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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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It was a coincidence.
He was simply passing by.
He hadn’t even glanced in that direction initially.
“Guards, what happened here?”
Someone asked.
“There will be an official announcement from the royal family soon. Move along.”
However, someone’s insatiable curiosity prompted them to question the soldiers further.
Only then did the sight of the partially destroyed mansion, from the entrance to the main building, capture my attention, piquing my interest.
And that coincidence led to an unexpected discovery.
The moment he spotted it, the man, his robe billowing, hurried towards the mansion.
“Excuse me”
He announced, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
The soldiers, initially frowning as if confronted by a madman, snapped to attention and parted, but the man paid them no mind.
His focus was elsewhere, his surroundings fading into insignificance.
Even those conducting the investigation inside, initially casting curious glances, stepped aside without protest upon seeing the man’s robe and face.
With an intense blue gaze, he ascended to the second floor, reaching what had once been Envelde’s office.
He addressed a flustered investigator.
“Was this a demon attack?”
“No, sir. The details are not yet public, but demons were not involved.”
The investigator bowed, suppressing the urge to add, ‘If demons were involved, we would have summoned you, not the other way around.’
He was merely a field investigator, while the man before him was a renowned authority on demonology and a powerful mage who oversaw the royal library.
Surprise flickered across the man’s previously impassive face.
“Who is in charge of this investigation?”
“Duke Lesrom of the Noble Council, sir.”
“Thank you.”
Without hesitation, the man strode out of the mansion, his pace almost a run.
He then cast a spell and took to the sky.
Flying within the capital was a serious offense, but the man disregarded the law.
He had potentially stumbled upon a clue to something far more important.
Duke Lesrom, however, frowned as he watched the unexpected visitor arrive through his window.
“Your use of flight magic suggests this is urgent, but couldn’t you have used the door? It’s hardly a formal way to make an appearance after years of absence.”
“A waste of time.”
The man replied curtly.
He appeared at least twenty years younger than Lesrom, yet his informal speech seemed perfectly natural.
Even Lesrom merely shook his head, refraining from reprimanding him.
“Yes, it’s been a while since I’ve heard that. What brings you here?”
“Envelde Bosha’s mansion. Who did this?”
“…Why do you ask?”
Was there a connection between the man and Envelde?
Lesrom knew of none.
Had something piqued his interest at the scene?
That seemed unlikely.
His old friend was a recluse, obsessed with demons and magic, his aging magically suppressed.
He lived in the library or wandered the world, his interest piqued only by matters related to magic, not swordsmen like Envelde and Eldmia.
“An apprentice.”
“Hmm?”
“I once considered taking an apprentice. Remember?”
“I do. That was ten years ago. It was the first and last time you mentioned such a thing. I haven’t forgotten. Didn’t you say he died?”
Lesrom remembered it well.
It was the only time he’d seen a genuine, albeit faint, smile on his usually stoic friend’s face.
He also remembered his friend’s profound despair upon returning from fulfilling a promise.
Now, his old friend, his eyes alight with a vitality Lesrom hadn’t seen in years, replied,
“He might be alive. Tell me. Who did this?”
Suppressing the urge to massage his temples, Lesrom carefully chose his words.
“Is his name, by any chance, Eldmia?”
Before he could elaborate, a sharp pain pierced his head.
His friend, after years of wandering, had returned, bringing another storm with him.
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“Achoo!”
“Oh? Egga, have you caught a cold?”
“Just a sudden itch in my nose.”
I considered the possibility, but I felt no other symptoms.
I hadn’t had a cold since being reborn, and it would be rather disappointing to break that streak now.
“We’re almost there. I’ll give you some medicine when we arrive. It’s not exactly cold medicine, but it warms you up and helps you sleep. It’s surprisingly effective.”
Rellie, smiling, pointed to a building in the distance.
I recognized it.
“Is that supposed to be a squirrel?”
“Haha, your reaction tells me you’ve seen it before.”
I remembered it well.
I thought.
‘Is that a mutated hell-badger?’
That squirrel… the sign maker had clearly never seen a real squirrel.
Despite the bizarre sign, the inn itself looked decent, both inside and out.
I’d often glanced at it as I passed by.
“Thinking about it, wouldn’t it have been easier to ask Yekaterina to help you carry all this?”
“If I asked her for help, she’d use it as an excuse to make me exercise. ‘Rellie, as a friend, I’m worried. If you struggle to carry this, your daily life must be difficult. Let’s exercise together tomorrow.’ That’s what she’d say.”
Rellie’s imitation of Yekaterina was spot-on, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
Her vocabulary was surprisingly sophisticated.
Perhaps Yekaterina was a secret scholar?
“You’re quite muscular yourself, Egga.”
“I’ve trained a bit. I thought my clothes hid it well, though.”
I’d trained more than “a bit.”
My physique was the culmination of years of dedicated effort in this life.
Still, I opted for modesty.
“Ah, you wouldn’t notice, would you? During fights, your back muscles practically rip through your clothes.”
“Pfft. Really?”
“Yes, really. I thought, ‘If we stood side-by-side, our enemies would wet themselves.’”
Yekaterina was indeed intimidating.
I remembered the dungeon and the mercenaries in the forest.
“You’re definitely menacing, even just standing there with your arms crossed.”
“That applies to you as well, you know?”
“I know. I use it to my advantage.”
I joked as we entered the inn.
Unlike the bustling street outside, the inn’s lobby was quiet.
Our companions were seated at a table, seemingly having just ordered lunch.
“Oh? How did you bring Eldmia here?”
“A remarkable coincidence. I ran into him on the way. He was asking about the inn for the dinner invitation, so I brought him along.”
Rellie answered as she placed the bags near Yekaterina, who stared at me, wide-eyed.
I greeted the others, and Ginh stroked his beard.
“At this point, I’d say it’s fate.”
“This is why I love being an adventurer.”
Ginh and Gaendal’s cheerful banter was heartwarming.
If it weren’t for those damned demons, I would have been adventuring with them.
The thought was bittersweet.
“So, if he was asking about the inn, that means he accepted the invitation?”
“I’m always happy to join, but I need to check with my sister. I’ll visit soon.”
“That’s good enough! Stay for lunch! It’ll be here soon. We ordered a while ago!”
I’d just seen the server take their order, but I couldn’t refuse their enthusiastic invitation.
Yekaterina wasn’t the only one offering a seat.
I sat down.
We chatted while waiting for the food, answering similar questions to the ones Rellie had asked earlier.
The conversation eventually circled back to the Dragonblood Clan.
“Hahaha! It’s like a local folktale in Luvril. Not many people know about it. That friend of yours must be quite knowledgeable.”
“He said he fought on the demon front, so maybe he saw them firsthand.”
“Oh, really? He must be quite skilled then.”
“I thought so too, but he wasn’t very impressive.”
Unlike the others, who laughed heartily, Rellie, having heard my earlier account, now understood why I hadn’t received a proper explanation.
She simply looked at me knowingly.
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[EXCUSE ME WTF???????? YOU VANT JUST GLOSS OVER THAT YOU ASSHOLE WRITER. BIGGEST CALLBACK OF THE CENTURY]
HIS MASTER IS BACK?! THIS SOON!!!!
TYFTC!