Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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The airship cuts through the hazy clouds as it continues onward. It has transitioned from racing over the sea beyond the sky to passing over a massive landmass.

I felt the commotion among the humans on the ground at the sight of the enormous airship. Large cities immediately went on alert, and I could see soldiers being summoned.

The armor of the soldiers looked familiar, even to the fluttering banners high above in the wind.

This was undoubtedly the Karma Empire.

However, the Gold Return Ship did not stop. There was no reason to pause here, as the destination set was the Mage Tower of the Aben Kingdom beyond the Karma Empire.

Kuwaaaah-!

The airship accelerated again, spewing out enormous flames and racing through the blue sky amidst a storm of mana.

The only way to travel between the Aben Kingdom and the Karma Empire was by crossing the sea on a ship. Even the fastest schedule would typically take a month to reach the neighboring country, but the Gold Return Ship, made from the body of a dragon, reduced that month-long journey to just one hour.

The quickly flying golden behemoth settled into a dense forest. I wanted to find a broader landing spot, but there didn’t seem to be any suitable locations near the Mage Tower.

Kuguguguung-!

The massive wings and legs trampled the forest, unleashing a tremendous storm. Animals and monsters of all sizes living in the woods screamed and fled, while countless wizards began to emerge from within the Mage Tower.

“Finally back…”

“You promised, didn’t you? That you would definitely return here.”

“I thought I would never come back in my lifetime…”

Regan, who disembarked from the Gold Return Ship, felt his eyes welling up as he watched the approaching wizards. A smile had begun to bloom on his now-aged face, while the wizards who had fallen into the lower realm with him sported similar expressions.

“What on earth is this…!”

The faces of the wizards rushing to the front looked familiar. Behind the many wizards with whom I had built acquaintances among different Mage Towers, Haiven appeared. He looked so surprised that his expression was painted in shock.

Was he astonished at meeting an opponent he thought he would never see again? Or was it because of the value of the airship I brought?

Regardless of the reason, being received warmly by people felt rather nice. I waved to the numerous wizards and opened my mouth.

“Hello~”

“S-Seris… what in the world is this… and who are they…”

Haiven’s gaze demanded an immediate explanation of the situation. Of course, I wanted to explain, but first, resting was the priority.

“Everyone is exhausted. Please help us rest first.”

“I understand. Then…”

Having engaged in countless battles with endless monsters, everyone who came on the airship needed a break. Su and Shu were also in a spent state after unleashing that tremendous strike.

Numerous wizards looked at us with curiosity-filled eyes, yet none were bothersome enough to get too close.

*

On the third day after returning to the Mage Tower, I had to meet with Haiven alone.

At Haiven’s call, I walked to his room and sat in the chair placed in the middle of the spacious room. Haiven swept his white hair back and lit up his eyes.

“So, have you rested well?”

“Thanks to you, I’ve rested very well.”

Haiven had made sure that I lacked nothing. There were no visitors, and he catered to my cravings, allowing me to quickly recover from the fatigue of my long adventure.

“I’ve heard that beyond the sky and clouds that spread wide beneath this continent lies new lands. Is that true?”

It seemed he had already received an explanation from Regan. I nodded at Haiven’s question.

“That’s amazing… Honestly, it’s hard to believe.”

“But it’s true.”

Haiven then continued to throw questions at me. I answered his inquiries in detail, speaking of everything I saw and experienced while descending to the place called the Lower Realm.

From not being able to use magic, meeting elves, and even encountering the dwarves who were thought to be extinct.

I took the opportunity to pull out a small notebook that I had tucked away in my bag and showed it to Haiven. The notebook was filled with compactly written adventure stories in a brief narrative form.

“Impressive.”

Haiven let out an exclamation of amazement for the tenth time.

“It’s hard to believe.”

This exclamation was the same. Haiven nodded repeatedly as he listened to my tale.

“Oh, and I brought this as well…”

I showed Haiven a handful of Dragon’s Breath that I had collected in my bag. According to the herbarium I obtained in the Lower Realm, it was said to be used as various magical materials, which would surely be a great help to the wizards here.

“That is…”

“It’s a plant that isn’t found here. It only grows near the habitats of dragons…”

The quantity of Dragon’s Breath I had brought for Kaiman was quite significant, so it seemed fine to share some with Haiven. I handed over a handful of the plant known as Dragon’s Breath to him.

After receiving the Dragon’s Breath, Haiven maintained a quiet silence. He brightened his eyes and took out a slim pen to start writing something down. The strange symbols engraved in the depths of Haiven’s eyes gradually rotated, emitting a bright light.

When Haiven finally set down the pen, I spoke again.

“Shall we continue the story?”

“Continue the story? You mean there’s still more to say?”

Haiven looked incredulous at my question. I nodded and replied.

“Of course. There’s still a lot left. Like what happened in the dwarf city, Star Forge… Oh, this story continues into my adventures in the desert…”

“Hmm…”

“If you look at the notebook I gave you, it should be around twenty pages in. It’ll be easier to understand if you follow along with the story there.”

“Hmm…”

“Now, from there…”

I began to recount my tales once more, from passing by the blacksmith refining starlight to heading towards the Dragon’s Cradle, where the dragons resided.

Time flowed quickly until I reached the point where I returned to the Celestial Realm aboard the airship made from Dragon’s Egg and Dragon’s body.

“And that brings us to the present moment.”

“That airship… did you really make it from a dragon’s body?”

“Yes.”

“I thought it might be an unusual item, but… so it really is made from a dragon’s body…”

All my stories came to an end. Haiven closed his eyes as if organizing the information and stories he had heard from me and murmured in a small voice.

“I can’t disclose this…”

“You can’t disclose it? Why not?”

“About the existence of the Lower Realm. If what you say is true, the Lower Realm is a very dangerous place. For wizards to be unable to use magic is a horrifying statement.”

“There is a way to use magic, though.”

“I confirmed it through what’s written in your notebook. It seems you can borrow the presence of a specific being by making it the Core of Mana… Are the wizards in the Lower Realm using that method to cast their magic?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a very dangerous method.”

Saying so, Haiven lifted the pen he had set down again. The nib, dipped in ink, scratched and raced across the white paper. As the long, stretching letters began to fill the page, Haiven set down the pen.

“Then this will be my last question. Seris.”

“Yes.”

“How was this adventure?”

A myriad of scenes flickered before my eyes—meetings, farewells, and the various rewards I gained at the end of my journey filled my heart.

“It was enjoyable.”

*

A month passed since my return from the Lower Realm.

I had been busy going around various places in the Mage Tower during that time. It was necessary to record the knowledge of the Lower Realm and pass on the new magic system I learned there to the Mage Tower.

Having completed all tasks at the Mage Tower, I sought out Su and Shu. They were glaring at each other while holding swords in a wide room.

Given the lack of malice or hostility, it seemed they were engaged in a practice duel.

“Seris!”

“Seris!”

Upon seeing me, the children immediately dropped their swords and rushed over. I noticed they had grown taller during the time I had been away. I frowned as I looked up at the two kids.

“You two have grown!”

“Ah, it must be the growth phase. I started growing a lot after you left.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, that’s fine, but what was that thing you showed me a month ago?”

At my question, the twins exchanged glances. Su slowly opened his mouth to answer.

“At some point, we learned to capture the moon.”

“Is that it…?”

“Yep.”

I looked at Shu this time, but he seemed to resemble Su in his reticence and offered no further explanation. He just shrugged his shoulders.

Just when I was about to place my hand on the sword to confirm the twins’ actual skills, I sensed a faint presence outside the closed door, followed by a knock.

[Knock Knock]

“Who is it?”

[Seris. Are you there?]

A familiar voice. It was Rain. I cocked my head and slowly walked to open the door. As expected, Rain was standing there.

“What brings you here?”

“Well…”

The reason Rain had come was Haiven’s call. Following Rain, I arrived back at Haiven’s room.

Sitting in a chair, Haiven looked at me and Rain and spoke.

“Both of you, come on in.”

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing serious. I’d like you to take on a small mission.”

“A mission? Ah…”

I nodded at Haiven’s words. Magicians affiliated with the Mage Tower had to carry out tasks that came down from the Mage Tower. I had forgotten about that for a while since Haiven had been making things convenient for me.

“What’s the content of the mission?”

“We’ve received reports of sightings of Dark Mages. I’d like you to go to the place where they were seen and investigate.”

A second task as a magician in the Mage Tower was set. With nothing specific to do, I nodded and accepted the mission.

“Where was the Dark Mage spotted?”

“In the Karma Empire.”