Reset Life – Chapter 86

Chapter 86: You, Become a Big Shot (3)

Lucy looked at Al with the gaze of someone looking at a friend who was closer than family, having spent a long time together, while Al’s gaze was like that of Lea looking at Levidian. Adoration, reverence, and the look of seeing a goal to surpass.

Lucy doesn’t seem to know that. It seems Al really has a sense of rivalry towards Lucy.

By the way, Al with bare hands? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before I died?

Lucy, as if he just remembered, exclaimed to me.

“Ah, Risel, when did you meet this friend? Seeing you appear together, did you know him before?”

“No. I met him two days ago. He was lost. I was also heading this way, so we came together.”

“Pfft! Still lost? Well, that’s why it took two more weeks. I didn’t expect it either. Then you probably don’t know much about him, right? This friend is Neral Tines. We call him Al, and he’s a mercenary. I’m saying this because he’s my friend, but he’s really skilled. Al? This is Risel. Hmm, how far should I introduce him?”

Lucy scratched his head and pondered. I glanced around. All the residents gathered in the tavern were busy drinking and not paying attention to us.

I nodded to Lucy.

“It’s okay. Tell him everything.”

“Oh, really? Then I will. Have you heard of the Herduke family? The Duke’s family of the Empire. He’s the second son of His Excellency the Duke. His name is Arisein Pen Herduke.”

“It’s Arisein Pen Bre Herduke.”

“Huh? His name got longer? Bre? Then he’s a Viscount? Oh! He became a Viscount?”

“Without territory, though.”

“Still amazing! Finally, I have a Viscount connection too? Woohoo! Ask him for some tax evasion help later!”

I just laughed off Lucy’s fuss. Tax evasion? It’s not difficult, but did Lucy even have anything to evade taxes on? Mages are usually tax-exempt.

Al stared at me intently, then his eyes sparkled. Huh?

“The Knight of Light who defeated the demons and saved the Imperial Capital?”

“Did you know?”

“Orknesia. Mainly among the commoners.”

“Ah, I see.”

I scratched my head with an embarrassed expression. There are still many cases where I’m ignored in Orknesia, but it’s less than before.

So, a year ago. I accompanied my father on an inspection and had a sparring match with the knights. At that time, I had a sword fight with the rough knights of Orknesia and defeated fifteen of them.

It didn’t match my record against the 7th Knight Order, but the knights of Orknesia are top-class even within the Empire. Defeating fifteen of them is like defeating forty ordinary knights.

Of course, since it was literally ‘defeating’ them, that was possible. In a formal duel, could I handle about five of them?

Anyway, after that became known, the public opinion in Orknesia that openly ignored me has mostly disappeared.

Considering Orknesia’s climate of hiring many mercenaries, it’s highly likely that Al was also there.

He nodded and said.

“Alright. Let’s fight.”

“Huh?”

“You, who are clearly strong, fight me.”

I made a dumbfounded expression, then redirected the arrow.

“Lucy, are your friends weird too?”

“What do you mean ‘friends too’?! Are you saying I’m a weird person? That’s an insult!”

Indeed, mages are amazing. Seeing him confidently say something so pathetic. (Other mages would be angry if they heard it.)

I smiled brightly.

“Are you talking nonsense?”

“I ate nonsense before.”

“Ah, I see.”

Al agreed with me in a quiet voice. Lucy had a truly wronged expression, like a witness who was treated as a suspect just for being at the scene of a murder.

“This is a conspiracy! To someone as innocent as me……!”

“Hey, bring the beer quickly!”

“Here too.”

Al and I, with one mind and one heart, ignored Lucy and urged the order. Lucy, with an expression like he was about to shed tears, lowered his head.

Seeing how his expression acting (!) has developed, it’s clear that that skill played a big role in seducing women.

Lucy grumbled with a sullen expression, then quickly revived and said to me.

“Tsk. By the way, did you really come out because of that Teacher Ibi or whatever? I think I unnecessarily changed the subject earlier and it went weird.”

“Sigh, that’s what happened. Should I say the situation is complicated or short? Anyway, yes.”

“Is that Teacher person strong?”

“Strong? Hmm, well. Is she someone you can talk about like that? Anyway, she’s the strongest.”

“The strongest?”

“The strongest. No other words are needed.”

Sword King Levidian. Until just recently, she was staying at our mansion, so her recent achievements have been somewhat minimized, but she still occupies one of the five strongest positions on the continent.

Does someone who has reached the highest position in swordsmanship need any other title than the strongest?

Al’s eyes sparkled. Are his eyes filled with luminescent dye?

“Where is he now?”

“First, one thing to correct is that it’s ‘she’, and the answer to your question is, I don’t know.”

“Huh? Risel, what do you mean?”

“So, she disappeared. Suddenly. I don’t know where she went.”

Lucy tilted his head. I shrugged with an expression that said,”What can I do?”Oh, come to think of it, I followed the fortune teller’s words and met Lucy. Huh, really.

Lucy scratched his head.

“You really don’t know where she went?”

“I don’t know.”

“Really?”

“Are you going to get angry?”

I frowned and glared at Lucy. He stroked his chin with an intrigued expression. Somehow, it’s a very unpleasant expression.

“Why?”

“No, it’s just that you’re very sure for someone who says they don’t know.”

“Huh?”

“Ibi. I saw her three weeks ago.”

“Ah?”

I opened my mouth and made a blank expression. What did he just say? He saw her three weeks ago? Three weeks?!

“Wh, where! Where!”

“Cough! Hack! Are, are you trying to kill me?!”

It was so sudden that I was grabbing Lucy by the collar and shaking him. Lucy tapped the table.

“Sen, Senrestart! I saw her while passing by there!”

“Senrestart?”

“Yes. Cough! Oh my, you seem to have trained quite a bit. You’ve gotten stronger? Anyway, I saw her while passing through Senrestart on my way here.”

“Not someone else?”

When I double-checked, Lucy looked at me with a displeased expression. He patted his chest confidently and said.

“Hey. What do you take me for? I’m a mage, you know. Ma, ge! Of course, I’m excellent in other areas too, but my memory is especially good as a mage! The strange thing is that she wasn’t alone. She was passing by with a strange group.”

“A strange group?”

“Yeah. They were wearing black clothes, like a funeral procession. I saw them passing by in a passenger carriage, so I couldn’t talk to them. I thought it was strange that you weren’t there, but I just let it go. That’s why I asked you when we met earlier. But to treat that as just a passing remark. Tsk.”

Looking at Lucy, who was talking as if I was in the wrong, I felt like hitting him. Wasn’t that a joke?

Lucy took a sip of beer and continued.

“I saw her passing by, so I’m not sure, but her expression was a bit gloomy. Like the expression of a young lady being sold off strategically, leaving her beloved. Something like that.”

It was quite a realistic example for something he said was”something like that.”

As expected, that fortune teller was right. He’s definitely skilled. I came here without much thought, but I’ve already found a clue. I thought it would take at least a few years.

I asked Lucy a few more questions. So I also learned that the people who were with Levidian were a strange group whose age and gender were unknown.

If it’s a three-week walk from Senrestart, then this Lotuan is also within range. But looking at the direction, it’s more likely that she headed towards the Ruery Three Kingdoms.

Hmm. Should I go abroad? Then, I need to quickly finish my work in Senrestart, submit a regular report, and then track her down.

I was lost in thought, sipping the beer that had appeared before me. I wish I could leave right now, but I need to be calm at times like this.

Levidian also said. When you think you’re the busiest, you need to think the slowest.

Since I’m trying to find her, isn’t it good to refer to her words?

While I was thinking, Al seemed to have remembered something. He said to Lucy.

“Lucy, is there anything special going on?”

“Huh? No, there isn’t. Even if I go to the association, I’ll only be bothered by my master’s nagging, and even if I want to research, I need money. Besides, at my age, delving only into magic isn’t something a man should do. Umhahaha! Of course, I’m at the top among my peers even without doing that!”

Lucy boasted, holding his head high.

He looks pathetic, but I acknowledge his abilities. The magic he used on the Inquisitor is said to be one of the most destructive among spatial magic.

The fact that he can use it at such a young age means he has a truly genius-level magical ability. That’s why he must have been among the Eight Strongest of the continent before I died.

Al nodded and turned his gaze to me.

“I’ll go with you.”

“Huh?”

“To meet that Teacher.”

“Are you trying to fight her?”

“Yes.”

Al silently nodded. I scratched my cheek and looked at Lucy. Lucy shrugged and raised his beer glass.

“Al. You haven’t changed. Still traveling around the continent looking for strong people and training. What are you going to do with all that strength?”

“I have my own goals.”

“Hmm. I see. Risel, just accept it. Looking at his expression, it doesn’t seem like he’ll back down easily.”

“There’s no reason for me to refuse either.”

Now that I see it, Al is traveling all over the continent looking for strong opponents to become stronger. He must have chosen a profession that fights to gain strength.

Ah, then is Lucy coming along too?

“Lucy, what about you?”

“Me? Hmm, it’s a shame to part with the ladies, but it’s a man’s duty to go with friends he hasn’t seen in a long time. And there’s a more important reason.”

“An important reason?”

I tilted my head. Lucy grinned and said with a meaningful expression.

“Because it seems like it’ll be fun.”

“Ah, I see.”

That’s a very important reason. Well, it’s a very important reason. Yes, indeed.

Anyway, it’s going to be a noisy journey. Sigh.

Imperial Calendar Year 375, June 17th.

“Ha!”

I swung my sword in all directions, solidifying my defense. The opponent quickly created distance and kept me in check with light footwork from outside the range.

What kind of movement is that?

I guessed he was a martial artist, but it was different from typical martial arts.

To be precise, Al is not a martial artist.

He utilizes his speed and strength to the maximum, closing the distance and delivering the greatest destructive power.

He doesn’t care which part of his body he uses for that. His hands and feet, as well as his head, shoulders, back, every part of his body is a weapon and a deadly weapon to him.

Al said, bouncing lightly on his toes.

“The sword of the Herduke family. It’s far more impressive than its reputation.”

“That…… fighting style is even more impressive. Did you create it yourself? I see some resemblance to the priests of the Small Forest Shrine.”

“I learned and refined it from various places.”

Al is slender, but his body is clearly honed through constant training. His muscles are like rocks, yet his whole body is more flexible than jelly. Like a whip.

When that whip occasionally straightens and thrusts forward, it has greater penetrating power than an archer’s arrow.

He has a body honed in his own way and his own unique martial arts optimized for it. Maybe this person is truly a genius too.

If you let your guard down because he’s unarmed, you will literally ‘die.’

I watched his movements with a tense expression. Then, I heard the voice ending today’s training.

“Today’s magic ends here!”

Bang!

Strangely, when you close a thick book forcefully, it makes a sound like a paper bag bursting. Lucy closed his always-flashy magic book, and Al and I simultaneously relaxed our stances.

Every morning. While Lucy prepares for the day’s magic, Al and I spar.

Al is about 5 centimeters shorter than me, around 170 centimeters tall, but if you let your guard down because he’s small, you’ll be in big trouble. He only pursues the value of true ‘strength’, so to speak.

“Hey, Al, how’s Risel’s skill?”

“Strong for his age. He can surpass most of his peers even at the Hall of Martial Arts. And he has good instincts. He has the posture to anticipate strong techniques beforehand and react. He has a good teacher.”

“Ahaha, I think so too.”

I scratched my head with an awkward expression.

I fully agree with the point about having a good teacher. My teacher was Sword King Levidian, after all.

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