Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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The massive trees began to engulf in flames. Once the fire started, it was not easily suppressed even with the cold chill pouring in.

The cool breeze tickling my cheeks mixed with the flames, growing larger and engulfing the giant trees.

The leaves above were reduced to ashes, scattering as the flames soared high, bringing light to the dark forest and illuminating everything.

I began to rush through the woods, gathering survivors. The thought of extinguishing the fire had long since faded.

After running around in a frenzy, I was only able to gather six people. The rest were nowhere to be found. Judging by the absence of even dead bodies, they must have safely escaped the forest’s center.

I prayed that the missing persons hadn’t fallen beneath the trees and dashed toward the outskirts with the six survivors on my back.

Carrying six adults is quite the challenge. The weight aside, having to support them all at once made my posture unstable.

The long arms and legs of the survivors dragged on the ground, as expected.

The state of the unconscious survivors was also less than ideal. They had fallen victim to the King’s attack like me, and their bodies could easily be described as ragged.

Broken bones and limbs hung in uncomfortable positions, while blood bubbles flowed from their barely parted mouths. If quick first aid wasn’t administered, they would all perish.

I ran endlessly toward the edge of the forest, engulfed in deep thoughts.

With my abilities, I could heal their wounds with ease. If the situation was urgent, I could use recovery magic just enough to keep them from dying.

However, the problem was my mana. Under normal circumstances, had the mana swirling in my heart been sparkling with starlight, I would have healed them without hesitation.

Currently, my body was filled with the mana of Monster Island. Affected by Kalbain’s Mana, it was filled with a hot heat, yet it remained the mana that transformed my body and the monsters of this land.

Thus, I was hesitant to act. After all, hadn’t I transformed like this while recovering myself?

At that moment, one of the survivors I was carrying suddenly coughed up a mouthful of dark blood. The heavy mass mixed in with the blood suggested they were vomiting internal organs.

The one who vomited was Noel. She looked pale as if death were close, exhaling faint breaths.

In her hazy eyes was a strong desire for life. The moment I confirmed that gaze, the confusion troubling my mind ceased. What remained was a small resolve.

Whoosh-!

I stopped in my tracks and turned around. The blazing flames seemed to stretch high into the sky, resembling a gigantic dragon.

“Phew…”

What I needed was a powerful image.

I conjured mana that was holy yet warm, wrapping around me softly.

The mana circulating inside my body began to glow green and golden, flowing outward.

Though it was a task of healing another’s body, the method would not differ significantly from what I had used before.

As I watched the approaching flames, I focused all my mind on maneuvering the mana. The mana that entered through my breath flowed straight to the survivors after passing through my heart.

Could it be because I was healing all six at once? The mana’s consumption was astonishingly fast. The mana that entered my body had to disappear without even having a moment to linger.

Squelch-

The bodies of the survivors began to change as I finished healing them. The pupils in their dimmed eyes transformed like those of monsters, and their blunt fingernails sharpened. Some even had their pale skin turning ghostly white.

I poured out all the mana within me and stopped the healing magic. As the sparkling green currents and golden glow faded away, I could observe the changes in my body.

“The scales…”

I brushed aside the red scales covering my wrist with my sharp fingernails. The solid scales felt as if they were enveloping my body like the flames consuming this forest.

I shook my head and checked the survivors’ conditions. Some noticeable changes occurred, but they still retained human appearances. The sharpened nails could simply be cut off.

I let out a sigh of relief as I checked on Noel, who had a more relaxed expression. After that, I surrounded the survivors again. Their arms and legs still dragged on the ground, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Even if they woke up right now, they wouldn’t be able to move on their own. What I did was merely first aid. It was just holding onto a lifeline that was about to snap.

Once I had emptied all the mana inside me and stopped the mana manipulation, the hot heat began to cool down. Simultaneously, the long horns and scales on my head disappeared, and my sharp nails and teeth dulled.

However, my robust physical abilities did not vanish, allowing me to continue moving while carrying the six adults.

Finally, the moment I escaped the center of the forest, I spotted a person and a black horse charging towards me at high speed from a distance.

In this forest, the only one able to rush like that was the Nightmare. The person running alongside was Celyon.

Having spotted me, both began to pick up speed.

The Nightmare, though nearly tripping several times on unfamiliar terrain, ultimately closed the distance with Celyon and reached me.

Whoosh-!

“Seris!”

“Celyon! The Nightmare…”

“What in the world…?”

“I was attacked by a monster… We managed to escape for now…”

I placed the teammates I was carrying down on the ground as I spoke.

“Hmm… What about the others…?”

“I couldn’t see them.”

“Phew…”

Celyon sighed while looking at the burning forest and the fallen teammates.

I approached the Nightmare nearby and spoke.

“Can you carry these people?”

Whoosh-

The Nightmare let out a rough breath, seemingly uncomfortable, but sensing the gravity of the situation, it accepted the survivors onto its body without resistance.

“We need to get out of this forest…”

Celyon mumbled, glancing back at the colossal flames approaching us.

We all ran to where we arrived at Base Camp. Celyon and I hastily packed important items located inside, stuffing everything into a giant bag.

The majority of what filled the bag consisted of thick stacks of documents bound with thin leather strings.

With all the baggage packed, we dashed straight out of the forest.

*

After exiting the forest, we had to set up a camping site at a suitable location. Although it wasn’t very comfortable since we left most items at Base Camp, the makeshift hut we built by cutting down trees and driving poles into the ground created a cozy atmosphere.

Celyon and I spent time staring blankly at the massive forest burning. Though we could have moved at that moment, we couldn’t do so while protecting the injured who were still dazed.

As time passed, the flames grew larger. Even after the sun had set and night arrived, the area adjacent to the forest was brighter than during the day, all bathed in an orange hue as if everything around had been consumed by flames.

“Thank you.”

While sitting beside Celyon and passing time in silence, she suddenly spoke.

Thank you? For what exactly?

I looked at Celyon with a puzzled expression.

She glanced at the injured teammates lying in the hut, offering a faint smile.

“You must have had a tough time too… Good job.”

“We’re teammates after all.”

I sighed deeply in response to Celyon’s words, looking at the teammates lying down.

Thanks to the influence of the mana enveloping them dissipating, they appeared human for now, yet if they were to use the mana they possessed, the characteristics of monsters would emerge from their bodies.

I worried about permanent physical changes occurring, so it was truly a relief.

*

It wasn’t until two days later that the unconscious teammates began to regain consciousness.

The flames engulfing the forest were still raging fiercely, and the black smoke filled the sky, creating a gloomy atmosphere.

“King… King…!”

“Oh no…!”

Two out of the six who regained awareness exhibited symptoms of delirium. The two waved their hands at empty air, seeming to hide from something, cowering in a corner.

One was even swinging a sword crazily, though the blade was blunt, the power behind it could not be dismissed.

Ultimately, it was Celyon who had to step in to subdue them.

It seemed they had broken down when facing the King.

“Hah…”

Celyon wore a distressed expression as she watched the two squirming on the ground. She had observed them for a day, hoping the symptoms would improve, but there was no sign of recovery.

The next morning arrived. Without anyone being able to stop her, Celyon drew her sword and beheaded the two showing delirium. It was a clean strike, swiftly severing their necks.

“Um…”

I stood there, jaw agape at the sight. Why had Celyon so effortlessly slain her own teammates?

“It was an unavoidable choice…”

“An unavoidable choice?”

Celyon began to explain how terrifying it was to have a skilled swordsman exhibiting symptoms of delirium.

“Sudden attacks might alert strong monsters to our presence, and they could attack our own teammates without distinguishing between hallucinations and reality… It was unavoidable.”

“But that hasn’t happened yet…”

“Right, but it could have.”

“Hmm…”

“Even so, I couldn’t just leave them behind, could I? If I hadn’t dealt with it, a horrific end would await them, being devoured by monsters.”

Celyon spoke, knitting her brow as if recalling a past memory.

“Did something like that happen before?”

“Many times… A lot… And it will happen again.”

As I listened to Celyon’s words, I observed the reactions of the remaining teammates. Dorban, Noel, and the other two whose names I couldn’t recall remained silent, as if they were familiar with this situation.

Noticing that I was looking at the other teammates, Celyon spoke.

“Were you a bit surprised?”

“Um… Yes. Honestly, I was very surprised.”

“You can call me a bad person. It’s the truth.”

“I didn’t think that…”

“Hmmm.”

Celyon smiled weakly in response to my answer. She began to organize the bodies lying on the ground.

After burying the corpses, Celyon collected the possessions of the two and placed them into a small leather pouch.

“Let’s go back.”

With that, Celyon turned and walked away. Her long red hair streamed down over the leather pouch on her back.

The sight resembled the flames engulfing the forest.