The wizard is reincarnated last Time

Chapter 21

I shivered, my body curling in on itself against the unbearable cold. I hugged my shoulders, hunching my back.

It felt as though icy coldness had seeped into my very bones.  No matter how tightly I curled up, no matter how hard I tried to conserve warmth, the shivering wouldn’t stop.

Yet, the cause of this chill was… heat.

Exhaling a hot breath, I slowly opened my eyes. My vision swam with fever.

I was lying curled up on my side.

It took a moment for my surroundings to come into focus.

A thick, red blanket, a large bed, a small wooden table, ornately decorated gold walls, an antique cabinet…

Realizing I was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, I sat up. I was still in my pajamas, barefoot.

My mind, clouded by fever, struggled to grasp the situation.

I had been… walking along the city walls, talking to a large wolf.

The wolf had told me to run, my father had called my name, and I…

I clutched the blanket, feeling a wave of dizziness.

I remembered being seized by something thick and vine-like, then losing consciousness.  A cold, unfamiliar female voice had whispered that I would never return.

Those words, so chilling and unsettling, echoed in my mind.

They had said Prion was impenetrable to demons. Why had this happened?

I pushed back the fear and tried to think rationally.

The dream that had led me to the city walls…

I hadn’t dreamed of Selina since leaving our hometown. That was because the last memory of her had transformed into a nightmare.

But in the dream, Selina, in her familiar, cheerful form, the friend I had known for so long, had led me to the back garden.

I had taken her hand without a shred of doubt…

Something that would never have happened in reality.

I thought of my father’s voice calling my name.

The thought of how worried he must be made my heart ache.

It had been my birthday.  A happy, joyous birthday, so joyful that I had even forgotten about my fever…

I have to go back.

I pressed a hand to my forehead, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

I had to somehow regain my composure and return to Prion, to my home.

To do that, I first needed to figure out where I was and what condition I was in. Only then could I find a way back.

Taking a shallow breath, I looked around.

A large bedroom, furnished with a luxurious bedside table and cabinet. It looked like an aristocrat’s room, opulent but covered in a layer of dust from neglect.

The door leading to what I assumed was a living room was wide open.

And that sickening smell…

It had been assaulting my nose ever since the fever subsided slightly.

I carefully swung my legs over the side of the bed and stepped onto the floor.

The moment I saw the living room, I instinctively clapped a hand over my mouth.

A gasp escaped me, and I stumbled, accidentally stepping on the bedsheet, as the stench of blood filled my lungs.

Someone lay dead in the middle of the living room, their body brutally mangled.

Only by looking at the bearded face could I tell that he had once been human.

The state of the body was horrific.

Limbs were twisted at unnatural angles, organs spilled out, blood splattered everywhere in grotesque patterns.

This wasn’t the work of a human. It was an animal, a magical beast… or a demon.

Although I didn’t recognize him, I couldn’t help but feel pity for the man in his final moments.

Clapping a hand over my mouth, I took deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart.

I looked around, searching for another way out of the room.

Carefully avoiding the pools of blood, I made my way to the far side of the living room, where three large windows stood side by side.

The man had clearly put up a desperate struggle before dying. Bloodstains marked his desperate attempts to escape.

I tried to avoid touching the gruesome traces of his death, but the bloody handprints smeared across the window latches were unavoidable.

Gripping the sticky latch, I tried to lift the window.

*Click.*

As expected, it was locked.

I sighed and looked outside.

I seemed to be on the second floor.

A large, overgrown garden stretched out below.

Under the bright midday sun, untamed shrubs and bushes grew haphazardly.

Perhaps there had been a battle here. Stone statues lay broken and scattered, and the water in the fountain was stained red.

Beyond the high walls surrounding the garden was a dense forest.

Just how far had I been taken?

Anxiety gnawed at me as I desperately searched for something familiar.

Everywhere I looked, there was nothing but trees.

Even if I managed to escape this house, I would be lost if I couldn’t get my bearings.

I moved to the next window, pressing my face against the glass. My hands and clothes were covered in blood, but I no longer cared.

The window fogged up from my frantic breaths.

“There…”

I felt a sudden urge to cry.

At the edge of the endless expanse of forest, I saw a city surrounded by white walls.

Prion.

It looked tiny, no bigger than my fingertip, but it was there. And close enough to be within sight.

I would have to cross the forest, but… I could go back.

No, I *had* to go back.

I repeated this to myself over and over, my gaze fixed on the distant city.

But the window was locked.

Using magic was difficult. I could barely control my mana; using it for anything practical was almost impossible.

I could lift or move objects with Visible Mana, but I couldn’t break or shatter a window.

My ability to manipulate mana was proportional to my physical strength and stamina.

Magic was the catalyst that amplified that ratio, but because I wasn’t compatible with the southern kingdom magic Luwen was teaching me, I couldn’t increase its effectiveness.

I turned and looked at the door.

My only way out.

The demon that had brought me here was surely waiting outside…

There had to be a reason why it hadn’t killed me yet.

If there was a reason why it had thrown me in this room and left me alive, then perhaps I could use that reason to create an opportunity to escape.

Listening for any sounds outside, I cautiously approached the door.

I heard something moving in the hallway and froze, waiting until it was quiet before continuing.

Although I expected the door to be locked, I carefully reached for the doorknob.

I would try slowly, quietly. Just in case… it might be unlocked…

The moment I applied pressure to the doorknob and began to turn it…

*Click.*

The door swung open outwards.

My body instinctively recoiled, preventing me from being dragged outside.

A flash of white fabric appeared right in front of me.

“Where do you think you’re going, little one?”

As I slowly looked up, my eyes met those of a tall man standing over me.

My heart literally froze.

The man had a pale, white face and a faint smile.

His long, black hair cascaded over his shoulders and back. He was tall and slender, dressed in a simple, long white coat that reached his knees.

He was unarmed and smiling, yet the moment our eyes met, only one thought filled my mind.

I’m going to die.

The man reeked of death and blood. The scent was so strong that it wouldn’t have been surprising if I died the next instant.

He looked like an ordinary, if somewhat creepy, man, but beneath the surface lurked the chilling killing intent of a terrifying demon.

I felt it acutely, every cell in my body screaming in alarm.

*Cough…*

I flinched and clapped a hand over my mouth.

But the cough, once started, wouldn’t stop. I doubled over, clutching my chest as the pain intensified.

I tried to run, to endure, but my body wouldn’t cooperate.

My vision swam, and I stumbled, reaching for support. My hands, pale and clammy, trembled uncontrollably.

“My…”

The man clicked his tongue softly, then took a step towards me as I crumpled to the floor.

My body, drained of all strength, refused to obey. Even struggling was impossible.

“You’ve managed to survive this long, haven’t you?”

The man’s cold hand gripped my hair and yanked my head back. His other hand clamped over my mouth.

“…Ugh!”

I tried to fight back, but I was no match for his strength.

A metallic taste flooded my mouth.

I knew what it was when I saw the wound on the man’s palm and the black blood oozing from it.

I gagged and tried to spit it out. The thought of swallowing demon blood made my stomach churn.

But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it out of my mouth.

Then, I realized that the coughing had stopped.

“…Ah.”

The agonizing pain in my chest was gone.

The metallic taste lingered, unpleasant and sickening, but my mind felt clearer.

The fever that had clouded my senses began to recede.

“You seem fine. Most people would be dead by now.”

The man chuckled, looking down at me.

I bit my lip hard and staggered to my feet. I couldn’t afford to panic.

I already knew I was different. I already knew…

But I hadn’t wanted to accept that I was closer to a demon than a human.

I looked up, glaring at the man.

I was certain he wouldn’t kill me now.

“Your name is Liveric, isn’t it?”

The man looked at me with amusement, circling me slowly, like a predator studying its prey.

“As you’ve probably realized, I have no intention of killing you right now. And certainly not eating you.”

“But,” the man added, a cruel smile spreading across his face, “I should warn you, I’m not exactly known for my pleasant disposition. If you annoy me, I might change my mind.”

A chill ran down my spine at the murderous intent that flickered in his red eyes.

He seemed to be almost relishing the thought of losing his patience, of finally having an excuse to hurt me.

“But for now, I have more important things to attend to, so I’m exercising restraint.  I wouldn’t test me too much.”

The man paced restlessly, then nudged a dismembered limb on the floor with his foot, as if it were an annoyance.

There wasn’t a shred of pity, mercy, or compassion in his gesture.

Standing on the head of the mangled middle-aged man, he said,

“One more piece of advice: there are plenty of vicious creatures in this house.  The kind that would swallow a little thing like you whole without a second thought.”

My blood ran cold.

He was keeping me alive for a reason, but the others wouldn’t hesitate to kill me.

“This room has a sort of barrier that prevents them from sensing you.”

“So… you understand what I’m saying? If you step outside this room, they’ll come for you.”

I looked at the open doorway.

A faint, shimmering barrier hung in the opening, beyond which stretched a dark hallway.

The barrier seemed to be masking my presence from the demons outside.

“Then… why are you keeping me alive?”

The man chuckled. A chilling, predatory sound.

“You’re a ‘vessel.'”

“A vessel…?”

“Good, the preparations must be complete by now. Let’s go.”

Before I could ask him what he meant, the man grabbed my arm with surprising strength.