Reset Life – Chapter 122

Chapter 122: Don’t Make the Same Mistakes as Me (4)

“Forgive my rudeness. And I apologize. I can’t tell you that. Your friend will tell you everything when the time comes, but I cannot.”

“Please tell me, even roughly. From the first time I saw him until now, I’ve been constantly thinking about who he is. No, if you know everything, you probably know what I’ve been thinking.”

“I know. And you know I don’t need to worry about you bothering me by speaking needlessly.”

Although I was actually flustered, I was able to maintain a composed demeanor. All the conversations so far have been, in fact, useless and useful.

Brandiego said,

“He is the loneliest being in this universe, and the most pitiful. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say his existence itself is the contradiction of this world. He has dedicated himself to more things, for more reasons, than anyone else, past or future. But now, only one driving force moves him.”

“What is it?”

“Instinct. The most useful and most useless instinct that remains in a living being until the very end. That instinct is his driving force. At the end of everything he does, lies that instinct. That’s all I can say.”

Even now, no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand. And I couldn’t talk to others about it either.

Brandiego hadn’t said it yet, but he had warned me, ‘Find the questions and answers to all this conversation on your own.’ That warning is very important.

I carefully stored those words in my memory and asked,

“Then what can I do? What is the role entrusted to me? Grandmother said she was killed by Artshever. And you reset. Aren’t these related?”

“Deeply related. You’ll find out about that too. And your role is only one. That is……”

The large heart attached to the giant tree trunk was pounding. The dragon’s soul, like a white mist, swirling around it, spoke as its will.

I heard his words.

Or maybe I didn’t.

“Ah……”

It’s undoubtedly unpleasant not to wake up refreshed from sleep. In addition, it’s also unjust. Injustice always brings discomfort.

I drank water first.

The water that had cooled overnight, chilled by the cool morning air, swept down my esophagus and into my stomach.

With the feeling of my insides cooling down, my mind cleared.

“Brandiego……”

The dragon’s name involuntarily escaped my lips.

Was the dream last night just a result of the strong memory of meeting him, or was it to inform me of something I should ponder in the future?

I couldn’t reach a conclusion, but one thing was certain.

Ugh, this feels unsettling. Couldn’t the conversation have finished before I woke up?

Scratching my head, I opened the window. Dawn was just about to break.

It was time for the city to move lazily, like a laborer who wants to sleep in.

In the end, I didn’t hear anything from Aila yesterday. Well, it’s natural that she can’t easily agree to something like overthrowing the Empire’s regime.

Despite the fact that no one said they would follow the same path as me, my heart felt as refreshed as the morning air.

Perhaps I was reluctant for them to voluntarily step into danger. Maybe that’s why I can rejoice without feeling any resentment.

No matter what anyone says, they are my friends, and no one would want their friends to walk a dangerous path.

“Well, shall we get going?”

I had told Aila through the inn employee that I would be leaving before breakfast. Since there were no objections, I should leave the inn before the sun rises completely.

I washed my face with ice-cold water and rubbed a towel vigorously against my face, which felt like it would shatter from the cold.

Suddenly, I remembered the scene of a man holding a sharp knife, lamenting his woes, clumsily debating whether to cut his throat or his beard, and then rejoicing that his shave, which he could never get used to, was relatively well done.

I picked up my clothes, packed my belongings, and put on my backpack. This completed my usual travel preparations. I wonder what method Aila will use to get to the Imperial Capital in a week?

Thinking about the events that will unfold, it won’t be all fun and games.

However, my basic personality is to die rather than be bored. Let’s not forget the composure to crack a joke even in the worst situations.

“Let’s go!”

He’s a hateful father, and a brother who dislikes me, but I don’t want to see my mother, Sera, and my sister-in-law crying. Besides, if those two die, I’ll have to bear the burden of revenge, and I don’t want that either.

Above all, the Eastern Army doesn’t listen to me.

I left the inn, supplying myself with the essential nutrient of self-justification.

Outside, the morning fog was thick, making it impossible to see even a meter ahead. The cool air, combined with the fog, made it even colder, to the point of being chilly.

Grimacing at the frosty fog that soaked my clothes and wrapped around my body, I looked for Aila. However, my vision was too limited to see anything.

I had no choice but to shout into the void, a somewhat foolish act.

“Aila, are you out there?”

There was no answer.

Has she not come out yet? I thought she would have come out before me.

“Risel, over here. Achoo!”

A voice that didn’t betray my expectations reached my ears. Let’s ignore the sneeze at the end out of friendship.

I walked towards the direction of the voice. There stood a female figure. She seemed to be shivering slightly, so I must have kept her waiting for a long time.

“Ah, sorry. Did you wait long? I came out as soon as I woke up. Good morning. Ahaha!”

I greeted her cheerfully and patted her head. Since we’re friends, it should be fine to treat her like a child a little. But since when did Aila’s hair become straight? It was slightly curly, wasn’t it?

Aila’s figure said,

“Do you know I’m seriously contemplating how I should take this situation right now?”

“Huh? Aila, you can do voice impressions too? You sound like Levidian. Amazing.”

I tilted my head and continued to stroke her hair. She seemed to be trembling so much from the cold that her voice had become strange. Then, I heard a voice from behind.

“Yohoo. I’m here.”

A voice filled with pity…… Aila’s voice? Huh? Then who is this person?

At that moment, the fog cleared slightly. As the dense fog moved aside, and a somewhat less dense fog rolled in…… I could see Levidian’s face, flushed red, glaring at me disapprovingly.

I froze in the posture of stroking her hair.

“……”

“……”

We exchanged glances, speechless, frozen in place.

I carefully removed my hand and bowed deeply.

“Goodbye.”

And the moment I turned around and took a step, a voice colder than ice struck the back of my head.

“Take one more step away from me, and I’ll give you morning training you’ll remember for the rest of your life.”

She said in a very unpleasant tone. And I, too, had to grimace.

A man should always be confident in front of a woman! Besides, training in such a hurry is absurd!

I turned around again to face her and said very politely,

“Please spare me.”

Damn it. It wasn’t intentional. If I had known it was Levidian, I would never have done that. Why, isn’t it something friends do? Of course, there are times when Levidian becomes cute enough to want to pat, but this time it was a mistake. What?

Unfortunately, my legitimate protest only swirled around in my throat. I had to endure the punishment of enduring Levidian’s silent gaze.

Finally, she sighed softly.

“Sigh, how did I end up with this man……”

A lament filled with a somewhat despairing nuance.

No, well, I can’t deny it, but our mental ages are the same!

She shook her head and said,

“I’ll go with you too. If you try to leave me out of your affairs from now on, you’ll get hurt badly.”

“S-Specifically?”

“There are many ways, but this would be good. I’ll join the other side and point my sword at you. I’m serious.”

Looking at her proudly declaring this, I felt warmth in the cold morning air. As expected, she’s a strong and beautiful person, like a sword.

I smiled faintly and uttered the only words that would affirm all her declarations.

“Ibi, I love you.”

“Eek……! W-W-What are you s-saying! In front of everyone!”

Levidian blushed like a ripe persimmon and became angry in an instant. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve seen this.

I turned my head away from her, who was fuming, and spoke in the general direction where Aila might be.

“I don’t want to make a mistake, and I’ve already confessed to one person, so why don’t you come out too?”

“I don’t want to. It’s hot. I feel like I’ll get burned if I go near. Boohoo. It’s tough being single. Sob sob. Sniffle sniffle.”

I heard the emotionless voice of someone reading a book. As far as I know, there’s only one person who would react like that.

“Lucy, why did you come if you’re married?”

“You’re right. I regret it immensely sometimes. Tsk. Should I go into the Gray Forest and find a wife after this is over?”

Lucy grumbled as he walked towards me.

Seeing him without Joey, I’m reminded again that he’s quite large. It somehow reminds me of the first time we met.

He looked at me and grinned.

“Hey, Risel, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“The Imperial Palace mage is mine. I reserved him in advance. Got it?”

“Don’t come.”

“Huh? Hey! What’s this? You’re betraying our strong bond like this? What’s so difficult about it?! I’m going to be the Emperor!”

I sighed and shook my head. Sometimes I think Al, who endures this mage’s bizarre way of expressing friendship, is truly a great person.

“I’m sorry, but it’s not me. At least I won’t be aiming for the Emperor.”

“Really? No, it’s okay. It’ll be someone in your family. I should go and score some points. Umhahaha! This is what they call investment!”

Even if it’s not Artshever, sometimes it seems like you can tell a person’s true intentions. I swear, that’s sincere.

It’s certainly a high-yield investment.

“Oh, right. Gambling mage. Welcome.”

“Hmph. The term ‘gambling’ doesn’t suit a high-value-added business.”

I chuckled and bumped fists with him. It seems like there will never be a dull moment as long as Lucy is around.

After the brief greeting, Aila appeared from the fog. Aila, who had buried her upper body in a baggy shawl, sniffled and said,

“Sniff. The maximum number of people is four, so if you include Ibi-unni, there’s one spot left. We drew lots. The competition was 4 to 1.”

“Everyone?”

Aila looked at me with a pitiful gaze.

“Risel, sometimes you tend to underestimate people. And you also fail to grasp the situation. These are the people who have come to completely regard Artshever as an enemy. Moreover, they must have overcome many hardships together. These people won’t abandon a friend just because they’re dangerous. They are literally your friends. Well, except for one.”

“That’s right. Whew! How bold. To confess your love right off the bat. It was so hot that the fog evaporated.”

“What are you doing in front of everyone? Haa, should I quickly find a husband too?”

“Ahahaha……”

I laughed awkwardly and looked back at Levidian.

Our crimson Sword King, as Lucy said, seemed to have heated up enough to evaporate all the fog. Is that a sword dipped in a furnace?

She looked at me with an expression that was a mixture of half-crying and half-angry.

“Risel……”

“Uh…… What can I do? What can I do about it being good?”

I replied nonchalantly, and Levidian heated up to the point where steam seemed to rise from her. It’s a wonder that a person can turn that red.

She muttered with her head down,

“N-n-no……!”

“No……?”

“Don’t tease me!”

Despite the force of her exclamation, Levidian couldn’t move. I watched her, stroking my chin. My health was good this morning. However, my liver seemed a bit enlarged.

“Aila.”

“Yes?”

“I haven’t said it out loud before, but isn’t she really cute?”

“Of course! How can you not find Unni cute!”

Aila nodded vigorously in agreement. And I took a deep breath, stretching my legs and ankles. The price of an enlarged liver is paid with the body.

Where my gaze landed, Levidian was trembling, her face as red as a shining light.

Embarrassment felt after a long time, and because of that embarrassment, I wouldn’t be able to control my anger.

Umhaha. Men who meet strong women. Don’t make the same mistake as me for the sake of amusement.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

I started running away with all my might.

“W-w-where do you think you’re going―!”

Levidian exploded in anger and chased after me like a raging fire.

I know I’ll be caught later and suffer the consequences, but I can’t help but enjoy this moment.

“Stop right there! I won’t kill you! You’ll be dead if I catch you!”

“Well, what do you want me to do?”

“Shut up!”

The morning, dimly waking from sleep, was probably fully awakened by Levidian’s voice.

That morning, I headed to the Imperial Capital.

Let’s keep the fact that I was beaten to a pulp a secret for posterity.

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