Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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From that day on, Philip demanded a spar every evening.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say that he was assessing my swordsmanship.

It was on the night of the fourth day since the wagon had set off.

During our usual routine of swinging wooden swords today,

Philip suddenly sheathed his sword.

“That’s enough.”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head in confusion at the spar that ended faster than usual as Philip drew his steel sword.

Startled, I took a step back, but Philip wasn’t looking at me.

“Is it a monster?”

Ned, observing Philip, asked.

Philip quietly nodded.

Ned stood up and used the campfire to make a torch while telling me,

“Get inside the wagon.”

The atmosphere instantly turned heavy.

It felt as if everything around us was frozen by the cold wind blowing.

I nodded and, grabbing my wooden sword, headed into the wagon.

Sineal, who was already inside, looked tense, as if she had heard the conversation we had outside.

“W-what kind of monster is it?”

“Well…”

I trailed off in response and glanced outside the wagon.

Philip, holding his sword with a tense expression, and Ned, standing back-to-back with a torch, were ready.

There were no signs of monsters, but just as I was about to wonder, the bushes in the distance rustled, and a black shadow leapt out.

The line of shadows seemed endless.

One after another, they poured out, starting with the first one.

What appeared was a pack of wolves covered in gray fur.

I let go of my wooden sword and gripped the hilt of my steel sword.

Seeing the large wolves, my body naturally tensed up.

The cold wind smelled distinctly of wolves, filling the air without me even realizing it.

– Howl!

The horses began to panic at the sight of the wolves.

But since they were tied to the giant tree, the horses had no chance to flee.

From a quick glance, it looked like there were more than ten wolves in the pack.

– Grrr!

Just as the wolves let out threatening growls and approached the horses,

Ned, holding the torch, pulled something from his cloak and threw it around the wagon.

Thud-thud-thud!

The scattered objects exploded into small bursts upon hitting the ground, filling the air with gray smoke.

It seemed Ned had used something that emitted a scent the wolves disliked.

As the gray smoke rose, the wolves that had been approaching the horses retreated.

I held my breath and observed Philip and Ned’s expressions.

Although their faces were tense, they didn’t seem to have lost their composure.

I could feel their confidence in overcoming this dangerous situation.

“Sineal! The wolves are here.”

“U-uh…”

At my explanation, Sineal curled up even more.

I shifted my attention back to the two men fighting the wolves.

The wolves did not charge in recklessly. Instead, they circled Philip and Ned carefully as if looking for an opening.

In that moment,

Philip started to move.

He dashed forward, lowering his body as if to slide on the ground.

I noticed he had picked up a stone that had fallen.

The wolves seemed to take this as a signal and charged from all sides.

Without hesitation, Philip swung his sword.

As the blade cut through the air like a whip, it grazed the first wolf that had charged in front, nearly cleaving its head in half.

– Arrgh!

The wolf’s delayed scream echoed, splattering red blood into the air.

But Philip’s assault didn’t end there.

He dashed toward the staggering wolves and swung his sword again.

Every time the silver sword glinted in the pale moonlight, a wolf fell.

At that moment, Philip had taken down three wolves.

Among the pack, the smallest wolf broke away from the group and began to act alone.

It darted past Philip and Ned, heading towards the wagon.

Philip and Ned seemed to trust the gray smoke they had sprinkled around and did not pay attention to it.

However, the small wolf did not stop.

As time passed, it drew closer.

The wolf’s gaze was fixed on me, hiding inside the wagon.

I frowned as I watched the approaching wolf.

In the dim moonlight, its face became visible, revealing a squished nose.

A squished nose. That meant it likely couldn’t smell.

Tat-tat-tat!

The wolf zipped through the gray smoke at an incredible speed.

Like I’d predicted, the scent attack wouldn’t work on it.

Ned and Philip wouldn’t be able to help here.

They were too far away.

Just as I thought that, something flew past me from Philip’s direction at a terrifying speed.

Thwack!

– Argh!

A wolf collapsed as it was hit by whatever had come flying.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed a small stone lay nearby.

I recalled that Philip had picked up a stone as he slid before.

Could he have foreseen this situation?

Yet, with Philip’s help, the wolf still got back up.

It seemed dizzied but was still growling and moving towards me to attack.

“That… that crazy thing!”

Ned gasped in shock.

Philip’s eyes widened in surprise.

But help from Philip seemed unlikely now.

More wolves continued to charge at him.

I gritted my teeth and drew my sword.

Swish—

With a chilling sound, the silver blade came out.

Having only used wooden swords before, the weight of the real sword felt unnatural.

“Em-Emily!”

Sineal called out in a scream from behind me.

It seemed she had spotted the wolf charging from outside.

I threw the scabbard behind me and jumped out of the wagon.

Tat-tat-tat!

The wolf was closing in in an instant.

I had to swing my sword to stop it.

I knew I had to, but my body wouldn’t move easily.

How many chances would I have in my life to face a wild wolf?

The unimaginable event was unfolding right before my eyes.

I couldn’t maintain my composure. My heart raced like it was about to explode, while a cold sweat poured down my back.

The feeling of fear crept up, sticking to me and weighing down my ankles.

At that moment, the charging wolf lunged into the air.

Its wide-open jaws filled my vision.

I had to swing the sword. When? Now? Or maybe just wait a bit longer?

My chaotic thoughts matched the pounding of my heart.

But the moment of hesitation didn’t last long.

“Yikes!”

A scream-like battle cry escaped me.

The sword swung out in a spasm towards the wolf.

I couldn’t tell if I had put any power into it.

As the wolf and my sword met, an immense weight pressed down on my wrist.

With a surprising recoil, the tip of the sword wobbled, and the wolf’s body veered off to the side.

Slash!

– Argh!

Red blood sprayed out and splattered across my face.

The wolf landed on the ground, trembling.

From the pooling blood below, it looked like my sword had bitten deep.

I charged in, swinging my sword.

“Hiyaah!”

A scream erupted from me.

The trembling wolf, as if attempting one last fight, opened its mouth wide, but my sword pierced through.

Crack!

What killed the wolf was not swordsmanship.

In a frenzy, my body swung the sword like a club.

Whack! Thwack!

I slashed, hit, and stabbed away.

Even when the wolf fell to the ground and ceased moving, my assault did not stop.

Breathless, I struck the wolf’s head down with all my might.

That blow was the last.

I dropped the sword from my hands and gasped for air.

My hands trembled, unable to grip the sword any longer.

The relief of having won the fight and saved my life washed over me.

As the tension in my muscles loosened, I crumpled to the ground.

“Hah…”

Only then could I start to take in my surroundings.

As the excitement subsided, my senses returned to normal.

The fight was over. While I dealt with one wolf, it seemed Philip and Ned had taken care of all the remaining ones.

The two were watching me from a distance as if waiting for my excitement to cool down.

“Impressive.”

Philip’s voice broke the silence.

He wore a subtle smile.

I raised my hand to wipe away the blood on my face.

After the situation calmed down, Philip and Ned began to skin the dead wolves.

As I blankly watched from the wagon, Sineal approached and handed me a small vial.

“What’s this…?”

“Your shoulder…”

“My shoulder?”

It was then that I noticed blood flowing from my shoulder.

It seemed the wolf had scraped me with its claws when I stabbed it.

As I recognized the wound, a painful sting surged.

The potion Sineal handed me instantly erased the wound.

In awe of the incredible effect that modern medicine couldn’t even mimic, I stood there with my mouth agape as Sineal smiled softly and patted my head.

“I made this potion.”

*

After the wolf pack’s attack, no further dangers arose.

Ned handed me a piece of wolf skin he had peeled, and Sineal fashioned a fur hood perfectly tailored for me from it.

On the seventh day since we left the village,

We finally arrived at our destination, the Capital City.

A long line had formed in front of the Capital’s gates, filled with people trying to get in, and Ned’s wagon had to join that line.

“At this rate, we might not get in until late evening,” Ned sighed as he muttered while glancing at the lengthy queue.

The line was moving agonizingly slow.

I peeked my head out of the wagon to look around.

There were luxurious carriages that far exceeded Ned’s, and groups of intimidating swordsmen could be seen.

By now, I thought I might spot a few wizards, but none resembling them were in sight.

As time passed, late evening finally descended.

At last, Ned’s wagon could pass through the main gate of the Capital City.