Exhausted, Yuira walked while clutching his white Magic Wand, a map hovering magically in front of his face.
Sigh, dammit... The nearest town is still so far... I could actually use Wind Magic to fly, but then I wouldn't be able to gather ingredients.
Completely drained, Yuira collapsed onto the ground. He stared up at the blue sky, watching a cloud shaped like a dragon drifting by. Memories of his first life surfaced; in them, he saw a woman with long, baby-blue hair wearing a classic, traditional maid outfit.
Yuira cracked a small smile. "For some reason, I always remember her whenever I see something shaped like a dragon... Maybe I miss her."
Yuira pulled himself up. He pointed his Magic Wand forward and uttered, "Blood Magic."
A blood-red Magic Circle appeared at the tip of his wand, oozing blood. Yuira quickly drew a star-shaped Magic Circle on the ground. He pulled out a piece of paper and removed his left glove, causing his Magic Force to overflow violently. He bit his left thumb, and as it bled, he drew the same Magic Circle on the paper.
I don't know if this will work or not. Might as well try.
Yuira placed the paper in the center of the ground circle. Extending his left hand, he funneled his Magic Force into the array. The Magic Circle began to glow, and shortly after, thick smoke billowed out. Yuira looked on, slightly surprised.
It looks like it worked.
The smoke began to dissipate slowly, revealing strands of baby-blue hair.
"Welcome back, Nurveus," Yuira said with a small smile.
As the smoke cleared completely, a tall woman standing 190 cm appeared. She had long baby-blue hair and blue eyes with vertical slit pupils, dressed in a classic traditional maid outfit.
"It has been a long time, Master Lucius," the woman said in a calm tone, thick with longing.
"My name is no longer Lucius Swezer, but Yuira Frontsen. Call me by my current name," Yuira said with a smile. Nurveus nodded and replied, "Understood, Master."
He looked Nurveus up and down. "Did you miss me so much that you kept wearing that maid outfit? Won't it get ruined?"
Nurveus replied calmly, "Of course. Since your death, I have been lonely for 300,000 years. And... have you forgotten? Dragon Clothing is made from Dragon Power; it is impossible to destroy unless the Dragon itself weakens."
"Y-you're right," Yuira replied. He then remembered that their contract as familiars had expired when he died in his first life as Lucius.
"By the way, our contract was voided upon my death back then. Do you want to form a new contract with me using the system of this world?" Yuira asked.
Nurveus nodded in agreement. She extended her right arm, palm up; Yuira extended his left arm, placing his palm against hers. They both closed their eyes as their palms touched. Yuira began to flow his Magic Force into Nurveus's body, guiding it toward her heart.
Nurveus... has she gotten even stronger?
With the contract complete, Yuira turned around. "Now, the first thing we must do is head to the nearest town."
Several hours later, the bright day gave way to a dark night. Yuira and Nurveus sat before a campfire. Yuira yawned. "I'm so sleepy, let's head to bed." He lay down and fell fast asleep.
Because she was a Leviathan, Nurveus summoned water at the tip of her index finger and doused the fire.
A few hours later, while Nurveus remained awake, four men emerged from the bushes. They were a small group of bandits; one of them wore a bandana as a mask, seemingly the leader.
The leader sneered, "Heh, I thought they were both asleep, but one's still awake." He laughed, licking his lips as he eyed Nurveus. "And it looks like she'll make a fine toy."
Nurveus glared at them, her voice an icy threat. "Leave, or I will kill you."
The bandits burst into laughter and mocked her. Nurveus summoned a palm-sized orb of water that floated beside her head.
"Whoa, looks like she's a Water Mage," one bandit mocked. "Relax," another said. "We deal with Mages all the time."
As the bandits laughed and took a step forward, the water orb that had been beside Nurveus's head suddenly appeared behind them. Instantly, the bandits' bodies erupted into flames. They didn't even have time to scream before they were reduced to ash.
Nurveus sat back down beside the soundly sleeping Yuira and touched his face. "Even if you have become stronger, I will not let us be separated again. Not even by death," she whispered possessively, the charred remains of the bandits still smoldering behind her.
The next day, Yuira and Nurveus arrived at Aropa Village. The village was eerie and quiet, and from a distance, the cry of a beast echoed. Suddenly, a humanoid monster—black with blue patterns—sprinted toward them.
Nurveus calmly summoned a wall of water in front of them. The monster charged through it, but its body froze solid the moment it touched the water.
Yuira inspected the monster curiously. He remembered it: a dungeon monster called a Terqio, which lived in the "Blue Crystal" cave dungeon. As Yuira observed the frozen Terqio, more of them rushed toward them. Just as Nurveus was about to strike, a Greatsword fell from the sky, skewering a Terqio through the stomach.
Yuira and Nurveus looked back to see a 20-year-old man. He wore ordinary clothes without armor, and his hair and eyes were maroon. This was Velt Malvelle, the third son of Yerrei Malvelle and a member of the Malvelle Swords, an elite group of swordsmen dedicated to serving the family.
Yuira was delighted to see Velt, as he was his best friend. Velt ran toward them. Yuira pointed at the sword Velt had just thrown. "Is that yours?"
Velt replied, "Ah, no. It actually belonged to some Orcs. They attacked me on the way here, so I killed them and took one of their Greatswords." Velt looked around. "We should clear the town of these things first."
With incredible speed, Velt snatched the Greatsword and killed the approaching monsters with a single swing. In one leap, he reached a rooftop to take out the Terqios lurking there. Nurveus was shocked; she didn't think a human could jump that high.
Yuira stepped forward, pointing his wand. "Ice Magic... Giant Ice Thorns."
Hundreds of ice spikes erupted from the road, impaling and freezing the Terqios. Without looking back, Yuira said, "Nurveus, just freeze them."
Nurveus summoned a giant wave of water behind her. As the Terqios charged through it, they were instantly turned into blocks of ice.
Minutes later, the town was cleared. Yuira, Velt, and Nurveus stood before the Mayor's office. Yuira went inside while Velt and Nurveus waited outside.
Yuira sat across from a man with gray hair and a matching mustache: the Chief of Aropa Village. "So, what exactly is the problem here?" Yuira asked.
The Chief sighed. "The Terqio monsters that usually stay inside the Blue Crystal Dungeon have suddenly started coming out. Several people went to investigate, but they died instantly the moment they reached the cave entrance. It seems to be poison."
"I'll help you on one condition," Yuira said. The Chief looked at him. "A condition? What is it?" Yuira smirked. "Let me sell my wares in this town for a few days."
The Chief nodded. "Fine, I can do that. But do you have a merchant's certificate?" Yuira froze. "What?" "Don't tell me you don't have one," the Chief said. Yuira lowered his head. "Y-yeah."
The Chief sighed. "That makes things difficult. Operating without one is illegal." He paused, remembering something. "If I recall, there is a Merchant Guild in the center of town. You can register there, though I'm not sure if they're open given the current crisis."
Yuira looked up, excited again. "Got it!"
Outside, Velt asked about the situation. After Yuira explained, Velt asked, "Should I bring some members of the Malvelle Swords to help?"
"No need," Yuira replied. "I can solve this within a week at most." Velt smiled. "Alright then... I'll be going now." "Hey, aren't you going to help?" Yuira asked. Velt replied, "I was only assigned to investigate, not to fix it. But maybe I'll come back later."
Carrying his Greatsword, Velt began walking back toward Greya. Yuira looked at the frozen Terqios. "These monsters are quite rare. I wonder how they'll turn out if I process them into potions or poisons."
To be continued...