Damn Reincarnation

re because he just can’t tolerate my existence; then, when his move fails, I can take action.”

“…,” Kristina silently processed this.

“The Holy Empire might really be innocent in all this, in which case I don’t want you to get involved in this,” Eugene explained.

Kristina silently stared at Eugene.
She then rubbed her stiff cheeks with her hands and took a few deep breaths.

With her usual smile back on her face, Kristina spoke up, “Sir Eugene.”

“What?” Eugene asked.

Kristina accused, “Could it be that you’re suspicious of me?”

“I’m not,” Eugene gave his honest response.
“Barang wanted to kill both of us, you and me alike.
Though, well, he might have just been saying that and perhaps he only wanted to kill me.”

“…,” Kristina stayed silent as Eugene continued.

“However, is there any need for me to suspect you? What reason would you have for fucking with me like this? Well, you might have your reasons, but would you really use such a cumbersome method to do so?” Eugene pointed out.
“You accompanied me to the elven domain, and you also saw Lady Sienna while we were there.
Before that, you were traveling with me all that time.
And when I was bedridden for a few days, you even nursed me.”

“…So that’s why you’re not suspicious of me?” Kristina eventually asked.

“What, do you want me to suspect you? Do you really not trust me when I say that I trust you?” Eugene asked sarcastically.

“…Not at all,” Kristina said with a smile as she shook her head.
“It’s just… it surprises me.”

“You really do get surprised by the strangest things,” Eugene scoffed.
“In any case, I’m going to Aroth alone.
Even if you stubbornly insist on following me, I won’t let you come with me.”

“…Then what should I do? Is it really alright for me to just stay here and wait for you to return, Sir Eugene?” Kristina asked reluctantly.

“Nope,” Eugene said as he leaned forward to peer closely at Kristina.
“I’m not familiar with the circumstances of the Holy Empire.
It’s also difficult for me to dig into such matters.
However, you should find it easier than I would.”

“…Haha,” Kristina let out a small laugh as she shook her head.
“Indeed, it seems like Sir Eugene really does trust me.”

Kristina wasn’t foolish enough to take what she heard for granted.
She understood that Eugene was drawing a line in the sand.
Without her crossing that line to meet him, it would be impossible for them to gain complete trust in each other.

In the end, he was asking her to choose carefully.
Would she remain a Saint whose loyalty belonged to the Holy Empire? Or would she follow her God’s revelation and truly accompany the Hero?

“It might be difficult for me to achieve a result that matches Sir Eugene’s expectations,” Kristina warned.

“I don’t expect much,” Eugene reassured her.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll do my best to meet your low expectations,” Kristina said, then she pulled over a pen and some paper that had been set aside on a nearby table.

Once she was done writing, Eugene read the paper he was handed and asked, “…Rohanna Celles? Who’s this?”

“She’s a friend that I made while I was still living in the monastery,” Kristina explained.

Eugene double-checked the name that was written on the paper and the address given below it.

Kristina continued, “In the end, I was carried off by Cardinal Rogeris while Rohanna remained in the monastery.
Even after that, we continued to exchange letters, and we’ve also met up a few times since then to spend some time together.”

“So you’re saying that we can trust her?” Eugene confirmed.

“Yes.
I’ll contact you through her, and I will try to send you a letter at least once a month.”

“What if a letter doesn’t reach me within a month?”

“That will never happen,” Kristina replied with a smirk

* * *

Back in Aroth, the scenery of this magic kingdom felt more familiar and welcoming to Eugene than Gidol, the town where he had been born and raised.

‘Well, it makes sense.
Ever since I was adopted into the main family, I’ve never once returned to Gidol.’

Within the grand frame of the Kiehl Empire, Eugene’s birthplace, Gidol, was pretty much as deep in the countryside as one could go.
It had fields, mountains, rice paddies, and not much else.
There was a town there, but frankly speaking, it was a backward town that could barely be compared to the shabby trade cities found in Samar.

Just like when Eugene had first come to Pentagon three years ago, one of the guides came up to him.

“Are you a tourist? Welcome to Pentagon, the capital of Aro….” As he was speaking, the guide suddenly trailed off, his eyes widening into circles.

He recognized Eugene by his gray hair and the furry cloak that was wrapped around his body.
There was no reason why he wouldn’t be able to recognize him, either.
Eugene had only left Aroth a few months back.

The guide gaped as he thought, ‘It’s Eugene Lionheart.’

If you wanted to work as a guide in Aroth, you needed to know all the stories going around the city; especially whimsical stories that were sure to delight the ears of the tourists.

The stories spread about Eugene were of such weight that it seemed like they would never fall into the trivial category.

Eugene was the descendant of a great hero.
His adoption into the main family was an unprecedented event for the prestigious Lionheart clan.
Even though he wasn’t a direct heir, his skills were such that no one could question his right to compete for the seat of the next Patriarch.
From the age of thirteen, Eugene had managed to outshine the children of the direct line with his talent for martial arts; even worse, it wasn’t just martial arts, he was a ‘genius’ born with the talent for magic as well.

Eugene was reputed to be a Child of Destiny, someone who had become the youngest wizard ever to obtain an entry pass into the Royal Library, Akron.
He had even become the disciple of the Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis.
According to the rumors, by the time Eugene was nineteen years old, he had already reached the Fifth Circle.

All this alone was enough of a story to get the tourists hooked.
By sprinkling a little seasoning on top and telling them about the riots on Bolero Street as well, the tourists would be happy to open their wallets and give the guides a tip.

“Sir Eugene! P-please allow me the honor of escorting you!”

The shocked guides all ran over.
Of course, they didn’t want just the honor of escorting the famous Eugene.
The guides there were hoping that, after being hired by Eugene, they would get a unique story for themselves that they could use to entertain the tourists.

‘After all, hasn’t the guide who stuck to Eugene Lionheart when he first arrived at Pentagon recently bought a building in the capital?’

His success story had managed to fire up the hopes of all the guides.

‘What’s with these bastards?’ Eugene thought to himself.

He had been hoping that they would know their place and keep their distance.
The fact that they were instead running at him with their eyes rolling crazily was just a headache.
Startled, Eugene leapt up off the ground and flew into the air.

“Sir Eugene! P-please take my carriage!”

“I’ll make sure to escort you to your destination in comfort!”

Even the coachmen of the aerial carriages were squawking their pitches at him.

One of the station attendants called out to him, “Sir Eugene…! It’s forbidden to use flying magic in the skies above Pentagon without permission! You must make use of the aerial carriages and the floating stations!”

Eugene was already well aware of this fact.

Since there were far too many wizards in this magic kingdom, if all of these wizards used such magic to satisfy their own convenience, the city’s order would soon become a mess.
Therefore, flying magic and personal spatial transportation spells, such as Blink, were forbidden in Pentagon.
Only the highest rank of wizards in Aroth, including the Tower Masters, were allowed to use such conveniences.

“Well, I guess I’ll just pay the fine,” Eugene muttered to himself.

Eugene didn’t really think much of the penalty.
Even if he was forced to pay a huge fine, Eugene had a lot of money to spare.
But it wasn’t likely that he would be even charged a fine.
Eugene’s current master was the Red Tower Master Lovellain; apart from that, he was also on close terms with several of Aroth’s high-ranking wizards.

‘Or if I don’t want to pay any penalties, I could just ask the Crown Prince Honein for a favor.
…No, on second thought, it would be a bit disgraceful to make such a request of the Crown Prince.
What if I use the name of the Commander of the Court Wizards as an excuse instead?’

In fact, it was actually rather funny to be caught up on such trivial thoughts.
Because the task that Eugene was currently heading over to do would be such a huge event, that flying over the capital city couldn’t even be compared to it.

Eugene hadn’t even contacted Lovellian in advance to tell him that he was returning to Aroth.
He felt a bit guilty for not doing so.
However, it couldn’t be helped.

For Eugene, he couldn’t help but wonder if Lovellian would really give him permission and support him in what he intended to do; or if perhaps, as the Red Tower Master who was bound to ‘Aroth,’ Lovellian might instead decide to prevent Eugene’s actions.

‘…Although I feel like he probably would give his permission,’ Eugene thought hopefully.

Lovellian was sincere in treating Sienna as his grandmaster.

‘But if I needlessly ask him for permission, I might get Lovellian in trouble later on,’ Eugene persuaded himself.
Thus, he decided to just try and make his attempt first.

Eugene came to a stop in midair and looked down below.
In the distance, he could see Aroth’s royal castle, Abram, floating on the lake.
Right below the castle was the Royal Library, Akron.
Eugene grinned and flew down.

One of Aroth’s treasures, a certain magic staff, was kept in Akron,

Created using a whole Dragonheart, this magic staff had been used by Sienna herself.

Eugene was here for Akasha.