Chapter 29 - Damn Reincarnation

Aroth

That was only natural. The Wise Senya’s mansion was a sacred destination that every young aspiring mage longed to see, and even those who had never studied magic invariably stopped by at least once when visiting Aroth. It was a standard stop on any sightseeing itinerary.

“Please... please let me pass this exam and get into a magic tower...”

“I’ve failed eleven times already. Please, at least let me make it to the interview...”

The magic towers’ open recruitment exams, held once every six months, boasted a horrific level of competition. Across the five towers, well over several thousand mages took the exams, but at most, only a few dozen passed and were hired.

There were two months left until those dreadful exams. The grounds in front of Senya’s mansion swarmed with candidates praying to pass.

“You needn’t worry about them.”

As Eugene gazed at them in dismay, the guide approached with a broad grin.

“They can’t afford to go inside anyway.”

“... Really?”

“Admission alone costs hundreds of thousands of sals. Even after paying that, you only get to see the gardens. To enter the mansion itself, you have to pay several times as much.”

“Why is it so expensive?”

“Because there are plenty of people willing to pay that much to get inside. There’s a superstition that if you pray to Lady Senya’s portrait in the central hall, you’re guaranteed to pass the magic towers’ recruitment exams.”

“Does that make any sense?”

“Not at all... A few years ago, I worked hard to save up and prayed to the portrait myself, but I still failed.”

The guide’s shoulders slumped.

“... Still, there’s no harm in looking on the bright side, is there? Lady Senya never married or adopted any children. So the admission fees from this mansion go into the royal treasury along with the taxes.”

Eugene headed toward the mansion’s entrance with the guide. People were lined up there as well, but the Lionheart name carried weight.

'So that’s why he told me not to take off my uniform.'

Before boarding the flying carriage, he had tried to change clothes because all the stares made him uncomfortable. But the guide had flatly refused, insisting that he keep wearing the uniform at least until they reached Senya’s mansion.

Thanks to that, he didn’t have to wait in line. The guide said something to the mansion’s guards, and their captain immediately came out to greet Eugene.

“Master Eugene Lionheart. Your identity has been verified.”

Identification cards were linked to their owners’ blood, making them impossible to forge. Eugene’s was particularly conspicuous: when he became the main family’s adopted son, the Lionheart crest had been engraved on the back.

'In my day, we carried identification tags...'

He had carried one, but they were easy to forge and hardly suitable as proof of identity. In that war-torn age, what proved a person’s identity was strength, not some identification tag.

'Even money’s turned into some weird paper...'

The currency was still called sals, but three hundred years ago, people had carried coins made of copper, silver, and gold. Paper money? What value could that crap possibly have?

'The world really has changed.'

He hadn’t felt it much while staying on the family estate. Now that he had ventured out into the world, so much had changed that it hardly felt real.

“How would you like to pay for admission?”

“The full mansion tour, please. Master Eugene, will you be paying with cash or a card?”

“... C... card.”

Stammering, Eugene pulled a card from his wallet. Even this thing called a wallet felt unfamiliar. Why did people take money out of such a thin leather pouch? Didn’t anyone use money belts anymore? And cards? He had been given one and told to spend freely whenever he needed anything. It was jet-black, with the Lionheart crest engraved on it.

“A b... black card.”

The guide gulped as he took the card. Even the public bank issued black cards only to its wealthiest clients. He would have loved to snatch it and run, but a stolen card was useless. Like identification cards, the public bank’s cards were linked to their owners’ blood.

“Oh...”

The captain accepted the card respectfully. Once payment was complete, Eugene and the guide were led to a quiet side entrance rather than the crowded main gate.

“Please enjoy your visit.”

The captain bowed to see them off. Feeling the gulf between the common sense he knew and the very different conventions of the modern world, Eugene tucked his wallet inside his clothes.

'How would I know? I’ve never used any of this.'

Even in Gidol, he had rarely left the mansion. There had been nothing outside but fields anyway. After he became the main family’s adopted son, Nina had brought him everything he needed, and training his mana and martial skills had kept him busy enough.

“How long do you think you’ll be?”

“An hour or two?”

“Then I’ll be waiting here when you finish.”

The guide answered with a bright smile. Eugene gave a casual nod and turned away. At first, he had wondered why the hell he needed a guide, but having someone deal with the bothersome details was convenient.

“... Well, then...”

Eugene drew a deep breath and stepped forward.

“Let’s see how that girl lived.”

Senya’s mansion was vast.

She had supposedly lived in this house for a hundred years. Vermouth had taken more than ten wives, and even that idiot Moron had married and had several children.

But Senya had never married. Nor had she lived with her three personal disciples. Apparently, only Senya and her servants had lived in this enormous mansion.

'If she lived for a hundred years, it wouldn’t have been strange for her to marry and have grandchildren.'

Even if Anise had remained unmarried because of her faith, why had Senya? If she was going to live that long, wouldn’t marrying and having children like Vermouth or Moron have been better, and less lonely?

["Hey, what are you going to do with your life afterward?"]

When had that been?

Probably... after they killed the fifth-ranked Demon King, the Demon King of Carnage. Everyone had been exhausted and fallen fast asleep in the ruins of the Demon King’s castle.

They had taken turns standing watch. That night, while everyone slept from exhaustion, he had been wrapping bandages around his wounds when Senya, whose watch came next, opened her eyes. Then, out of nowhere, she asked him that question.

["Where’d that come from?"]

["I was just curious. We’re in the prime of our lives, suffering like dogs in this fucking place. We ought to enjoy some happiness once it’s all over, shouldn’t we?"]

["I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it."]

["That idiot Moron says he’s going to become a king. Isn’t that funny?"]

["Crazy bastard. What a load of bullshit. You don’t become a king just because you want to."]

["Leave him alone. It’s what he wants... At least let him dream."]

["Have you been drinking? ‘At least let him dream’... See this? My fingers are curling up from the cringe."]

["You piece of shit. I’m trying to have a serious conversation...!"]

["Then what are you going to do? Become a king like Moron?"]

["Are you crazy? Why would I do something so bothersome?"]

["Could you even do it?"]

["Of course I could. Once we kill all the Demon Kings and return, people will put me on a throne even if I tell them not to. That’s what Moron’s thinking too, when he says he’ll become a king."]

["So what will you do if you don’t become a king?"]

["I..."]

A portrait.

There was the Senya Hamel remembered. Pale violet hair that would stand out in any bustling crowd, impossible to miss. Green eyes every bit as striking as her hair.

["... I want to live an ordinary life... like everyone else... Get married, have children, live like that, and grow into an old grandmother."]

Senya’s wish stirred up his thoughts. Without realizing it, Eugene reached toward her portrait.

“Please don’t touch it.”

'Fuck, just when I was getting sentimental.'

One of the guards stationed throughout the mansion warned him. Everything in the mansion had preservation magic cast on it, but that didn’t mean visitors were allowed to touch.

“I understand how you feel. Lady Senya is incredibly beautiful... Though of course, that portrait fails to capture her beauty in full.”

“How do you know when you’ve never seen her in person?”

“Portraits generally fall short of the real thing.”

Did they? Eugene raised his head and glared at the portrait. He had thought it looked exactly like the woman he remembered, but on closer inspection, the portrait seemed more beautiful than the real Senya.

'... Honestly.'

Looking at the portrait only made it harder to understand. If she had come home without finishing off the Demon Kings, she should have married, had children and grandchildren, and grown old peacefully, just as she had wished. Why had she lived alone for a hundred years?

'... I didn’t come here just to look at a portrait.'

Nor had he come to drown in nostalgia. He was here to look for any traces Senya might have left behind. In Eugene’s mind, Senya had to be the one who placed the necklace in the Treasury.

'... He said the memory Lovellian read was from about a hundred years ago.'

Then didn’t that mean Senya had still been alive a hundred years ago?

'No, I can’t just assume that. She might have overwritten it with an entirely different memory... And perhaps... Vermouth could have put it there.'

His thoughts tangled. Eugene let out heavy sighs as he rubbed the necklace. If only it had never caught his eye, he wouldn’t have needed to grapple with any of these complicated thoughts.

'It’s not some surprise gift, so what the hell are you trying to do? Why did you put this there?'

Suppressing his simmering frustration, he left the portrait behind. The vast mansion had plenty to see, but its most impressive feature was the library, which occupied the entire basement.

Eugene examined the books on magic packed into the shelves. Copies had been made and stored separately two hundred years ago, and powerful preservation spells protected the originals, but visitors weren’t allowed to touch these books either.

'There ought to be something left behind...'

His reincarnation couldn’t have been a coincidence.

What had been a vague suspicion became certainty when he obtained the necklace from his previous life. The necklace hadn’t been registered with the Treasury’s magic, and even its memories had been overwritten.

'That necklace was sitting in the Treasury, and it just happened to catch my eye when I went in?'

That was absurd. Being reincarnated with his memories intact was absurd enough, but he had also happened upon a relic of his previous life by pure chance?

'There’s something going on. Someone tampered with my reincarnation. Was it you, Vermouth? Or Senya? It could have been Anise. Not that idiot Moron, though.'

If someone had intended for him to be reincarnated like this, everything fit together. Reincarnation hadn’t changed his soul. Tempest had recognized at a glance that Eugene was Hamel. What if a similar enchantment had been placed on the necklace in the Treasury? What if it had remained undiscovered for centuries, then revealed itself in response to Hamel’s “soul”?

If Senya had arranged it that way...

'She would have left something behind. Something...'

The theory was full of holes. Why use such a cumbersome method? Wouldn’t it have been better to let him understand the situation the moment he obtained the necklace? If someone had gone to such elaborate lengths, there had to be a reason.

But what the hell was it?

“I don’t fucking know...”

He wandered around the library for a long time. Weaving between the maze of bookshelves, he carefully scanned the titles of the tightly packed books. But he found nothing.

He left the library and went upstairs. He examined Senya’s bedroom and numerous other rooms, but nothing caught his eye.

'I don’t know. I just don’t know.'

Eugene scratched his head vigorously as he glared at the portrait.

'So I’m going to do things my way. If you want something from me, tell me properly. What am I supposed to do if you won’t tell me anything?'

Playing along with this inscrutable scheme was frustrating too. If she truly wanted something from him, and was still alive rather than dead, they would meet someday. Eugene glanced around. The guards weren’t looking his way. Once he had made sure of that, he flipped off Senya’s portrait.

“If getting the finger pisses you off, come find me yourself.”

He was the one who had been reincarnated in the first place.

“... If you’re alive.”

Eugene turned away with a long sigh.

The sun had set some time ago, and the sky was dark. He had been so absorbed that he hadn’t noticed the time passing.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“It’s all right.”

He had said he would be out in an hour or two. The guide, who had stood around waiting for twice that long, forced a smile.

“You must have enjoyed the tour.”

“Well... I had a lot on my mind. And the place was enormous.”

“You saw Lady Senya’s portrait, didn’t you?”

“Yes. She was beautiful.”

“Such lovely features, coupled with the greatest magical prowess in history, enough to defy even the Demon Kings... Lady Senya truly deserves to be called the goddess of magic.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go as far as calling her a goddess...”

He didn’t think her magic had gone quite so far as to defy the Demon Kings either.

“Where shall I take you now? Since this is such a famous tourist attraction, there are plenty of wonderful restaurants nearby.”

Eugene quietly took out his wallet. The guide’s eyes sparkled at the sight.

“This is your tip.”

“Thank you!”

“Forget the restaurants. Let’s go straight to the Red Tower. You won’t need to guide me any further after that.”

“Ah...”

The guide’s expression stiffened slightly at Eugene’s words.

“Yes, understood.”

He swallowed the envy rising inside him. Unlike that idiotic eldest son, this adopted son had given him more money than he could earn in several months of guiding.

'... And he has talent.'

Unlike the eldest son, whose only qualification was being born into the main family, Eugene had been born into a collateral branch and adopted in recognition of his ability. Soothing his gloomy feelings, the guide led the way.

“May I ask you something?”

“If it’s something I can answer.”

“Eward Lionheart.”

In the flying carriage bound for the Red Tower, Eugene casually brought up the name.

“He’s my older brother. Do you know him?”

“... There are probably very few young mages in Pentagon who don’t know that name.”

The guide answered, looking nervously at Eugene. Studying his expression, Eugene gave him a warm smile.

“The thing is, I’ll be staying at the Red Tower for a while.”

“... Ah... yes.”

“My brother has been here for four years, hasn’t he? I don’t know if you’re aware of my circumstances, but I’m an adopted son, not part of the main family’s direct line of descent. As soon as I was adopted, Eward left the main estate and came to Aroth.”

“That... yes. It’s a well-known story.”

Well-known, was it? Having spent the last several years on the main estate, Eugene knew little of the rumors circulating outside.

“As a result, I haven’t seen Eward even once since I was adopted. So, could you tell me what people are saying about my brother?”

“Uh... um...”

“All you need to do is tell me the rumors about him.”

Eugene’s eyes narrowed. Under that subtle pressure, the guide’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

“The rumors that reach me haven’t contained much useful information. But I have heard enough to know they aren’t flattering. I need to know something about my brother so I don’t make a mistake when we meet, don’t I?”

“Well... yes...”

“Of course, I won’t get angry at anything you say, or find fault with it and punish you. I won’t report it to the main family or tell my brother either. I swear all of that on my name.”

After he went that far, the guide had no choice but to nod. Eugene’s gaze was far too intimidating for him to insist that he knew nothing. He had heard the boy was only seventeen, so why the hell was his stare so ferocious? Judging by his eyes alone, even a mercenary who had spent decades roaming battlefields might tuck tail and run.

“... Well... I don’t know much myself, but...”

“Go on.”

“There are stories that... Master Eward... leaves the tower every night to indulge in some entertainment.”

“Entertainment?”

How old was Eward again?

'Two years older than me.'

Nineteen. Certainly old enough for youthful passions to send him roaming the streets at night.

“By entertainment, you mean what? Drinking, women? Those are things a man my brother’s age might do, aren’t they?”

“N-no. It’s not that sort of entertainment. This really is only a rumor, but...”

“If the rumor’s going around, there must be a reason for it. Stop dragging it out and tell me. What is it?”

“... S...”

“What?”

“A succubus.”

The guide’s face flushed with embarrassment.

“That crazy bastard.”

Eugene’s eyebrows shot up.