06 — Lord Reinstar

06 — Lord Reinstar

My colleague and superior was packing his things.

“You’re really leaving the company, sir?”

“Well, I’ve done what I set out to do. You still worry me, though.”

I was dreaming. Of memories I wished I could forget but never would.

“I’ll be fine. I always pull through in the end.”

He sighed. “It’s good to be positive, but listen, you always rush into things half-cocked. Sometimes what looks right at first glance isn’t always right on the second. Does that make sense? You can’t slack on preparation.”

“Please, sir, I know that. When have I ever made a careless mistake?” My numbers were on the rise, and my ego couldn’t have been more inflated.

“I wish you’d understand that there are people around you who care about you, and how lucky you are to have them. Someone’s been beside you, supporting you, and they’re the reason you are where you are. You’re not a child, so I know you’re smart enough to realize that.”

“Someone’s supporting me? My work, you mean? But you said so yourself, sir; results are everything in business.”

“Yes. Yes, I did.” He paused. “I just want you to remember something if you’re planning on staying here. ‘Business’ isn’t all there is to this work. Open your eyes to your surroundings, okay?”

I resented him. Who was he to worry about my job when here he was quitting his? I was so naive.

“Chances are I’ll have a promotion waiting for me next quarter with the numbers I’m packing. You don’t need to worry about me.” I was arrogant. You’re the one transferring. Worry about yourself, I thought.

“Maybe one day you’ll see the truth. When you do, don’t waste time feeling sorry for yourself. Be the best person you can be. Give that a try and I think you’ll find the world a gentler, less lonely place to live.”

None of my colleague’s words made sense to me. I tilted my head as he left the room, and just as the door clicked shut, my eyes opened. There was no unfamiliar ceiling, no stranger in my bed. Just my plain old room on a plain old morning.

“That dream can’t be a good omen,” I mumbled. “Or maybe it was an epiphany. Yeah, be kind to others, be firm with myself, and be thorough. That’s gotta be it.”

It had been a long time since I’d last dreamed of my past life. Grand’s story, combined with pure exhaustion, must have triggered it. I’d been such a lousy underling all those years ago, but now there was no one to witness what kind of man my struggles had molded me into. I now understood what my superior had been trying to tell me—that I’d lived a lucky life, and that the life I was currently living was just as fortunate. From Brod to Lumina and her Valkyries to everyone back in Merratoni, I was truly blessed and needed to put in some effort if I wanted to be that sort of positive force for others.

I firmly patted my cheeks to rouse myself, then started on my morning stretch and magic exercise routines as I thought back on the previous night. Before meeting up with Jord and my concerned team, I’d played the responsible sober role while the other three engaged in drunken revelry, the responsibilities of which had included but not been limited to letting them talk my ear off about the exact same thing a million times. Although they’d probably all forgotten about having revealed their darkest secrets, just thinking back on it gave me a headache. At least I’d acquired some interesting info.

I still couldn’t believe that Catherine was level 312 yet not even she had been able to clear the labyrinth. Thank the lord for Substance X, and for my early realization that she belonged on my list of people not to mess with. Yet despite that, my master was apparently even higher-level than Catherine, according to Catherine herself. She seemed oddly assured of that fact.

As far as SP was concerned, the numerical stat itself seemed to be common knowledge, but only those reincarnated like me had the freedom to spend it on the entire skill pool. For example, normal people couldn’t use SP to earn affinities with magic, so taking an extra affinity with those points would have been a surefire way of outing myself.

Another super interesting fact that I had unfortunately picked up on was that the Earth Dragon slumbered within a mine near Rockford. Catherine, in her drunken state, had spit out some folklore about the dragons, causing Grand and Trett to go nuts and me to spill a little too much inside info. When, forced to elaborate further, I’d taken out a map, the two craftsmen had pointed to a certain location. My heart pounding, I’d instantly known, without a shadow of a doubt, that it was where the Eternal Dragon slept. I’d heard its pained plea for help in my head but couldn’t answer it. I could only assure it that I was doing everything I could.

I’d managed to gloss over my strange behavior but hadn’t been able to lift my spirits back up after that. My head was whirling with anxiety at the thought of delving into yet another labyrinth.

Unable to ignore my sudden depression, Trett had offered to make me any handy magic item I had in mind once he completed his current projects. I’d been wanting a mirror for some time, and he readily agreed. But this would be no mere mirror. It would be a transformation dresser, a kind of simplified magic bag that allowed one to remove and equip clothing instantly just by putting a hand to the vanity mirror. You could even save entire outfits in it, including armor (although only ten at a time).

How could I stay depressed after that? The only two things I had to be aware of were that all of my saved clothing would come out if the mirror broke, and that it couldn’t store weapons. Catherine called me a girl for wanting a mirror, but I didn’t need her biases. Armor was heavy, hard, and a pain to sleep in. I just wanted to be able to strip it all off in the blink of an eye, okay?

Drunk Trett had really gone out of his way for me. As wild as that night had been, I decided that meeting the two weirdos had been a good thing.

I put those thoughts aside (especially the bit about the dragons) and remembered I had to drop off a letter for Master at the Adventurer’s Guild. I wasn’t training with the Valkyries this morning, so I considered dragging my guard and the Healer Pentad along with me.

Speaking of the pentad, what a creative name, Jord.

I guess I, the sixth healer, wasn’t part of that equation, but I stashed away the twinge of isolation for now. All I needed from them was the wherewithal to stomach Substance X. As long as they could manage that, they’d grow as a unit and learn to get along with the adventurers. And hey, I wasn’t the bad guy here. Jord was the one who’d started it by insisting on naming his little troop of healers and leaving me out.

As I finished my stretches, I figured I should head down to the labyrinth to level up a bit more, since going to the Adventurer’s Guild meant drinking Substance X. I left a note for my team, then headed out.

Nothing about the labyrinth had changed since my last visit, so the report I’d been planning to give Her Holiness remained the same. Monsters were still difficult to find, and I couldn’t shake the strange feeling I’d had since yesterday. Normally I’d clear my head by sparring with Lumina, but a certain pair of old men had made that difficult.

“Time for some training!”

I zipped through the labyrinth, straight through the tenth floor and down to the twentieth. A few fights with the death knights finally helped me get my thoughts back in order. And then it hit me: I was turning into my masters and becoming a battle-crazed lunatic.

I left the labyrinth in low spirits and found Jord waiting for me outside.

“Good morning, sir. Always the early bird.”

“Good morning. Just wanted to get the blood flowing a bit. By the way, I appreciate you coming to meet me every day.”

“Glad to be of service. I hope it won’t always be in front of a labyrinth, though,” he said with a scrunched nose.

I realized that I might have forgotten to clean myself on the way out, so I quickly cast Purification. “There, sorry about that. Have you had breakfast yet?”

“I was just about to.”

“Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all. Any plans for today?”

The guy was practically my secretary at this point. I should show my appreciation for real some time.

“Nothing in particular. Why?”

“Are you taking suggestions?”

“Suggestions, maybe, but we’ll see if I agree to them later.”

We strolled towards the dining hall.

“I hear you’ve been wanting to read the story of Lord Reinstar. Is that true?” Jord asked with a strangely smug look as we entered the hall.

“Yeah, something a little more grounded in facts. None of the dramatizations I keep hearing.” It was flat out inexcusable for the Church of Saint Shurule’s sole S-rank healer to not know the first thing about its founder.

“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve heard anything all that exaggerated, personally.”

I froze up. “Oh, come on,” I laughed nervously. “He created the entire floating city of Neldahl, took out the Demon Lord completely by accident, and drove away the Wicked One with the combined power of the dragons and spirits? No way; that’s the stuff of myths.”

If all of that was actually true, it would make Lord Reinstar a god, or an envoy of one...or something. I toyed with the idea that he might have been reincarnated like me, but to reach such levels of unparalleled strength would have taken unreal amounts of effort, luck, and lord knows what else.

“I mean, I definitely see what you’re saying. Why not ask the pope? Reinstar was our founder, so I bet she knows all sorts of stuff no one else does.”

“Good idea. I need to give her a report anyway, so I might do that.”

“And don’t forget to fill me in on anything you’re allowed to, sir.”

I suppose it made sense that even Jord was hungry for more. Lord Reinstar didn’t seem like the kind of person you’d get the nitty-gritty on without knowing the pope.

“Of course. Oh, and I don’t think I’ll be long, so can you gather the team when we’re done eating?”

“Not a problem. Are we...”

“Yes, we’re going out.”

“I knew you’d come around!”

We continued chatting throughout breakfast.

I parted ways with Jord and went to the pope’s chambers to deliver my update.

“Hm, I believe we may presume that the labyrinth’s presence is waning,” Her Holiness said.

“I think we can, but I’ll still be checking it out regularly, just to be safe.”

“That would put my mind at ease. Should you need anything that might aid you, do not hesitate to make it known.” She sounded cheery today. The perfect time to ask for a favor.

“Thank you, Your Holiness. I apologize for the suddenness of this request, but there is one thing I would like. Does the Church maintain any historical documents on Lord Reinstar?”

“It does. What interest do you have in him?”

“I’m an S-rank healer with no knowledge of Saint Shurule’s founder, and my ignorance would only embarrass both myself and the Church. I want to learn what I can while I still have time.”

She hesitated for a moment. “I cherish the biography of Lord Reinstar greatly. You must swear to me that it shall be returned, else I will strip you of your classes. Do you still wish to borrow it?”

After all that? I wasn’t so sure anymore. But I did have my magic bag, and returning a book wasn’t asking for all that much.

“I swear.”

“Very well. See that it returns to me quickly. Understand?”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

I had succeeded in obtaining a copy of The Legend of Reinstar Gustard but would ultimately end up depressing myself.

The man simply hadn’t been human.