing.

I am no one.

I am finally free.

His last thought was of his friends and his family

I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry I couldn't be the knight everyone deserved.

I’m sorry for killing grandmother. I’m sorry for disappointing you all. I’m sorry for causing so much pain.

But his smile didn't fade.

I'm sorry I couldn't be the Sword Saint.

But I am no longer the Sword Saint.

I am no longer anything.

And for that…

I am grateful.

.

.

.

.

.

Thus ended the story of the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea.

He who was born blessed, who died cursed, and who was finally freed.

He who chose to be nothing.

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.

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.

And thus began the story of another.

Chapter Text

The day had been a disaster.

Rudeus had been in the Boreas manor for exactly two days, and already he'd been punched, chased, kicked, and hunted like a dog through the estate's winding corridors. All because he'd made the mistake of telling Eris that she could learn something from a seven-year-old.

In hindsight, he reflected as he pressed himself against the cold stone wall of the eastern corridor, perhaps he could have phrased it better.

"——Are you okay, sir?"

"Huh?!"

Rudeus nearly jumped out of his skin. His head snapped toward the voice, heart hammering, fists raised in a pathetic approximation of a fighting stance.

And froze.

A girl stood beside him. She was small, he realized with a start. Perhaps his age. Her fierce red hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail that exposed a pale, delicate face. She wore the simple dress of a maid, though it seemed slightly too large for her small frame. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her posture perfectly composed, her expression... strangely blank.

Woah, what a cutie! I almost mistook her for Eris and thought I was going to get a beating again! That’s why I’m hiding. Eh, kinda pathetic, isn't it?

"Are you injured?" she asked, kindly holding out her hand to help him stand. Her voice was impossibly soft, carrying an accent he couldn't quite place. "You seemed distressed. I was passing by and heard..."

"I'm fine!" Rudeus scrambled to his feet and refused to be assisted by a cute girl, brushing dust from his clothes in a vain attempt to salvage some dignity. "I wasn't hiding! I was just, uh, examining the wall! Yes! Very... architectural... wall."

Now it made him look like an idiot.

"...I see," she said, somewhat crestfallen. "Then I apologize for the interruption."

What the… Did I do something wrong already? It feels like this place is cursed with how things are going for me…

Rudeus cried internally at this plot twist. He had expected that acting like nothing happened would make the young maid glad that she wouldn't have to deal with him, but the opposite had happened! Now it was like he kicked a puppy for some reason, and he had no idea how to fix it.

She made to leave, and Rudeus found himself shouting before he could stop himself.

"Wait!"

The girl paused. Turned. Waited.

"I—uh—" He gestured vaguely at her. "Who are you? I don't think I've seen you before."

Rudeus felt his face heat with embarrassment. He'd just made a complete fool of himself, and now he was calling her back? What was he even supposed to say?

"Please refer to me as Rein," she said. "I work as a maid in this manor. I have been working for Lord Sauros for some time now."

Rudeus blinked. "But I've only been here two days. I have never seen you."

"The manor is large. It's easy to miss someone."

That's not what I meant, Rudeus thought. But he didn't say it.

"A maid, huh?" He tried to inject some levity into his voice. "You're pretty young to be working, aren't you?"

The question was clumsy, and he knew it. But Rein didn't seem offended.

"My circumstances are... unique," she replied.

"Unique how?"

"I was taken in by Lord Sauros," she explained. "He saw something in me that was worth keeping." Her voice was utterly flat. "I'm grateful for the opportunity."

Rudeus studied her. The words were polite. The tone was far from enthusiastic.

Now that I think about it, he mused, these guys only have beast girls as maids. Why is she here? What are these 'unique circumstances' she mentioned? No way, is this my first time learning there's a hidden maid in the mansion? Hell yeah! Maybe I'll try to figure something out in between my Eris Trials!

Ah, that was a good name for it, wasn't it? Eris Trials. It stood for trying his best to win the insufferable brat over.

Gooosh, Eris is so annoying to deal with. I wish they would just give me money at this point because of trying my best here. Seriously, what kind of noble family hires a seven-year-old to tame their feral granddaughter? This is insane. I survived being a shut-in for almost twenty years, I survived being reincarnated, I had gone through Master's training, and now I'm being hunted by a brat with the strength of a small bear. What did I do to deserve this? Is this karma for stealing Master's panties? No, no, that was a sacred act of worship. This is just... unfair.

Maybe I should just give up and become a hermit again. Find a nice cave somewhere. Live off the land. Never have to deal with violent redheads ever again. Zenith would understand, and Sylphie would probably visit me in my cave. Maybe Master will remember me too if I continue to send her letters! They are nice like that. Not like—

"I believe the Young Mistress has moved to the western garden," Rein commented from behind, interrupting his spiraling thoughts. "If you wish to avoid her, I would suggest the eastern stairwell."

Rudeus blinked. "How do you—"

After turning around, he realized the corridor was empty. He was alone now.

"Huh, where did she go? Was I really lost in my thoughts so much?"

He scratched his head, resolving to think about it later. Right now, he had more pressing concerns. Like surviving the next encounter with Eris.

"I really need a strategy," he muttered to himself as he headed for the eastern stairwell. "A solid, foolproof strategy. Maybe if I pretend to be dead? No, she'd probably kick me to make sure. Maybe if I—"

Sighing, Rudeus shook his head and continued walking. This mansion was getting stranger by the minute.

Still, I'm so freaking jealous! These bastards have dog girls, rabbit girls, maybe even cat girls. Uwaaahaaaa, what a catch seriously!

Although you might think he would be excited as a middle-aged NEET who read light novels and manga in his spare time, the truth was that because of his status as a kid, it was hard for him to feel any particular attraction toward these women beyond platonic infatuation. His hormones simply weren't ready to deal with his perverse mind.

That was something Rudeus had realized over the past few days. Sure, he could appreciate a beautiful woman when he saw one. The maid with the dog ears who passed by earlier was certainly pleasant to look at, but there was no fire behind it. No burning desire. Just a vague sense of "oh, that's nice" and then moving on.

My body is still too young to properly appreciate these things, he lamented. By the time I'm old enough to actually enjoy looking at women, half of them will probably be married or gone. Such is the tragedy of reincarnation.

The next day, he trudged down the stairwell, his mind wandering back to Buena Village. To Sylphie's green hair and shy smile. To Master Roxy's blue locks and patient explanations. To his Zenith's warmth and Paul's... well, Paul-ness.

I wonder what they're all doing right now.

He'd been in the manor for three days now. Three days of running, hiding, and getting punched. Three days of Eris's fury and Ghislaine's stoic observations. Three days of wondering if he'd made a terrible mistake coming here.

No, he reminded himself firmly. I came here for a reason. Five years. Five years of tutoring, and then I'll have enough money for me and Sylphie to attend the University of Magic together. That's the goal. That's what I'm working toward.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and paused. The eastern corridor stretched out before him, lined with doors that led to rooms he'd never explored. Somewhere in this direction was the kitchen, if he remembered correctly. And kitchens meant food. And food meant a chance to rest before Eris inevitably found him again.

It was embarrassing to be a tutor only to run away from his student.

Whatever. Food. Then planning. Then hiding. A solid strategy.

As he started walking, a faint scent caught his attention. Lavender. It was the same scent he'd noticed earlier, when Rein had been standing beside him.

Weird.

He shook his head and pressed forward. This mansion was full of strange things, strange maids, strange smells, strange coincidences. He'd have to get used to it.

The kitchen was empty when he arrived, which was a small mercy. He grabbed a piece of bread from the counter and leaned against the wall, chewing slowly as he stared out the window at the garden beyond.

So this is my life now. What would Master think if she could see me now?

The thought made him smile despite himself. Roxy would probably laugh. Then she'd pat him on the head and tell him to do his best. That was the kind of person she was.

I miss her.

He took another bite of bread, letting the simple act of chewing ground him. Tomorrow would be another day. Another chance to teach Eris something or at least survive her attempts to maim him.

One step at a time, he reminded himself. That's how you do it. One step at a time.

Later that evening, Rudeus lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was quiet, a rare luxury in a manor where Eris's footsteps could be heard echoing through the halls at any hour.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small candle stub he'd found earlier in the kitchen, discarded and forgotten. It was nothing special, just a bit of wax, slightly misshapen from use. But it was something to hold onto.

Carefully, he channeled a tiny spark of fire magic into his fingertips, just enough to warm the wax without burning it. He worked slowly, shaping the soft material with his fingers, molding it into something resembling a small, seated figure. A woman with long hair and a staff.

Maaaasteeeer, I miss youuuu.

He set the crude figure on the small table beside his bed, where it could watch over him through the night. Then he rolled onto his side, closed his eyes, and let sleep take him.

It came slowly, but it came.

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The next morning, Rudeus found himself in the library, desperately hoping that Eris wouldn't think to look for him there. It was a vain hope, Eris seemed to have an almost supernatural ability to track him down, but he clung to it nonetheless.

The library was a large room, filled with shelves upon shelves of books that had probably never been read by anyone besides maybe Sauros himself. Rudeus had spent the better part of an hour browsing the titles, noting which ones might be useful for his lessons and which ones were purely decorative.

History, geography, a few novels... not bad. Not great, but not bad.

His fingers brushed against a worn leather spine, and he pulled it out of curiosity. The book was old, its pages yellowed and cracked, but the title was still legible: The Legend of Perugius.

"Oh, this one." Rudeus smiled, remembering the copy he'd read back in Buena Village. "I wonder if this one has the same stories."

He flipped it open and began to read, losing himself in the familiar tales of the Armored Dragon King and his floating fortress. It was nice, he reflected, to read something that reminded him of home.

"Rudeus!"

He tensed. That voice, full of barely contained fury, could only belong to one person.

Speak of the devil.

He looked up to find Eris standing in the doorway, her arms crossed and her expression murderous. She was flanked by Ghislaine, who wore her usual stoic expression.

"There you are!" Eris marched toward him, her footsteps echoing ominously in the quiet room. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Do you have any idea how long I've been searching?!"

"I... apologize?" Rudeus offered weakly. "I was just—"

"Reading?!" She snatched the book from his hands, glancing at the title with obvious disdain. "You were reading a book? While I was looking for you?!"

"To be fair, I didn't know you were looking for me—"

"Don't get clever with me!" She slammed the book down on the table, her face red with anger. "You're supposed to be my tutor, aren't you?! So why are you hiding in the library instead of teaching me?!"

What?

Rudeus blinked in confusion. "You... want me to teach you?"

"Of course not!" she snapped. "But Grandfather said you're supposed to teach me! So teach me!"

Ah, so it's not that she wants to learn. She just doesn't want her grandfather to get upset.

Rudeus sighed internally. This was going to be a long day.

"Alright then," he said, forcing a smile. "Why don't we start with something simple? Like arithmetic?"

Eris's face twisted with pure disgust. "Arithmetic? That's boring."

To be honest, I expected you to say something like ‘Arithmetic? Is that food?’ He thought internally.

"Everything is boring if you don't try to make it interesting." He quoted whatever came to his mind.

“Huh?”

Oh, did I manage to get her interested?!

Then the surprise was gone, replaced by her usual defiance.

"What was that?"

Oh, fake alarm. She just ignored me.

"Uh, it's about swords?" Hmm, technically you should know the angle to swing a sword to strike effectively? Gah, that's just some bullshit I came up with. There is no way you can do that during a battle, you would have to rely on your instincts.

"You lie," she crossed her arms with a dark glare, ready to lunge at him. "I'm going to pulverize you!"

Oi! W-What's up with this girl?!

However, before his ass was busted, a snap echoed through the quiet library, making them all turn to see a broom of all things that now lay on the wooden floor.

"Huh, where did it—"

"I apologize for interrupting."

They turned toward the voice to see a young maid standing on one of the bookshelves near their location. Surprisingly, none of them had noticed her. Well, save for Ghislaine, who had been looking in that direction for a while. Now it answered the question he had on his mind as to why she was so silent all the time even with the escalation of Eris' anger.

But to see Rein appearing out of nowhere…

No way, did she do it intentionally so I wouldn't have my ass beaten to plump?

That was the only explanation he could think of. It was just too much of a coincidence to think otherwise. The timing was too perfect!

"You," Eris said, her voice dripping with annoyance. "I almost mistook you for some ghost."

Ah, so they knew each other. It seemed this wasn't the first time Eris had seen Rein.

"Forgive me, Lady Eris," Rein said, "I was cleaning the upper shelves and lost my grip."

"You always 'lose your grip' at the most convenient times, don't you, Spare?" Eris's eyes narrowed. "You're not even worth calling by your real name. Spare suits you better."

“Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience.”

Spare? Rudeus winced. That's... a strange nickname. What does that even mean?

Eris huffed, her earlier fury seemingly forgotten, replaced by a different kind of irritation. "Whatever. I'm tired of this place anyway. Ghislaine, let's go. I need to practice my sword."

She stormed out of the library without a backward glance, Ghislaine following silently behind her.

At least he wasn’t punched.

Rudeus let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "That was close..."

He turned to look at Rein, who had gracefully descended from the bookshelf and was now retrieving her fallen broom.

"Spare?" he asked. "She called you Spare. Why?"

"It is not important."

"It seems important if she's calling you names like that."

Just like in high school, Rudeus remembered. The times of bullying that had tormented him and followed him all throughout his life until his death. The cruel nicknames. The laughter. The feeling of being utterly alone. He had been called many things back then. Pencil Dick, among other, worse names, but at least no one had called him a spare.

A replacement. Something to be used and discarded.

"Lady Eris believes I was brought here to serve as a decoy. A target to draw attention away from her." She paused. "Well, she is not entirely wrong."

"Huh." Rudeus stared at her in horror. "What do you mean?"

"I have red hair, like her. Lord Sauros keeps me in the manor for that reason. If anyone were to attack the Young Mistress, they might mistake me for her. From a distance, at least."

"That's..." Rudeus was speechless. "That's awful."

The girl looked at him in confusion.

"It's a normal practice amongst nobility." Then she asked, "Aren't you a Greyrat yourself, Sir Rudeus?"

Practical? That's not practical. That's... that's using a child as bait.

Rudeus felt a surge of anger. Not at Rein, but at the situation. At Sauros. At this whole ridiculous noble world where children were treated as tools. It seemed he was too naïve.

"That's not—you shouldn't have to—" He fumbled for words. "Don't you hate it?"

"Hate what?"

"Being used like that! Being called a spare! Being—" He tried to find the proper words and failed. "Being that!"

"……"

Rein was quiet for a long moment. Then she said, "I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. However, this is a role that was meant for someone like me."

What kind of answer is that?

But before he could press further, she picked up her broom and turned to leave.

"Sir Rudeus," she said without looking back. "Please be careful. The Young Mistress is not the only danger in this manor."

And then she was gone, disappearing down the corridor as silently as she had arrived.

Rudeus stood alone in the library, staring at the empty doorway, his mind churning with questions he didn't know how to ask.

Spare. What kind of person calls a child a spare? What kind of person lets themselves be called that?

He didn't have answers. But he had a feeling he was going to find out, whether he wanted to or not.

Hah, it's not like me of all people should act like a paragon of what is morally correct. At least this is the worst this world offered me right now.

Then, he frowned, thinking back to Ghislaine's story.

I mean, it's not like slavery is legal here or something... right?

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Void.

After an unspecified span of time, a consciousness bereft of identity was drawn somewhere.

Its name, its memories, its body.

All had been stripped away.

Cast into a void that existed solely to consume, there remained naught but the final vestige of existence, a soul reduced to its most fundamental essence, drifting amidst the emptiness that lay between worlds.

Ordinarily, such a thing ought not have been possible.

All souls, once severed from their vessels, returned unto the Od Lagna. Such was the natural order. Such was the cycle ordained by the world. To escape that cycle was impossible. To reject it was impossible. To defy it was to oppose a law upon which existence itself had been constructed.

Yet, that did not occur.

The black void swallowed and swallowed.

Those names, those titles, those definitions of self—all were consumed with the ravenous hunger of something that had endured starvation since time immemorial.

It was a realm beyond darkness.

Not darkness born from the absence of light, nor darkness claimed by the envy of the Witch of Envy.

A place that should not have existed.

A space that denied the concept of space.

A void that rejected even the right to be acknowledged.

And into that abyss, the soul had been cast.

Unfortunate.

Exceptionally unfortunate.

However, there remained one thing that could not be consumed.

The blessing granted by the world itself.

The direct connection between soul and World.

A connection that refused severance.

A connection that refused denial.

A connection that refused annihilation.

Even the Dragon Sword, the pinnacle of blades, had failed to cut it.

For the Will standing behind that connection occupied a hierarchy beyond even such a legendary weapon.

Thus, around the drifting soul, fragments could be seen.

Shattered memories.

Shattered blessings.

Fragments of a life that had once been known as Reinhard van Astrea.

And because the void could not wholly deny that existence, because it could not erase that final connection, it was forced to reject what it could not consume.

The soul was expelled.

Cast away from the all-devouring realm.

Where to?

That answer belonged to the future alone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Rein

Standing amidst that sea of ruin was a boy.

At first glance, there was nothing remarkable about him. He possessed neither the imposing stature of a warrior nor the commanding presence of a king. Despite that, Rein's attention settled upon him immediately, as though some instinct deeper than thought had recognized his existence before she ever consciously observed it.

The boy was injured.

No, injured was not enough.

His clothing hung from his body in torn strips, stained by blood and soot. His skin bore wounds both old and new, some half healed, others still fresh enough to glisten beneath the light of the flames. Exhaustion clung to him so thoroughly that it seemed woven into his very existence. Weariness had ceased to be a temporary condition and instead become a permanent aspect of the boy himself.

He remained standing, acting like she was his worst enemy, like she was responsible for all of this madness. He was the one who destroyed it all, so why?

Why why why why why why why why why why why why.

That was what felt wrong.

Looking upon him produced the same sensation as witnessing a building remain upright long after its foundations had collapsed. Everything about him suggested a person who should have broken long ago.

And yet he remained standing.

Then she saw his eyes.

Those eyes were not merely angry.

Nor were they hateful.

Rather, they possessed the terrible coldness of someone who had spent so long carrying suffering that it had become inseparable from the rest of his being. In other words, pure insanity.

And they were staring directly at her.

Rein felt terror seize her body as she remembered.

——I couldn't forget.

The events that happened that day.

This boy, this horrible monster, was called Pride.

She screamed and screamed, yet he refused to disappear.

The cultist couldn't touch her. This was a dream. He was a dream. Nothing before her possessed substance or reality.

But none of that mattered.

Because Pride wasn’t looking at her as one might look upon another person.

Rein too, once upon a time, was a monster who killed thousands of lives in order to protect her kingdom. However, to have someone view her like that again…

Surely, this was…

"Happy birthday, Reinhard."

A nightmare.

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.
.

"——Hah!?"

Rein woke up with a start, breathing heavily and covered in sweat.

"Haaa… haaa… haaa…."

In the end, the reality that happened was a nightmare after all. A horrible dream that was supposed to scare her and make her cry.

It's time to start her duties properly instead of lamenting over herself.

There is no time for hesitation.

The sun is low, so it means it's early enough, and she is not late to begin her work.

After taking a quick bath in the servant headquarters, Rein put on her maid uniform.

It had been three years since she started working in the manor. It had also been three years since she regained all her memories—almost all. There were still some holes in her memory because of whatever happened to her to wake up in this world.

Before Rein remembered her previous identity, she was just a nameless slave with a tragic backstory who lost her mother and was sold into slavery from birth.

However, that is a story for another time.

Still, it took her some time to get used to her new name. Though it was not the same as before, it still resembled it. In the end, she was simply Rein now.

Not that it mattered to her. If you asked her, she would say she was a worthless being who couldn't even be called human. Her existence brought only destruction, never salvation. Regardless of the change in appearance, her age, or her name, being alive brought her no comfort.

In the past, the older man with the mustache known as Lord Sauros had told her that if she wanted to be fed, she would have to work hard. But even that didn't matter to her. If she could choose, she would have chosen death.

Death by starvation, or by the edge of someone's blade. But not by her own hand, not anymore. Someone like her didn't deserve peace or rest. Someone like her deserved to die at the hand of a hero who would strike down evil.

A memory from the past resurfaced, back when she started her job at the manor.

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.
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"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Those words left her lips in a whisper as she hugged her knees. They were all she had left. She had failed everyone she was meant to protect. Despite possessing incomprehensible strength once feared by enemies, she couldn't save a single soul. Every face she once knew was gone or dead, lost in the hellish flames of the war brought upon her kingdom.

Her new place of stay was a dark room, small and cold, where only a single ray of light slipped through the high window. It looked less like a child's room and more like a prison cell.

After deciding she couldn't allow herself to starve and was undeserving of life, Rein determined that the only way to exist was to wait for someone capable of bringing her death. That meant she would go along with her new role as a servant, even though she had no idea what caused her to become someone like this, or how she had appeared here. The last thing Rein remembered was promising that cultist that they would burn in hell together, just before the Bowel Hunter appeared to save him. This was the sole memory that remained. Which meant this wasn't hell.

Regardless of that, with this new determination, Rein made a decision.

As a monster, she would wait for someone to bring her the deserved death.

“Child…”

With that said, the door soon opened to reveal a demi-human girl in a maid uniform. Why was this household full of demi-humans though? It seemed that the angry-looking older man had some strange preference concerning servants with animal features.

"We are supposed to teach you your new duties, so get up and follow me."

With a sharp gaze cast on her, Rein could only comply and do as she was ordered, following the cat demi-human until they entered what could only be called a servant lodging.

"Even though you are a bastard, Lord Sauros ordered us to teach you manners and how to clean the household and do other chores, so listen carefully."

"..."

"Good, you are already good at being silent, so remember not to speak up unless you are asked. My name is Lora. I won't repeat it, so you better remember it."

With that, the cat maid called Lora crossed her arms and began explaining the Boreas household chores to Rein.

"There are rules you will follow. You will wake before dawn to clean the halls, polish the floors, and sweep the courtyard. You are not to enter the lord's study or the armory without permission. Under no circumstances are you to approach Madam Hilda's private chambers. She doesn't tolerate mistakes or interruptions."

Lora's tail swayed as she spoke strictly.

"Meals are served after the masters have eaten. If you break something, you clean it up and report it. If you steal something, you lose a hand. That's the law in this house. But if you work quietly and obey orders, no one will bother you."

Explaining everything to a child in one go, regardless of how smart they might be, and expecting them to remember every single thing was akin to witnessing a miracle.

That was what Lora thought the moment she gave all this information to the bastard child. Yet it wasn't really her goal. She simply wanted the girl to know her place. Perhaps, in her own way, it was a small act of care. If she could install fear of failure into the newest servant, then the girl would likely try her best to follow the rules and learn along the way.

However, what Lora didn't expect was for the girl to actually remember everything perfectly. As unbelievable as it sounded, Rein was able to do everything Lora asked without question or mistake.

But what she also noticed was how silent the girl remained. Every time Lora interacted with her, she was struck by how cold Rein's eyes were. Yet the coldness wasn't directed at her. Rein carried out her duties, never once speaking out of turn or showing emotion, but she seemed distant, like her mind wasn't truly there, even as her hands worked without flaw.

Still, Lora never caught her slacking off, so there was nothing to worry about. Servants had their own burdens, and as long as those burdens didn't affect their work, it wasn't her concern.

That night, Lora brought the girl to the servants' bath. The red-haired child sat quietly in the warm steam filling the room. Lora sat behind her and began washing her back.

She assumed the slave girl couldn't manage it herself, so she helped for the first time. The grime came off slowly, revealing surprisingly healthy skin beneath layers of dirt.

Meanwhile, Rein was staring blankly at the wall, thinking about how much she didn't deserve to be cared for by someone like Lora. The maid's cat-like features reminded her of Felix. They had never been particularly close, but Rein had respected him deeply.

As a fellow knight, in her eyes, Felix was loyal to his master to the very end.

Back in her small room, she sat on the edge of her bed, her wet hair clinging to her shoulders. Her expression remained empty, her eyes unfocused, reflecting the dim candlelight.

The screams, the burning skies, the helplessness. She remembered her sword slipping from her fingers, her strength fading away along with everyone she had sworn to protect.

If this was a second chance, it was not one she wanted.

Her eyelids grew heavy, and she lay down without a word.

As she drifted into uneasy sleep, her last thought was simple and bitter.

"I don't deserve this."

"What did you say, child?"

Surprising her, the one who appeared by the slightly opened door was Lora, the maid who previously instructed Rein by giving her servant training.

"How did you…"

"It seems I was unnoticed, but that shouldn't come as a surprise. As servants of the Boreas family, we are expected to stay in our master's shadow, so being invisible is expected. If I was noticed by a little girl, I would probably resign from my role and slice off my head."

Scary words were said, however, Rein was still shocked.

"No, that still..."

This shouldn't be possible, her senses, regardless if the maid made no noise, should have easily detected her.

However, because of her raging feelings not going through the filter of Divine Protections, her heart instinctively ignored all of the noise.

"Don't say anymore and go to sleep already, otherwise you will be of not much use the next day. Unless you planned to be lazy, which is unacceptable."

"That's…"

"Perhaps you have nightmares?"

That was the closest conclusion Lora could get from the sight of the girl who had sweat of anxiety running down her forehead.

"No, it's not that. I simply don't feel tired."

“Huh?”

Instead of being angry at such flippant behaviour, Lora proposed something unusual.

"Do you wish to be put to sleep?"

"W-What?"

"Did you not hear what I said?"

For the girl who was treated as a war machine, such caring behaviour that the cat maid showed was unacceptable, and it was as much unacceptable as undeserving.

But that was not the sole reason. Rein, who was hated by everyone, including her family since the time she killed her grandmother, had never experienced human warmth and was blamed for everything, thus causing her to see herself as people spoke of her.

And much to her shock, Rein, the girl who deemed herself a monster, felt tears flowing down her cheeks. Which should not have been possible, because Rein didn’t identify herself as a human who could shed genuine tears, much less for herself.

"There, there…"

Seeing this happening, Lora, who didn’t expect such a strong reaction from the cold-faced girl, could only wrap her arms around Rein awkwardly.

Hopefully this will settle.

Tears were something every person, whether human or not, understood as long as they had emotions and reacted to them. It was a stroke of luck that in this moment Lora was the one who understood this behaviour the most in this moment.

Now faced with the situation where someone cried caused the bits of her past to resurface to the surface of her mind. She had come to the Boreas family when she was very young, a stray catkin girl taken from a ruined village during a raid. She was not bought, nor rescued, only picked up as another servant who could be useful later.

Sometimes she still saw her mother's face in her dreams, smiling faintly before disappearing behind the fire. At that time, she too had cried endlessly until her throat hurt, but no one came to comfort her. No one told her it would be fine.

Her tears back then had only brought frowns from others. "A servant shouldn't cry," they said. "A servant should work."

Perhaps that was why Lora never liked seeing children cry. It reminded her too much of that small, frightened girl in the ashes.

"I cried a lot when I was little too."

The words left her mouth almost unconsciously, almost cold, but they were undeniably genuine. Faintly humming, the maid was surprised that she still remembered how it felt.

The newest servant was now hugged by Lora, who, despite being only a few years older, felt a strange maternal instinct overtake her.

"It will be all good, all good, all good…"

In the end, Rein was successfully put to sleep.

Within the room illuminated by old candles, Lora found herself smiling reassuringly.

.

.

.

With that, the memory came to an end.

Lora, one of the maids in the manor, taught her everything she knows. How to properly dust a shelf without leaving streaks. How to polish silver until it gleamed like morning light. How to fold linens with corners sharp enough to cut. How to move through the halls like a shadow, silent and unseen.

If there existed a Divine Protection of House Cleaning that would allow her to do all her duties perfectly, then Rein wouldn't want it anyway.

Every time that connection tries to be revived, she denies it with all her power.

The morning light crept through the narrow windows of the eastern corridor as Rein moved through her routine with practiced precision. A cloth in one hand, a bucket of water in the other, she worked her way down the hall, wiping, polishing, ensuring every surface gleamed.

The floors came first. She knelt, scrubbing the wooden planks until the faint traces of yesterday's footfalls vanished. The windows followed, each pane wiped clean until the garden beyond appeared crisp and clear. Then the banisters, the sconces, the frames of the paintings that lined the walls, faces of long-dead Greyrats staring down at her with painted eyes that seemed to follow her movements.

It was monotonous work. Repetitive. Mindless. And yet, there was a strange comfort in it.

She had learned to appreciate this, in her own way. The simplicity of it. The lack of true expectations.

This is what I am now, she reminded herself. Not a weapon. Not a knight. Just a maid.

Just Rein.

The sun had climbed higher by the time she finished the eastern wing.

She was making her way toward the kitchens to begin preparations for the midday meal when a familiar voice called out from behind her.

"Rein."

She turned.

Lora stood in the doorway of the servant's quarters, her arms crossed, her tail swaying lazily behind her. The cat maid looked as composed as ever.

"You're finished with the eastern wing already?" Lora asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Rein replied. "I was about to start on the kitchens."

Lora examined her with these narrowed golden eyes. Then, to Rein's surprise, she shook her head.

"Not today."

Rein blinked. "Not today?"

"You've been working since before dawn. I've seen you. You've done more than enough for one morning." Lora stepped forward, her hand resting on her hip. "I'll take care of the kitchens. You're done."

"But Lord Sauros—"

"Will have his meal prepared just as well by me and the others." Lora's tail flicked dismissively. "You're a child, Rein. You shouldn't be cooped up in this manor all day. It's not healthy."

Rein opened her mouth to protest, but Lora cut her off with a sharp look.

"Don't argue with me. I've been doing this longer than you've been alive, little one. I know when a servant needs rest." She paused, then added, almost reluctantly, "Besides, the linens need hanging. The weather is fine today. Go out to the courtyard, hang them properly, and breathe some fresh air. That's an order."

Rein hesitated.

But Lora's expression was firm. There was no room for argument.

"...Very well," Rein agreed. "I'll hang the linens."

"Good. Now shoo, shoo." Lora made a funny motion with her hands. "Before I change my mind and put you to work scrubbing the basement stairs."

Rein nodded, turning toward the courtyard.

It had been years since she had started working in the manor. Years since Lora had taken her under her wing and taught her the ways of this household. And yet, despite all that time, Lora still called her "child" and treated her like she was small, fragile, in need of protection.

Rein knew she wasn’t a child. Not truly. Not in any way that mattered. The memories of battles were proof enough that she had never truly been young.

And yet, hearing Lora speak to her that way, with that gruff, reluctant tenderness… was a lot.

Since the death of Grandmother, she had never had the opportunity to be a child.

Rein stepped into the courtyard, the warm sunlight washing over her face. The breeze carried the scent of blooming flowers and fresh grass.

She gathered the linens in her arms, a basket of freshly washed sheets balanced on her hip. And as she began to hang them, one by one, she let herself enjoy the simple act of being outside.

The change in her gender was also a surprise. It was an unexpected development but nothing she couldn't deal with. In the end, a monster was just a monster after all, regardless of whether she was a man or a woman.

However, because of her past as a slave in this world and her past as a weapon in another, Rein didn’t truly know how she was supposed to act, nor was she entirely convinced that she ought to act at all.

In the end, she settled upon imitation.

More specifically, she attempted to imitate the person she had heard a lot about.

Her grandmother.

After all, Grandmother had been a girl as well, and while Rein possessed very little confidence in her own ability to understand what that was supposed to mean, she could at least attempt to follow in the footsteps of someone who apparently had.

Grandmother loved flowers.

The garden of Boreas Manor was a wonderful place where Rein spent most of her free time, taking great care of it. Because of the lack of Divine Protection of Gardening, she had to learn everything from scratch, and many times it ended up with her dirty and Lora getting a bit mad at having to properly wash her.

Naturally, taking care of plants and flowers was a difficult task for someone who was only proficient in cooking and a blade. If only the first one was because of her Divine Protection.

However, that came with a great amount of guilt. Someone like her should have no right to imitate the great person that Grandmother was.

If Grandfather saw her now, he would undoubtedly curse her for the rest of his life and even after death, rolling in his grave at the mere thought of a monster like her trying to spit on the memory of his wife, especially since Rein was the spitting image of her, if only much younger.

A sound behind her. Footsteps.

Rein tensed, her hand tightening on the linen she was folding. She turned, ready to greet whoever had come only to find a brown-haired boy, Rudeus, standing at the edge of the courtyard, watching her with a curious expression.

Ah.

She remembered their first interaction clearly. The way he had flinched when she appeared, the way he had scrambled away from her like she was something to be feared. She had tried to help him stand up, offered her hand, but he had refused it.

Rein had felt guilty about it afterward. In hindsight, however, there had been little reason for him to shoulder the blame, for she had appeared too suddenly and moved far too quietly, arriving within arm's reach before he had even become aware of her presence. Given the circumstances, the result had been all but inevitable, and if anyone should have known better, it had been her.

Reinhard was used to startling people, and he was equally accustomed to the way they would flinch away from him in fear once they realized who stood before them.

He must greatly dislike me now.

I'm not surprised. In fact, I'm glad. As long as he stays away...

That was what she thought right now, and she tried to render their interactions to a bare minimum. Not only because of her strained relationship with Eris, but also because being around her only ended up in tragedy.

"Hello! You're the maid from before," Rudeus greeted, stepping closer. "Rein, right?"

"Yes, Sir Rudeus." She bowed politely.

"I was just walking around and saw you here." His gaze drifted across the garden surrounding them before settling on the flowers she had been tending. "They're quite beautiful. Did you plant them?"

Rein's expression remained impassive, her gaze cool and distant. "Yes."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

“Huh.” Rudeus blinked, looking around with renewed interest. "Wow. That's a lot of work. Zeni—I mean, my mom, she also loves gardening. Do you... love it a lot?"

Does it matter?

Rein considered the question. Did she love it? Or was it simply another task, another duty, another distraction from the emptiness within her?

"I find it calming," she said, her attention remaining on the flowerbed rather than on him. "The routine of it. Certainly, if they're cared for properly, they'll continue growing."

"O-Oh." Rudeus nodded awkwardly. "That's nice. I mean, it's good to have things like that."

"Indeed."

An awkward silence stretched between them.

"So," Rudeus ventured, "how are things going with you? I mean, working here and everything?"

"I work," Rein said simply. "I clean. I maintain the garden. I do as I am asked."

Rudeus shifted uncomfortably. "Right. Of course."

Although she wanted to be cold to him in order to refuse further interaction, she couldn't help but feel mad at herself for making him uncomfortable.

Then, as if grasping for something to say, she asked, "How are your studies with Lady Eris going?"

"Not good, but at least she's training with Ghislaine right now, so I have some time to breathe. About the library earlier… I don't think I really thanked you properly. For the broom thing. You did that on purpose, right? To stop Eris from punching me?"

He is thanking me again. But is he truly thankful, or is he still mad?

It was hard to say. Without the Divine Protection of Empathy, it was impossible for Rein to tell what the young boy was truly thinking, whether he had forgiven her or was merely being polite.

"I was worried you might have been scared because of her behavior today in the library, but I'm glad it's nothing like that."

She was secretly happy.

"Y, Yeah.” He almost stumbled. “H-Hey, if you want, you can join us from now on if you want to learn something too. I'm sure that after today I will finally be able to tutor Eris properly."

Huh, how can he be so sure? Lady Eris seems to hate the thought of studying with him. Does he have some plan in mind to ensure she will agree? Surely, he doesn’t believe it will be that easy.

Even then…

Rein looked at him, her impossible blue eyes steady and distant.

"I'm afraid I have to refuse…"

"What?" He looked confused, not understanding her cold attitude. But it's okay. It's better that way. "Why?"

A kind person like you, even if you agreed to tutor Lady Eris for money, you still didn't escape this place because of her difficult disposition. You didn't resign yet.

But still…

"You should stay away from me…"

After all.

"——I'm a monster."

.

.

.

.

.

Rein's eyes snapped open in the middle of the night.

Her enchanted hearing detected it immediately.

Footsteps echoing through the hallways, the exact location pinpointed in her mind.

It was most likely a man considering the heavy steps and breathing, even though the intruder wanted to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

However, it was impossible to hide from Rein, who had superior senses.

After opening the door of her room soundlessly, she followed the intruder. It was painful not being able to see in the dark anymore, but that wasn't enough of an obstacle to stop her.

The intruder used a small lamp, barely allowing him to see anything. One might have thought he would use no light at all, considering his suspicious behavior. However, Rein understood that making noise because of tripping over something was more likely to wake the manor's residents than a small, contained light.

“…..”

The person revealed was Thomas.

The butler of the Boreas family she was a servant of.

It was a surprise, but not something truly unexpected.

That was also the reason Rein had told Rudeus there were dangers in the mansion. Partly because a monster like her lived here, but the other part was that you could never truly trust anyone, even the long-time residents.

Just like some of the maids didn't trust her.

Even now, Lora was the only one Rein trusted enough to not be a spy, because she knew the older woman's history. Once upon a time, when Rein had pretended to be asleep, Lora had started telling her a story from her childhood, thinking the young maid was sleeping while in truth it was nothing like that. Rein didn't want Lora to feel bad, that's why she adjusted her breathing and muscles to make the kind cat-woman think she was asleep.

Either way, what stood before her was proof that her suspicions were correct.

Something was wrong.

Lord Sauros had initially taken Rein mostly because of her appearance. He used her whenever he had important meetings he didn't want his granddaughter Eris to be present at, because as the lord of this territory he had many enemies. Some kind of illusion magic was used in order to make Rein's blue eyes shift to red, and her hair was braided to look like that of Eris, not counting the slight changes in her appearance.

Anyone that saw her at those meetings thought it was really Eris Boreas Greyrat and not some pretender.

That's why Rein was called a spare by Eris, who was angry that her grandfather, Lord Sauros, refused to take her to some events and took Rein instead. It wasn't because of jealousy of the events themselves, Rein knew that Eris hated luxurious parties, but the reason was simply jealousy of Rein's possible bond with her grandfather.

Of course, it wasn't like that.

But it still didn't change the fact that Eris disliked her for that reason alone, as other maids were treated equally indifferent.

Now, after recalling these things, Rein came to the realization that this was one of those moments where she had to save Eris from her doom, judging by the fact that Thomas exuded a malicious presence.

And so, Rein made her decision.

She would allow herself to be kidnapped and take Eris’s place.

However, it wasn't out of carelessness.

This was an opportunity. A chance to uncover the full scope of the conspiracy against her lord. By allowing herself to be taken, she could learn who Thomas was working with, what their true intentions were, and how deep the rot ran within the manor's walls.

Rein was a monster in the shadows, ready to strike other monsters when the moment was right.

Using her unnatural speed, she moved silently through the corridors. She had slipped out of her own room and positioned herself in the shadows outside Eris's chambers. Fortunately, getting here before Thomas was easy enough.

When the intruder arrived, she stepped into his path just as he reached for the door.

The man froze, his lamp flickering as his hand tightened around the handle.

Rein presented herself as if she had just woken and wandered out in a daze. Her red hair, so similar to Eris's in the dim light, was loose and unkempt. Her blue eyes, though unmistakable, were hidden by the shadows and the angle of her face.

"Lady Eris...?" Thomas whispered, his voice uncertain.

Rein didn’t correct him. She simply let him grab her, let him stuff a cloth over her mouth, let him bind her hands behind her back.

He took her, believing her to be Eris.

Rein let him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Abducted

Rein opened her eyes to darkness.

The wooden box she was contained in was small, cramped, and for some reason, it resembled a coffin far too closely for comfort. Her hands were bound behind her back, but the ropes were loose, whoever had taken her had been careless, or perhaps they had simply underestimated the strength of a girl.

Um, well, Rein’s strength.

She sat up slowly, her head brushing against the wooden lid. With a simple push, the lid creaked open, and she climbed out.

The room was dimly lit by a single flickering lamp. It was a storage room of some kind, filled with nothing but debris, broken furniture, and the remains of what might have once been prisoners, judging by the scraps of cloth, old bones, and rusted chains. The walls were damp and cold, and the air carried the scent of mold and neglect.

Rein examined the room, looking for potential exits, weapons, and threats. Then her gaze fell upon another wooden box, not far from her own.

Oh no, did they kidnap someone else while I allowed myself to be caught?

Her chest tightened. She had deliberately allowed herself to be taken, believing she would be alone. If someone else had been caught because of her miscalculation then…

Rein approached the box, reached out, grabbed the door, and tore it off its hinges with a single movement.

The wood screeched in protest as she casually ripped the door away, the remaining hinges snapping like twigs. She placed the door aside as though it weighed nothing.

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

Inside was a brown-haired boy, his eyes wide with shock. He had clearly been pretending to be unconscious or perhaps he had just been waiting for the right moment. But now, with the sudden appearance of a familiar face, his composure shattered.

"Wha… What are you doing here?!" he demanded, looking at her awkwardly from his lying position in the coffin-like box.

“I….” Rein blinked, momentarily at a loss. "…excuse me, what?"

It was a shock for her too. She had planned to catch the perpetrators on her own, only to find a familiar boy sharing her cell. "Sir Rudeus?"

“Gah,” The boy in question sat up, clutching his head in frustration.

"Ah, I can't believe these idiots," he sighed in exasperation. "They seriously made a mistake like this? Now it's impossible to make Eris lose her tsun tsun… ah, please ignore what I just said.”

Tsun tsun? Rein tilted her head. Whatever that meant, it didn't seem relevant to the situation. But the implication of his words, combined with the fact that he was here at all, sent a cold spike of suspicion through her chest.

A frown settled upon her face.

The Divine Protections that had once allowed her to instantly grasp the emotions of those around her were gone, forcing her to rely upon methods that most people considered ordinary. Facial expressions. Body language. Tone of voice. The countless little details she had previously never needed to pay attention to. Unfortunately, those methods possessed one critical flaw. They could be deceived. As a result, she found herself unable to determine whether the boy standing before her remained an ally or had already become something else.

"Are you an accomplice?" She asked hesitantly, secretly hoping that wasn’t the case.

"Huh, wait what?"

Even though the question was asked without inflection, Rudeus must have sensed the dangerous implication behind it. His eyes widening as panic spread across his face before his hands began waving frantically in front of him.

Unfortunately, that only made Rein more suspicious.

After all, people who had nothing to hide generally didn’t react as though they had just been accused of treason.

The possibility that she had misunderstood the situation certainly existed, but so did the possibility that the boy standing before her had somehow been involved with her kidnapping, and given the events of the past several hours, she found herself considerably less willing than usual to give strangers the benefit of the doubt.

In fact, she was only a few seconds away from rendering him unconscious and sorting the matter out with Lord Sauros afterward.

"Please, please, let me explain!" Rudeus held up his hands in defense.

"Alright then…"

Rudeus launched into a rapid-fire explanation, his words tumbling out in a nervous rush. He told her about the plan of the fake kidnapping orchestrated by him and Philip to teach Eris a lesson about the importance of learning magic.

Apparently, Thomas had been part of the setup.

Rein had been mistaken for Eris and taken instead, derailing everything.

The girl listened quietly, processing the information.

So that's what happened.

She felt a pang of guilt settle in her chest. Her instincts had not only wrongly identified Thomas as an enemy, but they had also led her to suspect the boy in front of her of being a threat to the manor. She had been so certain, so ready to act, and yet she had been proven wrong.

"I'm sorry," she said, genuinely apologetic.

Rudeus was caught off guard by the sudden shift in her demeanor. "Why are you apologizing? It's our fault you were abducted instead of Eris. That aside, I should have told you about the plan instead of playing mysterious…"

"Even then…"

"Well, be that as it may. What happened happened, and there is no way to rewind time sooo…"

"Lord Philip will probably be mad. You should be careful next time."

Rudeus's face fell. "A-Ah, well. It's not like it can get worse from this point."

No, it can probably get worse than that, Rein thought, but she kept the words to herself.

"Why… why did you suspect me so quickly though?" Rudeus asked, his brow furrowed. "Was my explanation so unbelievable? You looked really surprised when I mentioned Philip agreed to this."

Rein met his gaze. "If Lord Sauros finds out about this plan, surely he will hang both of you regardless of your explanation."

Rudeus paled, the color draining from his face so quickly that Rein briefly wondered whether he might collapse on the spot.

"S-Seriously…?"

Rein nodded solemnly.

"However, I do not believe that would be just. If such a situation arises, I will stand beside you and explain everything that happened. Therefore, there is no need to be afraid."

The look of utter thankfulness that appeared on Rudeus's face made it clear that her words had been appreciated far more than she had anticipated.

A kind person like him shouldn't have to suffer because of my mistakes.

That was the conclusion she arrived at.

"Thank you, Rein," Rudeus said, his voice sincere. "Really."

Rein inclined her head, not quite meeting his eyes. "It's the least I can do."

After all, a monster like me owes it to the innocent to protect them.

Even if I don’t deserve the same kindness in return.

"Would you like me to free you from those?" Offering kindly, she gestured to the rope holding Rudeus's hands and preventing them from moving. "It must be uncomfortable."

"Fufufu, as if that would stop me!" He declared with a chuckle before the rope caught on fire and was incinerated. In other words, Rudeus ignited the ropes with magic, reducing them to ash within moments before proudly presenting his now liberated hands. It was an impressive use of magic. "Ta da!"

"Woah, that's impressive."

Pleasantly surprised, Rein clapped twice.

"Heh heh, you think so? That's just the surface of my true abilities."

"It's not every day that a boy your age is capable of mana control this precise."

“I’m not that far off from a King rank in water magic!”

“I see. As expected of Lady Eris’s tutor.”

“Hmm! Hmm!”

Without a trace of shame, Rudeus began praising his own accomplishments, seemingly more than willing to elaborate upon the full extent of his talents if given the opportunity. Rein, however, found nothing unusual about it. The various ranks used to measure a magician's ability had never held much significance to her, largely because she had never needed them in the first place.

After all, rankings existed to compare people.

To determine who stood above whom.

To establish the distance separating one individual from another.

Rein had rarely found herself in a position where such distinctions mattered.

There had been a time when Reinhard stood before the Emperor of Vollachia himself, surrounded by soldiers whose reputations alone were enough to make entire kingdoms wary, yet not once had he found himself wondering where any of them stood within some hierarchy of strength. Such questions had simply never seemed relevant. Whether someone occupied the bottom of a ranking or its summit, the way he interacted with them remained largely unchanged.

Perhaps that was inevitable.

After all, among those unfortunate enough to have crossed blades with him, there existed one point upon which no disagreement could be found.

Reinhard van Astrea was the most dangerous monster in the world.

As a result, hearing that Rudeus was slowly approaching King Rank carried little meaning beyond the simple conclusion that he was remarkably talented for his age, and if he wished to take pride in that achievement, she saw no reason to think less of him for it.

"Then perhaps you will reach King Rank sooner than expected," Rein said, offering what she believed to be encouragement.

"Hehe, maybe even Emperor Rank someday!"

The declaration was accompanied by enough confidence to suggest he had already begun imagining it.

Rein found herself hoping he was right.

Talent was valuable, strength even more so, and the world, even if it was not her own, possessed no shortage of monsters that required both.

And one day, should he continue growing, the boy standing before her might become the sort of hero capable of defeating them.

If possible, it was for the best to encourage this type of behavior.

Once he became strong enough, perhaps he would be capable of delivering the final blow.

To die by a hero's hand.

That was the sincere wish Rein carried as she observed the flickers of potential within him.

Fortunately, Rudeus had absolutely no idea what sort of thoughts were currently passing through her head.

Had he known, he would likely have been considerably less pleased by the praise she was offering him.

Though they were technically the same age, Rein had somehow positioned herself as the responsible party in the conversation, speaking with the quiet certainty of someone attempting to comfort a distressed child rather than a peer. Under normal circumstances, Rudeus might have noticed how strange that was. Unfortunately, the genuine kindness behind her words occupied considerably more of his attention than the implication lurking behind them, and so the realization never came.

"Haha," Rudeus scratched the back of his head with a surprisingly goofy grin. "I can teach you too if you want. That time at the library, I didn't mean learning mostly about boring stuff like arithmetic and geography. Philip and Sauros actually wanted me to teach Eris magic, but I was thinking that other things might catch her attention."

"It seems it didn't work out as expected."

The confidence immediately leaked out of him.

"No…" Oh, she brought his mood down again, didn't she? "But at least I knew by that point that the only way to reach her is through some pretty extreme methods like this one… I hope you don't mind… please don't tell Sauros! He'll skin me alive!"

"Ha…”

A chuckle escaped her, and then…

“Hahahahaha!"

Rudeus was surprised, and he wasn't the only one. Rein, the same girl who hadn't smiled until now, was genuinely laughing at how he acted just now.

It made his cheeks feel a bit warm.

Damn old man, what do I get so worked up for?!

Maybe he shouldn't be that surprised. Rein was, in the end, a very beautiful girl, if crazy young. Even he started to feel a bit like a creep because of his own blush. But he couldn't help the shaky grin that formed on his face. It's not every day you make a cute aloof girl laugh, you know!

The last time I remember a girl smiling at me at all was in high school! And that was just out of politeness! That's what he thought.

Although he was an old bastard on the inside, he had never received much praise for his achievements in his previous life. Mostly because he barely had any, but still...

Having someone acknowledge your efforts and boost your confidence, particularly when they weren't family, was a special kind of reward.

In the meantime, Rein, who only now stopped laughing, took a step back in shock.

That's because…

For someone like her to feel joy? That was simply unacceptable.

The very thought was wrong.

Almost instantly her expression returned to its usual doll-like default, causing Rudeus to blink in confusion as concern gradually appeared on his face, uncertain whether he had somehow managed to make another mistake.

“Grrr!”

Then the door swung open with a crack that surprised them both, Rein included, as she had been too occupied in her own mind.

"The hell is this noise, you brats?!"

A bald man with a beard appeared, wearing an angry expression.

"That's what I should be asking you, dumbass!" Rudeus yelled back, walking toward him and pointing at the man, while Rein remained in the back, confused and unsure of what to do with herself. According to Rudeus, all of this was staged, yet the man gave off the same malicious feeling as Thomas. "It's not Eris! They only look similar, Eris is back in her—"

"Stupid piece of shit!" Rudeus was punched in the face by the furious man, falling to the ground and then being kicked repeatedly. "How dare you?!"

"——That's enough."

Before the man could swing his arm again, Rein was there, stopping his shaking hand with her iron grip, having crossed the distance within a second.

"Tch!" Under her gaze, the man seemed to reconnect to reality and backed away, hiding his fear as he felt his bone slowly crack under pressure. "Hands off, you bitch!"

"….."

Rein let him leave, but only because she still didn’t know who was behind the kidnapping and wanted to find out in order to inform Lord Sauros.

However, after he left she saw that Rudeus was missing a tooth from the force of the punch. His entire cheek was swollen, and she noticed an ugly purple mark growing beneath his eye, a reaction to the sudden assault.

Guilt filled her at making such a selfish decision, letting the man go for the sake of a tactical consideration. Rein was accustomed to making decisions like this because of her service to the greater good of the kingdom, so she naturally applied the same logic to her service to Lord Sauros.

But now… hesitation coiled around her mind like a serpent.

"Please, please say something!" It must have been traumatizing for a boy his age to experience such merciless behavior. Just how heartless of a monster was she to ignore that?

Rein shook her head and offered her help by taking him into her arms and inspecting his face.

"F-Fine… Fine…"

Once again, Rein was cruelly reminded of the fact that she couldn’t use magic to cast spells. That was also one of the reasons she had refused Rudeus's offer to teach her.

If she were in her maid uniform, it would have been possible to use a handkerchief to clear his face of blood, but even that was impossible now.

Instead, Rein used the sleeve of her pajamas.

While being held in her arms, Rudeus's hands began to shine with a soothing green light as Rein gently helped him raise them close to his face.

"L-Let this divine power be rich and nourishing… offering those whose strength has been lost the strength to rise again… Healing."

"Healing magic?"

It was certainly not on the level of her cat-eared friend, who could return people from the brink of death, but it was enough to heal basic injuries.

After chanting the spell, Rudeus's face returned to normal. He breathed heavily, his eyes shrinking and dilating at what had just happened.

"I'm fine." He calmed down. "Haa… haa… I'm fine."

Rein looked down in shame.

“I’m sorry, if I reacted sooner none of this would have happened.”

“It’s good… I mean, again its my fault I told you these were good guys…”

“You… you are not shocked?”

Rein found herself surprised by his reaction. If Rudeus had genuinely expected the bald man to be an ally, then recovering so quickly after learning he had been deceived was remarkably impressive.

He must have had rough childhood.

“Eto, I’m pretty shocked myself, but being shocked won’t help me here… I guess…”

“Oh, so that’s the case.”

“Yup, I’m healed now so we should get out of here. If someone was a bad guy, uh, a traitor then Eris might still be in danger.”

“Ah, that probably won’t happen with Ghislaine by her side.”

“I forgot she is super strong. Apparently she was in a party with my father.”

With that matter settled, Rein arrived at a simple conclusion. The current situation existed because of her mistake, and while dwelling upon that fact would accomplish little, correcting it remained her responsibility. The first step was ensuring Rudeus's safety. The second was obtaining answers. Only afterward would she allow herself to concern herself with the guilt still lingering within her chest.

Rein jumped toward the window.

The movement was so sudden that Rudeus yelped in surprise as she landed beside the iron bars covering the opening.

She could have kicked it, but that would have made noise and attracted the angry man. Her first priority should be ensuring Rudeus's safety and only then obtaining the information she needed was acceptable.

Wrapping her hand around one of the bars, she pulled.

Metal groaned.

Stone cracked.

The entire section came loose from the frame.

“What the…?”

Cocking her head, she saw Rudeus gawk at her dumbfounded.

“…Battle aura?”

“Battle aura?” Rein repeated, unfamiliar with the term.

“That’s what I am asking! Is this some strengthening technique using mana? I don’t think it’s normal to break iron bars with bare hands.”

“Oh, this is just my strength.”

Unfortunately, judging from Rudeus's expression, he disagreed.

“Please don’t worry about it.”

“How am I supposed not to worry when seeing that…?” Rudeus muttered under his breath before shaking his head. Whatever questions he had could wait. There were currently more pressing matters demanding his attention.

Rein was glad he understood her reasoning. Reaching a mutual understanding without unnecessary confusion was always preferable.

“Are we leaving?”

"I will help you leave this place and escort you somewhere safe."

The answer came without hesitation.

"Afterward, I will return."

"…Return?"

Rein nodded.

"There are still enemies here. As such, they must be defeated."

The statement was delivered with such matter of fact certainty that one might have mistaken it for a comment about tomorrow's weather rather than a declaration of intent to engage multiple criminals alone.

"No way I'm leaving you here." He proclaimed, pointing out the flaws in her plan. "You don't even have a weapon. You broke those bars with your bare hands, sure, but what happens when they come at you with swords and spears? What if there are mages? What if they have archers posted somewhere? You'd be walking into a death trap. And even if you are strong, numbers matter, one person can only focus on so many enemies at once. Plus, you don't even know the full layout of this place. They could be hiding anywhere, waiting to ambush you the moment you step inside."

In this moment, Rein considered knocking Rudeus out to keep him out of danger, but decided against it and looked at the distant moon in barely suppressed frustration. It was such a difficult decision without her blessings keeping her head cool and always unhesitating.

But what was done was done.

Rein didn't want to return to that life anymore.

"Then what do you want me to do…?" She muttered, unable to decide between two bad decisions.

"Isn't that obvious?" Apparently it was heard by Rudeus, who smirked confidently as a small fireball and water ball appeared at the top of each palm. "I'm going with you to kick their ass!"

Then he looked away. That sounded like a total thing a shonen protagonist would say, so he was embarrassed as hell! But still, there was no possibility in which he was going to let this hidden plotline burn! If he failed his plan to win over Eris, then it wasn't like he had anything to lose. While he was aware there were probably many men in this building, his ego, which had been boosted by Rein a few moments ago, was powered up enough for him to feel like a big fish!

In the end, Rein agreed but under the promise that Rudeus would be careful, to which he made a face like he ate a lemon because a girl probably thought him weak.

He was quite powerful, you know. A reincarnated person in a fantasy world was sure to be overpowered.

"Alright, you are strong, huh? So… the plan is to…"

Rein listened to the words and felt again like she was with the knights discussing potential strategies on how to approach the enemy, which made her feel some amount of pain over remembering the times after a successful mission when she spent time with Felix and Julius drinking beer, though she couldn't get drunk.

It seemed that this time as well she would be the one who went head on into danger.

The plan was enacted.

Rein kicked the door open, sending it flying off its hinges. The massive slab of wood spun through the air like a discus before slamming into two guards on the other side. They were knocked out instantly, crumpling to the ground like rag dolls before they even knew what had hit them.

"What the—?!" Another kidnapper shouted, reaching for his sword.

Rein was already moving. She closed the distance in a heartbeat, grabbing his wrist and twisting. The sword clattered to the floor. A swift palm strike to his chest sent the man flying backward into a table, which splintered under the impact.

Behind her, Rudeus was not idle.

"How dare you touch a potential waifu, bastard!?"

A fireball erupted from his palm, soaring past Rein and striking a man who had been sneaking up from the side with a dagger raised. The impact sent him stumbling back, his clothes singed, giving Rudeus enough time to follow up with a water spell that knocked him off his feet entirely.

Rein dispatched two more guards with quick, efficient blows, a kick to one's solar plexus, an elbow strike to another's jaw. Their bodies hit the ground in rapid succession.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Rudeus duck under a wild swing, then conjure a stone from the earth beneath his feet, launching it directly into his attacker's face. The man staggered, and Rudeus finished him off with a blast of wind that sent him tumbling down the hallway.

Waifu? The word echoed in Rein's mind as she ducked under a spear thrust and casually swept her opponent's legs out from under him. She had heard many terms in her time, but that one was unfamiliar.

Perhaps it was some strange incantation in this land?

Maybe a battle cry?

Again, something she didn’t know.

More enemies poured into the hallway, but Rein met them head on.

Rudeus, meanwhile, proved surprisingly capable. He wove spells together with practiced ease, creating diversions and follow-up attacks that kept the enemies off balance. A gust of wind would knock a man's sword aside just as Rein closed in. A small ice patch would form beneath another's feet as he tried to charge.

The hallway filled with groaning bodies and the sounds of combat. Soon, only Rein and Rudeus remained standing.

".....!"

However, at that exact moment, six blades shot toward them at impossible speed. And in that same instant, Rein counted all of them and prepared to jump out of the way.

That would have happened if Rudeus had not been next to her. The blades would surely pierce him and make him bleed out before he could cast a spell.

For Rein, who couldn't cast magic, this outcome was the worst possible nightmare.

In that single breath, Rein reached out her hand and grabbed the first blade midair. She caught it without flinching, and in the same instant she swung it many times, too quickly for even a trained eye to see, deflecting the next three blades in a blur of motion. Sparks flew as metal collided with metal, each parry a perfect, contemptuous dismissal of death.

Then, with a flick of her wrist, she hurled the blade in her right hand toward the last one. It caught the sixth blade in midflight, then she sent the blade in her left hand, which struck the suspended weapon and altered its trajectory completely. The redirected weapon spun through the air like a living thing and buried itself deep into the shoulder of the assassin who was still crouched in the shadows above. The man let out a strangled cry before tumbling from his perch and crashing to the ground, unmoving.

“……”

Silence followed. What had been alive with chaos, was now still.

Rudeus stared blankly, slowly turning to look at the blades embedded in the walls, the fallen assassin, and Rein standing next to him. Her hand was lowered now, her expression remained as calm as still water.

He noted that she suffered no injuries whatsoever, not even a trail of blood from her fingers from what had just occurred.

Yeah. Nothing happened to him either. But what the hell was that?!

He had seen some incredible things since being reincarnated into this world. Magic, swordplay, but this was something else entirely. Rein had caught a blade mid-air with her bare hand. A blade. Thrown by an assassin. And then she had deflected three more like she was swatting flies before throwing the ones in her hands so perfectly that it redirected the last into the assassin himself. All in the span of seconds.

No chanting. No magic. Just sheer, impossible physical ability.

And she had done it all because he was standing next to her. Because if she had dodged, he would have died.

Cold sweat ran down his back.

Who the hell was this girl? What kind of life had she lived to make something like that look so effortless? She had said she was a maid—a maid! Was this what maids in this world were like? Because if so, he needed to reevaluate everything he thought he knew.

Rudeus felt his legs grow heavy. The adrenaline that had carried him through the fight was fading, and exhaustion was crashing down on him like a wave.

"Hey, Rein… I'm a bit tired…"

"Let's go home."

"Yes——"

His legs gave out. The world tilted, and before he could even process what was happening, darkness claimed him.

The last thing he registered was Rein's arms catching him before he hit the ground.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: The Next Lesson

In this fantasy world, unexpected people are likely to be overpowered.

That's what Rudeus Greyrat thought the moment he woke up from his slumber.

Still, I can't believe it. If it hadn't happened before my eyes, I’d have thought someone was bluffing if they told me a maid was capable of something like that. Maybe Rein is like Sakuya Izayoi, then? Seemingly normal on the outside, only to surprise you by having some absurdly overpowered ability hiding beneath the surface.

Currently, that's what was going through his head. He would like to identify the room he was in to get a grasp on things, however, there was an annoying sensation in his eyes, dry and scratchy from dehydration and the general grogginess that came with waking up after passing out.

"Ah, you are awake."

The person who said it possessed a gentle voice that made Rudeus think he might still be sleeping, only to realize that the very person he was incredibly curious about was seated right before his bed. He heard her stand up.

"Please drink. You must be thirsty."

The girl, Rein, was still in her pajamas, which were stained with blood, and offered him a glass of water with a worried expression on her face.

No way... Did she seriously wait for me to wake up all this time?

I mean, I knew she felt guilty about what happened earlier, but this was beyond what I expected. Most people would have just left me to sleep it off and checked on me in the morning.

Wait. Hold on. She's in her pajamas. Blood-stained pajamas. From the fight.

And I'm in bed.

With a cute girl waiting for me to wake up.

This is... this is way too familiar. Isn't this exactly the kind of scenario that happens in visual novels before the romantic route starts? The childhood friend or mysterious girl who nurses you back to health, and then you wake up to find her watching over you with that soft, caring expression—

"Why... why are you here?" he asked, doing his best to keep the excitement from creeping into his voice.

"I wished to confirm that you were unharmed. When you fainted, I was concerned for your well-being. I understand that such exhaustion is not unusual after a battle, but I still felt it necessary to see how you were doing."

Uwah. Even if her way of speaking is a bit weird, being pampered by a cute girl is the best after all!

"Is that so?!" He shouted in disbelief, which caused her to look at him with even more concern. He should really stop acting so surprised, but he couldn't help it! This was literally the fantasy he had dreamed about for years!

This is the isekai dream I was promised! The mysterious, beautiful, and incredibly strong maid who looks after me while I recover from my injuries? I could get used to this. No, I definitely could get used to this. If this is what being reincarnated gets me, then maybe I should be thanking whatever god decided to send me here.

He nodded smugly, bringing a hand to his chin as though contemplating a profound truth.

I mean, sure, my life before wasn't great. But if it meant I could eventually be in situations like this? Worth it.

“Sir Rudeus?”

Wait, what if I’m actually quite a playboy in this life? I have a cute childhood friend in Sylphie, a beautiful girl looking after me, and the potential for even more encounters down the line. My charm must be off the charts!

"Heh, heh." Rudeus thought with a lewd grin that shouldn't have been present on a kid his age. He quickly wiped it away when he remembered Rein was still watching him with her concerned eyes.

Right. Focus. There are more important things than indulging my fantasies. Like what happened in the aftermath.

"Rein…" She was confused when his voice became serious. "Please tell me everything that happened after I passed out…"

"Very well, then…"

With that, the young girl told him about how after he passed out, she ran back to the mansion with him, saying that it appeared they were transported to a different town during the kidnapping, which surprised him because that meant she had run all the way on her feet with him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. After meeting with Philip and Ghislaine, she returned to the place of kidnapping with Ghislaine, and they took all of the kidnappers to be locked in the dungeons for interrogation. Not long after that, Thomas was caught by Ghislaine with her extended senses and speed that allowed her to pinpoint his location.

Luckily, everything went smoothly.

"Hmm, I see now."

At least that threat was gone, but still…

"If there is a way for me to help correct my mistake, don’t hesitate."

Huh? What’s going on?

"What are you talking about?"

Rein met his eyes with a rueful expression.

"Your plan failed because of my actions. Had I not interfered, Lady Eris might have learned something important. I bear responsibility for the outcome. If there is something I can do to compensate you, please tell me."

Rein bowed, brought her hand to her heart, and stayed like that with her head low.

She really had no idea how dangerous those words were, did she?

But that aside, the situation had become considerably more complicated.

His original plan to convince Eris to take magic seriously had effectively fallen apart the moment Rein became involved, and while the outcome had certainly been memorable, memorable and successful were not necessarily the same thing. Philip would not be pleased by this. In fact, there was a very real possibility that the man would conclude Rudeus had failed the task he had been brought here to accomplish and decide to remove him from the manor entirely.

The realization forced him to confront an uncomfortable truth.

At this rate, earning money through tutoring would become impossible.

Other noble households would hardly be lining up to hire a child whose greatest accomplishment involved accidentally sabotaging his own lesson, while becoming a merchant at his age remained firmly within the realm of fantasy. The only reason he had received this opportunity in the first place was because of his Paul’s connections, and opportunities born from connections possessed an unfortunate tendency to disappear once those connections stopped being useful.

Then an idea appeared.

A very good idea.

A smile slowly spread across his face.

“You said you would do anything I ask, right?”

If Rein found his sudden change in mood strange, she gave no indication of it. On the contrary, Rudeus had the distinct impression that she was relieved he had finally decided to ask for something.

"If it is within my ability, I would be glad to help."

Perfect!

“Then…”

Before Rudeus could explain his undoubtedly brilliant idea, a booming voice from beyond the room interrupted him with all the subtlety of a battering ram.

"——I hear the words of a womanizer echoing through my mansion! You won't hide from me, Paul's son!"

“Huh?!”

The door burst open with enough force to suggest it had personally taken offense to being closed, revealing an older man sporting an aristocratic moustache and clothing befitting his status as a noble. His hair, combed neatly backward, was considerably darker than Rudeus's own, though streaks of white had already begun claiming territory among it. Despite that, the man possessed enough energy to make most people half his age seem lethargic by comparison.

So this guy is Sauros.

The two had never met before due to Sauros spending much of his time managing the territories under his authority, but now that he stood before him in person, Rudeus was unable to determine whether the man was genuinely angry or whether shouting at people was simply his preferred method of communication.

Still…

"W-Womanizer!? Isn't that a little excessive?!"

"Are you implying that I didn’t just hear you attempting to make Rein obey your every command, boy?!" He jabbed a finger toward the girl in question who looked completely lost, possessing all the awareness of someone who was in the middle of a conversation being conducted in a foreign language.

Nervously, Rudeus attempted to retreat before remembering that he was still sitting in bed.

There was nowhere to go.

He looks like he is going to hit me with that cane!

“I…..”

"Do you take me for a deaf old man?!"

“No, no! Please forget everything I said! Accept my apologises!”

"Hmph! I shall overlook it this once! Now then..." Sauros turned to Rein, who responded by assuming a kneeling posture befitting a knight receiving orders from her lord rather than that of a maid. Upon noticing the dirt covering her clothing and the absence of her usual uniform, the old noble frowned. "It is unlike you to present yourself in such a state, Rein! You may be my asset, but an asset remains valuable only if it is properly maintained! Present yourself before me again once you have settled your affairs!"

"I apologize for this unsightly display. I will change immediately."

With that, Rein departed in a hurry, presumably heading for a bath and a much needed change of clothes.

The moment she disappeared, Rudeus found himself alone with Sauros.

A deeply unfortunate development.

“Hmm…” The old noble stroked his moustache thoughtfully. "Rein informed me that your little scheme was intended to expose my enemies. However, that was a lie, was it not?"

“"I….." There was little point in lying now. Still, it was nice to know Rein had attempted to cover for him. Goodbye, my life! "Y-Yes... My original plan was something else, though I’d prefer not to discuss it!"

Please don't ask.

Please don't ask.

Please don't ask.

"Regardless, those bastards would have moved against Eris eventually! For that reason, I shall reward you by turning a blind eye! In fact, I have already beaten some sense into my fool of a son!"

He did what? I guess that's where Eris got her temper from, eh?

A bead of sweat rolled down Rudeus's forehead as he silently prayed that a similar educational experience was not about to be extended to him.

"To think Rein would ignore her duties!"

"Are… are you mad?"

"Curious! Rein always takes her duties seriously. For her to put them aside to watch over you, I can't help but be surprised."

Rudeus felt a pang of guilt. He was the reason Rein now had a stain on her reputation in the eyes of the lord. This is what it must feel like to throw a coworker under a bus.

"I… Rein didn't really ignore her duties. She let herself be taken along with me so that she could meet your expectations…" He muttered. "I think that was her intention…"

"What's that!?" Sauros bonked his head with his cane, to which Rudeus yelped and massaged his red forehead. "You dim-witted brat! This might be a lesson for you to think of others before you think of yourself, boy!"

Ah, so he really heard it? Wait… did he turn it into a lesson for me?

Surprisingly, Rudeus was wrong to think that Sauros was similar to Eris. Although their acting and behavior were undoubtedly comparable—the grandfather was clearly a role model for her, but their mindsets were vastly different. Of course it should have been obvious, because Sauros was a wise lord while Eris was just a brat who acted like a spoiled and angry ojou-sama.

"I get it…"

“Hopefully!”

Standing imposingly, Sauros huffed at the expression on Rudeus's face. When looking at the individual aspects of the boy before him, the older man could clearly see that the boy was intelligent and had a good sense of direction. Still, his acting was influenced by that rabbit of a man called Paul Greyrat, who probably lowered his intelligence to that of a cocky brat.

"Overconfidence is not good if you can't back it up! If you don't work for it, I'm going to throw you out eventually! Whether others agree with it or not, that doesn't matter to me! Earn your keep! My granddaughter still needs to learn magic! Swordsmanship is not enough in this dangerous world! Protecting Eris in the future is impossible for an old man like me!"

That was the wish of an old man like Sauros Boreas Greyrat, who wanted the best for his only granddaughter. Even if his influence wasn't that of a perfect grandparent, he still worked with what he had to ensure she grew into a capable individual by having Ghislaine train her in the art of the sword.

"But to do that…"

"Oh?" Sauros became interested when a glint of something intriguing appeared in Rudeus's eyes.

"I need Rein's help…"

"It appears you have realized how strong that girl is."

Until now, there were only two people who knew of Rein's capabilities. Ghislaine and Sauros himself. Not even Philip was aware of it, because Sauros didn't trust him enough with that information not to use Rein incorrectly. His son knew that Rein was special, but to what extent remained outside of his scope.

And now Rudeus was one of the people who knew of this secret.

"Yeah, I saw her take out adult men effortlessly. Lord Sauros, I ask for your permission to trick Eris a bit. If I fail, then please feel free to throw me out without any bad feelings." With firm resolve, Rudeus declared his offer to Sauros, who made a malicious grin.

"You have the nerve to speak to me like that and expect agreement!" The lord narrowed his eyes dangerously at Rudeus, who thought how much he must have messed up in this moment.

So this is where I fail? I guess I overestimated myself….

"That's why I agree!"

"…I'm packing my things then—Huh!?"

"A man needs to have a backbone! Unlike my failure of a son!"

This concluded today's lesson for Rudeus.

Apparently, when being raised by an old man like Sauros, you either ended up as a fox like Philip, who was constantly trying to appease him, or a rabid dog like Eris, who inherited his worst qualities.

.

.

.

While thinking that he hadn't even introduced himself properly to Sauros, Rudeus noticed Ghislaine around the corner of the room, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Ghislaine…? Did something happen?"

"I would like to talk with you. Do you have a moment?"

"No, actually I'm glad to see you. There is something I wanted to discuss with you too."

"Is this about Miss Eris?" While they were outside of the training grounds, Ghislaine had a rule to refer to Eris like that instead of simply stating her name.

"That too, but I wanted to ask about Rein. The maid, do you know her?"

Rudeus didn't know the relationship between the beast woman and the young maid. Initially he assumed they were simply people working in the same manor and nothing beyond that, but after seeing Rein's skills he was no longer so sure.

"You think I was the one who trained her."

"Weren't you?" Rudeus was surprised if that wasn't the case.

He thought he connected dots correctly, but it appears that wasn’t the case.

Ghislaine shook her head, denying any connection to Rein's abilities. "What happened recently, according to her story… I'm concerned."

"What? Why?"

"I will tell you, but first tell me your side of things. What was the fighting style she used?"

Indeed, what was it? That was the question. Rein didn't really use any sword school whatsoever. At first Rudeus thought she relied simply on brute strength because of her breaking the cell and destroying the wooden door like nothing, but then Rein managed to deflect lethal strikes that could easily kill him without any effort.

Additionally, when those blades were deflected, she was experienced enough to use the enemy's attack to defeat him in the same momentum.

After he explained the events from his perspective to Ghislaine, she sighed.

"Here is the thing, Rudeus. I never saw Rein wield a sword at all."

…What?

"Until now, from the information I got through my own observations, because I didn't want to speak with Lord Sauros about it. There is no style, Rein only uses her fists. To know that she is capable of such organized combat using knives is troubling."

Saying that, Ghislaine glanced outside the window. When Rudeus followed her gaze to see what it was, he saw the young red-haired maid walking out from the servant room with already changed clothes.

"What do you want to say exactly, Ghislaine?"

"It was me. I was the one who met that girl for the first time…"

With her single eye becoming glassy, the beast woman remembered…

.

.

.

Slavery was as ancient as civilization itself in this world.

In the Kingdom of Asura, it was a practice woven into the fabric of noble society. A quiet, accepted institution that most citizens preferred not to think about. Slaves were property, nothing more than livestock that could speak and walk on two legs.

The laws were clear. 

A master could do with their property as they pleased. Feed them, beat them, breed them, sell them. All of it was permissible so long as the paperwork was in order and the proper taxes were paid.

The slave trade thrived in the margins of respectable society. Adventurers occasionally brought captured bandits to the market. Desperate families sold their children during famines. And in the shadows, kidnappers supplied a steady stream of victims to those with deep pockets and darker desires.

The city of Roa had its own slave market, tucked away in a corner of the Adventurers' District where the city's moral guardians rarely ventured. It was a place of iron cages and hollow eyes, of merchants hawking flesh and bone with the same enthusiasm as they might sell livestock or grain.

On the contrary, Rein was the girl Ghislaine had brought back from a slave market that operated illegally within Lord Sauros's territory.

Because Eris was a Greyrat, and the Greyrat family ruled the territory, attempts to abduct the girl and use her as leverage against Lord Sauros were hardly uncommon, making the existence of an illegal slave market within his domain completely unacceptable.

When Ghislaine first saw the girl, she almost mistook her for Lady Eris. The resemblance was striking, from the similar shade of hair, though tangled and filthy, to the general shape of her features. The eyes, however, were different. Instead of red, they were an intense blue, hollow and lifeless.

Ghislaine crouched down for a closer look. The girl's features were softer, her pale skin barely visible beneath layers of grime. Those eyes, however, held something Ghislaine recognized immediately. It was the look of someone who had already accepted that their life held no value.

She had seen that expression countless times before. Most slaves wore it like a mask, beaten into them through years of cruelty. Yet this one felt different. Beneath the dirt and despair, Ghislaine sensed something else, something she could not quite put into words.

When it became clear that the market was operating within Lord Sauros's territory without his approval, Ghislaine's ears twitched.

Illegal traders.

"Looking for something special, miss? Half price if you like them young."

The dealer laughed when she asked about the red-haired girl. That laugh was the last sound he ever made.

Her sword flashed once, ending his life. The man's head fell, followed by silence.

Following this course of events, panic spread instantly.

"Kill her!"

"Kill the beast woman!"

The guards drew weapons, shouting threats, but their words were wasted. None of them could match her speed or strength. In moments, the market was reduced to a pile of broken stalls and scattered bodies.

When it was over, Ghislaine stood among the wreckage, the torchlight flickering over her blade. The slaves she had freed huddled in silence, too shocked to run.

She turned back to the child. The slave girl hadn't moved, arms wrapped around her knees, her eyes dull and empty.

"Hah."

Ghislaine sighed softly and extended her hand.

"Come. You are free now."

"…"

Yet instead of taking her hand, the child continued to stare blankly at the floor, unmoved by the massacre that had just taken place. Ghislaine could see a deep pain in the girl's eyes, though the expression on her face remained unchanged. Still, she couldn't let that lack of decision stop her. Just because the girl refused to take her hand didn't mean Ghislaine would leave her behind. Slaves weren't used to making their own choices, so if that was true, then Ghislaine was the one to make that choice.

When it came to doing what needed to be done, Ghislaine was never the type to wait.

She reached out, intending to grab the girl by force if necessary. But just as her hand was about to touch her, the little slave moved.

"What…"

A small hand shot out from between her knees, gripping Ghislaine's wrist with shocking force.

Ghislaine looked down.

For a brief moment, the beast woman froze. The child's grip was firm, almost ironlike, before it slowly loosened, as if realizing there was no threat. Ghislaine glanced down at her wrist, faintly throbbing from the pressure.

What was that?

She didn't know.

There would be time for that later.

And then, it happened absurdly.

The slave girl began to scream and scrambled as far away from her as possible.

After a few moments of confusion, Ghislaine realized that the reason was connected to her sword, which was still in her hand.

The fear appeared because of a sword in sight.

She tucked it away in its sheath and the girl calmed down.

Without another word, she lifted the girl into her arms and left the place behind. The air outside was sharp and cold, a welcome contrast to the stench of blood and fear she had left behind.

Yet as she hopped from roof to roof, she couldn't shake the faint burning sensation on her wrist.

.

.

.

The story ended with Rudeus gaping at her like a fish.

"Is there something wrong?"

"...Do you think that Rein is scared of swords because of some traumatic experience in the past?"

"I would like to believe so, however I'm unsure. It still doesn't explain her ability that you described unless she was trained by an assassin in the past rather than a swordsmaster."

That was bad…

His plan now was to make Rein have a duel with Eris, and the winning condition was to have Eris agree to learn magic.

Dammit!

It was obviously far from the best plan, but time was kinda running low, you know.

If Rein really had some PTSD from swords, then I don't want to touch that. But at the same time, I also don't want to leave the manor. If I get kicked out now, where would I even go? Back to Paul? Absolutely not.

He could try to duel Eris by himself, but he didn't think it was possible to win against her in direct combat unless he used magic. Hypothetically, it might make Eris lose enough face to want to learn magic, but at the same time, it could make her aversion to spell-casting even worse.

"Ghislaine, how much of a chance do you think I have against Eris in a sword fight?"

“Hmm… you will lose.”

Just as I thought.

He sighed.

I just don’t have the talent for swordsmanship.

"It's not impossible to win. Paul must have trained you at least a little before your departure. But I trained with Miss Eris for a long time. She has an aggressive way of striking down her opponents using the Sword God Style…"

It's a no-go, then. That's what Ghislaine was saying. In the future, Eris would be a menace for all types of mages. The beast woman suggested Rudeus try his best at learning how to counter various sword styles to be prepared for an inevitable confrontation one day.

"Still, I think having Rein put against Miss Eris might not be the worst idea. Even if nothing comes out of it, Miss Eris might still learn something at the end of the day."

Ghislaine suggested that while Rudeus may fail in his endeavor to sway Eris to his side, something good would still happen. Meaning, Rudeus wouldn't leave the manor depressed.

“Ugh…”

But it was still a bitter pill to swallow. It made Rudeus anxious for his future regarding the University of Magic he wanted to attend with Sylphie.

Although he had the knowledge of the modern world and knew he was capable of many great things, Rudeus was in his past life a NEET who couldn't help but wallow in how his life went. He didn't graduate from any university or take another path that would let his career flourish. Instead, he sat in his room all day and decided to read light novels, watch videos online, and play games.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

"Rudeus?" Ghislaine asked worriedly, but instead of answering, the boy ran away to his room located in the manor and closed the door behind him.

This was the stagnation of an ex-Japanese who reincarnated as Rudeus Greyrat.

To be loved by all these people and still fail them?

For a pathetic nobody who didn't even bother attending the funeral of his… of his…

"Haaah…"

He slumped against the door, sliding down until he sat on the floor. His eyes wandered around the room, searching for something to distract him from the spiral of self-loathing. Then his gaze landed on the small wax figurine sitting on the desk.

It was a figure of Master Roxy, the one who had taught him proper magic in this world. He had made it himself, out of curiosity, using wax he had found in the kitchen. Normally, he created these figures from earth and mud, but that time, he had wanted to try something different.

I tried to carve it with a knife, like in one of those videos I remembered where people sculpted intricate figures out of soap.

But wax was an annoying substance. It was too soft, too fragile. No matter how carefully he worked, it kept cracking under the slightest pressure. He had managed to shape the body well enough, but the face... the face had been a disaster. A single wrong cut, a moment of carelessness, and the delicate features of Roxy's face had split apart, leaving a deep crack running from her forehead to her cheek.

He had stared at the ruined figure for a long time, feeling a strange sense of loss. It wasn't like he could actually talk to her through it. But still... it had been something he made with his own hands, a small token of gratitude for the woman who had given him a purpose in this world.

He had promised himself that day to never use wax again.

And now, looking at the cracked figure, he felt that same familiar ache in his chest.

He was failing again. His plan was falling apart. His future was uncertain. And all he could do was sit here, like the useless NEET he had always been.

"Master…" he whispered to the broken figure. "What would you do?"

And then, a memory surfaced.

It was Roxy's voice, calm and reassuring, from back when he was just a child.

"If you ever find yourself hitting a dead end in your magical studies, go get yourself admitted to the Ranoa University of Magic."

But it wasn't just that. It was something else. Something more important.

When she had taken him outside for the first time, he had been terrified. His legs wouldn't move. His body refused to leave the house. But Roxy hadn't scolded him. She hadn't lectured him. She had simply picked him up, placed him on the horse, and carried him out into the world.

She hadn't asked for permission. She hadn't waited for him to be ready. She had just done it.

And because of that, he had been able to take his first steps beyond the gate. Because of that, he had met Sylphie. Because of that, he had grown. She had pushed him forward when he was too afraid to move on his own.

That was what Roxy would do.

She wouldn't sit in a room and wallow in self-pity.

She wouldn't let fear of failure stop her from trying.

She would get up. She would move forward. She would act.

Rudeus clenched his fists.

Why am I berating myself again? No point in thinking about that. I used the resources I had the best I could. So why am I locking myself in a room again?

"Yosh!"

He clapped his cheeks with both palms, the sharp sting bringing him back to the present. The sound echoed through the quiet room, cutting through the weight of self-loathing that had settled over him.

"No point in thinking about that!"

He stood up. His legs felt heavy, but they moved. His body ached, but it responded.

He wasn't the same person who had wasted twenty years in a dark room, afraid of the world outside. He had already taken that first step. Roxy had shown him he could do it. Sylphie had given him a reason to keep going. Paul had forced him to grow, even if his methods were rough.

He had come too far to let one setback destroy him.

He had made mistakes. He had failed. But that didn't mean he was a failure.

Roxy taught him that. Sylphie taught him that. Even Paul taught him that.

Did I really just say that Paul is a good influence?

Shaking his head, he turned to look at the cracked wax figure one last time.

"I'll fix this. Not the figure, I promised I'd never use wax again. But everything else. I'll fix my plan. I'll find a way forward. I won't end up like I did in my past life."

A flicker of determination burned in his chest.

"I'll become someone worthy of being your student, Master. I swear it."

With that, he turned away from the figure, walked to the door, and opened it.

That's right…

This person is undoubtedly…

"Rein!"

The young maid whose name he shouted, the only maid in the manor who wasn't a beast girl and seemed to have a troubling past, turned to look at him in surprise upon seeing him run up to her while waving cheerfully.

"Sir Rudeus? What is…?"

I'll find out what made you say that you are a monster, but first please…

Please…

"Please teach me swordsmanship!"

"——Huh?"

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: To Protect or to Hurt

Honestly, Rein didn’t know what to do with herself.

That's why her eyes were closed and she controlled her breathing. Rein was still a human who needed to eat and breathe in order to survive. While her body was enchanted, her needs were still that of a normal human, if not less impactful. Indeed, she could go without water and food for a longer time than a regular human, however even that had its limit. If someone wanted to starve her, it would take a long time, but it was not impossible in her current state.

In the end, even this body was sustained by the same things that sustained everyone else.

Currently, she sat beside the sleeping boy.

Rudeus.

His breathing had settled into a steady rhythm some time ago, the unevenness brought about by pain and exhaustion gradually giving way to genuine rest. Ever since they had returned, she had remained beside him, watching over him in silence. The journey back still lingered vividly within her memory. His unconscious body draped across her shoulder. The curious stares of passing villagers. The questions that lingered within their expressions. None of it had mattered.

What mattered was why he had been there in the first place.

The conclusion remained impossible to avoid.

Had she not allowed herself to be taken, none of this would have happened.

The thought returned again and again, not because she wished to dwell upon it, but because every attempt to examine the events from another angle led inexorably back to the same destination. She had become so preoccupied with her own purpose, with the desire to atone for sins that belonged to another life, that she had neglected something far simpler.

Her actions didn’t affect only herself.

This boy might leave the manor soon because of her.

Since arriving at the manor, she had viewed her presence as something temporary. Something incidental. A place to remain until she discovered a suitable opportunity to continue pursuing the unknown goal that had brought her to this world in the first place. In doing so, she had failed to consider that the people around her might become involved regardless of her intentions.

And now a child had been hurt because of it.

Rudeus lying bloodied upon the ground afterward.

Fortunately, the injuries had not been serious. Nothing had been broken. Nothing had been lost. Through the use of his own magic, he had healed the damage before it could become anything permanent.

That knowledge should have been reassuring.

Instead, it merely caused her thoughts to drift toward a far less comforting possibility.

What if he had been unable to heal himself?

What if the injuries had been worse?

What if she had been forced to stand there and watch while someone suffered because of her mistake without possessing any means of helping them?

It left her with an unpleasant chill.

She remembered the way his body had crumpled to the ground. The way he had been kicked while helpless. The way his cheek had swollen, the bruise spreading across his skin like a dark stain.

Objectively speaking, she had witnessed far worse.

She had inflicted far worse.

Countless times.

But that made the memory no easier to endure. There was a difference between witnessing suffering and becoming responsible for it.

Mending wounds. Relieving pain. Healing the injured.

None of those things belonged to her.

The skills she possessed had always been suited toward entirely different purposes.

Protecting others through violence still required violence.

Saving lives often required taking them.

Even now, when she considered everything she knew how to do, every lesson she had carried from her first life, the overwhelming majority of them remained devoted toward a single objective.

Hurting people.

Eventually, Rein opened her eyes.

Rudeus still slept peacefully.

The bruising had faded. The swelling had disappeared. Apart from his exhaustion, there was little evidence that anything had happened at all.

Despite that, she found herself staring at him for several moments longer.

The image lingering within her mind was not the one before her.

It was the one that could have existed instead.

If there existed any way to correct even a portion of the trouble she had caused, then she would do everything within her power to accomplish it.

Rudeus had been harmed through circumstances connected to her actions, and leaving that fact unaddressed felt far more unbearable than any inconvenience that might result from helping him.

Perhaps the thought was selfish. A possibility existed that this was truly nothing more than an attempt to lessen the weight of her own guilt.

Even so, it remained the only answer she could find.

.

.

.

"Do you have something to say for yourself?"

Upon hearing the voice, Rein raised her head without surprise.

Standing in the doorway of the servant quarters was Lora, her arms folded tightly across her chest while an expression caught somewhere between frustration and relief occupied her face. The older woman had likely come here after hearing of Rein's return, still wearing the apron dusted with flour from the morning's baking, her hair remaining secured within the same tightly bound bun she always wore while working.

"What in the name of the Dragon God are you wearing?!"

Instinctively, Rein lowered her gaze toward herself.

What she found there was not merely dirt acquired through a difficult day.

What remained upon her clothes were dried stains of blood, dark and crusted from hours spent exposed to the air, serving as an unmistakable reminder of everything that had occurred since leaving the manor.

Originally, she had intended to change before returning.

Unfortunately, guilt had reached her destination first.

"My apologies," Rein said quietly. "I was delayed."

"Delayed? You disappear in the middle of the night, return covered in blood without sending, and your explanation is that you were delayed?"

"There was a situation that required my attention."

"A situation? You left alongside Ghislaine in the middle of the night, and the next thing anyone hears is that you're dragging bandits through the village streets."

"....."

The words stung, but they were not incorrect.

There was very little within what Lora said that could honestly be disputed.

"I'm sorry, Lora."

"Oh, little one."

Almost immediately, the older woman's expression softened.

"You're always trying to carry everything by yourself. Do you have any idea how frightened everyone was when they saw you return looking like that?"

The question caused Rein to hesitate.

The answer was painfully simple.

"...I failed to consider their feelings."

The moment she returned to the manor covered in blood, the conclusion reached by the other servants had likely been immediate. An attack upon the mansion. An assassination attempt. Perhaps even the possibility that Rein herself had been injured.

Given her appearance, such assumptions would have been entirely reasonable.

"Lord Sauros returned shortly afterward and reassured everyone that there was no danger."

"I’m scheduled to meet with him as well."

"Then that can wait until after we've dealt with this."

To prove her point, Lora gestured toward the blood staining Rein's clothing, her expression becoming increasingly uncomfortable the longer she looked at it.

"First we're getting you cleaned up. Then we're finding you something decent to wear. And after that..."

The older woman paused.

"Do you want me to help you wash..."

"I'll wash myself!" Rein interrupted with surprising vigour.

Over the years, Lora had assisted her often enough that the older woman likely no longer considered it unusual. Rein, however, had never managed to become fully accustomed to being treated like a child, and the thought of allowing someone else to wash her once again remained deeply uncomfortable regardless of how practical it might have been.

"...I see."

A faint smile appeared upon Lora's face, making it abundantly clear that she understood the reason for the interruption entirely too well.

After Rein was all clean, Lora approached her once again to give her fresh new clothes.

"These are…"

The surprise of the young maid was apparent.

"Oh, so you noticed? Those belonged to Lady Eris once, though she outgrew them years ago. Lord Sauros gave permission for you to wear them whenever your duties were finished, but that ended up being completely unnecessary."

Because Eris was roughly two years older than Rein, many of the clothes she had worn during her childhood no longer fit her and would ordinarily have been discarded or sold alongside other unwanted belongings.

Lord Sauros, however, had viewed the matter differently.

If an item was still useful, then allowing it to serve another purpose seemed only sensible. Rather than letting the clothes gather dust or exchanging them for a modest amount of coin, he had suggested giving them to Rein instead.

In his eyes, an asset that could continue proving useful ought to be used.

A faintly amused expression appeared on Lora's face.

"Even while tending the garden, you're still dressed as a maid. No matter how many times you're told to rest, you always find something else that needs doing. In all this time, you've hardly taken a proper break, which is why I'm happy the chance has finally come."

"Lady Eris will be mad at me…"

"Then you have to stay hidden from her. This is like hide and seek." Lora said mischievously. "Today you are free."

"I..…"

"Today you are free." Lora repeated again. "This is what I decided."

Rein had to respect this decision.

Lora pulled her into a sudden embrace, her arms wrapping around the younger woman with a warmth that Rein had not anticipated. It was an odd sensation, being held like this, being treated with such casual affection. Rein stiffened for a moment, uncertain how to respond, but Lora didn’t let go.

What Rein failed to notice during the conversation was that Lora had stayed awake from the moment news of her disappearance reached the manor. When the young girl finally returned, covered in blood, the fear that had gripped her only intensified. The possibility of something happening to Rein unsettled her in a way she had never anticipated.

Moreover, Rein was far too young to carry such heavy burdens, far too young to bear the weight of whatever past continued to haunt her. Lora didn't know what had happened to the girl before she arrived at the manor, nor did she need to know. All she knew was that Rein deserved to rest. She deserved to feel safe. And until she came to believe that herself, Lora would continue reminding her. Continue watching over her.

Rein's throat felt tight. She didn’t know how to respond to such warmth.

"Thank you, Lora," She finally managed.

“Now go.“ Lora pulled back, her eyes glistening slightly, and smiled. "Enjoy your day."

Rein nodded, clutching the clothes to her chest.

.

.

.

Rein retreated to her room to change.

The fabric of Lady Eris's old clothes was soft beneath her fingertips, made from the sort of fine cotton that only noble households could afford in significant quantities and further improved through years of careful maintenance. As she adjusted the sleeves, her fingers brushed against the faint embroidery decorating the cuffs, the stitching subtle enough to escape notice at first glance yet precise enough to reveal the hand of an experienced tailor.

It wasn’t like she had never worn a girl's clothes before.

There had been occasions when her lord required her to impersonate Eris, and during those times such attire had merely been another necessity of the role she was expected to perform. Then, however, the clothes themselves had carried no particular significance, existing only as a tool necessary for accomplishing a mission.

This felt different.

Unlike those earlier occasions where the decision had never belonged to her in the first place, this time the choice had been something she accepted with genuine warmth, and perhaps because she was unaccustomed to making such choices for herself, the freedom accompanying it felt strangely unfamiliar.

Standing before the small mirror inside her room, Rein found herself studying the reflection staring back at her.

What stared back at her wasn't the maid everyone in the manor had grown accustomed to seeing.

That’s right.

What looked back at her was a young girl wearing a simple white dress accented by blue trim, modest enough for casual wear while remaining unmistakably noble in origin.

For a brief moment, she almost felt as though she were looking at somebody else.

I wonder if Grandmother looked similar.

Regardless of what happened, regardless of how many years passed, Rein doubted that the face of the woman she killed would ever leave her memory. Some recollections faded with time, their details gradually becoming uncertain around the edges, but memories connected to those held dear possessed a stubborn tendency to endure.

Yet the moment that thought appeared, another followed close behind.

A memory of her grandmother became a reminder of the Sword Saint.

A reminder of the Sword Saint became a reminder of the inheritance.

And a reminder of the inheritance became a reminder of everything that followed afterward.

In that sense, positive thoughts rarely remained positive for very long.

What had begun as an intrusive memory transformed into something considerably more difficult to endure, because such thoughts inevitably led toward the same conclusion no matter where they began.

Before that train of thought could continue any further, however, a voice interrupted it.

"Rein!"

Turning around, she found Rudeus approaching her with considerably greater urgency than she would have expected from someone who had only recently recovered.

"Sir Rudeus? What is…?"

Judging by the determination visible upon his face, whatever had motivated him to seek her out had likely occupied his thoughts for quite some time.

At least, that appeared to be the case initially.

"Please teach me swordsmanship!"

"——Huh?"

Something incomprehensible came out.

Amidst all of this confusion, the girl abruptly stopped.

"...Is something wrong?"

This was because his gaze lingered on her face for a moment, prompting an awkward cough.

"Huh? Ah, no."

The answer arrived suspiciously quickly.

Fortunately, Rudeus appeared far more interested in the reason he had come than in discussing her appearance.

"Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Then what did you wish to discuss?"

"Swordsmanship."

During the kidnapping, Rudeus had witnessed her fighting directly. Though his explanation contained several observations that were bit exaggerated, the conclusion he reached remained understandable. To someone observing from the outside, Rein undoubtedly appeared capable of using a blade.

"I understand."

After considering the request for a brief moment, she continued.

"I will not deny that I am proficient with a blade. However, I don’t believe I would prove to be a particularly good teacher."

"Oh..."

The frown visible upon Rudeus's face made Rein wish she could offer a better explanation.

A pained expression briefly crossed her face when she turned away from him, Rein desperately trying to suppress the familiar feeling that she was falling short once again.

The reason itself was difficult to explain.

Once upon a time, teaching others had been effortless.

Once upon a time, countless things had been effortless.

Those circumstances no longer applied.

To phrase it differently, possessing a skill and understanding how that skill functioned were not necessarily the same thing.

Even now, Rein occasionally prepared meals whenever it became her turn to cook. The results were generally satisfactory, and if someone asked how she achieved them, she could provide an answer. Lora had taught her patiently, step by step, allowing her to understand not merely what to do, but why it should be done.

That was precisely what made the difference so apparent.

Cooking was something Rein had learned.

Many of Reinhard's skills were not.

The source of that discrepancy could be traced back to a collection of blessings so numerous that even attempting to remember them all bordered upon impossibility.

The Divine Protection of the Flavor King. The Divine Protection of Roasted Food. The Divine Protection of Boiled Food. The Divine Protection of Fried Food. The Divine Protection of Steamed Food. The Divine Protection of Plating.

And many, many more.

Each blessing had supplied an answer before a question ever needed to be asked.

How much seasoning should be added?

The blessing knew.

How long should something remain over the fire?

The blessing knew.

Which ingredients would complement one another?

The blessing knew.

Rather than understanding those principles through study or experience, Reinhard had followed instincts provided by blessings so naturally that distinguishing between his own knowledge and theirs eventually became impossible.

In other words, what truly occurred was Reinhard throwing together whatever his blessings insisted belonged in the pot, only for the result to emerge as the most delicious food imaginable.

Divine Protection of Flavor King: "Trust me."

Reinhard: "Alright."

The process itself was successful with remarkable consistency, yet asking why one ingredient should be added before another or why a particular combination worked so well would often produce little more than uncertainty.

Out of simple ignorance, Reinhard would offer a smile and allow the other person to arrive at whatever conclusions they wished.

Gardening had functioned in much the same way.

There had once been a flower within the Astrea estate that appeared close to withering. Reinhard had wanted to save it. The following moment, he received a Divine Protection suited for exactly that purpose.

At the time, such events had seemed entirely ordinary.

Looking back, however, they revealed a rather significant problem.

Being capable of accomplishing something and understanding how to teach another person to accomplish it were two entirely different skills, and while Reinhard had possessed blessings that bridged that gap effortlessly, Rein no longer enjoyed that luxury.

To summarize, while Rein could be called a master swordswoman, teaching someone was beyond her current ability.

And that's all because of my selfishness…

While giving an apologetic reply, Rein started to walk to the meeting with her lord, accompanied by a heavy heart.

"Hey…"

Having seen that pained face before it turned into a cold one, Rudeus moved his shaking hand in her direction before gently grabbing her arm.

"——?"

Rein was surprised, and when she turned to look at him, she saw the resolve on Rudeus's face. His expression was earnest, yet carried the sort of determination possessed only by those who had already decided upon their course and intended to follow it regardless of the outcome.

"Even if you are bad at it… please give me a moment of your time." He said seriously, "I need your help."

"Why…?"

"There are many ways this could go, but right now I need your help to prevent my leave. Ghislaine can't do it, only you can. So please…"

Desperation bled through his words.

“…..”

"I know what I'm doing is wrong, you know!? I'm forcing you, who doesn't like to fight with anything other than your fists, to assist me. It's basically me ignoring your feelings."

"…How do you know that?"

"Ghislaine told me. The first time she met you, you were scared of her sword." Rudeus looked away, and Rein was unsure what she was feeling at the moment. "If you are angry that I know it, then hold it against me and not her."

Through many twists and turns that had happened recently, Rudeus must have heard the story of Rein's past as a slave. That's because when she saw that sword and the ability Ghislaine had showcased, her scattered memories had finally formed a coherent story.

“…..”

Back then, the most ugly emotions had assaulted a nameless slave girl who was not prepared for them, and thus Rein had screamed from sheer anguish at seeing all that she had done in her previous life, before her broken body and soul reformed beyond the Great Waterfall.

"Being angry because someone told you of their memory with me… this would never happen."

In the first place, Rein wouldn’t be mad at things like that. She had never been the type to hold grudges over such matters. If anything, she was more accustomed to people speaking of her history than she was to silence. At least when they spoke, she knew what they were thinking.

"Still, it's insensitive. If someone gossiped about my worst moments, I’d be mad at them and would probably avoid interaction until I calm down."

Rudeus spoke from his own experience. In his previous life, he had been the subject of cruel gossip, things said behind his back about his appearance, his habits, his failures. He had learned to ignore it, but the sting had never fully faded. Even now, in this new life, he was careful with what he shared, wary of becoming the subject of idle talk.

Is that really it? Even now, Rudeus continued to surprise Rein with how unusual he was acting. She knew that as a tutor and capable magician he must have a good head on his shoulders, but this was something else.

I wanted him to stay away.

Yet despite her efforts, Rudeus continued seeking her out.

The reason for Rein's cold behavior remained the fact that she knew her presence would sooner or later bring Rudeus pain. That was why she continued pushing him away, even now.

It was becoming harder and harder to do that.

For Rein, who had once been a knight, agreeing to help someone felt instinctive. Whenever a person asked for her assistance, she could feel the answer rising to the surface before she had even considered it properly. The words wanted to come out. The offer of assistance wanted to come out. The desire to help wanted to come out.

She barely held them back, because she knew better now.

Just as Pride had declared, her very existence had played a role in creating the devastation he unleashed upon the Capital. Had the Sword Saint never existed, Lugunica might have been spared his wrath.

Whether that conclusion was entirely fair did little to change the fact that it lingered within her thoughts.

People suffered.

After being hated by members of her own family for most of it and blamed for tragedies that scarred an entire kingdom, including the death of the royal bloodline following the failed solo expedition to the Sage's Watchtower, Rein still found herself unable to stop thinking about others.

All of these things were her responsibility.

"——I gave you my word that I would help…"

That's why…

"After speaking with Lord Sauros, meet with me outside."

It was the most she could offer.

.

.

.

The Boreas dungeons were cramped, filled with a small number of cells.

It was not a grand dungeon like those found in royal castles, but there was enough space to hold at least ten criminals.

Naturally, it stank here of human waste. Prisoners were not treated with respect by Lord Sauros, who had a heavy aversion toward those who tried to hurt his granddaughter Eris. In fact, most scum here might even die within a few days. While none of them were tortured, sometimes they were simply forgotten and died of starvation or dehydration—most often due to lack of water.

If the criminals proved to be reasonable individuals who would tell everything they knew and provide sufficient information, then Lord Sauros allowed their release by selling them to slave traders.

Rein was aware of this. She also knew that going against the entire slavery system was a long-term process. For a monster like herself, she was sure she would do more harm than good by opposing it. In the Kingdom of Lugunica, the act of buying other humans or demi-humans was considered illegal, and a group of knights would inevitably find you and bring you before judgment. In other regions, such as Kararagi, Vollachia, or Gusteko, it was different. But she had never been allowed there without permission, that would be like sending the greatest war asset into a foreign country.

However, in this world, the Fittoa Region was a place where it was acceptable under the agreement of the territory's lord. In this instance, it was Lord Sauros who bore that responsibility.

It didn’t mean that he liked slavery. Rather, he treated it as a normal business transaction.

"Come here, Rein!"

The lord was currently standing near one of the cells, looking over the criminals that Rein and Ghislaine had captured. His loud voice echoed through the dungeon, making the prisoners flinch in their cells.

Rein walked up to him and knelt, awaiting further instructions. She kept her head bowed, hands resting on her knees. Indeed, it was the posture of a knight before her liege.

"......"

"You do look good in those!" Sauros laughed, his declaration carrying that characteristic thunderous boom that seemed to shake the very stones of the dungeon. He eyed her up and down with a nod of approval, though his gaze quickly returned to the prisoners. "It suits you far better than that drab maid's uniform! Hmph! A warrior should dress like one!"

“…..”

Rein remained silent, waiting for his orders. Her curiosity, however, burned beneath her composed exterior. She wanted to know if the criminals had revealed anything useful, any information about who had orchestrated the kidnapping, who Thomas had been working for all this time.

"Lord Sauros," she began carefully, "have they spoken?"

“Blah!” Sauros let out a sound of pure disgust. "These cowards are too terrified to open their mouths! They tremble like leaves the moment I raise my voice!" He slammed his fist against the iron bars of a cell, and the prisoner inside scrambled backward with a yelp. "They claim to know nothing! That they were merely hired! That the instructions came through intermediaries!"

His jaw tightened. The muscles in his neck stood out like cords.

"Whoever the benefactor is, they must be someone of considerable standing. Someone who knows how to cover their tracks." Sauros's eyes narrowed dangerously, his voice dropping to a low growl that was somehow more frightening than his usual roar. "A man of influence. Someone who understands the game of nobles."

Rein understood. The investigation had reached a dead end. Thomas, the butler who had betrayed them, had provided some testimony , but the true mastermind remained shrouded in shadow. The "perverted noble" he had spoken of had played innocent and escaped punishment, and with the two bandits dead, there was no proof of his involvement .

"Shall I continue the interrogation?" Rein offered.

Sauros shook his head firmly. "No. You have done enough, Rein. Those men you and Ghislaine captured have already yielded what little they know." His voice softened, just a little. "But know this. I will find the one who dared to lay hands on Eris. No matter how high their station. No matter how well they hide."

He turned to face her fully, his dark eyes gleaming with a fierce, protective fire.

"When I do, they will learn what it means to incur the wrath of the Boreas family! Mark my words!"

He let the silence hang for a moment before his expression shifted. The fiery anger cooled into something more calculated. He crossed his arms and studied her with those sharp, piercing eyes.

"Now then, Rein. I have another matter to discuss with you."

Rein remained kneeling, her head bowed. "What is your command, Lord Sauros?"

"I want you to tell me everything you have observed about Paul's boy. Rudeus. What has he been doing lately? How does he conduct himself? Speak freely!"

Rein blinked, momentarily caught off guard. Paul's boy. Of course, Rudeus was the son of Paul Greyrat, the tutor who had been hired to teach Lady Eris. She had observed him closely during the kidnapping incident and in the days since. The boy was... unusual. Clever, certainly. Capable with magic, resourceful in a crisis. But there was something else about him. Something she had not expected to find.

"He is... diligent, Lord Sauros. He takes his duties as Lady Eris's tutor seriously, despite her initial hostility toward him. Unlike the previous teachers, he is patient with approaching her, even when she is difficult. And he is resourceful, he managed to defeat the kidnappers using only his wits and magic."

Sauros nodded satisfied, his expression unreadable. "And? What else?"

"He is kind," Rein added, the words slipping out before she could stop them. "He treats others with respect, regardless of their station. He doesn’t look down on servants or maids. He seems to genuinely care about Lady Eris's well-being."

His eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

"Yes, Lord Sauros."

He was silent for a long moment. Then, his voice dropped to a low, dangerous growl.

"Then I have a new order for you, Rein."

Rein straightened, ready to receive his command.

"Keep an eye on Rudeus Greyrat."

She nodded. "Understood."

That much was obvious.

"And if he ever hurts Eris, if he lays so much as a finger on her with ill intent—"

Sauros's gaze bore into her with an intensity that made her still.

"—I want you to kill him."

"Underst—!"

The words died in her throat.

What... what did he say?

Rein, who had been dutifully listening until now, looked up suddenly. Lord Sauros's face was the most serious she had ever seen it. There was no trace of his usual bluster, no hint of his theatrical rage. This was the face of a man who would do anything to protect his granddaughter. A man who had just given her an order that would stain her hands with the blood of a child.

A child who was not a monster.

Her mind raced. She thought of Rudeus, the boy who had smiled at her despite the blood on her clothes. The boy who had asked her to teach him swordsmanship with such earnest determination. The boy who had looked at her like she was someone worth knowing, someone worth trusting.

She had known him only a few days. And yet, in those few days, he had shown her more kindness than she had expected. He had not flinched away from her despite her being cold. He hadn’t looked at her with fear or apprehension. He had treated her like a person, not a weapon, not a tool, not a monster.

But now, Lord Sauros was asking her to become exactly that. A monster. A weapon aimed at the heart of a boy who had done nothing wrong.

As a knight, she should tell Lord Sauros that she wouldn’t kill an innocent child, no matter what the order.

But that would mean disobeying her lord. That would mean breaking the trust he had placed in her. That would mean going against everything she had been taught, everything she had become.

After all, this girl was no longer the Sword Saint. She was merely a maid serving within this manor, a person whose value existed only in what she could accomplish for others.

That was the future Reinhard had once wished for.

Not glory.

Not recognition.

Not praise.

To become unnecessary.

To become nobody.

To become nothing.

Two bad decisions. Stuck between them once again, with no way out.

Her blue eyes widened at the image burned into her memory

A city swallowed by flames.

An Archbishop of Sin escaping beyond the horizon.

A mother clutching her children beneath a fallen beam while smoke filled their lungs and terror filled their eyes.

Two paths.

Two responsibilities.

And only enough time to choose one.

If she obeyed, she would become the thing she hated most. A killer of innocents. A betrayer of the trust Rudeus had placed in her. If she refused, she would lose everything, her position, her purpose, the only home she had ever known.

And yet...

That boy was kind. That boy was brave. That boy had looked at her, a monster, a weapon, a thing to be used, and had seen a person worth knowing.

How could she raise her hand against someone like that?

Her fists clenched at her sides. Her jaw tightened. She could feel the weight of Lord Sauros's gaze upon her, waiting for her answer. Waiting for her to accept the order.

But she could not. She could not.

"...Lord Sauros," Rein began weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I... I cannot—"

"Heh.... Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Rein blinked, startled by the sudden sound. Lord Sauros was laughing once again.

"Pardon?" She eyed her lord worriedly, uncertain of what had just happened.

“Rein!” Sauros wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. "Before that boy came into this mansion, before the events that occurred lately, you were but a mere doll! Emotionless, dull, awaiting my orders. You didn’t question anything. You didn’t hesitate. You simply acted on my orders!"

His smile faded into something softer, something almost warm.

"But now... you hesitated. You questioned. You were about to refuse an order from your lord!"

“I…..”

He nodded slowly, a look of approval on his weathered face.

"Keep watching him," Sauros said, his voice returning to its usual commanding tone. "Do not harm him unless he proves himself a threat. But watch him closely, Rein. I want to know what kind of man Paul’s son will become."

She bowed her head. "Understood, Lord Sauros."

"Now go. I have matters to attend to."

Rein rose and turned to leave.

As she walked away, she heard Sauros speak again, his voice quiet, barely a murmur meant for himself.

“——You have changed, Rein.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Sword

Rein looked at the wooden sword in her hands.

It was nothing like a sword made of steel, meant to cut down enemies and draw their blood, so she hoped nothing would happen. Even then, Rein had always preferred using the Dragon Sword, essentially because it remained in its gold-streaked, ornate white sheath.

Dragon Sword Reid was an unbreakable blade capable of cutting through everything the user deemed possible to cut. In other words, according to legends, the intent was important. If the holder didn't believe that something could be cut, then even if Reid was drawn, it would not cut through it simply to spite them.

However, because the sword was impossible to destroy and could be used even while sheathed, Rein preferred to use it to knock out criminals rather than kill them.

"Are you ready, Rein-sensei!?"

"——Sensei?"

Again, this unknown wording she was not used to.

"What does that mean?"

"Eto…" Rudeus stammered a bit. "It means 'master'! H-Haha, I decided to use a different language."

"Oh, is there somewhere I could learn it?"

"It's a forgotten language, so probably not…"

"Even so, being able to speak so many languages is remarkable."

“Aha…”

Without her blessing that provided she could read and speak other tongues, a great amount of respect for people who learned more than their primary language had taken root within Rein.

“What is the name of this language?"

"Uh, it's called Japanese."

Japanese then. It seemed very familiar somehow. The intonation was similar to the Lugunican language, and the pronunciation also felt awfully similar. Why was that, she wondered.

"I would like for you to tell me more, however, let's not lose any more time."

"Please take care of me!"

After using a Japanese custom, Rudeus brandished his wooden sword. In the culture of his previous life, such words were spoken at the beginning of any new relationship or endeavor, a phrase meant to express humility and a desire for proper guidance. It carried the promise of mutual respect, asking the other person to look after them while also promising to give their best effort.

"…I will do my best to meet your expectations."

Taking the stance the knights in her homeland used, Rein felt a peculiar sensation at using it again after such a long time. The posture was familiar, ingrained into her very soul, and yet it carried the weight of a life she had long since abandoned. The distance between who she had been and who she now was became starkly apparent in that moment.

Instead of offering instruction, however, Rein simply raised her wooden sword and settled into a waiting stance.

The message was clear.

Rather than teaching through words, she would teach through action. Rather than explaining the principles, she would demonstrate them through the language of combat itself.

Rudeus understood it.

Thus, what began as a lesson quickly transformed into something else entirely. What had been intended as instruction became a spar, where two opponents faced each other as equals seeking to understand one another through the clash of wooden blades.

Apparently, this world possessed something called God Styles, which consisted of three major schools. The Sword God Style emphasized overwhelming offense, seeking to end battles with a single decisive strike. The Water God Style focused on defense and counterattacks, redirecting an opponent's momentum against them. The North God Style was more of a general combat philosophy, adapting to any situation through pragmatism and cleverness.

The style Rein used was different.

That was why Rudeus found himself confused as he deflected her strikes. Rein seemed not to take him seriously at first, her swings slow and lacking force. At least, that was what it appeared to be.

However, a few moments into the fight, he realized the truth.

Rein, as she had said, didn't know how to teach. Rather than lecturing or explaining, she had chosen to make slower movements in order to read his flow, introducing him to her abilities gradually rather than overwhelming him all at once. Each strike was allowing him time to observe and adapt.

That was kindness.

Not arrogance. Not underestimation of his capabilities.

Hah. She really is a kind person behind that cold exterior, isn't she?

The man reincarnated as Rudeus thought as he blocked her next strike.

What he failed to notice was that he had started to refer to Rein not as a child, but as an equal. It felt as though the two were closer than they should be, their blades speaking a language that words could never fully capture.

Clack.

One exchange led to another.

Clack. Clack.

Again and again, their wooden swords met, the rhythm gradually quickening.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The more they continued, the faster their movements became. Rudeus found himself remembering Paul's training in the Water God Style, attempting to implement its defensive principles into his own movements. The speed of it was especially what he aimed to achieve, redirecting Rein's strikes rather than meeting them head-on.

However, as he had admitted before, the reason Rudeus possessed no talent for the blade was because he thought too much during battle. Each movement was preceded by analysis and filtered through conscious calculation rather than instinct.

Nevertheless, first you think while learning, and then it becomes instinctual. That was the path toward mastery. That was how skills became second nature.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Faster and faster.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.

Rudeus's breathing grew heavier, his arms beginning to ache from the relentless exchanges.

Yet he refused to stop.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.

Rein's eyes slowly grew glassy as their exchanges became faster and faster, Rudeus gradually falling behind yet trying his best to keep up. Her movements now flowed with a natural ease that had nothing to do with instruction.

In the corner of her vision, the silhouette of a beautiful city appeared in the distance.

She was no longer thinking about teaching.

She was simply fighting.

Clack.

One strike followed another.

Clack.

Again and again.

Clack.

Over and over.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

He's improving, very slowly.

The thought surfaced unbidden within her mind. Julius was improving. His movements were becoming sharper, his reactions faster. The gap between them was still vast, but it was narrowing, slowly but surely.

Clack.

A feint to the left, followed by a strike from the right. Julius saw through it, deflecting the blow with a smooth motion that would not have been possible a few moments earlier.

Clack.

And yet, Reinhard had not been truly trying. He had been holding back, matching Julius's pace rather than overwhelming him with his true strength. That was the only way to make such training meaningful. That was the only way to help him grow.

Julius's eyes were focused, determined. He was learning, adapting, improving with each passing moment. The distance between their blades continued to shrink, his movements growing closer to the level required to face a worthy opponent.

Clack.

But then again, that distance remained vast. Julius still thought too much. Still hesitated before committing to each strike. Still allowed conscious analysis to interfere with instinct.

Clack.

A good attempt, but not yet enough.

Clack.

Perhaps in time, Julius would close that gap. Perhaps with enough practice, he would learn to trust his instincts instead of his head.

Clack.

Over and over. Again and again.

Reinhard's movements continued to flow naturally, each strike blending into the next with the fluid grace born of countless battles. Julius struggled to keep up, his breathing growing ragged, his arms trembling from the effort.

Clack.

A slight opening. Julius noticed it too late, his sword too slow to capitalize before Reinhard adjusted his stance.

Clack.

Not yet.

Clack.

Not yet.

But perhaps... someday.

The thought was followed by another, and another, and another.

One memory led to another.

The training grounds of the Knights of the Royal Guard. The familiar clash of wooden swords beneath the afternoon sun. The presence of a friend who never gave up, no matter how many times he was knocked down.

A memory surfaced.

The conclusion remained unchanged.

Julius could surpass him one day in pure skill. That was the natural course of things, for someone like Julius, who refused to accept his limits, who continued pushing forward despite every setback.

In that case, Reinhard would continue being the wall Julius needed to overcome. That was his role. That was his purpose.

The distance between them would shrink, slowly but surely, until someday—

Clack.

Until someday.

Reinhard didn't realize his lips had curled into a faint smile.

It was a small thing, barely noticeable, the barest upward curve at the corner of his mouth. And yet, Julius's face twisted into one of surprise at the sight, his cheeks reddening for reasons that had nothing to do with exertion. He must have been spent after all. It was rare for those fighting a Sword Saint to not be after a while, especially since Reinhard's stamina appeared to be infinite. There was no sign of strain visible on the Sword Saint's face.

Clack.

Another exchange. Then another.

Clack. Clack.

Julius's movements grew slower, his reactions duller. The gap between them, which had been shrinking moments before, now widened once more. Exhaustion was finally claiming its due, his body no longer able to keep pace with the relentless rhythm of their spar.

Clack.

And then—

A misstep.

Julius's foot caught on the ground, his balance faltering. His sword dipped, his guard lowering for just a fraction of a second.

Reinhard's blade stopped an inch from his throat.

The spar was over.

Julius collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His face was pale, sickly pale, the color draining from his cheeks as the adrenaline faded and exhaustion claimed its due.

Reinhard's smile vanished.

That’s because…

His comrade…

——Julius Juukulius was dead.

Reinhard saw his sickly pale body, this astonishing knight, the finest one Lugunica could offer, was no longer among the living. His eyes stared blankly at nothing, his chest unmoving, his limbs limp and lifeless.

The training ground faded.

The cold steel in Reinhard's hand gave way to wood.

It was a memory.

A memory of the day the finest knight in Lugunica fell.

Several of Reinhard's Divine Protections activated in that horrible moment to dull the agonizing emotions as much as possible. The Divine Protection of Emotional Aversion softened the sharp edges of grief. The Divine Protection of Mental Fortitude reinforced his crumbling composure. The Divine Protection of Pain Suppression numbed the ache in his chest.

But even they couldn't conceal the crestfallen expression that crossed his face.

Even they couldn’t erase the image of Julius's pale face, his lifeless eyes.

Even they couldn’t change the fact that Reinhard had been powerless.

Again.

“——!”

The training ground vanished. The nightmare faded.

Rein blinked..

And she was crying.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, falling onto the grass beneath her feet. Her chest heaved with silent sobs, her body trembling as the past continued to press down upon her.

Rudeus was lying on the ground before her, his wooden sword discarded beside him. His face was flushed with exertion, his breathing still uneven from their spar. But his eyes were wide with alarm as he stared up at her.

"Miss Rein…?"

She didn't respond. She couldn't.

Her hands were shaking. Her vision was blurry. The tears wouldn't stop.

"Rein!"

He scrambled to his feet, his exhaustion forgotten. His hands reached toward her, hesitated, then gently gripped her shoulders.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself? Did I do something—"

He stopped.

Because Rein was crying.

Rudeus's mind raced, his thoughts stumbling over one another in a frantic attempt to make sense of what he was seeing.

This was a bad idea after all.

He had known, somewhere deep down, that something like this might happen. He had known that Rein carried pain inside her, pain she had tried to hide behind that cold exterior. He had known, and he had pushed anyway. He had asked her to teach him, to spar with him, to do something that clearly brought back memories she had tried to bury.

And now she was crying.

Because of him.

Because he had been too selfish to leave her alone. Because he had been too focused on his own problems to consider what his request might cost her. Because he had seen her as a solution to his predicament rather than a person with her own wounds, her own scars, her own pain.

I’m a heartless bastard, aren’t I?

He had spent so long trying to be better than his past self, trying to become someone who wouldn't make the same mistakes again. The pure apathy that accompanied him in his past life, the indifference that had let him ignore his parents' deaths, that had let him rot in his room for years without caring about anyone but himself, that was the person he had been.

And yet here he was, hurting someone else because he couldn't stop thinking about himself.

Damn it.

I messed up.

"Rein…" His voice was soft. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—I didn't mean to—"

He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to fix this.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm so sorry."

Offering a hug didn't come to his mind because he was too much of a coward to attempt something like this with a pretty and strong girl like Rein. That was what his subconscious thought, at least, even as his hands remained frozen at his sides, uncertain and useless.

"Let's continue…"

"Huh?"

Rudeus took a step back from Rein, who gripped her sword tightly once more. Her knuckles were white against the wooden grip, her arms trembling almost imperceptibly.

"My… apologies. I lost my composure for a moment. If I continue looking away from it, I don't believe I will ever be able to move forward."

Her past, which was filled with nothing but pain and the loss of the people she had cared about, of the oaths she had sworn, of the identity she had abandoned, was something she needed to accept sooner or later.

Wallowing in constant self-pity was unacceptable because it hurt those around her. It was clear as day that the very fact she had started to cry had made Rudeus feel bad for a monster like her, who didn't deserve this kindness. If that was the case, then naturally she needed to fight through it and put on a composed expression.

"You want to continue…?" Rudeus hesitantly asked, looking guilty.

Unable to bear the expression she had caused, Rein lowered her gaze.

"This time… use your magic to your content."

"W-Why would you want that?"

"Because forcing yourself to learn something in a way that doesn’t suit you rarely produces good results. You enjoy magic. You devote yourself to it willingly. If swordsmanship becomes something that supports that passion rather than competing with it, I believe your progress will be much greater."

"—A magic knight, huh?"

Rudeus eyed the sword in his hand, lost in thought.

"A magic knight?"

"Yeah… that or a battle mage, magic warrior. There are many titles for those. I think I can at least try to be something like that." He said and turned to face her seriously. "But without a capable teacher, I won't be able to achieve it."

Ghislaine's movements were far too aggressive for him to even think of learning from her. She was just not the right teacher for Rudeus—maybe for Eris, who was meant to be aggressive in combat, but not for someone like him who thought too much, who hesitated, who needed to understand before he could act.

"The spar we had until now... it was the most fun I've had in years of being taught how to use a sword by Paul." Hopefully, it will be enough.

"……"

Until now, Rein's red hair had shadowed part of her face to hide what she was thinking. And now that she looked up, it was a gaze filled with the same resolve that Rudeus had worn before.

"Then…"

The wooden sword rose.

"If that’s the path you wish to pursue, then show me what you can do."

“Rein-sensei!”

The moment those words left her mouth, Rudeus moved, utilizing wind magic beneath his feet to propel himself backward while Mana simultaneously flowed into the earth below, causing a thick wall of stone to erupt between them and completely obscure Rein from view.

The reason for that decision was simple.

Everything he had witnessed during the kidnapping suggested that Rein possessed physical abilities far beyond what should have been possible for a regular human, and because attempting to challenge such overwhelming strength directly would be little more than suicide, he intended to force the battle onto ground where preparation and creativity mattered more than raw power.

That being the case, if Rein wished to reach him, she would first need to break through the wall.

And the moment she did so, he intended to attack and surprise her by launching a great spell.

Several seconds passed without any impact reaching his ears, the wall remaining completely undisturbed despite the fact that Rein should have reached it by now if she intended to overcome the obstacle through brute force alone.

"...Huh?"

The confusion lasted only until a shadow passed overhead.

Instinct forced him to look upward, and what appeared there was Rein descending from above after having run straight up the vertical surface as though gravity had briefly ceased applying to her, the absurd sight instantly dredging up memories from a previous life.

Wait... Did she just Naruto-run!?

Indeed, the way Rein moved bore an alarming resemblance to a certain orange-clad shinobi whose adventures had once occupied countless hours of his time.

Unfortunately, there was little opportunity to appreciate the nostalgia.

The next spell was already underway.

Mana surged through the ground beneath his feet, tearing dozens of stones free before wind magic seized them and forced them into rapid rotation, accelerating them faster and faster until fractures spread across their surfaces and pieces began breaking away, each fragment emerging sharper than the last until what remained was no longer a collection of rocks, but a storm of razor-edged projectiles suspended within the air.

The resulting attack possessed considerably greater speed than the throwing knives Rein had deflected during the kidnapping.

That comparison was not accidental.

Ever since that night, Rudeus had spent a surprising amount of time thinking about Rein, about the absurd strength she possessed, and about what sort of attacks might actually pressure someone capable of casually catching blades in mid-flight.

By utilizing the stones themselves as the source material and wind magic as the driving force behind their acceleration, he had created an attack specifically designed to exceed what he had witnessed that evening.

“Ha!”

And thus, with a wave of his hand, the storm was unleashed.

One projectile became ten.

Ten became dozens.

One after another, these sharpened fragments tore through the air and converged upon Rein from a sharp, singular direction.

At some point, the distinction between training and battle had quietly vanished.

The source of that was simple.

Faced with Rein's overwhelming strength, Rudeus found himself becoming completely absorbed in the challenge before him.

As a result, by the time the attack was released, he had become so focused upon overcoming the opponent standing in front of him that a far more obvious consideration never entered his thoughts.

The attack was lethal.

Against an ordinary person, death would have been the most likely outcome.

And Rein, who only had a wooden sword available to her, knew that blocking these deadly projectiles with such a fragile weapon wouldn't work out.

As such, she slashed with her left hand against the earth wall she was running down from, her fingers carving through the stone as if it were nothing more than soft clay. A massive chunk of the wall came away in her grip, still dripping with moisture from the damp soil within. She held it up before her like a shield, the thick earth absorbing the impact of the projectiles as they drilled into it, stopping their momentum but leaving deep, crater-like holes in the makeshift barrier.

“What—?!”

And then, she flung the portion she was holding right at Rudeus, who gaped at her like a fish out of water.

It was a boulder now, hurtling toward him with terrifying speed. The sheer mass of it would have crushed any ordinary opponent, but Rudeus launched himself upward, the boulder passing harmlessly beneath him.

But Rein was no longer where she had been.

She was already above him.

Rudeus's eyes went wide as he saw her descending, wooden sword raised, her form silhouetted against the sky.

Time seemed to slow.

The sunlight caught her figure from behind, illuminating the outline of her body through the thin fabric of her dress. The wind whipped at her clothes, pressing them against her form as she fell, and in that brief, fleeting moment, Rudeus's gaze inadvertently drifted upward.

White. Pure, pristine white.

I CAN SEE HER—

The wooden sword connected with his skull, resulting in a bonk.

...Worth it.

Alarmed, Rein landed beside him, her expression shifting from calm to mildly concerned as she looked down at his sprawled form.

".....um."

No response.

A bit worried, she prodded him gently with the tip of her wooden sword.

Still nothing.

Had she misjudged her strength?

Though the strike had been intended as little more than a light tap by her standards, the standards she used were not necessarily applicable to ordinary people of this world.

"…I should have pulled that strike," She murmured to herself, looking around nervously.

No, the reason was not Rein here, who had perfectly controlled her strength so as not to cause him any harm. The reason for Rudeus's current state was something else entirely.

For there, lying unconscious upon the ground, Rudeus Greyrat wore upon his face an expression that would have made any observer question his priorities. His eyes were closed. His body was limp. By all appearances, he was unconscious. And yet, his lips were curled upward into a full, unabashed grin that belonged on the face of a man who had just witnessed something far more pleasant than a simple sparring match. His cheeks were slightly flushed. A faint, almost imperceptible trickle of drool escaped the corner of his mouth.

In his dreams, perhaps, he was still seeing white.

Rein, however, noticed none of this. She had struck him, and he had fallen. That was all.

The girl knelt beside him and checked his pulse. Steady. His heartbeat was even, if a little too fast.

Rein rose and looked down at him.

"...You fought well, Sir Rudeus."

It was the closest thing to praise she had offered anyone in a long time.

.

.

.

From a window overlooking the training grounds, two figures observed the scene below.

Ghislaine stood with her arms crossed, her single eye narrowed as she watched the red-haired maid rise from beside the unconscious boy.

Beside her, Eris was practically vibrating with indignation.

"That scum!"

Her voice was sharp enough to cut glass. She gripped the windowsill with both hands, her knuckles white, her crimson hair seeming to bristle with each passing moment. Rudeus was supposed to be her tutor, even if she hadn't agreed to it, even if she had made her displeasure abundantly clear, and yet here he was, enjoying himself like nothing was wrong!

"Ghislaine! Ghislaine! Why are they training without me!?"

The beast woman in question let out a slow sigh.

"Apparently, Rudeus asked the maid to train with him because you didn't want to."

"But she is a spare!"

Eris began growling low in her throat, the sound somewhere between a frustrated huff and an actual canine snarl.

"Lady Eris, why call them that?"

It wasn't that Eris hated Rein or anything of the sort.

"Because he is stupid…" Eris's voice dropped into a low, dangerous mutter. "A-And he probably mistook her for me!"

It was the only conclusion that made sense. The clothes. The timing. The fact that Rudeus was a complete and utter idiot who dared to slap her. Of course he had confused them. There was no other explanation.

"Also, what's up with that strength!? Why aren't you teaching me that, Ghislaine?!"

Ghislaine turned her gaze away from the window and fixed it upon Eris.

"Lady Eris, battle aura is developed once you are perfectly in control of your own body and can handle it. It’s not something that can be taught through simple repetition or brute force. First, you must master your own movements. Your breathing. Your posture. The flow of mana through your body must become second nature. Only then can you begin to cultivate the aura that enhances your physical abilities beyond their natural limits. It requires years of discipline, patience, and absolute control. Rushing it will only lead to injury."

"Then why does she know it!?"

"......"

For that, Ghislaine didn’t want to lie.

What Rein had used during the fight was not battle aura. Not exactly. It was something else, something that Ghislaine had only glimpsed once before, and even then, she hadn’t fully understood what she was seeing.

The beast woman had once looked at Rein with her uncovered demon eye, and what she had seen had troubled her deeply. Mana was drawn toward the girl. Not flowing through her, not gathered within her, but constantly pulled in from the surroundings as though responding to some invisible force before vanishing the moment it reached her. It pooled around her like a faint haze, clinging to her form in ways that defied explanation, only to disappear again before Ghislaine could determine where it had gone. The phenomenon continued without pause, whether Rein was sleeping, eating, training, or simply standing still, causing it to resemble less the behavior of a normal magician and more a whirlpool that endlessly drew in the surrounding Mana. It was the first time Ghislaine had witnessed anything like it, and even now she wasn't entirely certain whether that description was accurate.

"...Lady Eris, why don't you ask Rein? If the two of you trained together for a while, I think you would learn a great deal." Having witnessed Rein grow increasingly comfortable with a sword, Ghislaine could see that path opening before her. "As for battle aura, Rudeus is unusually skilled at controlling mana. He might know something that could help."

Ghislaine genuinely hoped that Rudeus would prove all of this worth it.

"Grrr, fine! I'll tell that to grandpa!" Eris started to run toward her grandfather, who was in another side of the manor, planning to have him bother Rein and Rudeus about it.

The redhead couldn't stand the thought of losing the possibility of training with someone her age when it came to sword fighting. And also, if she let them train, she was scared they would get stronger than her in no time.

Swordsmanship had always been different from those things because it was the one area where Eris could stand proudly without comparing herself to anyone else. She had poured a lot of effort into training it, and it had become the foundation of her identity. If someone younger than her could surpass her in that, what was left?

In the end, Eris too had her concerns after seeing Rudeus's abilities in magic and Rein's abilities with a sword. She was sure that in her current state, winning against them was impossible. And those two were younger than her!

Ghislaine watched her lady disappear and turned back toward the view.

Even now…

"——calm down."

Her grip, which held her sword Hiramune, was shaking, not from fear, but anticipation.

"I really want to fight her."

Despite being of a Sword King rank, Ghislaine felt an incredible urge to fight this girl. Ever since the very moment she had seen her.

.

.

.

"EEEEERRRRIIIISSSSSS!"

After a moment, a loud erupted through the manor.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Origin

Nothing opened its eyes to the sound of crying.

A sound originating from within itself. A sound that seemed to shake its entire existence. Yet, before confusion could take hold, something else reached it.

Warmth.

The first sensation to pierce the emptiness was warmth. Arms encircled its tiny body, drawing it close, while the rhythm of a heartbeat echoed against its ear.

The woman held tightly despite the astonishment written across her face.

Her hands trembled. Her breathing was uneven. Within her eyes dwelled confusion and bewilderment, as though she had anticipated one thing and received another entirely. Perhaps she had. However, regardless of expectation, one truth could not be denied.

The bond between them existed.

The child carried her blood. The child had grown within her. The child had emerged into the world from her body. And the first voice the soul had ever heard belonged to her.

Gradually, the crying ceased.

The tiny body relaxed. The trembling subsided. Within that embrace, the child found a small fragment of peace.

The soul remembered nothing of the void. Nothing of the sword. Nothing of the name that had been taken from it. Those things had seemingly drifted beyond reach.

Yet, there remained things that had not vanished.

.

.

.

"Really, what are you?"

The mother looked down at the child in her arms, her face etched with exhaustion and something that may have been fear.

She was young. Far younger than she had any right to be while cradling a newborn child. Her features still retained traces of a youth not yet fully eroded by hardship, while her brown hair and brown eyes were entirely ordinary. Hers was the sort of appearance that vanished amidst a crowd, one that failed to linger in memory no matter how many times one saw it.

The child she held was different.

Red hair blazed as a brilliant flame, possessing a vibrancy that seemed wholly unsuited for a newborn. It bore the color of fresh blood and dying embers alike, as though warmth itself had taken root atop the child's head.

Yet, even that was not what drew the eye most.

It was the eyes.

An impossible blue rested within them. Not the blue of gemstones. Not the blue of painted glass. A deeper shade. A shade vast enough to evoke the image of an endless sea beneath a cloudless sky, or the heavens themselves reflected upon tranquil waters.

The mother was surprised. That much was obvious.

The child's father had been an ordinary man. A commoner much like herself, a man she had met on a night clouded by excessive drink and poor judgment. Even now, the memory brought with it a pang of regret. Regardless of the affection she already felt for the child in her arms, there remained no denying that her circumstances had been born from carelessness.

As such, there was no reason for the child to possess such features.

No one within her family possessed hair of this shade. The shape of the child's face already seemed unfamiliar to her eyes, carrying traces of characteristics she couldn't identify. As for the man who had occupied her bed that night, he possessed none of these traits either. Black hair. Green eyes. A face so ordinary that recalling it required conscious effort.

She hadn’t even learned his name.

Nevertheless, there was no mistake. The child was hers. The child was her daughter. The connection between them was absolute, written into flesh, blood, and soul alike. No matter how strange the child's appearance may have been, no matter how impossible those crimson locks and azure eyes appeared, denying that bond was beyond possibility.

Yet that certainty brought little comfort.

The mother understood her own circumstances all too well. There was simply no future in which this child could experience an ordinary upbringing.

Having lost her chastity before the marriage arranged by her father could take place, she had fled before the truth could be exposed. Whether one viewed it as cowardice or desperation mattered little. At the time, it had been the only path she could see that allowed her to keep this small fragment of happiness.

As an adventurer, she had managed to earn enough coin for the two of them to rent a modest dwelling on the outskirts of town.

However, coin was finite. A newborn child couldn't be left unattended. Work required travel. Travel required leaving the child behind. And with each passing day, the funds she had painstakingly gathered dwindled further.

No matter how you looked at it, the future awaiting them was uncertain.

Thus, the mother held her daughter closer. She held her as though warmth alone could shield her from the hardships yet to come.

And as she stared into those impossibly blue eyes, eyes that seemed far too beautiful for the life awaiting their owner, tears silently spilled down her cheeks.

For the child's future. For her own helplessness. For the uncertainty of tomorrow.

.

.

.

Apparently, it identified itself as a female.

The child rested within her mother's embrace, her body small and fragile, while her mind remained a vast expanse of emptiness surrounding an absence she could neither identify nor comprehend.

She couldn’t understand the language.

The sounds emerging from the woman's mouth reached her ears clearly enough, yet they carried no meaning. They were merely vibrations. Mere arrangements of syllables. Sounds that should have conveyed thoughts, emotions, and intentions, yet instead brought only an awareness of something missing.

had already identified herself as a female infant.

That realization had arrived gradually, assembled piece by piece from observation alone. A body incapable of supporting its own weight. Hands too small to grasp properly. A voice limited to cries and incoherent sounds. All evidence pointed toward a singular conclusion.

She was a child.

Helpless. Dependent. Powerless.

"――"

Then came another realization.

A far more troubling one.

The sounds spoken by the woman should have been comprehensible.

The certainty arrived without hesitation.

The cadence of her speech felt familiar. The rhythm felt natural. Somewhere within the child's existence existed an instinctive certainty that these sounds possessed meaning.

Yet she understood none of it.

This woman had carried her.

This woman had given birth to her.

This woman was, by every conceivable definition, her mother.

Still, her mother's words remained incomprehensible.

The contradiction lingered.

Nothing possessed an awareness that no infant should have possessed, yet lacked the knowledge required to understand even the simplest conversation.

The discrepancy was profoundly unsettling. Although she could recognize objects, distinguish shapes, and identify people through observation alone, the names attached to those things remained inaccessible, leaving her with the sensation that perception and understanding had been forcibly severed from one another. It was as though something fundamental had been excised from her existence, leaving behind only fragments incapable of reconnecting into a complete whole.

Then, from somewhere deep within that confusion, a message surfaced.

Requesting Divine Protection...

It appeared naturally, emerging without warning and carrying with them a certainty that far exceeded anything else within her fragmented awareness. They didn’t feel foreign, nor did they feel learned. Rather, they felt intrinsic, as though they belonged to a part of herself that remained hidden beyond the reach of conscious thought.

Nothing screamed.

The cry tore free before she understood what was occurring, startling even herself as her mother's eyes widened in alarm. Immediately, the woman gathered her close, wrapping trembling arms around her tiny body while offering soft reassurances whose meaning remained beyond comprehension.

"Shh, shh."

Yet the warmth of that embrace failed to silence the thought.

Providing Divine Protection of...

The Will returned with greater insistence than before, demanding completion while stirring something at the very edges of her consciousness. Henceforth, the faint sensation that had accompanied it ceased to remain a mere curiosity, because hidden within it was a presence that felt both familiar and entirely unknown, as though something long forgotten had patiently awaited the moment of its return.

Leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave leave

Return...

Return...

Return...

As tears streamed down her face, Nothing was unable to understand why she was crying, what this being was attempting to provide, or why those words continued to repeat themselves with such relentless persistence. The explanation itself remained entirely beyond her comprehension, and yet the absence of understanding did nothing to weaken the strange certainty lingering within her, because although the meaning escaped her completely, the importance of it did not.

Return...

Return...

Connection request...

[DENIED]

The response arrived instantaneously.

It was an absolute declaration from a terrified child.

The plea was severed before completion, cut apart with such overwhelming finality that resistance became impossible.

Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away.

The rejection repeated without pause, crushing every attempt to pursue the thought further while her cries only intensified. Her tiny body trembled violently in her mother's arms, confusion and terror mingling together within a mind too immature to comprehend either.

Throughout it all, her mother continued to hold her close, whispering promises she couldn’t understand and offering comfort she could.

Gradually, the pleas weakened. The strange presence faded. The rejection ceased.

And when silence finally returned, the child remained nestled within her mother's embrace, exhausted beyond measure despite being incapable of understanding what had transpired.

Only peace remained.

.

.

.

The child's cries shattered the silence of the small room.

Sleep abandoned the mother instantly. Before her mind had fully emerged from its haze, her body was already moving, arms reaching toward the source of those desperate wails and gathering the tiny form into her embrace. The child trembled against her chest, her cries raw and frantic, carrying a distress that seemed wholly disproportionate to one so young.

"Shh, shh. I'm here. Mama's here."

Yet her soft voice failed to produce its desired effect. The child continued crying, and the mother could do nothing except hold her tighter.

What had frightened her so deeply?

The question possessed no answer. Another thought soon followed, however, a far more uncomfortable one.

The child still lacked a name.

An entire month had already passed since her daughter's birth, and during that time, she had delayed making a decision that should have been obvious. Every child received a name. Such was common sense. Such was tradition. Such was the first gift a parent offered to their child. A name was proof of existence. Proof that one belonged to the world. Proof that one was loved.

And despite loving her daughter more than anything else in existence, she had failed to provide even that because of weakness.

The guilt settled heavily upon her chest.

Why had she delayed? The answer was embarrassingly simple.

Fear.

Fear of becoming attached to something she might lose. Fear of investing hope into a future that might never arrive. Fear of acknowledging the reality that this child depended entirely upon her. Naming the child would make everything real. It would transform uncertainty into responsibility. It would force her to confront questions she had spent the past month desperately avoiding.

How would she provide for her?

How would she protect her?

What future could she possibly offer?

An adventurer who could barely support herself had suddenly become responsible for another life. And not just any life, her daughter's life. The daughter she already loved so fiercely that the mere thought of something happening to her made her chest ache.

The contradiction was unbearable.

She loved the child. That was precisely why she was afraid. Love didn't create money. Love didn't place food upon the table. Love didn't guarantee safety. No matter how much affection filled her heart, the world would remain indifferent to it.

"I'm sorry..."

The words escaped before she realized she had spoken them aloud. Immediately afterward came another, then another. Each apology carried a different meaning.

An apology for her weakness, an apology for her uncertainty, an apology for the future she feared she could never provide.

"……"

Tears gathered within her eyes.

Still, she continued holding the child close. Perhaps one day warmth alone could compensate for everything she lacked, perhaps one day love alone could somehow overcome reality.

Gradually, the child's cries weakened. The frantic sobs became whimpers. The whimpers became sniffles. Looking down, the mother found the child asleep, a single tear remaining upon her lashes, glistening faintly beneath the moonlight that slipped through the cracks in the wall.

Beautiful.

That was the only word that came to mind. The child was beautiful, beautiful enough to make her fear she would never be capable of protecting her from danger.

The mother lowered her head and pressed a gentle kiss against her daughter's forehead. Then she remained there, holding her, watching her breathe, listening to the steady rhythm of a life far more precious than her own.

As tears continued slipping silently down her cheeks, a single realization settled within her heart.

No matter how frightened she was. No matter how uncertain the future appeared. No matter how inadequate she felt.

She would continue trying.

This child was her daughter whom she loved dearly.

Far more dearly than herself.

.

.

.

Time passed.

Naturally, Nothing lacked the understanding necessary to measure it properly. Days, months, years, such distinctions possessed meaning only for those capable of comprehending them, and so to a child who had yet to grasp even the most basic foundations of language, the passage of time revealed itself not through numbers or calendars, but through change.

At first, those changes seemed insignificant. The ceilings differed, the walls differed, and even the smells lingering throughout the rooms in which she awoke differed as well, yet because each place still contained the same familiar figure waiting for her whenever she opened her eyes, those differences appeared too minor to warrant concern. A room was a room. A home was a home. So long as her mother remained there, everything else seemed secondary.

At least, that had been the conclusion she reached initially.

But, change possessed a tendency to accumulate.

The first home had possessed a proper bed. The second had possessed only a mattress laid upon the floor. The third had possessed neither. At first, these appeared to be isolated differences. Then the pattern became increasingly difficult to ignore.

The rooms grew smaller. The winters grew colder. The spaces they occupied became less welcoming with each move, while the number of belongings they carried alongside them decreased, objects that had once been treated as ordinary fixtures of daily life disappearing one after another until eventually their absence became more noticeable than their presence had ever been. One day something would be there. The next it would not. And after that, it never returned.

Though the child lacked the knowledge necessary to understand concepts such as money, employment, or poverty, she nevertheless witnessed their effects. The world around her was shrinking piece by piece, enough that even a child incapable of understanding the reason behind it could recognize the result.

With no signs of betterment, it was not only their surroundings that changed. The mother changed as well.

Unlike furniture or clothing, people were not so easily measured. Nevertheless, the evidence accumulated. The smiles remained, yet they required noticeably greater effort to produce than before, while the reassurances that had once flowed naturally now emerged carrying a strained quality that even someone incapable of understanding their meaning could somehow sense. Whenever her mother believed herself unobserved, the expression she wore would collapse into something weary and distant, only to recover moments later the instant she noticed her daughter looking in her direction.

The child lacked the vocabulary necessary to describe deception. Nevertheless, she understood its existence. The smile directed toward her and the face shown to the rest of the world were no longer the same.

Even so, her mother continued trying. Tomorrow would be better. Soon they would find stability. Soon everything would be alright. Though the exact meaning of those assurances escaped her understanding, they were repeated often enough that she began associating them with something positive, with the hope that tomorrow would somehow prove kinder than today.

Unfortunately, reality appeared unconvinced.

The day the strangers arrived made that abundantly clear. The woman who opened the door ceased being her mother for a moment and became something else entirely, her body stiffening as though every muscle had suddenly forgotten how to relax, fear surfacing upon her expression with such immediacy that even a child incapable of understanding language recognized it for what it was. Whatever reassurance had existed within the room only moments earlier vanished completely.

Several people stood beyond the doorway. Their clothing was expensive. Their expressions were not. One among them stood apart from the others, not because he was larger, not because he spoke louder, but rather because the rest unconsciously deferred to him, allowing him to move first, speak first, and enter first, displaying the sort of unquestioning compliance reserved for those who possessed authority over them.

Most tellingly, he entered without invitation. The confidence with which he crossed the threshold suggested a man who had spent his entire life believing that doors existed for other people.

A noble. Though she didn't know the word, some instinctive conclusion resembling it nevertheless formed.

Disgust accompanied every sentence, not openly, not to the extent that even a child would immediately recognize it, but through a hundred smaller details that together painted a picture far clearer than any individual gesture ever could. It revealed itself through narrowed eyes, through lips that curled whenever they settled upon her mother, and through the unmistakable satisfaction present in his voice whenever the conversation drifted toward subjects that caused her mother's expression to pale.

The more he spoke, the paler she became, while the hesitation that had initially characterized the behavior of the others gradually vanished, causing them to grow increasingly bold as the conversation progressed. What had begun as a tense confrontation started resembling something far closer to a public humiliation whose outcome had already been decided.

Throughout it all, the mother clung to her dignity only insofar as doing so didn’t endanger her daughter, enduring insults that would once have been met with outrage and allowing accusations that would once have demanded a response to pass unanswered. Whatever humiliation she suffered mattered little compared to the possibility of harm befalling the child standing behind her.

Even then, it was not enough. Nothing she offered proved sufficient, nothing she promised proved sufficient, and nothing she surrendered proved sufficient. The gap between what they demanded and what she could provide remained impossibly vast no matter how desperately she attempted to bridge it, until eventually the noble spoke once more, and whatever words emerged from his mouth caused something inside her to break.

Until that moment, she had still been attempting to negotiate, desperately, certainly, hopelessly, perhaps, yet she had still been negotiating. She had still believed that if she found the correct words, if she humbled herself further, if she endured just a little more, then some path forward might reveal itself. Afterward, that belief vanished. Though the distinction was subtle, it remained unmistakable nonetheless. What had previously been negotiation became pleading, and what had previously been desperation became outright fear, the final remnants of confidence abandoning her expression as she looked upon the people standing before her and realized that their minds had been made up long before they arrived.

Then the men moved.

Her mother stepped between them and her child, placing herself in the path of danger so naturally that it scarcely seemed a conscious decision. Indeed, there had never been any possibility of another outcome, for when faced with a choice between protecting herself and protecting her daughter, she chose her daughter with the same certainty that fire burned and water flowed.

The men seized her. She resisted, for doing otherwise would have required her to stop being a mother. Again she struggled. Again she broke free. Again she threw herself between them and her daughter. Each attempt weaker than the last, not because her determination had diminished, but because the body carrying that determination possessed limits that stubbornness alone could not overcome. Regardless of how fiercely the spirit burned, flesh remained flesh.

Victory had never been possible. A single woman could accomplish very little against several grown men, and regardless of how desperately she struggled, the disparity of strength between them was simply too great to overcome through determination alone. Yet even so she continued to resist, because mothers were stubborn creatures, because love rarely behaved rationally, and because surrender had never truly existed as an option for someone who still had a child to protect.

Throughout the entire affair, the noble merely watched. He didn't intervene, nor did he issue commands. The reason for that became increasingly apparent the longer one observed him, for intervention had never been necessary in the first place. The outcome had already been decided. The insults, the accusations, the curses wishing damnation upon her soul—all of it had merely been the formalities surrounding a conclusion reached long ago, a performance carried out for the benefit of those participating in it, while the ending itself remained unchanged from the moment the door had opened.

Then it happened.

And suddenly the world became smaller.

The woman who had always been there, the woman whose embrace had greeted every nightmare, whose voice had accompanied every waking moment, and who had remained the single constant amidst countless unfamiliar places and countless changes she lacked the words to understand, stopped moving.

At first, Nothing failed to see it. Naturally, there was no reason she would. People moved. People breathed. People spoke. Even when they slept, they eventually woke up again. That was how the world worked. That was how it had always worked.

And so she waited.

She waited through seconds that stretched uncomfortably long, through minutes that felt increasingly wrong, and through a silence that continued growing heavier with each passing moment. Yet despite all of it, her mother remained still. No matter how long she stared, nothing changed.

The room remained filled with voices afterward, the strangers continuing to speak as though nothing of consequence had occurred. Some laughed. Some mocked. Others condemned the dead with the confidence reserved for judgments that could no longer be challenged. Words such as sinner, whore, disgrace, and countless others were thrown carelessly upon the dead.

The child understood none of them. Not their meaning. Not their significance. Not the reasons they inspired such hatred.

The only thing she understood was what lay before her eyes.

No matter how loudly she cried. No matter how desperately she reached. No matter how tightly she clung to the unmoving body. Nothing happened. The familiar voice never answered. The familiar arms never wrapped around her. The familiar warmth never returned.

At some point the strangers left. At some point the room became quiet. At some point the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. Yet none of those things truly mattered, because the only thing that mattered was that her mother remained exactly where she had fallen.

Unmoving.

Unresponsive.

Gone.

For the first time since awakening within that unfamiliar world, Nothing encountered a reality that neither warmth nor affection nor tears possessed the power to overturn, a reality that didn’t care how desperately someone wished for a different outcome, that did not negotiate, that didn’t compromise, and that remained utterly indifferent to grief.

Death.

.

.

.

Nothing had been sold into slavery.

The noble had made sure of that himself, handing her directly to the trader with the cold efficiency of one disposing of unwanted goods. The trader, naturally, saw the opportunity in a possible bastard child. If she grew into a beautiful individual, she would be worth far more than an ordinary slave. It wasn't every day one encountered such a vibrant shade of hair and crystal-clear eyes the color of the skies.

However, a problem soon presented itself. Raising a child required resources, and resources required money, money the trader was not eager to spend on an investment that might not pay off for years. The logical decision would have been to sell her immediately while she was still young enough to fetch a decent price from the right buyer.

Yet the child's talent proved to be something else entirely.

Two years later, the reveal of her capabilities happened.

Her strength was remarkable, far beyond what should have been possible for a child her age. She could lift multiple crates at once, boxes that would have left grown men bent over and gasping. The slave driver, recognizing the utility of such strength, decided to keep her around for the manual labor she could provide.

Even so, the decision had not been an easy one.

Money remained a concern, for the trader's funds had to be stretched between feeding all his slaves, and every mouth that consumed without generating profit was a burden. Yet the child required little. She never complained, never demanded more than the bare minimum, and never caused trouble. She simply existed, moving crates when ordered and staring at the wall when not.

However, the other slaves didn’t see it that way.

To them, the child was an anomaly. A monster that consumed without contributing enough to justify her existence in their eyes. She received food that could have gone to someone more deserving, someone who worked harder, someone who at least had the decency to show pain or exhaustion or anything that might prove she was human.

She never flinched. She never cried. She never bled the way they bled, never broke the way they broke.

They began to hate her for it.

The children among them were the worst. Having been born into slavery or dragged into it at a young age, they had learned cruelty with the same inevitability that other children learned language, and because nobody had ever taught them kindness, they naturally gravitated toward the opposite.

They didn't understand that she was being fed precisely because her strength was invaluable. They didn't understand that the food she consumed was a necessary investment, not a gift. They only saw that she was different, and that difference was enough to make her a target.

The source of their hatred was difficult to identify, because it had little to do with anything she had actually done. Rather, it was the uncomfortable feeling her existence inspired within them, the sense that something about the world had gone terribly wrong when a person so quiet, so broken, and so fundamentally disconnected from life itself continued to draw breath while countless others struggled merely to endure another day.

And so the hatred festered.

The child noticed, in her own way, as the whispers of other slaves and the sharp resentment in their eyes became impossible to ignore. Yet the understanding never reached the place where emotions dwelled. It simply existed as knowledge, an awareness that she had somehow become an object of hatred without understanding why.

Still, she lifted the boxes.

Still, she endured the silence.

Because at some point, she had learned that the world would take everything from her, eventually. Her mother, her warmth, her voice, her understanding, all of it had been stripped away, piece by piece, until what remained was this hollow shell.

And she had learned that there was no comfort to be found in trying to reclaim what had been taken.

At some point, she would be sold.

At some point, she would be taken to another place, another cell, another endless procession of faces that would soon forget her, just as she would forget them.

At some point, she would cease to exist even in the memories of those who had hated her.

The hatred made her existence in this place worse, of course. Yet her hollow nature made it almost acceptable. She didn't have the capacity to be hurt by it in the same way that others did.

To endure. To survive. To continue through sheer, stubborn momentum.

And that was all she knew how to do.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Years later, what appeared before her was a beautiful sword, its polished blade reflecting the light with a brilliance that seemed almost familiar.

Something buried deep within her stirred.

And then Nothing remembered.

〈 The Death of a Hero 〉

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: ‘Eris’

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Rudeus focused on blocking the strikes of a bandit wielding an axe of all things.

It was already difficult enough when he had to use a real sword, whose weight was considerably greater than that of the wooden swords he normally trained with, causing his arm to ache slightly with every impact. Next to him, Sauros, Lord of the Boreas manor, was confronting the bandit leader with a saber, while one of the bandits flew past after receiving a powerful kick from Rein.

You might wonder how it ended up like this.

To put it simply, Rudeus had wanted to attend one of the noble meetings that Sauros and Rein occasionally went to, with Rein impersonating his granddaughter Eris, because he was curious about what such gatherings actually looked like and whether reality would provide him with any villainess tropes worth witnessing.

Hence, that wasn't the real reason for his decision.

Still, explaining that now would be far too much of a hassle.

Now, however, Rudeus understood why it was considered so important that Eris never attended those meetings. The caravan they were traveling in had been attacked by bandits. Even so, because Ghislaine wasn't present and Sauros appeared perfectly content allowing Rein to handle the majority of the fighting while he moved his old bones himself, the situation never became particularly dangerous.

Still, this Jii-san is pretty athletic for his age.

Judging by the laughter escaping Sauros as he exchanged blows with the bandit leader, the old man appeared to be enjoying himself far more than was reasonable.

Had the real Eris been present, he would have needed to divide his attention between fighting and protecting her alongside the guards.

Rudeus finally grew tired of crossing swords with a man more than twice his size, so he clenched his fist and the bandit, along with three others, became engulfed by stone that surged upward from the ground before sealing shut completely. What emerged was not merely a wall of rock, but a collection of prison-like cocoons that trapped their occupants within several layers of hardened earth, making escape virtually impossible without assistance from the outside.

In practice, it was a small prison that would probably make anybody claustrophobic long before they managed to break free.

Looking upon the result, Rudeus felt a considerable amount of satisfaction.

After all, four.

Four bandits had just disappeared from the battlefield.

Magic is amazing.

A swordsman needed to risk his life fighting opponents one after another. A magician, meanwhile, could simply point at a problem and remove half of it at once.

Hmm, hmm. I'm actually pretty incredible.

Honestly, if someone had told him a few years ago that he would one day neutralize half a group of bandits with a single spell, he probably would have assumed they were describing a video game.

The bandits who had been so confident at the outset of the assault were now either unconscious, trapped within stone, or fleeing into the treeline.

All in all, a successful encounter.

Rudeus's ego, which had been swelling over the preceding days, reached a new zenith.

Pun not intended.

Defeating the kidnappers alongside Rein and now dispatching these bandits, who could barely wield magic and were more akin to common thugs, had bolstered his self-assurance to an almost intoxicating degree. Furthermore, because Rein had ensured that none of the kidnappers met their end before his eyes, opting instead to knock them senseless or render them unconscious, Rudeus had never been forced to witness the sight of blood that might have lent the affair greater gravity.

"I'm glad you emerged unharmed."

Rein approached him, her unblemished form bearing no evidence of injury. Her lack of bruises told him she had encountered no difficulty whatsoever. Unlike Rudeus, however, there was no blade present in her hands. Thus far, she had only agreed to employ wooden swords or her bare fists.

"Indeed! What a strapping lad you are! You're a Greyrat through and through!"

"L-Lord Sauros?"

The praise was followed by Sauros vigorously rubbing his head, leaving Rudeus flustered at being treated like a child. It seemed Rein understood his discomfort, because in the next moment, the old man began doing the same thing to her, causing her cheeks to flush a faint crimson.

It was an awkward moment for both of them, as Sauros had clearly taken to doting on them. The old lord possessed a well-documented soft spot for children who were close to him.

"――Watch out!"

"Huh?!"

In that same instant, Rein was suddenly in his face. Her hand shot forward, and Rudeus heard a sharp thwack as she snatched an arrow that had been mere inches from permanently removing his eye.

“Agh…”

He fell backward onto his rear, heart pounding.

Rein's gaze narrowed in the direction from which the projectile had come. Without hesitation, she wound her arm back and launched the arrow with devastating force. A yelp echoed from the treeline, followed by the sound of impact. The bandit who had loosed the shot was now pinned to a tree by his own rags, his crossbow lying abandoned on the ground below.

I-It would have killed me...

If not for Rein's preternatural reflexes, the arrow would have pierced his eye socket and reached his brain, ending his life with no amount of Healing magic capable of saving him. Rudeus struggled to draw breath as the realization settled over him like a shroud.

“Haaa… haaa…”

Having seen the unacceptable scene, Sauros's expression darkened with murderous fury. Someone had dared to try and kill the boy.

“Inside!” He barked an order for them to enter the caravan.

Rudeus, still seated on the ground, could only watch in shock as Sauros advanced upon the pinned bandit. The old lord's saber found its mark without hesitation.

"Scum!"

Blood began to pour as the man screamed, the very bandit Rein had spared despite everything. And now he was being executed without mercy, his life extinguished because he had enraged Sauros.

Rein observed the scene with an unreadable expression while Rudeus's eyes dilated.

The screams would haunt him at night.

Soon, the man fell silent.

――He really is dead.

Rudeus thought while trembling, scarcely able to believe that Sauros had just tortured the man out of pure fury. He hadn't even noticed Rein crouching beside him.

"Let's go..."

Weakly, Rudeus nodded and remained silent, accepting her assistance this time.

Lord Sauros was not merely a soft grandfather archetype in the end, not to his enemies who dared to threaten what he considered his. The people of this world were aggressively protective of what they possessed. For Sauros, who had been raised in the cutthroat environment of nobility and had almost certainly lost individuals along the way in the game of politics, he could transform into a brutal killer if his peace was endangered.

No hesitation had been present in his cold gaze as he gutted the bandit responsible for attempting to kill Rudeus.

Is Philip the same? Would Paul act similarly if circumstances demanded it? To escape it, maybe that's why he became an adventurer...

Rudeus turned his gaze toward the girl who had helped him enter the caravan while he grappled with what had transpired. She had wanted to spare the bandit. He didn't know how to feel about it. That man had been trying to kill him.

"Why... why did you spare him, Rein?"

What's different about you?

Before being reborn in this fantasy world, Rudeus had lived in a modern society where such merciless acts were heavily frowned upon, this remained difficult to accept. If, even in self-defense, you killed a man who was about to end your life, then...

That was what Rudeus was asking in that moment.

“I know what it means to take a life, and I would rather avoid doing so whenever possible."

She said this and entered the caravan without looking back at him.

For Rein, who was capable of bisecting a grown man with a single swipe of her hand, the act of taking a life had long since ceased to be something distant or hypothetical. During the time she spent repelling three great nations at the age of eight in her previous life, countless had fallen by her hand in the name of protecting her kingdom. The accumulation of those deeds eventually led to her being designated a national threat, a status significant enough that an entire law had been established around her existence, one whose violation carried the risk of war itself.

The consequences remained real.

No matter how noble the reason, no matter how justified the circumstances, the dead remained dead.

And that was precisely why Rein believed those words should have created distance between them.

“……”

It had been a long time since the man reincarnated as Rudeus had found himself facing such an awkward atmosphere, uncertain of what to say. Unknown to him, Rein had deliberately chosen those words in the hope that he would fear approaching her. Surely, after hearing something like that, he would stop seeking her out, stop asking her to train with him, and eventually conclude that she was nothing more than a murderer.

"Thank you."

Instead, her eyes widened at the unexpected appreciation, having anticipated distrust, perhaps even revulsion, after she had allowed the man to live.

" ...For what reason? Why would you thank me?"

"That's... you still looked out for me even while fighting. How else would you have stopped that arrow? Even if you chose not to kill him, I'm sure that if he had tried to attack again, you would have protected me."

That was far too close.

If he had died here, seeing people like Roxy, Zenith, Sylphie, and the others would have become impossible. The fear of that death, of permanent cessation, caused him to be grateful rather than horrified.

Dying in a traffic accident had already been enough.

It was the reasoning of someone who, if you remembered correctly, had planned to have Eris kidnapped in order to teach her a lesson. There was no way someone like that was not a manipulative piece of shit.

However, instead of falling for it, Rein stared at him without uttering a word, making him worry that she might have seen through him despite his good intentions.

It was like eating something sour, Rudeus realized, because that same girl had smiled while training with him, even if only for a moment.

Soon Sauros entered the caravan and they both resumed their journey toward the noble meeting.

During the road, Rudeus tried to excitedly point out nice views outside, but Sauros was the only one who conversed with him freely, agreeing with him or regaling him with various stories. He also warned Rudeus to inform him if his son, Philip, planned something in the future that involved him, to which the reincarnation reluctantly agreed not to get on the lord's bad side, knowing that Sauros cared for him in some way—or at least viewed him in a favorable light.

"Rein-sensei, would you like to learn some Japanese?"

At that, she turned some attention toward him. Finally!

Rudeus explained that it was a language from a distant age, one that nobody in the present day was capable of reading.

"Hmph. Then it's worthless."

"Haha..."

That was too harsh! You know, if I wrote something in Japanese, nobody here would be able to read it either. That doesn't make it worthless, you old man.

"May I see it?"

Unlike Sauros, who had immediately dismissed the idea, Rein responded with genuine interest. Shortly afterward, she moved from her seat and settled beside him, directing her attention toward the notebook.

"See? Here is my notebook."

He took out the one he carried with himself if he wanted to remember important information. The fantasy world didn't have cell phones, so it wasn't possible to use anything but paper and pen. In his case, it was some type of pencil made from this world's minerals.

"Oh…"

Upon seeing the Japanese Kanji symbols, Rein's eyes fell and showed a hint of disappointment. Rudeus could clearly tell she didn't understand a single word.

"Would you like to learn it?"

"……"

It seems she isn't interested after all.

Rudeus sighed.

"What do you plan to do with that, boy?" Sauros, who had stayed silent until now, decided to speak up. He had begun to see something intriguing in this gibberish Paul's son was writing.

"You see! I took it to write down some important information from a noble meeting! It's my first time attending something like that! I don't want to forget it."

If Rudeus managed to impress him, then maybe he would get something in return later.

"Hmph! First and foremost, remember not to speak your true name. If someone discovers you are the son of Paul Greyrat, that information will surely spread. Use a different name."

“Is this really so important?”

"Fool!"

Sauros slammed a hand against the wood, making the caravan shake.

“A name carries influence! The moment people hear you're related to Paul, they will only see Paul's son. They'll judge you based on his reputation, his accomplishments, and his mistakes before you've even opened your mouth!"

Having thoroughly captured everyone's attention, the old lord continued his explanation with the confidence of a man who considered his opinion self-evident.

Paul's true name was Paul Notos Greyrat, born from a high-ranking noble family in the Asura Kingdom. After a violent confrontation with his father, he abandoned the Notos name and became an adventurer. However, the political landscape of Asura nobility was not so forgiving of such rebellions.

The Boreas and Notos families were rival branches of the Greyrat bloodline. If the Notos faction were to learn that Paul's son, a potential claimant to the Notos succession, was being fostered within the Boreas household, it could be misinterpreted as a calculated scheme to raise a rival heir. After all, Paul's younger brother Pilemon, who had become head of the Notos family following Paul's departure, was widely considered cowardly and incompetent by his own retainers. Many within the Notos domain murmured that things would have been better if Paul had remained head of the house.

That sentiment alone made Rudeus's existence dangerous. If the wrong people learned who he truly was, he could become a pawn in a power struggle he had never asked to be part of, or worse, a target for elimination.

Rudeus swallowed hard and nodded. "Understood, Lord Sauros. I'll use a different name."

"Good! Now, let us proceed. And boy, stay close to Rein. She is far more capable than she appears."

Rudeus glanced at the redhead beside him, who had returned to her characteristic silence and stared outside. 

Far more capable than she appears... That's one way to put it.

For a moment, Rudeus wondered why Sauros had agreed to bring him along, but it made sense upon reflection. Rudeus was Eris's cousin, meaning Sauros wanted to secure his goodwill as well, especially with the knowledge that Rudeus would inevitably become a powerful magician in the future. Particularly given the information that his most loyal asset, Rein, had been feeding him.

If someone was to introduce Rudeus to the harsh reality of nobility, Sauros wanted to be the one to do it first, thereby preventing his fox of a son from seizing that opportunity.

Were it not for Rein's existence, perhaps Sauros would have softened into a man who could scarcely care less for Philip's machinations and simply enjoyed his remaining years in peace. However, because of her presence, he had managed to achieve far more of his plans than he could have otherwise, keeping his mind as sharp as tempered steel.

"Put it on, Rein!"

Sauros declared as they drew closer to their destination. Rudeus saw him holding out some sort of talisman.

"What's that?"

What appeared there was a magical tool, an item infused with mana that operated independently of its user's own reserves. It was, in essence, a battery that could be discharged and recharged by a mage at regular intervals.

The principle behind it was remarkably similar to the magical implements Roxy had once described, devices with magic circles inscribed within them, enabling even non-magicians to make use of their properties. The key distinction was that these talismans stored mana rather than channeling it, functioning much like a glass bottle that could be filled and emptied as needed.

Rudeus's eyes widened with genuine fascination. 

A battery! It's literally a battery! No, even better, it's a self-contained magical power source.

Rein accepted the talisman and fastened it around her neck. The effect was immediate and dramatic. Her appearance shifted before Rudeus's eyes as if reality itself had been rewritten. Her hair darkened to a deeper crimson, her features sharpened considerably, and she grew a few inches taller, though not excessively so. What stood before him now was unmistakably Eris Boreas Greyrat, down to the defiant tilt of her chin and the arrogant gleam in her eyes.

"Woah!"

Rudeus practically vaulted forward, his earlier shock forgotten in the face of such marvel.

Hmm, amazing. How does it work? Is it an illusion?

A physical transformation? Does it alter her bone structure or merely project a different image over her existing form? Does she feel the change? Can she see through the altered eyes? Does the talisman need to be in constant contact with her skin, or does proximity suffice? What's the recharge rate? How much mana does it consume per use?

"Does it—does it hurt?!" he blurted out instead, catching himself before he could fire off the torrent of questions waiting at the tip of his tongue. "When you transform, do you feel anything?"

“Oh.” Rein blinked at him and shook her head. "It’s but a change in appearance."

"A magical tool that stores mana," Rudeus hummed, his mind racing. "It doesn't require the user to provide their own magical power. It just... uses what's already inside it."

Sauros let out a gruff laugh. "You catch on quick, boy! That talisman was enchanted by a magician in the capital. Rein can walk into any room wearing that, and not even the sharpest-eyed noble will know the difference."

Not even the sharpest-eyed noble. And Rein's true identity is hidden. That's why she's used as a decoy. That's why Eris calls her "spare." Because she can become Eris at a moment's notice. And no one would ever suspect.

"Could I—" Rudeus hesitated, then pressed on. "Could I see it? The talisman? After the meeting, I mean. Just to examine it."

Sauros raised an eyebrow.

"The boy's a scholar," Sauros said, cutting him off with a dismissive wave. "Fine! After the meeting, you can have a look!"

Rudeus forced himself to remain calm, though his fingers itched to grab the talisman and study it then and there.

"Thank you, Lord Sauros! I promise I won't damage it!"

"Hmph! See that you don't."

The caravan continued its journey. Rudeus spent the remainder of the ride stealing glances at the now-transformed Rein, his mind churning with possibilities.

A magical tool that acts like a….

If I could learn how to make those, truly make them rather than merely knowing they exist, then the possibilities would be endless. Self-powered magical dolls, realistic illusions that could maintain themselves for hours, entire fantasy scenarios brought to life without constantly supplying Mana, elaborate roleplaying experiences, custom appearances, custom personalities...

The grin slowly spreading across Rudeus's face became increasingly difficult to justify as academic curiosity.

...Calm down! Calm down! I shouldn't get ahead of myself. I don't even understand the basics of enchanting. This is going to take years of study. Years of trial and error. Years of—

Then again, history suggested that Rudeus Greyrat became alarmingly productive whenever his interests aligned with his hobbies. The figurines hidden within his room served as undeniable proof of that fact.

Maybe I can ask Roxy for help in my next letter. She might know something about magical tools. Or at least know someone who does.

"Lord Sauros, we have arrived."

The voice belonged to Alphonse, the head butler of the Boreas noble family, his tone carrying the practiced neutrality of one who had announced such arrivals countless times before.

With a buoyant step, Rudeus made to follow Rein and Sauros, only to be halted by the butler's outstretched arm.

"Sir Rudeus, please follow me."

"Eh?"

"We must see to your attire so that you do not appear conspicuous."

Say what? I thought I looked rather presentable.

Apparently, the reason he had been summoned by Alphonse was precisely as Sauros had cautioned; he was not meant to be present under the name of Rudeus Greyrat.

"Here is your uniform, Sir Rudeus."

Alphonse handed him a black butler's uniform, tailored to fit his modest stature, before withdrawing. "Should you require my assistance, please do not hesitate to ask."

Rudeus grumbled as he began to change.

Alright, so I am Rudi the aspiring butler now.

That was his false identity. Who could have guessed it would end up as this kind of trope? He supposed he would have to act like those butlers from anime who stood silently in corners, observing everything while revealing nothing.

Fortunately, that was within his capabilities. Simply standing by and looking vaguely intimidating, despite being a child, would suffice. A passable imitation of Sebastian Michaelis, if one squinted and ignored the obvious age discrepancy.

The chamber into which they were eventually ushered was not, as Rudeus had anticipated, a formal meeting room. It was a banquet hall, lavishly decorated, brimming with nobles whose silken garments and glittering jewellery spoke of wealth that dwarfed even the Boreas estate. Crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceiling, their candlelight dancing across the assembled guests like captured stars.

This is not a meeting. This is a party.

The Asura Kingdom, he knew from his brief readings, was the wealthiest and most influential nation in the world . Its abundance of natural resources and relatively low number of monsters compared to other continents made it uniquely favorable for economic development. The capital, Asura, named after the legendary hero of old, was the largest city in the world, famous for its Silver Palace and the temples of Saint Milis .

However, beneath the surface of this prosperity lurked a tangled web of intrigue.

To phrase it differently, this was a world where a single misstep could unravel a family's fortunes, and where information was currency more valuable than gold.

And here Rudeus was, attempting to pass himself off as a servant.

So a noble society, huh? It's like a visual novel ballroom scene, but with more political backstabbing and fewer romance flags… and more red flags. Though I guess the romance flags are probably there too, hidden behind all these formal bows and fake smiles.

It was a very, very strange experience for Rudeus, who had never in his life attended such important events. For a NEET like him, even the graduation ceremony in high school had been terrifying! That was why he was nervous inside, and it showed in his exterior, a slight stiffness in his shoulders, a rigidness in his posture that betrayed his discomfort.

"Boy! There you are!"

The booming voice cut through the ambient chatter like a blade through silk. Rudeus snapped to attention, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"Ahem, it's a pleasure to meet you." He bowed in the manner Philip had taught him on his first day at the manor, one hand pressed to his chest, head inclined at the proper angle. "My name is Rudi, the attendant of Lady Eris Boreas Greyrat."

"Hmmm."

Sauros eyed him scrutinizingly, his gaze sharp and appraising. For a long, agonizing moment, Rudeus felt as though the old lord was peeling back every layer of his disguise, seeing straight through the fabricated identity to the nervous reincarnator beneath. Then, the corner of Sauros's mouth twitched upward.

"Acceptable!"

A wave of relief washed over Rudeus. "Thank you!"

"Servant, stay close to Eris. Otherwise, you will make a fool of yourself."

To have a butler who was far from his lady would be suspicious and would reveal the weakness of the Boreas family. A household that couldn’t even keep its servants properly positioned. In the cutthroat world of Asuran nobility, such a lapse would be exploited mercilessly.

"Understood!"

Rudeus straightened his posture and moved to position himself near Eris, or rather, near the figure who now wore Eris's face. The transformation was so complete that even he, knowing the truth, found himself doing a double take.

She really does look exactly like Eris. The hair, the eyes, the stature. If I didn't know better, I'd swear it was actually her. The talisman is so cool!

He stood at attention, hands clasped behind his back, doing his best impression of a proper servant. The nobles around him paid him little mind, after all, what was one more attendant in a sea of servants? He was invisible, forgettable, precisely as a spy should be.

...Wait. Why is that noblewoman staring at me?

A portly woman in an ornate gown had fixed him with an appraising gaze, her eyes narrowing as she studied his face, specifically his eyes and hair. Rudeus felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple.

Don't panic. She's probably just curious. A child butler is unusual. That's all. Nothing to worry about.

The woman began to approach.

Oh no. Oh no, no, no. She's coming over here. Why is she coming over here?

She stopped before him, her painted lips curving into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "You must be new. I don't recall seeing you at the previous gatherings."

Rudeus swallowed the lump in his throat and forced his voice to remain polite. "I am a recent addition to Lady Eris's retinue, my lady. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."

The woman's smile widened. "A recent addition, you say? And so young. Tell me, boy, what do you think of our fair city?"

What do I think of the city? What kind of question is that? I've barely seen any of it. I've been cooped up in the manor for months. I don't—

Wait. Is this a test? Is she checking to see if I'm legitimate? Or is she just making small talk?

"The city is most impressive, my lady. The walls are a testament to the strength of the kingdom, and the markets offer a remarkable variety of goods." Now I'm just making things up. But it sounds plausible. I think.

"Hmph." She studied him for another moment, then turned away without another word.

Rudeus exhaled slowly.

Ugh, that was annoying!

He immediately repositioned himself to follow after 'Eris,' maintaining the proper distance of a dutiful attendant. The crowd of nobles swirled around him like a current of silk and perfume, their conversations a discordant symphony of pleasantries and hidden barbs.

How hard can it be to follow one person through a crowded room?

"Excuse me, young one."

A hand touched his shoulder. Rudeus turned to find a servant holding out a silver goblet.

"This is a drink for Lord Sauros. As his butler, please see that he receives it."

“Oh. Of course.” Rudeus blinked. "I'll take it to him immediately."

He accepted the goblet without thinking, his mind already occupied with the task at hand. The servant nodded once and vanished into the crowd, leaving Rudeus holding the drink.

Well, that was convenient. Sauros must have sent someone to fetch a drink for him. Probably too busy schmoozing with the other nobles to get it himself. I should deliver this quickly.

He began weaving through the crowd, searching for the old lord's distinctive form.

I wonder how the alcohol from another world tastes like.

Rudeus had been raised on a farm, essentially. His home had been located on terrain used for harvesting, which meant he had no connection to expensive wine or anything of that sort.

It probably tastes terrible. All alcohol tastes terrible. But there's something about the forbidden nature of it that makes you want to try anyway. Even if you know better.

Like making you feel better.

He spotted Sauros's general location, or rather, the spot where Sauros had been a moment ago. The old lord was gone. He must have excused himself with some other nobles.

Great. Now I have to track him down. What a pain. Maybe I can just... hold onto it until he reappears? No, that would look weird.

He glanced down at the goblet. The liquid inside was a deep amber, swirling gently with the motion of his steps.

...Just a tiny sip. To see what it tastes like. No one will notice. I'm supposed to be delivering it anyway. If someone sees me, I can just say I was checking its temperature. Or something…

Before he could raise the goblet to his lips, a familiar voice cut through his thoughts.

"Rudi, may I have a sip?"

He looked up to find 'Eris' standing before him, her hand extended expectantly. For a moment, he nearly protested, this was Sauros's drink, after all, but then he remembered: she was supposed to be Sauros's granddaughter.

"O-Oh, well. I suppose?"

He handed over the goblet without further thought.

"Hmmm…"

'Eris' took a sip, her expression betraying nothing. Then, without a word, she turned and began walking away, with the goblet still in her grasp.

"Please wait for a moment."

"Where…?"

A bit nervous to be left there, he followed after her, weaving through the crowd until they emerged onto a balcony.

'Eris' approached the railing and, without ceremony, tilted the goblet toward the abyss. The amber liquid cascaded into the darkness, vanishing from sight.

"What are you doing?"

"——It's poison."

Huh? What did she say?

His heart stopped. Rudeus paled. Surely he had misheard. There was no way, no way, right?

Indeed, seeing the nervous tick in the young boy, Rudeus was approached with the intent to poison his own lord. If Sauros had died here, in the middle of a gathering filled with nobles, merchants, and political rivals, the resulting chaos would have been impossible to contain.

More importantly, Philip's position would become considerably more unstable. As the heir apparent to the Boreas legacy, he would be thrust into a position of leadership he had not yet fully prepared for. His enemies, both within and without the family, would seize upon the opportunity to undermine him. His allies would question his ability to protect them. And all the while, the question of who had orchestrated Sauros's murder would hang over his head like a blade waiting to fall.

Whether one liked the old man or not, Sauros remained the foundation supporting much of the family's influence within the Fittoa Region. Remove that foundation, and everything resting upon it would begin to shake.

"But you… you drank it?!"

He knew that 'Eris' had taken a sip to check it.

"Please don't worry." She reassured him, seeing his concern. "This level of poison is not particularly dangerous to me."

Even without the Divine Protection of Detoxification nullifying any internal factors that might put her in danger, Rein's body was still durable and strong enough to hold a massive amount of it and function properly. At her age, her strength and body were still much, much more than that of a dragon and beyond, absurdly beyond. Though an important notice here is that this comparison exists because dragons are considered one of the strongest beings, not because Rein herself had measured it through something like arm wrestling with an actual dragon.

The most effective way to poison someone in such a setting is to approach them early when they are overwhelmed by everything, and the second is to catch them when they are drunk at the end.

In the end, Rudeus could only watch the back of the girl with a troubled face.

.

.

.

With that, the party concluded with Rudeus remaining steadfastly at 'Eris's' side, having observed how the other attendants conducted themselves. The experience had apparently spooked him sufficiently to dissuade further independent ventures.

After reverting to his previous attire, Rudeus arrived at a single, inescapable conclusion.

Nobles are a handful of bastards and serpents.

How ironic of you, Rudeus Greyrat. Someone might say.

Soon, he joined 'Eris' in one of the chambers where Alphonse had previously resided.

"Hey, Rein-sensei, can I touch your face?" He addressed her by her true name casually, confident that no one was eavesdropping.

"——my face?" She inquired, pivoting to face him, her expression betraying genuine puzzlement.

"Yes! I wished to observe how this illusion actually functions. Is that permissible?" He deployed his most innocent tone, the very picture of scholarly curiosity.

"Oh, alright."

Knowing that Rudeus possessed a strong interest in magic, 'Eris' readily agreed, perceiving no harm in allowing him to examine it.

So this is the effect of this magical tool?

The texture of her face felt peculiar, as though some manner of facial coating had been applied.

Woah, so soft!

The illusion was remarkable. Upon closer inspection, he could perceive the faint shimmer of magic at work, like heat haze distorting the air, subtle yet unmistakable. But beneath it all, her actual features remained unchanged, concealed just beneath the surface.

“What an intriguing enchantment. I wonder how far it extends?”

He still maintained the pretense of scholarly investigation.

"Did it help?"

Her voice punctured his reverie.

"Ah! Yes! Yes, I believe so. The illusion is very convincing. Very well-made. The craftsmanship is exceptional. I've learned a great deal."

He withdrew his hand calmly. His expression was composed, professional, and entirely innocent of any ulterior motive.

"I see. Then I will go locate Lord Sauros."

She turned and walked away, leaving Rudeus alone.

Hehehe. Smooth. Very smooth. I managed to get some quality research time in AND enjoy the softness of her skin. Two birds with one stone. Truly, I am a master of multitasking.

“...Wait.” Did he actually learn anything?

He paused, trying to recall the details of the enchantment.

...Huh. I was too busy enjoying the texture. I didn't actually pay attention to the magical structure. Oops.

“The things I do for magical research.”

He shook his head, a wry smile playing at his lips.

A true Greyrat, this little shit was.

.

.

.

It was the middle of the night.

Upon the rooftop of the manor, a solitary figure with red hair sat in contemplative silence. Her name was Rein.

"——It has grown again since the last time."

Far away in the distant night sky, invisible to most from such a remove, a red sphere resembling a miniature sun was accumulating an obscene quantity of magical energy. Its radiance pulsed with an ominous rhythm, as though the very heavens were incubating something terrible.

When it had first manifested, Rein had been prepared to investigate its origins, only to have Lord Sauros seize her shoulder with surprising firmness.

"I have no intention of dispatching my most valuable asset into potential peril, girl. That anomaly can afford to wait. You cannot be replaced."

Although he had asserted there was no cause for alarm, his choice of words betrayed a disquiet he wouldn’t openly acknowledge.

“…..”

Had he truly believed his own reassurances, such phrasing would have been unnecessary.

——Troubling.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Reinhard van Astrea

It's been hard.

Rudeus lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind churning with the events of the past few months.

He had managed to get Eris to actually study, but now she wouldn't stop pestering him about the so-called Battle Aura. Eris was obsessed. He was supposed to be teaching her magic, but instead she had become fixated on Rein's abilities. The plan had been simple. Use a trope, make her competitive, and channel that energy into learning. It had worked. And then it had backfired spectacularly.

The problem is that I can’t even manipulate the mana in my body to strengthen it.

When he had heard that Paul could do something like that, enhance his physical abilities with mana, he had tried to replicate it. He had focused, concentrated, imagined the energy flowing through his muscles. Nothing. Not even a flicker.

The reason was most likely not a lack of imagination.

As a child, when he had first studied A Textbook of Magic, learning spells had become easier not just through practice, but through his creative understanding of the processes involved. Water magic had made sense to him because he could imagine water's composition. He knew, from his previous life, that water was H₂O, two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom. He could picture the molecules aligning, the hydrogen bonds forming, the liquid taking shape. Fire was the rapid oxidation of materials, releasing heat and light. When he created a Fireball, he imagined combustible gases igniting, the energy released in a controlled burst of flames.

Wind magic was the manipulation of gases. He could picture the air currents swirling, the pressure differentials forming, the invisible forces that moved leaves and stirred storms. Earth magic was the shaping of minerals, the rearranging of atoms and molecules into new forms. Understanding the principles behind the elements made them easier to control.

And yet, there were many things he had no idea about. Healing magic, for instance, he still needed incantations for simply because he didn’t understand the process properly. It just didn’t make sense to him. How did a green light mend flesh? Did cells duplicate themselves faster? Was it accelerating the body's natural healing? Or was it something else entirely, some fundamental principle he had no idea of? Without that understanding, he couldn’t silently cast Healing spells, because silent spellcasting required a clear mental image of the mechanism itself, not just the spell's effect.

Strictly speaking, the process of silent spellcasting followed a threefold calculation in the caster's mind. First, the caster called forth the shape of the spell they wished to use. Second, there was a window of time where they could add additional magical power to impact its size. Third, after the size had been determined, there was another window for the caster to adjust the spell's velocity. Then, finally, the caster released the finished spell from their hand. To cast silently, you had to hold that entire process in your head and understand the why behind each step. The incantation acted as an activation trigger. It created the effect without requiring the caster to focus on the mana coursing through their body. But if you wanted to skip the incantation, you had to replace it with understanding. And Rudeus didn’t understand healing.

Maybe that's why I can't use Battle Aura either.

It wasn't exactly that. Yet, at the same time, the truth was not something Rudeus Greyrat could uncover so early.

Ugh, what a pain. I can cast Saint-tier magic without chanting, but giving myself a simple strength boost is too much? It's like being able to build a nuclear reactor but not knowing how to change a lightbulb.

Battle Aura was the manipulation of mana within the body to enhance physical abilities. Ghislaine had explained it. Perfect control of one's own body, mastery of movements, breathing, posture. The flow of mana through the body had to become second nature.

Apparently, it was supposed to be instinctual for experienced warriors. Rudeus had learned to push mana out, to shape it into fire and water and earth. He had never learned to hold it in, to circulate it through his muscles and bones like a second bloodstream.

I focused so much on magic that I never thought about the other side of it. What mana could do inside me. If this were a game, I would have invested all my skill points into the magic tree and ignored the physical tree entirely. Classic newbie mistake.

"Ugh! So annoying!"

And so, he rolled on his bed, running a hand through his disheveled brown hair in annoyance.

Maybe I should have paid more attention to Paul's sword training. Then again, he wasn't exactly a good teacher. His advice was usually something like "just swing harder" or "feel the flow." Feel the flow? What is that supposed to mean, you shitty old man? It's like trying to learn a combo from someone who just says "press the buttons."

A small sigh escaped his lips.

Still, I can't help but feel like I'm missing something obvious. Master Roxy always said that magic was about understanding. From what I learned, if you truly comprehend what you're doing, the incantation becomes unnecessary. So what am I not understanding about Battle Aura? How does mana actually strengthen muscles? What is the mechanism?

At this rate, he would have to build magical armor that strengthened the wearer, he joked to himself.

...This is why I hate biology. In my previous life, I was more interested in the specifications of my computer than the specifications of my own body. And now it's coming back to bite me.

A Textbook of Body Enhancement or something like that. Roxy would have one, or at least know where to find one.

But Roxy was far away, and he was stuck here trying to teach a violent redhead who would rather punch him than learn arithmetic.

Well, at least Eris is finally studying. That's something, right?

Rudeus needed a distraction.

The conclusion had already been reached. Continuing to think about Battle Aura would accomplish nothing beyond giving him a headache, because regardless of how many times he reconsidered the problem, the answer remained unchanged. He couldn't use it. He didn't understand it. And unfortunately, understanding appeared to be a rather important prerequisite for learning it.

As such, Rudeus made his way through the manor's corridors while searching for something capable of redirecting his thoughts away from the ever-growing list of things he apparently couldn't do.

Maybe I should just give up on the whole battle mage idea. Who needs physical enhancement anyway? I can just blow things up from a safe distance. That's the smart way to fight. Let the idiots with swords get close and get themselves killed. I'll stand back and—

——Bump.

The impact was sudden and unexpected, his momentum carrying him forward before he managed to catch himself.

"My, I apologize for bumping into you, Master Rudeus."

Woooooaaaaaaaah! A cat girl! Errr, a cat woman!

"No, no, it's my fault for not looking where I was going," he apologized, barely managing to suppress the grin spreading across his face before looking up, only to realize he didn't recognize the maid. "Pardon my rudeness, but may I ask your name?"

Even then, he did his best to remain polite. His time at the noble gathering, along with everything he had learned while living in the manor, had taught him a great deal about noble etiquette and how one ought to present oneself.

"Oh dear, how polite of you." The maid seemed genuinely pleased to witness such behavior. "This servant's name is Lora. Please let me know if you need anything in the future. From what I understand, you are the tutor who teaches the Young Mistress?"

"Yeah, I... I try my best."

"Yes, yes, I can see it. I congratulate you on your work and wish you the best in your future endeavors." Then, she passed him and headed for the kitchen. "I'm also grateful for all you have done for little Rein. If you wish for anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

…Little Rein?

"——W-Wait a moment, please."

"Hmm?" The maid stopped and turned to him. "Is there something you need?"

"You know Rein-sensei?"

Lora quirked a brow at the unusual word.

"Naturally, I know every maid in the manor."

...That wasn’t what he meant.

Seeing his furrowed brow, Lora, who had witnessed such a complicated expression, smiled. The intent behind that smile was unmistakable. She knew exactly what was going through his head and became positively smug at the realization that she knew precisely what he was thinking.

Then, she bowed her head, showing her appreciation.

"Follow me if you wish to know more."

"Thank you!"

Because her original path had been toward the kitchen, Rudeus found himself following her there. He hoped they wouldn't mind the intrusion, but much to his confusion, no one was present.

"Why is it empty?"

"The Boreas estate doesn't have chefs," Lora explained. "Meals are cooked by the maids, as our lord prefers beast kin to take care of meal preparation."

Those lucky bastards! They even have all those beautiful maids cooking food for them!

It was so absurdly luxurious that Rudeus couldn't help the sheer jealousy swelling within his chest. Being nobility meant this kind of extravagant lifestyle!

But also, being nobility meant being possibly poisoned and having your enemies try to eliminate you in the most cunning way imaginable.

That's... I still didn't thank her properly for that.

Because of the shock that had coursed through his body when Rein, who was acting as Eris, drank the toxin Rudeus had been about to sip from, he had been too stunned to react appropriately. The moment had passed in a blur, his mind struggling to process what had just occurred before the reality of it could fully set in.

In retrospect, he was utterly grateful she had been there to stop him. He had stepped on so many death flags lately, and she had saved him... how many times now? Three!

The first time had been when an assassin had nearly filled him with knives. The second had been when an arrow had been inches from penetrating his eye socket. And the third had been when he had foolishly been about to drink poison intended for someone else, all because of his ignorance regarding just how many snakes had been hiding at that party.

He had been used. Thoughtlessly, carelessly used. And he hadn't even noticed until it was almost too late.

That was extremely frustrating, because he was almost forty-two years old if he added his life on Earth and this world together. Forty-two years of experience, and yet he had nearly walked into a trap as obvious as a cliff covered in fog.

And still, I didn't say anything. I just stood there like an idiot. What is wrong with me?

He pushed the guilt aside and retreated into his fantasies once more. It was a coping mechanism he had relied upon for years, one that allowed him to distance himself from pain whenever reality became too difficult to face.

That’s right…

Beautiful beast-maids preparing favorite meals, attending to every need, their ears twitching and tails swaying as they worked. The mental image alone was enough to make his past self-weep with envy.

And here he was, a reincarnated former shut-in whose culinary standards had once revolved around instant ramen, convenience store bentos, and whatever required the least possible effort to prepare, while these people employed an entire staff of beast maids whose sole responsibility was producing gourmet meals every single day.

...Though, I suppose I'm technically nobility now too. So maybe I should be enjoying this instead of complaining?

No, wait. I'm the tutor. The hired help. I'm basically a servant with a fancier title. I don't get to enjoy the luxury. I teach a brat how to divide numbers.

Life is cruel.

"I can see the jealousy written plainly across your face, young master," Lora observed, her tail swaying with amusement. "Would you like something to eat?"

"...Yes, please."

Lora smiled knowingly and turned toward the counter, her hands moving with practiced efficiency as she gathered ingredients.

Rudeus watched in silence, his earlier frustration slowly ebbing away. There was something oddly calming about watching someone cook with such effortless grace. It reminded him of Zenith, of the way she would hum softly while preparing meals back in Buena Village.

Of simpler times. Of home.

"Ahem." Rudeus shook his head, clearing the nostalgia away. "If you don't mind me asking, Miss Lora... how did you come to know Rein?"

"Hm?" She paused briefly, her hand hovering over the pot. "A good question, young master. A very good question." For some reason, Rudeus could see small tears glistening in the corner of her eyes.

"——?"

"I apologize for my state being unbecoming of a servant." She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "You see, I was the one who taught little Rein how to cook. Cooking always brings back memories. I never had the opportunity to have children, so she is a bit like my own child. That's how I treat her."

For Lora, who had never had the chance to bear offspring, Rein had become something akin to a daughter she had never known she would have.

"......"

"To see her so busy lately and going out, training with both of you, I can't help but be happy. That girl always stayed in the manor and did her duties unless she left with Lord Sauros. At first, I was very happy because Rein took her duties seriously. But weeks passed, turning to months. Then months passed, turning to years. This was no longer something I could accept."

She turned to face him, her eyes carrying the weight of quiet gratitude.

"That's why... I was overjoyed when you managed to move this emptiness in her a bit. You are a kind boy."

"I... I don't know what to say. Thank you very much for these kind words."

It was one of the most moving moments Rudeus had ever experienced. Someone was thanking him, not for any grand achievement, but simply for existing. For being present. For making a difference in someone else's life.

He had never had someone thank him in such a genuine, heartfelt way before. Not even after he had saved Sylphie from the bullies. Not even when he had prevented Lilia from leaving his household. Those moments had been satisfying, certainly, but they had lacked this warm acknowledgment that he had touched someone else's existence in a meaningful way.

It actually made him want to cry a bit. But of course, as a man in a child's body, he couldn't allow himself that.

And besides, I usually pretend to cry to get something out of someone. I fake tears to manipulate people. I'm a professional at crocodile tears. I used them to make Ghislaine join my plans, for crying out loud.

Still…

"Thank you," he repeated. "I mean it. Thank you."

Lora's smile widened, a soft warmth spreading across her features. "Eat your meal, young master. It's best when it's hot."

Rudeus nodded and took a bite.

It was, without question, the best thing he had eaten in a very long time.

.

.

.

As the young master departed from the kitchen, his footsteps gradually fading down the corridor, Lora found herself standing alone amidst the lingering warmth of the hearth.

The aroma of the meal she had prepared still hung in the air, mingling with the faint scent of herbs and fresh bread.

Her gaze drifted toward the counter where she had taught so many others.

And a memory surfaced.

The kitchen had been smaller back then. Or perhaps it only felt that way because the girl occupying it seemed so utterly lost.

"Child, I asked you to pass me the salt."

Rein stood frozen before the counter, her eyes fixed upon two identical containers with an intensity that bordered on terror. Each bore the same shape, the same color, the same unassuming appearance. To anyone, they were indistinguishable.

"Child?"

"Um, I don't... I don't..."

Her hand hovered, trembling, between the two vessels. The hesitation stretched on, each passing second deepening the furrow in Lora's brow. What should have been a simple task, a mundane, effortless act of passing a common ingredient, had transformed into an ordeal of impossible proportions.

Without the Divine Protection of Salt Reasoning, one of the most unexpectedly useful blessings because it allowed its bearer to distinguish between salt and sugar at a mere glance, it was genuinely impossible for Rein to pick the correct one.

And salt in large quantities, if mistaken for sugar, could prove exceedingly dangerous. A single spoonful of pure salt wouldn't kill a grown adult, but a cup of it mixed into a dish? That could lead to severe dehydration, vomiting, and in extreme cases, even death itself.

Naturally, she began to panic.

"What are you doing?" Lora shook her head, approaching from behind with the weary patience of someone who had witnessed far too many kitchen disasters. "It's a simple task."

"It's impossible now..."

"What is impossible?"

Lora reached forward and dipped her finger into one of the containers, then brought it to her lips. A moment of contemplation. Then she nodded.

"This is obviously salt. This is how you check it." She turned and repeated the gesture with the other container, tasting it with the same casual ease. "And this is sugar. I swear, child, it's like you don't have common sense."

"——?!"

The girl had the audacity to look genuinely shocked, as though the concept of taste-testing had never once occurred to her.

For someone who moved with such grace and purpose in battle, who seemed capable of anything when faced with an opponent, Rein was utterly helpless in the face of two simple containers.

Lora sighed.

"Come, child. Let's start from the beginning. First lesson, always taste before you add. That way, you never poison anyone by accident."

"Understood..."

"And next time, just ask if you don't know. There is no shame in admitting ignorance."

A pause.

"...Understood."

It was a simple admission of ignorance, a simple offer of guidance, and yet, for someone like Rein, it seemed to mean something far more profound.

How strange, Lora had thought at the time.

Now, looking back, she understood.

“Hmmm….”

Lora stood for a while in the kitchen, her gaze still fixed on the spot where that scene had unfolded.

The memory faded, leaving behind only the soft crackling of the hearth and the faint echo of footsteps long since gone.

It seemed the boy is a good influence for little Rein.

A soft chuckle escaped her lips.

So naturally, she had manipulated him, by faking her tears, choosing the correct words, and adjusting her expression just so.

Unknowingly, Rudeus Greyrat had fallen for the very thing he used.

Young master, you may be clever, but you are still so wonderfully naive.

She turned back to the counter and resumed her work, a quiet smile lingering upon her face.

.

.

.

"——I can't solve it."

If you asked Rein whether she could be embarrassed by something, it would certainly be her inability to comprehend this world's written language and basic mathematics. Although she possessed a general understanding of how division and multiplication functioned in theory, such knowledge could not be easily applied when one could not even read the numbers themselves.

Rudeus had given them an exercise to complete, a merchant's problem requiring careful calculation, but she simply couldn’t read it.

It was only natural that she wished to learn this world's language if she intended to assist Lord Sauros to the best of her ability in the future. Yet until now, she had avoided it. The reasons for that avoidance were numerous, but none of them mattered in the present moment.

Indeed, there exists a blessing called the Divine Protection of Arithmetic, which transforms its user into something akin to a genius in mathematics and algebra. It was also a blessing that merchants would kill to possess, for the ability to calculate profits, losses, and complex transactions with effortless precision was worth more than gold in the cutthroat world of commerce.

Another such blessing was the Divine Protection of Penmanship, which granted its bearer flawless handwriting under any circumstances, perfectly legible, beautifully formed, entirely immune to the usual human failings of fatigue or haste. Imagine never again suffering from illegible notes or cramped fingers after hours of writing. For a scholar or a scribe, such a gift would be invaluable.

And then there was the Divine Protection of Omniglot, which allowed its user to comprehend and speak every language in existence without any formal instruction. One simply opened one's mouth and the correct words emerged, as natural as breathing.

Of course, those Divine Protections didn’t necessarily exist before Reinhard, whose needs unconsciously prompted Od Lagna to create entirely new blessings whenever no existing Divine Protection fulfilled the required purpose.

Since Rein possessed none of these blessings, it remained impossible for her to solve this particular question without assistance. She had no choice but to ask Rudeus for help, all while trying to ignore Eris, who was seething beside her and had already torn at least three sheets of paper out of sheer frustration after getting everything wrong.

Truly...

The level of education in this fantasy world is pretty basic.

That was the conclusion Rudeus Greyrat reached as he smugly observed them struggling to work through the problem, especially Ghislaine, who stared at the text with an intensity that suggested she was attempting to will the answer into existence through sheer determination alone.

The closest equivalent one could compare it to was the educational level found in medieval Europe, specifically the kind of instruction found in texts like the Treviso Arithmetic of 1478, an early printed arithmetic book that was among the first of its kind. This text, which was written in the Venetian dialect and aimed primarily at a commercial audience, provided a window into the mental world of Italian merchants and the ways they thought about profits, losses, partnerships, and ventures. Frank J. Swetz's modern analysis of the text highlighted how it taught the fundamental operations of numeration, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division through practical mercantile examples.

In other words, it taught just enough arithmetic to keep a merchant from being cheated, but not enough to understand anything truly complex. Basic, functional, and entirely unambitious.

Much like the education available in this world.

“Heh… heh…”

Rudeus's smugness, however, was not entirely without foundation. Having grown up in a world where arithmetic education extended far beyond basic commerce, he had learned algebra, geometry, and even introductory calculus, knowledge that would make him appear to be a mathematical genius in this medieval-like society.

I never actually used any of that knowledge in my previous life. I was too busy playing video games and avoiding responsibility. But now? Now it's actually useful. Funny how that works.

After the lesson, Rudeus found himself on the receiving end of a relentless assault as an enraged Eris drove him across the training ground with her wooden sword, while Rein waited patiently at the edge for her turn.

.

.

.

It's almost done.

Rudeus thought as he completed the figure of Rein-sensei, holding a sword and wearing a white dress of a noble lady.

It was, by his standards, a masterpiece.

Yet even as he admired his handiwork, a familiar unease crept into his thoughts.

In the end, I'm weak. I thought myself a big deal, but if one bandit managed to sneak up on me when I wasn't looking, I would be a corpse by now.

The arrow. The bandit who had nearly taken his eye. Without help, he would have died there.

I overestimated myself. I got cocky because I could cast a few spells and trap a few thugs in stone.

But that's not strength. That's just... convenience.

He had written a letter to Master Roxy seeking guidance regarding enchantments and defensive magic. He hoped to receive an answer soon, hoped she could teach him something that would make that less of a liability.

His gaze drifted back to the figurine.

Maybe she really is from another continent. Or another race entirely. That would explain her strength. Strong characters always have some tragic backstory, don't they? Parents killed, village burned, forced to fight to survive. The usual stuff. Classic protagonist origin. Probably lost someone important, trained until she became unstoppable, and now she's here, hiding in plain sight.

It's almost like a light novel.

The thought should have felt more serious. It was, after all, a real person's life Rudeus was speculating about. And yet, Rudeus found himself treating it like a trope, like a plot point in a story he was reading rather than a reality he was living.

Rein. The mysterious maid with a hidden past. The cold exterior hiding a wounded soul. The overwhelming power masking a fragile heart.

I wonder what her deal is, though. She's clearly not from around here. Maybe she's a lost princess? A displaced noble? Either way, she's got that tragic backstory energy.

He set the figurine down gently, his expression betraying deep contemplation, and prepared for bed.

“…….”

That night, Rudeus dreamed of screams.

The bandit's face contorted in agony, his body pinned to the tree, Sauros's blade plunging into him again and again. The blood. The wet, sickening sound of metal piercing flesh. The way the man's eyes had gone wide, then glassy, then empty.

“Scum!”

Sauros's voice echoed through the darkness, reverberating in Rudeus's skull like a funeral bell.

“Scum! Scum! Scum!”

“Ah!”

Rudeus woke with a gasp, his heart pounding, his forehead slick with sweat. The room was dark, the candle long since burned out. His breath came in ragged, uneven gasps.

“Haaa…. haaa….”

It was just a dream.

Just a dream.

The cold detachment in Sauros's eyes.

He lay back against his pillow, staring at the ceiling, his hands trembling at his sides.

I'm weak. I'm so weak. I thought I was strong. I thought I could handle this world. But I can't even handle a nightmare.

Sleep refused to return. Every time he closed his eyes, the image resurfaced.

A chill crept across his skin.

The source of it became immediately apparent.

The window had been left slightly ajar, allowing a narrow beam of moonlight and the cold night air to slip into the room. Rudeus rose from his bed with unsteady legs and crossed the room, placing one hand against the chilled glass before pushing the window shut.

I won't be able to sleep anyway. Might as well make myself useful.

By relying upon muscle memory more than conscious thought, he stepped toward the center of the room and slowly raised one hand.

Practice.

That was what he needed.

Something to occupy his mind. Something to keep his thoughts from wandering back to—

“Eh?”

A faint light flickered beyond the window.

The spell he had been about to cast vanished before it could take shape as Rudeus immediately turned toward the source, carefully approaching the window and peering into the darkness beyond.

Someone else was awake.

.

.

.

Reinhard van Astrea failed in his duties more often than one would have thought from someone beloved by the world.

The truth was far more complicated.

He had been born blessed beyond measure, a child so loved by Od Lagna that his grandmother's very first words upon seeing him had been that the world itself cherished him.

Yet that love proved to be a double-edged sword, for with each blessing came an expectation, and with each expectation came the inevitable weight of failure.

Every blessing carried a curse.

Two years after his birth, his mother, Louanna, fell into a Sleeping Beauty state, which shook the whole Astrea family to its core.

The next one came when Reinhard was only five years old.

At that age, the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint abandoned Theresia van Astrea and Reinhard became its new wielder. Shortly afterward, the previous Sword Saint confronted the White Whale without the blessing that had protected her throughout her life and perished in battle. When Reinhard, too young to understand the weight of his own words, explained to Wilhelm that his grandmother had died because the Divine Protection had chosen him, grief transformed into resentment, and resentment gradually became hatred.

Their relationship shattered beyond repair, leaving Reinhard with only his father.

And yet, that was merely the beginning of his curse.

At the age of eight, Reinhard single handedly repelled the combined forces of the other three Great Nations, earning the honorary title of "van." The achievement became so overwhelming that the Kingdom itself eventually enacted the Reinhard Law, recognizing the very child who had protected Lugunica as a national threat whose movements outside the Kingdom required strict supervision.

His own homeland had decided he was too powerful to be left entirely free.

The curse continued to grow.

When the Royal Family fell victim to a mysterious plague, Reinhard was entrusted with reaching the Sage who resided within the Pleiades Watchtower in search of a cure. However, what stood before him was the Sand Time, a barrier that rejected all who sought to pass through it, and despite exhausting every method available to him, the Sword Saint remained unable to cross its threshold.

Unable to reach the Sage, Reinhard was forced to retreat.

Every member of the Royal Family succumbed to the illness, extinguishing the bloodline that had ruled Lugunica for generations.

The mission had failed because he had failed.

The death of Theresia.

The collapse of his family.

The extinction of the Royal Family.

Even his relationship with his father, Heinkel, eventually became another casualty.

After his father was placed under house arrest on suspicion of leaking information to a criminal organization, Reinhard infiltrated that very organization himself and succeeded in destroying it from within. After that, he quietly negotiated with the Six Tongues, a secret organization that protected Lugunica, to restore Heinkel's position as Deputy Commander of the Royal Knights, denying his own involvement when confronted so that his father would accept the promotion for Louanna's sake.

The irony was difficult to ignore.

Even his attempts to mend what had already been broken only succeeded in driving them farther apart.

And the friends. Oh, the friends.

Seeing his comrades lying dead or gravely injured, Reinhard realized the true extent of his failure.

Not as a Sword Saint.

——But as a friend.

The bonds he made in the royal knights were gone, and he couldn't have done anything against it. After reincarnating in this world, he had done something as dishonorable as forget about them and not cherish their memory as a proper friend.

That's why...

Before Rein currently, two pieces of stone were imbedded in the middle of her personal garden, personally polished by her, surrounded by flowers of all kinds.

“……”

It was the garden which was cared for by Rein, who had created it from the bottom of her heart while trying to impersonate her grandmother. Theresia van Astrea who had loved flowers, who had cultivated beauty amidst the violence of a warrior's life.

At one point, it had stopped being an act of imitation and started to become her own hobby, though Rein would never acknowledge that even in the privacy of her own mind, because she believed she didn't deserve such simple pleasures.

The names inscribed there were crystal clear.

_______________

Julius Juukulius

Felix Argyle
_________

Since these had been the closest to Reinhard among the royal knights, as an ex-knight herself, Rein felt responsible for making sure the memory of them was remembered and treated with proper respect.

Julius, the Impeccable Knight.

Felix, the Great Healer.

There were, of course, the others she cared about. They had most likely perished during the massive attack orchestrated by Pride to destroy the Capital City.

The servants of the Astrea estate too—what had happened to them? Had they perished? Had they escaped? Were any of them still alive, or had they all been consumed by the flames of Pride's madness?

So many questions and so few answers.

Because of the attack ranging from every corner of the kingdom, during this tragedy, Reinhard had been forced to become a blurring figure that became a killing machine. From district to district and beyond, he had moved like a storm, cutting down cultists with the cold efficiency of a weapon rather than a person.

There had been no time for grief, no room for hesitation.

And in the aftermath, when the fires had finally died and the screams had faded into silence, all that remained were the ruins of what he had failed to protect. Through two lifetimes, across worlds, beyond the boundaries of death itself, Rein believed that this curse would follow her for the rest of her existence—an inexorable shadow clinging to her every step, a weight that no amount of atonement could ever hope to lift.

This was why she knelt before the graves of those people, her crimson hair gleaming beneath the moon's silver radiance, her posture as still and solemn as the stone markers before her.

"……"

——Footsteps.

"Sir Rudeus, why are you out at night so late?"

With a lamp casting faint illumination across her surroundings, Rein could discern the approaching figure. It was Rudeus, his silhouette emerging from the darkness, his expression troubled.

"I had nightmares." He averted his gaze, his voice carrying the weight of unsettled thoughts. "When Sauros killed that man, I couldn't make my peace with it."

The image refused to leave him. Sauros's blade, which had found its mark without hesitation. The way the bandit's screams had torn through the air, before being silenced forever.

He accepted violence when there was a necessity to it, a sense of purpose that made the this somehow palatable.

This was something else entirely.

This was cold-blooded execution. A man rendered helpless, pinned to a tree, and then butchered like livestock because he had angered the wrong noble. There had been no trial. No judgment. No semblance of justice beyond the whim of a furious old man who had decided that this life was worth less than the anger burning in his chest.

And Rudeus had watched it all.

He had watched, and he had done nothing.

The same paralysis that had gripped him in his previous life, when he had been too afraid to leave his room, too afraid to face the world, too afraid to do anything except exist. The same paralysis that had let him rot away while his parents died and his siblings grew to despise him.

Some things, it seemed, never truly changed.

No matter how much he grew. No matter how much magic he mastered. No matter how many languages he learned or how many spells he practiced. When it came down to the moment of truth, he was still the same pathetic coward who had cowered before danger while the world moved on without him.

"Was this your first time witnessing someone die before your eyes?"

“I've seen my father kill monsters.” He nodded weakly, his throat constricting. "But that was different.”

Those were beasts. They were threats to the village, to the people he protected. This… this was a man. A person. And he was already defeated. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't escape. He just…

He just screamed. And then he didn't.

And Sauros had walked away as if nothing of consequence had occurred.

"You are a good person, Sir Rudeus." Rein's voice was soft, yet carried an undercurrent of something almost mournful. "That’s why I am warning you to keep your distance. For those who come across me do not meet a kind fate."

Even though Rein always emerged from danger unscathed, the same couldn’t be said for others. Her presence, her very existence, seemed to invite calamity. She had witnessed it time and time again. Her strength was a double-edged sword, capable of protecting and destroying in equal measure. But destruction, it seemed, always outweighed salvation.

She didn’t want Rudeus to become another casualty of her existence. She didn’t want to add his name to the long, ever-growing list of those who had been harmed by proximity to her.

"——Is this why you called yourself a monster?" The question emerged accompanied by a profound sadness, a melancholy that seemed to seep from his very soul. "At first I thought it was because of your strength, but that's not it, is it?"

The truth was far more complicated than mere physical power. The strength Rein possessed was only a symptom rather than the disease itself. The real reason always lay within Rein herself and what she observed happening around her, even when she acted with the best of intentions.

Every life she saved seemed to be offset by countless others that perished. Every victory she achieved was tainted by the sacrifices required to attain it.

It was a pattern as inexorable as it was devastating. A cycle of hope and despair, of salvation and slaughter, of triumph and tragedy.

A horrifying number of people had always ended up being hurt, collateral damage in the endless war that seemed to follow her wherever she went. Friends, allies, innocents, all caught in the crossfire of her existence. And each loss was a wound that never fully healed, a scar that served as a constant reminder of her failure to protect those who depended on her.

There was, however, one blessing in becoming a one-person army. So long as every enemy stood before her, those fighting at her side remained uninjured. That, at least, was something she could claim as a victory, however small, however fleeting.

Her gaze remained fixed upon the graves before her, upon the names carved into the stone with painstaking care, upon the flowers she had planted to honor their memory.

Monsters don’t choose to be monsters. They are born, or made, or shaped by circumstances beyond their control. But the result is the same. They bring suffering to those around them. They leave destruction in their wake. And no matter how much they wish to be something else, they cannot escape what they are.

"……"

She turned to face him, her expression unreadable, her eyes holding depths of sorrow that words could never adequately convey.

"Stay away from me, Sir Rudeus." Then, her eyes gained strength, hardening with resolve. "Respect my decision and stay away from me."

And yet, Rudeus refused to heed that warning.

In fact, he was hurting, hurting in how depressing all of this had turned out.

That was because Rein's words simply didn’t make sense to him. They contradicted themselves at every turn. In his eyes, she was supposed to be a slave girl who had lost her parents under some awful circumstances, and because of that, she had hurt many people. The logic was straightforward, tragedy had shaped her, and tragedy had scarred her.

Although he couldn’t read the strange runes or symbols present on the graves, he assumed she was from a different continent and had been transported here from somewhere far away. Perhaps she belonged to a different race altogether, her strength certainly seemed to suggest as much.

That was his theory. It was incomplete, flawed, built on assumptions and fragments of observation. But it was all he had.

"You think you're a bad person?" Rudeus asked.

"——a bad person?"

People couldn’t be so easily judged as good or bad. That was something everyone ought to have understood, and one could certainly say that Rudeus was making a fool of himself by reducing such a complicated question to so simple an answer. Yet to Rein, who regarded him as a child barely eight years of age, there was nothing unusual about such innocence.

Because Reinhard had barely interacted with children his own age and had been turned into a weapon of war early on, Rein naturally couldn’t view Rudeus's behavior as unnatural.

Just as Eris possessed her own personality, loud, brash, unapologetically fierce, Rudeus seemed far more reserved but also remarkably naïve. He could easily fall into a trap, as the poison incident had so clearly demonstrated. Fortunately, she kept her eye on him to make sure he remained safe.

It was the least she could do for him.

"The simplest of things, a bad person is someone who hurts others on purpose."

And because the man reincarnated as Rudeus also viewed Rein as a young girl with a trauma of slavery and a cruel past, he tried his best to use the simplest logic possible to make her see his point.

He couldn’t afford to be abstract or philosophical. He needed to be direct. He needed to reach her, to break through the walls she had constructed around herself.

"Then… I'm a bad person."

Even so, Rein clung desperately to this truth, hoping it might lessen her guilt, even if only by a fraction. By believing herself a monster, her failures felt somehow more bearable than if she considered herself a good person and simply fell short because of her own inadequacies.

But that only made Rudeus angrier.

"You… are you really someone like that!?"

To hear someone as kind as Rein proclaim herself a monster broke something within Rudeus.

Because the disgusting man who had been reborn into this world had been too cowardly, too pathetic to acknowledge himself as the monster he truly was and accept it. Rather than confronting that reality, he had simply run away from it, becoming indifferent toward his own family, living as though they no longer existed, and even after being thrown out of the house and left practically homeless, he had shed no tears for the parents who had continued supporting him until the very end.

He cried, but only over his own fate!

And when that pitiful man finally found himself cast out onto the street, shortly after wasting away another day jerking off to whatever porn he had been imagining, the only thing that escaped his lips were curses directed toward the very people who had spent years feeding him, clothing him, and giving him a roof over his head.

Back then, I was so pathetic that I didn't even consider what I did was wrong!

Unlike Rein, the man reincarnated as Rudeus hadn't cared enough to bother creating his parents' graves or praying they found peace in the afterlife. He had ignored their existence entirely and accepted a new life with happiness, selfishly cutting any ties to his previous one.

He had been given a second chance, and he had taken it without a single thought for those he had left behind.

Angered and feeling disgusted with himself, Rudeus stepped closer, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Rein's eyes widened in surprise at this sudden transformation.

"No matter how you look at it, there is simply no way you are a bad person! Rein-sensei, please, don't be absurd! A bad person is not so cherished by Lora! A bad person is not appreciated by an old geezer like Sauros! A bad person doesn’t treat her duties so seriously!"

He didn't even bother to address them by their proper titles, too consumed by his hatred of his own pathetic existence.

"A bad person wouldn't agree to train a piece of shit like me after I made such a mess!”

The whole thing with kidnapping Eris was a terrible idea, bordering on insanity, where he had relied on the pathetic notion of following anime tropes to teach someone a lesson, thinking himself a genius to enact such a plan, without even bothering to see Eris as a person. What if Eris had been traumatized by it? What if... what if...

The sheer scale of his stupidity was impossible to measure.

"A bad person wouldn't push others away just to keep them safe!"

"——?!"

But that couldn't be right.

Rein could never accept such a conclusion.

A world in which Rein bore no responsibility for what had happened simply couldn’t exist.

It never had!

"Even if I was a good person, then… I still killed Grandmother!"

"——k-killed your…!?"

Hearing this confession made with such intensive emotions. Rudeus took a step back in shock, his mind reeling. For a moment, the world seemed to tilt. Then, slowly, his thoughts began to clear, just enough to form a coherent question.

"…What do you mean?"

“……”

Rein, with the last shreds of her will, tried to scare him off with this horrible truth. She hoped, secretly, desperately hoped, that he would finally leave her alone. That he would see her for what she truly was and retreat to the safety of ignorance.

So why?! Why wasn't he leaving yet?!

Maybe… Maybe she should do something more drastic. Something that would finally convince him to stay away. Something that would make him understand that she wasn’t worth knowing, not worth the pain she would inevitably cause.

But then, she didn’t want to hurt him. She couldn’t bring herself to harm him, even if it meant protecting him from herself. That was the cruel irony of her existence, she wanted to push people away, but she couldn’t bring herself to be cruel enough to make them stay away.

Rein's gaze dropped to the graves before her, considering running away.

Although Rein wanted to get it off her chest, she knew she would feel worse for making someone listen to her problems. This would surely make them unhappy, would surely breed resentment and hatred toward her. To enforce this on anyone, she didn’t want it.

No matter what, forcing her burdens onto others would never be acceptable.

"If you don't tell me then… you will never be able to let go of it." He was projecting his own problems onto her, using her struggle as a mirror for his own inability to move forward. But perhaps that was exactly what both of them needed. Perhaps that was the only way Rein could bring herself to speak.

If... if she told him the story, then he would finally understand her reasoning.

"In my family, there is a blessing that is passed from generation to generation. It grants its bearer unparalleled skill with the blade, the sword to cut through anything, and the title of the strongest swordsman."

One thought led to another, and before she realized it, her fingers had come to rest against the cold stone of one of the graves.

“Grandmother possessed such a blessing. She had held it for decades, had fought countless battles, had protected everyone with unwavering dedication. But then… I was born. And because my case was special, because I wanted to become the Sword Saint too, the blessing transferred to me, causing Grandmother to die in battle."

The moment it had happened, Reinhard had felt the sudden surge of power, the overwhelming knowledge that something fundamental had shifted within the world. He had been five years old. Too young to understand what it meant. Too young to realize that his grandmother's life had just been irrevocably altered.

And then, not long after, Theresia had perished.

Grandmother had gone to fight the White Whale, a beast that had terrorized the kingdom for centuries. She had gone without the Divine Protection that had made her invincible. And she had never returned.

Grandfather had blamed Reinhard.

His father had grown distant. The death of his mother and the state of his wife had settled upon his shoulders like a yoke, and it had never lifted.

"When she died, I knew that my grandmother was gone, and that I was responsible for it."

Rein turned to Rudeus, meeting his gaze with a blank expression.

"I took something from Grandmother. Something she needed to survive. And because of that, she died. And no amount of good deeds, no number of lives saved, can ever change that."

Reinhard had tried, once, to believe otherwise. He had attempted to convince himself that he could atone for his sins, that he could balance the scales through acts of heroism and sacrifice. But the scales could never be balanced.

It was easier, he had found, to simply accept the truth rather than cling to the false notion of innocence. To embrace being a monster rather than struggle against it. To carry the burden alone rather than risk dragging others into his endless cycle of tragedy.

Rudeus, looking into her eyes in that moment, understood. No amount of convincing would ever make Rein feel as though she was not at fault. The guilt was too deeply ingrained, too thoroughly woven into the fabric of her identity. Words alone wouldn’t be enough to unravel that knot.

That’s why…

"….So what?"

The only path to go was forward.

"—Huh?"

"Yeah, you killed her."

Much to his horror, Rein didn’t even flinch at this false accusation.

"But should something you did unconsciously really determine your future!?"

"……."

Indeed, the way Rein had been acting until now, constantly under the crushing pressure of her own past, was a testament to how deeply she had imprisoned herself. At this rate, she would never be able to forgive herself. She would remain trapped in that endless cycle of guilt and self-recrimination, forever defined by a mistake she had made before she was old enough to understand its consequences.

But she didn’t need to forgive herself. She only needed to accept it and move forward.

The Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea, had once possessed emotions dulled by various blessings designed to protect him, blessings that kept his mind in check, that shielded him from the chaos of the world, that allowed him to function perfectly well despite his failures.

Those blessings had made him numb to the pain, had allowed him to carry on without being crushed by the guilt. But they had also made him distant, unreachable, incapable of truly connecting with others.

He had cared little for that. After all, Reinhard would never share that burden with anyone. He would never allow anyone to see the cracks in his armor, the fractures in his soul. He would bear it alone, as he always had.

It was still absurd, this level of emotional suppression. And it showed that Divine Protections had their limits, as crazy as it was, because Reinhard was born as a human with emotions, not an emotionless doll. Before he acquired his first blessings, before his mother fell into an eternal sleep, Reinhard had been a normal boy loved by his family, one who experienced true happiness and joy.

That was why, the moment Pride had destroyed everything around him, everything Reinhard had ever cared for, the Divine Protections could no longer contain that humanity.

The final nail in the coffin was that the White Whale's fog had stolen even the grief that should have accompanied his memories. For a time, he had carried a false version of his past, one where his father's love had never been tainted by bitterness, where the hatred in his grandfather's eyes had never existed. When the fog lifted and the truth returned, it brought with it not only Wilhelm's accusations but also the crushing guilt of having forgotten them in the first place. He had allowed himself to believe in a comforting lie, and that made his failure all the more damning.

Reinhard was devastated. Furious. Angry.

——Shattered.

And Rein was not that invincible person anymore. She was simply a very powerful girl without any of those blessings boosting her mental capacity. Her body may still have been absurdly strong, but her mind was that of an ordinary human, one who had experienced trauma, who had carried guilt for years, who had never been given the tools to process what had happened to her.

It was as though all of those years of holding it back had finally come to torment her, festering until they could no longer be contained.

But…

The version of Reinhard who had been left behind in that dead world and the version who worked hard for the Boreas family were two different people.

Should something like that really determine your future? Rudeus thought, as his own past began to crush him with its suffocating weight. Does it even matter if this question is answered?

And so, he hugged Rein, who fell to her knees.

Rein wept.

And Rudeus followed.

Chapter Text

Hey everyone,

I wanted to clear up a lore inconsistency that Walod pointed out regarding Reinhard's memories and explain what I changed to fix it.

Basically, the issue comes from how the White Whale works in the Ayamatsu (Pride IF) timeline.

When the White Whale erases someone with its fog, they don't just disappear physically. The world itself rewrites history as if they never existed, and everyone's memories change to fill in the gaps.

That creates a problem because, in Pride IF, Crusch's expedition against the White Whale failed. Crusch, Wilhelm, and everyone else involved were erased from existence. Felix was the only survivor, but he couldn't even remember who he had lost, and evil Subaru exploited that. 

Felix was turned into Blue(a nickname)

Naturally, because Wilhelm was erased, Reinhard shouldn't remember his grandfather's hatred toward him. That grudge, along with everything surrounding Theresia's death, would effectively be gone from Reinhard's memories while the White Whale was still alive.

Rein, whether reincaranted or not, shouldn't have these memories.

But I reaaally wanted to make it work.

So here's the change I made.

In chapter 1, after Pride dies, Reinhard doesn't immediately try to take his own life. Instead, he heads west and kills the White Whale first.

This actually fits the timeline pretty well and is lore-friendly. We don't know what happened to Reinhard after Pride Subaru's death. The White Whale is still alive in Pride IF because Crusch's expedition failed, and Reinhard has both the ability and the opportunity to finish the job. It becomes his final act of duty before giving up on everything.

Once the White Whale dies, its fog disappears. The people who had been erased, including Wilhelm, are restored, and so are everyone's memories.

That means Reinhard suddenly remembers everything he had unknowingly forgotten. Wilhelm's hatred. The accusation over Theresia's death. His crazy broken family. All of it comes back at once.

I actually think this makes his mental state even worse than before. Instead of only mourning Pride's death, he's suddenly forced to relive every painful memory that the White Whale had been unknowingly hiding from him. The comforting lie disappears, and his past crashes back onto him.

So Chapter 1 has been updated to reflect that, along with inconsistences in later chapters like Rein's memory troubles remembering crush in a flashback with Lora.

You are free to read it. Honorofics were changed as well to fit the narrative that the language in Lugunica is japanese.

Thanks to the people who pointed it out. I always appreciate it when readers catch lore details like this because I want the story to stay as faithful(lore-friendly) to Re:Zero as possible.

I may not update today or during the weekend because I'm a little tired, please bear with me.

Truthfully, I am still watching Mushoku Tensei season 1.

In fact, I didn't read any light novel, re:zero included(only watched re:Zero anime and cool scenes in it), and am working with everything based on the wiki. Isn't that funny?

Was this message generated by AI? Of course! You know how tiring it is to fix loopholes?

Also, my english is pretty basic.

But again, I'm very happy so many people enjoy my work.

Also, if there are any loopholes that I can fix, then please don't hesitate to tell me. I would be grateful.

That's it for now.

Thank you very much,

Merci.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Rudeus Greyrat

Regardless of what one might imagine, fighting a girl blessed with monstrous physical ability by relying upon magic alone was nowhere near as enjoyable as it sounded, even if that girl happened to be a cutie.

That was the conclusion I'd reached after repeatedly crossing swords with Rein-sensei.

I lost.

Again.

And again.

Looking back, however, what embarrassed me most wasn't the defeats themselves. More frustrating still was Rein's complete lack of pride in those victories. She never mocked me or belittled me. Rather, she quietly acknowledged whatever strange ideas I'd devised before allowing me to test them against her, praising my attempts even after I'd failed.

It made sense, I supposed. Rein-sensei seemed to have a low sense of worth, though she never showed it openly and preferred to stay in the shadows.

That being the case...

Back to training.

At first, I'd spent every spar trying to devise some clever method of defeating Rein. However, the more seriously I analyzed our battles, the more absurd that goal became. Even assuming I used my strongest spells without restraint, the difference in our physical abilities remained overwhelming. The image of Rein casually catching blades with her bare hands had never truly left my mind, nor had the sight of her tearing iron free from stone as though it were no more troublesome than pulling weeds from a garden.

What exactly am I supposed to do against someone like that?

The answer was obvious. If I ever encountered another opponent on Rein's level, the correct decision would be to flee with Wind Magic as quickly as possible or, failing that, smile politely and pray they were interested in conversation rather than murder.

That's the smart way to fight.

"......"

What kind of pathetic strategy is that!?

To avoid that, I've started this separate notebook to improve my abilities with both magic and mana during my training sessions with Rein-sensei.

I decided to write it in Japanese so no one can figure it out. Also, I can be pretty smug when they try to decode it only to fail. It's impossible to decode a completely different language without any comparisons. Muwaahahaha!

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Questions to answer:

• Does Earth Magic actually require direct contact with the ground, or have I simply gotten used to casting it that way because that's how I first learned it?
• When I cast a spell, can mana actually be felt flowing through my body toward the point where the spell is released, or is that merely my imagination?
• If mana does travel through the body, is it really flowing toward my fingertips, or are my fingers simply acting as the release point?
• If mages can cast while wearing gloves, then mana clearly isn't blocked by leather. Does that mean it isn't leaving through exposed skin at all?
• If gloves don't interfere with spellcasting, would boots interfere either?
• Is there any reason a spell couldn't be released through my feet instead of my hands?
• Is there something biologically special about human hands that makes spellcasting easier, or do people simply use them because they're the most dexterous part of the body?
• Does mana naturally circulate throughout the entire body, or does it only gather where I consciously direct it?
• Ghislaine mentioned that Sword God practitioners reinforce their entire bodies with mana. Does that mean the pathways already exist everywhere, even for mages?
• If mana can be consciously guided, can those pathways be trained through repetition, just like muscles?
• Instead of practicing spells, what would happen if I spent weeks practicing nothing but moving mana through different parts of my body?
• Could I eventually learn to release mana from any part of my body, not just my hands?
• If all of this is possible... why has nobody written about it? Is it because it's impossible, or simply because nobody has ever tried?

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In the end, I assumed that I simply didn't have the correct book about it, not because it didn't exist. I'm sure someone has figured it out before me and asked these questions. It simply wouldn't make sense for mages not to train their versatility.

After I researched the whole Boreas library about it, I still couldn't find anything useful. Most of the books there contained merchant stuff, which I'm very grateful for, because it made it easier to understand how the value of money worked in this world.

For example, back in Japan, one gold coin would've been worth about 100,000 yen. Here in the Asura Kingdom, that same gold coin could keep a commoner fed for months. The Demon Continent's currency was even more confusing, green ore coins, iron coins, scrap iron coins, stone coins... It took me ages to wrap my head around the exchange rates. But once I did, I realized the Boreas family's library had all sorts of ledgers and trade records that basically taught me economics through real-world examples. Not bad for a former shut-in.

Ahem, I kinda lost the topic. What was I saying?

Ah right, I never saw Master Roxy cast with anything other than her staff or hands. That's most likely because the staff, which is a magic tool, can be used to apply magic more efficiently.

But still, why does everyone use their hands in the first place?

So why not legs?

Yeah, that was a dumb question.

I realized that if someone before me thought about casting spells with their legs and other parts of the body, they simply created a tool for that, such as wands or staffs. Why would they learn a roundabout way if they could simply use a staff, right? That's plainly stupid.

It's just like with smartphones and computers. They made life easier, so nobody bothered learning the underlying mechanics. Why would a mage practice casting through their feet when they could just wave a staff and get the same result? It would be like someone in my old world learning to write with their toes, technically possible, but completely unnecessary when you have perfectly good hands.

But because I built my own computer in Japan, I find it natural for me to think about little details like this. That's what made me capable of chantless magic in the first place. How water is created, wind magic and air pressure, how to make rocks float around me and spin to gain momentum—stuff like that.

You could say that... being unemployed for a long, long time does that to you...

But I don't want to focus on who I was in my past and instead focus on the present and future. The only way forward is obviously to learn from past mistakes, which is the best way of pushing ahead while simultaneously learning how to deal with looking back.

The reason why I'm training all of this... is to deploy a defense strategy against physical opponents.

I trained my internal mana circulation for three months already and didn't manage to get any results with this so-called Battle Aura. This has been a disappointment so far.

However, I learned a lot about the circulation system.

Chest → right arm. Chest → left arm. Chest → right leg. Back again. Over and over. Would that make controlling it easier? Faster? Could I eventually cast through my legs?

And the results proved to be far more impressive than I thought.

During one of the training sessions with Rein-sensei, when I sent projectiles hurtling at her and she disappeared with that super cool whoosh effect, only to reappear behind me, I managed to cast a spell with my feet to make the ground between us rise, creating a barrier that stopped her advance.

I was very excited!

However, that excitement turned to a disappointment when I realized that instead of kicking or punching through the stone wall to try to get me, while I wanted to gain some distance with the intention to propel myself back using wind magic, she simply reappeared in another place not even a second later and held her wooden sword to my neck. She really is not making it easy, huh?

I'm glad I managed to make some progress, though!

But that made me seriously take this research even more seriously.

Because of this incident with the stone barrier, I got an idea.

What if I had it deployed all the time? Obviously that plan had its flaws. Why? Because it takes a lot of mana out of me and concentration. And the bad idea is that if it's active all the time around me when my opponent attacks, then I won't be able to see the enemy if there's a stone in my face all the time.

What a pain.

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I thought about something and then figured it out.

An individual capable of fighting effectively at both long and close range while remaining a formidable opponent.

What if I used a method like Gaara's sand barrier? Every time Rein-sensei would reach me with her sword, the barrier would automatically deploy to protect me from harm.

But then I figured out that I can't make this barrier reality. It's simply impossible at this stage to make it automatic. Should it be instinctual? I'm not even sure how that would work.

So naturally, the only thing that remained was improving my reaction time.

I realized that if I want to go against Rein-sensei, my reaction time needs to be better than hers. Connecting dots together, I tried to figure out how to measure her reaction speed.

Here are the feats of Rein-sensei:

Super strong. 

How strong? She is capable of easily breaking down doors with a single kick, no effort at all. Being able to get a window out of its frame with a single pull.

She is capable of not only deflecting flying knives, but also grabbing them mid-air. The knives that appeared blurry to me. In fact, I could barely see them, and I only managed to track them after Rein-sensei caught the first one, successfully grabbing my attention. She deflected the rest under a second.

Think about that for a moment. The average human reaction time is about…a quarter of a second, I think? That's for something you're expecting. A knife thrown at speed travels fast enough that you'd need reaction times under hundred milliseconds just to see it clearly, let alone catch it. What Rein-sensei demonstrated wasn’t merely extraordinary reflexes. Before the projectile could reach her, she had already perceived its trajectory, decided whether to intercept it or redirect it, and completed the necessary movement, all within what I estimated to be no more than…

Than what? I had no way to measure it. That's an entirely different league of perception.

The same principle applied to catching a crossbow bolt mid-flight without being staggered by the impact. Those quarrels travel at staggering velocities, carrying enough kinetic force to punch through chainmail. When Rein plucked one from the air, preventing me, who stood mere inches away, from losing an eye, she absorbed that momentum without so much as a tremor. Her body didn't budge. The arrow just... stopped.

Again, I don't even know how to measure something like that.

If I ever wish to land a single blow on her, just one, I need to become faster.

Much, much faster.

To become immeasurably swifter.

As far as I was concerned, holding back wasn’t an option.

Every tactic I had devised so far had proven to be useless!

Initially, I believed I could exploit the battlefield to my advantage. Given sufficient preparation, I could establish traps, excavate pitfalls, manipulate the terrain to constrict her mobility. Even if she could rend iron bars, she couldn't manifest everywhere simultaneously.

So I attempted precisely that. During our sparring sessions, I transmuted the ground beneath Rein's feet, converting stable earth into treacherous quagmires in the hope that depriving her of solid footing would hamper her movements, if only momentarily. The result was disappointing. She punched through the falling debris before it could even reach her, shattering stone like it was made of paper.

I even weaponized the environment itself, creating obstacles, using wind magic to kick up dust and blind her. But nothing worked. She always seemed to know where I was, what I was doing, and where I was going to be next.

Next, I thought I could overwhelm her with a barrage of spells. If one spell couldn't hit her, perhaps a dozen would. One after another, I unleashed a storm of projectiles in the form of fireballs, water cannons, stone shards.

I thought, Surely she can't deflect all of them.

Eventually, everyone would get tired.

…Guess what happened.

Then I contemplated more oblique methodologies. What if I attacked her senses instead? Compressing Fire Magic into a minuscule focal point, I manufactured what amounted to a flashbang in practice, releasing it in a single blinding burst. For an instant, it blazed with the intensity of a second sun. Anyone else would have been seeing afterimages for several heartbeats.

To put it mildly, Rein shut her eyes a fraction of an instant before detonation.

...How?

I thought she had somehow reacted to the light itself. That would've been ridiculous enough already. But after repeating the experiment several more times, I noticed something.

More precisely, she was responding to the instant I began shaping the spell.

With her insane reaction speed, Rein-sensei must have noticed the unusually dense concentration of fire gathering around my fingertips. Rather than reacting to the spell itself, she closed her eyes a heartbeat before I released it.

Essentially, she dodged a flashbang by reading my intentions?

Later, I dispersed Water Magic into countless microscopic droplets and suspended them with Wind Magic, conjuring a fog so impenetrable I couldn't even discern my own hand before my face. Then I filled the area with shifting currents of air, hoping they'd mask the sound of my breathing and footfalls.

Propelling myself upward with Wind Magic, I attempted a descending assault, leveraging gravity's aid to amplify my strike.

I was caught midair and gently set down before I could hurt myself…

——I was embarrassed.

Frustrated, I shifted tactics, attacking from below with stone spikes erupting from the ground in jagged succession. She pulverized them as though they were made of dried clay. Even if someone else had been caught, climbing out would've taken time.

After all of that, I realized the problem was not in my strategies. The problem was that I couldn't even hit her in the first place. No matter how inventive I became, she was perpetually one step ahead.

At some point, I started wondering if Rein-sensei could even be hurt at all. She had never shown any sign of injury, not even a scratch. Every time we sparred, no matter how clever I thought my approach was, she emerged completely unscathed. Not a single bruise. Not even a bead of blood.

Perhaps I'm simply that feeble.

To confirm my suspicions, I asked Ghislaine about the strength of individuals on other continents, specifically the Demon Continent and the Begaritt Continent.

"The Demon Continent is a very dangerous place, Rudeus. That's why you should never go there without a strong party backing you up."

Those were the words of Ghislaine, a Sword King. She stands among the most formidable practitioners of the Sword God Style, and even she cautioned me. The monsters there are capable of swallowing you whole or attacking before you even register their presence.

And what of the inhabitants? Are they equally formidable?

I possess a general understanding of other continents from the lessons Master Roxy imparted. She educated me on the Demon Continent's unforgiving environment, how the demon tribes were forged through ceaseless conflict and scarcity, their very physiology honed by generations of brutality.

Even the weakest demon could overpower a human of similar age and training. Apparently, the Adventurers' Guild on the Demon Continent designates all monster-slaying assignments at rank C or higher because everything there is that lethal.

But hearing about it and comprehending it are two vastly disparate things.

If Rein-sensei's strength, someone who, by all accounts, should be my age in this world, is any indication...

...If I ever travel, I will be nothing more than a walking corpse.

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Back when I was tutored, Roxy said she felt conceited because of my "incredible talent." But it was never truly talent, more like sheer happenstance. I was simply fortunate to be reincarnated with an immense pool of mana and the lingering knowledge from my previous life.

It's true I could stand on my own now, but I shouldn't have been so puffed up about it, inflated by the ceaseless praise heaped upon me by so many.

And now it felt like Icarus, after flying too close to the sun for too long, I finally met the ground. Rein-sensei had demonstrated, repeatedly and mercilessly, how easily I could be dismantled by someone with superior physical abilities.

Several days after our training sessions, I felt... deflated. Despondent. The entire hierarchy of power-scaling I had constructed in my head had shattered. I knew Paul was a member of a renowned adventuring party, but he was still human, a man who reached his level through relentless, daily training. Then I discover someone like Rein, who might not even be fully human judging by what she told me about her blessing, a boon that apparently makes you a fearsomely powerful individual, and her capabilities are impossible to gauge.

Even though I wanted to ask for more details out of pure curiosity, I didn't want anyone to remember painful memories. I knew all too well what it was like to be forced to look back on the worst moments of your life. If Rein had really been a slave, had lost her parents after her grandmother died, or had been abandoned as a child because of it, then I didn't want to touch that subject. Some things were simply better left alone. Even so, if that really was what had happened to her, I couldn't help but feel angry on her behalf.

Unlike that man who ended up beneath the wheels of a truck and died in a hospital, who met his end after years of indifference toward anyone but himself, who wasted his existence in isolation and selfishness.

After hearing someone like that call herself a monster, I realized the man had reaped exactly what he had sown.

But Rein? Her fate had twisted in the opposite direction of mine. While I had been reincarnated into a warm, loving family, given a second chance I never earned, she had apparently been born into solitude and sold into bondage.

Just like with Sylphie, I felt my protective instincts take over. It was given after hearing this story. I usually don’t think about stuff like this, but in this case it made me emotional.

Still, much to my chagrin and my pride as someone who was supposed to be far more mature mentally, I ended up crying alongside her. Maybe this young body was simply more sensitive to other people's emotions.

…Or maybe I was just a crybaby after all.

All of this led me to a sobering realization about the world I inhabited.

What truly unsettled me was the possibility that Paul could be defeated by her. I had never witnessed Paul at his absolute peak, never seen him fight with nothing held back, but the mere notion that I could envision his downfall at the hands of a girl my age was... humbling.

Eye-opening, you could call it.

This fantasy world is beautiful, but also terrifying.

That meant I needed to prepare myself. I know I shouldn't lean on tropes, but I couldn't help it. Isekai stories always had some world-ending catastrophe lurking in the shadows. What already gnawed at me was the nobility of this world. Back on Earth, there were still noble houses and bloodlines. The most prominent being Great Britain's monarchy, but I had no concept of how real-world nobility functioned. If it operated anything like what I witnessed during that brief gathering in the Asura Kingdom, then the sheer volume of backstabbing was staggering. And Sauros later mentioned that wasn't even a significant meeting, meaning most of the true nobility hadn't been present, yet poison was still employed in an attempt on his life.

If something happened to my family, to my soon-to-be-born siblings because of our connection to that cruel world, I was afraid.

Seeing what Sauros did to that bandit had shaken me to my core, those people knew no bounds when it came to inflicting suffering on others.

As grim as it sounded, it was for the best that I focused on what lay immediately before me.

Before I could even entertain the notion of landing a hit on Rein-sensei, my primary objective was to fortify my defenses. To survive long enough to actually reach her. If I could endure her onslaught long enough to cast even a single spell without being thoroughly dismantled and having my ego absolutely destroyed, then perhaps I'd stand a chance.

.

.

.

First, I needed to work on my reaction time to lethal attacks.

Knowing that weapons capable of killing me with a single strike from distance existed in this world, I decided to address that vulnerability. I created twenty balls made from mud and handed them to a thoroughly perplexed Rein-sensei.

She looked down at the pile before looking back at me.

"...Rudeus?"

"I need you to throw them at me."

"...Throw them?"

"Yes!"

"...At you?"

"Hmm!"

"...With the intention of hitting you?"

“Yeah. Can I count on you?”

"……."

How is she somehow more stubborn than Eris?

"Those are still capable of causing harm. I cannot knowingly endanger you."

I let out a sigh.

"Please! Then I give you permission."

“Even so, I won’t disregard your safety.”

Disagreeing, Rein shook her head.

After nearly ten minutes of negotiating, reassuring, demonstrating that they couldn't cut, and promising I'd immediately stop if anything felt dangerous, Rein finally accepted one.

"If this is truly your wish, I shall proceed. However, I will stop immediately if I believe the risk has become unacceptable."

"That's fine with me!" I said happily, relieved that I'd finally managed to convince her.

My idea was straightforward, leveraging my newfound ability to cast spells through my legs, I’d erect defensive barriers from the stone hidden beneath the earth to shield myself from incoming projectiles.

However, casting spells from my legs proved far more challenging than I'd anticipated. The first time I succeeded was under immense pressure. In other words, instinct took over. But once I calmed down, replicating the feat became significantly harder.

Why? The closest comparison I could draw was being right-handed and forced to write with your left hand. Except leg spellcasting was even worse than that. I suspected it had something to do with mana's biological development. The internal pathways that contain one's mana are something you're born with, and they grow alongside you. In essence, it's evolution at work.

A simple concept, really. But I don’t think people in this world know what it is.

The body slowly adapts to whatever it needs to handle in the current era.

Because their ancient predecessors learned to cast spells using their hands, it was no surprise that wielding that ability through one's legs remained an undeveloped mechanism. Maybe the analogy about writing with your toes was the most apt after all.

To conclude, the pathways reaching my legs simply weren't designed for spellcasting. I had to confront this frustrating reality.

So I became obsessive, circulating my own mana through my body during sleepless nights and rest periods, repeating the process like a man possessed.

With everything settled, I took my position opposite Rein-sensei. She, however, still hadn't moved.

"To reduce the risk of harming you, I'll throw them slowly at first," Then, she added. "Remain where you are unless you believe you won't be able to cast your spell in time."

"Huh?"

Seeing my confusion, Rein continued.

"If you remain where you are, each one will fall exactly where I intend it to. Should you fail to erect your barrier, simply step aside."

Hold on. It took me a second to process what she'd actually said.

“Thank you!”

“…..”

And so, Rein-sensei took her position.

Imagine it's an arrow about to hit. Right between the eyes. You have one heartbeat to decide. Shield or sidestep.

I felt the mana surge through my left leg, desperate and clumsy. Stone erupted from the earth in a jagged wall, too slow, too short. The mud struck my shoulder with a dull thwack. It didn't break skin or injure me too much, but the impact sent me stumbling backward.

I rubbed my shoulder, swallowing my pride. "Again."

The fifth mud ball clipped my thigh. The eighth splattered against a barrier I conjured just in time, I actually let out a laugh, triumphant for half a second, before the ninth caught me square in the chest.

The twelfth struck my ribs. The fifteenth grazed my cheek. By the twentieth, I was finally managing to raise a wall often enough that half the mud balls shattered against stone instead of my face. The victories were short-lived. The twenty-third slipped past my barrier. The twenty-ninth hit me square in the stomach. Somewhere around the fortieth attempt, I stopped counting bruises and started counting the barriers that actually appeared in time.

By the fiftieth throw, I was panting.

My legs trembled from the constant surge of mana. My arms were covered in welts where the mud had struck, some harder than others. I'd successfully blocked maybe four. If I was being generous.

Because I keep flinching. I see the mud coming and I—

The wall exploded from the earth beneath me, not a single wall, but a dome. Crude, jagged, and absolutely solid. The mud ball shattered against it, crumbling into dust.

“……”

I stared at the dome I'd conjured, panting like I'd just run a marathon. I hadn't even realized I'd cast it until it was already there.

“Hahahaha!”

I was still overjoyed.

But a few days isn't enough. I'll need to keep working on it.

.

.

.

“…..”

Rein watched Rudeus stagger back to his feet, brushing the dried mud from his clothes with an expression in which accomplishment and exhaustion coexisted.

It was an unusual way of training.

Throughout the entire session, she had remained prepared to intervene. Every mud ball she threw was accompanied by the certainty that, should his barrier fail even once, she would catch it before it could strike him. Her body had already decided as much long before her mind ever needed to.

Even so...

She never did.

Growth could not be borrowed.

It had to be earned.

Long before Reinhard had ever picked up a sword, that truth had been embodied by the man known as the Sword Demon, Wilhelm van Astrea. No amount of guidance, protection, or talent could replace the countless hours another person devoted to their own improvement. Strength that was simply handed to someone would never truly become theirs.

Reinhard himself had never been allowed to walk that same path.

Born with gifts no amount of effort could hope to replicate, he had reached heights that others pursued for an entire lifetime. It was precisely because he came to understand the value of genuine effort that he refused to deprive others of it.

He alone had always been the exception.

Indeed.

Had Rein caught every projectile, corrected every mistake before it was made, and spared Rudeus every bruise he was meant to receive, then he would never truly become stronger. She would merely be replacing his effort with her own.

The resolve burning within him was still immature.

It was clumsy.

It was inexperienced.

And yet...

There was nothing false about it.

That alone was enough.

For that reason, Rein continued throwing each mud ball exactly where she intended, never once allowing herself to interfere, trusting instead that Rudeus himself would overcome each failure placed before him.

Still...

——Please try not to make a habit of asking me to do things like this.

.

.

.

.

Research Log — Current Conclusions

• Does Earth Magic actually require direct contact with the ground, or have I simply gotten used to casting it that way because that's how I first learned it?

Apparently not. I've successfully manipulated earth through my feet, and thinking back, I've also cast Earth Magic at locations several meters away before. That probably means physical contact isn't the important part after all. Instead, it seems that mana only needs to be directed toward the point where the spell is released. That said, casting through my feet feels noticeably faster whenever I'm manipulating the ground beneath me. Whether that's because the mana has a shorter route to travel, because the image is easier to construct, or because I'm simply imagining it that way... I honestly don't know yet. Still, if I can improve this method, it'll dramatically increase the speed at which I can deploy defensive Earth Magic without relying on my hands.

• When I cast a spell, can mana actually be felt flowing through my body toward the point where the spell is released, or is that merely my imagination?

Yep. At least I can feel it. Whether it's actually moving or whether my brain is simply interpreting the process that way... no idea.

• If mana does travel through the body, is it really flowing toward my fingertips, or are my fingers simply acting as the release point?

Probably the latter. Hands seem more like an exit than the source itself.

• If mages can cast while wearing gloves, then mana clearly isn't blocked by leather. Does that mean it isn't leaving through exposed skin at all?

Confirmed. Gloves don't interfere at all

• If gloves don't interfere with spellcasting, would boots interfere either?

Nope. Successful Earth Magic through my feet while wearing boots.

• Is there any reason a spell couldn't be released through my feet instead of my hands?

None that I've found. It's just absurdly difficult.

• Is there something biologically special about human hands that makes spellcasting easier, or do people simply use them because they're the most dexterous part of the body?

My current hypothesis is that it's habit rather than biology. But I guess it depends on a caster?

• Does mana naturally circulate throughout the entire body, or does it only gather where I consciously direct it?

It definitely exists throughout the body. Guiding it consciously is another matter entirely.

• Ghislaine mentioned that Sword God practitioners reinforce their entire bodies with mana. Does that mean the pathways already exist everywhere, even for mages?

Almost certainly. Otherwise Battle Aura shouldn't work at all.

• If mana can be consciously guided, can those pathways be trained through repetition, just like muscles?

Tentatively, yeah. Three months improved it for me. Painfully slow improvement, but improvement nonetheless.

• Instead of practicing spells, what would happen if I spent weeks practicing nothing but moving mana through different parts of my body?

Exactly what I expected. No increase in raw mana, but noticeably better control.

• Could I eventually learn to release mana from any part of my body, not just my hands?

Feet… confirmed? It’s very hard, crazy hard. The rest remains… untested.

• If all of this is possible... why has nobody written about it? Is it because it's impossible, or simply because nobody has ever tried?

Still unanswered. My guess is that everyone simply uses staffs because they're practical. Why spend years reinventing something that already works? Then again, maybe I'm completely wrong and there's a library somewhere full of books laughing at me.

I'll have to ask Master Roxy about this in my next letter.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Pride and Kindness

"Lady Eris, I bear you no hatred."

"You're annoying! Get out, get out!"

"......"

"This is what I dislike about you! Stop trying to act all buddy-buddy with me!"

"I see. Then I shall take my leave."

Though saddened by those words, Rein gave no outward sign of it. She nodded and left. No matter what she said to Eris, it seemed the other girl simply had no wish to see her face.

“——!”

No sooner had the door closed than the sounds of kicking and furniture breaking echoed from inside the room. Eris truly was furious with her and wanted nothing to do with her.

It was not the first time this had happened, neither in Rein's life nor in Reinhard's. It appeared there were simply certain types of people Rein was unable to connect with, and Eris Boreas Greyrat was undoubtedly one of them.

During their spars, Eris had been unable to land even a single hit on Rein, who either parried all her strikes or dodged them with unsettling ease. One might even say it seemed like she could foresee them, given how fluid her movements were.

And because of that, Eris had been forced to resort to a dirty tactic, targeting the legs of her opponent, using what she thought was Rein slipping. Only for the younger girl to flip over her head and continue casually without breaking a sweat.

After that, Eris finally had enough, furiously throwing her wooden sword to the ground. The session was over for her, but not before she glared at both Rudeus and Rein. The former looking worried, the latter watching the retreating form of Eris with a buried melancholy.

This sudden reaction was not without reason. For Eris, who had never once won against Rein in sword combat, the result was inevitable. And eventually, constant loss would break anyone's will to improve. If there was no reward for one's effort, then surely that flame of self-improvement would be extinguished.

Rudeus realized how depressing Rein's situation truly was.

Why? Because Rein couldn't purposefully take hits from Eris. The latter would immediately notice something was off, that Rein was taking it easy on her, making her even more furious. To know that your opponent is letting you win is one of the most demeaning experiences imaginable. It strips away any sense of accomplishment, reducing victory to a hollow gesture devoid of meaning. From the perspective of a warrior, particularly one who values pride as much as Eris did, such an act would be the ultimate insult. A true victory is earned through overcoming a genuine challenge; anything less is merely a gift given out of pity.

The difficulty lay in the fact that Rein had only two choices. She could face Eris seriously and deny her even a single successful strike, or deliberately weaken herself and incur Eris's wrath instead.

What a nightmare. She can't win either way.

With that, Rein left the room and soon passed Rudeus, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation.

Or rather, the lack of one.

"Ah... that must've hurt…”

Being hated by the granddaughter of the lord you're serving...

Even that murmur was overheard by Rein, who stopped and turned to face him. She didn't even look surprised. Somehow, he'd made a habit of being in the wrong place at exactly the right time.

"...Are you okay?" He finally asked a really uncomfortable question. But that was on purpose.

You either replied with yes or no, or tried to wriggle your way out of answering.

"...I am."

Her poker face is too good.

No flicker of anything that might betray what she was actually feeling. Rein could have been carved from stone for all the emotion she showed.

Rudeus knew that much.

"If there remains even the slightest possibility of resolving this without causing Lady Eris pain, I will pursue it." If it meant distancing herself from the angered girl, then Rein wouldn't hesitate. "...I would ask that you not involve yourself."

The determination residing within her impossibly blue eyes left Rudeus with no room to object, and only then did he realize that she had never been trying to frighten him away. The distinction was simple. This was merely the line Rein had drawn, and she would accept no answer that crossed it.

She's way too stubborn!

"...I see."

But because of such certainty in her statement, Rudeus was reminded of a sad truth.

"You don't trust me, do you? Because of my plan to teach Eris and then looking stupid because of that poison, you think I'm not good enough." He didn't feel any anger while saying it, more like he was finally voicing an answer to a dilemma that had been troubling him lately.

"......"

Rein's lips formed a thin line, neither confirming nor denying his question, preferring to stay silent. This actually made Rudeus chuckle a bit, because he had expected that reaction.

"Hey... Rein, I just want you to know something." Rudeus said wryly. "If I end up frustrated because I can't keep up with you, that's on me. I don't think I'll ever be angry at you for my own shortcomings. And if you're saying all this because you think it'll make me give up... well, I'm afraid it's not going to work. I'm not that easy to fool, you know?"

"......"

"...I think I get now. You're staying quiet because no matter what you say, somebody gets hurt. If you say it was my fault, then I'll blame myself. If you say it wasn't, then it sounds like you're blaming Eris. So instead... you choose neither."

"——?"

It was the very opposite of what Rudeus in his previous life would have done. Rather than that, he would have cursed the closest thing next to him in order to put the blame on something other than himself. Perhaps that was precisely why Rein's way of thinking had become so easy for him to understand.

"Heh..." A small smile found its way onto his face. "Judging by that look just now... I'd say I hit the mark!"

"...Did I reveal that much?"

"I don't think so. It was just a guess." Rudeus scratched his cheek awkwardly. "But... it kind of looked like you were thinking, 'If I don't say anything, he'll probably just end up hating me instead.' And... I don't know... maybe that's what you wanted? Maybe you thought it'd be easier if I blamed you instead of myself."

It was hardly the first time she had acted that way.

In truth, Rein had never believed that bearing every burden alone was the same as strength. If anything, she believed the opposite. It was precisely because people placed their trust in one another that they were able to keep moving forward. And yet, understanding a principle didn’t necessarily mean one was capable of applying it to oneself.

This girl was naturally compassionate and remarkably observant. She noticed when someone was hurting long before most people did. Yet that very compassion often left her feeling powerless in moments like these, because kindness alone did not teach a person how to ease another's pain. Recognizing someone's suffering was one thing. Knowing the words that could truly lessen it was another entirely.

To rephrase it, Rein understood people's hearts better than most, but that understanding was not the same as reaching them.

"That doesn't mean I can overlook what I have done."

“Hmm…”

Although Rudeus respected that decision, he couldn't possibly let it go. Rein was someone he owed more than he could repay.

The heart of a man... no, a boy, really was a simple thing. Part of him wanted to help because it felt like the right thing to do. Another part quietly entertained the fantasy that one day, that kindness might be rewarded with a smile meant just for him. It was undeniably selfish. Then again, if his selfishness happened to push him toward doing the right thing, perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing after all.

At the very least, helping Rein felt like the sort of choice the old him, who had always looked away from problems he believed impossible to solve, never would have made.

...Well, I guess that's not so bad.

If that also happened to earn him the affection of an absurdly beautiful girl somewhere down the line... well, he certainly wasn't going to complain.

"Then..." He shifted before meeting her eyes once more. "How about trusting me instead? I promise... this time, I'll make it right."

“…..“

Because he already had a plan in mind. At least, that's what he'd convinced himself. Rein's stare, however, was doing a remarkable job of dismantling that confidence.

Still, it feels like she'll be watching me much more closely from now on. And if I fail... then something between us will shatter.

He was afraid that the small amount of trust he had built with her during that night could all be undone by a single bad decision.

She had started calling him Rudeus instead of Sir Rudeus.

That was progress! Real progress! He wasn't about to throw that away because of some stupid mistake.

“I was the one to ask you to train me, so obviously that responsibility is on me.”

The idea itself had been surprisingly simple.

Rudeus knew better than most that Eris was incapable of ignoring a challenge directed at her pride. Rather than forcing her back into training, he had simply continued training alongside Rein himself. If Eris believed the two of them were steadily growing stronger while she remained behind, then sooner or later her competitive nature would drag her back of its own accord.

And it had worked.

Unfortunately, the result had not been the one Rudeus had envisioned.

Until recently, Eris had always been able to measure her own growth against Rudeus. Even if Rein remained far beyond her reach, she could still occasionally overwhelm him through a combination of talent and relentless effort.

But, things had unfolded differently. Training alongside Rein had accelerated Rudeus's own growth, and before long even he had begun defeating Eris with increasing consistency.

What Rudeus had intended as encouragement had instead become another reminder of the distance separating her from the people around her.

Pride, once wounded often enough, had gradually transformed into insecurity.

.

.

.

"What are you doing here, Rudeus?"

The booming voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

Behind a small pile of papers sat Sauros Boreas Greyrat, the lord of the Fittoa Region, a man who looked as though he belonged on a battlefield rather than behind a desk..

Despite his appearance, governing an entire region apparently involved considerably more paperwork than glorious battles.

How tragic.

"...L-Lord Sauros."

"Hmph."

The old noble grunted without looking up. The sound carried the weight of a man who had long since grown tired of being interrupted, yet somehow tolerated this particular interruption because he recognized the voice attached to it.

Come to think of it...

"Where's Ghislaine?"

Normally, Ghislaine would've been standing somewhere nearby, shadowing them while pretending not to listen to anything around her.

Instead...

Nothing..

"I gave her a week's leave."

"...Really?"

"Hmph."

Another grunt.

"I figured she'd probably go wandering through the forest again."

"….."

"...Hopefully, nobody finds her passed out somewhere after surviving on river water and monster shit again."

The bluntness of the statement caught Rudeus off guard, though he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. Sauros had never been one for delicate phrasing.

Apparently, Ghislaine possessed a remarkable talent for getting herself lost and subsisting on questionable food sources.

Hopefully she at least remembered which mushrooms weren't poisonous, Rudeus silently prayed.

Then he remembered she'd managed to survive by herself for years before meeting the Boreas family. The woman had been a seasoned adventurer, a member of Paul's party, a veteran of countless battles. A few days in the wilderness was hardly going to be the end of her.

...She'll probably be fine.

That being the case…

Whenever something serious happened, it was Sauros whom Rudeus found himself seeking out. The old lord was a man of high noble standing, tthe patriarch of the Boreas household and the Lord of the Fittoa Region, the old man possessed authority that reached far beyond the mansion's walls. Despite his gruff demeanor and his tendency to resolve disputes with his fists rather than his words, he possessed a shrewdness that had allowed him to survive decades of political maneuvering in a court. Beneath the bristling exterior lurked a man who understood the game of nobles better than most, he simply refused to play by its rules.

It wasn't that Philip was unreliable. The man possessed strengths of his own: a sharp mind, a talent for navigating social situations with practiced ease, and an uncanny ability to read people. If there was anyone suited to handling negotiations or political intrigue, it was undoubtedly him. Even so, after spending considerably more time with Sauros, it was the older man Rudeus instinctively turned to whenever something truly serious arose.

He simply told you exactly what he thought and expected the same in return.

If he disliked you, he'd yell.

If he respected you, he'd yell.

If you were an idiot, he'd punch you.

Indeed, he really did solve most of life's problems by yelling.

Compared to smiling nobles who poisoned each other over dinner, however, that straightforwardness was almost refreshing among this world’s nobility.

For the briefest moment, Rudeus considered forcing a few tears out.

That wouldn’t work here.

Sauros wasn't the sort of man to be fooled by crocodile tears. One's false tears were about as effective as tossing a pebble at a mountain. The only occasions on which one would ever see genuine tears in the old man's eyes were during truly moving moments, such as when his grandchildren were born or during celebrations. Those brief flashes of vulnerability were the closest Sauros ever came to softness.

Everything else merely earned louder shouting.

Besides...

The only thing lying would accomplish was getting punched.

"...Well?"

The gaze swept over Rudeus like a blade, cutting through pretense and exposing whatever lay beneath.

You've got the face of someone who's about to ask me for something troublesome.

That’s how Sauros was looking at him.

"...About Eris."

Sauros crossed his arms over his broad chest.

.

.

.

——It doesn't appear he was lying.

Perched upon the sloped rooftop of the Boreas manor was a lone red-haired maid.

A broom moved across the tiles as she swept away the leaves scattered by the morning wind. To an outside observer, the sight itself might have appeared unusual. Rooftops were hardly places where maids ordinarily carried out their duties, particularly when a single misstep could easily send one tumbling to the ground below.

However, maintaining the roof was never Rein's true purpose.

Her attention remained fixed upon a single window overlooking the opposite side of the manor.

Beyond it, Rudeus Greyrat could be seen speaking with Lord Sauros.

“……”

Rein observed the exchange.

Whether because of caution or simple habit, she was unable to ignore the boy's actions. Even if Rudeus had shown himself to be considerate more often than not, that alone was hardly enough to erase everything that had happened before. The plan to abduct the granddaughter of a noble, regardless of the circumstances behind it, was not something Rein could simply overlook. Had such a thing occurred within the Kingdom of Lugunica, it would almost certainly have ended with the Royal Guard becoming involved.

Because of that, Rein found little reason to question what she was doing now.

Lord Sauros himself had entrusted her with watching over Rudeus and reporting anything she considered unusual. Even if the very person Rudeus was currently speaking with happened to be Lord Sauros himself... somehow, that didn't make the situation feel any less suspicious.

Even so, she couldn't help but feel conflicted. Spying on someone she had gradually come to consider a good person, someone she herself had chosen to help on more than one occasion, left an unpleasant feeling in her chest.

It was, perhaps, a selfish thought. Rein had already witnessed Rudeus's terror in the face of death. She had seen his fear, his regret, and his determination to become someone better than he had been before.

He clearly possessed a reason for seeking strength, but once faced with the unforgiving reality of the world, when effort alone was no longer enough, would he continue moving forward... or quietly abandon that path?

This body had once belonged to a slave. Naturally, Rein had inherited the memories of that empty shell.

"Shh, shh. I'm here. Mama's here."

There were words the girl had never been able to understand.

"Even back then... I couldn't protect you."

Only now did Rein understand what those words had truly meant.

Mother...

The graves scattered throughout the garden had been raised for the companions who had once walked beside her, but the garden itself had never truly been meant for them. It had always been for a single person, a woman who had never been given a grave, whose name had disappeared alongside countless others without anyone left to remember it.

Even if nobody else remembers you, I will.

Her red hair hid her expression from view as a faint frown touched her lips for only a brief moment before she composed herself once more.

Just then, the nearby window slid open with surprising force, causing Rein to instinctively straighten her back.

"Child."

Rein froze.

"Come here immediately. Honestly... I can't believe you!"

Lora.

...Oh.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: To Heal

"Rein."

Rudeus, who crouched beside her, called out in a whisper. "What is this place?"

Indeed. What was it? It could certainly be called an old warehouse if someone looked long enough.

"Huh?"

The place where Rudeus was crouching produced strange sounds from beneath his feet.

When Rudeus looked down, he noticed—

"Ah——?!"

—cockroach-like creatures crawling under his feet!

Gross! Gross! Gross!

Even a grown man would be disgusted and flee on the spot, wouldn't he!?

However, before Rudeus could scream at the hideous sight, an incredibly soft touch clamped his mouth shut. He found himself on the ground with Rein on top of him.

"Shhh…" Rein gestured to her own lips, her expression troubled in a way he couldn't quite read.

It would alert the enemy, that was why Rein had resorted to drastic measures to ensure Rudeus didn't scream. It seemed to have worked.

With a small blush on his face, Rudeus felt an urge to lick those pristine, smooth fingers but barely restrained himself out of sheer respect and protectiveness toward this girl.

Ahem.

Besides that, clearly no one had cleaned here for a long time, judging by the insects crawling around. If a place was abandoned for an extended period with food left behind, this was the inevitable result.

One might think this was how the room of the man reincarnated as Rudeus would have looked, full of filth and squalor, yet that wasn't exactly the case. Even after jerking off, he made sure to clean up afterward. It was only unfortunate if someone happened to walk in and witness it.

Back to the topic, which was decidedly less disgusting, Rudeus noticed that it was quite dark here. That was only natural, however, since they had positioned themselves to remain unnoticed by the five men patrolling with weapons.

Those were guards hired by the illegal slave traders to protect this hidden place. Most of them were paid handsomely despite knowing the risk. That Lord Sauros, the ruler of this land, did not condone such activities.

What was the difference between illegal and legal slave traders? That was the question Rudeus had asked like an eager student in a classroom. The answer had been revealing.

Apparently, illegal slave traders operated purely by selling people and trafficking them, whereas legal slave traders could put their slaves to work in legitimate labor, construction, farming, and the like, while still feeding them. Illegal operations didn't have this luxury because any report of such activity would reach the Lord of the territory.

However, as one might imagine, despite these prohibitions, contracts were still made with illegal slavers without the lord's approval. Consequently, the taxes on such transactions were never paid to Lord Sauros, making the entire enterprise even more unlawful.

At first, Rudeus had been confused, his eyes forming swirls of incomprehension. But he understood within a minute, impressing Sauros with how quickly he grasped the system. For a boy his age, Rudeus was remarkably skilled with mathematics and trade, so much so that the Lord had been taken aback by his talent as a potential merchant. This boy was too capable!

With that said, once the guards changed their location, Rudeus turned worriedly to Rein, who had long since removed her soft hand from his mouth, unfortunately.

Still…

"Don't tell me you're planning to fight all of them."

He hoped not. What if one of them was too dangerous to handle? There were too many unknowns here, making the situation all the more perilous.

Rein shook her head.

"No."

The stress leaving his body, Rudeus sighed in relief.

"I was planning to capture them."

"Eh?" He replied dumbly, unsure if he had heard correctly.

That was even more impossible! Not only was Rein proposing to fight them, but she intended to capture them all at once. It wasn't that he doubted her ability, rather, the idea of incapacitating so many enemies while remaining inconspicuous seemed entirely unrealistic.

For some reason, it also felt like Rein was making a joke. But that couldn't be true, right?

"….."

After he explained his concerns, Rein looked at him with something as close to amusement as he had ever seen.

"You can't give up without trying."

"——!?"

Seeing that Rudeus was panicking, Rein attempted to lighten the atmosphere by treating the threat with nonchalance. Unknown to her, her words shook Rudeus, who would typically consider all options, including retreat if it meant securing their safety. And Rein had just told him that even if the possibility of their silent approach failing was high, she would attempt it anyway, regardless of the consequences.

Recently, his confidence had taken a significant blow and Rudeus had been humbled. That was precisely why hearing this advice from the very person who had flattened his ego was so impactful.

When the person beside you exudes unwavering confidence, it spreads virally, especially when that person possessed a face straight out of a Hollywood film.

"——Fine."

As such, Rudeus wasn’t spared from that powerful effect.

Hearing his reply, Rein's features visibly softened, as though she had received confirmation of his resolve.

There is no way I can decline when you're looking at me like that, Rudeus thought, sighing inwardly.

But still, how were they going to do this without making a sound?

"...Then please trust me, Rudeus. I promise that I will trust you as well."

"O-Of course."

With the way things were progressing, it would become impossible to refuse this girl in the future if her charm grew along with her age.

Upon deciding their next course of action, the two moved together while crouching, careful not to make any noise.

The first guard approached within close proximity. Rudeus glanced uncertainly at Rein beside him, only to see her extend her arm and spread her palm.

No way. Is she about to cast magic!?

"Catch him with water, hmm."

"——huh?"

Nothing happened, and yet the man soon collapsed. Rudeus barely managed to cast a spell, creating a bed of salty water in which the unconscious guard landed. Slowly, the bed dispelled, leaving the man lying on the ground.

"But how?"

Somehow the man was unresponsive. Rudeus had felt a shift in the surrounding mana just before it happened.

"One of my abilities is that I can drain mana from things if they are not too far away."

"Seriously?"

Wouldn't that be overpowered against mages? Another entry to add to his growing list of Rein's capabilities. It wasn't even surprising at this point.

What a hax!

By siphoning a significant amount of mana from a person at once, they lost consciousness, similar to blood loss, effectively putting them to sleep. It wasn't dangerous unless they hit the ground and no one caught them.

"It's not that much, but it should suffice."

"You did something amazing and you're downplaying yourself." That was what he thought. Beyond that, he was genuinely impressed by the pacifistic solution! He had hoped no blood would be spilled today, and those expectations hadn't been betrayed at all.

He wasn't a full-blooded pacifist, but he preferred to choose the least dangerous path possible.

He had half-expected Rein to knock them out with her fists, but she had chosen such a gentle approach instead.

While Rudeus kept watch for anyone approaching, Rein took the opportunity to search the man's pockets for anything useful, a paper containing instructions or something similar.

"A lot of people can't read, so maybe there's no point in giving them orders on paper if they can't read them?" At least, that was Rudeus's thought.

"…There is nothing." Rein sounded sad, empty-handed and disappointed.

The day was ruined.

"It's fine. It's only one guy." He tried to cheer her up. "Let's do the rest, okay?"

Seeing her nod, they proceeded to repeat the process with the remaining guards, Rein using her ability and Rudeus ensuring no noise was made. It was as though they complemented each other pretty well.

Though after a while, Rudeus became certain that Rein could have done this alone. She clearly possessed the speed and ability to catch a man before he hit the ground without making a sound. So why?

"I wished for your company. I apologize if it's uncomfortable for you, after all…" Even though Rein's intent was to observe what kind of person Rudeus truly was, whether he would back away or act suspiciously, she still didn't want him to feel obligated to participate in her selfish plan to understand him better.

“Aha…”

Now back to Rudeus, who looked away in that moment after hearing such heartfelt words.

"Heheee, no, no, it's fine…" He slipped with that awfully pleased grin melting onto his innocent face, his hands waving to indicate he didn't mind. "In fact, I'm happy you asked me."

"——I'm glad."

Soon, the rest of the guards were taken care of, leaving them as the only ones standing. Looking at the situation, it could be said that things couldn't have gone better.

"Let's free the slaves now."

"Slaves?"

Because of this assassin-like approach, Rudeus had genuinely forgotten about the people held captive here. He felt uncomfortable with his lack of thoughtfulness, seeing that Rein hadn't allowed her mind to wander into the clouds.

Following Rein, they approached the room where the slaves were held. She didn't want to frighten them, so she broke the lock on the door with her hand rather than destroying the door itself. She pushed it open, revealing approximately twenty-five people to Rudeus, who followed closely behind. There were mostly women, but a few beastmen as well.

"——!" One of the beast women hissed something at them. It was impossible for Rein to understand due to the language barrier, but she could tell it was meant to scare them off.

The captives likely thought they were part of the enemy force.

It’s not surprising, Rudeus thought. After all, they had taken out the guards without making a sound, and no battle had been heard. Naturally, from the perspective of these people, they appeared to be on the enemy's side.

"———"

Using what he knew of the beast language, he attempted to string together words that conveyed their intent to free them, words like "help," "safety," and "home."

He was still in the middle of studying the languages of this world, but with Ghislaine's assistance, it was considerably easier.

From what he could conclude, Rein must have knocked out the slaves every time she saved them because she couldn't handle foreign languages and the slaves were aggressive.

"……"

It was quite heartwarming to see her move to stand behind him upon realizing he could speak this alien tongue.

After communicating with them enough, they allowed him and Rein to come closer and remove the bindings holding them together. Rudeus saw that many of the slaves bore injuries on their bodies, most likely from whipping, judging by the cuts and purple marks. The foul sight made him acutely aware of how much cruelty they must have suffered.

Was it the same for you?

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Rein, who was also breaking the bindings. Because she had been a slave before coming to the manor, the question naturally surfaced. He wasn't sure what he was feeling, a tangled mess of anger, sadness, and something else that made him grit his teeth.

It's not like I can do anything about it. No matter how I think about it, dismantling this system is simply beyond me. What can I even do? I'm just a reincarnated loser who has no real understanding of what slavery means. I never touched on the topic in my past life because it existed outside the confines of my room. Why would I be interested unless the heroine in the light novel I was reading happened to be a slave?

Realistically speaking, would he even care?

That was the uncomfortable truth of the matter. In his previous existence, Rudeus had consumed stories about slavery with the same detachment as any other form of entertainment. In one such light novel, the protagonist had been transported to another world, granted cheating powers, and yet had purchased a slave because she was beautiful. The narrative framed it as an act of compassion, freeing her seemingly out of the modern morality he had been raised with. But what kind of freedom was it, really, when he had sex with her once she fell in love with him for that very act of liberation?

The relationship couldn't have been any more shallow.

At the time, the man who would become Rudeus had watched that anime and genuinely envied the protagonist, imagining how pleasant it would be to have a slave who loved him like that, someone who offered her body to him without hesitation. Now, witnessing the reality with his own eyes, that fantasy unsettled him greatly.

The horrifying treatment those people had endured wasn’t the first time he had witnessed such cruelty in this world.

Until what happened with Sauros, it had all seemed like a fairy tale.

A distant, abstract concept that had never touched his reality.

"Rudeus, would you heal them?" Rein asked, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Give me a moment." Then, he added a bit shakily, "I'm… I'm not that good with healing."

Fortunately, most of the wounds were only superficial and could be healed with Intermediate-level magic, something well within his capabilities.

"Please come closer!"

Those who heard his plea, despite his childish voice, stepped closer one after another, forming a line that stretched across the filthy room.

"Let this divine power be rich and nourishing, offering those whose strength has been lost the strength to rise again. Healing."

One by one, slave after slave was freed from their pain, thanking him for his kindness as he continued to chant. Some required a greater expenditure of mana, particularly those with more extensive injuries.

"Let this divine power be rich and nourishing, offering those whose strength has been lost the strength to rise again. Healing."

The true challenge lay with those afflicted by sickness. Even if their wounds were healed, illness was something the body had to overcome on its own. That was why herbs and medications remained so valuable in this fantasy world. Infections, fevers, epidemics, Healing magic had no answer for them, and the criteria by which it operated remained as mysterious as ever.

"…Let this divine power be rich and nourishing, offering those whose strength has been lost the strength to rise again. Healing."

Again and again, he chanted, yet his mana pool seemed to know no limit. By the seventh person, however, his words began to blur together, the repetition wearing down his concentration until his tongue stumbled over the familiar syllables.

That was when it happened…

"Please… please heal my baby."

Baby? But there was no…

Then Rudeus noticed that the woman's belly was slightly larger than it should have been. She was pregnant.

And then, as if his mind hadn't fully grasped the sheer weight of her plea, he placed his palm on her hand and—

The baby was dead.

"Ah…"

He realized with a barely contained gasp, his eyes widening in horror. The woman's mana, which circulated through her body, refused to come close to what was no longer alive. It was like wrapping a warm blanket around a cold corpse.

The fetus in this woman's belly was dead. And if she didn't receive an operation, impossible in this world, as no surgeon was present, she would die.

"P-Please… please, great healer."

"I….."

There was nothing he could do. Literally nothing. Not only was the woman clearly malnourished, her arms so thin they seemed barely held together, but she was also dehydrated from her treatment as a slave. Even with his modern knowledge, saving her was impossible. It was far too late. Her entire body was already breaking apart, and it was a miracle she was still alive, even with the dead fetus inside her. At first, her body must have tried to sustain the growing baby, only to realize that doing so would kill the host. So it had stopped.

And even now, she would still suffer a painful death, full of regret and sorrow.

"I-I'm sorry… I can't…"

After he rasped that out, he fully expected her to lunge at him, because that was how mothers would react, wasn't it? But much to his shock, her eyes became hollow.

"—So it was true then… I knew it, but… but…"

It seemed the woman was already aware of her own circumstances. Her body must have been damaged enough for the truth to become undeniable.

Rudeus bit his lip, hard enough to draw blood, and looked at the ground. Rein, standing beside him, wore a sorrowful expression and seemed at a loss for how to lift his spirits. It was her fault that Rudeus wore that face of despair, and the realization made her feel even worse.

She should have known better. She understood better than anyone that some slaves simply died. And yet, she still hadn't been thoughtful enough to avoid bringing him here. Worse still, she had asked him to heal them because of a sudden phantom, Felix's image overlapping with Rudeus, making her believe, for just a moment, that he could bring people back from the clutches of death.

"I'm sorry…"

His voice was filled with pain as he muttered the words. Rein felt the same anguish, both for the woman, whom she had given false hope, and for Rudeus, whom she had placed in this situation.

As an ex-knight, she was beyond ashamed of herself.

The situation appeared hopeless, particularly for Rein, who lacked the ability to cast spells. As for Rudeus, he found himself wondering in that moment how Zenith would have acted, what words would his mother have chosen? For someone who had never cared enough to truly connect with others until this new life, finding the right words proved painfully difficult.

With a heavy heart, Rudeus turned to heal the remaining slaves, though the strain of treating so many people was beginning to take its toll. The lack of understanding regarding the healing process consumed far more mana than it should have, leaving him increasingly drained with each passing patient.

The next slave he healed was in considerably better condition than he had anticipated, a striking woman with dark hair and vivid violet eyes. Before her capture, she must have been quite the catch, he thought absently.

However, the moment the healing light faded, she stared at him with an intensity that made him uncomfortable. Her lips parted as though she meant to speak, yet no sound emerged.

Rudeus assumed she must have been exhausted, that would explain such an unusual reaction.

"It's okay, you're fine no—"

The words had barely left his mouth when a fist connected with his stomach with alarming force. The impact sent him doubling over, his mouth filling with saliva as he struggled to draw breath.

"W-What the... what...?"

"Rudeus!"

Rein, who had witnessed the sudden assault, was at his side in an instant, her hands steadying him as he fought to remain upright. She had not anticipated such a violent reaction, and her expression flickered with something between confusion and concern as she helped him stand.

Rudeus couldn’t comprehend what had just occurred. Why had he been struck so viciously? Had his gaze lingered too long on her face? Surely that couldn’t have been the reason.

"Why?"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry for her! She didn't mean to!"

One of the women Rudeus had healed earlier rushed forward, positioning herself protectively in front of the one who had struck him. Her arms were spread wide, her face a mask of desperation.

"...Could you tell us why you did that?" Rein asked warningly.

Her voice turned serious, but she neither raised it nor reached for the woman. To Rein, someone who lashed out immediately after being rescued was not necessarily an enemy. More often than not, it was someone who had simply forgotten what safety felt like.

Even so...

——Even so…

Rudeus had exhausted himself healing them without asking for anything in return. He had poured his mana into one spell after another until his complexion had visibly paled, never once complaining despite how draining Healing Magic was for him. After all of that, the very first thing he received in return had been a fist.

Rein understood that the woman before her had undoubtedly suffered horrors no one should ever endure.

She understood.

But understanding didn’t erase the indignation welling within her chest.

Kindness should never have been answered with violence.

The woman who had struck Rudeus began to tremble, her frightened gaze shifting between Rein's expressionless face and the boy she had just hit. Whether her shaking stemmed from fear or lingering anger was impossible to tell.

"P-Please..." she pleaded, lowering her head. "Please don't blame her! She... she can't speak!"

"...Can't speak?" Rudeus repeated as he slowly rose to his feet.

"She… She used to be an adventurer... a magician." The woman's voice faltered before she reluctantly continued. "When someone enslaves a magician, leaving them capable of chanting is simply asking for them to escape. So..."

She lowered her head even further.

"...They cut their tongues."

“——”

Rudeus needed only a single moment to understand what those words truly meant. Most magicians relied upon spoken incantations to invoke Magic, and if that voice was taken away from them, then so too was the ability that had defined their entire lives. There was no need to shackle their Mana or cripple their bodies when a single act of unimaginable sadism could reduce even the greatest magician to helplessness.

Having mastered Voiceless Incantation at an early age, Rudeus had never once considered such a possibility. Chanting had long since become something unnecessary to him, so unnecessary, in fact, that he had forgotten it remained indispensable to almost every other magician.

And then...

Master Roxy.

She, too, relied upon spoken incantations.

Didn’t she?

The vision of Roxy standing before him with that same empty expression, the warmth that had always accompanied her smile gone, her lips forever incapable of speaking another spell.

"……"

Magic had been more than a means of protecting oneself. For many, it was passion, pride, and the very reason they had chosen to become magicians.

To rob people of that...

He couldn’t accept it.

"Can you... can you heal her?!" The woman asked with hope.

Hahaha...

The answer was simple and rooted within the body and its biology. This time the problem was vastly different. The tongue which had been cut had already healed, meaning it was something akin to scarring that refused ordinary healing.

So if you asked Rudeus, or any magician really, then no.

This pitiful woman… healing her was impossible.

To restore lost body parts bordered on a miracle.

It’s something no human magician, even if insanely talented, could ever hope to achieve.

If the foremost clerics of this world lacked the means to accomplish it, then what hope remained for him? The same held true for the monks of the Great Church who worshipped Saint Millis.

Even in Rudeus's old world, modern medicine could only surgically reconstruct a missing or severed tongue using tissue flaps from the forearm or thigh, but that was hardly a perfect solution and more often than not ended with a long and arduous rehabilitation.

The final outcome could never compare to its original state.

Why!? Why did it have to be like this!?

To be powerless, forced to grit his teeth in frustration and accept that reality...

As someone who believed in taking the most realistic course of action, the irony wasn't lost on him.

What kind of sick joke is that?

Rudeus held a hand against his forehead as bitterness welled up within him.

If Roxy suffered the same fate, then wouldn't he try his best to help and not run away like a coward simply because it was impossible!?

Just like with that woman who had lost hope, he couldn’t revive the dead. He wasn’t even capable of chantless healing magic, so what sort of foolish idea was it to think otherwise?

"——You can't give up without trying."

The very same person who said those words to him, his sword teacher Rein, stood behind him, equally hopeless against the tragic situation. Because she couldn’t even hope to use proper magic prior to her unknown condition, compared to him who had this ability and didn’t even make an attempt, taking steps back out of sheer fear of failure!

This... this was supposed to be a happy fantasy world, wasn't it?

And yet, that naïve belief had long since been shattered by Thomas, who had been rotten to the core, by Sauros, who thought nothing of torture, and by the nobles of Asura, who smiled across banquet tables while quietly poisoning one another in pursuit of political power.

Until that moment, Rudeus had managed to keep his composure. Faced with that reality, however, it began to crumble.

"L-Let… let me try, at least."

Astonishment spread throughout the room. Having witnessed Rudeus stand powerless before the slave woman only moments earlier, nobody had expected the young boy to step forward.

It’s funny, isn’t it?

And yet...

Only Rein looked at him differently.

Rather than disbelief, what surfaced within her widened blue eyes was approval, and without uttering a single word, she watched without judgement.

...I have to focus.

Rudeus slowly drew a breath.

Simply casting a Healing spell and hoping for the best would accomplish nothing. The problem was that this could scarcely be called a wound anymore. Time had long since transformed it into something else.

I need to go deeper.

"Please, lift your shirt."

Just above the abdomen lay the point from which the body's Mana pathways spread throughout the entire body, making it the most suitable place from which to examine them.

Under normal circumstances, Rudeus would have found himself distracted by the prospect of seeing a woman's chest. However, the desperation in his voice left no room for such thoughts, and the slave magician, still uncertain, slowly lifted the tattered cloth covering her body before exposing her abdomen.

Without another word, Rudeus placed his palm against her skin and quietly closed his eyes.

"—Hah."

Mana pathways extending throughout her body like a second nervous system, one that possessed no physical form and yet undeniably existed. They were neither veins nor muscles, but transparent currents that flowed through the body like streams of liquid light, carrying Mana in a manner that resembled electricity far more than blood.

If someone's arm were severed, Mana wouldn’t spill onto the ground.

It was not something governed by ordinary logic.

Quite the opposite.

Human logic merely attempted to explain Mana, whereas Mana itself stood above the very principles that governed the physical world. Human biology had adapted itself to Mana, not the other way around, and regardless of birth or status, every human possessed fundamentally the same internal pathways.

That’s why…

“——!?”

The woman arched violently as a voiceless scream escaped her throat.

Unlike ordinary people, magicians possessed an instinctive awareness of the Mana flowing through their own bodies, and the moment Rudeus's Mana entered her pathways, she felt every movement as though something foreign had begun forcing its way through every corner of her body. From her chest to her fingertips, from her abdomen to her legs, and finally toward her head, every pathway responded to Rudeus's guidance.

“H-Hold her still!” His shaky voice echoed throughout the room as the woman's body trembled uncontrollably beneath his hand. If she continued struggling, everything he had accomplished thus far would amount to nothing.

A moment later, the violent shaking subsided.

Someone had restrained her.

Rudeus paid them no mind, far too lost in this other world.

Circulating one's own Mana and circulating somebody else's were two entirely different matters. The latter demanded control so delicate that even after months spent refining the flow of Mana within his own body day and night, Rudeus still felt as though he were blindly searching through dense fog. Even his eyes closed and his senses focused on that singular point, he could barely distinguish one pathway from another, yet each correction demanded another impossible adjustment before the previous one had even been completed.

“Haaa… haaa…”

Sweat rolled down his forehead as he continued searching for the single possibility that might still remain.

Although the slave woman's voice had long since been stolen along with the organ that gave it form, The Mana flowing through her body didn’t simply stop where flesh had been lost. It continued toward the empty space as though the body itself still believed something should have existed there.

It felt as though he had stepped onto ground no one had ever dared tread before. Then again, perhaps the same could have been said of the countless days and sleepless nights he had spent manipulating his own Mana solely to improve his control, chasing after the back of the girl who had saved him time and time again.

The resolve of that girl.

This time...

Surely—

He would answer it with his own.

"Let this divine power be rich and nourishing…”

As long as every step was correct.

“…offering those whose strength has been lost…”

As long as the intent never faltered.

“…the strength to rise again.”

As long as the outcome remained clear.

“——Healing!"

The exact process behind Healing Magic didn’t need to be known to the caster, only the result they wished to bring forth.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: A Good Person

Her name was Celia.

Once, she had been an aspiring mage who dreamed of joining the University of Magic. She lacked the necessary qualifications and the funds to sustain herself, her origins rooted in poverty with no means of support.

Thus she began her adventuring career, accepting tasks and slaying monsters, meeting her future party members along the way.

She climbed the ranks, nearly reaching Rank C. But before that milestone could be achieved, disaster descended upon her.

One day, a high-ranking adventurer offered to assist them in defeating a dangerous monster to attain that coveted rank. Her party members were hesitant, but knowing Celia needed money for her family, they reluctantly agreed.

That was where those precious memories ended.

She had been deceived by people with malicious intentions, the trap set before any of them could realize what was happening. Her entire party was captured and sold into slavery.

Her black curly hair and striking violet eyes were uncommon, making her a prized commodity. A mage with desirable curves, she would fetch a handsome price for those who sold her.

Her party, four girls in total, were all dead by now.

One had taken her own life after losing her chastity. Another had attempted escape multiple times and was executed for insubordination. The last had blamed Celia for everything and attacked her. Celia, knowing she had no choice, fought back and succeeded in eliminating her own teammate.

Her life from that point onward was merciless.

She had been used on countless occasions, whether by guards or clients. Slaves could be sent to brothels as well, many beautiful slaves sold or rented out for certain periods, the profits flowing back to the slave traders.

Naturally, because of her uncommon features, Celia managed to survive for a time.

However, she lost her tongue during an escape attempt from the brothel, rendering her less valuable. Her mouth could no longer serve as it once had, only her body remained usable.

As such, she was sold to another slave trader who used their subjects for labor, gathering resources, securing information, and other degrading tasks.

There were many worthless slaves like her in this place. Beast women who were not beautiful enough, yet their strength remained greater than that of an average man, despite suffering from malnutrition for days on end. There was also a woman who appeared pregnant, though there was no way a child could survive in such dire circumstances.

In other words, hope did not exist in this place. Neither did kindness nor compassion. The slaves had long since forgotten what those words meant—Celia included.

Celia had believed she was fully prepared to die here.

That was a lie.

She did not want to die. She wished to live. She wished none of this had ever happened. She wished that one day all those bastards would burn in hell, that every wrong done to her would be undone, that her mind could be returned to the state it had been before the trauma.

Of course, that was merely wishful thinking.

This was reality.

In this unfair world, those things would never align. No matter how strong you were or how capable, something would always go awry.

The hope to change that sorry fate simply did not exist.

If that was the case, then why...

Why did she punch that boy?

Clearly, he was innocent here. Not only had he healed the other slaves despite his apparent exhaustion, but he had also been kind.

Why hurt someone who bore no ill will? Was it because of her distrustful nature, which had grown with every day spent in captivity?

Ah...

That was when Celia realized it.

Even now... hope still existed within her heart.

And because the boy had not met that fragile expectation, she had lashed out in punishment for the hope he had inadvertently sparked. By inflicting pain on a child, she had tried to extinguish something that had no right to exist in a place like this.

But instead of shouting in anger, the boy took her violence with the patience of an adult. He didn’t retaliate.

He approached her again.

Why? There was nothing to be done. Her predicament was simply too far gone to be healed, not even the most powerful healers on this continent could restore what had been taken from her.

Trash like her, useless and thoroughly used, was nothing more than good-for-nothing.

And yet, when the boy proposed to try again, Celia followed his command.

Because somewhere, buried deep beneath the layers of despair and self-loathing, that stubborn fragment of hope remained.

When the boy placed his palm against her abdomen and closed his eyes, Celia felt the shift immediately. His mana surged through her pathways with a force unlike anything she had ever experienced.

The boy is exhausted, tired? Don't joke around!

He had deliberately guided his own mana through her body's pathways, their mana briefly flowed alongside one another. It lasted only an instant, yet that fleeting overlap was enough for Celia to sense something that made her breath catch.

That was the sheer difference in their mana capacity. His reserves dwarfed her own by an incomprehensible margin. What she possessed was barely a drop compared to the vast current flowing through this boy's body.

As that immense flow was guided through her own pathways, mingling with her mana, Celia experienced a sensation unlike anything she had ever felt before.

Her body arched violently as mana coursed through her. Every pathway that had lain dormant from years without spellcasting, every stagnant current that had long since grown sluggish, seemed to awaken beneath the overwhelming flow.

Someone with that much mana couldn't possibly look so exhausted...

And then there was the incantation.

Something felt... wrong.

The chant was there, yet the magic itself didn't seem to obey it. It was almost as though the words served only as a distraction while the true spell was woven through the flow of mana itself.

Whether this was meant to remain a secret or not, Celia no longer cared. If saving her required revealing such a miracle, then she would carry it with her until the day she died.

She would protect it with the same devotion she had once reserved for her family, because this boy had given her back something she thought she had lost forever.

"Healing!"

A green light washed over the room, so bright it blinded everyone nearby as they instinctively squeezed their eyes shut.

The source of that brilliant radiance was the black-haired slave Rudeus had healed. Not only had the injuries inflicted upon her body been completely restored, but even the lingering pain that had haunted her for years had finally disappeared.

Then—

"A-Ah?!"

Soft flickering of her eyes, the first sign of tears.

Celia instinctively reached for her throat.

"Ahh! Ahhhhhhh!"

Her voice, which had been stolen from her years ago, returned in a miracle no one present had believed possible. The sound that escaped her throat was unsteady, as though it had forgotten how to form words after so many years of silence, and yet to everyone who heard it, there could not have been a more beautiful voice.

"Waaaaah!"

Celia wept.

She wept for the years that had been taken from her, for the companions she had lost, for the hope she had buried with her own hands. She wept because the boy standing before her had refused to abandon her, even after she had abandoned herself.

Hope was not so fragile a thing as to disappear forever. More often than not, it merely lay dormant, waiting for someone to remind another that it still existed.

That was true for Rudeus, who had learned to believe in himself one step at a time despite many mistakes, and now, through those very same hands, that resolve had reached someone else.

“……”

Silently, Rein loosened her grip on the slave magician.

Her widened blue eyes remained fixed upon the crying woman and Rudeus whom she embraced.

Compassion. Kindness.

The resolve to reach out to another, even when every voice insisted it was impossible.

Looking back, perhaps that had always been what it meant to be a knight.

Although, in Rein's eyes, Rudeus had nearly given up after realizing how impossible the task before him truly was, he had still chosen to challenge that impossibility rather than accept it, reaching out to someone whom everyone else had already abandoned.

Truly, this is——

While this train of thought continued in Rein's mind, the slave magician was still hugging Rudeus tightly to her chest, smashing his face between her boobs.

Under ordinary circumstances, Rudeus would have gladly accepted such a reward.

Unfortunately, remaining alive required the ability to breathe!

His head was already spinning from everything that had happened, and the gratitude reflected in the woman's tear-filled eyes only made it worse. It was far too much for someone who had never been looked upon with such heartfelt appreciation before.

“M, Miss, please…”

He turned away, only to see a sight that made his heart skip a beat.

“——!?”

Rein had quietly stepped back to give the two of them some space, her hands folded behind her back as a smile graced her face, one so gentle that it could only be described as befitting a princess from a fairy tale.

Unbeknownst to Rudeus, this was the first time Rein had smiled so openly. Not even Lora, the maid who had watched over her for years, had ever seen such an unguarded expression grace the girl's face.

Faced with a smile that radiant, every guy in close proximity would feel like climbing onto the nearest rooftop and announcing to the entire world that Rein was, without question, the cutest girl alive.

——Being a good person really does feel nice.

Choosing to be stubborn wasn't so bad after all.

For once, taking the difficult path hadn't left him with regret.

.

.

.

The question remained.

What now?

Freedom had been handed back to them so suddenly that none of the former slaves knew what they were supposed to do with it.

Years spent in captivity didn’t simply disappear overnight. Even after the chains had been removed, the habits they had cultivated remained. More than once, someone instinctively flinched whenever another person raised their voice. Others continued waiting for orders despite there no longer being anyone left to command them.

Freedom was not something one relearned in a single day.

After some time, the black-haired magician stepped forward.

"My name… is Celia."

The other former slaves gathered behind her. It had not been discussed beforehand, yet everyone naturally allowed her to speak on their behalf. Even after everything she had endured, she remained the most experienced individual among them, and perhaps more importantly, the one whose resolve had returned first.

Several Beastfolk stood nearby as well, watching the exchange.

"First..." Celia lowered her gaze for a brief moment. "I wish to bury my companions."

Her fingers tightened around the edge of her rags.

"...However."

Looking over her shoulder at the people standing behind her, she slowly shook her head.

"I believe that can wait."

It was difficult to say those words.

No matter how dearly she wished to give her fallen companions a proper farewell, there were still living people depending on her. They had escaped slavery together thanks to these two kids.

After Celia regained a fragment of her hope, she couldn’t decide to leave them now

Fortunately, recovering her speech proved far easier than recovering the years that had been stolen from her. At first, every word felt clumsy upon her tongue, as though she had forgotten how to move it properly, but little by little those sensations returned. Just as one's body never truly forgot how to walk or hold a pen, the voice gradually remembered how to speak.

"Do you intend to become an adventurer again, Miss Celia?" Rudeus asked.

A short distance away, Rein sat beneath a tree, feeding a stray cat that had wandered over while her attention remained fixed on the conversation taking place nearby.

"...No."

Celia answered without hesitation.

"I don't wish to walk that path again."

After everything she had witnessed, after every monster she had met and every person she had trusted...

"...If possible, I'd like to become a scholar."

That answer caught Rudeus pleasantly off guard.

"A scholar? What do you want to study?"

"Healing Magic."

“——Oh!?”

"Mmm, I wish to understand how it works... and how it can help more people."

Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward him.

"After witnessing a miracle like today... I couldn't help wanting to learn more."

There was no trace of obsession in her eyes.

Only admiration.

"But before that..."

Celia looked back at the others once more.

"...I'd like to help everyone return home."

One of the Beastfolk lowered their ears.

"The Great Forest..." Rudeus muttered.

Celia nodded.

"Many of them were taken from villages deep within the Great Forest. Their families may still be waiting for them."

The Great Forest occupied much of the northeastern reaches of the Central Continent, a vast wilderness so dense that even experienced adventurers thought twice before entering it. Dangerous monsters roamed freely beneath its towering canopy, while the roads leading there were frequented by thieves and slave traders eager to prey upon vulnerable travelers. Escorting so many former victims across such a distance would be difficult even for seasoned adventurers.

"...I'm afraid we won't make it on our own."

Rudeus rested a hand beneath his chin.

"...Actually."

A certain swordswoman immediately came to mind.

Someone who knew the Great Forest.

Someone most likely respected by the Beastfolk.

Someone absurdly strong.

If that’s the case, then…

"...I think I know the perfect person!"

.

.

.

Two days later, Ghislaine finally returned from her excursion, only to discover that a rather unexpected mission had already been prepared for her.

The way she looked at Rudeus made him feel as though she was both relieved and mildly irritated. He couldn't prove it, of course, but whatever she had gone off to do during those two days must have been important enough that being dragged into another assignment immediately afterward left her less than pleased.

Still...

That worked perfectly for the plan.

Calling it a plan was probably giving him too much credit. It was more of a temporary solution born from desperation than some carefully constructed strategy, but unlike every ridiculous scheme he had relied on until now, this one didn't involve trickery or emotional manipulation.

At least... not much.

During his morning spar with Eris, the girl charged at him with her usual ferocity, only for a wall of stone to erupt from the ground before she could even swing her wooden sword. The barrier had formed almost instinctively, reacting to the incoming attack before Rudeus had consciously thought about casting it.

His training with Rein-sensei had clearly been paying off.

"Tch! Again! Stop hiding behind walls and fight me properly!"

Eris stomped the ground in frustration, pointing her practice sword straight at him.

"That's called strategy."

"Cheating! Cheating! Cheating!"

"...Pretty sure it isn't."

“Eat dirt!”

Unfortunately for Eris, the more Rudeus improved, the fewer opportunities she had to actually land a hit, and little by little, the confidence she had built during their previous matches began to crumble.

When Rudeus glanced toward Rein, he noticed her standing nearby. Her expression remained as unreadable as ever, yet something about her posture betrayed a faint uneasiness. Although her face hardly changed, it was obvious that she felt uncomfortable watching Eris become so frustrated.

Sorry, Rein-sensei.

It was all part of the plan.

Just bear with me a little longer.

"ERIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIS!"

This powerful voice echoed throughout the courtyard.

"——Grandpa!?"

What had prompted such a reaction, you ask?

Hah!

It was him.

Sauros, who strode across the training grounds dressed not in the lavish garments of a regional lord, but in practical training attire befitting a warrior.

A thick leather vest covered his broad frame, while sturdy boots crunched against the dirt with every step. His hair remained slicked back as always, and beneath his impressive moustache rested the familiar expression of a man prepared to solve problems with overwhelming force.

A wooden sword rested in his right hand, its tip levelled toward his opponent, while his left remained calmly behind his back.

"Stand ready! Today, I'll be your opponent!"

"...Huh?"

Gone was the usual ill-mannered Eris. In her place remained only a vulnerable girl, too stunned to believe what she had just heard. Her ruby-red eyes widened, searching her grandfather's face for any sign that this was some elaborate joke, yet the broad grin beneath his moustache never wavered.

"I've watched you swing that sword often enough. About time I saw how much you've really grown!"

"W-Wait... Grandpa? You're going to train with me?"

"Gahaha! Who else?"

"B-But... you've never trained with me before!"

That reaction was hardly surprising.

To Eris, Sauros had always been the lord of the Fittoa Region, a man constantly occupied with meetings, nobles, merchants, and mountains of paperwork. Never once had she imagined that the person standing before her had earned his position through the sword as much as through politics.

Naturally...

Someone had to deal with those mountains of paperwork in his absence.

At that very moment, Philip found himself buried beneath a pile of official documents large enough to make even a seasoned bureaucrat weep.

Sauros had willingly exchanged his own work for his son's.

Whether Philip appreciated that sacrifice...

...was another matter entirely.

As for Sauros himself, there had never been a difficult decision to make.

Between allowing his granddaughter to spend another day discouraged...

...or making Philip's attempts to plot against him just a little easier...

The answer had been obvious.

"Hmph!”

Eris came first.

“From now on, I'll be the one training you while Ghislaine's away!"

For this beloved granddaughter.

.

.

.

"——How did you…?"

This question came from Rein, who approached him with a puzzled expression, her gaze fixed upon Sauros and Eris engaging each other in combat. Clearly she had not anticipated what followed, especially from her lord who found it of utmost importance to govern his territory and make it a better place.

"Eris didn't want to train with us anymore."

Rudeus smiled awkwardly, looking sheepish at how this had turned out.

"This was obvious from the way she reacted to us. It doesn't mean that all of our sessions with her are gone. After all, I still need to teach her some things to work here, but this should at least provide a temporary solution."

"…I'm surprised. I didn't expect things to end up this way." Rein said, turning to face him. "If so, then did it go according to whatever you had in mind?"

"Um, well, it's not like I could have done any better. We can't just pretend to be weaker. It would be instantly spotted, and then Eris would start to genuinely dislike us."

At the current rate, Eris respected them in her own way, but she was also scared of them, intimidated by the sheer difference in their abilities. Eventually, the pressure would have gotten to her. That was only a matter of time. Like a ticking bomb waiting to detonate, Rudeus had wanted to deactivate it as soon as possible.

In the first place, it was Rudeus who had caused this situation. He had ignored it in favour of his own self-comfort, refusing to confront the consequences of his actions.

It was time that he faced what he had done without blaming anyone else.

He was the one who had planned to kidnap Eris and failed. He was the one who had asked Rein to train with him. He was the one who had prompted Eris to become jealous of their training. None of those were things he truly regretted, but that didn’t mean it had been a wise decision to turn a blind eye to the damage they had caused.

"I'm a pretty bad teacher, so…."

That’s why he had placed everything on this final card. A trump card in the form of family, people who should support one another, right? He had pretty much failed his duty as a tutor if his student had nearly developed a new fear because of him.

If there was someone who could save Eris from comparing herself to them, then it would be someone close to her.

"……"

This was what it meant to be family, apparently.

Judging by the broad grin on Eris's face as she exchanged blows with Sauros, it seemed to have worked rather well. Sauros was still far more capable than her, and Eris would very soon reach the Advanced rank at this rate. Currently she sat at Intermediate, but her movements were noticeably faster and more refined than before.

"Prepare for defeat, Grandpa!"

"Not yet!"

While Sauros was nowhere near Saint-level, he still had much to offer in a fight and responded to each of her strikes while sporting his own fierce grin.

Those two really were alike.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Rudeus's voice carried a hint of concern as he noticed the unusual occurrence on Rein's face.

"——family."

Witnessing this tender exchange between grandfather and granddaughter, Rein observed it with a wistful expression, imagining what it might have been like to share such a moment with her own grandfather. Despite the fact that Reinhard had already been extraordinarily proficient with a blade at an early age, he had still harbored childish fantasies of training alongside his family. Perhaps the past few months had finally softened the shell surrounding her heart enough for those old memories to resurface.

Rudeus, catching the shift in her mood, surmised she must have recalled something from her sword lineage and grown melancholic at the thought of them. It had been mentioned that before her enslavement, Rein's family had been comprised of capable swordsmen.

...Should I say something?

It was evident from the raw emotion lurking behind those murmured words, family must have held immense significance for her. This, in turn, left Rudeus feeling awkward and uncertain how to proceed.

What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?

After a brief moment of hesitation, an idea suddenly came to him.

Maybe taking her into town would help lift her spirits.

It would also give him a chance to look around the market and learn more about trade while he was there.

Looking at it that way...

Wouldn't that basically be a date...?

So, he explained his idea and asked.

"...would you like to go with me?"

"U-Um, I would like to go…"

A faint blush crept across her cheeks, which he noted.

Is this finally the day I become popular with girls!? Sorry, Paul... but your good looks really are incredible!

A hopeful grin spread across Rudeus's face as he awaited her answer with barely contained anticipation.

"——I was grounded."

"…Eh?"

Rein suddenly averted her gaze, her cheeks growing even redder as she hurriedly explained herself.

"I did something reckless and was reprimanded by Lora. Then... she found out I had snuck out again." Her voice gradually became little more than a whisper. "She forbade me... from leaving the manor for an entire month."

The smile froze on Rudeus's face.

At that revelation, every bit of confidence he had painstakingly gathered collapsed in an instant, leaving behind nothing but despair.

NOOOOOOOOOO!

That single scream drowned out every other thought inside his head. At that moment, Rudeus Greyrat's mind consisted of nothing but endless lamentation over the cruel injustice fate had inflicted upon him.

Before he could sink any deeper into that despair...

"...But."

Rein looked at him once more.

"...Would you like to be my friend?"

"...Huh?"

His thoughts stopped.

"...W-What made you think of that, Rein-sensei?"

Although every instinct urged him to accept right away, curiosity proved just a little stronger. More than anything, he wanted to know what had led her to ask such a question.

“……”

Rein fell silent for a brief moment.

Then...

A gentle smile bloomed across her face, carrying the same warmth Rudeus had seen when she watched Celia regain her voice.

"You possess qualities that I do not, Rudeus. Even when you believe something to be impossible, you still choose to reach out to others. I admire that, and... I have come to respect you."

Looking back, perhaps there had never been any reason to overcomplicate something so simple.

"A relationship needn't be long to foster feelings of respect. There is nothing wrong about seeking friendship with someone whom you like."

"——!?"

There wasn't the slightest trace of embarrassment or hidden meaning behind those words.

She simply believed them.

Rein had always been someone who judged others by their actions rather than the amount of time she had spent with them. To her, respect naturally gave rise to trust, and trust, in turn, was more than enough reason to wish for friendship.

Had boy said something like that, one probably would've laughed it off as unbearably cheesy.

Coming from a cute girl...

It struck him with the force of a carriage.

Somehow...

Hearing such simple words from someone like Rein made his chest feel strangely warm.

A smile slowly found its way onto his face.

"...I'd like that too."

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Those Left Behind

The value a human life possessed.

That was the initial lesson Rudeus Greyrat had learned from the various events that had unfolded around him.

Undeniably, precious life should be valued. That was the intention taught to modern society. In Rudeus's old world, people had killed each other mercilessly, especially during the Great War, later called World War I, because of the even greater carnage that followed approximately twenty-one years later.

That war had been started by individuals occupying the highest echelons of power. Most of the soldiers conscripted to fight had never wished to participate in that slaughter, yet they had been forced to comply, whether through the pressure inflicted upon their families or the genuine threat of death if they refused.

This fantasy world surely contained many such incidents, especially judging by how many factions stood opposed to one another. Slavery in particular fostered hatred between communities. Beastfolk despised humans for their exploitation, for destroying their woodland villages, for spreading fires, for ravaging the sacredness of nature.

Robbing. Abducting. Killing.

All of these acts were most commonly associated with humans, as evidenced by the discrimination Roxy had faced upon arriving in this continent and the prevalence of demi-human servants across the continent.

Six separate societies coexisted without truly integrating, each waiting in quiet preparation for the moment their adversaries might weaken.

Eventually, the kingdoms in those societies would attack one another in attempts to overthrow rival rulers. Rebellions would seize those opportunities as well. Countless outcomes remained possible.

Initially, Rudeus had treated this world as a typical isekai setting, one that existed beyond the boundaries of ordinary reality. The tale of Hero Perugius, which involved slaying a Demon God, had seemed straightforward at first glance, a simple narrative where a valiant hero defeated an unambiguous villain. Of course, he was not so naive as to believe that was all there was to it. History was written by the victors, and some details might have been embellished or fabricated entirely. The powers attributed to certain figures were simply too overwhelming to have arisen without some foundation in truth.

All in all, what he wanted to say was that behind every piece of history, there were consequences and victims that followed.

"——Rudeus?"

Rein called out, startled to find him standing in her garden.

It was rather unusual to see him here. The only other time Rudeus had approached her in this place was during that first attempt to connect with her, the one that had ended in failure.

Back then, Rein had called herself a monster to drive him away, only for this boy to return again and again, seeking her out regardless. She had been suspicious of him at first, but months later, she had changed her mind after witnessing his character firsthand.

"Hi, I thought it would be nice to visit."

But...

"That's not the only reason I'm here."

Rein welcomed him. There was not much to observe, for she was simply ensuring all the plants were watered and everything remained tidy. Grass had to be trimmed once a week to prevent it from encroaching upon neighboring flowers.

"I see you here pretty often. Now I feel bad for not visiting sooner..."

"That’s only natural. A garden requires constant care. If left unattended for too long, it quickly becomes overgrown."

Those words brought back memories of their first proper meeting. The question he had asked out of sheer awkwardness, because he had not been accustomed to conversing with gentle girls at all.

Now that their relationship had evolved into friendship, it was possible to hold a normal conversation without that lingering unease. Rudeus could smile freely, knowing that the person before him was not judging him for anything.

"Rein… do you love flowers?"

That was also the reason this question could be asked once more.

"——At first, I couldn’t truly call this garden my own. I was merely carrying on what someone else had done, but..."

Thoughtful. That was the expression on Rein's face.

"I've grown fond of caring for this garden. It may seem strange, but I think of every flower here as a living thing deserving of care. That is why I want the memories of those buried here to remain surrounded by beautiful life."

It was such a sentimental line, yet Rein seemed to speak it from the very depths of her heart.

Her friend, Julius, had devoted his life to protecting the kingdom, only to meet an undignified end through poison, far removed from the honorable death a knight deserved. Felix... whether he still lived somewhere or had already drawn his last breath, Rein had no way of knowing. Even so, this garden existed so that neither of them, nor anyone else resting here, would ever be forgotten.

“To honor those who are gone in a way that preserves their dignity, refusing to let the manner of their deaths become the thing that defines their memory.”

Hearing that poetic reply, spoken with such unusual reverence, made Rudeus aware of how precious all of this was and how every element held a certain meaning. Because of that, he could only look around himself once more, now utterly captivated.

The words Rein had spoken truly added value to everything. It was like hearing a beautiful piece of music without understanding the scene that accompanied it, and then, upon realizing what that scene represented, the music became infinitely more profound because of the meaning it carried.

Especially since he knew that flowers, while not sentient, were indeed living beings. And knowing that most people in this world might not have thought much about it, seeing that someone still treated them with such care reminded him of that simple truth.

This brought him back to the topic of the slaves he had healed in that warehouse.

Surely you had not forgotten about the woman who had carried a dead child within her body.

"Do you remember? That woman—"

That’s right...

That pitiful slave woman was no longer among the living. Only a few hours after the slaves had been freed, the nameless woman had finally succumbed to the abuse and diseases she had suffered. It felt as though the only thing that had kept her alive was the thought of the child that might have lived.

But after Rudeus had confirmed its death, she no longer had any reason to continue.

Even then, her state simply didn’t permit such a luxury. What had happened to her was a byproduct of the hidden side of this fantasy world, a cruelty that had been swept under the rug and cultivated for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

In the end, she had left nothing behind for the world to remember her by.

"I do remember her."

Rein placed her hand gently upon his shoulder.

"...You shouldn’t carry the weight of what you couldn’t change, Rudeus. You gave her hope in her final moments. That is more than most ever receive."

Rudeus looked up at her, startled by the quiet certainty in her voice.

In the final moments of Reinhard van Astrea's life, no hope had remained in his heart. More than anything, he had wished for someone to give him even the smallest fragment of it, even if it were destined to disappear a moment later.

Just a single spark. That was all he had needed to believe, if only for an instant, that he had done everything he could.

The slave woman who died that day met her end knowing that she had struggled until her very last breath.

In other words, she tried her best to the very end.

"…At least I can make something else."

He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small handful of seeds, catching Rein off guard.

"I found them at the market and decided to buy them. Hopefully I wasn't scammed."

Then, he asked for permission to plant them in a small unused patch of soil. Rein granted it without hesitation.

This was something he had witnessed Roxy do once in his own yard, back when the tree Zenith cherished had been destroyed by a magic spell. Healing magic could certainly be used to mend wounds, but it could also heal the wounds of trees, proving once again that trees were living beings. Just how complicated was Healing Magic, really?

Obviously, the target had to be alive for it to work, but what was the logic behind it?

At first, before the incident with the slave magician, it had simply made no sense to him. He had attempted to uncover the correct process by trying to understand that perhaps Healing Magic possessed some way of comprehending how the human body functioned, how atoms formed cells, how blood circulated, how flesh knitted itself back together.

But then it also had to understand how trees functioned, and yet Master Roxy had managed to heal a tree with nothing more than an incantation.

Clearly, the process existed outside the caster's conscious knowledge.

That was when he finally understood. No matter how sound his explanations attempted to be, the truth was far too different.

The first time Rudeus had witnessed that miraculous magic was as a child, after scraping himself while watching Paul practice the sword. The warm smile Zenith wore as she healed him, together with the mysterious light that enveloped him, had left his eyes wide with wonder.

The answer...

Perhaps it had never been knowledge alone.

Perhaps Healing Magic demanded something else as well.

The desire to ease another's suffering.

If he had to put his current theory into words, then mana and intent were all Healing Magic truly demanded.

Obviously, this explanation may be riddled with holes, but it was the easiest for him to grasp.

——And now.

Rudeus knelt down and pressed the seed into the earth.

His hand began to glow with a soft green light.

“……”

After all, he had mastered it.

The seed trembled, then slowly unfurled. A delicate sprout emerged from the soil, reaching toward the sunlight as though awakening from a long slumber. Within moments, a beautiful flower had bloomed beneath his palm, its petals unfurling in precious radiance.

That was what made it possible.

This flower was made for the memory of that woman.

As for the parents of his previous life, Rudeus wasn’t sure he was ready to do the same for them. Would they truly appreciate a memorial from a son who had not even cared when they died, who had felt nothing but apathy? His siblings in that moment would surely beat him and spit at the very thought of him doing something like that.

No surprise there. It was only expected. Such a reaction from them could be anticipated and justified, given all the circumstances.

For this single instance, Rudeus wondered if Rein would look at him the same way if she realized what kind of person was standing before her.

——One day, I would heal you too.

To not have the ability to use magic... that must be the worst. And knowing Rein, she would surely use it for righteous purposes.

If Rudeus could give that to her...

He would.

.

.

.

A pair of hard eyes watched the two children interact in the esteemed garden from a window far above, impossible to spot unless someone knew precisely where to look.

Indeed.

This beautiful garden, filled with flowers, had been permitted to exist. Just as many things had been done for this child who had self-named herself Rein back in the day, all to ensure she would grow into a loyal subject for the future of the Boreas household.

You could say the girl was still treated with warmth and familiarity, especially by the servants of this manor, who took a gentle approach to her because of her circumstances. In fact, many of the servants here had been bought from slavery. Albeit not the worst conditions seen by men, slavery nonetheless.

The slaves treated under his rule may have been used to his liking, but those who remained were not unhappy here. This place was still much better than whatever conditions they had endured before, and eventually, the beast slaves he bought chose to stay instead of returning home. Wasn't that right?

Because he had a soft spot for beast kin, it was not outside his scope to allow them to return home. Though he wouldn’t normally provide them a safe route like this, he would merely give them rations if they wished to go on their own.

However, because of the number of beast kin who had been trapped in illegal slavery and abused before being rescued by Rudeus and Rein, there was no way to put them to labor in their current state. They carried too many traumas for that to be possible.

From a young age, Rein had secretly helped elevate this region to what it should have been, reducing many problems that arose with governing this land to something far more manageable. Many wrongs within this territory had been fixed by her presence, simply through how capable she was.

The Fittoa Region, in the past, had been a place overrun with illegal slave traders who used the excuse of weakened land-holding to flourish. Market prices were often manipulated, and corruption ran rampant. However, after this place was taken over by the next esteemed governor, Lord Sauros Boreas Greyrat, it had been transformed into a valuable trade center for merchants.

In fact, the Fittoa Region had its own exclusive products. The most notable of these were perfumes, which were famous across the Asura Kingdom. This land was also known for its vast agricultural output, particularly Asuran wheat, which was used to make bread across the region. If something happened to this land, its resources would become incredibly valuable in the future. That was why merchants were heavily protected here and had their own set of laws that helped them sell their equipment while still paying their taxes.

Sauros Boreas Greyrat was no mere noble. He was a man of principle, one who understood that power without responsibility was nothing more than tyranny. His methods were brash and his temper legendary, but beneath that gruff exterior lay a lord who genuinely cared for the land and its people.

In many ways, Rein had been instrumental in making this vision a reality. Her presence alone had stabilized the region in ways that Sauros had never anticipated. With her abilities, she had rooted out corruption, dismantled illegal networks, and quietly eliminated threats before they could escalate. While Sauros handled the politics and brute force, Rein operated in the shadows, ensuring that his rule remained unchallenged.

The story of that began years ago.

.

.

.

"This is her, Lord Sauros."

The child had been brought here by Ghislaine, who had not known what to do with her and had naturally followed the command of the Lord who had paid her to destroy that illegal market.

“…..”

It was still unusual for Ghislaine, because Lord Sauros had never given her an order quite like this before. Her task was simply to be an instructor for Lady Eris, not to dismantle slave markets.

Still, as his subject for the foreseeable future, she had heeded his command and found the redhead by accident.

And so, Ghislaine watched from the sidelines, curious about this development.

"What's your name, child?" Sauros asked.

"Re... Rein...ha..."

"Very well. Listen, Rein! From today onward, you belong to my household! But don't misunderstand. You are a servant, and as such, you will work for your food and shelter. Is that understood?"

Whether it was understood or not did not matter to him. Sauros had already decided. He would not throw the child out.

He gestured to the few maids present one last time before turning away. "See that she's given a place among the servants," he ordered. "And keep her away from the main hall for now. The less who see her, the better."

The servants bowed and hurried to obey.

As the little girl was led away, the older man's gaze lingered on her red hair, glinting faintly in the torchlight.

So this was...

His most loyal knight.

.

.

.

His plans for Fittoa were simple yet ambitious.

He wanted to transform it from a rural backwater into a prosperous, self-sustaining territory that could stand on its own. He invested in infrastructure, protected trade routes, and ensured that his people were fed and safe. He despised the useless formalities of nobility and believed in honest governance, which was why he clashed so often with the more scheming nobles of the Asura Kingdom.

The strength of a region, after all, was determined not by the depth of its treasury, but by the loyalty of its people. And for all his faults, there was no one in this land who commanded more loyalty than Sauros Boreas Greyrat. His word was iron, his fist thunder, and his love for his family undying. Even now, watching his granddaughter laugh and spar, the old lord felt a swell of pride that no political victory could ever replicate.

However, the cost of his noble standing was too great. To protect the existence of this household, his grandsons needed to be taken away.

It was a loss, but it was a necessary tradition. Without it, they would be in far greater danger. Eris was already targeted by countless enemies, this was simply unacceptable.

Still, something had to be sacrificed in order to gain something greater.

"——The time has come, then."

Just as the voice had said, he had agreed to send Ghislaine away for this mission, ensuring their safety. And in turn, the guardian was no longer present, but all of this was to reach the greater good of everyone involved, including Eris, Rudeus, and Rein.

Until now, the voice's predictions had always proven correct, ensuring Fittoa's prosperity, so much so that Sauros had grown to appreciate its guidance in the dreams that followed.

The words that were foretold to him a long ago…

.

.

.

The dream had come to him in the dead of night.

A vast white void stretching endlessly in every direction, with no ground beneath his feet and no sky above his head. A figure whose face possessed no features whatsoever, yet whose smile lingered in one's memory no matter how impossible it should have been to remember.

The figure greeted him, exchanging pleasantries while Sauros was still looking around the space.

“What in the world? What is this—"

“Focus.”

Then, almost as if by force, the lord's attention was instantly turned toward the voice.

"Listen well, Young Sauros."

His voice was gentle, almost comforting, carrying the strange familiarity of someone one had known for many years.

"In the years to come, you will save a Beastfolk from starving to death. That woman will one day place a child into your hands, a child rescued from the chains of slavery. Follow my instructions and raise her well, for she shall become the sharpest sword your house will ever possess, loyal beyond question, steadfast beyond reason, capable of overcoming obstacles that would bring ordinary people to despair."

Merely standing before him filled Sauros with an unshakable certainty that this was a being incapable of wishing harm upon anyone.

"However—"

That single word hung in the air like a blade suspended by a thread.

"— should the day ever come when you must choose between that child and your own family, choose your family. Blood cannot be replaced, while a sword, no matter how sharp, can always be found anew."

A thousand questions clamored for release, yet almost none found its way past his lips.

“Why?”

Only one.

"Think nothing of it, my friend. I merely wish to see House Boreas prosper.”

A grim counsel, delivered with a smile that never faltered.

"That is all."

.

.

.

“——Lord Sauros!”

The door opened, revealing Rudeus and shattering the memory like a pane of glass struck by stone.

It was like emerging from dense smoke of a fire spell, Sauros realized, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the light once more.

The boy asked if he might venture into town to record more information about trade products.

Naturally, Sauros granted his permission.

"...Off with you, then. And boy—"

Rudeus paused at the threshold.

"Stay out of trouble!"

"Yes, Lord Sauros!"

As the boy departed, Sauros's gaze lingered on the empty doorway.

The being had been wrong, however. The moment of that choice had already arrived, and Sauros had refused to lose his greatest asset. For Rein was not a sword to be wielded and discarded.

She was family.

He shook his head, banishing the thought.

No. I must not dwell upon what has already passed.

The era of prosperity for this family was soon to come.

Chapter Text

"——Young Master, here is what I’ve acquired for you!"

"Woaaah! Thanks!"

Rudeus couldn’t contain his excitement at the book held by the merchant before him.

By this point, being addressed by such prestigious titles among the merchants had become a regular occurrence. Ever since he had joined the Boreas manor and begun visiting the market more frequently to study trade, he had managed to impress many merchants with his sharp intellect.

Thus, they had come to regard him as some sort of sheltered heir of the Boreas family, a notion far from the truth, though one thing remained undeniable. The blood of Greyrats coursed through his veins whether he wished it or not. Not that he minded overmuch. That very bloodline had secured him a rather valuable position within this household.

Had the man been reincarnated into a poor family with no noble connections, acquiring such knowledge would have proven far more arduous. In a medieval society, regardless of whether it was fantasy or not, nepotism naturally flourished. People paid little attention to nobodies, and respect remained a distant luxury for those without influence.

Because of his connection to this noble household, merchants dared not deceive him, knowing he came from the manor of the lord governing this territory. This made it significantly easier for him to access information and goods. Had that not been the case, he would likely have been scammed left and right. Initially, they had attempted to sell him items at exorbitant prices or peddle worthless goods priced low enough to seem like a bargain. But after realizing he wouldn’t fall for such tactics, they eventually ceased their attempts and began treating him as one of their own.

The underlying plan had been simple. If tutoring alone wasn't enough to earn him money, then he would simply have to put whatever knowledge he still remembered from his previous life to use. That was precisely why he found himself wandering the market so often. He knew a little about moving goods efficiently, keeping track of supplies, and planning trade, enough to offer advice that seemed surprisingly novel in this world.

However, Rudeus was careful not to be seen too frequently with a bodyguard, and he had refused each time Sauros offered to send one. Besides, it wouldn’t do him any favors if people discovered exactly what kind of research he was conducting.

Finally, he had gotten his hands on it!

The book resting in his grasp, held tightly against his chest, was titled Foundations of Enchantment: A Beginner's Guide to Imbuing Objects with Magical Properties. It was a relatively obscure text, one that had been published by the Ranoa University of Magic centuries ago but had since fallen out of print. Copies were rare and circulated mostly among private collectors and scholars who specialized in magical artifacts. How this particular merchant had acquired it remained a mystery, but Rudeus wasn’t about to question his good fortune.

If one recalled, the enchanted talisman worn by Rein to alter her appearance into that of Eris was something he had been permitted to study. Yet at the time, he had known nothing about enchantments.

After exchanging letters with Master Roxy, who admitted that her knowledge of enchantments was limited, she had offered to provide him with some textbooks she had heard were reliable. Unfortunately, as a tutor to a prince of a distant kingdom, she could scarcely find the time to search for them herself. Nevertheless, she had recommended which texts would be most appropriate for someone taking their first steps into the craft. Rudeus was profoundly grateful for her guidance.

With this magic book in hand, alongside the talisman, it would finally be possible to replicate that effect!

However, he imagined the talisman's enchantment would need to be modified significantly. In its current form, the talisman only functioned when worn by a living person of flesh and blood, that limitation was deeply ingrained in its enchantment structure. That was precisely why this book was essential; it would allow him to create an altered version that could work on different mediums.

Just imagine the fortune to be made if he could craft a mannequin or a doll, imbue it with a magical tool that could alter its appearance to that of a genuine man or woman, and then sell it to tailors and cloth merchants who desperately needed models to display their wares! In an era without photography or fashion magazines, such a device would be revolutionary.

And far in the future, if he could somehow animate those dolls into golems capable of movement... why, it would be possible to have waifus walking around! Actual, genuine, magically-powered sexy waifus! He could create an entire army of them! They could cook, clean, and… well, perhaps that was a thought best left for another time.

But a man could dream, right?

Though, considering that enchantments were constructed through the precise inscription of magic circles, there was a mountain of knowledge to absorb before he could even grasp the fundamentals. Years of dedicated study would be required to reach that level.

He was already reasonably proficient in the Demon God tongue, yet the Beast God tongue remained stubbornly difficult. There was so much to learn in this world that adding more and more to the pile threatened to smother the very enthusiasm that drove him forward.

Small steps.

That was the only reasonable approach.

Already, it had proven difficult enough to make himself useful to the merchants. While the logistics of this medieval world were comparatively mundane by modern standards, persuading seasoned traders to accept assistance from a child was no simple feat. Why? Because maps with established trade routes already existed, carefully drawn and refined over generations to allow for efficient transportation of goods.

The people of this world weren’t idiots. There were brilliant minds here who had devised countless innovations long before he had ever drawn breath. They had charted those routes, developed methods of transportation using ships, and established systems that functioned reasonably well despite the inherent dangers of monster attacks, which required adventurers to accompany each voyage for protection.

The best he could realistically offer was optimization rather than revolution.

There were still small improvements to be made, such as reducing the number of wagons needed to transport the same amount of cargo or arranging shipments so goods arrived when people were actually looking to buy them, instead of spoiling in storage. Certain products were also better suited for ships than long caravans, while others fetched surprisingly different prices depending on the region. Simply buying where something was common and selling it where it was scarce could earn a merchant a tidy profit.

Beyond that...

There was little Rudeus could truly change. He couldn't build sturdier ships capable of crossing the seas more safely, nor could he rid the roads of monsters lying in wait for passing caravans. Ideas such as assembly lines or mass production belonged to a world supported by machinery, standardized tools, and an entirely different level of industrial development, making them little more than fantasies here. Even modern accounting offered surprisingly little advantage, as the larger merchant houses had already developed bookkeeping methods sophisticated enough to fulfil much the same purpose.

Also, it’s not like he knew of those concepts all that much. The only reason Rudeus knew the basics of them was because of watching videos of actual smart people explaining them in his old world, not because he actually read a book about accounting systems!

All of this knowledge was that of a third rate!

Good thing he kept his notebook where he wrote all the smart quotes and info that he remembered from his previous life

It would be possible to become a sage-like figure in the future to impress women.

——Still, I wanted to go on a date…

Indeed, because of the red-haired girl's grounding, Rudeus had been deprived of experiencing his first proper outing with a pretty girl. As a Japanese high schooler in his past life, there had been no one he could even call a love interest, mostly because of how thoroughly his school life had been ruined by that incident where he had been stripped naked and hung from the school gate for everyone to see his manhood.

The memory still made him grimace in pain. Even after all these years. Even after being reborn into a completely different world.

He would do well to purge it from his thoughts as swiftly as possible.

In any case…

His excursions with Master Roxy could hardly be classified as dates, given the considerable age disparity between them and the fact that she had been his teacher, guiding him through the unfamiliar world he had found himself in.

Such dedication from a mentor deserved to be held with the utmost respect!

The same could be said for his instructor who had helped him improve by leaps and bounds. As of now, Rein's presence in his mind had assumed a mantle resembling that of a Goddess of Justice.

For that reason, he started working on a life-sized figure of Rein in his room. It was still unpainted because he hadn't found the right materials yet, but it was getting there. Eventually, it would be finished.

At first, he had thought about sneaking into the servant quarters to get her measurements, but training with her had already given him a pretty good idea. And if you happened to look up from the right angle, well, you could see her pristine white panties peeking out from beneath that dress. Not that he had been looking. Much.

In other words, this was a one-of-a-kind figurine, strictly not for sale!

“Bwahaha!”

So, yeah. Roxy was basically the Goddess of Wisdom when it came to magic, and Rein was the Goddess of Justice. Pretty fitting titles, if he said so himself.

The merchant who had witnessed the young boy start cackling madly upon receiving the book mistook it for pure happiness at a job well done. He didn't find it odd that Rudeus's grin seemed overly lewd in that moment. This type of behavior was apparently normal for Greyrats, if the merchant remembered correctly.

"B-Big brother!"

With his prize secured, Rudeus had been about to head back when a small hand grabbed his sleeve.

"——?"

When he looked down, he spotted a little girl in fine clothes with her hands clinging to him. She couldn't have been older than five, with big eyes that were already starting to glisten.

"Huh, what is it? Did you get lost?" He asked worriedly while crouching to her level. It wasn't much of a crouch, considering he was only an eight-year-old kid and she was only a head and a half shorter than him.

"Help! Help! My mommy is being attacked by evil people!"

"Um."

Tears welled up in her eyes.

However, no matter how you looked at it, questions arose. Why go to him when there were guards not far away? Even if he was the closest person around, that was just too unusual, especially with the merchant standing right there.

Kids will be kids, I guess.

Still, to not seem like a total heartless asshole, he figured it was for the best if he tagged along. From what he could tell, time was money here. Or maybe he was just making excuses because he couldn't say no to a crying kid.

Pre-reincarnation, if a kid like that had approached him in a mall, he would have handed them off to the nearest security guard and thought of it as kind of annoying. Not that he had gone out much in the first place.

"You won't?"

"W-Wait, don't cry! Here, just give me a second!"

Before that, he quickly scribbled something in his notebook. It was barely anything, but it would have to do.

"Master Rudeus?"

"Hold this for me a little bit longer, okay? I want to help out this little girl!" He tore the page from his notebook and handed it to the merchant. "Read it if I don't return in a while, thank you!"

Inside the notebook, he had left enough coins to cover the book's cost if something happened. Running with a book in his hand would have been too troublesome. The merchant didn't follow them, deeming his work more important. People in this world seemed a bit heartless when it came to helping others, even when children were involved. The only exceptions to this rule seemed to be knights, clerics, and perhaps adventurers.

"Alright, lead the way!"

"Y-Yes!"

With that, Rudeus soon found himself facing an alley with two of those "evil people" who had cornered the mother of the girl that had led him here by her hand.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"—wait!" Rudeus raised his voice, but it didn't work. The girl let go of his hand and ran between the bandits' legs, stumbling along the way, only to hide behind her mother.

The two thugs turned to face him, their expressions shifting from confusion to amusement.

"Well, well. What do we have here? A little knight in shining armor?" One of them sneered, cracking his knuckles.

"Look, kid, this ain't your business. Run along home before you get hurt."

Rudeus could see the mother clutching her daughter, her face pale with fear. The little girl peeked out from behind her mother's skirt.

“…..”

He took a breath.

"Hey, kid. You deaf or something?" The second thug stepped forward, reaching out to grab him.

Rudeus launched himself upward, rocketing above their heads in a single bound. The wind rushed past him as he soared through the air, twisting mid-flight to land squarely between the bandits and the terrified mother and child.

He spread his arms wider, blocking their path.

"That's pretty cowardly, isn't it? Going after a powerless woman."

"Huh? What did you say?"

It might have seemed like a provocation from him, and it was. Still, acting like a spoiled noble kid also bought him enough time to actually assess the situation.

"Wanna be alive after this? Then better scram!" He shouted.

"——!"

Something felt wrong from the very moment he saw the woman who was supposedly being attacked by these bandits. In the first place, it was highly unlikely they could get inside this town with the considerable number of guards Sauros had placed on the streets, unless they had some way to bypass that. The second thing was that despite the woman's clothing being of high quality, he could spot signs of dirt on her body and signs of abuse. Yes, she could have tripped while running away or could have been abused by her husband at home, this wasn't such a rare occurrence among peasants. However, the problem was that her fingernails were literally filled with dirt. It simply looked wrong on someone who didn't work in the fields like the villagers back home.

The next red flag was that the little girl didn't look like the offspring of this woman. He didn't want to sound rude, but either this lady's genes had been completely dominated, or her face wasn't even remotely close to that of the little girl hiding behind her leg.

What a mess.

There were many ways in this world to abduct young noble children.

Kidnappers, after all, were not unlike merchants in their methodology. They observed vulnerabilities and calculated the most efficient means of acquisition. And like any trade, abduction had its own established categories, methods refined over generations, passed down from one criminal organization to the next.

The Lure, for instance, was the simplest and oldest method. Instead of forcing the victim somewhere, the kidnapper convinced them to walk there willingly. Young nobles, especially sheltered daughters, were particularly vulnerable to this. Curiosity, romance, pity, or simple boredom often accomplished what swords never could. A secret admirer. A mysterious pen pal. An invitation to meet a famous knight. Someone claiming to know embarrassing family secrets. Promises of adventure beyond the manor walls. The victim left voluntarily, and the kidnappers merely waited.

Then there was the Rescue Trap. This was likely what Rudeus had stumbled into. The kidnappers created a situation that appealed to the victim's morals, bandits harassing a merchant, a crying child, an injured traveler, a mother begging for help. The victim approached, and only afterward did hidden accomplices emerge. It was especially effective against kind-hearted adventurers who instinctively helped others before asking questions. Rudeus's current situation fit perfectly into this category. It was actually one of the most believable methods because it exploited the victim's compassion rather than overpowering them.

The Authority Trap was another common approach. Few people questioned authority. The kidnappers impersonated palace guards, knights, guild officials, royal messengers, or servants sent by the family. "We've been sent to escort you," they would say, and most people complied before verifying.

Ironically, what Rudeus had walked into was exactly the kind of strategy professionals would prefer. If he had a reputation for protecting civilians, then fighting him head-on would be foolish. Instead, the kidnappers had weaponized his own personality.

A frightened child. A desperate mother. Bandits attacking.

The "victims" would cling to him in panic, preventing him from moving freely and creating the opening for a concealed soporific cloth, a stunning blow, or paralysis magic at point-blank range. All while accomplices watched from the sidelines.

It was the classic principle of using compassion as an opening.

And Rudeus had walked right into it.

Willingly, that is.

"I, I d-dare you to come closer!"

From the perspective of those bandits, he had walked right into their trap and was currently backing down with his back protecting the two behind him, appearing nervous while they closed in.

Why had he chosen to act like that?

Well, one reason was that he was pretty confident he could take them on, though it was better to remain very careful while dealing with dangerous people. The other was that those bandits weren't the dangerous ones here. They were merely a scapegoat to turn away his attention from the source of this scenario.

The thing was, the woman behind him was most likely a slave parading as a normal person. The real people who had set this up had most likely used her and the little girl to abduct him.

The question was... who? How did they know about him? What did they want from him? Clearly, they had at least put some preparations into it.

And also...

The slave woman they had forced into doing all of this, wasn't this just overly cruel? To let her go out in the open like this, only to be forced into kidnapping a child? If Rudeus alerted the guards now, then not only would the real perpetrators run away, but what would happen to this slave and little girl? They would most likely get killed or taken away to ensure they couldn't utter a single word. One moment of inattention would make that possible.

If something like this was allowed, then he would most likely never get a chance like this again to make sure they were actually free, even if for a moment.

Since when did I—

This thought process was quite foreign to him.

The one who had just arrived at the Boreas manor, would have been more cautious. Before taking even a single step forward, he would've weighed every possible risk, searched for an excuse to withdraw, and convinced himself that finding someone stronger was the only sensible answer. Twenty years spent hiding inside a room had taught him one thing above all else; the safest way to survive was to stay out of trouble altogether. Looking back, that way of thinking had indeed kept him alive...

“.....”

——It simply hadn't allowed him to live.

That version of Rudeus would've looked upon the woman and her child as little more than strangers whose fate had nothing to do with his own, then actually leaving it to someone else. Afterwards, he would've convinced himself that it had been the rational decision before returning to the safety of his lessons, his books, and the comfortable routine he had built around himself.

Little by little...

That man was disappearing.

The boy standing in that narrow alley, his back shielding a frightened slave woman and a child whose cries might or might not have been genuine, was no longer the same Rudeus who had been reborn in this world. Somewhere along the way, without even noticing it himself, he had changed.

The people he met had ceased to be strangers whose lives ended once they disappeared from his sight. Their joys, their grief, their anger, even the injustices inflicted upon them had gradually become things he could no longer ignore.

It wasn't because he wished to become a hero.

Nor was it because he wanted others to see him as a good person.

Quite simply, he had reached the point where turning his back would leave behind a regret he knew he could never erase. He couldn't say when that change had taken root, only that it had become a small part of who he was.

However, this didn't mean that all reason had abandoned him.

After all, that torn-out page he had given to the merchant was not only money for keeping the book longer. It was, in truth, a failsafe in case something happened. If he didn't return within a reasonable time, that trusted merchant would deliver the message to the nearest guard. Then, that guard would deliver the message to the guard stationed near the Boreas manor.

That was the backup plan.

Now, for the current plan.

Swoosh.

With this small hesitation Rudeus voluntarily showed, not only did he fail to activate his barrier when he felt wind cut behind him, but he also purposefully took a light hit to the head.

——Ouch.

It’s dark now.

.

.

.

The sound of a horse woke him.

"Mmph...?" The cloth pressed against his mouth muffled any attempt at speech, rendering his words into nothing more than incoherent grumbles. He could feel the rough fabric digging into his cheeks, tied tight enough to stay in place but not quite tight enough to cut off his breathing entirely.

It took him a few minutes to actually come to his senses.

Hah... what was I thinking, honestly?

And also, he appeared to be contained in a bag. Luckily, it was still possible to breathe in it. But it was super uncomfortable and hot in here. He could use magic already, but he wanted to see where they were taking him and who was behind all of this.

He didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but the horse sounded pretty tired, so it must have been a considerable amount of time. It was hard to see what was outside through this brown bag, but it seemed pretty dark. He certainly couldn't see sunlight through the tiny holes, so it must have been night or very late evening.

So this is how it feels getting kidnapped, huh?

It certainly wasn't a pleasant experience. Not only did he desperately need to use the toilet already, but he was also very thirsty and pretty hungry. His stomach was starting to make embarrassing noises that would have been funny under different circumstances.

Another thing was that he was turned partly upside down, his body draped over what felt like a horse's back, with most of the blood flowing toward his head. That was pretty dangerous, if you asked him. Spending too long upside down definitely couldn't be healthy. He vaguely remembered hearing something about increased pressure inside the skull, though whether that was actually true or just something he'd seen somewhere was another matter entirely.

Not to mention the fact that his arms and legs had gone numb from the awkward position.

If it started raining, it would be even worse. Rainwater would soak through the bag, making it harder to breathe and turning the whole experience into a suffocating, miserable mess. He really hoped it wouldn't rain.

For the time being, there was little point in struggling. Whoever had stuffed him into this sack seemed convinced he was still unconscious, and there was no reason to ruin that misconception. He remained motionless, slowing his breathing as much as he could while listening to every sound around him. The rhythm of the horse's hooves, the occasional creak of leather, muffled voices drifting through the night... each of them was another piece of information.

Besides... If I escape too early, I lose my chance to identify the mastermind.

But if I wait too long...

Eventually, the people behind this would reveal themselves. Until then, patience was his greatest weapon.

.

.

.

Among the various lessons Sauros had taught Rudeus were the many methods commonly employed by kidnappers.

The Invitation Trap was present among nobility. A forged invitation requested the victim's presence at a tea party, hunting trip, birthday celebration, or political meeting. Everything appeared legitimate until the victim entered the carriage.

The Escort Switch was more elaborate. The kidnappers never touched the victim inside the estate. Instead, they replaced the escort after departure. The coachman was drugged, the guards bribed, the carriage itself swapped during the journey. The victim only realized something was wrong miles away.

Other methods existed as well. The Sleeping Capture involved drugging the target with sleeping herbs mixed into wine or tea. The Festival Snatch exploited crowds and chaos to separate someone from their guards. The Fire Diversion started a fire to create panic and evacuate the victim exactly where the kidnappers expected. The Beast Attack, especially fitting in this world, involved releasing monsters near a road to create confusion and isolate the intended victim.

The Reputation Trap targeted someone the victim cared about instead, a friend disappearing, a servant begging for help, a family member supposedly going missing. The victim walked straight into the ambush.

The Debt Trap involved claiming a companion owed money, and when the victim intervened, everyone present was part of the gang. The Duel challenged the victim's pride with a demand to come alone.

The Poisoned Hero involved a village requesting help against "bandits," and after the hero defeated them, the grateful villagers offered food laced with sleeping medicine.

Human ingenuity truly became terrifying the moment it was devoted to hurting other people.

And those were merely the more common examples.

As Sauros had often said, a noble who only prepared for the sword would eventually lose to a carriage.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Beyond Reach

It was a cell.

This was the foul-smelling place Rudeus found himself in. From appearances alone, it could have passed for a dungeon straight out of an RPG, though perspective remained bound by the limits of vision. For Rudeus, who could only perceive what lay within the cell's walls, it was impossible to determine what existed beyond them.

Still, he had been captured. He was either in some kind of castle-like dungeon, or perhaps a building designed specifically for holding prisoners. The rough stone walls and damp floor suggested the former, though the absence of typical dungeon fixtures made the latter equally plausible.

He had expected someone to keep watch over him. Yet there was no one here.

That was hardly surprising, however. Why?

Well, he could explain it by the bindings holding his hands and legs. While his legs were bound with ordinary rope, his hands were locked in metallic manacles. Not only that, but he could feel the manacles possessed magical properties, faint inscriptions traced along their surface, glowing dimly when he concentrated. When he attempted to force mana down his arms, it proved utterly impossible. The same held true for his upper body. It seemed the manacles were designed to neutralize any mage held by them, some kind of anti-magic tool that made it impossible to utter an incantation or even attempt to cast a spell. Any mage would undoubtedly be powerless in this scenario.

He tried to force mana through his upper pathways to attempt casting but remained unable.

"—Dammit."

"It's pointless. Stop struggling."

"Huh? W-Who are you?"

Surprisingly, it seemed he wasn’t alone in this cell. Someone else was being held here with him, though it was impossible to identify who because of his position. He was lying almost flat on his face, his cheek pressed against the cold, grimy stone.

"Gah!" Like an earthworm, he shuffled his bound legs and twisted his body to face the ceiling, then craned his neck to look at the person sitting on the cold ground.

Whoa. Those are... quite the artillery.

These were his first thoughts upon seeing the girl. Her tits were, of course, much smaller than that of a grown woman like Zenith or Lilia, yet still impressive for her age. What a growth spurt she would have in the future, Rudeus tried to imagine.

She appeared older than him by around three, perhaps four years, judging by her developed state, entering proper teenagehood. And even then, her chest was so prominent?! With her platinum blonde hair and blue eyes, she was a real catch, looking only a year or two older than Eris. Hmm, maybe twelve? Girls of this world were crazy! Was he sure this wasn't actually a hentai world?

Hehe. Well, enough jokes. Time to figure out where he was and get some answers.

"Hey there, can you help me, please? It's a bit uncomfortable here on the floor."

It was difficult to unbind himself without the use of his hands.

"......"

With her arms crossed over her impressive chest, she looked at him with something akin to pity. Judging by the sorry state of her noble clothing, she must have been captured recently and had long since given up on escape(?).

"P-Please?" He asked with tears forming in his eyes. "Big sis?"

Don't tell me you won't fall for the little brother trope? You aren't heartless, right?

Rudeus Greyrat, you absolute menace.

"It's better for you to stay on the floor. If they feel like you're beneath them, then you won't get beaten up." She said hesitantly, her eyes darting from Rudeus to the cell door.

"Ah, I guess that makes sense. It's better to get out of here as soon as possible, then."

"What's that? Are you deaf or something? It's impossible to escape."

It didn't make sense to the girl because all of the exits were sealed. There was no window in this place, nothing but a locked cell door which couldn't be opened without a key.

"Even then, getting through all the bad guys would be difficult... that's what you're saying?" The boy commented childishly on her explanation, strangely nonplussed by the impossibility of escape and what would probably happen to him.

"You... isn't that obvious?" Bad guys, seriously? What is he thinking? Does he think he's some prince on a white horse?

An exasperated sigh escaped the girl.

He must have been either sheltered or genuinely that innocent. The ex-noble girl thought. The boy didn't seem nervous at all by what would happen to him, probably not even aware of what was going on, now in a state of shock and still figuring things out. It wasn't surprising, judging by his most likely noble upbringing, similar to her own.

Unlike the boy who didn't seem to know anything, she was someone with experience of her time here. She had been locked away from the outside world for a few years now, kept captive and groomed.

"Did you hit your head when they kidnapped you? Are you a noble?"

"That... that might sound pretty pathetic, but I was tricked by a little girl."

"——?"

At her questioning look, Rudeus began explaining how it had happened. He omitted the part about wanting to save the slaves and allowing himself to be captured, since he couldn't trust that the girl wasn't somehow involved. He had already grown accustomed to the various plots nobles devised to get under his skin.

"You... are you stupid? It was obviously a trap!" This was much different from her case, where she hadn't even had a choice in being held here. "As a noble, you should have been taught that kidnappers usually use the Little Knight method on boys!"

"...Little Knight?"

"Luring young noble boys who are bored and in the middle of their swordsmanship training, making them want to save a princess or just someone who calls for help. Usually they use a girl to shout for help, so that they will rush in without thinking, and then get kidnapped."

A realization appeared on Rudeus's face.

"Oh, that. Sorry, I know it as the Rescue Trap." He kept the girl's term in mind, though. It sounded way cooler than what Sauros had told him. "That's what I was taught."

"So you knew it and still fell for it!?"

It was unbelievable to hear that something like that had occurred.

"I, you know... never mind."

In the end, Rudeus decided to change the topic rather than argue with the girl.

"Do you know who kidnapped me?" He asked, hopeful for any useful answer.

The girl reacted with her whole body trembling, as if remembering sweaty hands groping her.

"It's that disgusting pig..."

"——pig?"

"The prime minister..."

Seriously!?

Corruption seemed to run pretty far in this country. The one who had kidnapped Rudeus was the Prime Minister of Asura, Darius Silva Ganius, a man Rudeus had only overheard mentioned and had never even seen.

That put a new light on the case. How did the prime minister know about him? He felt like he was missing something. At the party among the nobles, he had used a different name and shouldn't have been remembered. After all, why would you kidnap a butler?

Unless...

He looked at the trembling girl not far away from him.

This guy... he seemed to kidnap noble girls and do unspeakable things to them.

No way, was he behind Eris's kidnapping attempt as well?

This seemed to connect with the puzzle of who Thomas had been working for. It also explained how his captors had learned about his ability to cast magic without incantations, which was almost certainly why they had prepared magical manacles capable of suppressing his mana. Thomas must have revealed all of that before being captured by Rein and Ghislaine.

They were also aware of his family name and his ties to the Boreas household. That meant their objective was likely political, whether by using him to drive a wedge between Rudeus and Sauros or by holding him hostage to force the lord's hand.

Even so, one question still remained.

It shouldn't have been so easy for them to identify him in the first place. Learning his routine well enough to know when he visited the market would've required days, perhaps even weeks, of careful observation, something that would've been impossible unless they had already recognized him from the very beginning.

Hmm... I will work with what I have for now.

He thought and opened his eyes toward the girl.

"Sorry for making you remember bad memories."

"It's fine..." She looked down. "It's not like it changes anything."

The reason she was here in the first place was that whenever Prime Minister Darius had guests, it was better for her to remain outside of his place until the danger of her presence being discovered had passed.

"Hey, I know I'm asking a lot of questions—"

He was interrupted by a glare.

"Questions are pointless. You won't have any use of them anyway. It's impossible to run away from here."

"I get it, but..." Rudeus stopped for a moment after hearing her indifferent answer and considered if he had missed something important.

Ah, that's right.

"Pardon, may I ask for your name, My Lady?"

The girl looked at him strangely. It seemed she hadn't expected an introduction in a cell of all things. And it probably felt pointless to her because from her perspective they would soon be separated.

Even so...

"Tristina... Call me Tristina."

Once the daughter of House Purplehorse, she had attended the fifth birthday celebration of Princess Ariel, laughing alongside the other noble children as though such days would last forever. Three years later, that life came to an abrupt end. Publicly, it was announced that the young noble girl had been abducted by unknown criminals.

The truth, however, was far crueler. She had been quietly sold to this pig of a Prime Minister, disappearing from the world without so much as a trace.

Naturally, Tristina could never have known the full truth behind her disappearance. She had been far too young to understand the conspiracies surrounding her. Yet ignorance didn’t lessen the betrayal. The people entrusted with protecting her had instead delivered her into hell.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tristina." A gentle smile found its way onto his face, warm and disarming despite the grim surroundings. "My name is Rudeus, but you can address me however you want."

The newly introduced Tristina nodded, still quite perplexed by how relaxed Rudeus appeared. But it wasn't as though he wasn't afraid, he simply didn't know what these people were capable of, and he intended to avoid direct confrontation if possible.

"Can you help me out now?"

"Fine... but don't cry later. I told you how this will end up for you."

"I know, I know."

Having decided to help him out, Tristina crouched and began unbinding his legs from the rope. It seemed rather messy because she wasn't really accustomed to such work, and the rope was tied tightly, so it took her a minute or so to free him.

Once that was done, he stood up and stretched, his neck feeling stiff from being bent at an awkward angle. His legs carried a strange, prickling sensation where he could barely feel them. And this proved very annoying because once blood began to flow properly and the color returned from pale to healthy skin, it started to hurt as though ants were biting his feet!

After a moment, when it was possible to walk again, he sighed in relief.

"Thank you."

"You won't be so thankful when they beat you up."

Can we stop talking about that for a moment!?

It seemed the girl must have gone through a great deal to harbor such fear. At least it was fear for him, he supposed? He didn't see any marks of abuse on her, but from his understanding, it must have been terrifying to find herself in a cell as a young girl.

Triss took the time to create distance between them and wait in the corner of the cell, hugging her knees. Perhaps if she stayed far enough away, when they realized she had freed Rudeus, they would assume he had somehow freed himself without her help and not accuse her?

Hah. There was no way that would happen.

Seeing her mood worsen, Rudeus decided not to approach her again and gave her some space.

"What are you supposed to do here?"

"What else, I'm meant to be a sex slave."

So that was really it, huh. He had hoped for a different kind of answer, but that was expected.

"Did he..." He cut himself off, realizing that asking more would have been unpleasant for her. Nevertheless, Tristina understood what he wanted to ask.

"Distasteful, isn’t it? For a kid like you?"

"That's not what I'm saying..."

"Well, whatever it is, that pig said he waits for the beautiful fruit to grow sweet." Tristina knew it wouldn't be long, though. Her curves were already beginning to show, and the prime minister liked both children and adults, though he usually let some noble girls grow up so they could become a bit more rebellious.

The others hadn't been so lucky.

Evidently, Rudeus must have realized this because after hearing her elaboration on the minister's disgusting tendencies, his face became serious. There was a difference between being a creepy pervert and being a paedophile and rapist.

"We're getting out of here."

"I told you that's impossible."

Well, it was a good time to prove the impossible!

"I guess I'll have to ask you kindly. When I get out, please follow after me, okay?"

"......"

Now he was ignored entirely. Tristina had apparently had enough of his nonsense gibberish.

Calm down. Focus on what's in front of you.

The manacles on his hands were a magical tool. It wasn't as though he needed his upper body to cast spells, but he wouldn't lie that to move this girl next to him, some kind of powerful first impression was needed.

So he began circulating his own mana against the magical bindings to understand how they worked. At first, it seemed they simply blocked the pathways of his mana from reaching his chest, but that was not the case.

To put it simply, there was a certain amount of mana they could absorb, but that was still far, far above the capacity of your average magician. Even an A-rank adventurer mage would struggle to escape those without help.

However, most magic circles couldn't simply disallow the use of magic conceptually, say: those held by these manacles shall not cast magic, but rather, there was a limit to what this magical tool could do. Just like normal magic weapons such as staffs, which could hold a certain amount of mana in them. It would be another matter if this tool constantly drained his mana, rendering him helpless, but this merely created a barrier that made casting a spell impossible.

Because of this obvious flaw in design, or rather what limited it, it was easy to exploit or simply break.

Hiss...

"——Huh?"

Tristina, who had locked herself in her own world, was startled by the strange sound coming from Rudeus's direction. The manacles which had disallowed any use of magic began to show glowing cracks running across their surface.

The magics that bound his body could no longer contain the amount of mana being forcefully pushed against the inscribed magic circle.

A low hum filled the cell as the metal began to vibrate. The cracks widened, spreading like veins of molten light across the dark iron. Sparks of raw mana bled through the fissures, each one a testament to the sheer force being exerted against the bindings. The inscriptions flickered frantically, struggling to maintain their hold, but it was a losing battle.

The mana surged.

The light grew blinding.

And then—

Shatter.

The manacles exploded outward in a shower of molten fragments, their pieces clattering against the stone floor.

“Ow…” Rudeus flexed his wrists and winced in pain.

Why? Because it actually hurt! The metal had been hot enough to sear, and his skin bore angry red marks where the bindings had been. Nothing too serious, healing magic would take care of that, but still, an unpleasant reminder that breaking magical restraints came with consequences.

At least he was free.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Just as he began melting through the bars holding them, Tristina sprang to her feet with surprising speed and grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into his sleeve with desperate strength.

"What did you do!? What did you do!?"

"Shhh! Not so loud, or they'll hear us!"

But it was already too late. The guard stationed outside the cell must have heard girlish shouting, or perhaps the sound of breaking metal had reached his ears. Either way, heavy footsteps were now approaching from beyond the door.

Great. Just great.

Rudeus's mind raced. He couldn't afford a drawn-out fight.

It was for the best to end this quickly. Without giving a chance to react.

He glanced at the melting bars, then back at the approaching footsteps. An idea formed.

The bars are still soft. I can use them.

Rudeus reached out and seized a fistful of the molten metal. There was no time for caution. The heat scalded his palm, yet he clenched his teeth and willed the liquid fire into shape with his mana, forging a crude, jagged projectile.

I don't need to kill him. Just... ensure he doesn't rise again.

The guard rounded the corner.

Rudeus wasn't swift by any measure, certainly not compared to the warriors he had trained alongside, but speed wasn't what he required. He hurled the molten shard at the ground just ahead of the guard's advancing foot. The metal hissed upon impact, splattering into a pool of liquid fire that spread across the stone like spilled wine.

The guard's boot met the searing puddle.

"GAH—!"

A strangled cry tore from his throat as the heat bit through his leather sole. He stumbled, flailing for balance, and Rudeus seized the opening, a sharp kick to the temple sent the man crumpling to the ground, consciousness snuffed out in an instant.

"......"

Rudeus exhaled, long and shaky.

That worked far better than anticipated.

He turned to find Tristina staring at him, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

"Told you," he said, the grin on his face feeling brittle. "We're getting out of here."

.

.

.

Soon, after slipping through the shadows and navigating the winding corridors, Rudeus and Tristina found themselves at a crossroads. One path led toward freedom. The other led deeper into the unknown.

"Where are you going?" Her hiss cut through the silence as Rudeus halted, his gaze fixed on the darker passage.

"I still need to find out what happened to them..." He muttered.

The very reason he had allowed himself to be captured was to uncover the mastermind behind his kidnapping—a question already answered. The second was to save the little girl and the woman who had been forced into enacting the trap. But now, faced with the scope of what lay ahead, hesitation crept into his bones.

"What? Don't joke around! We're so close to leaving this place!"

For Tristina, his sudden freeze made no sense. He had the power to escape, to break free, to take her with him, and now he hesitated? A selfish, desperate whisper coiled within her: Make him come. Make him protect you. Just a little longer.

She couldn't go to the guards. She would only be returned to that pig of a minister.

After watching Rudeus stand motionless for over a minute, his gaze flickering between paths, Tristina reached for him, attempting to drag him forward.

“Huh.”

But his feet were rooted, as though the stone itself had claimed him.

The blond girl had none of it.

"Listen, I'm different!" Her voice cracked with frustration. "I was sold, not abducted! I don't feel the same way for these people as you..."

Apathy. That was all she could muster for the strangers trapped in this place. She had rarely interacted with other slaves, had never allowed herself to grow close. It was easier that way.

They were strangers.

Their pain was not her pain.

But even if they couldn't relate to one another, they could at least understand their own suffering.

"——You can go."

“What?"

In response to her incredulous question, Rudeus turned to face her, an apologetic smile softening his features. He understood, truly understood, the desire to be left alone. After all, he had been that kind of person. Perhaps in some ways, he still was.

"I said you can go. I don't mind. If you feel safer that way, I have no right to force you. But I would ask one thing, stay somewhere close, so they don't catch you again. The second time, it will be far harder to reach you."

Making her go with him was still much more dangerous than having her hide somewhere, even if there was a possibility of someone finding her. This was simply out of the question.

It was far more comforting to have it happen behind his back than to witness something happen to someone while he was keeping watch. He wouldn't lie and claim that kind of reasoning had completely disappeared yet.

"You're... you're going there?"

Was he really?

Rudeus dropped his gaze to the ground, as though searching for words buried in the cracks.

"I know there are dangerous people there. It's strange, really. I don't feel like going at all. I already have what I came for. I don't want to die, not if there's someone waiting who could end me in an instant. If I don't return, no one will ever know the prime minister was behind this."

Besides that, those people, they're probably scared.

Missing their parents, hopeless for the future. Unlike those who could choose to be hopeless and do nothing with their life, those in captive had been forced into submission and this pathetic state.

“…..”

It was a choice between self-preservation and stepping into danger that could render this second chance at life meaningless. One bad decision after another, each leading him deeper into conflict.

He understood her perspective better than she realized. He would rather strategize, retreat, return when the odds were in his favor. But that was not an option here.

Even if those girls had been sold here by nobility, even if they were strangers, surely something could be done to ensure they were safe.

——That was what Rein, the Goddess of Justice, would do.

"...Who is that?"

Ah... did that slip out?

"Um... a new religion?"

He scratched his cheek awkwardly, offering a helpless smile. It was a terrible excuse, but it was the first thing that had come to mind.

Well... she's definitely not buying that.

Well, either way, retreating was unacceptable.

"Take care, Lady Tristina." He felt a bit like a knight in that moment and decided to lean into the role, if only to uphold the speech he had just made.

"I'll go, then..."

With what could almost be called a reluctant step, Tristina slowly began heading in the other direction, her gaze still fixed on him.

Eventually, she disappeared from his vision, and he released a long sigh.

Giving speeches was never one of my strengths. Even so, I had managed to explain my intentions well enough. Anyone with even a shred of decency should have understood them... though this world's sense of morality often left me wondering where the bar had been set.

It was strange, honestly. This kind of emotional scene while they were basically kids. But in a cruel world like this, you had to grow up quickly. Otherwise, you ended up in a ditch.

There wasn't much more to say. His modern ethics would never fully align with this place.

Ah well. He needed to keep her out of danger somehow.

“——Let’s do it.”

Without Tristina to keep an eye on during the battle, he could go all out.

.

.

.

Rudeus was missing.

That was the obvious conclusion anyone would have reached after not seeing him since morning. Rein realized it, though she did not panic. Instead, she quietly considered the possibilities, tracing the routes he might have taken. Her face remained as expressionless as ever, but anyone observing her closely would have noticed that she never appeared in the same place twice.

"......"

No matter where she looked, he simply wasn't there. Rein knew her friend had intended to visit the town that day, but his prolonged absence was beginning to trouble her. Dinner was approaching, and surely he must have grown hungry by now.

Eventually, Rein made a decision she disliked.

She violated his privacy.

Rudeus refused to let the maids clean his room, insisting on doing it himself because he wanted to be treated like a grown-up in this peculiar instance. That habit had always puzzled Rein. After all, even nobles and lords relied upon servants to maintain their residences.

Receiving no response after knocking several times, she quietly entered his room. Scattered across the desk were language books, notebooks filled with his research, and beneath the blanket rested something carefully hidden.

Rudeus himself, however, was nowhere to be found.

Naturally, Rein wasn't the type to call out his name across the manor. As such, the search continued.

Hopefully, he didn't find the hidden dungeon under the manor.

A sigh of relief escaped her when she didn't discover him there. It would have been a traumatic experience for a boy to stumble upon such a wretched place. Though the dungeon lay empty now, the stench of neglect still clung to the stone. It was a foul residue of suffering that could leave a lasting impression on a young mind.

Where are you, Rudeus?

Her feet carrying her through corridors she knew by heart. It was a path she had walked countless times, yet never before had she found herself looking so carefully into every room and every corner in search of a familiar brown-haired boy.

Prior to Lord Sauros's order, Rein had been tasked with watching over him without his knowledge. Yet she also treated Lora's commands with the same weight as those of her lord, a peculiar loyalty that, had she still been a knight, would have been shameful to admit.

But Rein was no longer a knight. She was a maid of this manor. A sword wielded to banish wrongdoings from this land. Those responsibilities were not the same.

“——Rein!”

Just then, a voice of the lord she served echoed through the mansion.

.

.

.

Inside the dining hall, three figures had gathered around the table.

The first was the lord of this land, Sauros.

The second was his son, Master Philip.

The third was the head butler, Alphonse.

When Rein entered the room, their gazes fell upon her simultaneously. Anyone else might have recoiled beneath such scrutiny, three pairs of eyes, each carrying a different weight. Even Master Philip's eyes, which were usually closed, were now open and sharp with thought.

"The boy's been abducted!"

"——!?"

Lord Sauros's booming declaration echoed throughout the hall, while the others reacted with varying degrees of disbelief.

"Father, that has yet to be confirmed," Philip said, his voice as measured as ever. "Let us not leap to conclusions."

"I find myself in agreement with Lord Philip this time," Alphonse added with a respectful bow of his head. "I do not believe there is sufficient evidence to conclude that the boy has been abducted. He may simply have lost track of time. He is still a child, after all. Perhaps he became distracted."

Philip gave a small nod, though his expression suggested he didn’t entirely believe his own reasoning.

Truthfully, Rudeus was unlike most boys his age. He was observant, perceptive, and rarely careless.

Even so...

"I don’t believe this letter was necessarily written by Rudeus. It could very well have been forged to divert our attention from the true culprits. We should dispatch guards to investigate before reaching any conclusions."

It was a reasonable assessment. A forged note intended to sow confusion within the Boreas household was hardly beyond the realm of possibility. After all, kidnappings of noble guests were exceedingly rare.

Each of them failed to notice Rein, who had grown still, so still that she might have been carved from the same stone as the walls themselves. A quiet tremor passed through her frame, barely visible yet unmistakable to anyone who knew where to look. Her thoughts spiralled inward, folding upon themselves like a blade being bent to its breaking point.

Had I only followed him instead of listening to Lora... perhaps this tragedy could have been prevented.

Lord Sauros must have been furious with her now. He had trusted her to prevent exactly this kind of disaster. That trust must have plummeted to nothing.

——I failed.

"Wrong! Every last one of you, you simpletons!" Sauros barked, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. He jabbed an iron finger at the paper. "The writing at the end of this paper is in Japanese!"

"...Japanese?" Philip repeated, raising an eyebrow as the unfamiliar word rolled awkwardly off his tongue. Alphonse, too, turned his gaze toward his lord with curiosity.

"——It’s a lost language that Rudeus uses."

This time, it was Rein who answered. All eyes turned toward her.

Only then did they notice the faint tremble of her lower lip, the tiny crack in the composure she had struggled so desperately to maintain.

Her friend had been abducted.

The first true friend she had made in a very long time.

Her body trembled as though every instinct within her was screaming to run, to search every street and every forest until she found him.

"My deepest apologies for betraying your trust, Lord Sauros." Rein lowered herself onto one knee. "Please allow me to correct my failure."

"So be it!"

Sauros stared at the kneeling girl for only a brief moment before slamming his fist against the table.

"Search every damned village in Fittoa! If anyone's seen the boy, drag the information out of them if you have to! If he's not there..."

His expression darkened.

"...then we'll know those bastards crossed our borders."

Nobody in the room failed to understand what that meant.

The Fittoa Region was vast. Villages lay scattered throughout the territory, each one a possible hiding place. If Rudeus was nowhere to be found within the domain, then there remained only one conclusion.

He had been taken beyond Lord Sauros's reach.

That was precisely what troubled Rein.

Within the Fittoa Region, the authority of the Boreas family carried enormous weight. Knights, merchants, village chiefs, all would answer the call of their lord without hesitation.

Outside those borders...

Things changed.

Bandits roamed the roads in greater numbers, monsters grew increasingly dangerous the farther one traveled from the heart of the Asura Kingdom, and the protection afforded by the kingdom's knights became noticeably thinner. Even seasoned adventurers treated those lands with caution.

Alphonse stepped forward and carefully unfolded a large map across the table.

"My lord."

Sauros gave a curt nod before turning back toward Rein.

"Take it."

She accepted the map without a word.

Then Sauros reached for the saber resting at his side.

“That’s…”

Without the slightest hesitation, he unfastened it from his belt and extended it toward her.

"This blade bears the name of Boreas."

Rein accepted it with both hands.

"Find those bastards, Rein."

The old lord's eyes burned with unmistakable fury.

"And show them the wrath of the Boreas family."

"...Understood."

The instant the word left her lips, Rein vanished.

A sharp gust swept through the dining hall, rattling curtains and scattering loose papers across the table. By the time anyone looked toward the doorway, she was already gone.

She had only one destination.

Her friend.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: A Battle of Wills

——What a surprise.

From the shadows, a man dressed in a strange attire silently observed what unfolded.

The look on his face, slightly widened eyes, suggested that he didn’t expect a boy this young to be capable of breaking out of the specialized magical tool on his own.

Those magical restraints had been crafted for a single purpose; to render mages completely helpless. Every inscription covering their surface had been etched by craftsmen whose skill far surpassed that of ordinary artisans. And yet, this boy had broken them as though they were nothing more than brittle glass.

Not only had the boy freed himself, he had rescued the girl and navigated the prison's winding corridors without alerting another guard.

Impressive… for someone so young.

Neither of them had noticed his presence.

That was only natural. After all, he was a professional, one who took his duties seriously and prepared for countless contingencies long before his targets ever arrived.

He had been hired to eliminate a certain nobleman. The plan had been simple, wait in ambush, strike silently, and vanish without complications. It was not the first time he had accepted such a contract, nor would it be the last. The pay was generous, and the benefits that accompanied such work made the risks worthwhile.

His specialization lay in the North God Style, a school of swordsmanship that prioritized adaptability over rigid technique, survival over glory, and pragmatism over pride.

Unlike the Sword God Style, which demanded overwhelming offense, or the Water God Style, which emphasized defense and counterattacks, the North God Style cultivated a philosophy of detachment from the blade itself. Its practitioners were taught to fight with whatever tools were available, to use their surroundings as weapons, and to never become too attached to a single approach.

In his case, this philosophy had naturally led him toward assassination, a profession where adaptability meant the difference between success and a shallow grave.

Outside of that, he could also be called something of a jack of all trades. Knives, daggers, throwing blades, he had mastered them all. And when the situation demanded it, he was equally proficient with swords, poison, or even the environment itself.

According to Prime Minister Darius, from whom the information had been obtained, Sauros was supposed to arrive here personally. That was what the high-ranking noble had been certain of. It was the reason this building existed on the very edge of the Fittoa Region, a borderland straddling the line between the province and the Asura Kingdom proper. A perfect place for an assassination to go unnoticed.

That was the reason only a single guard had been left to watch over the boy. Lord Sauros was expected to arrive on horseback with a company of knights, make his way into the prison, and be eliminated from the shadows by the assassin camouflaged on the ceiling before he ever realized he had walked into a trap.

And yet, that had not happened.

The trap had been sprung on empty air. The Lord of the Fittoa Region, an influential noble with powerful allies among the aristocracy, was nowhere to be found. With his death unrealized, the Prime Minister's carefully laid plans would become significantly more complicated. Someone had either fed false information to the Prime Minister or deliberately led him astray for reasons unknown.

As for the boy, he had acted contrary to all expectations. He had escaped, guided the noble girl toward the exit, and then, rather than fleeing to safety, had turned back, heading toward the direction where the remaining slaves were being held.

In doing so, he had rendered the Prime Minister's carefully orchestrated scheme all but useless.

Fortunately for him, adapting to the unexpected came as naturally as breathing.

.

.

.

"Intruder!"

The cry echoed through the corridor just as the first guard rounded the corner.

A fist-sized projectile of compressed earth shot forward with a deafening crack, slamming into the man's breastplate. The impact hurled him backward into the stone wall before he even had time to draw his sword.

Stone Cannon. Stone Cannon. Stone Cannon. Stone Cannon. Stone Cannon. Stone Cannon. Stone Cannon. Stone Cannon.

If someone asked Rudeus for the most efficient method of dispatching multiple enemies in a short span of time, his answer would be obvious.

Spam the same attack in rapid succession and knock them out before they could react.

Stone Cannon was an Intermediate-tier earth spell that launched a dense, high-velocity projectile of rock at a target. Its primary advantage lay in its versatility, it could be fired quickly, required minimal concentration, and delivered enough blunt force to incapacitate most opponents with a single hit. Whereas other elemental spells relied on burning, freezing, or cutting, Stone Cannon was pure kinetic force, which made it ideal for non-lethal takedowns when aimed at the torso or limbs .

That same force, however, also made it dangerous. Even a glancing blow could shatter bone or cause internal damage. A direct hit to the head would be fatal without question.

This was precisely why he hadn't used it against the guard earlier when freeing Tristina. Although the spell was extraordinarily useful, it could still inflict serious harm even when held back.

Despite knowing how casually this world treated suffering and bloodshed, he hadn't wanted to be the one to show Tristina that particular reality, not when he could avoid it.

Though, admittedly, it was difficult to say how she would have reacted. She was a noble girl, after all, and nobles in this world seemed to possess a complicated relationship with violence. Some were desensitized to it, others were sheltered from it entirely. Tristina struck him as the latter, though he wouldn't have bet his hand on it.

Still, even with all that caution, the sight of an eight year old standing calmly in the middle of a hallway while magic attacks materialized in the air around him was, admittedly, quite unsettling.

"Don't let him cast!"

Unfortunately for them, that command had come several seconds too late.

Magicians in this world were typically considered easy to deal with. Most of them relied on incantations, which took long enough for an enemy to close the distance and strike them down without much difficulty. Shortening those incantations was no simple task either. It required considerable time, effort, and a deep understanding of the spell itself, something that only came with years of dedicated practice.

One guard gritted his teeth and lunged forward, clearly intending to close the distance before another spell could be completed.

His timing would have been flawless...

Against any ordinary magician.

——Stone Cannon.

The projectile struck his thigh with a dull crack. The man's charge ended instantly as his legs gave way beneath him, sending him skidding across the corridor.

To put that into perspective, even graduates from the Ranoa University of Magic who reached the Advanced rank were considered remarkably successful individuals. And even most of them couldn't use true chantless magic. Some of them, at best, managed to shorten their incantations by a fraction .

Roxy Migurdia, who had been a Saint-tier Water Mage when she first became Rudeus's tutor, was one such example. She could shorten her incantations, a skill she had refined over years of practice, but she still required them. She couldn’t cast a spell without speaking. And yet, at five years old, Rudeus had been casting silently without even realizing it was unusual.

At the time, he hadn't understood the significance of what he was doing. He had simply assumed that the difference came from his reincarnation, from his knowledge of the underlying mechanics, from the way his mind worked differently from those born in this world. He had never truly questioned why he could do something that the most accomplished magicians of this world struggled to achieve.

Without the crutch of incantations to fall back on, Rudeus had developed an entirely different method of casting. One that, for almost anyone else in this world, would have demanded years of relentless practice to even begin approaching.

You could argue that he was simply wasting mana by repeatedly firing the same spell, but every one of those attacks had been launched with the full intention of incapacitating his opponents rather than killing them.

Perhaps some of those men had hurt countless innocent people. Perhaps they truly deserved to die. Rudeus didn't know their stories, nor did he wish to stain his own hands with their blood.

It really was that simple. Rather than drowning himself in endless questions of justice and revenge, he chose the path that would allow him to preserve his own conscience. If there truly was an avenger somewhere in this world, then that burden could belong to them instead. His only objective here was to ensure the slaves were secured and could be returned to freedom.

"Halt your attacks, boy."

A calm voice echoed through the corridor, utterly at odds with the chaos surrounding it.

Stepping forward was a man draped in a blue cloak, a longsword resting comfortably at his side as though the battle unfolding before him were of little consequence.

“——who?”

"My name is Gaston Glaive, Water Saint of the Water God Style."

The swordsman introduced himself without arrogance or mockery.

His story was that of a capable warrior who had possessed an extraordinary talent for the Water God Style despite receiving little formal instruction. After climbing through the ranks and surviving countless life-and-death encounters, he had eventually earned the title of Water Saint through sheer experience rather than noble upbringing.

"Surrender. I have no desire to kill a child."

And yet, the moment those words left his mouth, Gaston's figure blurred, breaking into a full-time samurai sprint.

Steel flashed.

Rudeus kicked at empty space, using a burst of wind beneath his feet to propel himself backward just as the swordsman appeared in the place he had occupied a heartbeat earlier. At the same time, several Stone Cannons shot toward the approaching swordsman.

They were cut apart.

Each projectile split neatly in two, as though Gaston were slicing through nothing more than falling leaves.

In the end, the Water God Style truly was the greatest style when it came to defense.

"A magician of your caliber would accomplish far more elsewhere than dying inside a prison cell."

From Gaston's perspective, the situation was perfectly natural. Slavery was legal throughout the Asura Kingdom, and everyone confined within these walls had either been judged criminals or become someone else's property. To him, Rudeus was the only criminal present.

"Far too many people have seen your face. If you continue resisting, there will be no turning back."

"Huh?"

Rudeus stared at him in disbelief.

"I was held prisoner here! Illegally, mind you! What exactly did you expect me to do? Put on a mask?"

It wasn't as though he had been carrying one around in his pocket. Besides, nearly everyone in this building already knew what he looked like. They had been the ones who kidnapped him in the first place.

What difference would covering his face make now?

For the first time since their exchange began, Gaston's composed expression faltered ever so slightly.

"...Impossible. Lord Darius would never imprison an innocent."

He shook his head.

"Um, I'm a kid?"

Gaston met his gaze without a single contemplation, his sword raising once more

"You must have done something. A child or not, you are my enemy."

Is he for real?!

Rudeus gritted his teeth, realizing that playing on emotion couldn't work if this guy was a senseless idiot. Apparently, you had to possess a certain personality that allowed you to reach this level of swordsmanship, such as lacking the brains for other things but becoming talented in the sword.

There was a fundamental difference between an opponent and an enemy.

Truth to be told, Rudeus had come to understand that during his countless spars with Rein. Fighting her had undoubtedly improved his battle sense. She took him seriously enough that he was constantly forced to devise countermeasures, adapt, and think several steps ahead. Yet none of that changed what his body felt when standing before someone who genuinely intended to stop him.

His body was trembling.

Only now did he realize it wasn't from exhaustion, but fear. Fear of steel carving into his flesh. Fear of pain. Fear of death.

That reaction was only natural.

Rudeus himself shared that fear.

Even so...

He couldn't allow himself to retreat now.

The swordsman, for all his declarations that Rudeus was his enemy, clearly wasn't treating him as one. Every strike came from the flat of his blade, his intention obvious. He meant to subdue the kid, not kill him.

"——Gah!"

Rudeus poured too much mana into the burst of wind beneath his feet, launching himself backward with far greater force than intended. His back slammed violently against the stone wall, forcing the air from his lungs.

"Kh...!"

Even then, the swordsman never slowed.

His movements remained considerably slower than Rein's, yet that comparison had become utterly meaningless. Rein had never tried to capture him. Rein had never chased him through a prison filled with enemies.

To Rudeus, whose heartbeat hammered against his ribs with every passing second, the Water Saint seemed impossibly fast.

Take that!

"Huh?!"

The man's footing suddenly gave way.

He stumbled forward before crashing face-first onto the stone floor.

Taking advantage of the narrow corridor, Rudeus had reshaped the ground beneath the man's feet. Nothing elaborate. A handful of fist-sized stones protruding from the floor were more than enough. Warriors trained their eyes upon their opponent, not the ground beneath their own boots.

It was strangely ironic.

Rudeus often lost himself in overthinking during battle.

Experienced swordsmen, on the other hand, became so focused upon their opponent that they overlooked the smallest irregularities around them.

That tiny opening was all Rudeus needed.

"——!"

Despite scraping his face against the stone, the Water Saint had already regained his footing by the time Rudeus looked up.

A pale, invisible to the naked eye aura wrapped around his limbs, reinforcing his muscles as he abandoned any remaining restraint.

Had Gaston failed to instinctively reinforce himself with Battle Aura during the fall, that impact alone might have rendered him unconscious.

"...So now you're taking me seriously."

The realization escaped Rudeus's lips involuntarily.

“Ha!” The man lunged again.

Still sitting on the ground, Rudeus thrust out his hand.

——Water Cannon!

A roaring torrent burst from his palm.

Unlike Stone Cannon, the spell lacked concentrated impact. Instead, it unleashed an overwhelming volume of water under tremendous pressure, more akin to the hoses firefighters once used back on Earth than an ordinary stream.

The Water Saint twisted his body at the very last moment.

The torrent narrowly missed him.

Crap!

Even so, the pressure alone shredded part of his cloak and tore through the sleeve of his tunic as though they were made of paper.

Direct confrontation was something Rudeus wished to avoid at all costs.

Even now, he refused to reveal his greatest defensive spell, his Stone Shield. Exposing a trump card so early against an opponent whose full capabilities remained unknown would be foolish.

But if things continued to escalate...

He might not have a choice.

Earth Magic.

The corridor rumbled.

An entire section of the floor rose before him, layers upon layers of stone thrusting upward to form a massive earthen wall.

Then—

——GO!

It moved.

Driven forward by nothing but will, the enormous mass surged ahead like an avalanche.

The Water Saint slashed repeatedly, each strike carving deep grooves into the advancing wall.

It wasn't enough.

The wall crashed into him with overwhelming force, pinning him against the stone behind him.

For a brief moment, Gaston was trapped like the filling of a sandwich between two walls.

"I've got you."

Without wasting a second, Rudeus flooded the conjured earth with water before heating it with Fire Magic. The soaked soil rapidly thickened, hardening into a cement-like slurry that wrapped itself around the swordsman's arms, legs, and torso.

The more the man struggled...

The faster it hardened around him.

In the end, the man became completely immobilized. Rudeus only hoped Battle Aura wasn't overpowered enough to break through those restraints. He had tested this strategy against Rein once before, but she had escaped them with surprising ease.

...Right, that reminds me.

Back then, he had felt genuinely bad because Rein ended up covered from head to toe in mud thanks to his experiment.

At the very least, he had tried to make use of the situation by offering to wash her clothes afterwards. And maybe, ahem, just maybe, he could have been lucky enough to accidentally lose her panties and pretend they had gone missing. It certainly sounded much less shameful than sneaking around the servants' quarters waiting for the laundry to be hung outside, something he had admittedly considered more than once. For some reason, though, whenever the opportunity actually presented itself, something always stopped him from going through with such a shameless plan.

After that, he had been rejected anyway. Rein, being a maid through and through, hadn't understood his request in the slightest. Rather than being embarrassed by the thought of a boy washing her clothes, she had simply assumed that Rudeus was trying to take over her work. As someone who took her responsibilities more seriously than anyone else, she couldn't possibly allow him to do a maid's job instead.

That girl was far too innocent!

Speaking of which, Rudeus couldn't help but wonder if Rein had already noticed he was gone. She probably had. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. On one hand, the thought that a cute girl would actually worry about him made him strangely happy. On the other, he couldn't help wondering whether he deserved that kindness at all, especially considering the rather impure thoughts he still occasionally entertained about her despite knowing pieces of her tragic past.

Apparently this was simply the kind of person he was.

Shaking those thoughts from his head, Rudeus forced himself to focus on the task before him. Remembering the frightened reactions of the slaves he had rescued alongside Rein before, he searched the unconscious guard until he found a heavy key hanging from the man's belt.

Hopefully...

It fit.

The lock clicked.

With a deep breath, Rudeus slowly pushed open the heavy iron door leading into the prison cells.

"——B-Big Brother!?"

"Yep, it's me."

Inside, he recognized the familiar little girl from before.

"Happy to see me?" He asked with a small smile while unlocking the nearest cell. Only then did he properly look around the room. There were girls even younger than himself, others around his age, several older girls, and a handful of adult women. Among them stood the woman who had helped lure him into this place, staring at him with unmistakable fear.

“I, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

"Hey, I'm not angry about what happened before, alright? It's okay. I came here to free all of you, not to punish anyone."

“.....”

That was probably the worst possible choice of words. I guess that’s on me.

Judging by the frightened expressions spreading throughout the room, mentioning punishment had only made them even more afraid of him.

"...That wasn't what I meant."

Seeing that nobody's expression changed, Rudeus let out a small sigh.

"...Um... okay, let's try this again."

The words that had sounded perfectly reasonable inside his own head had somehow become completely different once they left his mouth.

"I know the lord who governs this region. If we can make it outside, then... I think we'll be safe."

At least, that was what he hoped.

After all, he had roughly kept track of time ever since being kidnapped. Judging by how long they had traveled and the glimpse of the night sky he had managed to catch through one of the windows, they shouldn't have left the Fittoa Region yet.

If that assumption was correct, then Sauros's influence still reached this place.

Healing all of them could wait. First, they needed to reach somewhere secure rather than remain in the most obvious place to be cornered.

And so, they made a run for it, rushing through the corridors and passing the unconscious guards littering the stone floor. Under normal circumstances, such a sight would have made anyone hesitate, but these slaves were far too consumed by the desperate hope of escaping to spare the fallen men even a glance. Some of them would have trampled Rudeus flat in their haste if not for the fact that he had been the one to free them.

“——Brother!”

“Halt, criminals!”

“Gah, you again!?”

Casting a sharp glance over his shoulder, Rudeus spotted the Water Saint once more, sprinting after them with astonishing speed. It seemed he had managed to break free after all, and if anything, he was now moving even faster than before.

In response, Rudeus thrust his hand toward the corridor.

The earth groaned.

A massive wall of rock erupted from the floor, sealing the passage completely.

“Let’s go!”

However…

“——?!”

The wall that should have guaranteed their escape was pierced by a single streak of light.

A razor-thin slash tore through layer after layer of solid earth before grazing Rudeus's cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

The swordsman's Battle Aura had taken form.

Whatever secret technique that had been...

——It scared the living hell out of him.

“Haaa… haaa….”

Rudeus retaliated, launching another barrage of Stone Cannons in an attempt to slow Gaston's advance.

Only this time, the outcome was entirely different.

Rather than simply cutting them apart, the Water Saint redirected every single projectile with the blade of his sword. One after another, the Stone Cannons were deflected back toward their caster with even greater speed than they had originally possessed.

"Get down!"

The words tore themselves from Rudeus's throat before he had time to think. Hearing the urgency in his voice, several of the slaves instinctively threw themselves to the ground while others followed a heartbeat later, the deadly projectiles screaming overhead where their heads had been only an instant before.

Is he insane?!

Panicking, Rudeus hurriedly conjured another volley of spells. The incoming Stone Cannons collided with his own in midair, erupting into a violent explosion that shook the entire complex.

Horrified by the sudden blast, the slaves screamed and covered their heads while others abandoned all composure and resumed running without daring to look back.

Meanwhile, Rudeus remained where he stood.

But it was not out of confidence, but out of pure fear.

Fear coursed through every fiber of his body as the Water Saint continued advancing, his footsteps growing closer with each passing second. Every spell Rudeus cast merely delayed the inevitable. Stone Cannons were reflected back at him with frightening precision, earthen walls were carved apart as though they were little more than paper, and every exchange shook the corridor violently enough that the ceiling threatened to collapse upon them both.

How...

How was he supposed to beat someone like this?

Should I... surrender?

His body screamed at him to stop. His instincts screamed at him to raise his hands and pray that the man before him would have enough compassion to spare a child.

After all, wasn't that the sensible choice?

But...

Could he really trust someone who served the very people responsible for all of this?

The more frightening realization, however, was that Rudeus no longer believed he could win.

"….."

The slaves had already escaped. Perhaps... perhaps if he surrendered now, everything would end with only himself being captured.

No.

Would it?

He had no guarantee of that.

Prime Minister Darius had already shown himself willing to abduct children and traffic innocent people as though they were livestock. Surrendering to someone like that was no different than placing his own life into the hands of fate.

Even so...

The fear persisted.

His mind refused to believe this man could be defeated.

Perhaps that wasn't even true. If Rudeus truly abandoned all restraint, if he stopped worrying about killing his opponent and instead unleashed every spell at his disposal with the sole intention of ending a life, then perhaps even a Water Saint could be brought down.

Perhaps.

Yet fear wouldn't allow him to believe it.

Every plan he thought of ended with the same image.

The swordsman surviving.

The swordsman reaching him.

The swordsman cutting him down.

His mind had long since stopped searching for ways to defeat Gaston. In other words, it was desperately searching for a way to survive.

No matter how one looked at it, escape was impossible. This was a sealed underground complex with only a single exit, and even if he screamed until his lungs gave out, there wasn't a soul outside capable of hearing him. Against a Water Saint who steadily closed the distance no matter what obstacle was placed before him, the possibility of escaping grew thinner with every passing heartbeat.

"Rudeus!"

"You, what are you——?!"

The hand that suddenly grasped his belonged to Tristina of all people.

"Let's go! Quickly!"

The rest has escaped the building, so she came back for him.

But there simply wasn't enough time. With Tristina standing so close beside him, casting another barrage of Stone Cannons or raising another earthen wall would only place her in danger, and after seeing Gaston effortlessly cut through everything he had thrown at him, Rudeus could no longer bring himself to believe that ordinary magic would stop the swordsman for even a moment.

Damn it!

His thoughts raced frantically through every possibility he could think of, only to reject each one almost immediately. Running was impossible. Fighting head-on was impossible. Surrender... perhaps that would save his own life, but there was no guarantee the slaves would be spared afterward. No matter how desperately he searched for another answer, every path ended with someone dying.

Then...

An absurd thought crossed his mind.

Without another moment of hesitation, Rudeus released an amount of mana so vast that even he momentarily wondered whether he had gone mad. Instead of shaping it into walls or projectiles, he forced it downward, deeper and deeper through layers of compact earth and solid bedrock until it reached the very foundation upon which the entire underground complex had been built.

For a single fleeting moment...

Nothing happened.

Then the world answered.

A deafening roar erupted from beneath the earth itself, so overwhelming that it drowned out every scream, every collapsing stone, every frantic heartbeat within the prison. The ground convulsed violently as though some colossal beast had awakened beneath it, and the immense foundation supporting the underground complex lurched upward with impossible force, carrying the prison atop it as if the land itself had decided to reject its existence.

The walls groaned under unbearable strain, pillars fractured one after another, and enormous cracks raced across the corridors with frightening speed while showers of stone rained from above. Hundreds of meters of earth rose together as a single mass, forcing the entire prison skyward upon an enormous pillar of stone that continued climbing higher and higher, each passing second accompanied by another thunderous quake that seemed intent on tearing the very world apart.

Even Gaston, whose composure had remained unshaken throughout the battle, instinctively widened his eyes as his footing gave way beneath him for the first time, while the ones left could do little more than stare in mute disbelief at the impossible spectacle unfolding around them.

It was no longer a question of defeating a swordsman.

Rudeus had chosen instead to move the battlefield itself.

The purpose behind such an absurd feat was singular, though to anyone watching it would have appeared completely nonsensical. His intention had never been to crush Gaston beneath collapsing stone.

“——w-what?”

Tristina instinctively held a hand against her temple, unable to comprehend the impossible spectacle unfolding around her, while beside her Rudeus's vision was swallowed by darkness as though someone had extinguished the world itself. The sheer amount of mana he had poured into that single spell exceeded anything his body had ever attempted before, leaving him momentarily blind no matter how many times he blinked.

If he didn't regain his footing soon, all of this would be for nothing.

Gradually, the veil of stone shielding them from the collapsing debris crumbled apart, revealing a breathtaking sky blanketed with countless stars. Flames danced throughout the ruins where shattered torches had scattered burning oil across splintered wood, their flickering light illuminating clouds of dust that drifted lazily through the night air, making the devastated prison resemble the aftermath of some ancient catastrophe rather than the work of an eight-year-old boy.

“Are you… Are you…”

“Y-Yeah.”

Even answering proved exhausting.

Judging from her trembling voice, Tristina had been asking whether he was alright. Strange, considering he had been the one responsible for turning the entire thing upside down.

This… isn’t really the right time for jokes.

With her support, Rudeus slowly forced himself back onto unsteady legs, waiting for the darkness clouding his vision to recede little by little.

"Kh... Aghhh..."

A pained groan escaped him before he could suppress it, his head throbbing violently as though every nerve within it protested the reckless expenditure of mana.

Unfortunately...

The nightmare had yet to end.

A nearby mound of rubble shifted.

Once.

Twice.

Then exploded outward.

Stone fragments rolled down the heap as a lone figure slowly emerged from beneath them, leaning heavily upon his sword. Gaston Glaive's clothing had been reduced to little more than bloodstained rags, one of his legs bent at an angle no human limb should ever possess, while the Battle Aura coating his body flickered weakly, having finally reached its limit after enduring the collapse of not one, but two entire floors.

"...This bastard is still kicking after all that?!"

The words escaped Tristina before she could stop herself. Such language was hardly befitting a daughter of nobility, yet at this moment she cared little for appearances.

Turning toward Rudeus, she felt her heart sink.

His head had slowly begun to drop.

"Rudeus! Rudeus!"

His eyes opened.

Then lost focus again.

Opened once more.

His body had simply reached its limit.

Watching Gaston drag himself forward despite everything, the servant of the very man responsible for her suffering, Tristina felt something inside her finally snap.

"Die!"

A stone left her hand.

"Die already!"

Another followed.

"Just die!"

Pebble after pebble bounced harmlessly against the Water Saint before falling uselessly to the ground, accomplishing nothing beyond drawing his attention. The look he cast her in return was enough to freeze the blood in her veins. Had he possessed the strength to swing his sword properly, she had little doubt he would have cut her down without a second thought.

"You piece of shit!"

"I have shown nothing but mercy, child."

Every word Gaston spoke carried a quiet fury that felt colder than any shout.

"And this..."

He dragged his ruined leg another step forward.

"...is how you repay it."

Blood dripped steadily from the corner of his mouth as he tightened his grip upon the sword.

"I spared the boy because he was a child."

Another step.

"I offered him surrender."

Another.

"And you two repaid kindness with treachery!"

It was the first sign of madness.

To Gaston, this was no longer a mission.

It had become personal.

The sword slowly rose.

Its point settled upon the two exhausted kids.

“——!”

Before another step could be taken, something flashed through the darkness.

A throwing dagger buried itself deep into Gaston's neck.

"...Gh—"

His eyes stretched wide, the pain so sudden and intense that his vision blurred at the edges.

The sword slipped from numb fingers.

Even as a Water Saint, someone who should have been capable of sensing the intent behind such an attack, he was in no condition to detect it.

Blood poured from his throat in thick crimson streams as he desperately tried to speak, only for every attempted word to dissolve into wet, choking gurgles.

“Oh my goodness, what a mess.”

Behind him, leisurely emerging from the shadows as though arriving fashionably late to a festival rather than a battlefield, stood a newcomer clad in garments so extravagantly colorful that they seemed utterly detached from the devastation surrounding him.

——It was the man known by the title of the Peacock Sword.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Incoming

There are tales that belong only to children.

Stories of knights who could cross entire kingdoms before the sun had time to set, of heroes whose footsteps outran the wind itself, whose swords reached their destination long before their shadows did. Such stories were meant to be told beside warm fireplaces and preserved within weathered books, for no sensible adult would ever mistake them for reality.

Yet, on this night, one such tale traversed the fields of the Fittoa Region.

That crimson streak was neither monster nor miracle.

It was merely a lone girl whose fierce red hair streamed behind her like a banner of flame, bearing upon her back a sword far too great for someone of her years, a blade that by all reason ought to have dragged across the earth and yet remained perfectly still with every stride she took, as though it possessed no weight at all.

——Friend.

The sheer velocity at which she ran would have rendered any witness speechless. There was no horse carrying her across the countryside, nor any spell hastening her steps, only the overwhelming capability of her own body. Distances that demanded hours of riding vanished beneath her feet, villages dissolving into fleeting silhouettes before the eye could properly register they had ever been there at all.

Ordinarily, such speed would have been greater still. The blessing that once stripped the wind of its resistance no longer accompanied her, forcing Rein to endure the consequences of every stride with nothing but her own flesh. Even so, she dared not unleash her full strength. Were she to do so, the very fields beneath her feet would suffer for it, crops uprooted by the violent wake of her passing while the winds she carved through flattened entire stretches of grain as though a tempest had swept across the countryside.

The curse that followed her from one life into the next refused to loosen its grip.

Although her thoughts remained fixed upon Rudeus, her hearing and awareness extended far beyond the path before her, rendering every cry for help, every clash of steel, every frightened heartbeat within hundreds of feet impossible to ignore. Whenever someone desperately called for salvation, the same question invariably surfaced. Was she truly capable of passing by a woman being dragged away before her very eyes simply because somewhere farther ahead another person was waiting? Or would she stop once more, fully aware that every passing second might be another stolen from Rudeus's life?

That was the curse she had inherited. It was never overwhelming strength that tormented her most, but the inability to make a choice born from pure selfishness.

The last time she had chosen to follow her desire, before she was turned into a weapon, her entire family had been shattered. Her wish to become the Sword Saint had been nothing more than a mistake.

I promise I will not avert my eyes from this mistake.

That prayer repeated itself countless times throughout the night as, before she even realized it, another criminal lay unconscious behind her, then another, then another still.

So please... just a little longer.

By the time the moon had climbed high above the horizon, Rein had already prevented ten separate crimes without ever intending to seek them out, rescuing merchants from highwaymen, stopping several children from being abducted beneath the cover of darkness, and driving monsters away from travelers who would never even learn the name of the one who had saved them. Darkness settled over the Fittoa Region far faster than she would have liked, yet there remained countless roads she had yet to cross and only one pair of footsteps she truly wished to find.

"...Forgive me... forgive me."

The apology disappeared into the wind almost as quickly as it had been spoken. It was never meant for the criminals she had struck down, nor for the strangers whose lives she had managed to save. It was meant solely for Rudeus. She had left the manor with the resolve to think only of her missing friend, only to find herself stopping over and over again because every cry for help she heard became another life she simply could not abandon.

This was never the result of some desire to become a savior. If anything, she wished she possessed enough courage to continue running, to convince herself that someone else would surely arrive instead.

Once, drawing a line between duty and personal feelings had come naturally. Emotions were meant to be set aside whenever they clouded one's judgment, and she had lived according to that belief for longer than she could remember, refusing to betray it.

Rein understood those convictions. Even so, this new life had slowly begun changing something inside her. Feelings she had once buried without hesitation grew louder with each passing day, while desires she had never allowed herself to entertain refused to remain silent, leaving her suspended somewhere between the person she wished to become and the one she had always been.

...That's why I dislike leaving the manor.

Within those walls there were orders, and orders relieved her of the burden of choosing. Lord Sauros decided where she would go, whom she would protect, and which lives became her responsibility, allowing her to believe that whatever she failed to save had simply never been entrusted to her in the first place.

Outside those walls, however, every cry she heard demanded an answer, every passing road concealed another choice, and every choice inevitably meant abandoning someone else.

Perhaps Pride had been right after all.

After he had killed the Hero...

All that remained was a coward.

Had her life truly changed?

Now that she stopped to think about it, perhaps nothing had changed at all. She had merely exchanged one routine for another, convincing herself that a different set of duties could somehow drown out memories that refused to be forgotten.

What was there that she could truly call her own?

Her duties within the manor had been entrusted to her by another.

Perhaps only the garden had belonged to her alone, and even that had never been created for her own happiness, but to offer a place of remembrance to people who had long since departed this world. Even the one thing she had chosen with her own hands remained rooted in the past rather than the present.

Besides...

Perhaps there was one exception.

Friendship.

A good friend would surely choose those precious to them above all else. Rein didn’t believe herself capable of becoming such an angelic person, yet she wished, at the very least, to imitate one. If nothing else, she could be kind. She could listen to Rudeus. She could help him whenever he reached out his hand.

The wind continued rushing past her, carrying with it the echoes of a life she had tried so desperately to leave behind. That name had been abandoned, severing the bond tying her to that distant world since she began walking beneath another sky.

Yet...

People don’t build graves for strangers.

No matter how many names she discarded, no matter how many lives she tried to convince herself she had left behind, the flowers blooming within that garden had already answered the question she never wished to ask.

It still lived within her.

And no matter how far Rein ran...

She could never outrun herself.

.

.

.

"——A-A clown?"

Tristina muttered in undisguised disbelief.

Judging by the gaudy assortment of colors the newcomer wore, it would have been anyone's first impression. Rather than a battlefield, the man looked as though he had wandered out of a traveling circus.

"It's nothing so grand. You may simply call me the Peacock Sword, Auber Corvette."

The introduction came with surprising politeness considering the circumstances. He certainly didn't carry himself like a noble, yet there was unmistakable amusement lingering upon his face after being mistaken for a clown. Evidently, such comments were nothing new to him.

"R-Rudeus Greyrat..."

“——!”

The boy hurriedly introduced himself. Tristina, meanwhile, had no intention of doing the same, though the moment Rudeus spoke his family name, she turned toward him in visible astonishment.

Looking at Auber more closely, the ridiculous appearance became... somewhat easier to understand. A peacock-shaped tattoo adorned his left cheek, while strange slit-like markings framed his eyelids. His hairstyle was perhaps the greatest offender of all, so peculiar that words like laughable or absurd felt strangely appropriate.

Then again...

If someone dressed like that introduced himself as your enemy, wouldn't your first instinct be to underestimate him?

"Hmmm..."

While the two children occupied themselves, Auber finally took the opportunity to satisfy his own curiosity. There was little reason to hurry now, and the question that had been nagging at the back of his mind ever since his arrival had only grown louder.

...What a nuisance.

Stepping toward the edge of the ruined structure, he squinted into the distance until the ground far below finally came into view.

Just what sort of magician was this boy?

Rather than bringing the building down, he had somehow forced its very foundation upward, raising the entire structure upon an enormous pillar of earth before reducing it to little more than a crumbling ruin.

A prodigy.

From the perspective of those who had escaped below, it must have appeared as though an immense tower of earth had suddenly burst from the ground like the trunk of some ancient tree, carrying an entire mansion skyward in defiance of common sense.

"Come now... that's simply absurd."

Even for someone like Auber, whose powerful legs and metallic claws would allow him to descend from such a height with some difficulty, the view below was enough to make an ordinary person lose their nerve.

Originally, this place had served as a private manor prepared for Prime Minister Darius whenever he wished to remain away from the capital. Beneath the estate stretched a network of underground prison cells where beautiful slaves were confined until their master found a use for them, while above stood a modest two-story residence that, due to the circumstances, had been left almost entirely devoid of servants.

Only a limited number of guards had been stationed here to ensure no bandits or wandering adventurers stumbled upon the estate, its location resting at the very edge of the Fittoa Region where the influence of the Asura Kingdom gradually began to wane.

Naturally, Auber knew none of those details, nor did he particularly care to. From his perspective, Prime Minister Darius had offered an exceedingly generous reward alongside the promise of something that would pique his interest, and that had been what secured the Peacock Sword's cooperation.

"——What do we do...?"

"——G-Give me a moment."

Hmm?

Something was happening behind him.

The faint whispers reached Auber's ears, causing him to tilt his head ever so slightly in amusement. Quick on the uptake, he turned just in time to notice the boy gathering what should have been the last remnants of his mana.

He can still cast?

Remarkable.

A small sphere of fire quietly materialized above Rudeus's palm.

Yet...

It wasn't directed at him.

There was neither killing intent nor hostility within the spell, and because of that, every instinct Auber had cultivated over decades simply dismissed it as harmless.

The fireball soared past him.

High.

Higher.

Until—

"...Woah."

A brilliant blossom of crimson erupted across the heavens.

Then another.

And another.

The night sky bloomed with countless bursts of shimmering light, each scattering into vibrant petals that painted the darkness in reds, blues, emeralds, and brilliant gold. Their reflections danced within Auber's crimson eyes as though the stars themselves had descended to celebrate, and for the briefest of moments the prodigious warrior found himself forgetting where he stood.

"...Beautiful."

It reminded him, strangely enough, of childhood festivals he hadn't thought about in years.

For the span of a single heartbeat, Auber simply admired them.

"——"

But...

Beautiful things were often the shortest-lived.

The instant Auber realized what the fireworks had truly been meant to accomplish, the smile lingering upon his lips disappeared.

From hidden compartments within his sleeve, two slender needles sprang forth, gleaming under the flickering light before hurtling toward Rudeus and Tristina with deadly precision.

.

.

.

"...This..."

A girl turned toward the horizon.

Countless blossoms of light illuminated the night sky one after another, so vivid and magnificent that it would have been impossible for anyone within the Fittoa Region to overlook them. Beneath a cloudless sky watched over by the full moon, the fireworks bloomed like flowers woven from flame, each burst lingering for but a fleeting instant before yielding to the next.

Rein had already been searching for what felt like an eternity.

Even with her overwhelming speed, the Fittoa Region remained unimaginably vast. Distances that ordinary travelers measured in days by carriage couldn’t simply be erased because one possessed extraordinary legs. Roads branched endlessly, forests concealed hidden paths, villages lay scattered across the countryside, and every direction demanded to be searched with the same care as the last.

Whoever had kidnapped Rudeus must have traveled by horse, and a remarkably swift one at that, to cover such a considerable distance in so little time. He had been taken shortly after noon. By now, more than twelve hours should have already passed.

The map Lord Sauros had entrusted to her offered little comfort. If anything, it only served as a reminder of how much still remained unchecked. Even with a map in hand, losing one's bearings was far from uncommon. Every fork in the road demanded another glance, another careful consideration of the route already taken before one could even estimate their current position.

To put this differently, a search of this magnitude would have consumed days.

She had already compressed it into mere hours.

"...Rudeus."

There was a high probability those lights had been his doing.

No ordinary person would think to launch fireworks into the night simply for amusement while lost.

He was calling for help.

No...

——That’s not it.

He was telling her where he was.

A faint smile appeared upon Rein's face.

"...Then allow me to answer your resolve with my own."

There was still a considerable distance separating them.

Even going at full speed would take precious time she could no longer afford to lose.

If only...

Her eyes slowly drifted toward the hills rising in the distance.

"...Perhaps."

.

.

.

Huh?

"——For a boy your age to actually block that."

Auber appeared genuinely troubled by the development, bewilderment plainly written across his face at the realization that Rudeus had managed to intercept an ambush whose intent had never been revealed.

For Rudeus, it had only been possible because, in the final instant before the attack reached its destination, the countless hours spent training against someone like Rein had forced his body to react on instinct. It could scarcely be called skill. If anything, it had been sheer luck tempered by experience.

His trump card, the variation of an earthen shield meant to intercept unseen attacks, had now been revealed.

That, in turn, made Auber, who had watched him closely and studied his style throughout the battle, wonder what else the boy might still be concealing within his arsenal.

Beyond that, there was another reason Rudeus had distrusted him from the very beginning. Not only had Auber killed Gaston without the slightest hesitation despite clearly possessing the ability to incapacitate him instead, suggesting there had been another motive behind the killing besides saving them, but he had also watched the battle unfold from start to finish before conveniently stepping in at the final moment like some wandering hero.

"I guess it does make me look suspicious when you put it like that."

Readying his blades, Auber inclined his head with a faint smile, entirely unperturbed that his intentions had been called into question.

"You tried to kill us?"

"Nothing quite so severe. Those needles were coated with the venom of a certain serpent monster whose prey falls into a deep sleep before being devoured. Had they struck you, your body would merely have relaxed before peacefully drifting into unconsciousness."

It would have been rather counterproductive to kill the children.

Besides, Auber never particularly enjoyed the thought of killing youngsters. He had accepted a contract to assassinate an old noble, not two promising children, especially the boy standing before him.

Not to mention...

Those needles were expensive as hell.

Each one had taken considerable effort to acquire, and losing two of them left Auber feeling unexpectedly crestfallen. Even if the reward proved generous, his purse would certainly be lighter after tonight.

"But you were going to hand us over to that pig!"

Hearing the accusation, Auber looked at Tristina with mild puzzlement before answering.

"That's what I was paid for, yes."

Originally, he had intended to resolve everything quietly by rendering the children unconscious before they ever realized he was there. As far as Auber was concerned, he had even done them the courtesy of intervening against Gaston before matters turned uglier than necessary.

Even so, Prime Minister Darius remained his employer. Sauros had failed to appear, the assassination had become impossible, and returning empty-handed was hardly an option. Darius struck him as the sort of man who would sooner invent an excuse not to pay than part with his money willingly, meaning Auber needed proof that tonight's events had unfolded at all.

"Do you know that Darius kidnaps daughters of noble houses? I'm a servant of the Boreas household. Do you know the name Sauros Boreas Greyrat?"

Rudeus asked hopefully, though his eyes never left Auber.

The man hadn't been the slightest bit shaken by the devastation surrounding them. Even after witnessing everything Rudeus was capable of, he hadn't regarded the boy as a threat.

That alone was enough to make Rudeus wary.

"R-Rudeus! You can't be serious, this guy—"

"I want us to live... Isn't that more important right now?"

His voice came out more tired than determined.

He had grown exhausted from fighting, exhausted from constantly standing at death's doorstep.

More than anything...

He wanted to go home.

Turning back toward Auber, he continued.

"Sauros is the governor of this land. If he finds out about this whole thing, surely the High Minister won't have it easy."

"Mmm, I know him. This was where I was supposed to kill him, after all."

"——!?"

Those words alone were enough to send a chill down Rudeus's spine.

Instinctively taking a step backward, he began gathering mana once again, though the process felt agonizingly slow. Every attempt to shape another spell was accompanied by a pounding ache inside his head, as though something invisible resisted every ounce of mana he tried to move.

While Tristina glanced toward the fallen Water Saint's sword, Rudeus was on the verge of a small panic attack at the prospect of fighting yet another swordsman.

Pointing at Auber with an unsteady finger, he desperately attempted to negotiate.

"L-Listen, we can't let ourselves be captured. Besides, you clearly have some ulterior motive for talking to us this long instead of simply knocking us out."

"Haha, I won't deny that." Auber chuckled. "I'm genuinely interested in speaking with you after witnessing such a splendid battle. Tell me, how did a boy like you learn chantless magic? And where did you come up with so many countermeasures against swordsmen?"

The reason Auber had allowed the conversation to continue for so long was simple.

He was genuinely curious.

It was the first time in his life he had encountered someone so thoroughly detached from common sense, a child who fought while weaving magic unlike anything he had ever seen. Since the path before them almost certainly led toward becoming enemies, he figured this might very well be the only opportunity he'd ever have to satisfy that curiosity.

"My master is a great magician capable of shortening the incantations of her spells. One day... I'd like to become strong enough to properly call myself her student."

"Oh? That's nice to hear."

Auber nodded.

"What else?"

"I... I've also been training swordsmanship for a while now. Since I plan to become a magician, I've been trying my best to prepare as many countermeasures as possible against opponents who excel in close combat."

"Then tell me this."

Auber's wonder only deepened.

"How did you manage to dodge attacks that fast? Gaston Glaive was a Water Saint. Even holding back, it shouldn't have been possible for you to react."

Throughout the battle, Auber had observed how frequently the boy relied upon Wind Magic to widen the distance between himself and his opponent. Combined with his reactions, those movements bordered on the absurd.

"...I've seen someone faster."

Rudeus answered honestly.

"Eventually, I got used to it."

"Oh, so that’s how it is."

Apparently, that answer alone had confirmed everything he wanted to know.

Whoever had instructed the boy in swordsmanship had to be at least comparable to Gaston.

Maybe even stronger.

After that, Rudeus continued answering whatever questions Auber posed, partly because buying time remained his only option and partly because lying felt utterly pointless. Something about the man made deception seem destined to fail before it had even begun.

Eventually, Auber asked about various magic institutions and several well-known magicians. Rudeus answered truthfully whenever he could, though more than a few of the names meant absolutely nothing to him.

"I see. Thank you for satisfying this curiosity of mine."

"If you leave us alone, we'll pay you! A lot! We'll give you whatever you want, sir!"

It was the last desperate gamble Rudeus had left.

Even if it sounded completely pathetic, pride was a luxury he could no longer afford. If there remained even the slightest chance of talking their way out of this, then he intended to seize it.

"Sorry, I can't do that. You already know who's behind this, so I'll be honest. Betraying the High Minister is simply too reckless a move."

Going against someone as politically influential as Darius was asking for trouble.

The offer simply wasn't worth entertaining.

This answer put a grimace of Rudeus panicking face,

"T-Then... what about the slaves?"

"Ah, that."

Auber glanced toward the horizon.

"I'll have to catch up with them too."

It wasn't as though he had forgotten about them.

Given enough time, tracking them down and tying them together with rope would hardly prove difficult. Letting them escape had already complicated matters enough, and it would be in his best interest to clean everything up before this incident came back to haunt him.

After all, no matter how strong a swordsman became, political connections were not something one severed lightly, especially when high-ranking nobles stood at the other end of the blade.

So it was decided.

"Now then— "

"Hwaaah!"

Tristina lunged from behind, wielding the sword the fallen Water Saint had left behind. The blade was far too heavy for someone of her age, yet she swung it with every ounce of strength she could muster.

"Hm?"

Auber took two leisurely steps to the side.

The oversized blade sliced through nothing but empty air, while Tristina, having committed her entire body to the downward swing, was lost to the momentum. Losing her balance completely, she pitched forward and landed face-first, the sword slipping from her grasp and clattering several feet away.

"...Oww..."

Fortunately, Rudeus could tell she hadn’t suffered any serious injuries.

She had merely ended up a few feet beside him.

"I'll make this quick."

Already in motion, Auber shot toward them like a bullet, intent on bringing this to an end once and for all.

"Ahhhh!"

Tristina cried out.

No, you won't!

The familiar fortress of layered earth rose around them once more.

"That shield again?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Auber's blade carved through all four layers in a single fluid motion, the slabs of solid rock splitting apart as though they had been fashioned from damp paper, yet his control precise enough that not a single fragment would injure anyone inside.

"——?"

Much to his surprise, the earthen barricade stood completely vacant.

"...It's empty?"

Near the center of the enclosure was a narrow opening in the ground, scarcely wider than the entrance to a rabbit's burrow, but large enough for someone small to squeeze through one after the other.

"...So that was it."

The collapse.

The pillar reaching into the heavens.

The fireworks.

Every one of them had been improvised.

That didn’t mean they had been without purpose.

That boy, Rudeus, had understood from the very beginning that defeating a Water Saint would have been nothing short of arrogance. Rather than wagering everything on a single victory, he had prepared one contingency after another, ensuring that failure at one stage naturally led to the next step of his escape. Raising the entire estate had stranded Gaston atop the ruins while simultaneously creating enough confusion for Rudeus to carve out an escape route beneath the rubble using whatever Earth Magic he still had at his disposal. Even if the swordsman survived, precious moments would inevitably be lost climbing back down instead of immediately giving chase, especially after the injuries he had sustained.

The plan, however, had never been flawless.

After such an overwhelming display of Earth Magic, the boy had simply exhausted himself to the point where escaping immediately became impossible. What he needed most was time.

Auber's arrival had robbed him of even that.

Leaving Rudeus with only one option.

Every answer, every question, every attempt at negotiation. All of it had been another way of stealing time. This it it.

"...Just how many tricks do you have up your sleeve, seriously?"

At this rate, the boy was beginning to rival even Auber when it came to devising countermeasures on the spur of the moment.

It was impressive.

And unbelievably irritating.

"Hah, I'll wait for them below, then."

Auber let out a quiet sigh before stepping toward the edge of the colossal pillar, preparing to descend the sheer cliff face.

However...

As he casually lifted his gaze toward the night sky, intending to judge which route downward would be the quickest, something caught his eye.

"——Hm?"

Something was there.

Far beyond the sea of darkness, against the backdrop of the moonlit heavens, a single crimson speck pierced the sky.

At first, it was scarcely larger than a distant star.

Yet with every passing heartbeat...

It grew.

"What..."

Auber narrowed his eyes.

"...A spell?"

His first thought was that it had to be some manner of magic.

The crimson point rapidly swelled into a blazing streak engulfed in fire, its incandescent trail carving across the heavens like the tail of a falling star. Flames wrapped around its silhouette as the compressed air itself seemed to ignite, scattering glowing embers across the night.

No...

It wasn't falling.

It was aiming.

"——!"

There wasn't even enough time to finish the thought.

BOOOOOOM!

“Hnh!?”

The world lurched.

The entire earthen pillar shuddered violently as something crashed upon its summit with enough force to split stone apart. A shockwave erupted in every direction, tearing loose fragments of rock from the cliffside while a roaring tempest swept across the ruins, hurling dust, broken timber, and shattered masonry high into the air.

Even Auber instinctively raised an arm to shield his face, his boots carving shallow grooves into the stone as the blast forced him backward.

The impact had been absurd.

An immense cloud of dust swallowed everything.

"...Tch."

Then...

A warm breeze drifted across the summit.

Unlike the violent gust born from the impact, this one felt strangely gentle, almost as though it wished to clear away the veil obscuring the battlefield.

The dust slowly parted.

Little by little...

A silhouette came into view.

Long crimson hair fluttered softly in the breeze.

A sword far too large for someone of her stature rested upon her back.

"——found you."

Blue eyes, utterly devoid of hesitation, met the Peacock Sword's gaze.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Heaven and Earth

An escape attempt was made using the last of his IQ points.

Maybe waiting for so long had been too risky, but Rudeus needed to make absolutely certain that Auber had lowered his guard before attempting something like this. Had the assassin remained even slightly suspicious, the trick would've failed before it ever began.

While Auber focused his attention on the barrier above, Rudeus used those precious moments to erect another earthen enclosure around himself and Tristina, buying them only the briefest amount of time.

Having modified the spell known as Stone Cannon to suit the situation at hand, he conjured a massive drill of hardened stone, reinforcing it with mana before forcing it deep into the earth. The construct bored relentlessly downward until it finally reached stable ground, leaving behind a narrow passage just wide enough for the two of them to squeeze through.

Once they emerged at the very bottom, Rudeus fully expected to find Auber waiting for them.

Surprisingly...

No one was there.

"We should run!"

"Yeah, let's—"

Rumble...

The entire earth shook beneath their feet.

The violent tremor lasted only an instant, yet it was powerful enough to send loose stones tumbling while the tunnel Rudeus had painstakingly carved collapsed behind them, sealing the passage completely.

"W-What was that...?"

Tristina's voice quivered.

Whatever had struck the top of that earthen pillar must have possessed enough force to shake the entire structure.

Both of them were covered from head to toe in dirt, their clothes stained brown and their hair filled with dust, and neither had the slightest desire to climb back up to discover what had caused it.

Even Rudeus, despite desperately wanting to confirm whether that crimson streak descending from the heavens had truly been Rein, couldn't justify returning. His curiosity simply wasn't worth risking both of their lives.

"We need to find somewhere safe," He concluded after a moment's thought. "Once we're there, I'll wash all this dirt off with Water Magic and heal your injuries."

Only now did he properly notice Tristina's condition.

Bruises covered her arms and legs, while a small cut had split her upper lip. For a noble girl once raised in comfort, injuries like these must have hurt far more than she was willing to admit.

"Don't worry about me! Worry about yourself!"

"...Huh?"

"I mean..." Tristina averted her gaze, fumbling over her own words. "You've looked exhausted this whole time. You're barely standing, so shouldn't you be taking care of yourself first?"

"...Ah."

A weary smile escaped him.

"So that's what you meant."

"...What else would I have meant?"

"N-Nothing."

He had momentarily convinced himself he'd stumbled across another arrogant ojou-sama who would bark, 'Who asked for your help!? Mind your own business!' or something equally unreasonable.

...Maybe my brain really is running on fumes.

Come to think of it, Tristina had never behaved that way.

Perhaps the exhaustion was finally getting to him.

Upon reflection, this girl, barely into her teens, had come back for him, knowing full well what that entailed and how it could end. While her presence offered little practical advantage, Rudeus found himself secretly glad that he wasn't left entirely alone with the fallen Water Saint, whose lifeless form felt like death itself had come to take him.

What Tristina said wasn't wrong.

He had overexerted himself to an absurd degree, pouring more mana into his spells tonight than ever before in this life. A splitting headache pounded against his skull, every muscle in his body felt strangely hollow, and all he wanted was to lie down somewhere warm and sleep for an entire week.

...What next? Maybe my hair's going to turn white.

The old man in him couldn't help chuckling at the ridiculous anime cliché, though at the moment it honestly didn't seem all that impossible.

But...

What should he do now?

What could he realistically do?

Even if he returned, he would only become a burden to Rein, who was probably still fighting above. At the same time, that man had been absurdly powerful, every movement carrying the composure of someone who had survived countless battles, to the point where even his appearance alone practically screamed overpowered final boss.

...Rein.

A knot tightened inside his chest.

Reason dictated only one answer.

Going back would be reckless and suicidal.

Running away from certain death wasn't cowardice. It was common sense. This was his life, the second chance he had been given after screwing up the first one, and protecting it should have taken priority over everything else.

"It... hurts a little."

Tristina's embarrassed admission pulled him back to reality.

"Let me take a look..."

A faint green radiance gathered around his fingertips as Healing Magic flowed into the bruises upon her body.

His thoughts, however, refused to remain there.

That dilemma made his chest ache far more than he wanted. He couldn't explain why. Logically speaking, there was nothing he could accomplish by returning, no hidden trick left to turn the tables, no miraculous spell waiting to be discovered at the last moment. If anything, his presence would only force Rein to protect him instead.

He understood that.

He accepted it.

And yet...

The feeling remained.

Powerless.

Utterly powerless.

It felt as though he would regret it for the rest of his life.

And so, Rudeus could only watch from below as fragments of the battle above reached his eyes.

“.....”

——That ugly feeling was the worst.

.

.

.

.

.

Atop an earthen pillar tall enough to rival a modest skyscraper, two figures stood facing one another.

The air between them was taut enough to snap.

Yet, were someone from modern world somehow dropped into this scene without context, they would have likely mistaken it for an unusually serious reenactment rather than a duel where lives hung in the balance.

"——From the Noble House of Boreas. Rein, the trusted sword of Lord Sauros Boreas Greyrat."

Such was the girl's introduction.

"….."

Auber blinked.

None of it added up.

To proclaim oneself the sword of a noble house carried a very specific meaning. It was a title befitting a sworn knight, someone who had devoted their blade to a single lord.

Yet...

The young girl standing before him wore nothing but a maid's uniform.

"...So this is the Boreas family's particular taste."

The remark might easily have been mistaken for mockery.

It wasn't.

The Greyrats had earned quite the reputation throughout the Asura Kingdom for their... eccentric preferences. Whether it was women of different races, particular feminine features, or any number of peculiar inclinations, every branch of the family seemed infamous for possessing one obsession or another.

Even so...

Despite Rein not even having reached her second decade of life, Auber scrutinized her with the wariness of a veteran standing before a formidable opponent, a thin bead of sweat slowly tracing its way down his temple.

That entrance...

The image of a blazing meteor crashing from the sky remained vividly engraved upon his mind.

After witnessing something like that, underestimating someone merely because they appeared young would have bordered on idiocy.

"To speak ill of one's lord before their servant..."

Rein's voice remained perfectly level.

"...Perhaps shame has long since abandoned you?"

Considering the man before her might have been involved in the abduction of children, it was hardly surprising that Rein arrived at such a conclusion.

"Gah!" Auber visibly recoiled, pressing a hand against his chest as though the accusation itself had struck him. "Forgive me."

He gave a small, apologetic bow.

"I hope you'll understand how confusing this situation appears from my perspective."

"....."

Is that the case?

Rein found herself unconvinced.

Considering the absurd assortment of colors the man insisted on wearing, she wasn't sure he possessed the right to comment on anyone else's appearance.

Although every instinct within her urged her to draw her sword that very instant, she forced herself to remain still.

The trembling threatening to reach her fingertips had nothing to do with fear.

It was anger.

Her hearing told her everything she needed to know.

Far beneath the earth supporting them, Rudeus was still moving.

He was alive.

That fact alone was enough to restrain her hand.

"Then, I suppose I should introduce myself properly."

Auber inclined his head once more.

"I'm Auber Corvette. North Emperor of the North God Style."

The diluted version of this sword school was known throughout much of the world. Its practitioners learned to fight with whatever lay within reach, whether it be a sword, a dagger, a concealed weapon, poison, or even the terrain beneath their feet.

It was for that very reason that countless mercenaries, bodyguards, bounty hunters, and assassins found themselves naturally drawn toward its philosophy, whether what remained of it truly reflected the original teachings or whether the genuine style had long since been lost to the passage of time.

Auber was one such individual.

"Please do not force me to draw my sword. If you surrender now and tell my Lord everything you know, I promise your punishment will not be as severe as you imagine."

Under ordinary circumstances, words such as those would have been taken as a grave insult by a swordsman of such standing, especially when spoken by a mere child.

Instead, there wasn’t the slightest trace of mockery within Rein's voice.

Only sincerity.

"Punishment? And what if I refuse?"

"——Death."

There was no hesitation.

Lord Sauros had entrusted Rein with a command to visit the wrath of the Boreas household upon those responsible and leave behind an example that no one would dare forget.

By offering a ceasefire, she was choosing to stray from that very order in pursuit of a peaceful conclusion, one that didn’t have to end with blood staining the earth beneath their feet. From what she had gathered, many of the kidnappers inside the estate had merely been rendered unconscious. Should battle truly erupt here, there would be no guarantee that more lives would not be lost.

"...I see."

Auber placidly accepted this answer.

"It was only to be expected."

A faint smile crossed his face before disappearing just as swiftly.

"In that case, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you by refusing your request to stay my blades. I cannot allow myself to be captured here. For a mercenary, losing one's reputation is, in many respects, a fate worse than death."

Such an abrupt change of allegiance would be ruinous for someone like Auber. His livelihood depended upon the trust his employers placed in him, a reputation built over many years through successfully carrying out contracts with unwavering professionalism. A single betrayal would be enough to cast doubt upon every job that followed, and in his line of work, that loss of trust could prove far deadlier than any sword.

This time... I ought to tread more carefully.

Judging from the girl's complete lack of reaction even after hearing his title, Auber arrived at one of two conclusions.

Either she was too sheltered to appreciate what "North Emperor" truly meant or she simply didn’t care.

Neither answer pleased him.

An opponent who showed not the slightest trace of fear despite knowing who stood before them invariably possessed something to justify such confidence, and a cautious man like Auber had survived this long precisely because he never dismissed that possibility.

"....."

However, contrary to his expectations, Rein made no attempt to draw her sword.

Instead, she adjusted her footing.

It was a stance.

A proper one.

That was to say...

The battle had already begun.

"Hagh—!?"

The distance vanished.

Rather, it ceased to exist.

In less than the span of a blink, Rein had already entered Auber's reach, one hand thrusting straight toward his solar plexus with neither flourish nor hesitation, the strike carrying enough force to rob him of consciousness in a single blow.

——Fast!

Auber's eyes widened.

So this is her speed...!

Among practitioners of the Sword God Style existed a renowned technique known as the Longsword of Light, whose greatest masters were said to move their body and swing their blades beyond the speed of sound itself, striking their opponent before the accompanying thunder could ever reach their ears.

Only because Auber had spent years confronting swordsmen capable of such monstrous speed did instinct seize control before conscious thought had the opportunity to interfere, allowing him to twist aside at the very last moment.

"Hk!"

The outstretched palm grazed past his chest by scarcely the width of a finger, yet the compressed air detonated behind him with a thunderous report, scattering fragments of stone across the summit and forcing Auber several paces backward before he finally recovered his footing.

"——!"

Sliding across the fractured earth, he lowered his center of gravity before his balance completely gave way.

…I was right.

His gaze never left the redhead.

This is no ordinary opponent.

His instincts had spared him from losing the battle in the opening exchange alone.

However...

North God practitioners were never taught to defeat stronger opponents through strength.

They won by making certain their opponents could never fight under favorable conditions.

"Hah."

With that in mind, Auber's hand disappeared beneath his cloak.

Several black stilettos flashed between his fingers.

They were not aimed at Rein.

Rather—

"Tsk."

The stilettos scattered across the ground surrounding her, embedding themselves into the stone at irregular intervals.

“——?"

Rein neither flinched nor gave chase.

The North God Style possessed no shame when it came to using concealed weapons. To its practitioners, a sword was merely one among countless tools available for survival, and refusing an advantage simply because it lacked elegance was considered little more than arrogance.

Thus...

The instant Rein stepped forward once more—

Crack.

One of the stilettos burst apart, followed by a cloud of fine white powder that erupted between them.

"...Smoke?"

No, it wasn't intended to obscure vision.

It was flour.

Auber followed by snapping his fingers.

"Flame."

His longsword ignited, and the flour suspended in the air combusted all at once.

WHOOSH!

The scattered flour combusted all at once, a sheet of fire racing across the ground with startling violence.

The explosion itself was insignificant.

Its true purpose lay elsewhere.

The sudden flash blinded.

The heat distorted vision.

The smoke concealed movement.

For someone who had spent his a considerable portion of his life fighting opponents stronger than himself, creating even half a heartbeat during which he could no longer be seen was worth more than any masterpiece of swordsmanship.

"....."

The flames had yet to dissipate.

Auber was already gone.

Contrasting with the Sword God Style, which announced itself through overwhelming offense, or the Water God Style, which welcomed attacks before returning them, the North God Style rarely remained where it had last been seen.

Its practitioners vanished into blind spots, reappeared from impossible angles, discarded one weapon for another, and reshaped the battlefield itself until victory ceased to be a contest of strength and instead became a matter of forcing the opponent to lose sight of where the true attack would come from.

In other words, victory was achieved not through proving oneself stronger...

But by ensuring one's opponent never understood where the real attack would come from.

"Behind."

Rein uttered a single word.

"Hk—?!"

Auber's pupils contracted.

Without so much as turning around, the girl merely shifted one step to the side, the poisoned dagger that had been gliding toward the back of her neck slicing through nothing but empty air.

She heard it...

No.

She had heard him.

"Hah!"

Without allowing himself the slightest hesitation, Auber abandoned the dagger altogether and flowed into the next movement as though it had been planned from the very beginning, his longer blade tracing a shallow arc toward Rein's side while the shorter one slipped beneath it, aiming for the opening that ought to have appeared the moment she moved to evade.

That seamless transition was another hallmark of this fighting style.

Rather than placing everything upon a single decisive strike, Auber linked one action into the next until every dodge became the beginning of another attack. A feint gave rise to a slash, a slash concealed a dagger, and even retreat itself could become an invitation to advance.

"Kah."

It was stopped.

"….."

Rein had caught the flat of his blade between her fingers as though stopping nothing more dangerous than a falling branch.

...Impossible.

Auber sprang backward, widening the distance before she could retaliate, his eyes fixed upon the girl's hand.

His sword, though never renowned for its sharpness, remained a weapon forged for killing. Even if she had somehow redirected the edge, the sheer force behind the strike should have split skin or shattered fingers.

What is she?

Ever since their duel had begun, uncertainty continued to seep into Auber's thoughts

Dragonfolk.

Among the races that still walked the human world, only those who carried the blood of Dragons were reputed to possess bodies so absurdly resilient that steel itself struggled to leave its mark. Their bones were said to rival ore, their muscles could withstand impacts that would pulp an ordinary man, and tales of Dragon Generals catching blades with their bare hands had survived for centuries.

But...

That made even less sense.

Dragonfolk had long since become an exceedingly rare sight, and those few who remained seldom involved themselves with human affairs. The thought of one bearing the crest of House Boreas while dressed as a maid bordered on the ridiculous.

Even if she were half-dragon...

Auber already discarded the notion.

That alone wouldn't explain such speed.

Nor was he about to underestimate someone merely because of their stature. One of his own acquaintances who practiced the North God Style, Wii Taa, possessed the build of a child himself, and after crossing blades with him on more than one occasion, Auber had long since grown accustomed to fighting opponents considerably smaller than himself.

For a fleeting sliver of time, neither combatant made a move.

The reason Rein remained motionless was simple. The opening exchange had already taught her something, and that was the fact that the man called Auber possessed no attachment to honor when fighting for his life.

The same could be said for Auber.

The lack of prolonged exchanges had already become proof enough that he wished to avoid direct confrontation as much as possible, choosing instead to preserve the distance between them while probing an opponent whose true strength and speed remained an unknown quantity.

Rein understood that much.

By deliberately refraining from displaying the same explosive speed as before, she intended to plant the notion that her earlier charge had been the limit of her capabilities. Once the assassin accepted that false premise and allowed even the slightest opening to appear, she would close the distance again and end the battle before another trick could emerge from his sleeve.

After all, Rein was hardly unfamiliar with assassins who relied upon deception rather than straightforward swordsmanship. In her previous life, she had crossed blades with opponents who employed concealed weapons, poison, feints, hostages, and countless other underhanded methods to gain the slightest advantage, meaning that Auber's manner of thinking was neither unfamiliar nor particularly difficult for her to follow.

Were she to pursue him relentlessly, he would simply continue yielding ground while exhausting every hidden tool at his disposal, blinding her with powders, distracting her with concealed weapons, or escaping altogether until another opportunity presented itself. During the brief moment of surprise after she had stopped his blade with her bare hand, Rein had taken the opportunity to survey the pouches and equipment covered beneath his cloak.

That alone had been worthwhile.

As such, there was no reason to force the issue.

Sooner or later...

He would reveal the habit that even he himself failed to notice.

And when that moment came—

The battle would end in a single strike.

Even so, allowing one's opponent a moment to gather themselves before crossing blades once more was, in its own way, a gesture of respect shared between accomplished warriors.

"...My thanks."

Auber inclined his head, the corner of his mouth lifting to form a smile.

"I appreciate the opportunity to measure my strength against someone of your caliber."

From that single exchange alone, he had already judged the girl's speed and physical ability to exceed his own even while reinforced by Battle Aura. Catching a blade barehanded was not something he himself would readily attempt, not even while wearing armored gloves, and witnessing someone accomplish such a feat with apparent ease was enough to overturn every expectation he had carried into this encounter. Whether the disparity in age ought to have wounded his pride was beside the point. Escaping this place demanded every ounce of his attention.

Being the recipient of such earnest praise, Rein regarded him calmly before speaking.

“You, who stand before me, seem like a remarkable warrior. And yet, you appear to hold allegiance with those who abduct the innocent. Why is that?”

"That’s…"

Auber's brows lifted in surprise before his countenance settled into one of solemn resolve.

"The contract had already been accepted. Once that happens, it must be fulfilled. That is the oath I swore as a mercenary after the conclusion of my own ordeal." His gaze remained fixed upon Rein as he continued. "However... allow me one statement as the North Emperor. Had I been given the chance to choose again, I would not have accepted this request. You have earned at least that much of my respect."

The answer verified Rein's own insight.

Having witnessed his conduct firsthand, she could tell that taking Rudeus's life would have been well within Auber's capabilities had he truly desired it, and yet he had refrained from doing so despite numerous opportunities. The conclusion was difficult to deny. Although he lived as both an assassin and a mercenary, Auber Corvette still adhered to a code that belonged to swordsmen rather than murderers.

"...Then."

Rein lowered her stance in affirmation.

"Allow me to be the one who sends you off."

"That remains to be seen!"

The instant those words left his mouth, two glittering pouches slipped from Auber's sleeves and struck the stone beneath them.

Pop!

Their contents erupted upon impact, releasing not only an opaque veil that swallowed the summit whole, but also finely ground irritants that stung the eyes without cease and compounds intended to punish anyone reckless enough to ignite them.

Using that instant of concealment, Auber propelled himself high into the air by means of Battle Aura, his leap carrying him with enough force to clear a two-story building with ease.

By all appearances...

He vanished.

Against the backdrop of the night sky, the swordsman blended seamlessly into the darkness overhead while the cloud beneath continued to swell, no longer resembling smoke so much as a volatile mist awaiting a single spark.

The trigger came a heartbeat later.

It erupted into an inferno.

Flames burst outward in every direction as the accumulated gas ignited all at once, the explosion tearing through the earthen platform with enough force to hurl shattered stone into the night sky. Even so, Auber never entertained the notion that the battle had reached its conclusion. Twin swords slipped into his grasp as he inverted his body in midair, Battle Aura coursing through every limb while he descended like a hawk stooping upon its prey.

She endured it.

He had expected no less.

What emerged from the flames, however, exceeded even that expectation.

A figure burst forth.

"——Huh?!"

Astonishment plainly crossed Auber's face.

Though her maid uniform had been scorched beyond recognition in several places, her body bore neither blood, nor burns, nor even the faintest bruise.

There was no longer any room for restraint.

"Nebulous Cross!"

This attack represented one of Auber's finest techniques. Both swords carved intersecting trajectories through the air, each slash concealing the other until the pair became indistinguishable from a single silver streak, leaving the target no avenue of escape regardless of which direction they chose. Escaping one inevitably meant meeting the other, and many accomplished swordsmen had perished before realizing the first strike had merely served as the prelude to the second.

Yet...

The impossible unfolded before his eyes.

Moments before the crossing blades reached her neck, Rein's arms, which had remained pressed against her sides ever since she had launched herself from the earth below, unfolded with explosive force. Rather than yielding to the attack, she struck both of Auber's wrists at the precise instant his technique reached full extension, forcibly breaking his posture through nothing more than overwhelming physical strength. The impact hurled both swords from his hands before he could recover, and in the same uninterrupted motion her fingers closed firmly around his arm.

"——?!"

The world inverted.

Soon the truth became apparent.

It was only Auber.

Using nothing more than that single arm as a pivot, Rein rotated through the air with terrifying precision before releasing him with enough force to send his body hurtling straight toward the moon.

"...Ghk!"

The pressure changed to match the conditions on a mountain range.

His ears sealed shut.

Before long, even the blazing pillar beneath him had dwindled into a solitary ember surrounded by endless darkness illuminated by the moonlight, while the scattered lights of distant villages stretched across the horizon like stars cast upon the earth.

"...How high...?"

Bereft of any point of reference, Auber could no longer distinguish sky from earth. Above stretched only the stars, while below the Asura Kingdom had dwindled into a scattering of distant lights, each village resembling a lonely star cast upon the world.

And somewhere between those two realms...

He continued to drift.

The battlefield that existed mere moments ago had become unrecognizable.

Then—

Fwoosh!

A violent current swept past him from below.

"——?"

Something powerful tore through the air.

Instinct screamed that the girl had finally come to finish him, his entire body preparing for the impact before his thoughts had time to catch up, and yet the figure never altered its course. Rather, she passed him altogether, ascending past him like a comet until she came to a halt far above, suspended before the full moon itself.

“…..”

To Auber, who could do nothing but look upward, the lone figure seemed less like a human and more like an impartial arbiter descending to pass judgment upon the world itself.

The reason she had hurled him hundreds of meters into the sky, the reason she had never attempted to settle the battle upon the ground, the reason she had so deliberately deprived him of every foothold he could exploit.

To phrase it differently...

It was to deliver the final strike without interruption.

At this altitude, there would be no villages to swallow the aftermath, no forests to be cleaved apart, and no innocent bystanders caught within the path of the release.

"In accordance with my Lord's command..."

The words carried effortlessly across the night sky, not through any raising of her voice, but because silence had swallowed everything else.

"I, Rein, servant of House Boreas..."

The great saber slowly slipped free from its sheath.

Unlike an ordinary draw, gravity itself seemed to welcome the blade into her hand, its immense weight no longer appearing cumbersome now that she stood above the world rather than upon it.

"...shall restore order with this sword."

Auber's ascent finally came to an end.

At the same time...

The world changed.

"——!"

Weightlessness embraced him for but a single instant before the atmosphere itself underwent an abrupt transformation.

The surrounding mana, invisible to the naked eye mere moments ago, surged toward the blade in streams of pale azure, gathering with such fervor that the air grew bitterly cold. Frost crept furtively across Sauros's enchanted saber as its radiance deepened, pulse by pulse, heartbeat by heartbeat.

The welkin itself appeared to answer the call.

Azure light spread across the firmament until the stars themselves seemed to recede, eclipsed by the brilliance gathering around a single blade, its glow deepening from sapphire into something approaching pure white, so dazzling that even the moon surrendered its splendor before it

"...Absurd."

Faced with that life-ending spectacle, Auber scarcely recognized his own voice.

——Monster.

No other word seemed appropriate.

The fireworks that had adorned the night moments before now resembled little more than children's toys beside the celestial radiance gathering around Rein. The blood flowing through her veins may once have belonged to the lineage of famed swordsmen, but this miracle belonged to Rein alone.

Begone.

No sooner had the final stream of mana settled upon the blade than Rein swung.

There was no grand flourish.

The instant its edge descended, the accumulated mana burst free from its confines and assumed the form of a colossal azure crescent, compressing the atmosphere before it as though the sky itself had been cleaved apart. Rather than scattering in every direction, the overwhelming torrent remained unnaturally condensed, hurtling straight toward Auber before the surrounding air could unravel its cohesion.

Only after it had passed did the world remember to breathe.

A deafening roar chased after the slash, the delayed shockwave tearing apart the clouds for miles around while a violent gale swept across the skies high above the Fittoa Region. Far below, those who happened to glance upward witnessed only a brilliant line of azure crossing the heavens before gradually dissolving into countless motes of mana, returning to the world from which it had been borrowed.

And at the crux of that descending judgment...

Nothing remained save for drifting motes of pale blue light, slowly dissolving into the night as though Auber had never been there at all.

Rein sheathed the blade as she began her descent, her breath misting in the frigid air.

Rest in peace.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Homeward

The sight that unfolded left Rudeus utterly shaken to his core.

He had expected Rein to be powerful, but... that powerful?

When the very same girl responsible for that tremendous commotion appeared not far from them, Rudeus remained motionless, like a pillar of salt. Neither of them had noticed when she descended, and she approached with the bearing of nothing more than a weary traveler.

"My apologies for surprising you two like this."

Having descended from the heavens only moments earlier, Rein made her way toward them without delay.

"W-Who?!"

Naturally, it was Tristina who reacted the most strongly to Rein's sudden appearance.

After witnessing a spectacle as though Millis himself had passed judgment in the form of a thunderous decree, from her perspective the night had, for a single fleeting instant, become day.

"Feel free to call me Rein. I've come to help the two of you and make sure you return home safely."

Rein introduced herself politely, though her eyes never once strayed from Rudeus, who sat upon the trunk of a fallen tree with his gaze lowered toward the ground.

...So this is it, then.

A resigned smile surfaced upon Rein's face as she regarded his expression. It seemed Rudeus had finally understood what sort of inhuman being he had befriended and now found himself overwhelmed after witnessing firsthand just how terrifying she truly was.

From this point onward...

Surely everything would change.

It was hardly the first time someone had reacted to her in such a manner, and she had long since grown accustomed to it. It no longer wounded her heart so much as reaffirmed what she had always believed to be true.

Or so she thought.

"M-My name is Tristina! Although I can no longer call myself a noble... I truly appreciate your kindness!"

The girl's voice dispersed Rein's depressing thoughts, prompting her to shift her attention away from the silent Rudeus and greet Tristina properly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Tristina. More importantly... are your injuries severe?"

"I-I'm fine! Just a few bruises! Rudeus already healed them!"

"Oh, I'm relieved to hear that."

Of the three of them, Tristina was the only one treating Rein normally.

Unlike Rudeus, she had no idea Rein had been responsible for the explosion that illuminated the entire sky. After all, the notion that a girl younger than herself could accomplish something so terrifying never even crossed her mind.

From Tristina's perspective, Rein must have merely been caught somewhere amidst the battle and needed comforting. Feeling almost like an older sister in the presence of such a cute and polite girl, she turned toward Rudeus with visible dissatisfaction.

"Why are you just sitting there?! Offer her something to wear!"

As someone who had once been raised as a noble, Tristina grew frustrated upon seeing that Rudeus, who had been ignoring them both while staring at the ground, was now openly gawking at Rein's tattered form like a complete oaf.

Proper etiquette dictated that a gentleman should offer a lady his coat or, at the very least, a piece of cloth to preserve her dignity, yet Rudeus stayed rooted to the spot instead of acting accordingly.

"R-Right! I'm sorry!"

Perhaps all Greyrat men were the same after all, thinking with the wrong head at precisely the moments they ought to prove themselves gentlemen.

The reveal of Rudeus's last name had shifted her perception of him, but it did nothing to diminish her gratitude. That shift, however, stemmed from something far less personal. Tristina had encountered enough Greyrats during the royal audiences where she also crossed paths with Princess Ariel to know that none of them had ever been to her liking.

Still, Tristina regarded Rudeus favorably enough to point out what should have been painfully obvious, while Rudeus lowered his eyes, the picture of a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

He was a little annoyed.

Not because the thought hadn't occurred to him before she voiced it, but because he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed that she had ruined his chance to continue pretending he hadn't noticed the torn maid uniform exposing glimpses of Rein's underwear.

"You needn’t be so serious. Rudeus is a kind boy," Rein assured. "Once you get to know him, you'll understand what I mean."

Now that she had ascertained he was safe and unharmed, the unease coiled in her chest finally unwound, leaving behind a gentle, unfamiliar buoyancy.

"E-Even so..."

"He's my friend. That's why it's rather inconsiderate to speak poorly of him, alright?"

"U-Um!"

Though Rein's smile stayed friendly, Tristina recognized the warning hidden beneath those words, promptly taking a step backward before falling silent.

"I'm sorry. That's not what I meant," Tristina apologized at last.

All's well that ends well.

It’s not a good idea to bad-mouth someone in front of their friend.

"...Aha..."

Listening to the exchange between the two girls, Rudeus couldn't help but smile awkwardly.

It wasn't that being defended embarrassed him.

Rather...

Rein acted similar to a mom stepping in to protect her child’s dignity.

More importantly, he couldn't help feeling guilty for distancing himself from Rein after witnessing the full extent of her strength. It was no different from making a promise only to abandon it the moment it became inconvenient.

...I really screwed up.

In truth, for the briefest of moments, Rudeus had genuinely regarded Rein as a monster in her own right. He simply hadn't possessed the courage to say those words aloud, retreating instead into the depths of his own thoughts while desperately trying to sort through the turmoil within his heart.

“…..”

Instead of greeting Rein with the warm smile she deserved, his response had been to shut himself away and wait for her to bridge the distance between them, only to realize how painful such a reception must have been for her, enough to make him bite his lip almost involuntarily.

In this situation, he had been the one to act like a scum.

“——Is this okay?”

"Yes. Thank you kindly."

After Tristina handed her a large brown cloth left behind by one of the escaped slaves, Rein wrapped it around herself before offering a grateful bow.

She hadn't particularly minded her appearance, as ensuring everyone's safety took precedence in her eyes, but having once lived as a noble, Rein still understood the importance of presenting oneself properly and couldn't help feeling somewhat troubled by the unsightly state in which she now represented House Boreas as one of its servants.

"Sorry for interrupting, but would you mind letting us talk privately for a moment?"

Rudeus rose from where he had been sitting and made his way over to the two of them. Before saying anything further, he sought Tristina's permission first, unwilling to make her feel left out or leave her with the impression that they intended to keep something from her.

"You... You don't plan to l-leave me here, right?"

"No!"

Rudeus dismissed the very notion the instant it left her lips.

"I just wanted to clear up a few things about how we're supposed to get back home from here!"

"...Then couldn't you just talk about it here?"

Ugh, trying to hide it had been a terrible idea, Rudeus reflected, growing increasingly self-conscious with every passing second.

"S-Seriously, I just wanted to talk with Rein for a bit." He stumbled over his own words, much to his own dismay. "I just... missed her?"

"Oh... OHHHH."

Understanding finally dawned upon Tristina, her mouth hanging open in exaggerated realization, while Rein fixed her gaze upon him with unconcealed surprise, never having imagined he would say something like that after the reaction he had shown only moments before.

"...Rudeus?"

There was no mistaking the concern in her voice.

Perceiving the pleading look he directed toward her, Tristina courteously excused herself and wandered several paces away, suddenly finding the nearby rocks fascinating enough to devote her full attention to them.

Now...

Only he and Rein remained.

.

.

.

"——I'm sorry for being late. Please allow me to make amends. If there is anything you need, tell me."

Genuinely remorseful and disappointed in herself, Rein lowered her gaze as she spoke.

A sense of déjà vu struck Rudeus.

As always, self-deprecation seemed to be the very first thing on her mind.

"Why... why are you saying that about yourself?" Rudeus asked, having learned it was best to be direct with this particular girl.

"Even if you ask that, I..."

In his eyes, Rein seemed uncertain whether it was something she should tell him.

"You weren't late. You arrived exactly when things were getting really bad back there. If not for you, that assassin would've already gotten us and we'd probably be on our way to Asura by now."

After everything had finally calmed down, Rudeus explained who had truly been behind the kidnapping. Upon learning that the mastermind had been the Prime Minister of Asura all along, Rein looked both apologetic, as though the entire affair had somehow been her own responsibility, and determined to leave for Asura that very instant to settle the matter once and for all.

“...I'm sorry... I don't think I can explain it properly."

Rein spoke those words with such conviction that she failed to realize they might hurt the very person trying to reassure her.

But none of that happened.

Rudeus had already spent enough time with Rein to understand what kind of person she truly was.

"We're friends, aren't we? When people are close, they worry about each other. That's what being friends means." This piece of shit named Rudeus Greyrat said in a childish voice. "So... there shouldn't really be any secrets between us."

It was exceptionally arrogant hearing such words from someone who had repeatedly schemed to satisfy his own selfish desires.

This approach, Rudeus concluded, worked best whenever he wanted Rein to reveal what she truly thought. His words were wrapped in the wool of childish innocence, making them impossible for Rein to reject.

"From my perspective, you're just a kindhearted person who keeps convincing herself she's a bad one because of your strength... and because of your past."

"....."

Through the lens of memory, Rein truly was a tragic person.

Though Rudeus no longer viewed her as a character from a light novel, but rather as a genuine human being who had somehow become the very compass of his preferences.

While it was true he had always liked meek girls because they seemed cute and kinder than most thanks to their shy personalities...

Now that he thought about it, perhaps the cutest girls were the ones who had experienced tremendous pain and still managed to keep a kind heart. Those were the people capable of understanding the suffering of others because they carried similar wounds themselves.

Whenever he imagined the words super cute or perfect girl...

The person standing before him came to mind.

"But... didn't you see what I did?" Rein faltered. "It was me who caused that explosion in the sky. Don't you think something like that is... monstrous?"

Rudeus's heart, already on the verge of breaking, was pierced by yet another arrow.

"...I killed someone."

If someone admitted to taking another person's life while wearing such a sorrowful expression beneath that composed mask...

It became impossible to look at them the same way.

"Y-You did... You did..."

The plan had been to say something profound, which sounded wise and reassuring, but the moment finally arrived and every prepared word abandoned him.

Improvisation remained his only option.

"You’re still not a monster to me. You're..."

Technically, Rudeus knew how that sentence was supposed to begin.

He had simply forgotten how it was meant to end.

"...m-my friend! So I don't care, okay!?"

Cheesy! Cheesy! Agh, I'm dying!

Inside his mind, the old man in the tracksuit had already collapsed onto the floor, clutching his head while rolling back and forth after blurting out such an unbearably corny line.

“Ah.”

And still, despite it all, Rein's face lit up in surprise upon hearing those words, before a luminous smile slowly spread across her face, softening her already captivating features.

Before his very eyes, she seemed to shine brilliantly.

"...You're my friend, too."

"——!"

Experiencing what could only be described as a minor cardiac event, Rudeus's mind went into such overdrive that his ears might as well have been releasing smoke.

This is definitely a childhood friend flag... and it might even lead to a romance route!

While it was true that he no longer viewed it that way, his mind still couldn't help making those kinds of comparisons.

The image of this beautiful girl standing beneath the moon engraved itself upon his memory, joining the handful of moments he held most dear.

Faced with this unforgettable sight, his vision gradually blurred.

This girl, who appeared no different from an invincible superhuman, possessed a heart that was astonishingly fragile.

Even knowing that she could defeat him at any turn, he found himself yearning to protect that smile.

——Can I have your panties!?

Rudeus was seriously calculating whether asking that right now would prove to be the best or the absolute worst decision of his entire life while he was feeling so strangely confident and bold.

Perhaps mana exhaustion worked similarly to being drunk, indulging this kind of thought process?

The reason for his hesitation, however, was far more complicated than one might expect.

His current mindset viewed Rein as such a pure and innocent angel that, if he were ever to obtain her panties and worship this beautiful girl like the degenerate he was, some selfish part of him wanted Rein to hand them over of her own accord rather than having him sneak around the servants' quarters stealing them from the laundry.

Only after reaching that conclusion did Rudeus finally understand why the thought of stealing them had begun leaving such a bitter taste in his mouth.

It was because, when such a beautiful smile was directed his way, it felt as though the man inside him had finally awakened. And that wasn't the man from his previous life who had locked himself away inside his room as an unemployed shut-in, but someone who had learned how to fight for something and was rewarded for doing so.

It was the first time something like this had happened across both of his lifetimes, making the sensation all the more overwhelming.

"The truth is... I stopped on my way here multiple times because of..."

“H-Hmm?”

“…it doesn't matter.”

Rein dismissed the thought with a shake of her head, her eyes finding his once more.

"What I wish to tell you is that searching for you wasn't my only destination. Do you understand now?"

What Rein left unsaid was that she had helped countless people on her way here and, because of those delays, genuinely believed she didn't deserve to call herself his friend.

"No... no." Rudeus didn’t understand, not really. "I feel like you skipped the most important part."

It was like explaining the conclusion while refusing to mention the premise.

Rein was inwardly troubled after Rudeus tried digging deeper than that.

To her, Rudeus was her friend but also a child. An unusually intelligent one, certainly, but still just a child, which was why she wanted to be both gentle and straightforward with him.

"Either way... we should probably head back to Tristina."

Standing here any longer wouldn't solve anything, they both knew that.

"Haaa. I wouldn't mind taking a hot shower."

That was the first thing that came to Rudeus's mind, even if this world had baths rather than the shower cabins commonplace in modern society.

"——?"

Rein nodded in agreement despite having no idea what a shower was, simply assuming it must have been something comforting judging by the longing expression on Rudeus's face.

By now, missing those conveniences was only natural for him, and he briefly wondered whether he should invent showers someday. The same went for a proper sewage system.

"...Rudeus."

And then, Rein asked whether she should go look for the escaped slaves.

Terrified that Rudeus hadn't survived and believing they would soon be recaptured, the slaves had scattered in every direction instead of waiting for them. If left to wander alone, there was no guarantee all of them would survive.

Returning to the matter at hand.

"Please don't."

"….."

"You should start thinking about yourself a little more."

While Rudeus's original intention had indeed been to rescue the slaves...

There was no denying the truth.

His own safety...

And his waifu's...

Still came first.

Even Tristina, the ex-noble girl he had risked so much to rescue, wasn't nearly as important to him.

In the end...

That was rather selfish.

The little girl he had promised to save had indeed escaped, but Rudeus was simply too preoccupied with his own turmoil to realize he hadn't truly saved her, only offered a temporary helping hand.

At the very least...

She had been given hope.

The possibility of those slaves meeting a terrible fate, whether at the hands of bandits, starvation, or slave traders, never once crossed his mind.

Why was that?

Well...

His conscience had already convinced itself that today's outcome had been enough.

His deeds might have looked heroic from afar, but Rudeus was only human, with all the flaws that entailed.

To protect him, his mind naturally erected walls against emotional pain, unconsciously overlooking the consequences of his own actions simply because accepting them would hurt too much.

"...Let's go home."

This time...

It was Rudeus who reached for Rein's hand.

.

.

.

The road ahead was meant to lead them back toward the Boreas manor.

Naturally, leaving Tristina behind had never been an option. Regardless of whether she still belonged to her household or not, she remained the daughter of a noble family, and that alone could prove invaluable should Lord Sauros decide to move against the Prime Minister through political means.

Her testimony would prove invaluable.

"——Why are you holding hands like that?"

The innocent question caused Rudeus to hastily let go of Rein's hand, feeling less like a man well into his thirties and more like a middle schooler who had just been caught by his classmates, while Rein merely tilted her head and continued to smile.

Undoubtedly, the sight of a boy and a girl walking hand in hand was rather conspicuous. Whether Tristina had asked out of simple curiosity or merely wished to tease him remained shrouded in mystery.

That being said, let’s think for a little.

Considering their current circumstances, Rein proposed returning to the manor the quickest way possible by carrying them herself. She intended to take Rudeus first before returning for Tristina afterward. At her usual pace, the entire journey would take little more than twenty minutes.

"...Please excuse me."

Before Rudeus had the chance to protest, Rein effortlessly lifted him into a princess carry.

"...Eh?"

The following instant…

The world blurred into countless streaks of color as Rein accelerated with terrifying force, covering hundreds of meters before Rudeus's mind had even caught up with what had happened.

After scant seconds, Rein abruptly came to a halt.

"...Rudeus?"

His face had turned an unhealthy shade of green.

"....."

Without offering so much as a reply, he quietly slipped from her arms, staggered forward several steps—

"Blegh..."

—and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the grass.

"….."

"....."

"...I'm sorry."

Rein lowered her gaze.

She had wanted him to be the first one safely back at the manor, to let him rest after everything he had endured.

Instead...

She had only made things worse.

The sudden acceleration must have been too much for him.

It was entirely her fault for failing to think ahead. She, more than anyone, understood the consequences of moving at such overwhelming speeds. Having spent years mastering perfect control over her own strength in her previous life, she should have anticipated what would happen to someone whose body had never experienced anything remotely similar.

But relief had clouded her judgment. She had been too overwhelmed by the sight of him alive and breathing to consider the cost.

Ordinary people simply weren't built to withstand being launched from a standstill to speeds exceeding those of the fastest Japanese trains. Without the shelter of a carriage or even the frame of a vehicle to absorb the violent acceleration, every shift in momentum struck the body directly, making even remaining conscious a remarkable feat.

"L-Let's... take a different route." Rudeus wiped his mouth with his sleeve before forcing himself back to his feet. "How far is the nearest town?"

Having emptied his stomach, he felt considerably lighter, though his legs still threatened to betray him every few steps.

"It's not particularly far from here," Rein answered, trying to forget her guilt by recalling the lights she had glimpsed while soaring across the region. "If we head north, we should reach it after a short march, although... you both are probably dehydrated."

While Rudeus didn't appear particularly concerned by that statement, Tristina touched her dry lips, finally realizing just how thirsty she had become.

"That's not a problem." Rudeus casually raised one hand. "I'll make water."

"...Really!?"

Why are you acting like I didn't pull off a bunch of ridiculous spells back there?

From the look of it, Tristina still seemed a little over her head, though perhaps the aftershock of everything that had happened was only now setting in.

Every time Rudeus cast a spell, Tristina watched the process with unconcealed wonder. Witnessing a magician fight in such a manner must have been an astonishing experience, one powerful enough to leave a lasting impression.

“As much water as you want, my Lady!”

Hearing that reassurance, it became abundantly clear just how valuable a capable magician truly was during times of crisis.

Moments later, a sphere of crystal-clear water gathered above his palm before pouring neatly into a wooden bucket Rein had found nearby.

It was honestly absurd.

Contrary to illusionary magic, conjured water was self-sustaining once created. As long as sufficient mana and skill were available, a capable magician could continue producing it indefinitely, a fact so commonplace in this world that few stopped to consider how miraculous such an ability truly was.

Were someone with such an ability to appear in a world ravaged by endless drought, they would undoubtedly be worshipped as nothing short of a messiah.

One couldn't help but wonder why no legendary magician had ever invented food magic while they were at it.

"...That really would solve a lot of problems."

Wouldn't that solve world hunger?

"Is something wrong, Rudeus?" Rein asked, her voice tinged with concern as she observed his pensive expression.

"Please don’t worry. Just talking to myself."

Fortunately, the nearest village proved to be much closer than Rudeus had expected.

"Huh... that wasn't too far."

By the time they reached the town, the sky had already begun to brighten ever so slightly.

Finding a caravan proved simple enough.

The caravan driver initially dismissed them outright, assuming three dirt-covered children could never hope to afford the fare, but the moment Rein revealed the embroidered crest still barely visible upon what remained of her tattered maid uniform and calmly stated the name of their destination, the man's complexion drained of color.

"I-I beg your pardon! I had no idea you served Lord Sauros!"

He bowed repeatedly before ushering them aboard without another word, suddenly treating the three with the utmost respect.

Apparently, Lord Sauros truly did possess quite the reputation throughout the Fittoa Region. It wasn't a reputation born of fear or oppression, but one earned through genuine gratitude. From what Rudeus had gathered over the past several months, many of Sauros's decisions seemed almost prophetic at times, allowing him to anticipate changes in the weather before crops were endangered or prepare for market crises long before they ever came to pass.

"Lord Sauros is an exceptional governor. The people entrusted to his care have every reason to place their faith in him."

The old man really does have some ridiculous foresight.

That was the verdict Rudeus reached after listening to Rein's explanation. Tristina nodded in agreement as well, visibly impressed by everything she had heard. Even before today, years ago in fact, she had often overheard adult nobles speaking of the prosperity of the Fittoa Region, either praising Lord Sauros's governance with admiration or gritting their teeth in envy whenever his name was mentioned.

Even her father—

Her father…

“…Tristina?”

Rudeus noticed the girl's expression gradually falter, tears threatening to gather in her eyes even as bitterness lingered upon her face.

"...It's all good."

She gently shook her head before turning toward the boy who had saved her.

"Once again... thank you for rescuing me. If not for you... I would've ended up in that pig's hands again.”

“…..”

The hatred she harbored toward the Prime Minister ran deeper than words alone could convey.

…Well, I couldn't exactly leave a little girl crying for help, could I? That’s what a generic hero would have said, at least.

Interpreting his lack of response as yet another sign that he couldn't handle praise, Tristina lowered her gaze and gave him a small, sorrow-laden smile.

"I'm glad everything turned out alright."

"...Thank you."

The caravan gradually fell silent.

Hoping to dispel the slightly awkward atmosphere, Rudeus turned toward Rein, only to discover her looking back at him.

"Hey, is something wrong?"

"——Nothing."

Rein answered before lightly hopping onto the roof of the caravan, leaving the two of them alone beneath the canopy.

"......"

Resting in her hand was a fruit not unlike an appa, one the caravan driver had kindly offered her a short while earlier. She raised it to her lips before taking a small bite.

"Mmm... mmm."

Her cheeks puffed out just a little as she quietly chewed, appearing strangely content despite everything that had happened until now.

It wouldn't be long before their destination came into view.

Hopefully...

They would be home soon.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Quiet After the Storm

What a disaster.

Rudeus had been utterly horrified the first time he saw what had become of the sword Sauros used.

In fact, it could scarcely even be called a sword anymore.

Only the hilt remained.

Everything beyond it had simply... vanished.

Faced with Rein treating the matter so casually, however, Rudeus arrived at an entirely different misunderstanding. To put it differently, seeing how readily she blamed herself for every little thing, he naturally assumed she had already accepted whatever punishment awaited her.

"Sorry!"

"...Rudeus? Oh... wait."

You could hardly blame him for feeling terrible.

That beautifully ornamented blade had been reduced to nothing because of him. Had he not allowed himself to be kidnapped, Rein would never have needed to rescue him, and the treasured sword entrusted to her by Sauros would've never been destroyed during that battle.

"L-Let's make a replica! I'll conjure one out of stone! Leave it to me to shape it so it looks just like Lord Sauros's sword..."

...Though, admittedly, he couldn't quite remember its exact appearance anymore.

"...And then I'll paint it so it'll look exactly the same."

When Lord Sauros eventually fought with it and it broke...

Well...

That would just be his own fault, right!?

“…..”

Yep. That was a terrible idea.

"Or... we'll ask a master blacksmith to repair it... no, that's impossible... then what if we have a blacksmith forge a new sword from scratch using the stone one as a reference?"

It was the only solution his pressured mind could piece together.

"——Pfft..."

A soft sound escaped Rein's lips.

"...Haha..."

Her shoulders started trembling uncontrollably.

"...Hahahahaha..."

The clear, melodious laughter of a pure young maiden reached his ears for the second time since the day they had met. The first time was during the kidnapping incident when Rudeus managed to get her to laugh by accident. The second was now.

It carried no restraint, no guilt, no hesitation, filling the room with such gentle warmth that it seemed to dissolve every heavy or perverse thought lingering within his mind. Before he realized it, he found himself listening to nothing else, wanting that carefree sound to continue just a little longer.

"....."

By the time Rein finally caught her breath, Rudeus was still staring at her in complete bewilderment.

"...Did I say something that funny?"

"...I apologize. It wasn't my intention to laugh at you."

Rein shook her head before folding her hands together and meeting his gaze once more.

"The answer is easier to understand than it is to explain. Would you come with me? I'll show you."

"Y-Yeah... sure."

At least it was only a cute girl standing before him. Blushing in front of someone like Rein didn't feel nearly as bad as it otherwise would've, though that didn't stop him from silently cursing himself for stuttering. It rarely happened to him, yet somehow she managed to bring it out with surprising ease.

One thought led to another, and before he realized it, his mind had wandered back to the moonlit scene from earlier.

...This is definitely overkill, isn't it?

"Hmm... now that I think about it..."

Rein regarded the lone hilt for a moment before looking back at him.

"Perhaps that might work."

"...What's possible?"

"The sword I'm carrying isn't merely a treasured heirloom of House Boreas. It responds to its wielder, although it isn't a sentient weapon or anything of that sort."

Wonder surfaced across Rudeus's face before Rein promptly tempered those expectations.

"It won't think or speak."

.....Aw.

"If you hold it... I believe you'll understand."

Somewhat puzzled, Rudeus accepted the hilt from her hands.

At first nothing happened.

It remained exactly as it had been, cold, lifeless, and bereft of the blade that had once accompanied it.

Then...

A peculiar sensation spread through his palm.

"...Huh?"

It wasn't warmth.

Nor was it pain.

Rather, it resembled the faint feeling of mana flowing out of his body, drawn away so gently that, had he not possessed an unusually large reserve himself, he might never have noticed it at all.

Shortly afterward, crimson sparks crackled around the shattered guard.

"...It's glowing."

The enchantments engraved within the weapon gradually awakened one after another, intricate patterns buried beneath the metal beginning to shimmer as though responding to something hidden within his very blood. Contrary to most magic weapons, which merely accepted mana from anyone capable of supplying it, this blade had been forged to acknowledge only those descended from House Greyrat.

To phrase it differently...

It was a blood-bound weapon.

Among the nobility, such enchantments were regarded as symbols of prestige, carefully crafted to ensure treasured heirlooms remained forever within the family that commissioned them. Were the same principle applied outside noble society, however, many would likely describe it as something altogether different.

A cursed weapon.

The distinction itself lay not in the enchantment...

But in who possessed it.

It also explained Rein's calm attitude toward the blade's destruction. There was no need to worry about a self-repairing weapon.

Crimson light continued gathering around the hilt, gradually weaving itself into the missing portion of the blade. Metal didn’t emerge from nowhere, nor was it repaired by ordinary means. Rather, mana itself condensed into countless scarlet fragments before steadily taking the shape of steel, the shattered saber reconstructing itself piece by piece until its familiar silhouette slowly returned.

There was, however, one limitation.

The blade could regenerate no matter how thoroughly it had been broken...

Provided the hilt endured.

Should the hilt itself ever be destroyed, the enchantment would perish alongside it, and the sword would be lost forever.

"——So it works for you."

A pleased smile found its way onto Rein's face.

Lord Sauros himself could restore the sword in exactly the same manner whenever circumstances demanded it, yet seeing it repaired before the blade had been completely reduced to nothing was unquestionably the preferable result.

She had never truly doubted the outcome.

.

.

.

After the blade had been returned to Sauros, the decision was made to dispatch several groups of knights in search of the slaves who had fled, believing they would most likely seek refuge within nearby forests or the surrounding towns.

Why those places?

The answer was rather straightforward.

A forest, while undoubtedly dangerous, still provided the bare necessities required to survive. There was water to drink, edible berries if one knew where to look, and small animals that could perhaps be caught with enough patience and luck. More importantly, thick vegetation offered countless places to hide, something frightened people naturally sought above all else after escaping captivity.

Towns, on the other hand, were a far more complicated matter.

To put it simply, one might assume they would seek help from the townsfolk.

Reality was a bit more complicated.

Most slaves had spent so long obeying orders that the idea of suddenly approaching strangers and asking for assistance felt terrifying. Some feared being captured again, while others no longer trusted anyone dressed even remotely well after everything they had endured. There was also the possibility that they simply didn't know where to go anymore. Having lost both their homes and their purpose, many would likely choose to hide somewhere first, calm themselves, and only afterward begin thinking about what came next.

At least...

That had been Rudeus's reasoning when Sauros asked for his opinion.

"...A sensible conclusion. Running doesn't necessarily mean heading toward civilization. Most people flee wherever fear tells them to."

"I agree." Rein gave a small nod, her expression brightening noticeably. "Lately, Rudeus has been remarkably thoughtful when considering how others might feel. I believe his judgment is sound."

...Don't praise me that much.

It was wrong, anyway.

They were giving him far more credit than he deserved.

If he truly thought about how others felt, especially the people close to him, he never would've thrown himself into something so reckless without considering how much trouble it would cause Lord Sauros or how worried Rein must have been after learning he'd been kidnapped.

——I still need to apologize to her properly.

"I just thought about what I'd probably do if I were in their position."

This time it was better to answer honestly and keep himself grounded than let all that praise go to his head.

"Hmph."

Sauros gave a satisfied snort.

"Putting yourself in another man's shoes before making a decision... that's not something many adults can manage, let alone a brat your age."

"...I'll take that as a compliment."

There wasn't much point arguing. Sometimes it was simply wiser to accept the praise, even if he personally couldn't bring himself to believe a single word of it.

Once everything had finally settled down, Rudeus noticed Rein leading Tristina away and curiously followed after them for a short while.

Judging from the private conversation Rein had shared with Sauros earlier, Tristina would most likely remain here for the foreseeable future. She was probably being taken somewhere to change into a fresh set of clothes after everything she'd been through.

Frankly, it was about time.

She had fallen more times than Rudeus could count during their escape, leaving her clothes torn, stained, and hardly suitable for wearing any longer.

The same could be said for Rein.

Her maid uniform hadn't exactly survived the battle either.

"...Hehe."

A smart idea surfaced.

If he remembered the layout of the servant quarters correctly, he could probably predict which room they'd use. Hiding inside the wardrobe beforehand and taking a tiny peek while they changed...

“.....”

No.

That idea died almost the instant it was born.

Even if he did that, Rein's hearing bordered on absurd. If she caught him attempting something like that, the only thing awaiting him would be complete social annihilation.

Attempting any sort of surprise attack against that beautiful girl was, for all intents and purposes, a suicide mission.

"...Damn, what a waste."

His enthusiasm for perverted schemes plummeted spectacularly.

"Huh?! What are you doing standing around here!?"

"...Eh?"

Before Rudeus even had the chance to react, Eris appeared with a wooden sword resting against her shoulder, her eyes already burning with competitive spirit.

"I've been looking for you! Fight me!"

Well, shit.

.

.

.

In the servant quarters, two girls were presently occupied within one of the rooms.

"It's the first time I've ever worn a maid uniform."

Although Tristina didn't openly admit that she disliked it, she was plainly unfamiliar with clothing of this sort. More importantly, she had never truly considered what the duties of a maid actually entailed. Having grown up within a noble household, servants had always been there in the background, preparing everything before she ever had reason to notice the effort that went into it.

"If there's anything you're uncertain about, leave it to me. I'll gladly teach you."

After offering her reassurance, Rein tucked the remaining pieces of the uniform into place around Tristina.

The reason a fitting uniform had been prepared without delay was rather simple. Rein had merely given her the set intended for herself three years from now. As a young servant who had yet to reach adulthood, it had already been expected that she would eventually require a larger uniform, and so several replacements had been prepared well in advance.

"Won't… Won’t that be a problem?"

"Not at all. It was prepared with the future in mind, and I have no doubts it will be put to good use."

“…..”

Seeing that Tristina was still somewhat apprehensive, Rein adjusted the collar one last time with practiced care. Returning to an ordinary life after everything she had endured was bound to be frightening, and that was precisely why Rein chose to treat her with as much gentleness as she could.

"It may seem scary now, but I hope you'll come to enjoy it in time."

“Mmm…”

Unlike nobles or merchants, who constantly had to concern themselves with politics, commerce, and the countless changes surrounding them, the life of a servant was, for all intents and purposes, remarkably straightforward. A maid's responsibilities had clear boundaries. Cleaning, washing clothes, preparing meals, tending to the household. There was a quiet certainty to such work, one where every duty had already been decided beforehand.

Naturally, such a life would never satisfy someone driven by ambition. An aspiring knight wishing to distinguish himself upon the battlefield, a scholar unable to remain in one place while chasing knowledge, or a merchant striving to expand his influence across the continent would sooner or later find themselves suffocated by such routine.

However, the opposite was equally true.

There existed people who sought precisely that sort of life.

Not everyone desired constant growth to find fulfilment, just as not everyone remained content living without change. The answer differed from person to person, because values themselves differed from one individual to the next.

"...I don't really need to like it. I just want to do a good job and earn my keep. That’s it."

"Is that so?" As she said this, Rein finished tying the ribbon on the back of the uniform. "Lord Sauros would surely be delighted to hear of such diligence, but if you grow to like it as well, your days will be much happier."

"Hmm..."

What Rein said certainly made sense.

Even so, everything before her belonged to a world utterly different from the one she had known.

Before becoming a slave, she had never once needed to concern herself with such matters. During her captivity, she had needed to concern herself with even less. A toy required neither responsibility nor purpose. It merely remained wherever it was placed until someone decided otherwise.

Turning this way and that, Tristina scrutinized her reflection in the mirror. With her platinum-blonde hair and sapphire-blue eyes, she certainly looked every bit the refined young maid one might expect to find serving within a noble household.

Somehow...

That only made her angry.

It felt less as though she were looking at herself and more as though she had become something to be looked at. The thought of appearing beautiful no longer brought even the slightest satisfaction. It merely reminded her of the countless eyes that had appraised her not as a person, but as something to possess. If this rotten world rewarded beauty only so it could exploit it, then she wanted no part in it.

Even the mere thought of another nobleman gazing upon her with that same covetous intent left her with an enduring distaste toward nobles.

Especially fat ones.

There were, naturally, many reasons why she had agreed to remain here and work as a maid.

Then again...

Could it truly be called agreement?

The truth was rather straightforward.

A penniless child possessing neither family nor status could hardly afford the luxury of refusing shelter. One either accepted the hand extended before them or found themselves wandering the streets with an empty stomach. Between honest work beneath a roof and becoming yet another nameless vagrant, the choice scarcely deserved to be called a choice at all.

The current relationship between Tristina and Sauros could scarcely be described as equal.

She owed this household her life.

Should the day come when Lord Sauros required her testimony against the Prime Minister, refusal simply wouldn't be an option.

Reflecting upon her circumstances, Tristina could hardly claim to be a noble anymore.

Bastard would perhaps be the kinder description.

The closest approximation would be to say she had been disowned, although even that stretched the truth.

Among noble society, selling one's own legitimate daughter was utterly forbidden. Marriage contracts were commonplace. Fosterage between noble branches likewise wasn't unusual, especially for boys expected to inherit positions within the main family. Those traditions had existed for generations.

Slavery, however, belonged to an entirely different realm.

To sell one's own daughter before she had even reached ten years of age, regarded within this world as the beginning of proper childhood, into what amounted to little more than captivity was an act beyond disgrace.

The only reason such a thing had ever been possible...

...was Darius.

His influence within the royal court reached deeply enough to ensure inconvenient truths disappeared beneath layers of politics before anyone important had reason to acknowledge them.

Disgusting. Disgusting. Disgusting.

Even had certain nobles learned of her circumstances, most would likely have remained silent regardless. Some out of fear. Others out of loyalty to their faction.

That was simply how noble society functioned.

Lord Sauros Boreas Greyrat, however, stood apart.

As the Great Lord governing the Fittoa Region, his authority extended well beyond his own territory. Numerous lesser noble houses willingly aligned themselves beneath his banner, not because they feared him, but because they respected the honesty with which he governed and the vision that so often accompanied his correct decisions.

Rumor even claimed that Lord Sauros had once shared an exceptionally close relationship with the King himself.

Whether that tale held any truth scarcely mattered.

Its existence alone made Lord Sauros something of a political wild card.

Should anyone ever seek to move against him...

It would have to be done beyond the King's notice.

.

.

.

Within an endless void, two figures stood facing one another.

One was an elderly noble clad in aristocratic attire, Sauros Boreas Greyrat.

The other possessed no true form to speak of. His body was little more than a silhouette woven from pale light, and yet he invariably introduced himself as nothing less than the God of Men.

"Man-God! You neglected to mention Darius had prepared a trap!"

“Goodness. No need to yell, my friend.”

It was a rare thing indeed for Sauros to raise his voice toward the mysterious being who had appeared within his dreams time and time again, always offering help whenever the future seemed uncertain.

Everything up until that point had unfolded exactly as foretold.

Everything beyond it...

Not a single word.

According to the latest guidance he had received, Rudeus was meant to uncover whoever lurked behind the kidnappings threatening noble children throughout the Asura Kingdom, as well as the repeated assassination attempts carried out against Sauros during countless noble gatherings.

The difficulty lay elsewhere.

Sauros had never once understood how Rudeus was supposed to arrive at that truth.

The boy was undoubtedly intelligent beyond his years, but even intelligence alone could not magically uncover a conspiracy that had remained concealed for so long. Sauros had naturally assumed the answers would reveal themselves once Rudeus eventually reached the Royal Capital, yet events had taken an entirely different course.

As a result, he had spent passing days worrying about the boy's safety.

Even so, dispatching knights to shadow Rudeus wherever he went was unacceptable. Such conduct ran contrary to Sauros's principles, and the mere notion of secretly surveilling someone who had earned his trust sent a shiver of disgust through his old bones.

"Come now, don't look so angry. I'm honestly impressed you can yell this loudly even inside a dream."

Sauros's brow twitched.

Even now, the Man-God found Sauros rather fascinating.

Usually, those drawn into this white world conversed through thought alone, instinctively believing they were speaking despite never opening their mouths. Dreams functioned that way. One merely imagined speaking, and the mind accepted the illusion as reality.

Sauros, however...

Actually spoke.

It was a remarkably peculiar trait.

With that being said, the Man-God drifted idly through the empty world as though gravity itself had simply forgotten about him. His carefree demeanor bordered upon irritating, and yet, strangely enough, Sauros had never once felt mocked by him.

No matter what he said, his words always sounded sincere.

"In the end, things worked out pretty nicely, didn't they?"

"That is hardly the point! You knowingly withheld information!"

A weary sigh escaped the wise deity, as if he were speaking to a particularly obtuse child. Bullheaded individuals, after all, were always the most difficult to deal with.

"My, my... young Sauros. Had I told you everything, you would've changed your approach, and had you changed your approach, the outcome would've changed as well. Heh heh... don't make that face. In a way, I'm complimenting you."

Sauros's expression twisted as though he had bitten into an exceptionally sour lemon.

Every emotion seemed to surface at once.

Even so, he found himself unable to direct any genuine resentment toward the divine being standing before him. Instead, the blame naturally shifted toward himself for failing to perceive what had been unfolding beneath his own nose.

Perhaps he had begun relying upon the Man-God's guidance a little too much.

Then again, could anyone truly blame him?

The being before him possessed knowledge that transcended common sense, spoke of events before they came to pass, and had guided him correctly on more occasions than Sauros could readily count. Refusing such counsel simply because of wounded pride would've been the height of foolishness.

"...Explain!"

"Not only have you finally learned who has been pulling the strings behind the scenes all this time, you've also gained something far more valuable."

"...And that is?"

"A new face on the board."

"...Tristina?"

“Mm-hm. I'd say young Rudeus and little Rein made quite an impression on her. She is loyal to those who show her genuine appreciation. She performs well under pressure and possesses a strong will against injustice, though it may take some time for her to fully recognize these qualities in herself.”

For a god who could see the future, it was obvious that what would happen probably felt as real as the present.

“Fine then. I shall begin my preparations against Darius immediately!”

"Ah, ah, that's actually what I wanted to mention."

The Man-God lightly raised a finger and started drawing something in the air with it.

"It wouldn't do you any good to gather your followers just yet, you know? Think about it for a moment. This may very well be the most important piece of advice I've given you so far."

“Hm? What is it?”

"Listen well. The best course of action is to wait a little longer. Acting rashly will accomplish nothing beyond alerting the Prime Minister, who will soon learn of everything that transpired.”

Crafted from pale radiance, the god's drawing hovered in the air and displayed an ambushed man who wriggled and clawed his way free through any opening he could find.

“In other words, young Darius is undoubtedly at his most cautious right now after watching his plans collapse so spectacularly. That being the case, provoking a cornered animal before you've prepared the cage is rarely the wisest decision. Wouldn't you agree?"

Indeed, the Man-God's reasoning was difficult to refute.

To phrase it differently, Darius had already been forced onto the defensive. Pressuring him further while he remained fully alert would only encourage him to tighten every loose end, conceal whatever evidence still remained, and mobilize every political connection at his disposal. Allowing time to pass, on the other hand, carried the possibility that his vigilance would gradually give way to complacency. People were incapable of maintaining absolute caution forever, and the moment one finally convinced oneself that the danger had passed was often the precise instant where mistakes began to surface.

Waiting, therefore, was not inaction.

It was preparation.

But then again...

——Young Darius?

You could say, for a god of humanity, it’s only natural to address everyone in exactly the same manner, regardless of their age or status. Sauros, however, found himself far too absorbed in planning Darius's downfall to pay any particular attention to the rather peculiar way the divine being referred to that rat of a man.

Through repeated explanations, Sauros eventually came to accept that course of action.

He was grateful, however...

"...What about Rein and Rudeus?"

Sauros folded his arms, fixing the deity with an unusually stern gaze.

"You've spoken enough about Darius. Tell me this instead. Are those two safe? Or are you keeping something from me again?"

"Aww, those two are just adorable to watch." The god chuckled in response. "But to answer your question... nope. You can count on me this time. Nothing's going to happen to either of them. Besides, have I ever lied to you?"

No.

This divine being had never once spoken an untruth. He merely omitted certain facts whenever he deemed them unnecessary, which, strictly speaking, wasn't the same thing.

Looking back, nothing truly terrible had come to pass. Rein had arrived at precisely the right moment and prevented the situation from escalating any further. As a result, Sauros naturally concluded that the Man-God must have foreseen that outcome from the very beginning and deliberately chosen not to interfere, believing that informing Sauros beforehand would've only complicated matters and possibly led to a worse result.

"By the way..."

The Man-God grinned as though he had just remembered something pleasant.

"Your granddaughter's birthday is coming up soon!"

The dream gradually began to blur, and Sauros could already feel himself waking from his sleep.

"…So I'd worry about that instead, okay?"

The white slowly faded into darkness.

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: Jealousy in Red

What a beautiful day, isn't it?

The sun slowly appearing on the horizon will surely rouse the sleepyheads still buried beneath their covers. However, it would be a shame if such a day were squandered on slumber.

Among the residents still dreaming, most maids and workers are already bustling about, preparing breakfast and ensuring everything is ready for the occupants to rise.

In one such case, a specific room stands strictly off-limits. Inside, a brown-haired boy named Rudeus Greyrat sleeps soundly.

"Hehe, Rein-sensei~"

The source of his blissful expression could be seen lying next to him. A figure clutched in his sleep, crafted by his own hands. A one-to-one replica, sculpted with painstaking precision. A doll of Rein, that fierce red-haired girl who also serves as his sword instructor, lies by his side, embraced like a pillow.

Whatever dreams he harbors, they must be pleasant to produce such a relaxed, almost lewd expression.

Upon closer inspection, one would unmistakably recognize that it is not a real person he holds, but a clay figure, designed and textured to mirror the original.

So while it's not a genuine pillow but a figurine, comparisons can still be drawn. In modern Japan, society labeled certain individuals as extreme otaku and perverts, people who would purchase pillows of their waifu, often depicted in revealing poses that feigned innocence, perhaps with a hint of cleavage and a blush across their cheeks.

It was aggressive marketing, wielded by unscrupulous merchants to exploit lonely souls or devoted fans and coax them into wasting fortunes on the chance to embrace your cute waifu in pillow form.

Endearing to some, apparently.

If it wasn't obvious already, it should be now. Rudeus belonged squarely in that category. A simp, in other words. Someone who fawns excessively over another person or character.

Naturally, this term doesn't exist in this world. No one has coined it here.

Back in Japan, he had kept such items carefully stashed away, so that if anyone barged in unannounced, they wouldn't immediately spot one on his bed.

But having the nerve to waste his parents' educational funds on such an extravagant pillow didn't mean he escaped regret. He regretted the expenditure, certainly. The pillow itself, however, was beyond reproach. Unlike consumable goods that vanish after a single use, this pillow was built to last, offering unlimited utility, making it far more precious in terms of long-term value.

Over time, though, it grew musty, as any pillow would. With his family at home, he couldn't exactly toss it into the washing machine. But whenever they ventured out for dinner, with him stubbornly refusing to join, he seized the chance to wash it.

That way, he could restore his beloved companion.

At any rate, let us set aside this mortifying discussion of waifu pillows and return to the present.

Usually, this figure remains concealed beneath the blanket, hidden from prying eyes. Further precautions exist, such as the strict prohibition against entering his room uninvited. It's whispered that those who disregard this warning suffer a week of pranks and petty misfortunes. A few maids who tested that rule have already learned their lesson.

But why is this tolerated? Simple. Rudeus is cunning enough to escape blame whenever he holds a grudge.

——Knock knock.

Jolted from sleep by the harsh rapping against the wooden door, Rudeus felt both horror and relief at being awakened. His dream had been a paradox, equal parts nightmare and perfection. He genuinely couldn't decide whether to mourn its loss or celebrate its interruption.

He should focus on something else.

The reason for his hesitation was clear, but only to those aware of what had transpired in that illusion woven by his subconscious.

In the dream, he had returned to Japan, inhabiting his former body, that of a middle schooler in a seifuku. The details were hazy, as dreams often are, and he didn't feel like the old man he had become, but rather like his past self, before confidence abandoned him, before high school shattered his illusions.

After class, a red-haired girl in a sailor-collared blouse and pleated skirt, undeniably a sailor fuku, approached him.

"Good morning. I wished to repay your kindness somehow, so I made you a bento. I practiced beforehand, so I believe it turned out well. Um, I would be happy if you enjoyed it."

Woohoo! Nothing surpasses a girl rising early just to prepare food for you! She was even more adorable with that faint blush and slight stammer as she confessed her earnest intentions.

In the fantasies of this shut-in, who had long known that reality rarely mirrors fairy tales, this was the illusion he worshipped, the escape he clung to, rejecting the cruel mechanics of how love supposedly operated.

And yet, this happy dream also twisted his features. These were the very visions that haunted him during his darkest days, when he refused to leave his room. Waking from such beauty only deepened his despair upon realizing it was all an illusion.

But what made it worse was that he wasn't supposed to have fantasies in a fantasy world. That such delusions followed him here was simply jarring.

——Knock knock!

The sound escalated to near-banging, and Rudeus winced, realizing whoever stood outside was likely furious at his silence.

"I'm coming!"

He opened the door clumsily, greeted by an annoyed Tristina in a maid uniform.

"How long was I supposed to stand there? Were you still asleep?"

That's not exactly proper maid etiquette, you know? Say that in any other household, and you'd be back to job-hunting in no time.

"Sorry, I was busy stretching out."

"I guess. Show up for breakfast, then. I was asked to wake you, but I also heard some concerning rumors about what happens if I walk in without permission."

"And you should heed those warnings unless you want firsthand experience."

"Ugh, I feel like you're concealing something filthy."

Given his Greyrat lineage, some prejudice was inevitable. The suspicious glare aimed his way was entirely justified.

Feeling as though he stood on the precipice of being branded a despicable human being, Rudeus lightly laughed off her comment and apologized for keeping her waiting.

"I would like to speak with you later, if possible."

"——?"

It was difficult to discern what Tristina was thinking behind her natural bitch face, but then again, Rudeus was no better with his fake polite smile, the one he deployed whenever he disagreed with something but deemed it unworthy of argument.

Hopefully it was nothing serious.

With that, Tristina instructed him to appear for breakfast and left him to face the consequences of disobedience. This person really didn't suit being a maid, did she? Her mood seemed particularly foul lately.

Once he had hidden the figure of Rein where no one would find it unless they searched thoroughly, Rudeus proceeded to get ready. He slipped on his boots and pulled a black sweater over his white shirt, paired with black shorts.

Ittekimasu.

Even though he didn't truly mean it, Rudeus uttered those words in his head before leaving.

.

.

.

The Boreas dining table was already set when he arrived.

Steam rose from the dishes arranged across the polished surface, and the aroma of freshly baked bread mingled with something savory.

Taking his seat with practiced politeness, Rudeus murmured an encouragement for the others to enjoy their meal before serving himself.

"Would you care for some tea as well?"

Then Rein's voice reached him.

"Sure! I'd love some."

Naturally, Rudeus agreed, unable to refuse the faint excitement woven into her voice.

...Ah.

A moment later, he nearly buried his face in his hands after realizing the opportunity he had just missed.

I could've said something like, 'I'd never turn down tea made by you.'

Well, there was no helping it now. Acting like some smooth-talking romance protagonist completely out of nowhere would've only made everyone stare at him in confusion.

Holding the teapot lightly above shoulder level, Rein poured from an almost absurd height. Even so, the amber stream remained perfectly straight, descending into the delicate teacup without so much as a single splash. She finished with a subtle turn of her wrist before setting the pot aside with the same natural elegance, as though the entire performance had been repeated countless times.

It wasn't exactly easy to reproduce such movements without something like a Divine Protection of Tea Brewing, though much of what she displayed had come from Rein's own relentless effort to reconstruct them. At first, she hadn't remembered every movement in the proper order, and her earliest attempts had appeared rather clumsy to anyone watching. Through repeated recollection, however, each motion gradually returned until performing them became almost second nature.

Ordinarily, people responded with mild bewilderment, occasionally even irritation, believing she was showing off for no particular reason. The truth, however, was much simpler. Rein merely wished those for whom she prepared tea to enjoy not only its taste, but the experience of watching it being prepared as well.

Although it wasn't entirely wrong to say she also found it rather satisfying that it looked cool…

Judging from the unmistakable admiration on Rudeus's face, Rein felt a small warmth blossom within her chest at seeing that her little performance had been appreciated. Master Philip and Lord Sauros had long since grown accustomed to it, making fresh reactions all the more precious to her.

Woah, amazing to see someone take their job so seriously.

That was precisely what Rudeus Greyrat was thinking in that moment.

.

.

.

"I want you to teach me magic."

"Eh? That's it? I don’t mind."

So this was what Tristina wanted to discuss, eh?

“——?”

“What?”

"You're not going to ask me why, for what purpose, or what goal I wish to pursue?"

"Ah, that."

Well, he supposed it was only natural to think that way. People often treated learning something as powerful as magic as a test of one's resolve, character, or sense of morality, wanting to make absolutely sure their student wouldn't use it for something reckless.

It was difficult for Rudeus to take it that seriously, though he understood where such people were coming from. If someone you taught magic to ended up using it for deeds most would consider evil, then perhaps teaching them really did carry a certain responsibility.

Judging by the expectant look on Tristina's face, maybe she believed him to be some ancient reincarnated archmage who always questioned the convictions of prospective disciples...

Well, he didn't want to disappoint her.

"Ahem, ahem! Indeed! For the good and evil that exist within this world, for the wish to make it a better place, for those who have long since lost hope... I, Rudeus Greyrat, shall accept you as my apprentice, expecting nothing less than absolute obedience from this day forth——"

"——Eww."

Gah!

Why did she have to interrupt his glorious speech?

Everything had been going perfectly until he reached the obedience part, at which point her expression twisted into one of pure disgust.

"I thought you were going to lecture me about the dangers of magic and the consequences of abusing it. Instead, you started making that weird speech."

"Uh..."

As expected, acting like a chuuni didn't work on people in this world.

He had never tried it on Eris because she was more rabid beast than human, so there was obviously no point. Tristina, however, seemed like an entirely different story.

Noble girls really are a handful, aren't they?

If they were all like this, then he genuinely felt sorry for whoever had the unfortunate duty of tutoring the Asuran princess.

They couldn't even appreciate a joke!

Up until now, in this manor, there had been exactly one girl who had openly laughed at something he said.

Well, it wasn't as though he had ever tried joking around with Roxy. She was older than him, and he had always wanted to leave a good impression. Even so, he could already imagine how she would react.

——Rudy, is everything alright!?

She would probably stare at him with worry, wondering whether he had hit his head, panic that Zenith would take her head for it, and start to cast healing magic on him.

That would somehow be an even worse outcome.

"A-Anyway, let's get started. Just... try not to injure yourself or anyone nearby while casting spells."

Ahem.

Like accidentally firing a Water Cannon straight through the wall of your own house.

With that settled, Rudeus began teaching her the fundamentals.

Teaching magic might sound simple, and to be honest, it wasn't particularly difficult. However, people often forgot that Rudeus himself had started reading books on magic from a very young age and already possessed a basic understanding before he ever began practicing.

Tristina had no such advantage.

From what she told him, most noble households offered only the bare minimum when it came to magical education, placing far greater emphasis on swordsmanship, etiquette, history, geography, mathematics, and other subjects expected of young aristocrats.

At least...

That was usually the case for boys.

Girls rarely received the same education because they were expected to strengthen their families through marriage rather than through military accomplishments or political office.

Arranged marriages were commonplace, with noble daughters becoming future wives whose role was to secure alliances and improve the standing of their house.

It wasn't particularly surprising.

In a society resembling medieval Europe, sons and daughters were simply expected to fulfill different roles.

A nobleman's son was raised to inherit titles, govern land, command soldiers, or continue the family's legacy.

A nobleman's daughter, meanwhile, was expected to embody refinement. Grace, beauty, etiquette, diplomacy, household management, and producing heirs were considered her greatest virtues.

That was how things generally worked within the Human Kingdoms.

For instance, according to Tristina, the First Princess of Asura was widely praised for her exceptional beauty, remarkable intelligence, refined manners, and her melodious voice.

Although Rudeus had never met her himself, he couldn't help arriving at a rather cynical conclusion.

Had she not been blessed with such beauty, many nobles would probably have admired those same qualities far less than they claimed.

Unfortunately, that was simply the reality of aristocratic society.

.

.

.

“There is something else I wanted to ask about.”

“…..”

Apparently, besides magic, the other subject that had piqued Tristina's curiosity was Rein herself.

The problem was that Rudeus had no intention of satisfying that curiosity. Not only did he feel special being the only person entrusted with the truth of Rein's past, treating it as something shared exclusively between the two of them, but revealing it behind her back simply felt wrong.

He owed Tristina no explanation.

Unless Rein herself decided to speak about it one day, which, admittedly, he hoped would never happen, the secret would remain exactly that.

Perhaps it was selfish.

Then again, exposing someone else's past without their permission would've been selfish as well.

So he settled on the simplest answer he could think of.

“Who?” A mysterious smile crept onto his face, one born from the quiet satisfaction of possessing knowledge nobody else did. “As you can see, she's a maid serving this manor.”

“I know that! I'm asking whether she used to be a noble or... what exactly is she? A-And you know perfectly well what I mean! You saw how fast she moved!”

Unlike Rudeus, the only glimpse Tristina had ever witnessed of Rein's abnormal abilities came during their first meeting, when Rein had intended on carrying him back to the manor. Although the display had lasted only a few seconds, it wasn't something a person could simply forget.

“I think there's a technique in the Sword God Style called the Sword of Light... or something along those lines. I don't remember the name exactly, but Miss Ghislaine, Lady Eris' sword instructor, once told me it allows its user to move at incredible speeds for an instant.”

Naturally, he still wasn't planning on revealing the truth.

You can't blame him.

What if Tristina happened to harbor prejudice against other races? This world wasn't exactly known for treating everyone fairly. As Rein's friend, the least he could do was keep her secret safe.

That was all.

Seriously.

There were absolutely no ulterior motives involved.

“Who's Ghislaine?”

Oh right.

He had completely forgotten that Ghislaine was still away and likely wouldn't return for several more months. He hoped she'd at least make it back before Eris' birthday, though that seemed increasingly unlikely.

You might wonder why.

Well, Rudeus had once asked Alphonse, the butler who had escorted them by carriage from Asura Kingdom, how long the journey to the Great Forest actually took.

Months.

Several months of travel.

And that wasn't even counting the return trip.

…Maybe Ghislaine had every right to be annoyed whenever he casually suggested going somewhere.

“She's Eris' sword instructor and teaches her the Sword God Style. Lady Eris is Lord Sauros' granddaughter and the daughter of Mister Philip and Lady...”

Whoops, he had forgotten her name.

No matter how hard he searched his memory, it refused to surface. Perhaps that was only natural considering she'd avoided him almost as though he carried an infectious disease.

Luckily, Tristina's attention had already shifted elsewhere.

“...That redhead?”

“Yep. Though I'd recommend avoiding her if possible. If you make her angry, there's a decent chance you'll wake up the next day missing a few teeth. Healing magic can fix that, of course, but I'd rather you didn't have to find out firsthand, Miss Tristina.”

Perhaps it was a little unfair to discourage any chance of relationship between the two.

He didn't regret it in the slightest.

I mean...

It's Eris.

If you watched someone beating another kid bloody, your first instinct would be to warn others to stay away from them, wouldn't it?

Normally, someone like that would've been dragged off to see a child psychologist. But medieval fantasy worlds weren't exactly known for offering mental healthcare.

“I don't think I have much to worry about. I'm older than she is. If something happens, I'm sure I can handle it.”

“Um...”

Whether you were older had very little to do with winning a fistfight.

Once Eris landed a punch across your face, your age would become the least interesting thing about you.

“Let's just say it's better to be safe than sorry, okay?”

“I... suppose?”

Tristina tilted her head, clearly finding his excessive concern rather peculiar.

“Back to what we were discussing... why won't you tell me?”

...She really wasn't going to let this go, was she?

Kids were unbelievably curious.

Then again, Rudeus wasn't exactly in a position to criticize anyone for that.

——Rein was not human.

At least, not completely.

That was the only explanation Rudeus could presently arrive at, though he had to admit it sounded rather insensitive when put into words like that.

Ever since hearing Rein speak of her past, he had been trying to gather whatever information he could regarding both the Dragon Tribe and the countless races inhabiting the Demon Continent. Unfortunately, material concerning dragonfolk was exceedingly scarce. Demons, on the other hand, were an entirely different matter. Their races numbered in the dozens, perhaps even more, each possessing peculiar characteristics and histories of their own.

According to the story Rein had once shared regarding her family of swordsmen, a blessing did not necessarily refer to something bestowed by the gods. It could just as easily be an inherited trait passed down through a particular bloodline.

...Or something along those lines.

Truthfully, he no longer remembered every detail.

The circumstances back then had been rather emotional, making it difficult to recall the explanation word for word. The conclusion, however, had remained with him.

Some people were simply born extraordinary.

"If this is such a secret, why don't we just ask her?"

"That’s..."

Because he had seen her fall apart the last time the subject had surfaced.

That alone was reason enough.

Rudeus had no desire to force Rein to relive that sort of pain again, no matter how curious he himself happened to be. Tristina, meanwhile, appeared genuinely interested by the possibility of knowing someone belonging to the Dragon Tribe, her curiosity almost visible upon her face.

...Oh Kami-sama.

If Eris ever found out about this...

Would that somehow make things even worse?

For the briefest of moments, Rudeus entertained the absurd notion that, were Rein to openly admit she belonged to the Dragon Tribe, Eris might finally accept her defeat and even apologize for everything that had happened between them.

“.....”

Yeah, right.

Eris and apologizing were two concepts that simply refused to coexist.

The girl possessed far too much pride for that.

Even after Rein had apologized to her despite being the stronger of the two, Eris had somehow managed to remain angry.

How does that even work?

"I suppose I understand what you mean," Tristina mused after giving the matter some thought. "Still, besides her incredible strength and speed, how do you actually know she's from another race? She doesn't look any different from an ordinary human."

"My master belongs to the Migurd Tribe, one of the demon races, and she doesn't look much different from a human either. So we can't really rule out the possibility that Rein is actually a member of the Dragon Tribe... or even another demon race. Come to think of it, have you ever met anyone from the Dragon Tribe yourself?"

Tristina shook her head in denial.

Honestly, Rudeus hadn't expected any other answer.

Dragonfolk were said to keep almost entirely to themselves, living for thousands of years and avoiding contact with other races whenever possible. For most people, encountering one during their lifetime was little more than wishful thinking.

"Well... I've never met any," Tristina admitted without shame. That’s fine, there was nothing wrong with it. "Only the dragons living in the mountain ranges. I don't think those are the same."

Indeed, they weren't.

The dragons classified as magical beasts bore little relation to the Dragon Tribe itself. Were they truly one and the same, adventurers would effectively be accepting requests to hunt intelligent members of another race, something that would, by all means, plunge the world into both political chaos and actual war before long.

"Hmm... Though according to the stories passed down among the nobility, the hero Perugius was a member of the Dragon Tribe and remains one of the most revered figures in the Asura Kingdom."

That name alone carried considerable weight.

Sometimes, people even referred to him as a holy figure.

Even generations after his exploits had faded into history, tales of Perugius continued to circulate throughout the Central Continent. Children grew up hearing stories of the legendary Dragon King who had stood alongside humanity during the Laplace War, while nobles studied his achievements as part of their education, regarding him as one of the greatest heroes the world had ever known.

Whether every tale surrounding him was true hardly mattered. Over countless years, history and legend had become so thoroughly intertwined that separating one from the other had long since become impossible.

Normally, in his previous world such legends passed over time. In this world, however, such notion was nothing more than a faraway dream. In the skies above the kingdom, there was an actual floating castle that looked cool as hell. It’s said that the very hero from the war that happened hundred years ago resided here.

And knowing that the legendary hero is a member of race possessing such a long lifespan, he was sure that the man was still alive. Otherwise it was just a hunted castle floating in the skies filled with ghosts.

Back to the subject of Rein's origins.

Did it really matter that much?

She was a genuinely kind and sweet girl.

Rudeus figured it would only become an issue if something absurd happened, like her family suddenly appearing at the manor demanding that she be returned to them. Then again, if they had allowed her to end up as a slave in the first place, perhaps they didn't deserve to have her back.

It was difficult for him to truly hate people he knew absolutely nothing about.

Even so, he couldn't deny the resentment that welled up whenever he thought about them. If they ever crossed paths, he knew he'd be predisposed to dislike them before they had even spoken a single word.

Though, if that day ever came...

He should probably be careful.

If Rein was any indication, the rest of her family might very well be physical monsters too.

“.....”

Maybe it was about time he started researching a disintegration spell.

.

.

.

This meeting had been fated to happen.

Rudeus let out a quiet sigh as a headache slowly began creeping in.

“You're learning magic from him?! Then I'll teach you the sword!”

The moment Eris noticed the unfamiliar blonde girl, instead of asking who she was, her first instinct was to recruit her to her side so the two of them could gang up on Rudeus together.

That wasn't her only reason, however. Hidden beneath her competitive nature was the simple desire to have someone ask her for guidance instead. Ever since Rein had arrived, Rudeus always seemed to have someone agreeing with him, praising him, or standing beside him, leaving Eris feeling as though she alone had been pushed to the opposite side without anyone realizing it.

“I'm sorry, but I think magic will be more useful in my case. Besides, Rudeus is a really good teacher.”

“——Hah!?”

Although Tristina had never received any proper magical education before, even she could tell that Rudeus possessed an exceptional talent for teaching. He never overloaded her with information, patiently answered every question she asked, and explained difficult concepts in a way that naturally led to the next one.

If someone genuinely wished to improve under him, as Sylphie once had, calling him a first-rate instructor wouldn't have been much of an exaggeration.

The moment those words reached Eris' ears, her cheeks puffed up and a faint blush spread across her face as she stomped her foot against the ground, struggling to contain the irritation bubbling inside her.

Rudeus this!

Rudeus that!

Why did everyone keep choosing him?

He was smart, good at magic, somehow knew all sorts of weird things despite being younger than everyone around him, and now even a girl around Eris' own age was perfectly willing to call him an amazing teacher without the slightest hesitation. Eris couldn't understand it. If she had been in Tristina's place, there was no way she would've willingly accepted lessons from someone younger than herself. The only reason she'd tolerated Rudeus teaching her at all was because of her love for her Grandfather who decided to put his trust in him, and because she refused to embarrass herself by falling behind.

“Swords are stronger!” Eris declared proudly. “If you're strong enough, you don't need tricks!”

“So what? If I get hurt, I can just heal myself with magic.”

“Magic won't help you if you don't have time to chant!”

“Hmm... that's true.”

“Hmph!”

Satisfied with that answer, Eris proudly puffed out her chest.

“But can you heal yourself with a sword?”

“Grrrrrr!”

That was bad!

Not only had Eris reached her limit, she had begun growling like an angry beast.

“Listen, I don't know what your deal is, but getting this worked up over something like that doesn't make any sense.”

“——!”

“H-Hey, Miss Tristina...”

Seeing Eris grinding her teeth so hard that they practically squeaked against one another, Rudeus instinctively tried to stop what was about to happen. Months of experience had already taught him exactly what that expression meant.

The explosion was only moments away and his warning fell on deaf ears.

“This is my choice!”

Rather than taking the obvious clue to back down, Tristina remained exactly where she stood, folding her arms beneath her chest before letting out an audible huff of dissatisfaction.

Although she was no longer a noble in status, the years she had spent as one hadn't simply disappeared overnight. She refused to let someone dismiss her opinion through sheer intimidation when she genuinely believed her reasoning held merit.

To Rudeus, it probably looked as though she had ignored his advice.

In reality, she was still irritated with him for stubbornly refusing to back her up like a coward to settle for a peaceful negotiation, leaving her with very little patience for Eris' childish outburst.

Besides...

If nobody corrected behavior like this while she was young, what kind of noble would she grow into?

That was how Tristina saw it.

Lady Ariel, whom she admired more than anyone, would've surely tried to straighten her out as well!

“What's with that face?!”

Eris snapped.

The next instant, she lunged forward without the slightest warning.

“Huh—?!”

Tristina's eyes widened.

Even though Rudeus had warned her that something like this might happen, Tristina had expected shouting, perhaps an argument or a few insults, but never that the girl would actually skip straight to throwing punches.

It was scandalously crude for a girl raised among nobility!

“Ugh!”

Eris' shoulder slammed into her before she could react, sending both of them tumbling onto the dirt.

“Ow!”

In the span of a breath, Rudeus thought Tristina would burst into tears. But then she grabbed a fistful of Eris's crimson hair.

“You dare—?!”

“Hands off!”

The two girls rolled across the ground, kicking, shoving, grabbing sleeves and hair alike as neither showed the slightest intention of admitting defeat.

It had become a full-fledged children's brawl.

For Tristina, who had spent years in captivity, there was no chance she would allow herself to be pushed around like this.

As if!

She might not have known how to wield a sword, but scratching, pulling hair, and wrestling with someone as unruly as this girl required no formal training whatsoever.

“S-Stop! Both of you!”

The moment an opening presented itself, Rudeus hurried between them, wrapping both arms around Eris' waist before she could launch herself at Tristina again.

“Grrr!”

Needless to say, restraining Eris was no easy feat. She kicked and struggled with all her might, nearly smashing the back of her hand straight into Rudeus's nose in her desperate attempt to break free.

“You attacked me first!”

“You insulted swords!”

“I said magic was more useful for me!”

“Aghhh!”

“What kind of noble are you?!”

The two girls continued glaring daggers at one another, breathing heavily, their clothes wrinkled beyond recognition, crimson and blonde hair hopelessly tangled with dirt, neither willing to concede even the smallest amount.

“——That's enough.”

A gentle gust swept through the courtyard.

Before either of them noticed, Rein appeared between the two girls, her expression unusually stern. Without raising her voice or making a threatening gesture, she simply placed a hand on each of theirs.

“H-Huh...?”

The world suddenly became unbearably fuzzy.

The strength drained from their limbs as though something invisible had quietly siphoned away every ounce of energy they possessed, their eyelids growing heavier by the second until neither could resist any longer.

The two girls collapsed almost simultaneously.

Rein scooped up Tristina while Rudeus attended to Eris.

“.....”

“...I should've seen this coming.”

Both of whom had somehow managed to fall asleep while still wearing unmistakable expressions of dissatisfaction.

How?

Somehow, he had a feeling that once they woke up, absolutely nothing would have been resolved.

That, however...

Was a problem for another day.

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: A Shut-in in a Fantasy World

Listen, son!

There comes a time in every boy's life when he has to grow into a man!

At least, that's probably what Paul Greyrat would have said had he seen his son right now.

Currently, Rudeus was mentally preparing himself for his first official date in this world.

The girl he was taking into town was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Which meant this opportunity couldn't be wasted. Ever since Rein had agreed to accompany him, he had spent an embarrassing amount of time planning how today might unfold.

Not only that, but Rudeus firmly believed that the best time to strike while the iron was hot was at the very beginning. First impressions lingered longer than people realized, and if he managed to become the standard by which Rein unconsciously measured other boys in the future, then perhaps one day she'd naturally arrive at the conclusion that Rudeus Greyrat made for the best companion.

It sounded unbelievably calculating.

Maybe even manipulative.

Yet, to Rudeus...

That was simply how he perceived the world.

Those thoughts hadn't appeared out of nowhere. They were nothing more than remnants of the countless romance stories, internet discussions, and unsolicited advice he'd absorbed during his previous life, all insisting there were secret formulas for making someone fall in love with you.

The older he became, the more those voices claimed people stopped searching for genuine affection and began evaluating one another through increasingly superficial standards.

Whether that was actually true or not hardly mattered.

Back then...

He had believed it.

It was obvious that comparing Rein to these girls was deeply unfair.

Those thoughts weren't born from how he saw her.

They were born from his own fear.

By the time he'd reached his twenties, however, he'd gradually stopped listening to all those so-called experts. The more advice he consumed about attracting women or becoming successful, the more miserable he found himself becoming, until eventually he realized the entire mindset was slowly destroying him.

So he gave up.

It's not like he wanted to have anything to do with society after what happened in high school.

Rather than chasing an ideal version of himself that never seemed to get any closer, he buried himself in things that brought immediate comfort instead. Video games, novels, anime...

Anything capable of letting him forget reality for a while.

Remaining unemployed while living under his parents' roof felt easier than stepping into a world he had long since convinced himself wanted nothing to do with him. He had never been particularly interested in traveling, and as the years passed, even that faint curiosity gradually disappeared.

If the worst ever happened...

Then he'd think about it when the time came.

——The outside world was frightening.

There was no point pretending otherwise.

One bad impression could follow a person for years, and a single mistake was often enough to become the one thing people remembered you for. That was precisely why, after being granted a second chance at life, Rudeus had consciously decided to become a polite and considerate boy. It wasn't merely an attempt to earn the goodwill of those around him so that his previous life wouldn't repeat itself, but also a quiet effort to become someone he himself could genuinely respect one day.

Up until now, everything that had happened to him in this new world had turned out surprisingly well.

The ice surrounding Rein's heart had finally begun to melt, allowing her to smile more openly, especially whenever she was around Rudeus, whom she had already begun to regard as a true friend, leaving him with the strange feeling that he had accomplished something truly grand by turning this complete kuudere into a cute deredere.

Well...

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself.

Still, seeing someone smiling because of him was enough to make all the effort feel worthwhile.

.

.

.

Rein was troubled.

Anyone who looked closely at her would immediately realize that something about the way she carried herself was different today. Fortunately, that wasn't possible when there was no one else in the room to witness it, leaving Rein sitting alone on the edge of her bed with only a single candle illuminating her face as one emotion gave way to another while she remained completely absorbed in her own thoughts.

It was supposed to be tomorrow that she would be going into town with Rudeus.

Curled slightly into herself, Rein rested both hands on her lap while absentmindedly lowering her gaze, the silence surrounding her making it impossible to distract herself from what had been occupying her mind ever since he invited her.

You see, she wasn't naive enough to believe there hadn't been hopeful intentions hidden behind those words. In fact, the self-awareness she possessed had already whispered that possibility into her ear countless times, only for her to deliberately ignore it for her own peace of mind.

Boys developed feelings for girls, and girls developed feelings for boys. Such things weren't restricted by age alone, and even kids barely eight years old could invite someone they liked on what adults would undoubtedly call a date.

It was selfish on her part.

She understood perfectly well what an invitation like that generally implied, yet despite recognizing it, she had continued pretending not to notice, convincing herself that if she ignored the question long enough, she would never have to think about the answer.

——It wasn't nearly that simple.

First and foremost, one couldn't just proclaim before the world that they wished to court the Sword Saint, let alone Reinhard van Astrea himself. While those two statements might sound identical to someone unfamiliar with the circumstances, they carried entirely different meanings once politics entered the picture.

Normally, there was nothing particularly unusual about nobles courting one another or entering arranged marriages. Such things happened all the time and had long since become an ordinary part of aristocratic society. The same, however, couldn't be said about Reinhard of the Astrea family, who carried the title of Sword Saint.

You couldn't simply marry the kingdom's greatest weapon and expect no consequences to follow.

Declaring your intention to marry someone like that was essentially no different from standing before the highest-ranking politicians of the Kingdom of Lugunica and announcing that the kingdom's greatest weapon no longer belonged to them, but to you instead.

It was the power of ownership.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

In other words, saying "Reinhard is mine now" was the sort of foolish idea that would make every influential figure immediately turn their attention toward you, and unless your achievements had already earned you overwhelming trust throughout the kingdom, you probably wouldn't even realize a blade had found its way into your throat before it was already too late.

The one exceptional case, as already mentioned, was Wilhelm and Theresia, who ultimately married happily, though not without overcoming countless obstacles beforehand.

And that was despite the fact that the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint wasn't inherited from parent to child, but chosen according to the will of Od Lagna itself.

Realistically speaking, Reinhard could have remained the kingdom's weapon for the rest of his life without ever marrying or producing children, and very few people would've objected so long as another heir remained to inherit the Astrea household. Of course, with Louanna, Reinhard's mother, having fallen into an endless sleep, Heinkel could no longer produce another heir with his wife.

Sooner or later...

Someone would have to continue the Astrea bloodline.

Even then, Reinhard had never formed such a special bond with anyone.

Meaning that Reinhard's future wife would've most likely been selected not out of love, but because she fulfilled every political requirement expected of someone carrying the Astrea name while remaining unquestionably loyal to the Kingdom of Lugunica.

As such, any notion of romance had always remained a foreign concept.

Not only that, but the Astrea family had never truly taught Reinhard anything beyond the bare minimum regarding such matters. Most of what he eventually came to understand had been learned through his knightly duties, quietly observing other people and the relationships they shared.

His father despised him.

His grandfather hated him.

His mother remained trapped in an endless sleep.

Realistically speaking, there had never been anyone willing to teach Reinhard something as ordinary as love or the gradual development of human relationships while he was instead sent from one battlefield to another, sacrificing the childhood and adolescence most people took for granted.

Fortunately, he possessed enough intelligence and perception to gradually understand those customs through observation alone.

But that wasn't where the problems ended.

Reinhard had been reincarnated.

Not only were all memories of the previous life initially lost, but years of growing accustomed to the new body had passed before those memories finally returned.

Even then...

Before recovering those memories, things such as gender or appearance had never truly mattered to a slave who no longer possessed the will to keep living.

Someone who genuinely believed her own existence held no value and was free to be used however others pleased.

And that was where Rudeus entered the picture.

When he asked her out on a date, it felt almost like hearing someone speak in an entirely different language.

Rein understood the purpose behind those words.

Yet, she couldn't understand why they had been directed toward her.

What was that about her that made him want to approach her?

“——I don’t understand it.”

There was nothing to look for here. That was why she wondered how it ought to be answered.

From Rein's point of view, every action she took was accompanied by one mistake after another. Whether it was something she said or something she did, she could always find fault with herself afterward, and before she even realized it, those perceived failures had continued piling up until they formed an insurmountable mountain she could no longer see beyond.

...What should I do? What should I do...?

There had once been a time when worrying over such things became necessary during an infiltration mission.

Back then, she had even gone as far as crossdressing when the situation demanded it. She even found it pretty fun. As a matter of fact, Rein possessed a certain talent for acting, whether it meant pretending to be oblivious or adapting to whatever role the situation required.

But now, it almost felt as though fate itself had decided to laugh at her.

She found herself stumped by a problem that should have been far simpler than whatever this is, yet she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone about it.

Feigning obliviousness to his meaning would have been a simple enough recourse. However, Rudeus was her friend, and what kind of friend would she be if she failed to meet his openness with the gravity it deserved?

At the very least, the best Rein believed she could do was smile for him and hope from the bottom of her heart that he would enjoy spending time with her.

Hopefully...

Hopefully she wouldn't ruin it.

Because Rein had spent the better part of the evening worrying without reaching any sort of conclusion, she eventually decided to confide in Lora, at least partially, as one of the few people she trusted enough to ask for advice.

And where had that trust led her?

Straight into Lora's room within the servants' quarters, where the cat maid had begun dressing her in the cutest outfit she could possibly find, completely ignoring Rein's repeated insistence that there was no need to make something as simple as an outing with Rudeus feel so formal.

In the end, however, Rein had no intention of wearing it.

While she knew doing so would likely hurt Lora, who had gone through so much effort on her behalf, those kinds of clothes simply made her uncomfortable. Wearing a dress already felt strange enough, not in a bad way, but as though it was trying to turn her into someone she wasn't.

Truth be told, she much preferred her maid uniform, though she also understood that wearing it would hardly be appropriate for something like this.

Besides, Rein found herself wanting to make this an enjoyable day for Rudeus. He had experienced far too many unpleasant things lately, and having to deal with those kidnappers by himself must have left behind wounds that could not simply be seen on the surface.

To reinforce the idea within him that there was no one he could rely upon...

That was something Rein simply couldn’t allow.

Everyone had their own unique circumstances.

However, that didn’t mean those circumstances ought to interfere with the things Rein herself wished to do.

If there existed even the slightest possibility that tomorrow would leave behind a pleasant memory for Rudeus, then perhaps stepping a little outside of her own comfort zone was not such a difficult thing after all. Compared to everything he had already done, enduring unfamiliar clothes for a single day was hardly something worth complaining about.

And so, with that thought settling her heart, Rein reached for the neatly folded maid uniform she had already prepared for tomorrow, her gaze lingering on it for several moments before she gently shook her head.

Perhaps—

Just this once...

It would be acceptable to try something different.

.

.

.

The day of their date had finally arrived.

Both Rein and Rudeus found themselves strolling through the streets of Fittoa. Rein wore a simple white summer dress tailored in the fashion of the Asuran Kingdom, adorned with delicate red embroidery around the hem and sleeves. It lacked the extravagance expected of a noble, yet suited her so much that it almost seemed as though it had been made specifically for her.

Beside her, Rudeus had likewise put on one of the nicer outfits Sauros had prepared for special occasions, a neat cream-colored shirt paired with tidy brown trousers and polished leather shoes.

As any victim of crushing on someone, despite not wanting to admit it, Rudeus found it hard to speak properly now that he was actually on a date.

It was a worse feeling than looking at a job application back in Japan.

Every time he thought about finally filling one out, he'd end up convincing himself to do it tomorrow instead. Before he knew it, tomorrow had become next week, and next week had become next month.

Until one day, he learned about the predatory practices aimed at young men just beginning their careers in Japan. Instead of encouraging him to try, it only reinforced the belief that he was better off staying where he was.

Fortunately, this was a fantasy world without modern infrastructure. Despite the smell not always being the best here, it was still far better than back there.

Every breath here was filled with fresh air.

And there was so much variety among the people here. There were so many unique fantasy races and so many wonderful sights to see.

This time, he had actually managed to take that first step.

"——I have just remembered something rather amusing."

Breaking the silence, Rein suddenly spoke.

“Would you like to hear about it?”

It was a bit unusual way to begin a conversation, though Rudeus didn't mind it in the slightest. If anything, it seemed Rein simply wanted to ease the lingering awkwardness between them a little, and naturally, he wasn't about to refuse.

“Yeah?”

“Back then, when we were returning from that battle, I forgot about something important that might have saved us a great deal of time.”

“What was it?”

"Thinking back on it, I could have carried the caravan myself and returned by jumping. It likely would've taken far less time."

“Oh?!”

Haha...

That was actually funny.

And completely ridiculous at the same time, do you even realize that!?

"In hindsight, I do wonder… would that have been the better choice?"

“Um…”

Not really. How could you even think of lifting the entire carriage by yourself? Wouldn't it have been incredibly cumbersome and unwieldy? The passengers inside would've probably felt as though they were riding a roller coaster before emptying the contents of their stomachs shortly afterward.

“...Yeah, sure!”

“Then I shall remember that.”

Seeing the hopeful look on Rein's face, crushing it felt like the greatest sin to ever exist, that’s why Rudeus nodded without hesitation. Despite the idea probably not working without its fair share of issues, it was still far too game-breaking of a mechanic.

“But come on, these kinds of solutions are only reserved for cheat-tier characters.”

"Cheat... tier...?"

Tilting her head, Rein slowly repeated the unfamiliar word.

Oops, he'd done it again.

Lately, he had started slipping strange words into conversations far more often than he used to.

“It isn't anything special. It's basically a way of describing someone who's so overpowered they can do things completely outside the realm of common sense.”

Thankful that her curiosity had been satisfied, Rein gave a small nod. Even then, she didn't seem to interpret those words as praise.

"It would appear I have been overestimated then. Lifting heavy objects and running quickly are most of what I can do. I do not believe I am particularly skilled at those... overpowered feats you are referring to."

Without Divine Protections capable of accomplishing what most people would consider miracles, such as walking upon water or traversing the clouds themselves, there really wasn't much she could do to replicate feats like those.

“Eh? Did you already forget about what happened in the sky?”

“That's...”

What Rudeus was referring to was the enormous azure explosion that had illuminated the heavens during Rein's battle against the man called Auber. The spectacle had been so immense that countless people throughout the Fittoa Region, perhaps even nearly everyone living within it, had witnessed it with their own eyes.

….That is, unless someone happened to be asleep at that late hour, it would've been almost impossible to miss.

As a result, the event had gradually become something akin to a local legend.

Those who had seen it spoke of it with certainty.

Those who hadn't dismissed it as little more than an exaggerated rumor.

Without proof, people naturally believed only what they themselves had witnessed. Most common folk were simple farmers who retired early each evening so they could rise with the sun to work the fields, and without something tangible to support such extraordinary claims, stories of a blue light splitting the heavens were destined to remain nothing more than hearsay.

There were no cameras in this world to capture the moment, nor any social media eager to spread such news across the continent, meaning that kingdoms far beyond Fittoa remained blissfully unaware that anything extraordinary had ever taken place.

Even so...

For someone who wished to remain as inconspicuous as possible, making such a spectacle of herself had been rather unlike Rein.

“I wished to honor that order, that’s why...”

As she had explained before, that explosion had never been intended as a display of vanity.

It had been a warning.

A message directed toward whoever stood behind the scenes, or anyone foolish enough to report the outcome back to the one responsible. Rein wanted them to understand exactly what sort of force they had chosen to provoke, believing that only by making her strength unmistakably clear would they think twice before ever attempting something like that again.

She hadn't minded revealing her power.

Not if it meant that no one would make her friends disappear from her sight again.

“…..”

The moment her expression grew somber, Rudeus realized he had stepped on a landmine.

Deciding to change the mood, he walked over to one of the nearby fruit stands and picked up an apple. Knowing his waifu would insist on paying for it herself, he had visited the stall the day before and secretly paid the owner in advance, asking him to simply hand it over when the two of them came by.

The plan worked exactly as intended.

Rein accepted the apple without the slightest suspicion, happily munching away as they continued walking together. Seeing the content look on her face brought a smile to Rudeus's own. She seemed to be rather fond of the fruit itself.

“Do you like apples?”

"Ah... so that is what they are called." Rein looked down at the fruit in her hands. "I do believe them to be pleasant. They are crunchy, sweet, and... red is a nice color, isn't it?"

“——!”

Zukyun!

It was such an innocent response that Rudeus added yet another fatal wound to the ever-growing list inflicted upon his heart. At this rate, there wouldn't be much of it left.

"I suppose a yard filled with apple trees would surely be a sight to behold."

At this point, Rudeus decided it was about time he started taking notes.

Before long, however, his attention was drawn elsewhere.

A customer standing in front of one of the fruit stalls suddenly slammed a piece of fruit onto the ground. The merchant flew into a rage, pointing an accusing finger at the man as the two began arguing loudly enough to draw the attention of the surrounding crowd.

Amidst the commotion, a small child quietly slipped behind the merchant's stall. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, they picked up a small wooden box hidden beneath the counter before attempting to disappear into the crowd.

Rudeus, who had watched the entire exchange unfold from beginning to end, reached the same conclusion as the girl by his side.

"Rein... did they just..."

So many people were struggling to survive in this world.

It was impossible to make everyone happy.

"——Yes." Rein's gaze never left the fleeing child. “It would seem we have just witnessed a classic case of theft.

Yet instead of immediately taking off after the culprit, Rein turned toward Rudeus.

The question in her eyes was unmistakable.

Should I go after them?

It was obvious she didn't want to leave him alone in the middle of their outing. Even now, she was placing his feelings before her own sense of duty.

"Go ahead. Just be careful, okay?"

"——I will."

With that, Rein vanished, seemingly becoming one with the wind.

“…..”

Rudeus watched her disappear without showing his inner conflict. He knew Rein well enough to understand that mountains would sooner uproot themselves than she would be harmed by a handful of common thieves. If even that dangerous clown hadn't managed to lay a finger on her, there was little reason to be concerned now.

As someone who lived by an unwavering sense of duty, asking Rein to ignore something like this would've been unreasonable.

Although he couldn't say he liked it, he pretended for her sake.

More than anything, what lingered in his mind was the way she had looked back at him for permission. It reminded him of a student timidly asking a teacher whether they could leave the classroom to use a restroom. Rather than reassuring him, it left him wondering if Rein felt obligated to stay by his side simply because they were on a date.

"——Young Master! Long time no see!"

"Hm?"

Someone was calling out to him. Turning around, Rudeus recognized one of the merchants who had helped him obtain the books on magic tools and magical enchantments.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot about that. My apologies."

Rein had gone off to deal with the thief, so it wasn't as though anyone would be interrupting their date for the moment. Besides, there were still a few things he wished to discuss with the merchant.

"By the way, thank you very much for delivering my letter to the Boreas family. I'm glad you followed the instructions I left inside it. If not for you, I might've been completely screwed."

"Don't thank me, Young Master. It was merely business on my part. If you wish to become a proper merchant one day, you shouldn't thank people so easily."

It seemed his gratitude had been met with a little resistance. Supposedly, this was another lesson merchants lived by.

"Tha... I mean..."

"I understand what you wished to say. That is enough. More importantly, I have finally managed to obtain the item you asked me to find all those weeks ago, and at quite the commendable price, if I may say so."

"R-Really?!"

No one could possibly know what was going through Rudeus Greyrat's mind at that moment. Judging by the excitement radiating from him, however, it had to be something of the utmost importance.

Inside the merchant's cart rested several pristine white vials adorned with elegant blue patterns and delicate golden ornaments. There was no mistaking them.

"Wooooah! You actually found them!"

This irredeemable piece of trash known as Rudeus Greyrat didn't even bother maintaining his usual politeness anymore. A grin stretched from ear to ear as he stared at the bottles he had spent weeks searching for.

"I'm pleased they lived up to your expectations. So then, what will it be?"

"What will it...? Of course I'm taking the—"

The words never left his mouth.

For reasons he couldn't quite explain, everything that had happened throughout the day resurfaced in his mind.

No, wait.

What is he thinking…

This is something, like, really something.

He had spent weeks searching for these aphrodisiacs, setting money aside whenever he could and asking merchant after merchant to keep an eye out for them. But now that they were right in front of him, he found himself hesitating.

Somehow, every memory from today had been precious in a way entirely unrelated to lust.

"...Sell them."

The merchant sputtered, trying to blink away the sheer shock of this statement.

"Young Master?"

"Sell them. As far away from me as possible before I change my mind."

His heart ached. It had taken so much effort to get this far, and letting go of something he had wanted for so long hurt far more than he cared to admit. Still, some pains were meant to remain. Perhaps, given enough time, even this one would fade until it became nothing more than a bittersweet memory.

"Y-Young Master... are you truly certain? Your eyes appear to be watering. I'd rather not have this weighing on my conscience."

"Just... get them away from me."

Regardless of how one looked at it, the boy before the merchant appeared poised to shatter at any instant. It was as though he were uttering his final farewell to a wife upon her deathbed. To the merchant who bore witness to such a scene, a creeping sense of responsibility settled in his chest, as if he himself had somehow planted the seeds of this desolate reaction.

“But…”

“I beg you, sir!”

Rein had poured sincerity into every word she exchanged with him. The apple had brought a rare, unguarded brightness to her features, and before she gave chase, she had looked back at him with something almost like guilt.

She feared inconveniencing him. For her, their friendship was as fragile as glass, ready to shatter at the smallest mistake.

How could he possibly ignore that?

Doing so would make him out to be nothing but a heartless bastard who only cared about himself.

But that wasn't who he was!

Farewell, my beloved aphrodisiacs. We were never meant to be. O’ Goddess of Justice, forgive this foolish soul for allowing such impure thoughts to cloud his sinful heart. Grant me the strength to cast aside this depravity and cherish what truly matters instead.

That was why he had seen this decision through, painful as it was.

Pressing his palms together, Rudeus offered the most sincere prayer he had ever directed toward that divine deity.

"——I'm back. Hm?”

As though answering that very orison, the girl he worshipped returned and approached from behind.

“Has something happened?”

The moment she noticed the moisture gathering in the corners of his eyes, her own expression became clouded with concern.

"I apologize. So it troubled you after all, didn't it?"

Misinterpreting his tears as her own doing, Rein seemed visibly unsettled, and she was not wholly wrong. But the notion that she alone carried the burden of blame was nothing but a falsehood. No one had forced his hand.

Everything that had led to this moment had been Rudeus Greyrat's choice alone.

"No! I just..." He stammered, not wanting to reveal the real reason behind his overreaction, yet at the same time unwilling to lie to her face. "It's not because of you. Sorry... I made it seem that way."

“Understood…”

The answer came with so little emotion that it left Rudeus with the unpleasant feeling he had only made matters worse. Hoping to ease the awkwardness before it settled any deeper between them, he suggested they visit the fountain in the midst of town, a place famous among both travelers and locals, especially during the sweltering days of summer.

Feeling as though he no longer had the right to take her hand after what had just happened, he simply began walking ahead in silence.

“——"

What Rudeus failed to notice was that Rein had remained rooted to the spot, her eyes fixed upon his retreating figure, carrying an emotion she herself could neither understand nor give a name to before stepping after him.

While manipulating Rein was not outside the realm of possibility, deceiving her or lying to her directly was another matter entirely. Her perception of the world around her was too extraordinary, meaning every subtle change in Rudeus' expression had already been engraved into her memory and pieced together.

As such, after realizing Rudeus had hidden something from her, something that had clearly made him uncomfortable and that he didn't wish for her to know, Rein reached only one conclusion.

In this moment, she had failed to be someone he could confide in.

Rein absentmindedly took another bite of the second apple Rudeus had bought for her. Only moments ago it had tasted wonderfully sweet, yet now all she could perceive was bitterness lingering upon her tongue.

“…..”

Her right hand, which had been hovering uncertainly by her side, began trembling as it searched for something to hold onto, only to instinctively reach her hip and grasp at nothing.

——Ah... that's right.

That which had given her a sense of reassurance was no longer there. The familiar weapon that had kept her grounded had long since disappeared.

When anxiety overtook a person, they instinctively searched for something that could draw their attention away from it. In that regard, Rein and Rudeus were no different. Though each struggled with different worries, both were respectively trying to find their footing once again.

Eventually, they reached the fountain at the center of town. Deciding to rest for a while, they sat down upon one of the nearby benches without exchanging a word. Before long, a stray dog cautiously wandered over, its eyes fixed upon the half-eaten apple still resting in Rein's hand. Watching it for a long moment, she held the remaining piece out to the eager animal.

“Ruff-ruff!”

The dog snatched it from her hand before blithely running off into the bustling streets.

Watching the little creature happily disappear into the crowd, Rudeus felt as though the oppressive atmosphere between them had lightened, if only by a little. He let out a quiet breath. If there was anyone who should take responsibility for what had happened, it was him.

"Hey... I wanted to thank you for agreeing to come here with me today. I really had a lot of fun."

The beginning had certainly been awkward, but before everything fell apart, there had been a moment when being together simply felt... natural. Somehow, without either of them noticing, the uneasiness had disappeared, replaced by a comfort neither had needed to force.

That’s why Rudeus couldn't bring himself to regret any of it. At first he might have been a bit anxious about spending time alone with a girl, but he was glad he hadn't chosen the coward's path and avoided asking Rein out in the first place.

If nothing else...

This was proof that he really was changing by taking this assertive approach.

“——Rudeus.”

Rein smiled with her eyes, but her head said no.

"I believe those words belong to me instead."

A warm look crossed her face.

"You kindly invited me, and you never once made me feel unwelcome. I cannot say I have much experience with outings such as this, yet... I found today to be very enjoyable."

It felt like a long time ago since her last outing like this with Julius and Ferris. It reminded her of the first proper meeting when they had their first drink at the mess hall of the Royal Guards.

This is the next piece that she will hold in her heart and remember for the rest of eternity.

"It is a memory I will treasure."

Staring at her wide-eyed, Rudeus was once again reminded that this was, in fact, reality and not some absurd dream in which he had somehow managed to invite a sweet girl on a date.

Anyone looking at him would've noticed the blush spreading across his face.

"D-Do you really think that?"

Rein answered with a reassuring nod.

On one hand, Rudeus felt like doing backflips. On the other, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was going to wake up at any moment.

"You have already come farther than you believe, is that not so?"

Seeing the disbelief on Rudeus' face, Rein felt he needed someone to reaffirm the resolve he had shown. Not everyone could speak so freely with an old noble lord the way Rudeus had while remaining calm and composed.

“Um, if you're talking about Eris, then nothing has really changed. If anything, it's even worse than before. At this point, I think she probably hates me more than anyone else in the world.”

No matter how one tried to look at it, that conclusion wouldn't change. Eris clearly harbored a great deal of animosity toward him, though strangely enough, he didn't feel particularly hurt by it. It only became bothersome once it started causing actual problems.

Otherwise, he would've simply left things as they were, allowing the situation to remain unchanged.

Had the recent incident involving Tristina never happened, Rudeus would've been perfectly content letting things continue like this indefinitely, if only because Lord Sauros' expectations kept Eris from openly voicing every harsh thought that crossed her mind.

But...

That was no longer true.

“That isn't how it is.”

In response to his bleak outlook, Rein merely smiled. It wasn't a smile born of pity, nor one that sought to reassure him by comparing his experiences to her own. It was simply a gentle expression meant for him alone, encouraging him to ease the burden he had placed upon himself.

“You mustn't speak so dismissively of yourself. More importantly, I wasn't referring to Lady Eris, but to you, Rudeus. To everything you've accomplished since coming here, and to the person you've become along the way. You shouldn’t believe your efforts have gone unnoticed. They deserve far more recognition than you are willing to give yourself.”

Warm as those words were, this wasn't the time to let himself be carried away by them. Beneath Rein's praise, he could clearly sense the implication she was trying to convey. As always, she effortlessly pushed someone else into the spotlight while retreating into the background herself.

“The same could be said about you. You may call yourself nothing more than a maid serving this manor, but you can't honestly believe your role ends with cleaning rooms and preparing meals. Heck, I'd even go as far as to say you're more important than Lord Sauros himself. Even with his uncanny ability to predict when trouble is brewing, I doubt half those problems would've been resolved nearly as quickly if you hadn't been there to help him. In fact, I'm sure of it.”

It was a rather bold statement to make so seriously, especially to the very servant of the lord he had just compared her against. Rein, however, merely remained seated beside him on the bench, absentmindedly swinging her legs while watching the grass beneath their feet, her blue eyes appearing unusually distant, as though they were focused on something far beyond the manor grounds.

Still...

It almost seemed as though Rein found it easier to believe in everyone around her than she ever could in herself.

Why was she so determined to reach that conclusion?

Was it because of her past?

Most likely.

He wanted nothing more than to free her from those thoughts, yet he had absolutely no idea how. Hell, he couldn't even escape his own, so believing he possessed the wisdom to change someone else's felt unbearably arrogant.

“.....”

Rudeus could have sworn the silence was physically pressing down on him, though he secretly hoped he wasn't the only one feeling it.

Then Rein spoke in hushed tones.

"...Truthfully, ever since I was born, I have never believed my existence held any real purpose. Without me... perhaps certain parts of your life, and the lives of others, might have been better."

That was the one truth Rein could never bring herself to deny. If she had never existed, Pride would've never found a reason to burn the entire Kingdom to the ground merely to defeat the Sword Saint.

The same applied for the people she met. It wasn't a surprise anymore that she was like a plague when it came to bringing bad luck upon those she met. Even if she tried her best to resist it, it would be nothing more than a futile struggle against the current.

“——What?”

Those words struck Rudeus like a knife between the ribs.

Not only had Rein failed to realize they sounded almost like the final parting of someone who had already abandoned all hope, but she had spoken them with such sincerity that there wasn't the slightest trace of doubt behind them.

“H-How... how can you possibly believe that?”

He couldn't understand it.

No...

Perhaps he could.

He had once stood in a very similar place himself.

Even so, hearing those words come from Rein of all people felt utterly wrong.

“How... you ask?”

Softly repeating the question to herself, Rein finally looked away from the line of ants crawling through the grass and turned toward him instead, allowing him to meet those calm blue eyes once again.

“It was by my own will that I remained with this noble household. You already know the extent of my strength. I could have left long ago and pursued an entirely different path. I might have become a true knight rather than merely pretending to be one whenever circumstances demanded it, or devoted myself to helping people directly. Had I truly wished to, perhaps fewer lives would've been lost to avalanches, disasters, or those who sought to take them.”

“.....”

To put it another way, she believed remaining here had been the coward's choice.

Running from something greater than herself simply because she feared confronting that reality.

It was only then that Rudeus finally understood.

——It’s still hard to believe, honestly.

The strange sense of familiarity he had felt ever since befriending Rein finally had a name.

She was...

In a way...

A shut-in living within a fantasy world.

The truth was that Rein feared stepping beyond the walls of the manor, yet continued doing so whenever her duties demanded it. If she had been allowed to remain nothing more than an ordinary maid without ever revealing even a fraction of her strength, she would've gladly accepted such a life.

“Ugh… it’s my fault, isn’t it?”

This time it was Rein who looked genuinely confused, prompting Rudeus to hurriedly explain himself.

“It's because of me that you had to reveal your abilities. If I hadn't come up with that kidnapping plan, you probably would've continued hiding them, right?”

“.....”

Her lack of response answered the question more clearly than words ever could.

No person was flawless. Back then, Rein had coldly told him to stay away from her, and while such words would've frightened an ordinary boy his age, Rudeus was a reincarnated man. Rather than taking them at face value, he had stubbornly treated them as another mystery to solve, wanting to understand why she insisted on pushing everyone away despite never truly acting as though she wished to be left alone.

“——Likely yes.”

After a moment of contemplation, Rein admitted as much, further confirming everything he had begun piecing together.

“Ha…”

Without thinking, a chuckle escaped Rudeus's lips.

Seeing Rein furrow her brow in confusion only strengthened his conviction.

During the kidnapping, the very moment Rein realized his life had genuinely been placed in danger, her first instinct hadn't been to fight beside him, but to send him away while she dealt with the kidnappers alone, only for him to stubbornly reject such a proposal. Even before that, she had repeatedly placed his safety above everything else whenever the slightest hint of danger appeared.

No matter how much she tried to deny it, that was simply the kind of person sitting beside him.

Whenever someone precious to her found themselves in danger, not necessarily in the romantic sense but simply someone she cared about, Rein would cast aside every secret she had spent years protecting without the slightest hesitation if it meant ensuring their safety.

“Hey, Rein.”

“Hmm, yes?”

“Why do you do everything Lord Sauros asks of you?”

“——?”

Watching her become increasingly puzzled caused the corners of his mouth to rise on their own. Without even realizing it, Rudeus was wearing one of the few completely genuine smiles he had shown since reincarnating in this world.

"Well... you've gone to such lengths to leave me this bewildered. It would only be proper for me to answer you sincerely."

After saying that, Rein lowered her gaze as though carefully arranging her thoughts before she continued.

“To put it simply, I was entrusted with this responsibility, and I intend to honor the trust that was placed in me.”

By this responsibility, she undoubtedly meant serving as the sword of the Boreas household, even to the point of openly introducing herself before their enemies and fighting battles in their name without ever seeking recognition for doing so.

“——As I thought... becoming your friend was the best choice.”

The words left his mouth so naturally that Rudeus didn't even realize what he had just said until after they were spoken.

Rein, meanwhile...

Simply froze.

A faint blush slowly spread across her cheeks, her usually composed expression overtaken by such complete surprise that it took several long moments before she could even begin processing what she had just heard.

The reason behind such a reaction wasn't difficult to understand.

Compliments about her appearance would've accomplished nothing. Grand gestures or flowery words would've likely embarrassed her more than anything else.

What reached Rein wasn't empty flattery, nor carefully rehearsed kindness offered with the expectation of receiving something in return.

It was simple sincerity.

Someone she grew to treasure had looked straight at her and declared, with complete confidence, that becoming her friend had been one of the happiest decisions of his life.

To Rein who had spent years believing her own existence brought little but trouble to those around her...

Such words carried a weight far greater than Rudeus himself could possibly comprehend.

Though she recognized the kindness woven into his words and could see the faith he placed in them, yet believing them felt like reaching for something just beyond her grasp. They sounded so distant, so alien, that her mind refused to accept them.

“That was...”

For perhaps the first time in a while, Rein found herself at a complete loss for words.

——Speechless.

That was the best way to put it.

Being teased in such a fond manner, Rein shook her head, trying to keep her composure as she resumed smiling, though this time it no longer felt like something she had consciously chosen.

It had simply appeared on its own.

That unconscious smile looked far happier than any Rudeus had seen from her all day.

Even him, Rudeus, who didn’t know the full secret of her circumstances, could tell that his words had made her very happy.

“——"

It was even more adorable when Rein muttered something, then glanced back at him, with her eyebrows raised in unconcealed surprise, before looking away and doing the same thing again moments later

It was just such a cute reaction!

One so impactful that he found himself sharing the blush that had started with her. All his perverse thoughts had vanished momentarily, leaving him utterly lost in this newfound weakness.

Looking back on the day, Rudeus realized something.

At some point, without him even noticing...

The date had stopped being about what he wanted to gain.

It had become about making sure Rein enjoyed herself.

“——I’m glad.”

That felt like far greater progress than anything he had achieved with magic.