WIEDERGEBURT Act III: Chapter 15

“I’m glad all of you could make it,” I said to the Spiritualists. “Before we get started, I’d like all of you to line up.”

From the confusion permeating their faces, it was clear none of them really understood what was going on, but just as I requested, they all formed a line. I nodded, inwardly containing my sigh of relief. It seemed I could still get people to follow simple orders. Now came the hard part.

As Lin, Fay, and Kari stood back like the commanders of an army, I stepped forward. The person I had stepped in front of us was Marko. I didn’t know if that was fate or coincident, but I stared into his eyes. Marko could only hold my gaze for a few seconds before looking away.

“Every single one of you is weak,” I said at last.

My words caused the group to bristle. I could already see the thoughts going through their heads. Weak? Them? Ha! They were experienced Spiritualists who had time and again braved the Demon Beast Mountain Range! How could they possibly be weak? That was what their faces told me. The only one who didn’t respond with anger was Catalyna… and she was blushing and looked ready to jump me.

I shook my head.

“The strongest among you is Catalyna, and she would only be categorized as a C-rank threat,” I continued as I began pacing back and forth in front of the group. “Of course, this means even if all of you were to combine your strength, you’d barely be able to defeat a B-rank Demon Beast, and at least half of you would lose your lives. Am I wrong?”

No one said anything as uncertain looks crossed everyone’s faces. It was common knowledge that defeating a B-rank Demon Beast took a squad of at least six. What’s more, it was almost a guarantee that half of them would die. When a squadron of Spiritualists took on a B-rank Demon Beast and survived with more than half their squad, they earned the right to brag about it to their comrades when they went out drinking.

“Those three women standing behind me can defeat B-rank Demon Beasts on their own,” I told everyone, gesturing to Kari, Lin, and Fay, who suddenly blushed at being put on the spot. “In fact, just the other day, Kari practically killed a Behemoth by herself.”

Now the Spiritualists were startled. They looked over at Kari, the Princess of Nevaria, an idealized icon if there ever was one, in a whole new light. I smiled.

“I can make it so that every single one of you is capable of doing what they can,” I began again, redirecting attention to myself. “I formed the Nevarian Braves because Nevaria needs a group that can travel outside of these walls and do the things that the Nevarian Spiritualists and Imperial Royal Guards can’t. We will be out there—” I pointed toward the Demon Beast Mountain Range “—exploring the most dangerous place on the continent, going deeper than anyone else ever has before. That is why I plan on making the people in this group the strongest in Nevaria.”

I had never really been one for pep talks, but it wasn’t like I couldn’t give them. I’d been forced to give them before as the leader of Brave Vesperia. Of course, Kari had written all of my speeches back then, and she had even helped me write the one I was giving now. Past or present, my wife was an impressive orator.

My words had an effect on this group. I could see the way their shoulders straightened. Even the gnarly and battle hardened mercenary-types with scars covering their faces suddenly looked more determined and eager than they had been before.

If my smile could have widened, I was sure it would have.

“Before we take on any quests, I want all of you to at least reach the level of a B-rank Spiritualist,” I informed them. “That means several things. First, all of you must have the same level of physical strength that you would normally have when using your Spiritual Aura. Second, your Spiritual Power must be so strong that you can consecutively use B-rank Spiritual Techniques for an entire hour without rest. And third, all of you must reach the Second State of Spiritualism.”

As I listed off each of the goals I wanted them to reach, the group suddenly began growing restless. They shifted from foot to foot. They looked at each other as if wondering whether they’d heard right.

“I am going to help you reach this level of strength,” I told them. “With the help of the three ladies behind me, I am going to train all of you until you are strong enough that even a B-rank Demon Beast won’t be able to pose a threat.” I stopped pacing and returned to standing in front of the three ladies who would help me. “That said, I’m not going to force you. If any of you wants to back out, now is your chance.”

I waited to see if anyone wanted to quit. If they decided to leave now, I would have let them. However, not a single one of them moved. Looking at their faces, I could see a fire blazing in their eyes, a determination and excitement that couldn’t be masked. Part of me wondered how long those expressions would last once they realized what my training entailed, but that wasn’t my problem.

“In that case, your training begins now.” I smiled. “I had some clothes custom made for everyone here. I want you to put them on before we begin your training.”

Everyone was confused when I gestured toward a large box, which contained strange long-sleeved shirts and pants with what appeared to be thousands of pockets on them. Situated next to that box was another box. This one contained metal cylinders with Runes engraved on them. Despite their confusion, everyone began stripping off their armor and putting the new clothing on, including the ten women who had signed up.

As I looked at the group, I recalled how I used to train the members of Brave Vesparia, and felt an odd tightness in my chest.

Ah, crap. I was beginning to feel nostalgic.

***

I had this really weird feeling that none of the Spiritualists understood what they were truly getting themselves into until they began exercising.

The first thing I had them do, of course, was wear the weighted clothing. It was special clothing I had designed made from the hide of a Silverback. No one understood why I was having them change at first.

That was when I had them activate the cylinders located inside of the outfits’ many pockets.

I had no idea what weight these people put those cylinders at, but many of them had fallen to the floor almost immediately after pumping Spiritual Power into them, so I assumed it was a lot. Looking at the many struggling Spiritualists, I found that even Catalyna was on her hands and knees.

“It seems you pumped too much Spiritual Power into the weights,” I told them. “Place a hand on your clothes and try to will the weights to become lighter. The weight you want to use is one that you can still move around in, but it should be hard enough to give you a challenge.”

The first to follow my instructions was Catalyna, but Marko and a few others weren’t that far behind her. It wasn’t long before more than half of them could stand up. That said, their shoulders were still slumped forward as if they were being weighed down by something immense, so I could at least tell they were taking this training seriously.

Once everyone was able to control the weight they were using, it was time to begin the training.

“I want all of you to run this obstacle course I prepared.” I gestured toward the obstacle course several meters behind me, toward the back of the courtyard. “You must complete this obstacle course ten times. After which, you will do 100 pushups, 500 situps, 100 pullups, and 1,000 squats. When you finish, I will let you rest for one hour until we begin the next step of your training.”

At this point, everyone, even Catalyna, was looking at me like I had said something incomprehensible, but I just smiled at them.

“Well? Why aren’t you starting?”

The words jolted them into action, with Catalyna once more being the first to move. She traveled toward the obstacle course and began running. Her movements were slower than normal, like she was wading through waist deep mud, but that proved to me that she had made her clothes a weight that would be challenging.

Marko went after her. His expression was determined as he began running the obstacle course. Perhaps he felt a sense of competitiveness toward Catalyna. They were brother and sister, and they always seemed to be competing when I saw them.

More and more Spiritualists began running the obstacle course, until all 30 of the Spiritualists who I decided to let join were doing their best. Some did worse than others. I wasn’t surprised to discover that Catalyna and Marko were the ones doing the best. However, there were a few who surprised me. One of the men who had a scar over his right eye was doing a pretty good job. What was his name again? Skarmann? I couldn’t remember.

Since physical training like this no longer helped us, we didn’t join them. Fay, Kari, Lin, and myself sat on one of the benches and watched the group as they exercised.

“How long do you think it will take for them to finish their exercises?” asked Fay.

“Catalyna and Marko will probably be done faster than anyone else,” I judged as I continued watching. “Aside from being members of the Kriger Family, both of them have clearly had the benefit of training from a young age. I suspect they’ll finish the obstacle course and exercises in about three hours.”

“This princess is getting exhausted just watching them,” Lin mumbled as her golden eyes darted from individual to individual.

We kept conversing as we watched, and soon, the first group of individuals finished all of their exercises. Catalyna and Marko were among this group. There was also the man with the scar running down his face and a young woman with unruly auburn hair and clear blue eyes. Despite having finished, the four of them were lying on the ground and breathing heavily as sweat ran down their faces, necks, and backs.

Standing up, I grabbed the bag containing Three Way Spiritual Widening Pills and walked over to the group.

“I want each of you to take one of these,” I told them. “After you’ve taken the alchemy pill, I want you to begin meditating. If you know the leaf floating exercise, then grab a pair of leaves and do that. If you don’t, simply circulating your Spiritual Power through your Spiritual Pathways will be enough.”

I handed a pill to each person, had them consume it, and then left them to meditate. While Catalyna and Marko knew of the leaf floating exercise, it seemed the other two did not and were forced to simply circulate Spiritual Power through their bodies. That was fine. So long as the Spiritual Power was flowing through their Spiritual Pathways, the Three Way Spiritual Widening Pill would naturally widen their pathways.

In pairs of ones and twos, the remaining 26 Spiritualists slowly finished their exercises. I gave them a few minutes to recover. A lot of them were so exhausted that after they finished, they collapsed on the ground, their chests heaving as they gasped for breath. However, once I deemed they had rested enough, I gave them a Three Way Spiritual Widening Pill and told them to meditate.

While the Spiritualists I was training meditated for close to an hour, Kari, Fay, and Lin each did their own thing. Lin pulled out a book from somewhere and began reading. Fay looked like she was deep in thought. The one who gained my attention the most, however, was Kari, who had pulled out a sheet of parchment and was writing something down.

Curious, I sat down beside her and looked at the parchment. What I saw shocked me.

There were Runes written all over the parchment, which I recognized from having studied them for several years in my previous life under Immig. However, I couldn’t comprehend what these Runes meant when put together as they were on this sheet of parchment. Yet even though I didn’t know what these Runes meant, I at least knew what they did.

“Where… did you learn this configuration?” I asked.

“Hmm?” Kari glanced up at me, tilted her head cutely, and then looked back at the Runes she had scribbled all over the parchment. She bit her lip. “I’m… not sure. I think they came to me in a dream, but…”

“A dream?”

“Yes.” Nodding, Kari continued worrying her lower lip as she tried to explain her dream to me. “I… I can’t really remember it all that well. I was talking to a short man with a beard, and he was telling you and me about this new item he had invented. It was supposed to be something that created a pocket dimension inside of a small ring and was used to store items. It’s just a dream, but I didn’t want to forget the Rune configuration, so I wrote it down.” She turned to me and smiled. “Silly, right?”

I didn’t say anything. I think I was too shocked to speak.

The “short man with a beard” could only be a reference to the Dwoergs, and there was actually one of them who had created a ring that could be used to store items inside of a pocket dimension. I remembered the day Immig had proudly shown us this item.

The Runes written all over this parchment were the same ones Immig used in his storage ring.

This all but confirmed my previous theory that Kari, Fay, and Lin could recall their past lives through dreams like I did, but what did it all mean?

***

Since it looked like Kari was working on Runes, I decided now was a good time to teach Lin, Kari, and Fay more about runes in general. Kari seemed to have the memories of her previous life, but that didn’t mean she understood Runes. At the moment, her dreams were indistinct. She could only remember them for a certain amount of time after waking up.

“Runes are a unique form of symbols and letters that can be infused with Spiritual Power to create a variety of effects,” I explained to the trio. “However, in order to use them, you not only need to memorize the entire alphabet and their meaning, you must also learn through experimentation. Different combinations of Runes create different effects. For example, if I combined Isa with Uruz, I would be able to create a powerful attack.”

Channeling Spiritual Power into my finger, I used Rune writing to write the two Runes I was talking about in the air. The Runes glowed as I pumped more Spiritual Power into them. Seconds after they fully formed, ice shot from the symbols and slammed into the ground not far away.

“The great thing about Runes is that you don’t need an elemental affinity to use them,” I said to the group. “If you can use Rune Writing, then you can activate the Runes just like I did.”

I looked at Kari, Lin, and Fay. While Kari had pulled ink, a quill, and some parchment out and was jotting everything down, Lin and Fay looked a little lost. I don’t think they were as interested in this as Kari was.

“There are a number of ways to use Runes aside from Rune Writing,” I continued. “You can inscribe them into weapons and armor to enhance them or create special affects like the gauntlet’s Fay uses. You can also use them to create Spiritual Technique scrolls. Part of the reason no knew Spiritual Technique scrolls exist in Nevaria is because most people have forgotten about how Runes work.”

“You said using Runes involves a lot of experimentation,” Kari said suddenly, looking at me with an expression so fervent I thought stars had appeared within her eyes.

“I did,” I confirmed.

“What happens if you mess up the Runes?”

“They’ll blow up in your face,” I said. Fay and Lin paled as I continued. “Depending on how many Runes you are using and the complexity of the combination, they could just sputter out without doing damage, but they could also kill you. I know a guy who once tried to create a Rune Array with 165 Runes. Not only did he get himself killed, but the entire building he was in exploded. Luckily, he was working away from everyone else, so nobody but him died, but that should tell you how dangerous this can be.”

“This princess suddenly wants nothing to do with Runes,” Lin exclaimed. “She thinks her time could be better spent learning something else.”

“If that’s how you feel, then it’s okay.” I nodded at her. “Runes are dangerous, so if you don’t have the fortitude to learn them, then don’t. We can always find something else that you can specialize in.”

“Thank you, Darling.”

“What about you, Fay?” I asked.

Fay was silent for awhile, biting her lip as she stared at me in indecision. Finally, she sighed. “I don’t think Runes are for me. It sounds like this will require a lot of time and effort to learn, but if it’s going to take that much of my time, I’d prefer to use it for training.”

“That’s fine,” I said. I honestly didn’t feel bad about this. Runes weren’t for everyone. Even I only knew enough to create Spiritual Techniques and a few basic Rune Circles. I would be considered an adept.

“I want to ask more about Runes,” Kari suddenly said. “Can you explain the Runes to me? I know the meanings for some of them, but not all of them, and Runes seemed to have multiple meanings depending on how they are used? Also, how does someone go about creating a Rune Circle?”

Feeling a grin threaten to split my lips, I sat down next to Kari and began carefully explaining Runes to her. Lin and Fay watched us for a moment, but then Lin huffed and began reading again, while Fay sighed, stood up, and began practicing combat forms.

After having the 30 Spiritualists meditate for exactly one hour, I had all of them spar against either myself, Lin, Kari, or Fay.

Because all of us were many times stronger than they were, and the other Spiritualists were tired while we were fresh, it wasn’t a fight so much as a series of one-sided slaughters. None of the Spiritualists who sparred against us stood a chance. We crushed them. Even Catalyna and Marko were beaten black and blue by me.

“Excellent job, everyone!” I said to the crowd of tired and beaten Spiritualists. “You all managed to survive the first day of training. Now! Whether you decide to live here as a member of the sect or at your own homes, I would like to suggest all of you take a bath here. Our servants have prepared individuals baths for each of you that contain the special Body Forging Pills you need to refine your body and heal your wounds. Once you are done with your bath, you may either choose to leave for home or remain here. If you decide to remain here, speak with one of our clerks about getting your own room.”

No one moved at first, but considering they were all lying on the ground and a few of them looked like they were close to losing consciousness, I didn’t let that bother me. I called Jessie and the two maids we had hired and asked them to wait for everyone to pick themselves up before escorting them each to a bath. After informing them of what I wanted, I traveled up to my living space with Kari, Fay, and Lin.

“Gah! That was tiring,” Lin complained as she sprawled herself out on one of the couches in the living room. “This princess had no idea training other people would be so exhausting.”

“It was a lot harder than I thought it would be,” Fay added as she looked at me with admiration in her eyes. She was sitting on the other couch with Kari. “I think I’m beginning to understand how you felt when you were training me for the Spiritualist Grand Tournament.”

I shook my head. “What we just did was way harder than when I trained you. Back then, the only people I had to train was you and me, but now we have thirty more Spiritualists who currently aren’t anywhere near strong enough to accomplish what I need them to. It’s probably going to take at least a month or two before they meet my minimum standards.”

“Your minimum standards?” Kari asked with a smile. “So being able to defeat B-rank Demon Beasts on their own is what you would call the most basic of requirements?”

“Yes.” Nodding, I toyed with one of the extra cylinders I had the blacksmith make for me. “Being able to defeat a B-rank Demon Beast is something I believe every member of our sect should be able to do. Of course, once these thirty are trained up, I won’t worry about whether or not any new members can do this, but I at least want our first group to be strong enough that all of them can lead expeditions into the Demon Beast Mountain Range.”

“And you will only consider someone capable if they can defeat a B-rank Demon Beast?” Kari asked for clarification.

“Yes.”

“I see someone has high standards.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

When I had been the sect leader of Brave Vesperia, every member had been capable of defeating B-rank Demon Beasts by themselves. Even though we were considered a mid-level sect because our numbers didn’t exceed five hundred, our sect had been held up as one of the elite fighting sects thanks to the incredible prowess of our members. All of them had been personally trained by either Kari or myself. What’s more, the two of had been powerhouses who could defeat A-rank Demon Beasts by ourselves, and we had even slayed several S-rank ones.

As I chatted with the girls, someone eventually knocked on the door. It was Jessie. When I told her she could enter, the somewhat timid girl arrived while pushing a tray into the room. The tray had several plates of food sitting on it. There was a roasted boar and a bowl of salad made from mixed greens and berries.

“The chef, um, prepared this for you,” Jessie stammered.

“Thank you,” I said.

“It looks sooo delicious,” Lin mumbled as drool leaked from her mouth.

Since eating in what was essentially a space meant for lounging seemed to be in poor taste, we adjourned to the table, which was long enough to fit six people. Jessie set our plates and utensils in front of us, then served up the food.

The scent was mouth watering. I could tell from the way my nose tingled as I took in the smell that it was made from a blend of spices that relied on curry powder. Often considered a commoner’s spice, curry powder was well-known for having a good deal of kick. I believed the main ingredient in curry powder was chili peppers.

Jessie bowed to us and left after she finished serving our food. She didn’t even stay long enough for us to thank her. I suppose she was just that timid, or maybe we were just that frightening. Maybe I should talk to her soon.

I was glad the chef had decided to roast a whole boar because Lin ate about 2/3rds of it on her own. She seemed to enjoy the dish a great deal.

“The spiciness is simply delectable,” she said. “This princess has not tasted anything this spicy in a long time. It reminds her of home.”

“It does have a nice kick,” Kari added as she nibbled on the meat. “All the stuff our family’s head chef makes is very mild. This doesn’t have the same complex blend of flavors, but the spiciness more than makes up for it.”

“I think I can even taste mustard seed in here,” Fay mumbled as she thoughtfully chewed a piece of meat.

The dinner had been served with chilled red wine, which complimented the roasted boar.

As we ate and conversed, I thought about all the things I needed to accomplish. First, I needed to train the Spiritualists so they were strong enough to begin taking missions. Second, I needed to begin advertising the fact that our sect was taking missions. Third, I needed to salvage the Basilisk for parts, though I could fortunately leave that up to the Nevarian Spiritualists. Fourth, I needed to travel into the Demon Beast Mountain Range, find, and defeat four A-rank Demon Beasts with the respective elements of light, darkness, earth, and fire. Fifth, I needed to refine four Elemental Enlightenment Pills for Kari, Lin, and Fay. Of course, this was on top of getting the ingredients and refining a Yin-Yang Spiritual Enhancement Pill for myself. However, the Yin-Yang Spiritual Enhancement Pill I wanted to refine required me to defeat an S-rank Demon Beast… and doing that was currently out of the question right now.

I also needed to find out what that Sekbeist was doing in Bucharest.

In short, I had my work cut out for me.

Another knock sounded at the door, but unlike when Jessie waited for permission, whoever was on the other end pushed the door open and entered without waiting.

The person who entered was Gertrude. She walked up to us and gave a respectful bow.

“Master Eryk, Mistresses Kari, Fay, and Lin, I’ve come to inform you that Mistress Kari’s brothers are currently waiting for you in the lobby. They said they wished to speak with you.”

Curious to know what they wanted, I stood up and looked at the girls. “You three can continue eating. I’ll see what they want.” I looked at Gertrude. “Lead the way please.”

Gertrude bowed once more and walked out of the door. I followed her as the girls began eating again.

We made our way into the lobby on the first floor, where Earland, Geirolf, and Mikkel were waiting for me. The three young men were staring at the lobby with something resembling admiration. Even Geirolf seemed impressed by the simple yet imposing decorations. However, as I walked up to them, the group turned toward me.

The three of them were wearing simple tunics, pants, and boots. Of course, I called the tunics simple, but they were clearly made of high-quality materials. Geirolf’s was red, Mikkel’s was green, and Earland’s was dark blue.

“I’m glad to see you three are up and about,” I said. “What can I do for you?”

“First things first, we have a message from Dad… Dante,” Mikkel said, letting me know which dad he was referring to. It must be hard having three fathers. Would my kids be like that with their mothers? “He wanted to let you know that he salvaged everything he could from the Basilisk. The parts are currently in storage at the Nevarian Spiritualist’s northern garrison. You can come by to pick it up whenever you like.”

I was glad to hear Dante had managed to salvage the Basilisk so quickly. There was a lot that could be done with the Basilisk’s body. Its hide could be used for clothes, its bones for weapons and armor, and its blood and organs made great ingredients for alchemy. I had a lot of things I wanted to use it for.

“There was also something else he wanted to speak to you about, but he didn’t tell us what,” Mikkel added.

“I see.” Cupping my chin in my hand, I wondered what Dante could possibly have to share with me that he couldn’t tell others. However, I couldn’t think of anything except maybe information about the Sekbeists. “Thank you. I’ll go see him at the first opportunity. Was there anything else you wanted to tell me?”

“A few things.” Mikkel smiled before looking at Geirolf.

I gazed at the youngest of Kari’s three brothers. The young man of 19 years stepped forward and swept his blue eyes across my face before averting them. He ran a sweaty hand through his spiky brown hair.

“Look I… um… I wanted to thank you for… you know… saving me and stuff,” he said.

Geirolf had never liked me. From the moment we had met, he had constantly tried to one-up me in some way, shape, or form. If he wasn’t belittling or insulting me, then he was acting out. I could always tell that his reasons for disliking me so much was more than petty jealousy. Mikkel had once said it was because of the pressure placed upon Geirolf by their parents, but I didn’t really care about his reasons.

I didn’t really like Geirolf all that much either. The way he berated and belittled Kari bothered me. It didn’t matter what his reasons were. That said, I understood that thanking me like this was incredibly hard for him.

“You are welcome,” I replied easily enough. “I’m glad you were not permanently crippled by what happened.”

Geirolf nodded but didn’t say anything. A strange silence filled the air as Mikkel and Earland continued to stare at Geirolf, who began sweating even more fiercely. It seemed this young man had something else he wanted to say to me.

“I, uh…” Geirolf coughed into his hand after his voice cracked. With an embarrassed blush spreading across his cheeks, he began again. “I mean, we were wondering if we could, um… join your sect.”

“You wish to join the Nevarian Braves?” I asked for clarification, not quite sure I had heard correctly.

“Y-yes,” Geirolf admitted, though it sounded like he was swallowing something incredibly bitter. “I’ve realized that I’m not very strong… or a very good person. I want to improve. I don’t want what happened to me in Bucharest to happen again, and… well, you’re really strong, so I thought you could help…”

Once again, Geirolf trailed off. That seemed to be about the extent of what he could say, but even so, I was honestly a little impressed. For Geirolf to admit all this to me meant he was growing up. It took a strong person to admit you had faults. It took a stronger person to seek out someone you disliked because you knew they could help you.

“And you two also want to join?” I asked.

“We already have Mother’s and Fathers’s permission,” Earland said before going silent.

“We also feel inadequate,” Mikkel explained for the two of them. “Although we managed to escape from the Basilisk, the two of us nearly died. We would have died if it wasn’t for you. I shudder to think about what else could happen to us while we’re exploring. To be honest, our recent encounter with death as made me too afraid to consider stepping into the Demon Beast Mountain Range. I’d like to overcome that.”

Their reasons were sound. I couldn’t find fault in them. Also, they were Kari’s older brothers, so it wasn’t like I could just dismiss them out of hand. However…

“If you join the Nevarian Braves, you will have to follow any orders I give you,” I spoke to all of them, but my gaze was on Geirolf. “Can you do that?”

“O-of course I can!” Geirolf sputtered.

I smiled. “Then welcome to our sect.”