Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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Late in the early dawn, we arrived at the inn where Shu and Su were staying after moving to a new location.

Since we arrived late, there was only us in the inn’s first-floor restaurant. The staff seemed to be asleep as well, so we couldn’t order any meals.

“Where on earth have you been wandering around?”

That was the first question Shu asked as we sat down. Su, sitting next to him, looked eager to hear my story.

With the kids so excited, I couldn’t hold back on sharing. I cleared my throat and began recounting the adventures I had experienced during my time as an adventurer.

“My first proper mission as an adventurer was guarding a merchant caravan. It was quite an experience.”

“Were there any bad people?”

I shook my head at Su’s question. Was I just lucky? Most of the companions I met during my adventurer activities had good characters.

“Next, I joined a monster hunting party and climbed a snow-covered mountain alongside dozens of adventurers. A lord’s soldiers and a knight led us adventurers…”

As I thought back, I began listing all the significant events. It wouldn’t do to cover the small details; today was too short for that. Even with a shortened version of my adventures, it could easily fill two books.

I smiled softly as I continued, “There, I encountered an ogre. At first, I didn’t realize it was an ogre. It felt like a giant mountain had suddenly appeared.”

“Ogre…”

“Was it dangerous?”

“Of course it was dangerous. At that time, I was still a fledgling who had just started adventuring.”

“You’re still as small as a fledgling now.”

I ignored Su’s comment and continued talking.

“The ogre was incredibly strong. When its giant fist slammed into the ground, it was as if an earthquake struck, shaking the entire mountain. But in the end, I won.”

“You caught it by yourself?”

“Well, not exactly by myself. I told you, right? There were dozens of adventurers and a knight leading them.”

“The knight caught it then.”

“But I dealt the finishing blow.”

“Uh-huh.”

“After that, I sailed to the Karma Empire…”

“Why did you go to the Karma Empire?”

“Oh, because there was no one in Aben Kingdom who could properly tan ogre hides. So, I went to the Karma Empire.”

Once I arrived in the Karma Empire, the custom-made ogre hide saved my life multiple times. If I hadn’t had that ogre hide armor, I probably wouldn’t be here now.

After tanning the ogre hide, I headed to the Hairan Plateau to obtain a horse. When I shared the story of meeting a Thunderbird and encountering a Nightmare that came to me like fate, Shu and Su opened their mouths in disbelief.

“You really met a Thunderbird? Isn’t that just an old tale?”

“It was real. A giant bird enveloped in lightning and dark clouds couldn’t be anything but a Thunderbird!”

“Couldn’t you have mistaken it?”

“I’m speaking only the truth.”

“Why couldn’t we meet a Thunderbird…”

Shu murmured in a small voice. He grimaced, as if recalling old memories.

“Did you also go there?”

“Yeah. We followed your tracks to the Hairan Plateau. Though, of course, you weren’t there when we arrived.”

“How far did you follow me…?”

“To Monster Island.”

I had somewhat expected them to mention Celyon, but it seemed the two had indeed been to Monster Island. No matter how much I liked them, it felt a bit burdensome that they followed me this far. I awkwardly smiled and continued.

“Well, anyway, I met a Nightmare there. After that…”

Time flew by swiftly. As the bright sun rose over the chilly streets of the early dawn, breakfast began in earnest. Only when the adventurers woke up and started coming down to the restaurant could I share my entire story with the two kids.

“So, what do you think? Are your curiosities satisfied?”

“So, what you’re saying is, you became a wizard, absorbed the dragon’s mana, met with the dragon’s spirit, and even met dwarves and elves that only appear in legends?”

It was Shu who responded to my question. He seemed skeptical of my tale. Of course, I could understand his reaction. It was a fantastic story that ordinary folks couldn’t experience.

But it had already happened. That vivid memory remained in my mind, so it didn’t matter if Shu didn’t believe it.

“It’s true. I met them all.”

“Wow…”

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe, but since it’s you, Emily, I’ll take your word for it…”

Having shared everything, it was now time for Shu and Su to speak. I rested my chin on the table, looking at the two kids.

“What about you guys?”

“Um…”

Shu and Su exchanged glances at my question. The two of them nodded slowly while still looking at the air.

“We were a bit more ordinary…”

“At first, we just went herb gathering, and we occasionally took on goblin hunting requests…”

It seemed Shu and Su had quite a tough time as adventurers. The two kids who left their village to chase after me had no choice but to become adventurers to secure their next meal. I had no idea they were hiding such circumstances, so I stayed silent.

Although Shu and Su followed me, they couldn’t keep up with my pace. After chasing me for quite a journey, when they finally arrived in the large city, they had to become adventurers to cover their travel expenses, widening the gap even further.

“Oh, by the way, do you happen to know someone named Foldrin?”

“Foldrin…?”

I racked my memory. I was sure I had heard the name somewhere, but for some reason, I couldn’t recall it well. If it was a person’s name but I remembered it so vaguely, it seemed that person wasn’t that important to me…

“Don’t you know him?”

“No. Well, he seems like someone I know…”

“A paladin from the Kingdom of Oblain.”

“Oh…”

I blankly nodded at Su’s explanation. When I thought of the Kingdom of Oblain, the face of a boy I saw in the back alley drinking some strange potion came to mind.

“How did you meet him? Did you go to the Kingdom?”

“No, I met Foldrin in the capital of the Karma Empire. He came here looking for you.”

It was Shu who answered my question. I tilted my head, puzzled, and asked again.

“He came all the way here… to find me?”

“Yeah. We had similar goals, and since we were around the same age, we quickly became friends. When I mentioned you were childhood friends, he treated us really kindly. I also learned the Elun’s Gleam technique from him. It turns out our swordsmanship teacher used to be a paladin from the Kingdom of Oblain.”

“He taught you swordsmanship too…?”

“Thanks to that, I passed the Silver Grade exam and was able to go to Monster Island. Although, we were a bit late this time too, so you had already left.”

“So, Celyon must’ve met him there?”

“Yep. He talked a lot about you. Oh right, Celyon told me to run this by you when you see him…”

“What did he say?”

“Um…”

Shu frowned at my question, as if he couldn’t remember. Then, Su, who was sitting next to him, answered.

“He said, ‘You’ve perfected it.’ You’ll understand.”

“Oh…”

I nodded at Su’s words. Before leaving Monster Island, I had passed on the technique called Balgyeong to Celyon. It seemed like he had mastered it completely.

Celyon, with her outstanding swordsmanship, could likely utilize the Balgyeong technique in various forms.

“But… where’s Foldrin? Didn’t he come back with you from Monster Island?”

I looked around and asked Shu and Su. The two kids sighed lightly and shook their heads.

“He got captured.”

“Captured…? By whom?”

“It was on the day we returned from Monster Island to the capital of the Karma Empire. While the three of us—me, Su, and Foldrin—were disembarking, suddenly a group of people in white priest robes surrounded us.”

“People in priest robes? Could they be the priests from the Kingdom?”

“Yeah.”

“And then what happened?”

“It was so sudden that I didn’t see properly, but… after a bright light flashed, Foldrin was tied up with ropes and lying on the ground. They said something about desertion being a serious crime and took him away. That was it.”

“Desertion…?”

I swallowed dryly, recalling Foldrin’s hazy figure. Could it be that he deserted just to see me?

I frowned, an uneasy expression crossing my face.

“Our story ends here… Your tracks suddenly vanished, so we were working as adventurers here…”

After that remark, an awkward silence fell. I cautiously watched Shu and Su’s expressions and carefully asked.

“Um, how are our parents doing?”

“Well, they’re doing okay, but… if you’re so curious, why not go visit your hometown?”

Shu answered my question. I smiled sheepishly at his suggestion and asked.

“Why did you guys leave your hometown?”

Shu and Su exchanged glances at my question.

“Is there anything different about us…?”

“Emily, I also didn’t want to get married.”

To my surprise, it seemed the two kids had chosen to run away just like I did. I frowned and questioned them.

“Did you leave a note at home? Your parents will be worried.”

“Is that something you should say…?”

“At least I left a note. I think it’s better than just disappearing…”

Shu appeared speechless at my response. Then, Su, who had been sitting next to him, answered instead.

“I left one.”

Su proved to be more mature than Shu. I nodded with my arms crossed. As I observed the two kids carefully, I cautiously continued speaking.

“By the way, what was that story earlier? About just escaping from an alley.”

“Oh… that.”

“Weren’t you saying something about discovering ruins underwater?”

“Yeah, but they said they cannot provide upfront payment for the reward, so I was about to decline.”

“You declined the request?”

“Yeah. It was a named request. They seemed to have issued it to all adventurers above Silver Grade active in this area. Other adventurers knew about it as well.”

I couldn’t help but smile at Shu’s words. Hidden ruins underwater seemed quite intriguing.