Sword Saint's Reincarnation
Book 2 Chapter 24: Shock

Alice looked at the two approaching men with a shaking gaze. A thousand questions ran through her mind, and she knew the answers to none of them. Why had the Dungeon locked them in the moment they entered? What the hell was up with the mana levels? If the Dungeon’s name meant that the Boss was a Basilisk, what had happened to Rylan and Gerard?

No, I now know the answer to that last one.

Baffled, she looked at Rylan up and down. His various injuries of varying severity were the most obvious part of his appearance, but she didn’t care about them at all. Instead, she looked at the muscles revealed through the torn clothing and armor. Somehow, they had become even more defined, making Rylan look like a sculpture made by a peerless artist. The atmosphere around him had completely changed; even though he was still at the Second Circle, the mana she could perceive from him was on an entirely different scale from the last time she’d seen him.

…How?

It had only been a bit over a day. Her only choice was to assume that Rylan had focused on Leveling up and had invested as many of his Free Points as he could into his magical stats, but that didn’t explain the changes to his body. Beyond that, even if he had acquired a good Class after Class Evolution, just what Level had he reached to have so much mana?

The closer Rylan got, the more dumbfounded Alice became. She quickly threw a glance at Gerard. The man was a bit injured, but far less than Rylan. A possibility sprouted in her mind.

“You,” Alice suddenly said as Rylan got within two meters of her group. He stopped in place and tilted his head. “You acted as the frontline?”

To her right, Hugo shifted. To her left, Rebecca flinched and snapped out of her dazed expression, then looked at Rylan in disbelief.

“Of course,” Rylan replied after a second. “What else was I supposed to do?”

Alice stared at him for a few seconds.

“…Do you have any idea how risky it is for a Mage to get close to an enemy at their Level? There were Spriggans and Wendigos. Even if you enjoy wielding the sword, you need to be aware of—”

“It turned out fine, don’t worry,” Rylan said with a dismissive wave, interrupting her. “Water under the bridge. We killed the Boss and cleared the Dungeon. All in a day’s work.”

Alice continued to stare at his smile. She then gritted her teeth.

“…We’re going to talk about this with the Headmaster. You need to know how a Mage fights, but that’s what my class is for. Right now, let’s just go back.”

Everything she wanted to say and ask could wait until they were out of the Dungeon and back at the Flameheart estate. She threw a glance at the sheathed sword on Rylan’s waist, then at the plain sword he held.

…I don’t think he left the estate with two swords.

Still, that was none of her business. She was just glad that both Rylan and Gerard were relatively alright, despite their injuries and exhaustion. She turned around, making Hugo and Rebecca look at her, still seeming to be a bit out of it. Alice’s gaze zeroed in on the last person belonging to her group. Nathan Astassier was staring at Rylan like a man who had found a pile of treasure. She had to resist the urge to frown.

“Let’s go back, everyone,” she said with a small sigh. “I’m glad we weren’t needed, at least.”

She felt tired, even though she hadn’t even needed to fight. Thinking about how to explain this to the Headmaster gave her a headache. How was she supposed to explain something she didn’t even understand herself? Alice glanced back at Gerard, who was smiling lightly at Rylan.

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He’s more powerful than we thought.

Even if Rylan had acted as the frontline, it stood to reason that Gerard had been the one responsible for dealing damage and actually killing the enemies. Rylan was a dazzling genius in his own right, but it was too soon for him to face a Dungeon of this level, especially with a Basilisk as the Boss.

The Headmaster will want to hear of this.

She smiled at the thought that Damian might try to turn Gerard into a professor at the Royal Magic Academy.

With this in mind, she stepped through the Gate.

***

Rylan followed Alice and the other professors through the Woodlands, still keeping his guard up. With every step, he gauged his body’s state. All things considered, he wasn’t in terrible shape. Even though he’d fought for more than twenty-four hours straight and then against a Basilisk, his continuous Level-ups had made him able to handle the burden. Of course, Roland’s memories had also been critical. He knew exactly how to move in order to put the least strain on his body.

Next to him, Gerard walked closer.

“Tell me if you need anything. Now that the Dungeon is cleared, I’m freer to do what I want. I’ll talk to Rast and go to the capital if I have to,” Gerard said in a low tone.

Rylan nodded with a grin. He didn’t fail to catch the undertone to his father’s words, which had been carefully chosen. Since they were surrounded by other people, Gerard couldn’t really discuss what had happened in the Dungeon in-depth; however, he had made it clear that he would go to Caer Rhelon to support whatever story Rylan decided to tell Damian and whoever else asked.

“Everything will be fine, Father. Don’t worry.”

Gerard let out a small sigh but didn’t move away.

“I’m getting too old for this.”

Rylan laughed. It was only natural for a Mage not to be able to bear the physical burden of fighting and moving around for so long.

“Maybe you are.”

Gerard scoffed, making Rylan keep his smile. Together, they followed the professors, who kept throwing glances at them. Of course, they were attacked by monsters on the way, all from the Basilisk Wilds. However, because of the professors, none of the enemies even had a chance. Even when they attacked in groups, they were only met with a succession of powerful spells.

Over the course of their return, there was only one thing that kept bothering Rylan. He looked at Nathan’s back with a frown.

…What the hell is he planning?

He could feel that Nathan’s attention was focused on him alone, disregarding even Gerard, but the man hadn’t approached him or even said anything at all. Despite the greed Rylan could see in Nathan’s eyes, there was nothing that even resembled an offer to join the Astassier family. Of course, he didn’t believe that Nathan had given up for even a second. The man had kept a suspiciously low profile during this trip, but that could change at any time.

Keeping his guard up, Rylan followed the professors and only relaxed once he and Gerard stepped into the estate. Was it because he had become stronger? The garden looked more beautiful than before he left.

Standing in front of the entrance to the manor were Elizabeth, Sarah, and Aelfric. Sarah put her hand over her chest and breathed out a sigh of relief the moment she locked eyes with Rylan. Aelfric smiled brightly and nodded to himself, but Elizabeth started running toward the group. Gerard sped up, overtaking the professors, who were looking at him with a smile.

Elizabeth and Gerard called out each other’s names at the same time before hugging each other tightly. Rylan couldn’t help but smile widely at the scene. How long had he wished for something like this? Even Roland had longed for this for far too long.

Elizabeth looked at him over Gerard’s shoulder and gently separated from her husband, then rushed toward him. With every step, as she took a good look at him, she became paler.

“Rylan!” she exclaimed, almost yelling. “W-We need to heal you. I’m gonna go call a healer!”

Rylan walked closer to her, keeping his smile, and placed his hand on her head.

“I’m fine, Mom.”

“Fine? You call this fine? I can see at least fifteen different injuries! How did you even—” she caught herself, making her words die in her throat.

Rylan shrugged.

“I just fought. We’ll talk about it later.”

She scanned his whole body with a frown, eyes filled with concern. Rylan moved his gaze to Sarah and Aelfric, who were walking closer, and waved at them. Aelfric proudly waved back, but Sarah only smiled.

“Now,” Alice said once Sarah and Aelfric reached the group. “We need to talk.”

Rylan restrained his urge to sigh. He nodded at her.

“But first, go bathe and get those injuries looked at,” Alice continued. She looked at Gerard and hesitated.

He gave her a dismissive wave.

“No need to think too much about formalities. Yes, I’ll take care of my injuries too.”

Alice nodded with a sigh of relief.

Elizabeth quickly called whatever healers she could find. A while later, after they had taken care of their wounds, Rylan and Gerard entered the manor’s main room.

The discussion began.

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