Chapter 39 - Damn Reincarnation

The Square

“I've come all this way, yet I'm leaving without having had much chance to talk to you.”

It was the small hours of the morning. Gilead had come to Eugene's room himself. Having expected him to do so, Eugene had stayed awake and waited.

“I don't mind. It hasn't been all that long.”

“It's been about two months. I'd say that counts as a while.”

Gilead looked tired. Perhaps it was just Eugene's imagination, but he seemed to have aged several years since Eugene had seen him earlier.

“... Eward has... decided to go to Theonis's family home with her.”

“They aren't returning to the main estate?”

“They'll return briefly, but she says they'll leave for her family home right afterward. It's... understandable. Remaining at the main estate would be difficult for them in many ways.” Gilead murmured as he looked out the window.

“Of course, I don't blame you in the slightest. You've done nothing wrong.”

“I think beating up my older brother could be considered wrong.”

“If he did something that deserved a beating, he had it coming.” Gilead said it like a joke, but the laugh he had expected to follow wouldn't come.

“... Theonis's family lives in the Bosar domain in the Kiel Empire. Count Bosar, who rules it, is my father-in-law. It's a quiet, peaceful place... A good place for Theonis and Eward to recover their composure.”

“Are you worried they'll resent you?”

“I'm only human, too.” Gilead smiled bitterly.

“There was a great deal of resentment when I brought Anisilla into the main family for the family's sake, too. I... don't regret it. The Lionheart name was too great for a single son to uphold. I didn't want my children to destroy one another, but I believed competition between them was necessary.”

“...”

“So I have no regrets. Eward is my eldest son, but... he lacks what it takes to be the family head. That was why he needed siblings. I hoped he would compete with them, be inspired by them, and grow into someone fit to lead the family... But it seems I can be neither a good family head nor a good father.”

“You are a fine man, sir.” Eugene smacked his lips. Gilead wasn't someone who deserved to reproach himself like that. At least in Eugene's eyes, he was a fine family head.

“Thank you for saying so.” With a rueful smile, Gilead rested a hand on Eugene's shoulder.

“I came to your room at this late hour because I was worried you might feel guilty about all this.”

“I don't.”

“Good. You did the right thing. As for Eward and Theonis... don't concern yourself with them. And don't worry about Gerhard back at the main estate, either.”

“Yes, sir.”

Eugene was grateful for those words. Theonis's resentment wasn't something he feared, but he had worried she might use this as an excuse to mistreat Gerhard. With Gilead going so far as to reassure him, however, there was no need to worry.

'If anything, Anisilla will be overjoyed and take good care of Father.'

It was inevitable. Without doing a thing, Anisilla had seen her greatest rivals, Theonis and Eward, pushed out. There was no telling how long mother and son would stay with Theonis's family, but during that time, Anisilla would firmly establish herself as mistress of the main household.

“Lord Lovellian told me what remarkable things you've accomplished.” Gilead gazed at Eugene, his expression considerably softer.

“Apparently, you have extraordinary talent not only for martial arts, but for magic as well. And you haven't wasted a single day since coming to Aroth. I'm truly proud of you. You've done wonderfully.”

“I simply enjoyed learning something new.”

“It's something to be happy about.”

If only he weren't adopted. Gilead swallowed the words that rose to his throat.

“... Cyan and Ciel miss you a great deal.”

“Are they both working hard?”

“Almost too hard. Cyan keeps pestering Gion and me, saying he'll become stronger than you, and Ciel has been coming out of her room to spar with him often.”

“When I was there, she wouldn't come out because she didn't want to smell of sweat.”

“She's at an age when girls grow self-conscious. When she was little, she used to smile at me so much and be so affectionate... Goodness, time really does fly.”

Gilead smiled as he remembered Ciel as a little girl. She was at that age, of course, but sometimes he missed his daughter's affectionate ways.

“Oh, and... sir.” Eugene broached the subject cautiously. “I've ended up spending rather a lot of money this time.”

“Money?”

He didn't know whether Gargis had actually bought the giant's balls, but he ought to mention it beforehand to spare Gilead a surprise later. Clearing his throat, Eugene explained about Gargis and the giant's balls.

“He bought a giant's testicles?” Gilead's eyes widened. Like Eugene, he couldn't understand paying a fortune for a giant's testicles.

'Are they really that good for you?'

Even if they were, he didn't want to eat them. Giants were enormous, so their testicles had to be monstrously large as well. How could anyone eat those without being out of their mind?

“So he says.”

“... I... don't mind. If they're necessary... Hmm... I am on friendly terms with Viscount Sterod, after all...”

Viscount Sterod was Gargis's father. Gilead nodded as he pictured his relative's bulging muscles.

“... Don't worry about money. No matter how expensive something is, you may buy it if you need it. Just... don't purchase anything related to black magic.”

“Is that all right, then?” Eugene pointed to the table in the corner of the room. The unicorn's heart he had brought from the drug den lay on it.

“I've already had Lord Lovellian examine it. He said that although it was intended as a sacrifice, it was never actually offered, so there's no trace of black magic.”

“Then there's no problem.”

“Am I really allowed to keep it?”

“You seized it.”

“But Eward was the one who bought it...”

“Don't worry about that. You went to considerable trouble for Eward's sake. Surely you deserve at least that much of a reward.” Gilead rose as he spoke.

“And of course, you may buy anything else you need, too. You needn't seek my permission for every purchase.”

“Thank you.”

Despite his reply, there wasn't anything Eugene particularly wanted to buy. He could find quite a few rare items by browsing the auction houses on Bolero Street, but regardless of their value, he had no need for them.

Of course, concentrations of mana like the unicorn's heart, or mana stones, were a tremendous help in increasing his mana. But that didn't mean excessive use was necessarily good. It was better to build his mana steadily than to force it to grow that way.

'A dragon heart would be another matter.'

No matter how good it was, a monster's heart was still a monster's heart. It contained plenty of impurities, and its mana was of inferior quality. The same went for mana stones. Mana obtained that way didn't suit the body well, and much of it was lost in the refining process.

A dragon's heart, however—that concentration of pure mana could enlarge his core without any loss, provided he absorbed it properly. It was simply horrendously difficult to obtain. Hunting dragons wasn't a question of easy or difficult; it was taboo.

In his previous life, he had been lucky enough to obtain a dragon heart. While traveling through Helmuth, they had encountered a dying dragon... And because the dragon had wished it, he and his companions had divided its heart among themselves and absorbed it.

“I should be going now,” Gilead said, glancing at the night sky.

“Don't come out to see us off. I doubt Theonis will have anything pleasant to say if she sees you.”

“Please give my regards to Father, Cyan, and Ciel. And to Lady Anisilla as well.”

“I will.”

Keep working hard. Gilead didn't bother saying it. Eugene would work hard whether he said so or not. Besides, he didn't want to burden Eugene with unnecessary words.

'Though I doubt he'd feel burdened by them.'

Eward hadn't been able to withstand the pressure from those around him. That had made Gilead cautious. He gave Eugene one last look filled with affection, then left the room.

“Being the family head is rough, too.”

He really didn't want to become the family head. Reaffirming that conviction, Eugene approached the unicorn's heart. There was no reason to dawdle, so he intended to absorb it right away.

There were several ways to do it. Simply chewing it up was a perfectly viable method, but Eugene didn't choose anything so crude. He activated the White Flame Formula and reached for the heart.

'This is cleaner and easier.'

He would extract only the mana from the heart. If he could control his own mana perfectly, this was the cleaner method. Eugene focused and grasped the unicorn's heart.

WHOOOM!

The heart quivered. All the mana within it was drawn out and guided into Eugene. Without breaking his concentration, he examined its purity.

'Good. There aren't many impurities, either.'

The vast amount of mana flowed toward his core. The important part began here. He made the core resonate with the mana and removed what he didn't need. The three divided stars grew brighter. Calmly guiding the mana, Eugene sank into thought.

'At this rate, I think I'll reach four stars before I turn twenty.'

If anyone in the main family heard that, they would be shocked enough to faint. In the Lionhearts' three hundred years of history, not a single ancestor had reached four stars in the White Flame Formula before adulthood.

'Not that more mana necessarily means more stars.'

He had realized that during his four years of practicing the White Flame Formula. Increasing the number of stars depended not only on the quantity of mana, but on how deeply he understood the formula and how well he could put it into practice with his body.

In that respect, Eugene had an overwhelming advantage over all the ancestors who had come before him. Depth of understanding and physical execution—both came naturally to him.

'The family head and Gion are at six stars. Vermouth was at ten.'

Even six stars was enough to earn recognition as one of the strongest on the continent.

'Once I reach five stars, I'll start combining them in earnest.'

Eugene had no intention of following the White Flame Formula's path unchanged. Since he was learning it anyway, he intended to incorporate everything Hamel had possessed.

'It's still too early.'

He was only seventeen. There was no need to rush. With that thought, Eugene took his hand off the unicorn's heart. Drained of all its mana, the heart had shriveled to the size of a finger. He sent a flick of mana into it, crumbling it to dust.

Then he took the fragment of the Moonlight Sword from inside his clothes and placed it on the windowsill.

“... There's no doubt.”

Moonlight streamed through the window into the fragment. It began to emit a faint, pale glow. Eugene admired that light for a while.

* * *

“It was three hundred million sals.”

“You fucking bastard.”

Gargis held out the card, looking entirely unabashed.

“I arranged to pay by depositing the money at the public bank. If it isn't deposited before noon today, the right to purchase it passes to the next bidder, so we must hurry.”

“Can't we just let them have it?”

“No. I fought a fierce bidding war to win it.”

“What was the starting price?”

“Fifty million sals.”

“Fifty million sals for giant balls... And it went all the way up to three hundred million? There sure are a lot of crazy fuckers in this world.”

“That's how valuable they are,” Gargis said with a satisfied smile.

“If you'd seen them in person, you'd understand how I feel.”

“Even in person, giant balls are still just balls.”

“No, they're different. They were overwhelming.”

“Of course they were overwhelmingly huge. Did they have hair?”

“They had already been cleaned and prepared.”

“Don't tell me. I don't want to picture it. So how do you do this... bank transfer thing?”

Eugene and Gargis were at the public bank in Pentagon to deposit the money for the balls into the auction house's secret account. It was Eugene's first visit to a bank in his entire life, and he found it bewildering. Nor did he understand the newfangled business of bank transfers.

“Is this really your first time at a bank?”

“Yeah...”

“I can't believe it... I heard Gidol was rural, but does it not even have a bank? How is that possible?”

Gargis looked Eugene up and down with an expression of genuine incomprehension. Eugene simply couldn't accept being treated like a country bumpkin by this crazy idiot with a bushy beard, rank body odor, bulging muscles, and frilly clothes, who had bought giant balls for three hundred million sals.

“Gidol has a bank, too.”

“Then why is this your first visit to one?”

“Because I never had a reason to go...”

“You really are a country bumpkin.”

“Don't give me that bullshit. Stop some people walking past and ask which of us looks more like a country bumpkin.”

“It's wrong to judge people by their appearance.”

“You son of a...”

He wanted to curse him out, but Gargis was completely right...

“... And is it right to call someone a country bumpkin just because he's never been to a bank?”

“You go to the counter and ask them to transfer the money to this account.”

“Aren't you going to answer me?”

“Normally, you need to take a numbered ticket, but with such a large transfer and a black card, you probably won't need one. Come this way.”

“Answer me, you fucking pig.”

“I'm not a pig.”

Gargis never did answer the question. Just as he'd said, when they approached a bank employee and showed the black card, they were immediately escorted to a private VIP room.

“Thank you for choosing our bank.”

The bank manager came in person, bowed, and took the card. Before long, the deposit was complete, and the manager returned with it.

“Would you consider opening a personal account as well? If you open one now...”

“No.”

Eugene promptly took back the card and headed out of the bank. Gargis followed him, beaming.

“Let's go to my lodgings.”

“Why?”

“They said they would deliver them as soon as the payment was made.”

“You want me to go all the way to your lodgings to look at giant balls? Are you insane?”

“You'll change your mind when you see them yourself. As I said before, I'll share the extract with you if you want.”

“I'm not eating it.”

“I don't understand...”

“... Let's go, anyway.”

“Have you changed your mind?”

“I'm going to look at something other than giant balls.”

He had no interest in those, but he was interested in the Red Flame Formula Gargis had learned. He had seen Gerhard's Red Flame Formula, but rather than that almost unmodified version, he wanted to examine the version Gargis's family had adapted.

'That version should be better.'

He wanted to see how it differed from the White Flame Formula. Thinking that, Eugene walked out of the bank.

As he descended the steps, he stopped dead.

“... Huh?”

The square below the bank. The bustling crowd. Among them, he saw purple hair.