Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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Most of the people, including myself, showed signs of surprise at the scene unfolding before us, but the tower masters displayed no particular reaction. It was as if they were already aware of what the Grimshade Kingdom’s landscape looked like.

“Did we come to the wrong place? Are we sure this is the right spot?”

Since we crossed over the sealed magic circle, there was no way we could have gotten lost. Knowing that well, I threw the question at Haiven, who was standing next to me.

“No, we found it well. This is indeed the Grimshade Kingdom.”

“But…”

“Isn’t it ironic? A place once known as the Land of Death looks so vibrant now.”

As Haiven hesitated, gazing at the scene before us, I could feel everyone around him focusing on his voice.

“Think about the place where Dark Mages usually linger. They used to siphon the land’s energy through giant magic circles. Where do you think that energy went?”

“Are you saying it’s concentrated here by taking the vitality from other lands? Why on earth…”

“Well… no one knows the reason, but perhaps today we might find out.”

“Hmm…”

With those words, Haiven began directing the other wizards.

“Wizards affiliated with the White Tower, maintain the Mana Barrier more sturdily! All other wizards, prepare your spells to intercept any enemies that may appear!”

The demons dwelling in this land must have noticed our approach. I knew fighting in the air was less stable than on the ground, but there was no way to land our airships without any information.

After all, traps might be lying in wait. The moment over a hundred airships began to move was after we repaired the small hole left by the sealing magic circle.

“It’s too quiet…”

Just as Rain said, the Grimshade Kingdom was quieter than quiet—it was serene. The typical chirping of birds you’d hear in the woods was absent, and even the common sounds of insects were missing.

This absence of what should be there felt disconcerting. There was a subtle rejection in the familiar sight of the forest, and a tension grew knowing enemies could emerge at any moment.

Though about a hundred airships flew through the sky, there was no notable reaction from the Grimshade Kingdom.

About an hour passed with all of us on high alert. The tower masters, observing the situation, ordered the airships to land.

Even as the airships touched down, I couldn’t relax. The mana flow generated by around twenty thousand wizards preparing their magic blended together, creating a tremendous storm.

“I still can’t see anything…”

As Haiven pointed out, even after all the airships had landed, no unusual movements were detected.

The expedition team that disembarked from the airships quickly began establishing a Base Camp. Numerous soldiers and knights chopped down trees to erect a massive barricade, while wizards stepped in to set up magic circles for defense, vigilance, and attack.

Time passed, and the night deepened further. Since the enemies showed no signs of approaching, we would need to take the initiative.

The orcs, eagerly awaiting a fight, had to calm their excitement by beating on some nearby innocent trees.

Even without sighting any enemies, we could not let our guard down. Wasn’t this exactly the place where enemies could pop up at any moment?

As time went by and the night darkened, people quickly became mentally exhausted.

Eventually, the tower masters and the leaders of each nation held an emergency meeting, forming a scouting team to investigate the surroundings.

It was a dangerous area, so selecting members for the scouting team was a task in itself. After a rigorous selection process, a total of one hundred and twenty members were chosen and organized into four teams.

The proficient individuals from the Blood Dragon House, knights, adventures of Gold grade or higher, and priests, along with the vice tower masters from each tower and other veteran wizards, made up the selected team. Orcs, due to their combative nature, were not selected for this scouting group.

Of course, I was also chosen for the scouting team. Perhaps thanks to Haiven’s consideration, my group was filled with familiar faces, including adventurers like Su and Shu, wizards like Rain and Haiven, and priests including Foldrin and the blood dragon house’s Red Wind and Blue Calm.

After a light self-introduction among the team members, a few individuals approached me, seemingly having business with me.

Red Wind, Blue Calm, Su, and Shu halted their steps mid-approach, exchanging glances that seemed to acknowledge one another. All of them were people I had ties with. Watching their behavior made me cock my head in confusion.

The first to break the silence among the halted team was Red Wind. Looking at me with affections in his eyes, he opened his mouth.

“Rana… it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Red Wind.”

Red Wind’s expression turned complex at my casual greeting. After a moment’s hesitation, he sighed softly and continued.

“Where’s your Blood Dragon House robe?”

“Ah… that’s…”

I scrunched my brows, recalling old memories. The red robe I took with me when I fled the Blood Dragon House had long since been ripped and discarded.

“Clumsy, huh… did you lose it? I’ll lend you mine…”

Just as Red Wind seemed to expect this and was about to offer his robe with a small smile, the belligerent Su and Shu and Foldrin, resting their hands on their belts, blocked Red Wind’s way.

“What do you think you’re doing…?”

In response to Red Wind’s question, the trio displayed a hint of hostility. They looked like a hedgehog with its quills raised. Su answered Red Wind’s question.

“That robe… it’s too big for Seris. It’ll hinder her movements.”

That was undeniably true. Red Wind’s robe would be way too large for me. Wearing it would surely make me look like someone wearing two wizard robes stacked on top of one another.

“Su’s right. We need to perform our duties quickly and meticulously; we can’t move in clothes that don’t fit.”

“I agree with their point. Stand down.”

Noticing the faint hostility among them, Red Wind’s demeanor began to shift slowly. As a hot wind started to swirl around him, Blue Calm stepped in front of Red Wind and spoke.

“My bad. Red Wind’s thought was a bit short. Indeed, it’s better to wear clothes that fit than ones that don’t.”

Blue Calm looked around, seeking approval in a relaxed tone. As Su, Shu, and Foldrin lightly nodded, Blue Calm produced a carefully tied silk pouch from his sleeve.

“I knew this would happen, so I brought something along. This robe should fit Rana.”

Blue Calm walked past the three who stood in front of him and approached me.

“Take this.”

“This is…”

“It’s a robe from the Blue Dragon House.”

An unexpected gift. A faint smile appeared on Blue Calm’s face as he looked down at me. Was this all that he wanted to do for me—give me a robe?

As he turned away to bring Red Wind along, Blue Calm’s words indicated the robe from the Blue Dragon House was made to fit me perfectly. Of course, since I was wearing a robe indicating my affiliation with the Tower of Dawn, I had no intention of putting it on right away.

Thus, I stuffed the robe that emanated a blue hue into my bag when Su and Shu asked me.

“Those people? The ones you met in the land of Beastmen…?”

“Those delusional people who consider Seris part of their family…”

I nodded at Su and Shu’s inquiry. The two, having listened to my adventure tales, seemed to be aware of the Blood Dragon House members.

Then, Foldrin, who had been monitoring the situation, approached me. It seemed he had been timing his chance to speak nervously.

“Seris.”

“Hello, Foldrin.”

Now that I noticed, Foldrin’s considerable height caught my attention. His boyish physique had seemingly grown explosively due to rigorous training.

In contrast, my height remained unchanged. I was confident the difference now would be the same as it was when I first dashed out of my home.

“I kept my promise to you. I quit using drugs and focused on training to become a Paladin.”

I cocked my head at Foldrin’s words. Did I ever have a promise with this brat?

No matter how I racked my brain, I couldn’t remember, making me frown. However, Foldrin, undeterred by my reaction, continued earnestly.

“I’ll formally introduce myself. I am Foldrin, the leader of the Paladin Brigade in the Kingdom of Oblain.”

The boy who was once a novice Paladin now stood before me as the leader of the Paladins. I thought to myself, he must have put in a tremendous amount of effort…

“I see…”

Is that all there was to say? I looked up at Foldrin, tilting my head in confusion.

Just then, the leader of this scouting team, Haiven, clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention. It seemed it was about time for us to depart.

“Ahem, it looks like everyone is about done with their greetings, so let’s get moving…”

Haiven posed a question while looking at the thirty individuals who would be accompanying us. After a brief pause to await responses, he nodded and continued.

“There don’t seem to be any problems. Then, we shall depart immediately.”

Boom-!

At the exact moment Haiven finished speaking, he stamped his foot. Magic activated from his foot, forming a wide-ranging barrier.

I lit up with excitement as I examined the barrier created by Haiven. This was not a spell for defense. It was a magic that recorded all movements starting from within the barrier and transmitted them to the caster in real-time.

My head was buzzing. Concentrated mana flowed through my eyes as I unraveled the spell structure in my mind, breaking down the magic and laying out numerous possibilities.

Even if you suppressed your presence, it was useless. The magic detected movement itself. The caster’s blind spots disappeared. It was a spell capable of sensing all omnidirectional attacks.

At that instant, Foldrin, who had been hesitating beside me, spoke up.

“Uh, Seris…?”

“Ah, yeah…”

As my heated head became messily tangled, I started reconstructing the magic. I expanded the range that could be sensed, increasing the total mana required.

In this situation, conversing with someone was practically impossible. I acknowledged Foldrin’s nagging voice with distracted nods.

“Is that all you have to say…? I… because of the promise we made…”

“Shh… Quiet.”

Ignoring Foldrin’s whiny tone, I walked alongside Haiven. Su and Shu, who had been observing the situation, followed closely behind me.