Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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The adventurers who had fled had yet to return even with the dawn of morning.

They must have assumed the hunting party was wiped out by the ogre.

Raikan did not blame the fleeing adventurers. He merely frowned deeply and let out a sigh.

After handling breakfast, Raikan and the adventurers began to dismantle the ogre’s corpse.

Skillfully skinning and separating the flesh, he tore at the tendons.

As promised, Raikan handed me half of the ogre’s hide and half of the tendons.

Given it was material taken from the massive giant’s body, the quantity was impressive, and even though my bag was bursting, it was still not enough to hold it all.

Raikan resolved this issue for me.

He called over a few of the soldiers under him to carry my load.

The soldiers accepted my burden without a word of complaint.

A kindness that felt excessive compared to before.

I could tell it stemmed from a meticulous calculation of profit and loss.

How formidable must the mage from the Mage Tower be for a knight to treat them with such kindness?

“Is it okay to walk beside you?”

“Uh, um… yes.”

Unlike before, Raikan frequently approached me, regaling me with various stories each time.

The topics ranged from tales about himself to the Port City Hafen, and the mayor who governed that city.

No one would introduce themselves by sharing bad things, but he only brought up biased narratives.

It was clear he intended to give me a favorable impression of himself.

As the mountains deepened, the frequency of monster appearances increased.

From common goblins to creatures like the Ice Horn, which I had dealt with alongside Rain.

Unlike ogres, these monsters were at a level manageable solely by adventurers.

While performing my duties as part of the hunting party, I occasionally posed questions to Raikan.

Questions regarding swordsmanship and his physique. He subtly tried to shift the topic away, but each time I persisted in speaking up.

Ultimately, Raikan had no choice but to answer my questions.

“Why is your body so strong, Raikan?”

“My body? It looks fine on the outside, but it’s a complete mess on the inside.”

Raikan answered while clearing his throat.

Every time he coughed like that, darkened blood would rush out, explained to be from the wounds inflicted by the ogre.

“Still, other adventurers exploded from a single punch by the ogre, yet you remained unharmed. That must be thanks to your armor, but isn’t your body also stronger than that of an ordinary person?”

I asked while looking at Raikan’s battered full plate mail.

In response, Raikan nervously smiled and replied.

“It’s the fruit of years of training. There’s an old saying that iron becomes stronger the more it’s hammered, isn’t there? Humans are the same.”

I tilted my head at Raikan’s words.

I had no intention of denying that a human body strengthens through continuous training.

But there’s a limit to that, isn’t there?

“Are you perhaps using mana?”

“A knight is not a wizard.”

Raikan laughed at my question, but I couldn’t believe his words.

The ogre’s immense strength was enough to create small earthquakes. Surviving a hit from such a fist could only be explained by body reinforcement using mana.

“Raikan, could you lend me your hand for a moment?”

“My hand?”

“Yes.”

Raikan hesitated but then removed his gauntlet and extended his hand.

It was a rough, massive hand filled with calluses.

I carefully grasped that hand and closed my eyes.

Mana of different qualities repels each other.

If Raikan truly handled mana, my mana should elicit some kind of response when poured into him.

Just like Rain did, I released a small thread of mana, letting it flow into his body.

The Starlight Mana, rotating in my heart, sped along and began to transmit through my fingertips into Raikan’s body.

In that moment, Raikan seemed to feel something and shuddered, yet he did not retract his hand.

At that moment, I could see a giant wolf.

The wolf, revealed under dim starlight, vanished in an instant.

This was because Raikan’s mana naturally repelled my mana.

If I had poured more mana into him, I could have closely examined the wolf’s appearance, but I chose not to.

“What do you think? Does this mana thing actually exist?”

I nodded at Raikan’s question.

He probably wouldn’t be aware. That the mana within him was strengthening his body.

Raikan was taken aback and questioned further.

“So, does that mean I could also become a wizard?”

This time, I shook my head.

That would be impossible. His mana was driven by a powerful will, endlessly moving toward a single purpose.

If he intended to control that mana now, it would scatter, and his body would surely weaken in the process.

“Hmm, that’s a shame.”

*

About a week after the hunting party was summoned, Raikan decided to return.

The adventurers were overjoyed. Initially thrilled with the prospect of earning a lot of money, their long trek through the mountains had left them utterly exhausted.

I too welcomed Raikan’s decision.

My appearance, covered in blood, dirt, and snow, truly looked like that of a beggar, and there was a strange odor emanating from my body.

The return was swift. Without needing to rummage around, we descended the mountain straight to the city.

Leading the adventurers, Raikan approached the mayor’s mansion to calculate the rewards.

The mayor was true to his promise. Moreover, he provided additional compensation for the adventurers who didn’t flee.

And I received my promised reward.

53 gold.

That was the payment that came to me.

Raikan handed over a large money pouch, speaking to me.

“Come find the mayor when you have time. He wishes to thank you personally.”

Raikan’s misunderstanding had yet to come to an end.

He must have told the mayor my story.

About the mage from the Mage Tower who had helped them with their work.

“Yes, when I have time…”

I nodded and turned away.

The money pouch in my hand and the ogre hide on my back felt extraordinarily heavy, but my steps were lighter than air.

*

“Oh, Raikan. So you brought my message?”

“Yes.”

“What was it like? What was the mage’s response?”

The mayor of Port City Hafen, Fin Reaz, stood before the knight, eager for his words.

If he could maintain a close relationship with the mage of the Mage Tower, he was prepared to do whatever it takes.

“He didn’t seem too welcoming about the meeting. However, since he didn’t refuse, I believe he will come to see you sooner rather than later.”

“Oh, oh…? Is that so?”

Reaz nodded at Raikan’s words.

The meeting with the mage was his desire. He wanted to learn magic. He wanted to become a wizard.

Yet, the mages had not been willing to meet with him. The responsibility of a mayor misled the intentions behind that meeting.

But this time would be different. Reaz began to investigate the name Seris to ensure he wouldn’t mistake anything in his meeting with the girl mage.

Two days passed in this manner.

Reaz reflected thoughtfully upon the report that had come before him.

Report: Seris

Overview

This report addresses information regarding a person named Seris, analyzing her identity and her objectives. While Seris claims to be 13 years old, she is presumed to be older. She is a wizard and holds a bronze rank from the Swordsmanship Guild.

Whereabouts and identity

Seris’s previous whereabouts are untraceable, and she appears to be active as a swordsman rather than a wizard. It’s suspected she is operating under an assumed identity.

Meeting with Rain

Seris met Rain, a wizard from the Mage Tower, in the Port City Lupen through a commission. The notable point is, unlike other adventurers whom Rain had previously declined, he easily accepted Seris’s company.

Commission and equipment crafting in the Karum Mountain Range

Seris headed to the Karum Mountain Range for a commission from Rain and crafted swords and cloak-style equipment using the monster materials obtained there after completing the commission. This is also presumed to be an act to conceal her identity as a mage.

Another mage from the Mage Tower

About a week after Rain left the city, she returned with another mage from the Mage Tower. At that time, Seris was taking part in a monster hunting party that coincidentally was headed for the same location as her previous commission at the Karum Mountain Range.

Conclusion

It is highly likely that Seris is associated with the Mage Tower and appears to have visited the Karum Mountain Range to investigate the recent incident of monster migration.

“Good…”

Reaz awaited Seris.

Yet, a week passed, and Seris still did not visit Reaz.

*

When I went to the leather workshop to process the ogre hide, I was in for a shock.

“What? You can’t work with ogre hide?”

“Right… To handle this properly, a special agent called a leather relaxant is needed, but we’ve stopped importing that agent.”

“That can’t be… So what should we do?”

“We need to go to where that agent is, to the Karma Empire.”

“That can’t be… Where is the Karma Empire?”

“Across the sea. It takes about a month by ship to get there.”

As I exited the leather workshop, I let out a sigh.

I was filled with anticipation for crafting proper armor from the ogre hide, yet it couldn’t be done here.

Not losing hope, I sought out other leather workshops to inquire if they could handle ogre hide.

But the answers were the same everywhere. They all showed reluctance, saying they couldn’t handle it due to a lack of the agent.

“Surely there must be some left in the Capital City?”

“It’s been over a year since the imports have ceased. Whether there’s anything left is uncertain… It’s better to head to the Empire instead of wasting your steps.”

I mulled over the leather craftsman’s words.

However, what could I do? They said ogre hide couldn’t be handled in this country.

After much contemplation, I ultimately headed for the port.