Defeating Bunta was great, but the sense of exhaustion that followed was quite serious.
Maybe it was because it had been a while since I activated my magic power like this.
I thought it would be fine to use it, but cutting through armor seemed to be a bit of a stretch.
Just as I was barely managing to stand while holding onto my sword, someone came over to support me.
“Looks like you might’ve overdone it. Did you want to catch my eye that badly?”
Adele asked with a playful smile. I can’t deny that I wanted to catch her attention.
At the very least, I thought I should show enough to earn her support.
As I awkwardly smiled, she patted my shoulder and sent a bit of magic power towards me.
Making sure others wouldn’t notice, I looked at Adele with just enough magic power to stabilize myself.
Adele lightly touched her finger to her lips and pulled away from me.
As if to say she didn’t really need to say anything, I nodded to her gesture and gazed at her silently.
“I never thought you’d defeat Bunta, but I still think you’re the most skilled among my lieutenants. Though you sometimes get a little too excited,” she said.
“It was a close call. If it had gone on longer, I would have lost,” I replied.
“Don’t say that in front of Bunta. It’s better to tease him about not being able to fight.”
I knew Bunta’s personality well.
If I acted humble, he would only get angrier, so it was better to just say he couldn’t fight.
His pride was too firmly established, so it would probably be best to avoid extending a hand to Bunta as he sulked.
Just then, I heard the sound of my sword breaking under the strain of magic.
I stared blankly at the blade crumbling, then dropped the remaining hilt and chuckled softly.
I thought it would hold at least once, but at this rate, I’d need to get a new sword.
“I remember my sword being intact,” I said.
“It’s not an ordinary sword, is it? Anyway, looks like I need to find a replacement,” she said.
Adele shook her head. She said it wasn’t necessary, then added with a faint smile.
“There’s no need to get a new one. You can just charge it to me.”
“What do you mean, surely—”
“I’m about to take on the role of your lieutenant, so I can’t get you just one little sword? Don’t worry about that.”
With her chest puffed out like it was something to brag about, Adele leaned in and whispered to me.
“Believe it or not, I have quite a bit of money.”
“…Is that so?”
I couldn’t figure out how to respond, so all I could do was nod in agreement.
It was just like her to subtly brag about having money.
Then again, if that changed, it would be rather strange.
#
Once things wrapped up reasonably well, all I had left to do was lie in my room and pass the time.
Even though I became Adele’s lieutenant, my official appointment would come a little later,
and since my actions would take place after the immigrant tribe’s subjugation, I had some leisure time now.
“…No response.”
I tried to contact Miragen, but there was no sign of her responding.
I thought she must be busy in her own way, but she had the audacity to come all the way to the Northwest without any plans.
I advised her not to act recklessly and to prioritize her safety in uncertain situations, so I figured she would at least take care of herself.
The immigrant tribes in the North are far more brutal.
It was Adele who unified this lawless land, creating some semblance of order,
where normally it wouldn’t be strange for the immigrant tribes to hang people up on display by now.
Miragen must have known this, yet I can’t help but wonder if she was overthinking her position more than I realized.
Exhales deeply.
The sigh that slipped out was due to the sense of powerlessness swirling in my mind.
That’s why I don’t often grasp a sword.
When I believed I could do everything with a sword, I ended up accomplishing nothing and repeatedly facing death.
By the time I was called a master swordsman and gained enlightenment, I felt confident I could achieve anything.
Just by picking up a sword, I could easily take down several knights; surely no assassin could kill me, right?
Thus, I thought death was far removed from me.
Back then, I was also on good terms with Yuria, and my relationship with Teresa or the princess was fine as well.
Whatever crisis might arise, I believed I could overcome it.
Even if accusations of betrayal surfaced, I thought it would be as simple as running away; that was my mistake.
As I repeatedly faced death, I realized one thing.
There continued to be things I didn’t know, and unexpected variables would pop up.
If it was simply because I was too foolish to think it through, I wouldn’t find it so strange,
but every time I faced the same situation, odd circumstances would inevitably arise.
For instance, Yuria’s insanity worsening, or Teresa quickly exposing her true colors and pulling off unexpected schemes.
The reason I cut ties with Teresa a bit faster this life was to eliminate such variables.
No matter what kind of variable it became, it didn’t matter anymore.
Even if I ended up killing Teresa, I wouldn’t have any regrets left, but I’d only need to remain vigilant against how my life bizarrely twisted each time.
Living a hundred lives wasn’t insignificant.
A talentless person could become a master swordsman; someone who was just a fool could achieve great things.
Three hundred years, if I converted the life I’ve lived into time, that’s about what it adds up to.
Yet even so, I couldn’t twist my fate.
I wasn’t simply living to avoid death.
I lived to gain trust, hoping that those who had already twisted wouldn’t remain so.
At least until the last life, I kept the hope that Yuria and Teresa might repent.
Surviving the accusations of betrayal wasn’t my main concern; that sentiment remained unchanged.
Survival was not my goal.
No matter how ugly it was, I lived simply to earn trust.
As much as I believed in them, I hoped they would believe in me as well.
All I wished was for them to step forward for me when I was in the most dangerous situation.
…Of course, I had completely let go of such expectations now.
I was in a state where I had completely abandoned the era.
However, the question I held was why my death had not changed at all.
As if it were predetermined, as if it were unavoidable.
Every time I thought I was close to success, hope would always crumble in an instant,
so throughout my life, I had never let my guard down.
Even now, it was the same.
Am I doing well right now?
Even if the direction I’m heading is different from before, can I really extend my sword towards the Crown Prince’s neck?
That remained uncertain.
Should I have lived for myself? I briefly looked up at the ceiling as that question suddenly crossed my mind.
Perhaps that could have been the easiest way to avoid death.
If I had thought of people as tools and used them, discarding them if necessary, I might have been able to stop the reincarnation from happening long ago.
But then, how would that be different from Yuria?
As I began the 101st cycle, what I thought about wasn’t to live for myself.
I simply wished for eternal death; I only wanted to mark the endpoint of this reincarnation that I started.
Thus, I ponder. Have I done well until now?
Even though I can’t say I’m completely satisfied, it is certain that I’m moving in the direction I was thinking.
I just have to keep moving like this.
Even though living to die wasn’t that pleasant, death would be the best conclusion for me.
Just as I was about to close my eyes and clear my mind, I suddenly felt a vibration from the artifact I had tucked in my chest.
I thought it might be Miragen contacting me, but the voice that came through was unexpected.
“Ah… can you hear me? They said Lord Taylor would receive this.”
The slightly cautious voice belonged to Adrian.
As I wondered why I was hearing her voice, I remained still for a moment, and then suddenly, Miragen’s loud voice could be heard next to her.
They must be together.
If it was Miragen, she likely went out with the intention of meeting up, but I never thought they would go all the way to the Northwest.
However, it seemed they weren’t in the Northwest; I could hear Miragen talking about the Magic Tower from behind.
If it was the Magic Tower… it would be likely I could hear Adrian’s voice.
The Moon Tower and the Magic Tower are relatively close, so if they were at the Magic Tower, they could use this artifact to relay their voices remotely.
“It doesn’t seem like you are in the Northwest. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Oh, it is indeed Lord Taylor! I was surprised that Miragen said she would connect the artifact, and then it turned out to be you.”
“Did Her Highness the Princess say that… I was surprised you traveled all the way to the Northwest, but it seems you continue to surprise me in various ways.”
“Hahaha, Miragen tends to be a bit like that. I honestly think it’s great; having those traits means it’s always fun when we’re together.”
When it comes to fun, there’s no woman like Miragen.
She always managed to turn things upside down with unexpected ideas, and I laughed quite a lot when I was with her.
After talking a bit about Miragen, Adrian then asked about my well-being.
“By the way, I heard you went to the North. It must have been hard adjusting after being near the capital, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Thankfully, the Grand Duke is taking good care of me, so I’m managing without any discomfort.”
“I’m doing well.”
– Ah, it seems the Grand Duke is taking good care of you. That’s a relief.
Adrian continued with a slightly darker voice than earlier, but then brightened up with a smile.
– Miragen is also in the Northwest right now; do you happen to know that?
“I do know, but aren’t you together? I thought I heard a voice.”
– That’s coming from the crystal next to me. Miragen needs to tell me how to connect the artifacts.
Somehow, that meant Adrian was in the capital, but Miragen was still in the Northwest. If Adrian were also there, it would have been a real headache. For some reason, Adrian and Adele didn’t get along, so if they were together, who knew what kind of mess could happen.
“By the way, I didn’t know you would contact me like this, Saintess.”
– Ah, I asked you to call me something else instead of Saintess. Did you forget…?
After pausing thoughtfully at that cautious question, I remembered what I had heard before. She had wanted me to call her by name. However, addressing a saint by name was quite a tricky business. Someone might misunderstand if they found out. Still, I couldn’t ignore her request, so I carefully opened my mouth after a moment.
“Then, can I call you Adrian?”
– Yes, that sounds great. Can we say we’re a bit more comfortable with each other now?
“I think calling you Robert would also be acceptable. In fact, calling you this way is a bit rude, isn’t it?”
As soon as I said that, there was a long silence over the artifact. Occasionally, faint sounds like “Ro- Ro-” could be heard, but after a while, when I called his name, Adrian’s voice followed again.
– Ah, yes. I’m listening. Ro- no, Lord Taylor.
“If it’s difficult, you can just call me comfortably. I had no intention of forcing you.”
– I’m sorry. I’m just not used to calling others by their names.
It was only natural that it felt awkward between us since I had known Miragen since childhood, but Adrian and I were still getting to know each other. It was a strange situation where I called the saint by her name while she called me Lord Taylor. But what did it matter? As this relationship progressed, it was undeniable that every encounter was moving in a better direction.
Just as I was chuckling and continuing the conversation, a voice came from beyond the door. It was Adele’s voice, which had disappeared earlier, leaving me alone in the room.
“Robert, it’s about time for you to come now.”
“I understand. I’ll be out soon.”
It was probably regarding the completion of my appointment as lieutenant. As I answered Adele and began to wrap things up, a chilly voice came from the artifact.
– …You’re calling by name?
“Yes?”
– No, I just heard a woman’s voice earlier, calling you by your name. I can’t help but wonder if I misheard.
Saying that, Adrian chuckled lightly and then spoke with an even colder tone than before, his lips quivering. It was still a soft voice, but the feeling sent a chill down my spine for no good reason.
– Can I know the whole story?
With that gentle threat, I had no choice but to open my mouth.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
