The wizard is reincarnated last Time

Chapter 3

Distant, cheerful chatter drifted in.

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up.

I was in my bed.

Darkness had fallen outside the window, and the downstairs was filled with the sound of people laughing and talking.

I blinked, sitting dazedly.

The events from earlier came flooding back.

How pathetic, my belatedly recovered reason murmured.

But a child faced with the scent of death had no other recourse.

Regardless of the soul residing within, regardless of its strength, it would inevitably burst into tears, driven by instinct.

My mother had been surprised because I was a child who rarely showed emotion.

I seldom cried, and I hardly ever showed surprise or anger.

Being considered well-behaved for a seven-year-old was the best I could manage.

I rubbed my eyes, stinging from the tears.

“Liv? You’re awake.”

Shuren suddenly appeared in the open doorway.

“Aren’t you hungry? Do you want something to eat?”

I shook my head. Even though it was past dinner time, I had just woken up and had no appetite.

“Brother, where’s Mother?”

“She’s downstairs, having dinner with Father and the guests. …Do you want to go to her?”

Shuren sat on the edge of the bed, looking at me with a worried expression.

“Liv, there’s nothing to be afraid of.  Father and all the guests are members of the Prius Knights. They’re incredibly strong people, strong enough to fight demonkind and magical beasts.”

Shuren’s face was filled with admiration.

Although he was the butler’s son and was being trained to be a butler, his dream was to become a knight.

“And among them, Father is a high-ranking knight in Prius, a truly remarkable person. It’s a shame he can’t come home often because of the Knights’ duties, but that just means he’s doing important work for the order.”

So that’s why Mother kept her loneliness bottled up inside.

“They’re only staying here for a few days.  And you know what?  He said I could watch their training tomorrow! Can you believe it?  I can actually watch real knights train!”

I laughed.  Was it really that exciting?

Watching Shuren chatter excitedly, my gloomy mood gradually dissipated.

“Do you want to come too? It’ll be amazing.”

“I’m okay.”

Shuren knew I didn’t particularly enjoy outdoor activities, so he wasn’t too disappointed.

He grinned and ruffled my hair.

“You might regret it later. Opportunities like this don’t come around very often. Well, I know you don’t like swordsmanship.”

Shuren shrugged and stood up.

“Let’s have dinner before it gets any later.  I’ll get scolded if you don’t eat.  Wait here.  I’ll bring your meal.”

“Okay…”

A little while later, Shuren returned with Mrs. Amara.

Mrs. Amara set out dinner for two on the table, asked Shuren to clear up afterward, and then left again.

It seemed the unexpected guests had increased her workload considerably.  It was the first time I had seen her so flustered.

I sat across from Shuren and we ate together.

Shuren talked about the guests throughout the entire meal.  He was so excited he barely seemed to notice what he was eating.

“They did field training!  Do you know what that is? It’s where they actually face magical beasts and demonkind outside the Knight Academy. It’s amazing, even though they’re still students.”

So they had indeed fought before coming here.

And I had strongly sensed the lingering traces of battle that hadn’t been fully washed away. Perhaps because of my mage’s sensitivity.

After dinner, Shuren cleared the remaining food and empty dishes and left the room.

Meanwhile, with the help of the maids, I finished getting ready for bed.

When Shuren returned, I was struggling to pull a book from the top of the bookshelf, cursing its unyielding height.

Shuren chuckled and pulled down the book I pointed at.  I quickly hugged the book and crawled into bed.

“Don’t read too late. You need to go to sleep soon.”

Shuren advised as he closed the door.

“Okay. Goodnight, Brother Shuren.”

“Goodnight, Liv.”

After he left, I sat up in bed and began to read.

It was a much easier book than the ones in the library, one my tutor had given me.

With a clear mind, I read without difficulty.

How much time had passed?

Engrossed in my book, I hadn’t noticed the boisterous noise downstairs fading away.

The surroundings were quiet, only the occasional cry of an unknown night bird could be heard from outside the window.

I stared blankly towards the window, then returned my gaze to the book.

*Knock, knock.*

A polite knock came at that moment.

The door opened slightly, and a man with an awkward smile poked his head in. It was my father.

“Liv? …You’re still awake.”

The events from earlier flashed through my mind, and I involuntarily flinched.

My father, entering the room, looked flustered and waved his hands.

“No, it’s alright. Don’t be startled. I just wanted to talk.”

Talk?

I stared intently at my father as he slowly approached.

He no longer smelled of blood. He wasn’t carrying his swords, and he had changed into comfortable clothes.

As if facing a wary small animal, my father approached cautiously.

I, too, found this situation incredibly awkward and strange.

“Look at this.”

Having approached me, my father awkwardly crouched down and opened his hand to show me what he held.

A small crystal sphere rested in his palm.

But it was completely different from ordinary crystal spheres.

“This is called a Melgram.”

The small, round sphere was transparent, but from deep within it, a familiar power pulsed and flowed outwards.

It was mana.  The rippling mana spread from the sphere, dissipating into the air.

I couldn’t help but be captivated by the pulsating energy.

“If there’s any danger nearby, this sphere will turn black. But look, it’s perfectly clear now, isn’t it?”

I stared at the Melgram. As my father had said, the sphere was transparent, emitting a constant, calm, and clear power.

I nodded.

“So there’s nothing to be afraid of.  I’ll give this to you.”

My father placed the Melgram in my hand.

It had a string attached so it could be worn around the neck like a necklace.

How curious.

I quite liked this small, mana-emitting sphere. It was the first time I had seen anything like it, and my curiosity was piqued.

This new world held many more things unknown to me, beyond my past knowledge, than I had thought.

“Thank you, Father.”

“Ah.”

As I bowed my head, my father smiled with a touched expression.

He smiled like a child and stroked my hair.

“Don’t mention it. I’m always sorry I can’t be by your side.”

“It’s okay. Mother said you’re busy doing important work.”

“Mother said that?”

I nodded.

My father’s expression became complex, and then he gently hugged me.

I could feel his face against the top of my head. I could hear his breathing, the beating of his heart, close by.

“Liv. No matter what I do, not being by your and your mother’s side isn’t important work at all. I want to come back right away, but… I can’t.”

My father sounded sad.

I felt his hand patting my back. A clumsy but warm and large hand.

“But whenever I have the chance, I’ll come back here. Can you understand that?”

“…Yes.”

My father smiled slightly and looked down at my face intently.

“That such a small child has grown so responsible. I still can’t believe it.”

He continued to look at my face for a while longer.

“So, you like books? Your mother told me you’ve already learned to read and praised you a lot. …What’s this?”

My father’s gaze shifted to the book I was reading.  I pulled the book closer.

“My tutor told me to read a history book.”

“Ah, a history book about Sernia.  You’re already reading this?”

My father flipped through the pages and seemed surprised.

Although it was a book with many pictures and large print, the content was a bit difficult for a child my age.

“But you shouldn’t read too late. It’s best to go to sleep now.”

I obediently closed the book and lay down.

My father sat quietly beside me, as if intending to stay until I fell asleep.

His hand, gently smoothing the hair on my forehead, was as warm as my mother’s.

“…Father.”

I spoke softly, sleepiness overtaking me.

“Yes?”

“What do you do at Prius?”

No one had told me exactly what my father did.  They probably thought I wouldn’t understand.

I roughly knew what the Prius organization did, but I was curious about what important work my father did there that required him to be away from his family.

My father paused for a long moment, choosing his words carefully, before finally speaking.

“…I’m a Blue Knight. I run a Knight Academy and teach students who aspire to become knights.  I can’t possibly leave this work until they’ve all learned and become better knights than I am.”

A Blue Knight…  I had read about that in a book.  One of the five Colored Knights in Prius.

“Prius dispatches knights all over the world to defeat evil and dangerous demonkind and magical beasts.  Therefore, Prius knights must be strong and wise. That way they can save many lives, including their own.”

Shuren was right, after all.

My father was doing important work that others couldn’t.

I didn’t think teaching was something just anyone could do easily.

“Are there still heroes alive in Prion?”

I suddenly asked, peering up at him.

My father looked down at me, slightly surprised, then smiled gently.

“You like stories about heroes, don’t you?”

“Selina likes them. I’m just a little interested, that’s all.”

I muttered, averting my gaze.

Perhaps I would have something to tell Selina when I saw her again tomorrow. She would like it.

“Selina?”

“She lives down the hill and comes to our house often to play. We read books together in the library and talk about all sorts of things.  She especially loves stories about heroes.”

“I see.”

My father chuckled softly. He thought for a moment, then said,

“Heroes… Only one is still alive now.  The Great Mage, Sage Klaus.”

As if something amusing had occurred to him, my father smiled.

“To tell you something surprising, Luwen Klaus, who came with me today, is Sage Klaus’s adopted son and disciple. He’s a longtime friend of mine, and a very skilled mage.”

That man… the air around him seemed to shimmer.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I had met a mage in my short life.

“And Sir Petron Lesis, the White Knight who leads the Prius Knights, is the eldest son of Allen Lesis.  The hero, Allen Lesis, the crown prince of the Lesion Kingdom. Do you know him?”

“Yes, I do.”

My father grinned and stroked my forehead.

“The White Knight said he wanted to meet you. I hope you have the chance someday.”

My father’s eyes held an indescribable respect as he spoke of Petron Lesis.

“It’s late. I’ll tell you more stories tomorrow.  You should sleep now.”

My father pulled the covers up to my chin.

“Okay… Goodnight.”

My father gently stroked my hair.

“Sleep well, Liv.”

Even after saying goodnight, my father remained by my side for a long time, until I finally fell asleep.