"How...wait, how?"
Those were the first words muttered by Rikuo after he woke up. The reasoning was quite simple. For one thing, there were two unconscious bandits right in front of him. They had somehow been knocked out and tied up in such a spectacular way that surprised Rikuo. They were also half naked for some reason.
The second was that he was wearing much better clothing then when he fell asleep, and the Dragon Familiar he summoned was also now wearing clothes that looked rather well. It was still basic T shirt and shorts, but without a doubt the materials and toughness were better. And all the holes that once existed in his worn out clothes, including where he got stabbed, were gone.
"Ah, I just took clothes from those bandits that tried to hurt us last night, and reformed them into better clothing for us. I figured it might be distracting if I walked in naked and you walked in with clothes that barely were holding on".
"No no no, wait, you can do that? Also, how are you still summoned".
"Listen, okay. Unlike Familiars made entirely out of magic, I am a physical being. Your Summon Familiar skill is special. It doesn't conjure a temporary Familiar, it summons an already created Familiar to you. Well, I dont have any memories from before you summoned me aside from technical stuff like that, aside from some early memories in a Dragon Village, so I suppose there might be something up with that".
"...I see..."
"Anyways, we should probably register as adventurers. We have no money aside from the small change Arila has".
"Well excuse me for not having much! I...well, im not quite lucky".
"Huh...well, anyways. I should probably try to learn more about magic also. It seems to be my strong points".
"Yeah, Master should do that. You have barely used your full power yet, and if you can grow your magical powers more, my power as your familiar will also get stronger".
"Eh? Is that so?"
"Yeah...also, given how much I see you squint, we need to get you glasses also".
"Ah...yeah, I kind of dont have great vision. Well, I can make out basic things easy enough".
"He hit those two vampires pretty well didn't he?"
Arila pointed that out, but the dragon familiar just shook his head.
"His magic skills are great enough that he should have been able to hit vital points on two stationary targets at close range. They were less then five feet away, but it was only because he hit them in the torso with large spikes of ice that he killed them, one of them though was already wounded by you and without that wound would have survived".
"By the way...I get you are my familiar, but do I need to name you, or do you have one already?"
"I have one. My name is Sora".
Finally learning the Dragon's name, there were other questions Rikuo had.
"So, what do you mean my full powers Sora?"
"There is basic, fast casting magic, which you have used so far. Things like Ice Spike and Friction Control. However, for more advanced and complex magic, you need a chant. The longer the chant, the more powerful the magic becomes. You should be able to use some at your levels...oh, for the record, as your Familiar, I can see your status, and you can see my status, whenever we want to. I can even see the hidden things that normal people cant".
Saying that, Rikuo paused for a moment.
"Hold it, seriously? So then...you saw that?"
"Eh, wait what? What secret thing? Come on, tell me!"
"She should know, it would make things a lot easier".
"Hold on, isn't that my decision! Especially as the master?!"
"Listen, we cant tell normal people for sure, but if she is going to be your party member, rather then go through the pointless excercise of trying to hide it from her forever, why not just out and say that you are a Reincarnator and an Otherworlder and get it over with?"
"Eh? Really?! Thats so cool! Oh, wait, that means you died...actually you died a lot. Sorry to hear about that".
"Sora! That should have been my decision!"
"Its easier this way" Sora mentioned, shrugging.
Thus, through the most random and "lets get it over with" way of all, Alira learned that Rikuo was a reincarnator.
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"Good morning, Young Master Raevin" a maid said as Raevin woke up, as if they knew exactly when he would.
"Good morning. What is the status of the prisoner?"
"After interrogating her yourself, she was taken to the dungeon...where your father then went and interrogated her further" she said, although her tone suggested he might have just gone there to vent some stress. After all, he was quite protective of Raevin when he could, but he also tried to keep up his standing and respectfulness as a noble.
In truth, both the maids in front of him were capable of combat and could take out men twice their size easily.
He then saw a set of clothes had been prepared for him already.
Well, I already know they were hired by someone who hid their identities. But, given the money and timing, I wonder if it was due to my crime solving activities, or because of my fathers recent increase in territory and influence? Well no matter, the fact they hired such a talent, and asked for an immediate assassination rather then waiting for the right moment, means its time sensitive. That suggests the later. But they went after me...wait, if I recall correctly, tensions have been rising between our nations, the Farha Kingdom, and a Kingdom to the south, Pylros Kingdom. But killing me wouldn't decrease our military efforts...did they plan to try and frame the Pylros Kingdom, to make my father who prefers peace more inclined for violence?
He had thought about this yesterday, but he had yet to reach a conclusion. More evidence was needed. As he stood up and started to get himself dressed, he had to wonder what was going on.
Still, I should be concerned about the possibility they might still aim for my life. I should probably be prepared for the worst.
"I think it might be a good time to buy some potions. Come, lets go to the Noble Apothacary. I want to see their stock for myself".
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
"Are you sure that is..."
"Yes. Because now that I am aware of them, their chances of taking my life have diminished greatly. And I need to see what potions and ingredients are available".
"Understood, Young Master. We will prepare a carriage immediately".
He had no intention of losing out to such attackers, and to ensure he would defeat them, he would make sure everything he needed was prepared.
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As they approached the city, the roads began to get far more nice, with some clear effort to put in stone and make them cobblestone paved roads. The closer they got to the city, the nicer the coblestone became, until the gate and the guards were perfectly visible. Well, at least to the other two. Now that he thought about it though, wasn't his vision a bit better underwater and in the dark?
Perhaps being in sunlight was weakening his vision as well.
"I think I need a cloak or such, something to help me deal with the sunlight".
While discussing such a thing, they finally started to get closer to the main gate. The guards were large and imposing, and both were male. The moment they saw the group, they were immediately suspicious. After all, it was a girl and two small boys who could not be said to be thirteen even. Well, in truth one was a Dragon Familiar who was conserving his mana, and the other was turned into vampire a few years ago and his aging stopped, so neither of those details could really be helped.
Arila seemed to notice this, and showed her adventurer ID.
"I found these two defending themselves against some idiot bandits on the road, we managed to capture two of them" she said, pointing back to the two they had tied up behind them that had been dragged along.
The two guards were shocked for a moment, as for some reason they had not noticed the bandits they were dragging. Although that made them more suspicious now.
Well, in the end, they were probably charmed by master's vampire charisma.
Sora thought such a thing while the two guards examined the ID.
"It appears genuine...but, is that young boy really dragging them both behind him?"
"Ah, these two also plan to register as adventurers, but hadn't had the time yet. You mind if you let us in now? Oh, and could you write a note for us about the bandits we captured so we can get rewarded at the guild?"
"Ah, certainly. Welcome to Tyrla" he said. He was still suspicious, but he judged those three had nothing to do with the recent incidents last night at the very least. They were told to be more particular about people entering and leaving the city, but everything checked out and none of them matched the descriptions of the criminal or other well known criminals in the area.
Althoguh, he did wonder why the bandits were half naked.
Either way, the three made it in and recieved the note successfully. They had now advanced into the bustling streets of Tyrla, which was already full of activity. There were quite a few guards going around, asking questions and such, as well as traders that seemed to be heading out for the day with carriages and what not. Other people doing errands, and small children darting between them in a state of play and energeticness. The streets were nicely maintained as well, and it seemed relatively clean...far cleaner then one could normally expect.
"The roads are much nicer then I thought they would be..." Rikuo muttered.
"Ah right, you are a Reincarnator so you wouldn't quite be used to our world...were roads worse in your world?"
"No, by our time period, technology had developed to a point where most roads were very nice. However, the technology level and culture here is several hundred years behind...although you do have magic. Is it possible there is a magic cleaning the roads?"
"Bingo! There are actually two magic tools with a passive cleaning effect for the roads. It isn't immediate, but rather it happens over time, so you should still be careful not to step in any horse poop. But yeah, the roads are naturally being purified".
Since Rikuo had been locked up and a slave for quite some time, he was missing a lot of common sense others would have.
Something that Sora blatently told Arila about as they walked, and got Rikuo angry.
"Could you stop saying stuff like that?"
"Relax, relax. I wont tell random strangers or such. But you two are going to be working together, so might as well be honest so you learn things properly".
"Right...anyways, where are these magic tools located?"
"One would be in the Lord's residence. Since the condition of his city can reflect on the ability of a lord, having a prosperous, clean, and well functioning city is seen as a merit. Well, the amount of money they pay to the kingdom is also like that though, so sadly such a concept does not stop all the corrupt nobles from doing stupid things".
"I see...and the other?"
"The Church of the Divine Shard".
"The Divine Shard?"
"Yes. They follow a doctrine known as The Shard Legacy. Basically, it states that the Gods helped form this world and life on it by impacting a large divine shard into the world, which then shattered and spread its fragments across the world. These fragments then allowed the Gods to exert their divine power upon the world, and influence it. One of the most famous of them all is Ciel, the god of Reincarnation and Status, who helped give the people of the world the power to fight against the monsters and demons created by an Outsider God that invaded the world one day. Its said that by worshiping the Shard, and through them the Gods, that their powers will increase and let them help the people more, and one day through this the threats against the world, including those among The Great Thirteen, will cease to exist and we will enter a golden age of prosperity".
"I see...The Great Thirteen?"
"Its the nickname of the Thirteen Demon Lords that exist around the world. They are a whimsical bunch, and therefore are considered very dangerous. Some consider it dangerous to even talk about them, less they somehow hear and decide to mess with you for doing so".
"I see..." Rikuo said, when he accidentally bumped into someone and was knocked to the ground. He already was not physically strong, and it seemed the sun was not helping the case. If anything, Rikuo was weak physically.
Sora looked around as he helped him up, and spotted something.
"Before we go to the guild though, it seems I spotted another store we could stop by" Sora mentioned, pointing to a glassmaker's shop.
"Ah, yeah. Lets get glasses for Rikuo".
And so, the three made a slight pit stop.
As they stepped inside the shop though, they came across a sight that enticed the eyes as a rainbow of colors seemed to flow through the shop. For a second time now in such a short span, Rikuo came to notice the vibrant colors this world seemed to possess, and the beauty it had. Light was pouring in through the windows, and was reflecting and refracting through the various glass objects that were on display or used as decoration. As if it had been set up so meticulously, the beams of light changed color and shade, and formed rainbow beams that permeated throughout the room, organized in such a way to draw out the beauty of each other and the glass objects they went through.
"...amazing..."
"...beautiful..."
"...fantastic..."
They all could not help but mutter those words.
"Haha, I am glad you like it" a young man of about twenty to twenty five years old said, coming to the counter. "I figured this is a great way to show potential customers my skills, although you are younger then my typical...customers".
As he said that, he looked at the three of them, and then came around the counter and knelt down, looking right at Rikuo as he held Rikuo's head with one hand and opened his eyes with another.
"I see now, you need glasses, and a special kind. It looks like someone enjoyed making you suffer though...this is not a natural occurance. Still, I have something that might be able to help. What is your budget?"
"I can pay up to ten silver coins right now, maybe a bit more depending on the nature of the product" Arila mentioned. It sounded like she had done business before.
"That is plenty. Hold right here, I have something that should help" he said, heading back behind the counter. Rikuo was a bit stunned though, he had noticed in that instant? Sure, Rikuo had to squint a lot, but to think he was capable of noticing instantly like that?
This guy was clearly quite skilled, far more then expected.
After about a minute, he came back out with a rather nice set of glasses. He gave them to Rikuo to try on.
The moment he did, the hardship that he had faced before all went away. Not just that, but the headache that he was getting was gone too. No, more then that, he could sense magical essence from these glasses.
"That will be eleven silver, but trust me, its worth it".
"Mister...are these glasses enchanted in some way?"
"Indeed. They are designed to assist with overall sight improvement while worn without it, but they also have a slight healing effect. They are also more compatible with magic and skills that involve the eyes to help improve those as well. It also absorbs a bit of sunlight as energy to keep themselves charged, and should reduce the burden a small bit of being in sunlight. That should help you quite a bit as a vampire".
"Huh...wait, you knew?!"
"I could tell you were a recently formed vampire. It was obvious to me you admire the light, but are also sickened to it. You are not yet used to the feeling though clearly. Well, there were other hints as well, such as when you smiled, I saw your vampire fangs, so that was also a giveaway".
"Ah..." Rikuo said, feeling a bit embarrassed, while Arila paid the amount.
"You definently warrented the extra silver coin of going over budget".
"Thank you. I hope you have a good day" he said, watching the three thank him again as they left. Seeing that, he smiled a bit. "What an interesting group of kids. And the divine energy radiating off of that one boy...it seems the gods are making a new move".
And just like that, the man mused about the future.