WIEDERGEBURT Chapter 22

I spent two days inside of that building, quietly regaining my strength. My arms were sore because they had kept me locked up this whole time. The cuffs wrapping around my wrists were also rubbing my skin raw, though I did my best to ignore the pain and focused on circulating my Spiritual Power through my body.

Several Lamia would come by on occasion and deliver food and water to me. I was pretty sure both the food and the water were poisoned. Every time I ate or drank, my body would begin to feel sluggish and my mind hazy. To counter the effects, I would channel the lightning and water elements through my body. Water had healing properties and lightning could be used to neutralize the effects of poison, though it wasn’t anywhere near as effective as fire.

I was pretty confident that I could break out of the chains any time I wanted now, but I needed to wait for an opportunity to escape. If I were to just shatter these chains and leave, the next time someone came in, they would discover me missing and sound the alarm.

There were several other problems that kept me from outright breaking free. The first was that I didn’t know how many Lamia there were. If this was a large community with thousands or, heavens forbid, tens of thousands of Lamia, then escaping from this place would be incredibly difficult if not impossible. That said, I knew that I would eventually have no choice but to act.

That time came on the third day I’d woken up. A snakeman entered the room, which was different. All the people who had brought me water and food before now were women. I believed Medusa had made women attend to me because she thought it would make me lower my guard. After all, it was very hard for a man to focus on escaping or attacking when there was a beautiful and naked woman involved.

It wouldn’t have mattered to me, but she didn’t know that.

“It’s time.” The male Lamia’s eyes gleamed as he slithered over to me. He had a khopesh strapped to his waist. “The ritual has been prepared. I hope you are ready to give your life for the sake of My Queen’s child. You should feel quite honored. Your life will ensure that My Queen’s second child will grow up strong.”

“Oh, I am honored,” I said as the male Lamia began undoing the chains from the wall. I guess it was too much to ask that he just undo the chains around my wrists. “So honored, in fact, that I don’t plan on sticking around to become snake food for an unborn child.”

The snakeman hissed at my words, but it was more like a surprised or maybe a confused hiss. He didn’t seem to understand what I meant. That was okay. I had no intention of letting him figure it out.

Lightning flowed through my hands as I channeled my Spiritual Power into the chains. An electric rush spread through my body. Arcs of pale blue electricity surged up the chains, striking the Lamia’s hands and shocking him. The snakeman let out a surprised hiss as steam rose from his hands. He jerked his hands back, slithering away as though stumbling.

I released my aura of Spiritual Power, which covered my body in swirling motes and arcs of lightning, and used the strength it gave me to shatter the chains binding me to this wall. After which, I shoved myself off the ground and launched myself at the snakeman.

Credit had to be given where it was due. This man was quick to respond. He unsheathed his khopesh and swung it at me, but his movements were jerky and twitchy, the results of remnant electricity from my last attack scrambling his nerves.

I ducked underneath his swing and threw out my left hand, causing the half a meter long chain still attached to my wrist to wrap around the khopesh. It encircled the blade. I tugged, yanking the sword out of the Lamia’s grip. As the blade soared through the air, I took two steps forward, moving into the Lamia’s guard.

He tried to swing his tail at me. A loud whooshing sound echoed all around us as his powerful tail rushed toward my head, but it couldn’t reach me. I was already too close. With a grunt, I exerted the strength in my left arm, swinging it around as I channeled lightning through the chain once more. My attack struck the Lamia in the face. Lightning skittered across his cheek as he spun around and crumpled to the floor. His body twitched several times, but he didn’t get up.

“Is he alive or dead?” I wondered.

I went over and pressed a hand to the Lamia’s neck. He had a pulse. I wondered what I should do for a moment. Kill him? Shaking my head, I decided not to. If he had died from that last attack I dealt him, I’d have shed no tears over his death, but I wasn’t such a cruel person that I’d kill someone when they couldn’t fight back.

Breaking the chains off my arms, I wrapped them around the Lamia, tying up his hands and tail. I even went a step further and used lightning to melt the ends of the broken chains and merge them together. With luck, he would not be able to break free for a good while. Once I was sure he was tied up good, his body looking like a pretzel, I grabbed his khopesh and took a few practice swings.

“This sword is a bit unorthodox…”

The weight, the way it cut the air, all of it felt wrong. That said, I didn’t really have a whole lot of time to familiarize myself with this weapon. I couldn’t go outside empty handed. These Lamia were too strong to deal with using just my fists.

Nodding to myself, I went over to the curtain, pulled it back, and took a peek outside. There were numerous buildings around me. All of them were square-shaped, had flat roofs, and looked like they were made of mudbricks. No one was around. I wondered why for a moment. Were they all at the ritual site maybe?

I decided not to question my good fortune. While it was important to remain wary, it was also important not to look a gift Strut in the mouth.

As I made my way passed numerous buildings, I heard a loud commotion somewhere in the distance. The loud clanging of metal rang out. There were several angry roars. I recognized the sounds of combat, but what confused me was that it sounded like people were cheering. After debating for a moment, I changed directions and traveled toward the sound. Something told me I should see what was going on.

My instincts turned out to be right. As I rounded a corner, I found a large group of Lamia gathered around something. The sound of steel clashing against steel was echoing from within that group. Someone was fighting.

I climbed onto one of the buildings. There were several loose mudbricks that I could use as support, which made it easier to climb. When I got to the top, I looked down to see that the Lamia had made a circle in the center of their formation, and in the middle of that circle was…

“Kari?” I whispered.

The person in the center of the circle was indeed Kari. She had changed outfits since I last saw her. Her flat stomach was completely exposed. A leather chestplate kept her heart protected at least, but she didn’t have much else. The shoulder pads she wore also looked like a type of leather. A skirt wrapped around her hips and shook as she danced around several swift attacks, the sandals on her feet digging concentric circle patterns in the sand.

She twirled her ranseur around as she moved, fighting against the woman I recognized as Queen Medusa. It looked like both of them had been fighting for some time. Their bodies were covered in lacerations and bruises. Kari’s left arm had turned a deep purple. Meanwhile, Queen Medusa’s torso had numerous burn marks on them, which I recognized as burns from the light element instead of fire.

The two of them had an intense Spiritual Aura surrounding their bodies. Kari’s body glowed with a bright, golden glow that seemed almost divine. Meanwhile, Queen Medusa’s aura was a dark purple. It felt cold and venomous.

“You have barged into this queen’s city, killed her people, and interrupt the ritual that will bless her child with strength!” Queen Medusa hissed, her golden eyes narrowed. “What’s more, you have attacked this queen’s belly, where her child is growing! This queen will punish you greatly for this offense! She hope you are prepared to face torture that is worse than death!”

“The only one who’s going to be tortured here is you!” Kari snarled. “Where is Eryk?! Tell me now, or so help me, I’ll slice open that stomach of yours right now!”

“You dare?!” Queen Medusa looked enraged as she lunged at Kari. Her face was bright red.

Kari was quick to move, dancing across the desert sand on nimble feet as she twirled her ranseur in intricate patterns. Light erupted from the tip. It transformed into a spear that was sent hurtling at Queen Medusa, who was forced to dodge the attack. However, just because she had dodged didn’t mean no damage was done. Several Lamia from the surrounding crowd were pierced as the light spear blasted a hole straight through them.

Seeing her people die angered Queen Medusa, causing her eyes to bleed red as she roared and attacked Kari with renewed zeal. She swung the two khopesh in her hands. Left. Right. Diagonal. Up. Down. Across. Her swings cut through the air, causing it to release a piercing shriek. However, while several attacks came close to dealing real damage, only a few cuts managed to land, and all of them were deflected by Kari’s Spiritual Aura.

As Kari backpedaled, Queen Medusa created several ethereal poison snakes, glowing purple creatures made from Spiritual Power. They launched themselves at Kari, but she wouldn’t be beaten. She danced across the ground, swung her ranseur, which glowed with a bright light that made her look divine, and sliced each snake into pieces.

I judged the distance between myself and the group of Lamia. It was probably… I’d say about twelve meters or so. Nodding, I walked back to the edge of the building, turned around, and channeled Spiritual Power to my legs. I counted down to three, two, one. Then I burst forward, propelling myself across the building and leaping off.

My body soared through the air, the wind whistling all around me. Circulating more Spiritual Power through my body, I channeled it all into the khopesh.

I had aimed myself so I would land among the section of the Lamia circle furthest from me. None of them saw me until it was far too late. One of the Lamia looked up, her mouth open in surprise, and then I was swinging the khopesh in a wide arc with all my strength.

Lightning exploded from the khopesh, which shattered as the Spiritual Power surging through it became too much. It didn’t matter now. A wide arc of lightning slammed into the ground, erupting in an explosion of pale blue light. The Lamia who were immediately below the attack when it struck were fried. Their bodies became steaming black corpses that twitched as arcs pf pale blue energy skittered over them.

It wasn’t just the Lamia in the immediate vicinity who were affected. The lightning spread out in a ripple that sent numerous snake people flying backward, killing some and paralysing others. Quite a number of them flopped to the floor, their bodies twitching like a fish on dry land.

“Eryk!” Kari shouted as she and Queen Medusa stopped their battle to look at me.

“Let’s go!” I shouted back as my Spiritual Power surged and a Spiritual Aura that looked like a combination of lightning and water swirled around me. “There’s no point in sticking around here any longer!”

“Right!” Kari laughed as she raised the ranseur over her head and shuffled along the ground, moving to a rhythm I couldn’t hear.

“You… this queen will murder both of you!!” Queen Medusa shrieked.

The woman raised her hands high above her head, and a massive ball of purple energy gathered above her. A strange scent filled the air. As I glanced at the ball of condensed Spiritual Power, I noticed how the air was hissing and sizzling as though it was being vaporized. Poison. The thought struck me. That ball of power was a massive poison attack that was so strong even the atmosphere was affected.

With a loud shriek, Queen Medusa threw the giant sphere at Kari. By this point, Kari’s ranseur was glowing so brightly I couldn’t look at it directly. With a cry of her own, she swung her weapon down.

No beam was created. No attack was launched. What happened instead was that Kari’s ranseur sliced right through the sphere of condensed Spiritual Power, cutting it in half. The two halves flew away from her, striking some of the Lamia who hadn’t moved out of the way in time. It seemed they weren’t immune to Queen Medusa’s poison either. The Lamia who were caught up in her attack screeched as their bodies melted from the acid-like poison. Even the ground began melting.

Kari must have used a lot of power in that last attack of hers, for her breathing had grown heavy. Still she rushed forward, her blade glowing again as she swung it at the shocked Queen Medusa, who tried to move back. The Lamia queen wasn’t fast enough. Blood sprayed from her shoulder as Kari sheared her arm right off. A shriek, this time of pain, erupted from Queen Medusa’s mouth.

Rather than finishing her off, Kari decided that it was more important for us to escape. I agreed. There were still plenty of Lamia around who weren’t injured.

“Come on!” she shouted at me as she raced past.

The two of us ran into the desert, the shrieks of agony and anger echoing behind us. I wasn’t sure how long we ran for, but no one followed us. I guess ensuring their queen survived after having her arm cut off was more important. If nothing else, I had to respect their decision. They had their priorities straight.

“Thanks for saving me,” I said after we’d run for some time.

“Isn’t it only natural to save the man I love?” asked Kari with a smile.

I laughed. “I suppose so.”

“That said… do you mind if I ask something?” she continued.

“Go ahead.” I gestured toward her.

“Why are you naked?”

I looked down at myself and suddenly realized that, yes, I was still naked. My dick was out for all to see, flopping around as I ran. Now that I remembered my own nakedness, I also realized that running without undergarments to hold my junk in place was really painful.

“You know… I wish I knew the answer to that question myself,” I said as I looked back up at Kari.

Kari’s response was to shake her head.

***

The spear twirled in Kari’s hand as she backpedaled, dancing along the ground as the person before her thrust the sword in their hand forward, seeking to penetrate her defenses. The clang of metal striking metal echoed all around them. Each thrust of this person’s sword was a blur that could scarcely be followed by human eyes. Kari was able to follow them fine, however, having trained hard to be capable of tracking her opponent’s incredibly swift attacks, and she continued spinning and twirling her spear to knock the attacks away without a moment’s hesitation.

It was early morning. She and her instructor were sparring in the courtyard of the Imperial Royal Palace. The crisp morning air burned her lungs as she continued to move, continued to defend.

“You’ll never defeat me if all you do is defend yourself!” Her trainer’s harsh words echoed in her ears, but Kari couldn’t help that. This woman wasn’t allowing her any time to attack!

The dance continued. The woman before her took a step forward and thrust out her sword again. Kari twitched as she moved her ranseur to intercept it. However, this time, she didn’t just try to defend. She placed the spear-tip into a position so the sword slid between two of the trident-like tips, then moved it forward until her weapon rested against the sword’s crossguard. After which, she locked their weapons together and pulled!

A loud grinding noise followed by a woosh! sound like rushing wind echoed around the courtyard, preceding a low whistling as the sword flew through the air, spinning several times before clattering to the ground a few meters away. Kari stared at the sword in disbelief.

“I did it,” she muttered. “I did—oof!”

The harsh blow to her chest sent Kari sprawling to the ground. She gasped and heaved several times as she raised a hand to her chest, massaging it as though that would somehow ease the pain.

“You might have disarmed me, but that doesn’t mean the battle was over,” a stern voice lectured her. “Remember this, in battle, you must always make sure your opponent is either dead or incapable of attacking. Just getting rid of their primary weapon is not enough. They might have a secondary weapon. What’s more, if you’re up against a Spiritualist, they will still have their Spiritual Techniques.”

Kari looked up at her trainer with an embarrassed smile. “I’m sorry, Instructor Brynhild.”

The person Kari called Instructor Brynhild was a powerful-looking woman with a squarish face that looked like it had been huen from stone. Her strong jaw and dark gray eyes lent her a somewhat frightening appearance, further enhanced by the jagged scar running down her left cheek.

She was a solidly built woman, with broad shoulders and muscular arms. Her body was clad in chainmail and a chestplate that gleamed bronze in the morning light. Sturdy pauldrons sat on her shoulders, vambraces covered her forearms, and her hands were protected by a pair of thick gloves with segmented metal plates. A simple skirt covered her knees. When she moved, it revealed that she was wearing brown pants beneath the skirt, and each time she walked, the metal of her greaves clinked together.

“Well, at least you managed to disarm me this time.” With a resigned smile, Instructor Brynhild shook her head and held out her hand. “That is something you have not done ever since we began training. Your improvement this past month has been astounding.”

“Thank you, but I’m still not enough to beat you.”

Kari grabbed her instructor’s hand and allowed the woman to pull her up. She dusted off her bottom, wincing only slightly as she realized a bruise had formed there. Sitting down was going to hurt.

While she was lamenting how sore her butt was going to be, Instructor Brynhild walked over to her sword. It was a single-edged sword with a moderately curved blade, though the last few centimeters of the back edge were sharpened as well. This weapon was called a sabre, and its primary use was for slashing or chopping. However, the moderate curve also allowed them to be reasonably effective for thrusting too.

“Really, though, I am impressed.” Instructor Brynhild glanced at her weapon, and then looked over at Kari. “Your training speed is something that I’ve never seen from anyone else. If I didn’t know any better, I would have said you were training in secret without my knowledge.”

“No, no. I have just been taking what you’ve taught me to heart,” Kari said as she rubbed the back of her neck. There was no way she could tell her instructor that the reason for her success was because Eryk had made Body Forging Pills to help build up her physical strength.

“Well, either way, now that you have reached this stage, I believe you should take a break,” Instructor Brynhild announced.

“A break?” Kari’s eyes widened.

Sliding her sabre back into the sheath attached to her waist, Instructor Brynhild nodded. “You have been doing exceedingly well. However, training is only truly effective when people allow their body to rest. For the last several days, you and I have been training almost nonstop, and this is on top of your studies for the Spiritualist Academy. So during the next day when you have neither training nor studying that is needed, you will relax.”

Kari felt like someone had shocked her with a Spiritual Lightning Technique. She was getting a break? She would have a period of rest? The temptation to pinch herself and see if she was dreaming was so real that the only reason she didn’t was because she knew Instructor Brynhild would give her a strange look.

As the realization that she would really get to take a break finally settled in her mind, a smile formed on her face. She knew just what she wanted to do on this break.

***

I woke up to the feeling of being wrapped in something. My body felt constricted, like someone had taken a really large rope and tied me up. However, this felt different than rope. For one thing, the thing wrapping around my arms, legs, and chest was smooth and soft. For another, it was very… thick. I had no better way to describe it.

Opening my eyes just a crack, I stared at the face of a snake just centimeters from my own. As I blinked several times, wondering why this snake was so close, I realized that I was lying on my side and hugging it. Not only was I hugging the snake, but the snake was hugging me. Well, it had wrapped all 6 meters of its long body around my own. I guess that constitute as a hug.

“Hey…” I mumbled. “Hey, can you unwind? I can’t get out of bed with you wrapped around me like an overly affectionate scarf.”

The snake required a lot of effort to wake up. Its forked tongue flicked in and out of its mouth, a strange hissing noise that sounded an awful lot like snores emitting from it. Simply talking to it didn’t work. That being the case, I channeled the lightning element through my body, giving it just enough of a jolt that it opened its eyes. I didn’t want to hurt it.

“I need to get up,” I said as the snake looked around in what I could only assume was confusion. It turned its head to me and hissed. “Yes, now. Look, today might be a day off from the library, but I still have things to do.”

The snake did not look convinced, but it slowly unwound itself from around me, allowing me to climb out of bed. As my feet touched the cool floor, I stretched my arms and let out a loud yawn. I was completely naked. However, it wasn’t like my nudity would bother anyone. The only person in here aside from me was the snake, and, well, it was a snake.

I washed my face in the basin and cleaned my body with a wet cloth and some soap. After using a small towel to dry off, I got dressed in the clothing that Fay had bought for me quite a few days ago. Tapping my boots against the ground to make sure they felt right, I nodded once.

“All right,” I mumbled to myself before turning to the snake. “You coming or staying here?” The snake shook its head and buried its face into my pillow, causing me to shrug. “Suit yourself.”

Upon leaving my room, I bought a loaf of honey glazed bread for breakfast and ate as I walked through the early morning streets. It wasn’t too crowded at this time. Aside from people like bakers and stall owners who were setting up for the day, there were only a few people present.

I thought about what I should do as I walked today. It was my day off from the library, Fay had to attend a family function of some kind, and I didn’t need to visit the Alchemist Association for anything. This was the first time in a long time that I had a free day.

Two months had finally come and gone since I was thrown back into my 17 year-old body. So much had happened during this time. I’d met Kari again, began training, cured Fay Valstine of Spiritual Poisoning, had her join me in training, made a deal with the Alchemist Association, confessed my love to Kari, and had Fay confess her love to me. It was enough to make my head spin.

While letting my feet take me wherever, I ended up somehow traveling to the library. This didn’t surprise me. Within Nevaria, the library was still the place I visited the most, and it was also the place where I could meet Kari. It was almost like my body just instinctively wanted to come here.

As I stood in front of the library, debating whether or not I should go in, the decision was taken from me when a soft voice reached my ears.

“Eryk?”

I turned around to discover Kari walking toward me. The sleeveless white dress she wore swished around her thighs. It didn’t extend past her knees, instead stopping just a few centimeters above. She was not wearing a cloak this time, allowing me to see her impressive breasts, which bulged against her dress. I looked down and saw that she was wearing sandals. Her cute toes wiggled a little as she stood there.

“Good morning,” I greeted Kari with a smile. “I’m surprised to see you here so early. What’s the occasion?”

“Instructor Brynhild gave me some time off from training.” Kari wore a happy smile as she announced this, and she even went so far as to thrust out her large chest, causing it to bounce a little. “She says I’ve been exceeding her expectations with my training, and that I should take a break.”

“And so you decided to come here.” I nodded before giving her a teasing smile. “Were you hoping I’d also be here?”

Kari’s cheeks flushed only a little as she looked away. “Would it be imprudent if I was?”

“Not at all.” I shook my head. “In fact, I was hoping I’d be able to see you as well. You see, I have some free time today. I’m not working, I’m taking a day off from training, and I have nothing that really needs to be done. Since we’re both free, I was thinking the two of us could spend that time together.”

The way Kari’s eyes shone as I finished talking caused a warmth to spread through my chest. Her pretty pink lips curled into a delicate, artful smile, and her cheeks remained a light pink.

“I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to escort me around Nevaria,” she said, her polite, restrained voice shaking just a little. It sounded like her emotions were being held back by a very thin leesh.

“In that case, why don’t we wander around and talk a bit?” I offered my hand to Kari, who stared at it for several seconds before acting.

“Yes!” She reached out and placed her hand in mine. Her fingers were soft and delicate. She looked at me with a smile. “I would love to walk around with you!”

Hand in hand, the two of us began walking through the city.

I don’t believe either of us had any real destination in mind. We walked wherever our feet took us, talking about the most recent stories we had read, the latest news concerning old and new ruins found in the Demon Beast Mountain Range, and anything that caught our interest. I made it a point to mildly tease her whenever I could. Sometimes that meant slipping in a random compliment. Other times it meant poking fun of her strong wanderlust. She accepted them gracefully—that is to say, she blushed and poked me in the cheek, but she was smiling as she did so.

We reached the Merchant’s District at some point, which had become quite lively now that it was nearing the afternoon. As we looked at the stalls selling everything from produce to jewelry, a strong, slightly salty scent wafted through the air. Our stomachs growled at that time, as if to remind us that we hadn’t eaten since beginning this date.

“How about something to eat?” I suggested.

Kari nodded. “That sounds good.”

The scent that had caught our attention came from a stall selling grilled meat and vegetables on a stick. The meat was lightly browned and seasoned with a combination of salt, pepper, and something a little spicy. The vegetables were similarly seasoned. I recognized quite a few of them. Cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, and pineapples.

“How many do you want?” I asked as we walked up to the stall.

“Oh, I can pay for myself,” Kari said, but I wasn’t having it.

“I know you can, but I want today to be my treat.” I saw Kari frowning at me. Her mouth was opening to refute me, but I quickly forestalled her. “Since I asked you to accompany me today, please let me treat you. Next time, you can ask me to accompany you and treat me instead. Sound good?”

Kari pondered over my idea with a cute frown that made her nose wrinkle a little. I resisted the desire to pinch her nose. I was sure her reaction would be adorable, but I also knew my limits.

“I suppose that is fine,” she muttered at last. “But you will let me treat you next time.”

“Of course,” I said with a smile. “Now, how many would you like?”

“T-three,” Kari mumbled.

Still smiling, I walked up to the stall owner, a large man with a portly belly, and ordered seven grilled meat sticks. I believe they were called kebabs. The man grinned as he handed us our food and said we made a cute couple. I was surprised he didn’t immediately recognize Kari, but I guess not everyone knew what the Princess of Nevaria looked like.

“H-he said we looked like a couple,” Kari muttered as we walked away, food in hand.

“Do you disagree with him?” I asked. Kari looked at me, and then looked away before shaking her head. I chuckled. “I think we make a pretty good couple myself.”

Wearing a tentative but gentle smile, Kari said, “Me too.”

As we continued our journey, I noticed several stalls that were selling alchemy pills. Those stalls were quite popular. There were a lot of people gathered around and trying to push and shove their way to the front. Most of those people were Spiritualists, which I sensed because of the Spiritual Power flowing out of them when I used Spiritual Perception. It seemed the pills refined by the Alchemist Association were becoming more popular.

“Those pills…” Kari muttered as she gazed at the stall we were walking by.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Did you make those?” she questioned me.

I gave her a slow nod. “Yes. I needed to earn some extra money for training, so I struck a deal with the Alchemist Association. In exchange for teaching them how to refine those pills, they would give me a cut of the profits they made.”

“Clever,” Kari said with a slight smile.

A number of people recognized Kari as we walked through the city. Several people pointed at us and whispered to each other. Even though I couldn’t tell what they were saying, the recognition flashing through their eyes made it clear that they knew who was by my side.

That worried me a little. I didn’t know what would happen if word got out that Kari was spending time with a peasant. Right now, I was just a nobody. In a society that valued strength and prestige above all else, someone who had no reputation and no strength wasn’t worth being around.

This was proven true several hours later.

Kari and I had pretty much enjoyed the entire day together, even though all we did was walk around and try out different types of food. We had made it a point to try out something from each stall we passed. We also checked out some of the jewelry stalls, though Kari didn’t find anything she believed was interesting.

As we were walking along, three people stepped out in front of us. I didn’t recognize the other two people, but the young man standing in the middle was someone I knew on sight. He was hard to forget.

“It seems the rumors were true.” The young man, who looked around my age, flicked his shoulder-length, dark blond hair. His lips were twisted into a consternated smile. “I had heard that you were cavorting with a peasant who worked at some tiny library, but I had refused to believe it for the longest time. I thought for sure that it couldn’t be true, and yet here you are.” He narrowed his blue eyes as his gaze shifted between me and Kari. “I am incredibly disappointed in you, Kari.”

Like most nobles, this young man wore clothing that defined the word ostentatious. His beautifully woven leather tunic had a golden design on the left chest. It was a bird of some kind. I think it was called a raven. His black pants were made from the finest Giant Silkworm silk, the same as his white undershirt, which featured long sleeves. He wore white gloves on his hands and carried a sword at his waist.

Kari bit her lip for a moment before hardening herself. She wrapped her arms around one of mine and stared at the young man, whose face suddenly turned red.

“You say you are disappointed in me, but I am not sure why you think such a thing would matter to me, Grant,” she said in a tone that was polite but firm. “Who I spend my time with is no one’s business but my own.”

Grant narrowed his eyes as his ears turned red. “That won’t be the case for long. I’m sure you’re aware of the deal my family brokered with Empress Hilda, so I don’t have to tell you what will happen. Come next month, you’ll be mine.”

A crowd had begun to form around us by this point, congregating to form a circle with us in the middle. The numerous people whispering to each other as they pointed at us made me frown. One of the few things I disliked about people was how everyone wanted to gawk when an incident happened, yet no one was willing to stand up and help.

“Whatever the case may be, you currently have neither the power nor the authority to make Kari do anything,” I said.

“You dare refer to Lady Kari without a title?!” Grant suddenly turned to me, his face set in a snarl. “Do not act so presumptuous, peasant! Were it not for the fact that we are in public, I would have already taught you a very harsh lesson in manners!”

“Then why don’t we settle this another way,” I suggested. “You mentioned something is coming up next month. Could you be talking about the annual Spiritualist Grand Tournament?”

Kari and Grant were both staring at me with incredulity. I could see the thoughts flitting through their heads. Kari’s eyes were filled with worry, while Grant looked like someone had just sucker punched him in the face.

“Are you… suggesting we settle our differences at the tournament?” he asked as though he couldn’t believe my words.

I shrugged. “It would be a great way to resolve our problems, wouldn’t it?”

Grant held a hand to his face, threw his head back, and laughed. “I can’t believe this! A peasant thinks he can beat a noble trained in Spiritualism! This is rich!” His laughter died down as his gaze suddenly turned cold. “Very well. You and I will both enter the tournament. Should I win, you will never go near Lady Kari again.”

“Eryk…” Kari muttered.

I smiled at her, then turned a serious gaze to Grant. “That is fine by me. Should I win, I will make a request of my own.”

Grant narrowed his eyes. “And that is?”

“You will never again try to force Kari or Fay into an arranged marriage,” I announced. A smile came over my face, but it wasn’t a warm smile. “Your continued pursuit and unwanted advances have greatly annoyed them. Nobody likes a horny beast with no self control, you know.”

While Kari stared at me in shock, Grant’s face turned beet red. He clenched his hands into fists. However, true to his nature as a noble, he did not lash out in public, which would have been a blow to his reputation.

“Fine,” he ground out. “I agree to those terms. See you in the tournament, if you survive long enough to face me.”

Grant turned around and stalked off without looking back, while the two people who’d come with him stared between me and Grant before, ever so slowly, turning around and lumbering after the young man as he stomped off. I stared at him, making sure he and his lackeys were well and truly gone before looking at Kari.

“Sorry for causing a scene,” I said.

“Why did you do that?” asked Kari. “Why did you suggest fighting against him in the tournament? Don’t you realize who that was? Grant Leucht is the young heir of the Leucht Family, one of the Three Heavenly Families whose power is second only to the Astralia Royal Family. What’s more, Grant isn’t a weakling. He’s a very strong Spiritualist. By challenging him in the tournament, you’ve made an incredibly powerful enemy.”

The fact that Kari was more concerned for me than she was for herself was touching. Her words and the expression on her face, which seemed to hold only a desire to see me safe, made me long to kiss her. I think the only reason I didn’t was because of my status. Right now I was still just a peasant.

“It doesn’t matter how powerful he is.” I faced Kari and grabbed her hands. “From the moment I discovered that he was trying to force you into an arranged marriage, I knew I would eventually come to blows with him. No one has the right to force someone else to marry them. You should be free to choose who you want to be with, or even whether you want to be with anyone at all. I won’t let him take that right away from you.”

Kari’s cheeks were growing warm, but she still looked concerned. “But the Leucht Family is powerful. They’re not going to sit back and watch this happen, and even if you manage to meet him in the tournament, you still have to contend with a powerful enemy.”

“Do you believe in me?” I asked.

“What?”

“Do you believe in me?” Kari hesitated for a moment before nodding. I placed her hands against my chest. Her cheeks lit up, but she didn’t take her hands away. “Then believe me when I say that Grant Leucht is no match for me. I’ll face him in this tournament and kick his ass, and then he will never be able to darken your doorstep again.”

I stared at Kari, trying to impress my confidence upon her, to let her know that I could defeat him. She seemed to understand after a moment. A small smile broke out on her face like sunlight breaking through rain clouds.

“I do believe you,” she said.

“Good.” Nodding, I let go of her hands and stepped back. “I promise not to let you down, though I am confused about why you don’t just fight in the tournament yourself. You’d have no trouble beating him on your own.”

Kari shook her head. “There’s no guarantee that I would win. Like I said, Grant is a very powerful Spiritualist who has been extensively trained and cultivated by his family. Aside from that, I am not allowed to participate in the Spiritualist Grand Tournament because I’m a member of the Astralia Royal Family.”

“So being part of the royal family means you aren’t allowed to participate? That’s kind of lame.”

I scratched my head. That was something I hadn’t been aware of back then, but it also explained why Grant won the tournament in my previous life. Had Kari or any of her three brothers taken part in the tournament, he would have lost. I suppose the Astralia Royal Family wasn’t allowed to take part specifically because it would have been unfair.

“It is a little depressing,” Kari admitted. “If I could take part in the tournament, then I could prove to my mother that I’m strong enough to travel outside of Nevaria.”

“Then will you allow me to fight in your stead?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Kari turned to me with a confused expression.

“I’m told that the winner of the Spiritualist Grand Tournament is able to request any one thing from the Astralia Royal Family.” Which explained how Grant Leucht’s family was able to force Kari into that marriage. “I will win the tournament and request that you be allowed to journey outside of Nevaria.”

Kari said nothing at first, which made me wonder if I’d said something wrong, but when I looked at her, it was to find her staring at me with wide eyes that looked close to tearing up.

“You would do that for me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

I gazed at Kari with all the fondness I felt for her. “I believe we have already established that I would do anything for you. That includes fighting in a tournament so I can request that your mom stop keeping you locked away in this city.”

Kari’s eyes became watery as a few small tears trickled down her face. She raised a hand to cover her mouth. From the way her cheeks were stretching, I could tell it she was smiling.

“There’s no need for tears,” I said.

I reached out and cupped her cheeks. The warmth of her skin was electric, and I loved the soft elasticity of her cheeks. Using my thumbs to pad the area under her eyes, I wiped away her tears.

“I know,” she muttered, allowing me to wipe her eyes. “I’m just really happy… you’re the first… the first person who has ever said you’d do this for me. You’ve been treating me so well, and I really feel like I’ve connected with you… I sometimes feel like we’ve known each other our whole lives.”

That was because I had known her for her whole life, or at least most of it, though I didn’t say that.

“I’m very happy to know that you’re happy,” I admitted, though there was a wry grin on my face. “However, perhaps we should get out of here. We’re drawing a crowd.”

“Huh?”

Kari looked confused for a moment, but then she finally seemed to realize what I meant. She looked around at all of the people who were muttering and whispering to each other as they stared at us. Her face turned a bright pink. It was a fetching color that went from the roots of her hair all the way down to her neck.

She grabbed my hand and took off. I wasn’t sure how far we ran, but we eventually left the crowd of people behind and ended up in a less crowded section of the city.

“Sorry for causing a scene,” she said as she slowed down. I wondered if she realized we were still holding hands.

“It’s fine,” I said. “I wasn’t bothered by it.”

Kari nodded with a sort of absentminded expression, as though she had just remembered something. She turned her head to gaze at me. There was something about this look that made me just a little wary.

“Eryk,” she began with a small frown, “do you mind if I ask how you knew that Grant was also trying to force Fay into an arranged marriage as well? I know that isn’t something I told you about.”

And just like that, I realized why I suddenly had such a bad premonition.

With a soft sigh, I explained to Kari how Fay and I met, our training together, and her confession several days ago.

***

Grant stomped down the street for several minutes before slowing down. His breathing was a bit heavy as he clenched his hands into tight fists. A black rage was pooling in his stomach. How dare that… that peasant challenge him! Who did he think he was?! Grant would show that foolish cretin why no one dared to mess with him!

“That kid was bold, huh?” one of his lackeys said. He was a fairly tall man, handsome enough, but he wasn’t very smart.

“You said it, Alf,” his other lackey said. He looked almost the exact same as the first one, but that was because they were twins.

“I’m surprised some peasant actually challenged you,” Alf added. “Either he doesn’t know who you are, or he’s a complete idiot.”

Grant nodded but didn’t say anything. He kept walking.

“Where are we going now, Grant?” asked the other twin.

“I’m heading back home to speak with my father,” Grant said. “In the meantime, Alf, Arvid, I want you to follow that boy and see what you can find out about him. I want to know who he is, where he lives, and who he associates with.” He paused before a cruel smile appeared on his lips. “And if you can, be sure to teach him a lesson.”

Alf and Arvid looked at each other, and then they looked at him.

“Just leave it to us,” they said at the same time.

Grant sighed. These two buffoons couldn’t be trusted with a task like this, but they would serve as a good distraction. That peasant would be so focused on these idiots that he would never see the true threat until it was too late.

A cruel smile appeared on his face. There was no need to wait until the tournament to deal with that foolish pissant. He would speak with his father and come up with a plan to deal with the peasant before the tournament.