Kael awoke beneath the familiar, unadorned ceiling of his modest room at Beth's clinic, his disorientation slowly giving way to the memories of the preceding events. He considered that he should probably stop finding himself in this state after blacking out on the battlefield.

The voices of Beth and Zan drifted in from the kitchen, and Kael glanced over, noticing that his bedroom door stood ajar. Warm light spilled into the room, casting elongated shadows on the wooden floor.

"I'm so sorry. If I hadn't come here, they wouldn't have found you. I put you in danger for my own selfish desires," Kael heard Zan apologize to Beth, his voice heavy with guilt.

"Oh, hush you baby," she retorted, her tone sharp but not unkind. "They already knew I was here. There's no way they could have deployed such perfect countermeasures for me so quickly. You hadn't even been here a full day yet. We may be near the border of the Holy Empire, but it's still too fast."

Kael focused his mana sense on the kitchen, attempting to glean a better understanding of the situation. He sensed Beth shaking her head before she continued.

"Besides, they wouldn't attack me if they knew you were nearby. What's the point of sending assassins specialized against mages when there's a group of well-trained warriors nearby? No, your being here saved me, if anything."

"I see," Zan muttered solemnly. "Well, in that case, it's too dangerous for you here. You should come back with me to the capital. This would both ensure your safety and allow us to better prepare for future threats."

Beth sighed, her shoulders slumping in resignation. "You're right. I really don't want to go back there, but it seems there's no choice. The boy will have to say his farewells to his family, who are in Littlebrook a bit south of here. I don't have anything here aside from the library that I care about. So we can depart once he decides to quit pretending to be asleep."

Kael's face flushed with embarrassment as he heard Zan chuckle at Beth's remark. He got out of bed and joined them, his stomach growling as he realized how famished he was. Beth must have healed him after he lost consciousness. He always wondered why healing made one hungry. It was fascinating to consider from the mage's perspective, where healing required the body to use its own resources to repair itself, albeit at a more rapid pace.

Stepping into the cozy kitchen, Kael immediately sought out some food to satiate his hunger. As he rummaged through the available options, he decided to voice the questions that had formed while he listened to the two converse.

"What happened to the remaining assassins?"

"We managed to capture two and kill the rest. They naturally had a way to commit suicide, so we weren't able to get any information out of them if that's what you're asking," Zan responded gruffly.

"What about the artifact?" Kael asked, hastily stuffing his face with food.

"Well," Zan mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "If no one objects, I propose we hand the artifact over to the royal family. It serves as evidence of the Holy Empire's attack, and no one here truly needs it. I could potentially benefit from it the most, but I generally fight on battlefields where allied mages need to wield their own magic."

Kael found Zan's reasoning sound. As a newly minted mage, Kael himself couldn't make much use of the artifact. While it might be intriguing to study, he lacked the time for such passion projects. Nonetheless, he felt a pang of regret at not being able to keep it—there was something alluring about being able to keep such an artifact, which could be deemed a national treasure.

As Kael ate, Beth hobbled over to the library. Upon reaching it, she lifted her hand, and the crimson gem adorning the ring on her middle finger began to glow. Kael noticed mana humming within the gem—a sensation he had never felt from it before. Then, he experienced something difficult to describe.

It felt as though space within the library twisted and folded upon itself. Moments later, the library seemed to vanish, the spatial distortion dissipating with it. Beth turned to Kael and began to explain before he could bombard her with questions.

"I already know you're going to ask. The ring functions as both a catalyst and a kind of gateway. No, the library isn't contained within the ring. The ring merely guides the library to a specific destination. There's a particular location the ring is attuned to, and that's the only place I can send items with this ring."

"Can you teleport yourself that way?" Kael inquired.

Stolen novel; please report.

Beth shook her head. "I wouldn't want to. While similar magic has been tested on living beings and is generally safe, there are risks. Firstly, there's a chance of mutations occurring. If a single cell doesn't transport properly, it can develop into a difficult-to-detect and hard-to-treat disease. Secondly, there are debates regarding whether a person transported in this manner remains the same individual afterward. Moreover, I wouldn't be able to take the ring with me. You can't move a gate through itself—doing so would cause space to collapse around it, which is an unpleasant outcome for everyone nearby. So, if I did transport myself, I'd have to leave the ring behind, allowing anyone pursuing me to teleport to my location anyway. Are you satisfied now?"

Kael contemplated her explanation before nodding his head. He finished his meal shortly thereafter, and Zan spoke up.

"Well, if everything is ready, let's head to Littlebrook."

The others concurred, and they proceeded to the inn to gather Zan's men. They then located the owner of a reasonably comfortable wagon and compensated him generously for it. After all, they couldn't expect Beth to endure a journey on horseback.

With Kael and Beth comfortably settled in the wagon, they embarked on their journey to the quaint town of Littlebrook. Zan and his men rode alongside them, flanking the wagon in a protective formation, while one of his men sat at the coachman's seat to guide the horses.

As they traveled, Kael mulled over their current predicament and his own aspirations. He had accomplished a remarkable feat in the past six months since his regression: finding a magic teacher and securing the aid of the most formidable warrior in the empire. This progress already exceeded his expectations. Although he still needed to enlist future talents for his cause, Beth assured him she had a plan for that. It seemed all Kael had to do was focus on growing stronger—a goal he embraced wholeheartedly, given that his previous life revolved around training and warfare. However, he couldn't shake the unease he felt at being drawn into someone else's strategy without full understanding or control.

"Beth," he began, "what exactly is our plan here?" he asked.

"Weren't you listening? We're going to the capital," she replied, exasperated. Her fatigue was evident, which Kael found unsurprising given the previous night's excitement.

"I know that. But, then what? I'm sure Zan can arrange a place for us to stay. What do we do once we're there?"

"Ah. First, Zan and I will persuade the royal family of the looming threat from the Holy Empire. It should be relatively simple, given the evidence we possess—though our word alone would likely suffice. Then we must initiate preparations: training elite troops, managing intelligence, preparing food for the war... Well, there's a lot to do. We'll probably need to collaborate with the noble faction as well, ensuring we have their support."

"The noble faction?" Kael interjected.

"Yes, aristocrats seldom cooperate harmoniously. There are two primary factions in our kingdom: the royal faction, supporting the royal family, and the noble faction, preferring to act more independently. Normally, this isn't detrimental as they keep each other in check. However, when preparing for war, we require minimal resistance."

Kael nodded in understanding. It was true that many nations he had fought alongside had crumbled because certain noble factions betrayed their own country, lured by the Holy Empire's promises of life and wealth. He didn't know what ultimately befell those nobles, but he liked to imagine they were betrayed by the Holy Empire.

"And what about me? It seems like you and Zan will be preoccupied. What am I supposed to do the whole time?" Kael inquired.

Beth exhaled a weary sigh and pressed her hand to her forehead in vexation. "That's precisely what concerns me. I'm unsure whether to disclose your existence. Doing so could garner significant support for your development and fame, potentially aiding your quest to recruit talented individuals. However, it might also complicate matters for some people and expose you to greater danger. Jealous nobles could seek to hinder or eliminate you entirely. I must weigh the options cautiously. This is why I left the capital—I detest these political machinations. All I want is to read in peace, damn it."

As her tirade concluded, she cast a reproachful glare at Kael, as though he were the root of all her troubles. Despite her apparent vexation, Kael knew she was mostly jesting. Undoubtedly, their situation frustrated her, but without Kael's intervention, Beth likely would have perished the previous night.

Beth was an extraordinarily powerful mage, yet Kael had never heard of her in his former life. Since the assassins had attacked before he had made any significant changes, he assumed they did so in his past life as well. Had Kael not divulged his past life to Beth, she wouldn't have written to Zan, and Zan wouldn't have sought her out. Without his assistance, she would have faced the assassins alone—and without her magic, survival would have been impossible.

Kael had more questions but opted to let Beth ponder her thoughts, as her plate seemed full enough. He couldn't help but wonder why revealing him would make him famous. True, his exceptional skills would attract envy, but building a reputation and achieving fame took time. Beth spoke as if he would become the kingdom's new sensation the moment she divulged his existence.

Kael's musings were interrupted when Zan announced their arrival. He hopped out of the wagon while Zan helped Beth disembark. As it was midday, Kael surmised his father and brother were working in the fields, with his mother and sister Elara in the kitchen.

"You know, they won't let me leave without speaking to you two first," Kael remarked, glancing back at Beth and Zan.

Beth chuckled. "Oh, the mighty magic warrior needs assistance convincing his parents to let him embark on a field trip?" she teased.

"You've met my father." Kael retorted. That was all he needed to say.

Leading the way towards the house, Beth and Zan trailed behind him. Oddly, Kael felt more apprehensive about the impending conversation than he had before any battle.