Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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“Just to be sure… did you send a rescue team from the Mage Tower?”

I shook my head at the old wizard’s question. He nodded knowingly, letting out a small sigh.

“I’m Seris. What’s your name, grandfather?”

“Grandfather… well, I guess I’ve aged enough to be called that now. Call me Regan.”

Regan smiled bitterly, stroking his beard as he organized the rings laid out on the workbench and asked me, “So, why are you still here?”

“I was wondering if I could get a ring that can handle a higher output than before.”

“Are you talking about the rings used by certified wizards?”

“Yes, something like the ring you’re using, Mr. Regan.”

“Umm. That’s not something I sell…”

Regan wiped his forehead, looking troubled by my words. After a brief moment of consideration, he said, “That ring from earlier… you made it, right? How did you get it?”

“I borrowed it from someone I know for a bit.”

I awkwardly smiled as I replied. I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I had stolen it.

“You seem to be friendly with a certified wizard? It would be faster and safer to get it through that wizard…”

I kept silent and smiled, avoiding Regan’s gaze. After a moment of contemplation, Regan spoke again.

“It seems there’s something you can’t say. So, do you have enough money?”

I nodded at Regan’s question and took out a handful of gold coins from my pocket. The gold nuggets I had brought before leaving the golden desert were still plentiful. Money wasn’t an issue, as long as the rings weren’t absurdly expensive.

“Hm, I shouldn’t have asked that. Do you have a specific grade in mind?”

“What’s the highest grade you can get?”

“The best I can find is grade five…”

I wondered how much output a grade five ring could withstand. I gave Regan a light smile, who looked at me skeptically. Then, I intensely rotated the magic circle settled on my heart.

Kiiing-!

Without a ring, I couldn’t cast proper magic, but I could at least release mana outside my body.

Paaaat-!

The rough burst of starlight mana spread throughout the workshop. A gentle breeze rose, sending white paper stacks swirling in all directions.

“This is…”

The swiftly rushing starlight drew a galaxy in the air before slowly dispersing. The last sight of the mana, leaving blue afterimages, resembled a nebula drifting in the cosmos.

However, that beautiful sight didn’t last long. The mana, disconnected from me, quickly faded away.

Having released a good amount of mana, I spoke to Regan.

“So, what do you think? A grade five ring. Can it handle my output?”

*

As I exited Regan’s workshop, I looked up at the sky. The sky of Trevel, filled with black smoke, showed no stars.

After confirming the fragments of mana I possessed, Regan told me to come back in a week. It seemed the mana I had displayed sparked some inspiration in him.

A week.

A long yet short period. As I emerged from the dirty alley, I walked toward the inn, illuminated brightly by neon signs.

During the week while Regan was getting the ring, I supposed I’d have to do some city sightseeing.

*

The first morning in Trevel arrived.

After a breakfast of mashed potatoes, bread, and a few slices of bacon, I headed out. The morning in Trevel was busy. Many people hustled toward their workplaces, giving an impression similar to modern society.

Though there were many differences.

As I leisurely wandered the streets and toured Trevel, I noticed an increase in patrolling wizards compared to yesterday.

The wizards wore grim expressions. Whatever news they received from above was likely not pleasant this morning.

Two wizards clustered together approached suspicious individuals to check their identities and belongings. For instance, those wearing thick hats to cover their faces or rushing by while glancing over their shoulders were mostly the ones getting caught.

It seemed there was a troublesome criminal lurking around in this city. I bought some street food while watching the wizards.

As the day turned to dusk, the next day fell upon me.

The second morning in Trevel.

My routine began just as it did the day before. After eating breakfast at the inn, I stepped out to explore the city. As I leisurely looked around, I realized more wizards were patrolling the streets compared to yesterday.

It seemed the vicious criminal the wizards were chasing hadn’t been captured yet. The expressions of the residents glancing at the wizards were not good. I clicked my tongue at the sight.

How could this city be livable if the security was so poor? Shaking my head, I headed toward an expansive park.

Just as I was on my way there, two patrolling wizards approached me and spoke.

“Wait a moment. Please stop.”

I looked around at their words. There was no one else nearby but me. When I tilted my head, possibly indicating myself, the wizard nodded.

“What is it?”

“We ask for your cooperation. We’ve found traces of unauthorized magic recently and, unfortunately, we have to conduct a surprise inspection.”

“Unauthorized magic?”

“Yes, the verification process will be quick, so just a moment…”

The wizard nodded at my question and pulled out a monocle from his robe. Once he donned the monocle, he began concentrating blue mana on it.

The moment the magic circle engraved in the monocle began to glow blue, cracks appeared, and the blue mana scattered away.

“What the…?”

“Is it broken?”

The wizard looked flustered at the sight of his broken monocle. His companion, upon noticing this, pulled out an identical monocle from his own belongings and put it on.

“You’ll need to request a replacement when you return. While you’re at it, my ring and coat too…”

Slam!

The wizard’s sentence was left uncompleted. His companion experienced the same fate, and the monocle broke as well. The wizard hurriedly brushed the shards of glass away from near his eyes.

I stood with my arms crossed and asked the two wizards, “How much longer do I have to stand here?”

“Ah, sorry… You can go on.”

The two wizards apologized to my question and stepped aside. I walked past them towards the park.

*

Time flies quickly. Days and nights switched several times as the promised date approached. I waited for the night to deepen and then had to sneak out of the room by opening the window.

Now that the vicious criminal was still at large in the city, a curfew had been imposed on all children under fifteen. I too could not escape that curfew.

I, shorter than my peers, found myself pursued relentlessly by wizards whenever they spotted me. They’d threaten to throw me in jail if I didn’t return home, and they even followed me closely until I did.

With things turning out this way, I had no choice but to move cautiously at night. Slipping out the window, I snuck into the alleys, scaling walls like a spider with my claws outstretched, heading toward Regan’s location.

The patrolling wizards thoroughly checked even the dirty back alleys. I had to carve a path where ordinary people couldn’t walk to avoid them.

Hiding in the shadows, I leaped across buildings the moment the glow of the wizard’s mana stone light vanished. I couldn’t tell how much time had passed, but when the wizards began to relax their vigilance, I found myself in front of Regan’s workshop.

Swiftly coming down from the outer wall, I rolled down the dark steps and knocked heavily on the thick iron door.

“Mr. Regan!”

Bang bang bang-!

After calling for Regan, I waited a moment when I heard a faint noise behind the thick iron door, which suddenly swung open with a bang.

There stood Regan.

“What brings you here at this hour… isn’t there a curfew?”

I frowned at Regan’s question. As far as I remembered, I had never told him my age. Perhaps he thought that due to my appearance, it was natural I’d fall under the curfew, which irked me a bit.

“That’s not the important thing. Do you have the items?”

Regan nodded with a reluctant expression in response to my question. I followed him into the workshop.

Regan’s workshop looked different than before. Complex blueprints and a giant magic circle were etched across the walls and even up to the ceiling.

“What is all this? It wasn’t here before.”

“Um, just my personal research materials.”

“Oh…”

Regan shook his head as if it was no big deal, but the contents of the blueprints were anything but trivial. The blueprints depicted a giant ship, with a colossal mana passage wrapping around the entire vessel from the center.

“Is this… a blueprint of Trevel?”

Regan turned in surprise at my question. Frowning, I shifted my gaze along the elaborate designs of the blueprint.

No, it’s different. This isn’t Trevel. It isn’t as intricate or efficient as Trevel. It looked like a poor imitation of Trevel’s structure.

“You can recognize this?”

“It’s a bit inefficient. Plus, the magic circle that makes up the core is missing, isn’t it?”

“That’s still in the planning phase…”

The thought of getting the ring momentarily slipped away. Suddenly struck by inspiration, I approached the large blueprint.

“Shouldn’t it be secured more tightly? If just left to flow freely, it seems like a lot of mana would be wasted… If you’re trying to mimic Trevel’s design, it would be better to adhere to it completely.”

“What on earth did you do at the Mage Tower?”

Ignoring Regan’s astonished expression, I rearranged the sequence of the magical runes inscribed on the blueprint, reconfiguring the mana flow. Of course, I made sure to sketch it lightly for easy erasure.

I set down the pencil in my hand and took a step back.

“What do you think?”

“Uh, uh…”

Regan did not answer my question. Gripping the pencil, he began to frantically wave his arms over the large blueprint.