Sword Saint's Reincarnation

Book 3 Chapter 34: Setting Out

In front of Damian’s Mage Tower, Rylan looked at the blue sky. It was clear, with the warm sunlight shining down on him. He looked down at his own appearance. The black robe wrapped around his dark leather armor, while every strap was perfectly in place. His boots allowed him to step firmly on the ground.

“It’s a good day,” Rylan said as he turned around to look at his family and allies.

At the very forefront were his parents and his siblings, as well as the four Sixth Circle Mages that Mar had sent, all dressed up for the journey. Gerard donned a red robe, while Aelfric and Regis wore clothes similar to Rylan’s own. Elizabeth and Lillia wore green robes. Sarah and her siblings stood beside them. They all looked a bit nervous, with Gerard appearing to be the calmest one, relatively.

“You’re the only one who’s calm about this,” Regis said with a furrowed brow as he adjusted a strap.

Rylan smiled and looked past them. Right behind Elizabeth were Gael and Nathan, and further behind them were Damian, Hayden, Jasmine, Jonathan, and Luna. Elizabeth turned around to stare at Gael for a few seconds.

“…I’m going,” she finally said.

Gael nodded.

“Have a safe trip,” he replied.

Rylan raised an eyebrow at the obviously awkward exchange, but he didn’t stop smiling.

I’m glad she chose to give them a chance.

During the time he was visiting Cantavega with Sarah, Elizabeth had had several conversations with Gael and Nathan. In the end, she had chosen not to antagonize them too much.

It’ll take a long time for their relationship to mend, but it’s probably better this way.

There was no way for Elizabeth to quickly get over everything that had happened because of Gael as she grew up, especially after she decided to pursue a relationship with Gerard. Rylan was only glad that she was trying.

He looked at Aelfric, who was talking to Luna. Tears were dripping down her face as he cupped it with both hands.

“I won’t be gone forever,” he said. “It’s just until we figure something out with the Empire. Jonathan will protect all of you.”

She touched his hands.

“I wish you didn’t have to go,” she replied.

Aelfric stepped closer to her and embraced her. Rylan watched this happen with a grin. From one perspective, it was a sad scene of parting, but part of him was happy for his younger brother. Aelfric had spent too much time without building meaningful connections to anyone else because of him. He deserved to find love, even if it couldn’t happen right now.

Rylan walked closer to Damian, Hayden, and Jasmine.

“I’ll leave everything in your capable hands, Damian. I’m sure Jonathan will be helpful. Put him to work and make him teach the Academy kids a bit,” he said once he was close enough.

Behind Damian, Jonathan smiled, as did Damian himself.

“I’m not exactly happy about this, but I know it’s the best move. Go ahead and grow as much as you can under Catherina’s guidance. Return once you’re much more powerful than you currently are,” Damian replied as he extended his hand.

Rylan smiled at him and shook his hand firmly, then looked at Hayden. The boy was smiling as well.

“By the time you come back, you won’t even recognize me,” Hayden said. “Better keep up with your training, or I’ll catch up to you soon.”

Rylan chuckled and let go of Damian’s hand, then grabbed Hayden’s shoulder.

“I’ll be looking forward to it. When I come back, we’ll fight again. I’ll want to check out how much you’ll have grown personally. Stick to what I taught you about Mana Cultivation and I’m sure you’ll become much greater, much faster,” he said. “You’ll see that it can make up for a Mage’s most critical weaknesses.”

Hayden nodded, keeping his smile.

“Of course. But I won’t stop studying magic. I need to be able to protect this kingdom, too. Especially since you won’t be here.”

“I will, mind you,” Jonathan said from the back. “I’m not that useless yet.”

Hayden turned around to smile at the man. Finally, Rylan looked at Jasmine. His eyes softened as he took in her sad expression. She looked as if her world was crumbling around her. He approached her and, for a few seconds, only looked at her.

I don’t really know what to say.

Should he reassure her he’d be back, as he had before? Or encourage her to keep growing first? Maybe the right answer was to do both? A bit at a loss, he continued to look at her. Slowly, he watched her expression fill with determination. She met his gaze, a strange flame burning within her eyes.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“When you come back, I’ll be worthy of you,” she suddenly said in a low tone. “I’m not much right now, but I will be. I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Rylan smiled at her.

“You do know that I might not be gone for long, right? I’ll come back if the kingdom is in danger,” he replied.

She shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter. I need to become more than this.”

Rylan blinked, but she didn’t look away from him. After a few seconds, she looked at Sarah and furrowed her brow.

“I’ll make you realize that I’m not invisible,” she continued.

Rylan tilted his head at her, a bit confused.

“You never were. You’re worthy of whoever you want.”

He’d never been purposefully unaware of her feelings. He just wasn’t able to reciprocate as things were. That didn’t mean he saw her as invisible or worthless.

She blinked, her face flushing up a bit. Still, she looked into his eyes.

“Have a safe trip.”

He nodded.

“Keep training and developing. I’m certain you can become much stronger, just like Hayden. I believe in you.”

He looked at Jonathan and nodded at the man, who nodded back. There was no need to exchange any words. Rylan knew Jonathan understood the weight of the position he’d decided to take over. He could see it in the man’s eyes.

He turned around to look at Mar’s four Mages, who would accompany him and his loved ones on their trip. The four of them donned heavy expressions, including Cecilia and Krysta, who had seemed so cheerful.

They understand the risks.

It was likely that they would meet imperial Mages on the way to Mar. In fact, it was a wonder that the delegation hadn’t met any on their way to Ceotha. It was also entirely possible that they would be attacked on sight. The four of them needed to protect everyone else apart from Rylan.

It’s a great burden.

Still, it was what they needed to do. Going to Mar’s capital city was the best move. Ceotha had become too small to contain him. He needed Catherina’s guidance to develop faster. His loved ones would also be far safer over there. Ceotha was a kingdom that the Empire could crush at any time.

Rylan walked over to the four of them and waited for everyone else to finish their conversations. Sarah walked over to his side, making him glance at her.

“She’s really in love with you,” she whispered at him as she stared at Jasmine. He couldn’t really tell the emotions in her gaze.

He shrugged, making her narrow her eyes at him. Andy and Laura ran over to her, making her place her hands on their heads and bring them closer. Elliot approached them, staring at Rylan, who tried to grin at the boy.

Side by side, they waited. Finally, after a while, the group was ready to set out. He looked at Mar’s Mages, who nodded at him. Krysta and Cecilia raised their hands, making Rylan focus on their Spatial Rings. The air shimmered before two large, white carriages appeared. Rylan scanned them. They were large enough to fit a few people, but there were no wheels. Engravings ran along the carriages’ bodies.

“They’re moved by mana,” Krysta explained. “We considered something like this would happen, so we placed them in our Spatial Rings. They’re pretty tiring, but we need to get to Mar as quickly as possible.”

Rylan nodded at her.

It’s something we don’t have in Ceotha.

The magic brooms could be used, but they only fit a maximum of two people. Something like these carriages was needed to transport everyone.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fight if needed. Let’s set out,” he replied.

Once the four Mages nodded in agreement, he turned around to face his loved ones and gestured toward the carriages.

“I’ll ride on top of one of them. Sarah will stay with her family, so you guys go on the other one.”

He needed a clear view of the entire surroundings, so that was the best option. Sarah bowed slightly to him.

“Thank you, young master,” she said and started walking toward one of the carriages, holding Andy’s and Laura’s hands, with Elliot following them. Gerard, Elizabeth, and Rylan’s siblings entered the other one. Finally, Rylan hopped on top of the carriage ridden by his family, followed by Philip, while the other three sat on top of Sarah’s one.

He felt the Mages’ mana move almost at the same time. The carriages hummed to life as mana coursed through them, beginning to float. Ethereal energy wrapped around them. Rylan looked down, analyzing the process.

The mana is also making the carriages tougher.

It was an interesting technique and an even more interesting type of vehicle, especially because it seemed to follow Mana Cultivation’s basic principles of strengthening. Had Catherina been the one to come up with it by using what she knew about Mana Cultivation? He grinned.

I wonder what else I can learn from her.

He looked up and gave Damian and the others one last wave before the carriages started moving, rapidly speeding up. After only a few moments, they were coursing through the sky above Caer Rhelon. With the wind ruffling his hair, Rylan thought to himself.

We’ll be going through some allied kingdoms.

As they had discussed previously, Philip, Melvin, and the others couldn’t keep the carriages permanently active, while Rylan couldn’t spend his own mana, just in case a fight broke out or they were attacked. As such, they would need to stop by a few cities to rest. Naturally, those cities would be within allied territory.

Rylan expanded his awareness and sharpened his senses, keeping as much track of the surroundings as he could. His right hand rested on Silver Twilight’s hilt.

I might be able to go into a Dungeon.

The priority was getting to Mar as quickly as possible, and that naturally meant that stopping to raid a Dungeon was counterproductive. However, because they would need to rest in a few cities anyway, Rylan had raised the possibility of going inside Dungeons together, especially because everyone else also needed to Level up.

It’s been too long since I developed my personal strength.

To protect everyone, he needed to get stronger. Teaching everyone Mana Cultivation hadn’t been wasted time, but it also meant he’d neglected his personal development for too long. As such, the group had agreed that doing quick raids would be possible. There was only one problem.

Rylan looked at Sarah’s carriage, through the window at her siblings.

They would be in danger.

Leaving the kids behind while everyone else entered a Dungeon was obviously unacceptable. That meant they would need to enter as well, risking their lives. Rylan believed he would be able to protect them, especially since he was supported by Mar’s Mages, but there was no way to truly know. He sighed.

It just means I’ll need to pay special attention to them.

He had never raided a Dungeon with other people, except for the Veria Woodlands with Gerard. By doing so, the most important thing was making everyone get through it unharmed, not killing as many enemies as he could.

Rylan frowned, but kept his full attention on his surroundings. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. Maybe he could even help Elliot a bit and allow him to finish off wounded enemies.

The carriages continued to fly through the sky. They quickly left Caer Rhelon behind.