Chapter 28 - Damn Reincarnation

Aroth

Gilead offered to assign him an escort, but Eugene flatly refused. They might call it an escort, but wouldn't it just be a nuisance trailing after him everywhere?

"It's not as if Aroth is unsafe, and I'm quite capable of protecting myself."

All five magic towers were in the capital. He would be living in a bustling capital, not some remote village on the frontier. There was no need to bring an escort.

"With Eugene's skills, he won't need an escort."

With Gion backing him up, Gilead nodded as well. Both men knew that Eugene possessed an unbelievable degree of skill and experience for his age. Besides, now that he had reached three stars in the White Flame Formula, they could no longer treat him like a child. At his age, with his abilities, he needed to know how to look after himself.

'... He's different from Eward.'

Gilead swallowed the bitter taste lingering in his mouth along with his wine.

The following day, Eugene headed for the warp gate at the edge of the forest as everyone saw him off. Gerhard had been smiling fondly the day before, but now that he was actually watching Eugene leave, tears streamed down his face.

"Don't skip meals. Make sure you eat regularly."

"Yes."

"And if you feel ill, go straight to a doctor."

"Yes."

"If things get hard and you feel lonely... don't suffer alone. Come home. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

Eugene answered every admonition. It hurt to see Gerhard crying out of love and concern for his son. In the past, he had only dimly thought of Gerhard as his father. Strangely, though, the older he grew after his reincarnation, the more Gerhard felt like his real father.

'... And he really is my father.'

"Please stop crying. It's not like I'm going off to die."

"Don't say such unlucky things."

"I'm going to learn magic. And do a little sightseeing in Aroth while I'm there."

"You've spent most of your life in Gidol, and these past four years you've lived only here with the main family. You know so little of the world. I don't know if you'll manage on your own in Aroth..."

"I'll be fine. So stop crying. The servants are watching."

Eugene took a handkerchief from inside his clothes and scrubbed Gerhard's cheeks with it.

"Couldn't you at least take Nina with you?"

"Nina came to the main family when she was young, too. She knows just as little about the world. Besides, I told her to take this opportunity to go home and get some rest."

"Thank you for your consideration."

Nina nodded with a beaming smile. Eugene had personally asked the family head to let her take a vacation. Thanks to him, she could visit her hometown with a hefty purse and an escort.

"I'd better get going."

Eugene pressed the tear-soaked handkerchief into Gerhard's hand.

"I won't write often, but I'll send you a letter now and then when I think of it. So take care of yourself, Father."

"Hic..."

"Oh, I told you to stop crying. Do you think I'll stay just because you're crying?"

"No..."

"You know me well. So instead of crying, can't you send your son off with a smile, since he's leaving anyway?"

At last, Gerhard stopped crying and smiled. Eugene regretted asking him to. Seeing that face felt like having a large nail driven into his chest.

Even so, he did not change his mind. With his father's tearful smile and the main family's farewells behind him, he headed for the warp gate. He did not look back. Once he decided to do something, he went through with it. That hadn't changed since his previous life.

* * *

Pentagon, the capital of the magical kingdom of Aroth. Its five magic towers formed a pentagram around the royal palace.

Eugene stared down at the sight in a daze. He had visited Aroth in his previous life, but the view below was vastly different from what he had seen back then.

"... Huh..."

The magic towers stood in majestic splendor. All five drew the eye more than the royal palace did. Naturally so. Those towers were both Aroth's symbol and the source of its national strength. Unlike in most kingdoms, Aroth's king had almost no governing authority. The chairman and parliament governed Aroth.

"Wow..."

He had an excellent view of the developed city.

Pentagon's warp gates floated in the sky, on floating stations. Of all the kingdoms, Aroth alone placed its warp gates in the air. Suspended by all manner of magic, the floating stations were the pride of Aroth, the so-called magical kingdom.

'There wasn't anything like this in my previous life.'

Keeping a landmass this large suspended in the air, fixing its coordinates so it could serve as a warp gate... It showcased the excellence of their magic while offering both convenience and commercial appeal.

The chance to take in the entire sprawling capital at a glance was enough to make countless people want to visit Pentagon's floating stations.

"Isn't it magnificent?"

A chirpy voice.

"This view itself could be called part of Aroth's cultural heritage. Pentagon has no fewer than fifteen floating stations, all of them created by the Wise Senya herself."

"... Wow."

"From this East Gate Station, where you are now, Master Eugene, it would take half a day to reach the palace even by carriage. But simply warping from one floating station to another drastically shortens the distance you need to travel..."

Anyone with functioning eyes—no, anyone capable of thinking—could figure that out.

"And then there are the flying carriages stationed at each floating station! Even people who suffer from warp sickness can ride them to their destination while enjoying Pentagon's scenery as comfortably as if they were lying in their own beds."

"... Did that woman... I mean, Lady Senya make those, too?"

"Of course! Oh, don't worry too much. The magic may be hundreds of years old, but with constant improvements and maintenance, the annual accident rate is extremely low."

So it wasn't zero.

"... Hmm..."

The man chattering away beside him was a guide from the East Gate Floating Station. With so many tourists visiting, each floating station had plenty of guides on hand.

Most were young mages without talent, unable even to gain entry to a magic tower, who worked as guides to cover their living expenses and tuition.

'I shouldn't have worn this.'

Eugene frowned and looked down at his chest. His Lionheart uniform bore a lion crest over the left breast. He had put it on without much thought, and thanks to it, a guide had latched onto him the moment he passed through the warp gate.

"As for Pentagon's tourist attractions..."

"Hold on."

Eugene interrupted the guide and opened his brochure. After briefly checking the attractions listed inside, he nodded.

"... I'll only hire you for today."

"If you sign up now, I can offer a week's guiding for the price of three days."

"No, thanks. Let's get the contract signed."

There was only one place he wanted to visit for now. After seeing it, he planned to go straight to the Red Tower and find Lovellian.

The guide produced a contract as if he'd been waiting for this. Eugene filled it out with the pen he was given, then took his wallet from inside his clothes and handed the guide a check for one million sals.

"Woo-hoo!"

"That's for today's fee and the other expenses."

"I'll take excellent care of you."

"First... I'd like to visit the Wise Senya's mansion."

"An excellent choice."

The guide smiled broadly.

"If you come to Pentagon, there are three things you absolutely must see: the Wise Senya's mansion, the magic towers, and the night view."

"Never mind the night view. I'd like to look around the mansion alone."

"Alone, you say?"

"Yes."

"Understood."

The guide bowed and stepped back.

'... Eugene Lionheart.'

As he headed for the warp gate, the guide recalled the name written on the contract. It was a famous name. A boy from a collateral branch who had been adopted into the Lionheart main family.

'Why's he come to Aroth? Is he here to learn magic like the eldest son? Or has he come to fetch that moron?'

Eward Lionheart's name was also fairly well known in Pentagon. In particular, among poor young mages who covered their living expenses and tuition by doing menial work such as guiding, his name was an object of envy and resentment.

'... If he was born into a warrior family, he should've stuck to martial arts. Why the fuck does he have to get above himself and prance around claiming he's going to learn magic?'

A guy who had little talent but got into a magic tower on connections alone. He hadn't become the Red Tower Master's apprentice, but he was learning magic from the mages under him.

Moron. Dumbass. Son of a bitch.

"That down there is Lady Senya the Wise's mansion."

As one of Pentagon's famous tourist attractions, the mansion had its own floating station named after it.

The guide rambled on as they descended in a flying carriage.

"Three hundred years ago, after returning from the demon lands, Lady Senya became the youngest tower master in Aroth's history. In the plaza of the Green Tower, which she once led, there's a statue that reproduces her likeness exactly."

Eugene said nothing and looked out the window.

"This mansion was her home until her departure. Two hundred years ago, Lady Senya left it, leaving behind a single letter saying she was going into seclusion."

"I know that much."

Eugene, who had been listening silently, turned his head.

"No one knows where she went afterward, right?"

"That's right. Lady Senya erased every trace of herself. Many of Aroth's mages, along with her own pupils, tried to track her movements, but none of them discovered where she'd gone into seclusion."

"Are there any theories or rumors?"

"There were plenty of far-fetched stories. Some say she went to the demon lands to kill a Demon King, others that she entered the Great Forest of Samar, the homeland of the elves..."

The guide searched his memory as he continued.

"... There's also a rumor that she contracted an incurable illness and went into seclusion to meet her end in peace."

"..."

"They're all rumors whose truth can't be verified. What we do know is that Lady Senya hasn't appeared in public even once in the past two hundred years."

The guide put on a sad expression and lowered his voice.

"What's truly heartbreaking is that the day Lady Senya disappeared was her birthday. What could possibly have happened... to make her decide to go into seclusion on that blessed day? This is only my personal opinion, but I believe she went to the demon lands."

"Why?"

"That year, two hundred years ago, marked a century since Lady Senya returned from the demon lands. A century since she came home, leaving behind the body of her comrade, Hamel the Foolish... On the eve of her birthday, she remembered her long-dead companion..."

"..."

"She wanted to avenge Hamel... That feeling drove her to leave. You know the story too, don't you, Master Eugene? They say Hamel's love for Lady Senya was unrequited. Like a spiteful little boy, he couldn't confess his feelings and tormented her throughout their journey... but just before he died, he confessed his love to her..."

"Don't spout fucking bullshit."

"Pardon?"

"No... uh... hmm..."

"Aha..."

After blinking for a moment, the guide broke into a broad smile.

"You don't seem to like the romance between Lady Senya and Hamel."

"... Well, I..."

"I used to argue with a friend about it all the time when I was little. I've always maintained that Lady Senya and Hamel's romance is historical fact, but would you believe my friend insisted that Lady Senya and Vermouth the Great must have been in love with each other?"

"..."

"Well, that's quite an entertaining story, too. Hamel the Foolish... crushed by Vermouth, robbed even of his love... Yet in the end, he sacrifices himself for Vermouth and confesses his love as he dies... Ahh. I do enjoy a good tragedy."

Having paid him a million sals, surely Eugene was entitled to smack him in the mouth once? He began seriously considering it.

"Anyway, that's what I think. Lady Senya left Aroth alone and headed to Helmuth to avenge Hamel... but in the end, she failed to get her revenge... and breathed her last in Helmuth..."

"... You really do love tragedies."

"There are plenty of novels about Lady Senya in Aroth as well. If you're interested, I can bring you a carefully selected assortment."

"No, thanks... But... the idea that Lady Senya went to Helmuth. That's just baseless speculation, isn't it?"

"It's not entirely baseless. Lady Senya's hatred of black magic and demons is well known, and she opposed the establishment of the Black Tower right up until she went into seclusion."

The Black Tower had been established in Aroth two hundred years ago.

After the Wise Senya went into seclusion.

"... Some claim that radical black mages who were pushing for the Black Tower's establishment might have assassinated Lady Senya..."

"There's no way mere black mages could assassinate her."

The voice that emerged was so cold Eugene could hardly believe it was his own.

"Even the Demon King of Fury couldn't break through Lady Senya's magical barrier head-on. How could a black mage get through magic that even a Demon King couldn't breach?"

"You're very well informed! Yes, I agree. The Black Tower also vehemently denied the assassination theory two hundred years ago."

But.

One corner of his heart darkened.

A black mage couldn't assassinate Senya.

But what about a Demon King? The two Demon Kings of Helmuth had reportedly poured enormous funding into the establishment of the Black Tower. Eugene turned to look at the Black Tower far in the distance. Though shorter than the other magic towers, its lavish grandeur was blatant enough to be apparent even from here.

Helmuth was still supporting Aroth through the Black Tower. They had gone to such lengths to plant their servants, the black mages, in Aroth. To the Demon Kings, Senya's opposition to the Black Tower's establishment must have made her a thorn in their side.

Enough that they would want her dead.

'... Senya.'

The flying carriage touched down. Eugene stepped out and looked at Senya's mansion.

'Are you really dead?'

He couldn't even linger in his emotions.

There were far too many tourists at the mansion.