Sword Saint's Reincarnation

Book 3 Chapter 37: Border Town

On top of his carriage, Rylan looked into the horizon. A small town was coming into view, rustic and tidy. He furrowed his brow.

It’s the town closest to the border.

From now on, he needed to pay even more attention. The sunset’s orange light dyed the town in its color, as well as the surrounding cliffs and mountains. Beyond the town itself, the rugged terrain continued on, but it gradually got flatter.

It’s a wonder that the town even exists.

Isolated as it was and close to the border, it likely only sustained itself by interacting with the nearby allied kingdom and by employing self-sufficient industries. Ceotha’s last bastion before the end of its territory. Rylan let out a sigh.

Gradually, the carriages continued to approach the town and the border. Next to Rylan, Philip also stared at the town.

“Are you sure you don’t need to sleep a bit or eat? For now, I think we’re safe. How long has it been since you last slept?” the man suddenly said, making Rylan look at him.

Rylan shook his head slowly.

“I’m fine,” he replied. “Don’t worry about me.”

Philip looked back at him, furrowing his brow.

“I mean it. We can’t have you getting too tired and unable to react quickly enough. Or is it one of Mana Cultivation’s abilities? Can you go longer without rest?”

Rylan grinned at him.

“Yeah, something like that.”

Philip sighed in relief, then smiled.

“I see. Damn, that’s cool. I think Her Majesty will really enjoy meeting you. For the first time in a while, I feel like she’ll want to learn from someone else.”

Rylan smiled.

Catherina, huh?

He didn’t deny that he also had some expectations about their meeting.

“I’ll be happy to help her. But for now, let’s focus on what we should be doing. Things will only get more dangerous from here.”

Rylan looked to the side, at the other carriage. Cecilia and Krysta were sitting on top of it. After noticing his gaze, they looked at him. Cecilia waved at him with a grin, making him wave back at her. He looked at them carefully.

They’re more relaxed.

At the same time, he could tell their focus hadn’t wavered. They were just as attentive as ever. Only, the high-strung feelings from the start of their journey had been tempered.

Perfect.

It was the best mindset to react to any unexpected developments. Being anxious was a hindrance, not a boon. He smiled at them.

“Everything’s fine over here!” Krysta shouted as she waved, her voice almost drowned out by the rushing winds. “But we’re getting close to the border!”

Philip leaned forward.

“We know!” he shouted back, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Take care!”

Simultaneously, Rylan looked through the window of the two women’s carriage, right at Sarah and her siblings. Andy and Laura were sleeping, each of their heads on one of Sarah’s thighs. Sarah herself and Elliot were looking through the window. Melvin sat in the opposite seat, also looking through the window. As if she could sense his gaze, she abruptly turned to the side to look right at him through the magical glass, then smiled. Rylan smiled back.

Her perception is getting sharper.

As he thought, her talent truly lay in Mana Cultivation and possibly Aura.

They looked at each other for a few seconds before Rylan looked away. With his head leaning against one hand, he used his senses to evaluate his family’s condition in his own carriage. Everything seemed fine.

Then, he looked back into the horizon, at the same town. It was getting closer. In this lull, he thought to himself.

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The Empire might attack us once we’re outside of Ceotha, but… why hasn’t it happened yet?

Truthfully, there was no reason for the Empire to wait for them to leave Ceotha before plotting another attack. Three Sixth Circle Mages had been enough to almost kill Damian and everyone else, if it hadn’t been for him. If they sent a Seventh Circle Mage, they would be able to level the entirety of Ceotha with little trouble, as well as defeat Rylan. There was nothing to be afraid of – if the Empire wanted to, they could destroy Ceotha by entering through the front door. No other kingdom, not even Mar, would have been able to stop them.

So, why had they stayed silent for months?

Rylan furrowed his brow. It was strange, to say the least. Were they preparing? No, it didn’t make sense. For a nation with Ninth Circle Mages, there would have been little trouble sending a soldier in the Seventh Circle. Coming up with an attack plan also wouldn’t have been difficult, given that the three Mages that Rylan had killed had managed to easily infiltrate Damian’s Mage Tower.

What are they afraid of?

Were they simply unwilling to attack him again? Did the Emperor acknowledge his talent?

Does he want to recruit me into the Empire?

If so, then the man likely already knew that it was unlikely, as the Empire had tried to kill him and had threatened everything he cared about. Were they still willing to try? For what purpose? Was Lucius simply greedy for his talent?

…No, I don’t think he’s such a simple man.

While it was certainly possible, Rylan was unwilling to believe that Lucius had ascended to the position of Emperor while being like that.

I’m missing part of the puzzle, but what is it?

He organized his knowledge in his mind, based on what Jonathan had told him. Lucius was trying to unify the continent through warmongering and turn his sights to the lands beyond it. When it came to that, Rylan was certainly a hindrance, as someone who’d already resisted the Gaidar Empire and was heading to Mar to forge an alliance with Catherina. But Lucius hadn’t done anything about it.

Is keeping me alive even more important than the possibility of me becoming an enemy?

Rylan frowned. He was missing too much information, but at the very least, he could assume that Lucius didn’t want to kill him yet. That, in turn, did not mean that this journey would be completely safe. It was entirely possible that there were people in the Empire who disagreed with Lucius and would try to ambush him and the others during their trip, defying the man’s possible orders.

Rylan sighed and stood up. Regardless, he only needed to protect everyone, as always. No matter what, he wouldn’t let even a single hair on his family be harmed.

Even if it means fighting to the death.

His expression hardened as the carriages continued their flight. Minute after minute, they got closer and closer to the town at the edge of Ceotha’s territory. By the end of the first hour, they finally arrived.

Rylan watched the town’s ground approach as the carriages lowered their altitude. After a while, the magical vehicles solidly landed right in front of the town’s main gate. Rylan promptly jumped off, joined by Philip. A moment later, the carriage’s door opened, and his family walked out, while Sarah and her siblings did the same. After everyone had left the vehicles, Krysta and Cecilia waved their hands, making the carriages vanish into their Spatial Rings.

Rylan looked at the gate’s surroundings. As expected, the guards were staring at them with wide eyes. In fact, they were staring straight at him. He took a step forward and breathed in, ready to explain who he was and what he was doing there. A moment before he could do so, the guards abruptly bowed.

“Welcome!” a few of them yelled at the same time.

Rylan blinked before one of the guards ran toward him. Once he was close enough, the man bowed.

“Rylan Flameheart! It’s an honor to have you here!” the man said, still bowing.

Once he raised his body, the man scanned Rylan’s companions, but said nothing. He turned to the side and pointed at the gate.

“It would be our pleasure to have you in our town,” the man continued with a smile.

Rylan slowly nodded.

I didn’t think even these people would know what I look like.

Dragging himself out of his thoughts, he grinned at the guard.

“Don’t worry, we won’t be here long. Maybe a night or two. Are there any Dungeons near the town, by the way?”

The man hurriedly nodded.

“Yes, sir. There’s only one, but it’s at the level of the Fifth Circle. We can’t raid it ourselves, but we have helpers.”

Rylan raised an eyebrow as he walked.

I guess there must be something valuable in this town, since people from the outside come to help. Or is it only a matter of good relationships?

Either way, it didn’t matter. There was a Fifth Circle Dungeon nearby. He looked over his shoulder at his group, who were following him.

“What do you guys think?” he asked. “It should be on the same level as the Veria Woodlands.”

Sarah frowned.

“I don’t know. It might be too dangerous,” she replied, her voice filled with concern. Naturally, Rylan knew she was talking about her siblings.

“Rylan will be there, as well as Cecilia, Philip, Krysta, and Melvin. I think we’ll be fine. We need fighting experience,” Aelfric replied.

Rylan nodded.

“I understand how you feel, Sarah,” he said. “But I think it’s necessary. It’s been too long since you have fought properly, and that goes for almost everyone. I promise I won’t let anyone get hurt.”

It was the conclusion he’d reached after thinking about it over the past two days. For their own sakes, he needed everyone to Level up and become stronger, maybe even learn new Skills. He would help Elliot finish off a few monsters and develop that way, as well. The stronger everyone else was, the more relaxed he would feel about not staying with them all the time, which was inevitable.

Gerard nodded at him with a grave expression.

“I agree. We need to do this,” he said.

Elliot gulped nervously, while Andy and Laura looked from one person to the other, clearly a bit confused. Sarah kept her frown and gripped her little siblings’ hands a bit tighter as Elliot gulped. She looked into Rylan’s eyes.

“Promise me,” she said.

He easily nodded.

“I swear,” he replied.

She smiled and nodded, while he smiled back, then turned to face forward again.

With steady steps, the group entered the town, led by the guards.