Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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The alleyways were entangled like a labyrinth, more complicated than I expected.

After wandering around the nooks and crannies for quite some time, I finally arrived at a reasonably spacious area.

Fortunately, the boy I had been chasing was here too, slumped over atop a small wooden box.

The first encounter in this silent atmosphere.

The boy seemed unaware of my arrival, muttering something in a small voice.

Judging by the fact that he didn’t even glance my way, it was clear something was off.

Even as I approached, he remained unresponsive.

I frowned and looked at the ground.

A glass bottle, glistening under the moonlight, rolled about, spilling an unidentified liquid.

With eyes that seemed to have lost their spark and a slack body, he occasionally mumbled indistinguishable words.

This could mean only one thing.

The boy was high on some hallucinogenic drug.

I picked up the glass bottle rolling on the ground and inhaled the odor.

From a distance, I hadn’t noticed, but up close, the pungent smell of the drug hit me hard.

Considering he had come here in the dead of night to drink something like this, it was quite likely that this substance was illegal.

So, people are no different wherever they are, huh?

While lost in thought, the slumped boy began to stir, blinking his eyes.

As his blurred vision cleared, he started regaining strength in his limp body.

At that moment, the boy jumped back in surprise.

“You, what are you…!”

I smiled faintly at the sight of the boy.

If I played my cards right, it seemed like I could get what I wanted.

He was a boy indulging in illegal drugs while trying to avoid the eyes of others.

If this secret got out, he would be in a very difficult situation.

“Did you have a good dream?”

“…What…?”

The boy started to feign ignorance. I rolled the glass bottle I was holding toward him.

As the bottle rolled to his feet with a soft thud, he exhaled nervously, his gaze unfocused.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“Isn’t that something that’s going to get you in serious trouble?”

“I don’t know what that is.”

The boy’s demeanor began to take on a more menacing tone.

The atmosphere shifted, sharp like a finely honed blade, and the hazy look in his eyes began to reflect the silver starlight.

I raised both hands toward him.

“Calm down. I don’t plan on telling anyone what I saw.”

“It doesn’t matter if you do. No one would believe you anyway.”

“Well…”

The boy had a point. If I claimed that an adventurer girl was crawling on the ground high on hallucinogens after winning the swordsmanship tournament, who would believe that?

Even I wouldn’t have believed it.

But what if I didn’t mention the boy?

For instance, informing people that this place was suspicious.

In fact, there were multiple glass bottles scattered about the spacious area, looking as though they had been there for a while.

Then I needed to change my strategy. I cleared my throat and spoke.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way. I just accidentally walked in here.”

I took a small step back with a smile.

I was aware of how my appearance might look to others.

My bright looks often drew unconditional kindness from people during conversations, and those with foul moods would find themselves cheering up at my smile.

Especially since the boy had just entered adulthood. There was no way he could avoid feeling friendly toward me.

As I had expected, he eased up on his sharp demeanor.

“What are you doing here?”

Though his tone remained somewhat abrasive, there was no malice in his gaze.

In fact, a slight fondness seemed to flicker, reminiscent of the boys in town who brought me little gifts.

A slightly awkward gaze, to say the least.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I slowly opened my mouth.

I couldn’t directly ask him to teach me swordsmanship. After all, the sword technique known as Elune’s Flash was said to be passed down only to paladins.

“Could you show me your swordsmanship?”

“My swordsmanship…?”

“Yeah, I saw you win at the swordsmanship tournament.”

“Hmmm…”

The boy’s attitude softened significantly at my response.

As his voice became gentler, it seemed I had completely won him over.

“I’m a swordsman too. There’s much I could learn from you.”

As I lightly tapped the sword hung behind me, the boy smiled faintly and nodded.

The initial wariness he had shown me had completely vanished.

“I see… that makes sense.”

“Will you show me?”

“Then what will you give me in return?”

I silently glanced at the many glass bottles scattered on the ground in response to the boy’s question.

After giving a subtle look, I turned my body and spoke.

“Hmm… if you don’t want to show me, then don’t.”

“Wait…”

“What?”

“Where are you planning to go?”

“I’m thinking of going back to the inn?”

“What after that?”

“Probably, I’ll leave this city?”

The boy’s expression hinted at a brief hesitation after my answer.

After a short contemplation, he gave me the reply I wanted.

“If I show you my swordsmanship, are you planning to stay here?”

“Maybe, yes?”

“Alright, then. Show me.”

“Really?”

“Tomorrow, at this time, come to this place. I’ll bring my sword then.”

“If you need a sword, I have one.”

I pointed to the sword on my back and spoke.

“It’s fine to use my sword, you know?”

“You can’t display perfect swordsmanship with a sword you’re not accustomed to. Besides, your sword looks shorter than what I’m used to.”

“Hmm…”

Guess that’s how it is.

I nodded and turned away. At that moment, the boy’s voice called out to me again.

“What’s your name?”

“Seris.”

I flashed a small smile at the boy before exiting the alley.

While walking back, I realized I hadn’t caught his name, but I wasn’t too curious about it, so I simply returned to the inn.

*

The next evening, the promised time approached.

The dim moonlight cast over the alley, and just like yesterday, there was no sign of anyone around.

Did that boy really come as promised?

Dressed lightly, I headed back into the alley.

The complicated maze of paths no longer felt like a problem.

The moment I emerged from the tangled path, a wide open space lay before me.

The boy was standing against the wall, wearing his sword.

I hadn’t seen him arrive, so it seemed there was more than one way leading into this place.

“You’re here.”

“Hello.”

“I realized an important fact yesterday.”

“What is it?”

“That you didn’t tell me your name.”

It wasn’t a crucial piece of information for me, but it seemed to be significant for him.

With a serious expression, the boy introduced himself.

“I’m Foldrin. That’s my name.”

“Foldrin, huh?”

Foldrin, who seemed to hesitate momentarily while looking at me, spoke up.

“Now, can I show you?”

“Yeah.”

Upon my response, Foldrin nodded with a slight look of tension.

With a serious expression, he began to swing his sword.

The blade, lacking a sharp edge, was blunt, but it drew a beautiful arc with a dim moonlight at its tip.

I observed closely.

The movements I’d seen in the swordsmanship tournament were now clearer, allowing me to grasp how to manage my breath and maintain my strength.

The boy’s technique comprised ten distinct moves, with the downward slash and thrust I knew being just linking movements in between.

Having completed a demonstration of his swordsmanship, Foldrin slowly caught his breath and asked me.

“So, was there something to learn?”

“Absolutely, a great deal.”

I responded to Foldrin’s question by drawing my sword from its sheath behind my back.

The blade made of Chronidium began to glimmer subtly under the moonlight, with its seven engraved stars shimmering with presence.

Foldrin murmured softly as he observed.

“That’s a good sword…”

“Shall we have a match?”

“Me? With you?”

“Yeah.”

Foldrin frowned as if he didn’t want to, but he didn’t decline my offer.

Honestly, I wanted to ask for more detailed swordsmanship lessons, but if I continued to just watch, I might raise unnecessary suspicion.

It would be better to learn through direct confrontation.

Thus, the duel unexpectedly came to fruition.

While I had a sharpened sword, Foldrin seemed indifferent about it.

He appeared to have quite a bit of confidence in his own skills.

“Your stance is good. How long have you practiced swordsmanship?”

I pondered briefly at Foldrin’s question before I answered.

Considering the formal sword training I had, the time came to just under a year.

“Just under a year.”

“…I’ll let you go first.”

I accepted Foldrin’s proposal without hesitation.

I immediately kicked off the ground and charged toward him, swinging my sword.

Since it was only a practice match, I didn’t put my full strength behind the attack.

As my blade flew swiftly, drawing a faint starry path, Foldrin’s sword moved fluidly, creating an ethereal moonlight.

Clang-!

Stars and moon collided, scattering soft light everywhere.

I immediately followed up with my next move.

As my sword flew in an odd trajectory, three stars rose simultaneously above it.

At that moment, brilliant moonlight surged from beneath my feet, wiping away the three stars.

As the moonlight revealed Foldrin’s face, he gazed at me in shock.

A small smile crept up the corner of my mouth.

It seemed he had underestimated my abilities.

With that, a short exchange began. I swung my sword to the best of my ability, but I still couldn’t claim victory over Foldrin.

As my sword was deflected, I felt a chilly sensation just beneath my neck.

It was Foldrin’s blunt sword.

“I lost…”

After I declared my defeat, a few more rounds followed, but the outcome remained unchanged.

That was because I had focused more on watching Foldrin’s techniques than on the match itself.

Of course, even if I were focused, I wouldn’t have changed the outcome.

In terms of pure swordsmanship skill, Foldrin was superior.

“Let’s call it a day.”

As Foldrin looked up at the sky, it seemed like he was gauging the time by watching the moon’s position.

I asked him.

“Will you come out again tomorrow?”

“If you do.”

“Then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I was glad I could return sooner than I thought.

As soon as I arrived in my inn room, I began to practice the sword techniques I had learned from Foldrin.

It seemed it would take a while to perfect them, but I felt I could easily get accustomed to the swordsmanship.

If I learned for another couple of days, I could leave this city.

I smiled faintly.