Reset Life – Chapter 84

Chapter 84: You, Become a Big Shot (1)

Imperial Year 375, June 13th.

Restart is located in the southern part of the Empire, and in the south-central part of the continent.

As expected for this time of year, a brilliant heat descended from the sky.

“Next is…… Lotuan?”

The Imperial Irregular Secret Inspector is tasked with secretly inspecting the lands of vassals who have feudal contracts with high-ranking nobles.

These individuals, called the”Emperor’s Eye,”wander the Empire disguised as simple travelers, searching for rulers who oppose the Emperor’s will or signs of rebellion.

To put it nicely, they are those who walk a difficult path for the peace and well-being of the Empire, putting their positions aside. To put it badly, there are endless things to say, but they’re just people with a restless spirit, making a living.

I’m not interested in either of those.

However, I became an Imperial Irregular Secret Inspector, commonly known as the Emperor’s Eye.

For only one reason.

To find Levidian.

She left without a single letter, a word, or any clue.

Why on earth?

Was what I gave her that burdensome?

No, frankly speaking, then she shouldn’t have accepted it. What does it mean to run away after accepting it?

This leaves me with no choice but to rack my brains over the silent, common, and perpetual worry of all men. I just can’t understand what women are thinking.

Lea was the same.

After talking with him, flustered by his master’s disappearance, I sent him to the Hall of Martial Arts. There was a slight chance she might have gone there.

I also informed Lime-hyung.

I sent a letter to Aila.

It was an important matter, so I couldn’t use a mage. And I couldn’t use an underworld mage either.

I also gave a heads-up to High Priest Damachi Ir, who will become the Head Priest in a year. She might get caught in the Achuni religion’s information network.

“Well, she’s not someone who’ll be found so easily……”

Rather than being angry at her sudden disappearance, I was just dumbfounded.

I told everyone at home that she had returned to the Hall of Martial Arts due to some work. I told my father that it was urgent, so she couldn’t even say goodbye, and he just nodded.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop……

Only the sound of hooves echoed on the pipe road. Occasionally, the sounds of birds singing could be heard, and the wind rustling through the grass sounded like a sudden downpour.

Unlike Orknesia, Restart is made up of plains. One interesting fact is that Restart has fewer soldiers than mountainous Orknesia.

Orknesia has an unnecessarily large number of soldiers because its main role is to defend the Gray Forest.

The Southern Army in Restart is for border defense.

Some say that 200,000 soldiers are too many for border defense, but those 200,000 soldiers are about 30% of the combined forces of the three countries bordering the Empire.

Rubitans, Erson, and Liven are collectively called the”Ruery Three Kingdoms”and have a particularly strong bond.

Their relationship with the Empire is also quite solid, but the bond between brothers living in different houses and the bond between neighbors can’t be the same, can it?

Still, compared to Azot, the relationship with the Ruery Three Kingdoms is quite good. In particular, both sides have reached a very good agreement on trade-related agreements.

Thanks to this, Restart has become a place where smugglers are rampant. As logistics flow smoothly, underground trade also thrives. This is also the reason why I chose it as a candidate for a branch of the organization. It’s easy to set up.

Since the next place to go is Lotuan, if you head west from there, you’ll reach Senrestart, where Duke Ecoshian Uck Daylight of Restart resides.

If you head west again from Senrestart, you’ll reach Prema, a free trade zone bordering the Ruery Three Kingdoms.

By now, Jay, Old Man, and Lucy (female) should have started laying the groundwork for establishing an AJOR branch in Prema.

I need to check on that too, but first, let’s look for traces of Levidian while going around Lotuan, Senrestart, and Prema.

Actually, there’s no clue as to where she disappeared to. She vanished into thin air overnight without a trace or a note, so it’s enough to drive me crazy.

Anywhere within a 360-degree radius of the Imperial Capital Nek could be where she went, or it could not be.

In the end, I met the most skilled fortune teller in the Imperial Capital’s underworld. Before I could even explain the situation, before I could even sit down, she flatly said:

‘Southeast. Start there. 5 platinum coins.’

Southeast of the Imperial Capital is Restart.

Coincidentally, something I was concerned about had happened in Restart. Although skeptical, I paid the fee and came here for inspection as the Emperor’s Eye.

So, to talk about the results so far, it’s like the sky above my head right now.

“It’s really clear. Not even a cloud, damn it. Around this time in the Imperial Capital…… the summer ball would be in full swing. It would be fun.”

My current name is Arisein Pen ‘Bre’ Herduke. ‘Bre’ is the title of Viscount, which I became last April.

Since I received the title, invitations to balls naturally flooded in. I had a reputation, after all.

There was even a hasty (!) invitation to attend the New Year’s ball next year.

On top of that, marriage proposals lined up from here and there as soon as I became an adult, so even my father had to re-evaluate my worth.

Therefore, I secured the position of ‘someone who can’t be discarded due to the necessity of being used effectively.’

It’s better to use than to discard. It’s been a while since I felt that my father saw me that way.

Anyway, if I had lived like that, I would have been able to enjoy a pleasant life in the Imperial Capital, and the various plans I painstakingly prepared would have been put into action without any problems.

When I said I would become the Emperor’s Eye, even my father said to consider it. Just once.

If my father was like that, how much more so the others? I rejected all the dissuasion and came to Restart. To be honest, it’s killing me. Ugh.

This is all Levidian’s fault. The day I meet her, I’ll give her a good scolding before listening to any excuses.

If I can meet her.

Restart is made up of monotonous, repetitive terrain. Moderate grasslands appear, then moderate forests, then moderate grasslands, and so on.

Surprisingly, there aren’t that many monsters or beasts in places like this.

The strongest beast is a wolf at most? Of course, bandits are the most ferocious when it comes to targeting humans, but there are no fools who operate in such a wide-open place like this.

The citizens of the Empire also think of Restart as a rural village where a commotion occurs once a year at most. It’s not that different from reality, and there are plenty of good places for people like me, traveling alone, to camp.

In that sense, the presence I felt while sleeping in my sleeping bag by the campfire was quite surprising.

Because, usually, travelers wouldn’t conceal their presence while approaching.

On a pipe road in a grassland like this, travelers often travel together, but humans are more fearsome than beasts. The vigilance directed towards each other is sharper than a master’s sword. Therefore, it is common courtesy for travelers to not hide their presence in order to signal that they are not a threat.

But what if someone approaches while concealing their presence? Naturally, one should be wary. They could be a thief struggling to make a living after being ostracized by the industry.

I woke up but didn’t move. I just squinted and watched with curiosity.

The person reflected in the almost extinguished campfire was a slender man.

He looked to be in his mid to late twenties? He had a stern expression that somehow reminded me of my father. No, it was closer to being stiff than stern. Perhaps because of his thin physique, his bluntness felt especially sharp.

The man looked around and then put the extra firewood I had piled up into the campfire, reviving the flames. It was quite a peculiar action for someone who had approached stealthily.

I continued to observe his actions.

After reviving the fire to a suitable level, he sat down by the fire and drew a dagger from his waist. Then, he took out the rabbit carcass hanging from his backpack and skillfully dressed it.

Suddenly, bewilderment surfaced.

He wouldn’t be doing that to eat, would he?

Normally, I would have suppressed my bewilderment by slapping it on the back of the head to maintain composure, but there was no other way to express it.

The man came to the campsite I had set up, concealed his presence, and naturally began to dress the rabbit, skewering it onto a stick and grilling it. As if I wasn’t even there.

To top it off, he trimmed the burning firewood and placed a kettle on top. Seeing him rummage through his bag and prepare a cup and tea leaves, it seemed he had come prepared to eat.

As the rabbit meat cooked, a savory aroma wafted around, and the man naturally took off the gauntlets he was wearing and began to clean them.

Since no other weapons were visible, he seemed to be a rare martial artist. Judging by his appearance, he didn’t seem like someone who had trained at the Small Forest Shrine.

When the rabbit skewers were almost cooked and steam rose from the kettle, he naturally took out a small bowl and began to prepare a seasoning with pepper and salt.

However, as if he had run out of pepper, only a small amount of powder fell from the pepper bottle.

He was silent for a moment, looking at the seasoning bowl containing only salt. Then, he spoke.

“Damn it.”

It was a low, rough voice. It wasn’t particularly deep due to his physique, but it had a certain resonance.

I opened my eyes properly and said,

“Want to borrow some pepper?”

“Then I’ll offer you some tea.”

The man replied naturally. As if he had been aware of my awakening.

Judging by his actions, he didn’t seem like someone who would cause any harm. I didn’t know how to define his behavior of approaching in the middle of the night, concealing his presence, and calmly preparing dinner at someone else’s campfire, but……

I rummaged through my backpack and took out a pepper bottle.

“Did you know?”

“Your breathing was different.”

“And you intentionally revealed your presence?”

“That was a mistake.”

The man spoke calmly. He was a different type from anyone I had met before. He used a similar tone to my father, but he seemed to speak calmly by nature.

I tossed the pepper bottle, and he caught it, adding it to the salt and mixing them. In the meantime, the meat was cooked, and he took out a skewer and sprinkled the seasoning on it.

“It’s late for dinner, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t have a fire. I saw a fire, so I came here thinking I’d borrow it. I ran out of ignition powder.”

“I see. But usually, wouldn’t you wake someone up and explain the situation?”

“It’s bothersome.”

He munched on the rabbit meat. I wondered if he had thrown manners across the Sair River, but somehow, it seemed natural.

I yawned and used my scabbard to grab the kettle and add my own tea leaves. Until the aroma properly steeped, I observed him, and he munched on the rabbit meat.

After eating for a while, he took out the fourth skewer and was about to bring it to his mouth when he saw me. He paused for a moment and then offered the skewer.

“Want some?”

“No, I’m good.”

“Hmm.”

Is he similar to Namia in some way?

However, Namia tends to restrain her words on purpose, while this person seems to have that kind of personality from the start. At least Namia tends to be verbose when it comes to necessary explanations, while he seems like the type to be brief even with necessary words.

When he finished eating the last skewer, the tea leaves had steeped properly. I poured it into my cup first. Hmm. As expected, even if you add it roughly, the tea leaves are high quality, so the aroma is good.

“It’s good tea.”

“Oh? You know? Usually, people don’t.”

“It’s a hobby.”

I used my scabbard to lift the kettle and handed it to him. He skillfully caught the kettle with his dagger and poured it into his cup.

With the campfire between us, we quietly sipped our tea.

All encounters in the world are wondrous, but today is a bit special.

Strangely, I don’t feel any wariness towards him.

Normally, I would be wary of someone who approaches so abruptly, but is it because of his initial actions? I don’t feel any danger or need to be on guard.

When I had finished about half of my tea, he spoke.

“I’m in your debt.”

“What?”

“I borrowed your fire. I borrowed your fuel. I borrowed your pepper. I borrowed your tea leaves. I’m in your debt.”

“Consider it an unspoken kindness. It’s not a big loss for me.”

“No. One should be mindful of debts owed to others, no matter how small.”

It was a line that reminded me of Lucy (male). Lucy was the complete opposite of this person.

Lucy once said that the truth of the world is to be indebted to others as much as possible. I wonder what he’s doing now?

I grinned and shook my head. When he acts like that, I just want to be kind.

“Then consider the debt repaid with the tea water you borrowed.”

“It’s not enough.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“If you wish.”

He nodded and drank his tea. To nod so definitively after being told not to worry about it, he might have a simple yet difficult to grasp personality.

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