Sword Saint's Reincarnation

Book 3 Chapter 35: Start of the Journey

The wind ruffled Rylan’s hair as the carriages continued to fly. He stared into the horizon. At the same time, all of his senses, sharpened to their limits, paid full attention to his surroundings. He looked down at the rapidly changing scenery.

I’ve never really left Ceotha, now that I think about it.

He’d left the capital city’s domain to raid Frozen Sanctum, Arid Wasteland, and Golem Haven, but that had been it. Apart from Cantavega and Caer Rhelon, he hadn’t explored the world, as he had been caught up in his duties. Rylan blinked and paid more attention to the shifting sights.

Below, he could see large roads surrounded by houses and taverns. Even outside of the capital city’s limits, people had built their homes around it, creating a large stretch of a town that resembled Cantavega. It was different from Caer Rhelon’s imposing buildings, but it felt homely. People walked on the roads, with a few peddlers offering their wares. He managed to see several markets of varying size and quite a few taverns. Rylan grinned.

At least, everyone seems to be doing fine.

Despite the carriage’s speed, his improved eyesight could grasp the people’s expressions. Most were joyful, though some looked tired. Ordinary expressions of ordinary people, going about their day. Rylan raised his head as the carriages quickly left the town behind. The houses that surrounded the roads were replaced by a large forest.

It’ll take some time before we reach the border, but the carriages are moving pretty quickly.

He nodded to himself. They were moving fast enough. Still, reaching the border would only be the beginning. Because Ceotha was such an isolated kingdom, it would take some time before they reached an allied kingdom’s territory.

And that’s where the danger lies.

Rylan’s expression hardened. If the Empire were going to attack, they would do it then. The duty of protecting everyone fell to him. He tightened his grip around Silver Twilight’s hilt, then looked at the sword. It had been Yue’s gift to him in this life, and probably the only one he would get before he reunited with her. It was a good weapon, but it lacked her. Thoughts of her flashed through his mind. Her silver hair and unnaturally perfect appearance, which she had handcrafted just for him. He had been the only reason why she had decided to take on a human form, even if only as a spirit.

Rylan quickly shook his head, drowning out those thoughts. For now, he needed to stay focused on protecting everyone. There would be time to think about Yue once they were all safe within Mar. He looked around. The terrain below was starting to change, creating tree-covered hills. The roads had gotten narrower, but they still existed.

Time slowly passed. The scenery changed as the hills became more pronounced. The trees changed accordingly, being replaced by kinds that were better adapted to the rugged terrain, taller and thinner. Even the ground got a bit darker. Rylan kept his full attention on the surroundings, but nothing happened. He only came across a few different kinds of birds that flew by the carriages.

The first three hours were uneventful. Despite that, Rylan didn’t start drawing in mana through his Mana Core or training in any way, keeping his full attention on the world around him. The next two hours went by similarly.

By the end of the sixth hour, Rylan looked up at the sky, analyzing the sun’s position.

It’s already the afternoon.

He looked to the side to watch Krysta climb down and enter Sarah’s carriage. Through the window, he could see her summoning food out of her Spatial Ring. Nodding to himself, Rylan looked ahead at Philip, who was already beginning to move.

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“I’ll give them some food,” Philip said as he looked back at Rylan with a serious expression. Once Rylan nodded, he climbed down and entered the carriage, leaving Rylan alone on top of it.

Rylan raised his head to look at the horizon with a grin. In the distance, he could see another town, much smaller than the one near Caer Rhelon.

Fortare.

It was a town three hundred kilometers away from Caer Rhelon. The carriages had progressed about as fast as he’d expected, given the rate at which the scenery had passed by. It was nothing compared to his own speed when using Snowstorm while channeling both Aura and mana, but it was good enough for vehicles like this, which could avoid any of the troubles of the road.

Rylan nodded to himself. Once everyone finished their meals, Krysta and Philip climbed back to the top of their respective carriages. Philip sat next to Rylan and looked at him.

“Can I ask you something?” the man said, making Rylan glance at him.

“Ask away,” Rylan replied.

Philip nodded and hesitated for a second.

“I’m sorry if my question is too invasive, but how did you come up with Mana Cultivation on your own? Her Majesty has made great advancements with it while trying to piece together what she could, but I don’t think even she could have done what you did if she were still in the Fourth Circle. How did you do it?”

Rylan raised an eyebrow.

So, Catherina is also progressing on her own.

He grinned. It seemed like their information exchange would be even more fruitful than he thought. Dragging himself out of his thoughts, he looked at Philip and shrugged.

“I was in the First Circle. I think that made me have a fresh perspective on mana and how it worked. I didn’t really have anything to lose, so I just kept testing my theories out until I figured out a way to strengthen my body using mana. I didn’t get the Mana Cultivation Skill right away. It was trial and error.”

Philip nodded severely. Rylan knew that his history was likely common knowledge at this point, especially to people like Mar’s delegation, so there was no point in trying to lie. He only needed to lead them on with half-truths.

“I think what you did is amazing,” Philip said while keeping his seriousness. Rylan could see the sincere admiration in the man’s eyes. “Not only did you overcome your past, but you also surpassed anyone on the continent in something you shouldn’t even have been aware of. You might not be the strongest yet, but you might just be the one with the most potential on this continent. You also stuck to your family and tried to make up for your mistakes. I admire you, Rylan.”

Rylan smiled at him and nodded, then rubbed his chin in thought.

“Thank you, Philip. Still… on this continent, huh?”

Philip blinked, then nodded with a bitter smile.

“We know too little about what exists beyond it. I don’t know, there might be someone just as monstrous as you out there, on some island or something.”

Rylan chuckled at the thought, but he couldn’t help but feel anticipation bubbling in his chest. Philip was right; it was entirely possible that there was someone who surpassed his expectations in every way. He had no idea just how wide the world was, after all.

And the only ones who know belong to the Empire.

He narrowed his eyes, then relaxed his expression. There was no point in thinking about all of it now. He should focus on what he could do.

“If there is someone like that, I would like to meet them. Until then, I’ll just try my best to keep growing.”

Philip smiled at him and nodded.

“That’s clearly enough. The Kingdom of Mar will protect you and your loved ones for as long as we can, so just keep getting stronger. We’ll handle everything else. You can rely on us.”

Rylan grinned. Of course, he wouldn’t trust the man’s words at face value, but judging from Philip’s heartbeat and expression, he truly believed in what he said. Adding that to what he’d heard about Catherina, he felt compelled to trust Mar. After nodding at Philip, Rylan looked ahead once more.

He stayed silent for a while, throwing constant glances at the other carriage and the Mages on it. Cecilia and Krysta were discussing something in hushed tones, their expressions serious. Melvin had stood up and had started scanning their surroundings for the umpteenth time.

I’m glad their focus isn’t wavering.

The three Mages were constantly alternating who fed mana into the carriage to prevent one of them from getting too tired. On the other hand, since Philip was the only one on Rylan’s carriage, he had been the one responsible for it until now. Still, one of the other three would swap places with him soon, after having the carriages slow down a bit.

Rylan looked through the other carriage’s window. Sarah was playing with her siblings, giggling as Andy and Laura leaped around. Elliot was more contained, but he was still smiling at his siblings. Thankfully, they seemed to be handling the trip well. Finally, he looked ahead again.

There was still a long road ahead of them. Once they left Ceotha’s territory, they would need to reach another allied kingdom as soon as possible.