Thunk,
I stare at the drops of water falling onto the beaker.
Colorful potions splashing on the green liquid, an alchemist’s day was nothing special.
Even if my intention wasn’t really focused on alchemy, making and selling potions paid pretty well.
“Ahem… I’m so sleepy.”
For some reason, sleep eluded me today, keeping me up until this early morning without lying down on the bed.
The noise of the full moon festival was the problem; it was unbearably loud.
Earlier, a firework went off and knocked over one beaker.
That one beaker could have made several potions. I frowned at the wasted gold.
Thanks to my unusually petite figure, moving around wasn’t easy either.
If someone saw me, they might think I’m around 12 years old.
Jay, with her hair tied behind her, tidied it up once more and hopped off the chair to pick up the shard of glass from the floor.
I thought I had picked up all of them earlier, but I must have missed one.
Through the open window, I could see the moon, and Jay rubbed her eyes and sighed.
It was time to sleep. Tomorrow I would leave this city and head south.
This fugitive life would soon come to an end, right?
On one hand, I felt at ease, but on the other hand, anxiety bubbled up within me.
Could anything happen on this last day?
“I’ll think about it in the morning. If they found me, I’d be dead already.”
If my pursuers had figured it out, I would have been killed long ago.
But for now, it seemed fine.
Besides, with so many people around, if someone suspicious popped up, they’d surely catch the attention of the patrol.
Thunk, as the festival’s lights slowly dimmed, the area where Jay lived fell into darkness.
Calmness settled in.
A silence where no sounds could be heard, only the soft sound of breathing echoed in the dark.
Jay, lying on the bed, surrendered to the coming sleep.
The once bright light faded away, revealing stars little by little in the dawn.
The moon was hidden behind clouds, only a hazy light spread like fog in the streets.
…Within that, a shadow began to move.
#
Shaking off Adele was quite easy.
Still hung over from the fireworks, I just said I had a place to drop by and slipped away quickly.
And now, I was heading in the direction where I remembered Jay lived after getting a weapon.
Swinging the sword in my hand, a heavy sensation pulsed through my arm.
Of course, this body wasn’t used to holding a sword.
Was it because I had never held a sword in this life?
That made perfect sense since it was a body that had never held one before, but it didn’t matter that much.
I had tackled enemies without a weapon before.
Sure, it was a close call, but the experiences already ingrained would definitely help me deal with those assailants.
I might be able to handle them barehanded now. I didn’t want to take that gamble, though.
“They should still be alive.”
Jay always got attacked around the same time.
After the fireworks ended, when the people were completely scattered and the lights were going out.
There were still a few streetlights left.
If I checked the time, it was about 1 AM.
Seeing a few drunk people around gave me plenty of breathing room.
As I walked through the alley, I couldn’t help but think of Adele, whom I had left alone.
I had tried to avoid the North as much as possible, yet it seemed I had to stop by at least once.
I could just give a warning about the betrayal charge there.
Then, the grudge I have could be neatly resolved too.
Anyway, she was a woman completely different from what I knew.
When we were together before, she was just the cold and occasionally cruel Grand Duke of the North.
In this life… she was more like a whirlwind.
I couldn’t just leave her thinking I’d hurt her feelings. I was taken aback by her intensity and couldn’t bring myself to refuse.
I had a vague idea of what she thought of me.
It was probably a question about my actions being completely different from the rumors.
But that was all; any interest she expressed was clearly born from curiosity.
I never imagined I’d get tangled up not once, but twice, and that she would come here in person instead of not going to the North last time.
It means just one visit wouldn’t end the matter.
If I went and played along, her interest would probably wane.
This connection ends here.
Getting deeply entangled with a woman who could lose her life due to the false charge of betrayal was never a good idea. I’d have to postpone death until I could cut off the Crown Prince’s lifeline.
Lost in thought for a while, I realized that the lights around me were fading one by one.
Soon, when all the lights were completely snuffed out, this city would sink back into darkness.
That would be the moment for me to move. I hide my body.
So that no one realizes I’m here.
Jay’s residence was the building directly above my head.
It was an ordinary place for an alchemist, but inside, it would be filled with extraordinary items.
Usually, she sold potions and herbs at a general store, but in reality…
She was a woman who could be called the best informant in the Empire.
No, perhaps it’s even questionable to call her a woman.
Due to her twisted magic from birth, she probably had the body of a mere child.
That’s why she couldn’t handle such an ambush. Her abilities were purely non-combat related.
What I learned about the Crown Prince’s actions was largely thanks to Jay’s help.
Using illusions to infiltrate… even with an explanation, it was a hard ability to grasp,
but it was undeniable that she was crucial in every instance.
I felt relieved that I had learned various things in my past lives.
Being able to wield a sword and calmly think about the situation during an ambush was all thanks to my previous experiences.
While others might see me as just a childish young man, within me is a cunning serpent that has lived for hundreds of years.
Most of the actions were predictable, and I wouldn’t make mistakes if I understood.
Thus, I could be confident once more.
Alchemist Jay would survive, and this time, I would cut off the Crown Prince’s lifeline with my own hands.
As I closed my eyes, the feeble magic power within me began to resonate with the surroundings.
It penetrated the darkness, drawing faint threads to envelop the area.
Claiming space like a spider’s web while simultaneously sensing the movements around me, applying my magic.
Although I didn’t have a lot of magic, I had mastered its use better than anyone else.
Time has that effect.
Even if I didn’t set my mind to it, time naturally evolved these techniques.
I could sense the presence even if I didn’t touch the threads.
As I surveyed the surroundings, I could still feel a few drunken passersby stumbling around.
Among them, one of them would likely be the attacker.
Just like before, my gaze remained fixed on those people.
…But that focus was soon shattered.
It was because I sensed a presence that shouldn’t have been here at this time.
A cold magic power flowed through the threads, sending shivers down my spine.
It felt like something was intensely and violently angry, making my body tremble.
“What on earth is this person doing here?”
Adele Igrit.
I couldn’t grasp why I was sensing her presence.
Alongside her, I also felt the presence of several people.
Revolving around, scattering and gathering, it seemed like someone was looking for something.
When I detected something strange and spread the threads, suddenly Adele’s magic reacted strongly.
“I’ve been caught.”
Perhaps she realized someone was sensing the surroundings with magic.
But she didn’t know that it was my magic.
Should I pull back? After pondering this repeatedly, I shook my head and accepted the situation.
Given how things were, it would be difficult to withdraw my body.
However, moving hastily wasn’t an option either, seeing as Jay was about to be ambushed.
So, I stood quietly in place, waiting as Adele approached from beyond.
Upon seeing my face, she looked slightly surprised, but then furrowed her brows and began to glare at me.
“…You were here. I thought you’d run away, so why are you in a place like this?”
“I mentioned it earlier, didn’t I? I have urgent matters to attend to.”
“I never thought your urgent matters would involve hiding in a place like this. Robert, do you perhaps have a hobby of spying on other people?”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
With a swish, her drawing sword brought a cold glint to her eyes.
She probably wasn’t pleased that I had lied to her and that she had been deceived.
But she wasn’t a woman who would simply draw her sword for such a thing.
I could be making a hasty judgment, but one thing was certain: I was quite intriguing to her.
The reason she drew her sword wasn’t just because she was angry… but perhaps it was to demand an explanation of why I was here.
Adele Igrit’s character was quite straightforward.
As she pleased, as her heart dictated.
But I couldn’t predict that animalistic intuition of hers, so she must have realized something was amiss here.
This was the first time someone other than me would know about this matter.
Though I had tried as much as possible not to speak of it. Still, I felt I could trust Adele…
Though she might not remember, she had once been my comrade in arms.
“Someone is going to die here today.”
At that, her arm froze in place.
Still in a stance to point her sword at me, Adele narrowed her eyes and asked,
“Someone?”
“Yes. If we don’t stop it, it will become an incident by tomorrow, and everyone will know.”
“So you came to prevent that. Alright, I understand.”
After a moment of thought, she nodded and lowered her sword.
It was such an unexpected reaction that I was the one who felt flustered.
I had braced myself, thinking she would ask how I knew or who would die.
Her expression, as if relieved, seemed to indicate the questions were over.
Then, as I stared blankly at her, Adele let out a small chuckle and sheathed her sword, opening her mouth.
“I don’t know why you’re making that face. Are you moved because I’m not killing anyone?”
“Aren’t you going to ask anything?”
“Why should I?”
As if that was an obvious thing, she replied casually and continued.
The man beside her only smiled wryly, as if he expected this all along.
He simply laughed emptily as if he knew everything.
He already knew who it was. Adele’s strategist with glasses, undoubtedly Lothos.
“Everyone has secrets. Judging by the fact that you didn’t say it outright, it must be something of that nature. I don’t intend to find out every little detail. If you’re looking to leave a woman like me alone, then… it must be something quite extraordinary, Duke Taylor.”
Her tone sounded almost accusatory, but it was clear she wasn’t taking it too seriously.
Was I just tense for no reason?
As I let out a sigh of relief, Lothos beside me smugly glanced at Adele.
“Did you just come looking out of concern? We didn’t even know who Robert was, and then it turned into a frenzy when he went missing—ugh. At least I’m glad we found him.”
“Shut up. Unless you want to die early.”
When Adele shot back, Lothos promptly closed his mouth and clutched his neck.
Nothing had changed at all. Well, I’ve witnessed this kind of situation dozens of times.
Lothos getting cocky and nearly dying, and Adele drawing her sword and causing a ruckus.
I felt a laugh bubbling up at the familiar situation, but I stifled my expression and looked at Adele.
She seemed to be a bit concerned about what Lothos had just said.
Glancing at me, she quickly averted her gaze and added,
“…I wasn’t worried or anything. Just disappeared and got found.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s best not to listen to this bonehead beside me. It won’t be of any help, trust me. Remember that when you come to the North later.”
I realized she was trying to address her own embarrassment.
I nodded as if I understood, and Adele quietly stared at me before turning her head away.
With this, it seemed increasingly unlikely that I could avoid going to the North.
So I nodded, and Adele scanned the surroundings before speaking up.
Thinking about it, I realized there was only one fire left lit around us. Soon, it meant an attack on Jay was imminent.
“But if you want to prevent someone from dying, can you really do that all by yourself? If it’s okay, we can help. We have a lot of experience with such things.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but this is something I need to resolve myself. If there’s something I need…”
Just then, I caught sight of Adele’s sword.
A sword far better than what I had now, one that wouldn’t break no matter how much I swung it.
If I accepted help, things might get tangled because of her presence.
But borrowing a single item shouldn’t be a problem.
“Could I borrow the sword you have?”
“The sword…? I don’t mind, but isn’t it true you’ve never held a sword before?”
“That’s how it was said.”
After a brief hesitation, Adele eventually handed me the sword and said, looking puzzled,
It was true; I had mentioned before that I had no interest in swords in our last meeting.
This time around, I had hardly ever held or swung a sword.
“But I never said I couldn’t handle it.”
Creak, it was an old sword, which is why I hadn’t been able to do it.
The magic power surged from my heart, flowing through my arm and into the sword.
As a blue flash erupted from the darkness, Adele stared blankly at the scene.
Of course, it was nothing unusual for me. The light slicing through the shadows was merely a normal occurrence for me, who had lived through so many cycles.
There was a time when I had to rely solely on the sword to survive.
Thus, I couldn’t help but be familiar with swords in my 101st cycle as well.
I got so tired of swinging it.
The title of Sword Saint had been a nickname that clung to me in one of my past cycles.
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