Kari pondered over my idea with a cute frown that made her nose wrinkle a little. I resisted the desire to pinch her nose. I was sure her reaction would be adorable, but I also knew my limits.
“I suppose that is fine,” she muttered at last. “But you will let me treat you next time.”
“Of course,” I said with a smile. “Now, how many would you like?”
“T-three,” Kari mumbled.
Still smiling, I walked up to the stall owner, a large man with a portly belly, and ordered seven grilled meat sticks. I believe they were called kebabs. The man grinned as he handed us our food and said we made a cute couple. I was surprised he didn’t immediately recognize Kari, but I guess not everyone knew what the Princess of Nevaria looked like.
“H-he said we looked like a couple,” Kari muttered as we walked away, food in hand.
“Do you disagree with him?” I asked. Kari looked at me, and then looked away before shaking her head. I chuckled. “I think we make a pretty good couple myself.”
Wearing a tentative but gentle smile, Kari said, “Me too.”
As we continued our journey, I noticed several stalls that were selling alchemy pills. Those stalls were quite popular. There were a lot of people gathered around and trying to push and shove their way to the front. Most of those people were Spiritualists, which I sensed because of the Spiritual Power flowing from them when I used Spiritual Perception. It seemed the pills refined by the Alchemist Association were becoming more popular.
“Those pills…” Kari muttered as she gazed at the stall we were walking by.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Did you make those?” she questioned me.
I gave her a slow nod. “Yes. I needed to earn some extra money for training, so I struck a deal with the Alchemist Association. In exchange for teaching them how to refine those pills, they would give me a cut of the profits they made.”
“Clever,” Kari said with a slight smile.
A number of people recognized Kari as we walked through the city. Several people pointed at us and whispered to each other. Even though I couldn’t tell what they were saying, the recognition flashing through their eyes made it clear that they knew who was walking by my side.
That worried me a little. I didn’t know what would happen if word got out that Kari was spending time with a peasant, though I guess they might not think I was one since my current outfit was pretty extravagant. In either event, right now I was just a nobody. In a society that valued strength and prestige above all else, someone who had no reputation and no strength wasn’t worth being around.
This was proven true several hours later.
Kari and I had pretty much enjoyed the entire day together, even though all we did was walk around and try out different types of food. We had made it a point to try out something from each stall we passed. We also checked out some of the jewelry stalls, though Kari didn’t find anything she believed was interesting.
As we were walking along, three people stepped out in front of us. I didn’t recognize the other two people, but the young man standing in the middle was someone I knew on sight. He was hard to forget.
“It seems the rumors were true.” The young man, who looked around my age, flicked his shoulder-length, dark blond hair. His lips were twisted into a consternated smile. “I had heard that you were cavorting with a peasant who worked at some tiny library, but I had refused to believe it for the longest time. I thought for sure that it couldn’t be true, and yet here you are.” He narrowed his blue eyes as his gaze shifted between me and Kari. “I am incredibly disappointed in you, Lady Kari.”
Like most nobles, this young man wore clothing that defined the word ostentatious. His beautifully woven leather tunic had a golden design on the left chest. It was a bird of some kind. I think it was called a raven. His black pants were made from the finest Giant Silkworm silk, the same as his white undershirt, which featured long sleeves. He wore white gloves on his hands and carried a sword at his waist.
Kari bit her lip for a moment before an expression of steel crossed her face. She wrapped her arms around one of mine and stared at the young man, whose face suddenly turned red.
“You say you are disappointed in me, but I am not sure why you think such a thing would matter to me, Grant,” she said in a tone that was polite but firm. “Who I spend my time with is no one’s business but my own.”
Grant narrowed his eyes as his ears turned red. “That won’t be the case for long. I’m sure you’re aware of the deal my family brokered with Empress Hilda, so I don’t have to tell you what will happen. Come next month, you’ll be mine.”
A crowd had formed around us by this point, congregating to form a circle with us in the middle. The numerous people whispering to each other as they pointed at us made me frown. One of the few things I disliked about people was how everyone wanted to gawk when an incident happened, yet no one was willing to stand up and help.
“Whatever the case may be, you currently have neither the power nor the authority to make Kari do anything,” I said.
“You dare refer to Lady Kari without a title?!” Grant suddenly turned to me, his face set in a snarl. “Do not act so presumptuous, peasant! Were it not for the fact that we are in public, I would have already taught you a very harsh lesson in manners!”
“Then why don’t we settle this another way,” I suggested. “You mentioned something is coming up next month. Could you be talking about the annual Spiritualist Grand Tournament?”
Kari and Grant were both staring at me with incredulity. I could see the thoughts flitting through their heads. Kari’s eyes were filled with worry, while Grant looked like someone had just sucker-punched him in the face.
“Are you… suggesting we settle our differences at the tournament?” he asked as though he couldn’t believe my words.
I shrugged. “It would be a great way to resolve our problems, wouldn’t it?”
Grant held a hand to his face, threw his head back, and laughed. “I can’t believe this! A peasant thinks he can beat a noble trained in Spiritualism! This is rich!” His laughter died down as his gaze suddenly turned cold. “Very well. You and I will both enter the tournament. Should I win, you will never go near Lady Kari again.”
“Eryk…” Kari muttered.
I smiled at her, then turned a serious gaze to Grant. “That is fine by me. Should I win, I will make a request of my own.”
Grant narrowed his eyes. “And that is?”
“You will never again try to force Kari or Fay into an arranged marriage,” I announced. A smile came over my face, but it wasn’t a warm smile. “Your continued pursuit and unwanted advances have greatly annoyed them. Nobody likes a horny beast with no self-control, you know.”
While Kari stared at me in shock, Grant’s face turned beet red. He clenched his hands into fists. However, true to his nature as a noble, he did not lash out in public, which would have been a blow to his reputation.
“Fine,” he ground out. “I agree to those terms. See you in the tournament, if you survive long enough to face me.”
Grant turned around and stalked off without looking back, while the two people who’d come with him stared between me and Grant before, ever so slowly, turning around and lumbering after the young man as he stomped off. I stared at him, making sure he and his lackeys were well and truly gone before looking at Kari.
“Sorry for causing a scene,” I said.
“Why did you do that?” asked Kari. “Why did you suggest fighting against him in the tournament? Don’t you realize who that was? Grant Leucht is the young heir of the Leucht Family, one of the Three Heavenly Families whose power is second only to the Astralia Royal Family. What’s more, Grant isn’t a weakling. He’s a very strong Spiritualist. By challenging him in the tournament, you’ve made an incredibly powerful enemy.”
The fact that Kari was more concerned for me than she was for herself was touching. Her words and the expression on her face, which seemed t
o hold only a desire to see me safe, made me long to kiss her. I think the only reason I didn’t was because of my status. Right now, I was still just a peasant.
“It doesn’t matter how powerful he is.” I faced Kari and grabbed her hands. “From the moment I discovered that he was trying to force you into an arranged marriage, I knew I would eventually come to blows with him. No one has the right to force someone else to marry them. You should be free to choose who you want to be with, or even whether you want to be with anyone at all. I won’t let him take that right away from you.”
Kari’s cheeks were growing warm, but she still looked concerned. “But the Leucht Family is powerful. They’re not going to sit back and watch this happen, and even if you manage to meet him in the tournament, you still have to contend with a powerful enemy.”
“Do you believe in me?” I asked.
“What?”
“Do you believe in me?” Kari hesitated for a moment before nodding. I placed her hands against my chest. Her cheeks lit up, but she didn’t take her hands away. “Then believe me when I say that Grant Leucht is no match for me. I’ll face him in this tournament and kick his ass, and then he will never be able to darken your doorstep again.”
I stared at Kari, trying to impress my confidence upon her, to let her know that I could defeat him. She seemed to understand after a moment. A small smile broke out on her face like sunlight breaking through rain clouds.
“I do believe you,” she said.
“Good.” Nodding, I let go of her hands and stepped back. “I promise not to let you down, though I am confused about why you don’t just fight in the tournament yourself. You’d have no trouble beating him on your own.”
Kari shook her head. “There’s no guarantee that I would win. Like I said, Grant is a very powerful Spiritualist who has been extensively trained and cultivated by his family. Aside from that, I am not allowed to participate in the Spiritualist Grand Tournament because I’m a member of the Astralia Royal Family.”
“So being part of the royal family means you aren’t allowed to participate? That’s kind of lame.”
I scratched my head. That was something I hadn’t been aware of back then, but it also explained why Grant won the tournament in my previous life. Had Kari or any of her three brothers taken part in the tournament, he would have lost. I suppose the Astralia Royal Family wasn’t allowed to take part specifically because it would have been unfair.
“It is a little depressing,” Kari admitted. “If I could take part in the tournament, then I could prove to my mother that I’m strong enough to travel outside of Nevaria.”
“Then will you allow me to fight in your stead?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Kari turned to me with a confused expression.
“I’m told that the winner of the Spiritualist Grand Tournament is able to request any one thing from the Astralia Royal Family.” Which explained how Grant Leucht’s family was able to force Kari into that marriage. “I will win the tournament and request that you be allowed to journey outside of Nevaria.”
Kari said nothing at first, which made me wonder if I’d said something wrong, but when I looked at her, it was to find her staring at me with wide eyes that looked close to tearing up.
“You would do that for me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
I gazed at Kari with all the fondness I felt for her. “I believe we have already established that I would do anything for you. That includes fighting in a tournament so I can request that your mom stop keeping you locked away in this city.”
Kari’s eyes became watery as a few small tears trickled down her face. She raised a hand to cover her mouth. From the way her cheeks were stretching, I could tell she was smiling.
“There’s no need for tears,” I said.
I reached out and cupped her cheeks. The warmth of her skin was electric, and I loved the soft elasticity and smoothness of her supple skin. Using my thumbs to pad the area under her eyes, I wiped away her tears.
“I know,” she muttered, allowing me to wipe her eyes. “I’m just really happy… you’re the first… the first person who has ever said you’d do this for me. You’ve been treating me so well, and I really feel like I’ve connected with you… I sometimes feel like we’ve known each other our whole lives.”
That was because I had known her for her whole life, or at least most of it, though I didn’t say that.
“I’m very happy to know that you’re happy,” I admitted, though there was a wry grin on my face. “However, perhaps we should get out of here. We’re drawing a crowd.”
“Huh?”
Kari looked confused for a moment, but then she finally seemed to realize what I meant. She looked around at all of the people who were muttering and whispering to each other as they stared at us. Her face turned bright pink. It was a fetching color that went from the roots of her hair all the way down to her neck.
She grabbed my hand and took off. I wasn’t sure how far we ran, but we eventually left the crowd of people behind and ended up in a less crowded section of the city.
“Sorry for causing a scene,” she said as she slowed down. I wondered if she realized we were still holding hands.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I wasn’t bothered by it.”
Kari nodded with a sort of absentminded expression, as though she had just remembered something. She turned her head to gaze at me. There was something about this look that made me just a little wary.
“Eryk,” she began with a small frown, “do you mind if I ask how you knew that Grant was also trying to force Fay into an arranged marriage as well? I know that isn’t something I told you about.”
And just like that, I realized why I suddenly had such a bad premonition.
With a soft sigh, I explained to Kari how Fay and I met, our training together, and her confession several days ago.
Grant stomped down the street for several minutes before slowing down. His breathing was a bit heavy as he clenched his hands into tight fists. A black rage was pooling in his stomach. How dare that… that peasant challenge him! Who did he think he was?! Grant would show that foolish cretin why no one dared to mess with him!
“That kid was bold, huh?” one of his lackeys said. He was a fairly tall man, and handsome enough, but he wasn’t very smart.
“You said it, Alf,” his other lackey said. He looked almost the exact same as the first one, but that was because they were twins.
“I’m surprised some peasant actually challenged you,” Alf added. “Either he doesn’t know who you are, or he’s a complete idiot.”
Grant nodded but didn’t say anything. He kept walking.
“Where are we going now, Grant?” asked the other twin.
“I’m heading back home to speak with my father,” Grant said. “In the meantime, Alf, Arvid, I want you to follow that boy and see what you can find out about him. I want to know who he is, where he lives, and who he associates with.” He paused before a cruel smile appeared on his lips. “And if you can, be sure to teach him a lesson.”
Alf and Arvid looked at each other, and then they looked at him.
“Just leave it to us,” they said at the same time.
Grant sighed. These two buffoons couldn’t be trusted with a task like this, but they would serve as a good distraction. That peasant would be so focused on these idiots that he would never see the true threat until it was too late.
A cruel smile appeared on his face. There was no need to wait until the tournament to deal with that foolish pissant. He would speak with his father and come up with a plan to deal with the peasant before the tournament.
Thank you for reading!
I want to thank everyone who read WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior Volume 2. I hope you enjoyed it immensely.
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tory. Your reviews are a huge factor in helping others decide to read something. Doing this would also contribute to putting food on my table, so there is that too.
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Once again, thank you immensely for reading my books. I’ve got the cover for volume 3 revealed on the next page for anyone who is interested. Warning, the cover is somewhat spoilery.
Afterword
Hello everyone! It’s your most—least?—favorite light novel author… and I have a confession to make! I think this series might have been corrupted.
If you’re like me, then you might have scoured the website known as Wuxia World to read xianxia novels, and if you have, then you probably noticed how xianxia novels are, like, 2,000+ chapters long. They don’t really have a beginning, middle, and end so much as they just continue through various arcs that last hundreds of chapters.
When I was writing WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior, I was so heavily influenced by xianxia web novels that my story kinda expanded without my knowledge. By the time I had finished writing Act I, my story was over 300,000 words. I did manage to remove 64,000 words from the final manuscript, but that is still 246,000 words. If I were to format this into a 5.5x8.25 inch paperback (standard light novel format used by Yen Press), it would be 985 pages long.
WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior: Volume 2 Page 18