After that, I sneak out of the house, since this was a very tall house it had 4 levels. So going to the very top where no one would bother me, and simply jumped out of the window using gravity magic to fly to the next roof. I would go from rooftop to rooftop, trying not to be seen. I took one of the coats to cover myself. With my size and the baggy coat, no one would think I was a human, I just looked like a black bouncing ball. But I still tried to stay in the shadows and out of sight.
Reaching the castle there was a window about halfway up. Running up the side of the wall I managed to reach it with no problems. I feel like a superhero using this magic. The window was unlocked, and I climbed through. Standing inside I could see a long hallway with lots of expensive paintings hanging. Taking off my coat and hiding it under my arm, I walked around acting like a noble trying not to draw any attention to myself. I started my track to the library. I walked past many rooms. I remembered where the library is, but I started getting turned around and ended up lost down some long stairs. Just then I see a flash of red below me. Eris, no that can't be right Eris is dead. But it looks just like her. she then turns her head and looks up at me, then smiles. She is beautiful around 12 or 13 years old. Seeing her face, I remember I've seen her before. It was Ferris, Ars's grandchild and mine and Eris's great-grandchild. What is she doing in the castle?
"Why hello there, what's a young man like you walking around here? The castle is a big and dangerous place you could get lost" she walked up and took my hand, looking up at her, she was very beautiful.
"What is your name?"
My name? oh, I haven't used that in a long time. My new family doesn't talk to me, and the maids just take my hand if they need me to move or do something. Thinking about it I haven't said my new name out loud. Should I use my new name or my old one? Who should I be to this girl?
"that's okay you look hungry, I'm just about to go grab a bite from the kitchen want to come?" I must have looked confused because she asked me that.
She is a very nice girl, not like other nobles. What is she doing here, thinking about it that way I decide to use my real name Rudeus, I feel like I can trust her, and she won't get any ideas that I might be the reincarnation of her great-grandfather or something worse?
"My name is Rudeus it's nice to meet you." I do a semi bow still holding her hand.
"oooh aren't you the cutest, come along now" we start walking down the stairs, that twist and turned until we get to a small passage. It's narrow must be the maid or slave passage. This is quite common in the castle otherwise the main hallways would be full of people running about. It also makes a good exit for any lovers that shouldn't be seen by existing bedrooms.
Coming to the kitchen there is only a maid in the corner peeling potatoes, but she seems to ignore us. Sitting at the table Ferris starts looking around for ingredients.
"This is an old family recipe, not a lot of people like it, but I love it"
She takes out a bottle with black liquid in it. Then rice from a bowl. Wait, is this what I think? What I spend a lifetime looking for. Going all over the world to find ingredients, a taste a Japan. My eyes light up. She puts the bowl in front of me and sits down. She seems happy as I dig into the bowl.
"I'm glad you like it; I don't get to share the recipe often most of the nobles don't want to even try it."
"Yum it's good," I say with a mouth full of rice.
"So, what's a green hair child walking around the castle like a lost lamb?" she went right out and asked it.
I gulp "I'm looking for the library and I'm sorry if my green hair scares you" She laughs no it's fine, I know a lot of people with green hair, and they are not scary. My great uncle actually has green hair and he's one of the seven great powers"
I look up, that's Sieg, my son. After he left home, he became the Death God the fifth-ranked strongest person in the world.
"Can you tell me about him?" I already know who he is and what he's like, but I wanted to know what he's been up to and if he's been doing okay. I am his father after all. She laughs, a light laugh.
"I knew you would be interested, I bet you have never seen someone with green hair"
We then spent hours talking about Sieg and herself and what she has been doing up to now. So apparently, she has been studying at the Holy Land of the Sword where she became a sword saint, but now she's moved to the capital to study water god style. The Asura Kingdom has become well known for its water god style and they even do a tournament every year against other students of different sword styles. She sounds so cool.
Just then I looked outside and saw the sun, it is getting late. My maid will start wondering where I am, I politely excuse myself and ask for directions to the library. She smiles and tells me. Just as I was about to leave, she calls out to me again.
"Thank you for sharing the meal with me, if you ever want to have more you are welcome to come to the water-style dojo. I'll be there most days" I nod and thank her again.
Rushing out I make my way to the library, walking inside. I feel the scale and the number of books, maybe it's because of my size but it seems bigger than in my previous life. Walking to the back I start looking for a window, it took a little while but on the second floor, I found one that was unlocked and hidden away from unwanted eyes. Opening it up it was a straight drop to the ground below, my heart started pounding. I wasn't scared of heights, but every muscle told me to go back inside. It's not a natural thing to walk out of a window and step on the wall. Activating gravity magic so my personal gravity is perpendicular to the wall, and normal gravity has no effect on me. I slide out. Going slowly, I don't want to slip. Once I'm outside I take a breath and start running, then jump off the castle to the closest roof. Once I land, I turn and take note of the window, so I know how to get to it next time. Flying back to the house was as easy as getting to the castle. There are hardly any guards most of them are patrolling the capital and keeping people out of the noble district. Flying through the window I land with my head spinning, just in time as one of the maids opens the door.
The next week I would travel to and from the house to the library looking for anything related to reincarnation, but sadly I couldn't find anything. Most of the reincarnation was to do with demons which weren't that popular in the Arura kingdom and the ones that were around were just stories about adventurers fighting demons. I had actually met all the demons they talked about in the books. So, by the time I had gone through the very short list, I had learnt nothing and actually corrected some things. I knew that different demons have different abilities depending on the tribe.
For example, Atofe has regeneration but can't reincarnate but Kishirika is the opposite. I should really ask them, but they are on the other side of the world and knowing them they probably just laugh and say we are the greatest race on the planet and just built that way. I'm sitting at one of the corner tables thinking about this, I've got no leads and it's a dead end. Most people come and go all of them ignore me I see some students in the uniform of the sir royal academy. I wonder if I should go to school again. There's not a lot of need as I can do most things and with my Japanese life before I can do a lot more advanced maths and language than a common noble. Wait, can I? I could count how many times I used the human language since I was reincarnated, Beast-God and Demon-God I haven't used once. How long has it been since I've talked in beast-God….30 years, demon god is even longer. I can't quite remember now that I think about it my memory is a bit hazy. I can remember almost everything, but there are bits I don't recall easily like the last bit of my previous life. Well, that's right I had become senile in my later years. But even some of my memories of my life in Japan were hazy, I couldn't remember the name of my school or the face of my classmates. Nothing important enough to worry but I wonder if there is an upper limit to how many memories a human can keep. How many years have I been around now, let's see it was 34 years in my life as a neet. 74 years as Rudeus the Quagmire, loving husband, and father. And I'm almost 4 in this new life of a green hair noble, the potential reincarnation of Laplace.
I get up as some of the younger students start whispering and pointing at me. I know it's just my green hair, but I still get uncomfortable, and it brings back those times I was picked on and bullied. I wonder if I'll get over that. It's a mixture of regret, fear and disappointment, for my family who had to put up with me as well as the fear that it could happen again. But I know it can't hurt me like that again, I am proud of my second chance at life and the life I made for myself as Rudeus. But the question is then what do with a third chance that I never wanted or asked for, I feel lost. Walking out thinking to myself. I remembered Ferris my grand-grandchild, I had a family to look over I should go and see them, and what they are doing with their lives. I started heading off in the direction of the training grounds. By the time I got outside, I realised I had no idea where they were or if they were even in the same area. Thinking quickly, I jumped to the roof of the closest house using gravity magic, running across to get a bird's eye view, I could hear yelling and swords clashing coming across the rooftops, and heading in that direction I found the training area. It was a huge building on the edge of the castle, with a courtyard in the middle with students swinging wooden swords.
Looking over the roof of the courtyard, the training grounds stretched below me in one of the corners I could see Alex Ryback, he was practising with a guy in his late 20s. Sparring, Eris and I use to do something similar every morning. Looking at Alex I could see the power and skill he had. He is amazing, even though I am a seven-world power I don't think I could ever beat him. My battle with Aleksander Ryback was a fluke I had help beating him. Orsted was the one who did the final blow sealing his defeat. Alex was more skilled than Aleksander, but he had the king dragon sword. Sliding down the wall, I walked into the building, looking for Ferris. In the doorway, a few people gave me a wide birth, but this wasn't like the nobles most of these people didn't care or didn't even notice me. Walking around I hear a shout, turning around Alex is waving to me and a man next to him. I look down I didn't want to be noticed.
"Hey, you're that boy I save from the kidnappers how are you doing? Are your family treating you kindly?" walking over I nod my head. I really should say thank you. Bowing I say.
"Thank you very much for rescuing me"
"don't mention it, I saw a boy in need, anyone would have done it, what are you doing in the training school? Wanting to learn how to defend yourself?"
"Something like that," I say not knowing what else to think. "Do you by chance know a girl named Ferris?" looking around I couldn't see that bright red flash, so much like my wife's hair.
"Oh, you're a friend of Ferris, you really know how to make friends with the strongest" the man who was sparring with Alex said.
"My apologies, this is Niklas Dirkx a former adventurer and now a kings guard"
"Please to make your acquaintance" he bows a deep bow, proper. This man knows the formal greeting. I do the same and introduce myself as Rudeus. Again, I don't know why, but I can't seem to see myself as anything else. I decide not to give my last name just in case. But I wonder what it is about this reincarnation and why I can't give up on my previous life.
"Hello Rudeus, I believe Ferris is in the hall training with her master. Shell, we take you?"
"If you aren't too busy, I would appreciate it"
Following Niklas's lead we head inside, I notice people showing their respects to Alex but also to Niklas they both must be very important here. Though I already knew Alex. He never introduced himself as a former North God and seven-world power. He must not like promoting it. Reaching a beautifully decorated hall there are two people standing in the middle. One with bright red hair tied in a braid. It was Ferris, the other girl was plane-looking but had an air of confidence and strength about her. Sparring I could see they both were skilled in Water God style; wait didn't Ferris say she was saint ranked in sword god style. Once we closed the distance, they both stopped, turning to us Ferris was sweating and breathing hard, but she gave me a big smile.
"Hello again"
Taking a moment, we all head over to one of the corners of the hall where a jug and some towels lay.
"I see you made some more friends," Ferris said nodding to Alex and Niklas.
"Yes, Alex actually saved me from kidnappers, I'm very grateful to him"
"Hmm yes," Alex nodded. "How is your family? Are you being treated, okay?" he seems to have been worried about me.
"Yes, I am but I don't have any friends" I answered honestly, I wasn't quite sure what to say. Alex laughed well why don't I become your first friend. Smiling I laughed to myself thinking you can't because you're already my friend from my last life.
But instead, I say "Yes, that would be amazing".
"Can I also be your friend? Since we shared a meal together" Ferris said. I nod
"As long as I can have more rice balls"
"I actually have some for lunch today, should we stop for lunch?" turning to the girl she was sparring with. So, we all took a seat down and had a maid bring us lunch. Rice balls and soy sauce, I'm so glad I can still have this. I don't know what I would have done if I had to go through the process of finding all the ingredients again and reinventing it.
"These are quite tasty," Alex said "I actually knew the man who invented these, he was a very powerful and respected magician. He was your grandfather right Ferris?"
"No Great-grandfather, but yes, he did. It's our family's favourite meal. I just wish I could share my love of it with everyone else."
I spoke up. "I love these, I would come here every day just to eat these, and besides food is better when eating together"
"Will that be, okay? Would your family let you study here?
"I don't see why not. They don't really care what I do. But I don't have the money to come here…." Just then Alex cut me off.
"Then it's settled. You, Rudeus will learn sword skills here every day, we will train you" Alex stated, a matter of factually.
"Wait I can't do that, aren't you both…." Oops almost said that I knew who they were. "Both are really busy, and I don't have any money to pay for your tutoring." I mean I don't really need to learn sword skills I'm already Intermediate-ranked in Sword God Style and Elementary-ranked in both North God Style and Elementary-ranked Water God Style.
"It'll be fine, you can help me out with jobs around the castle. This is perfect I've been needing a squire"
"he's really taken a liking to you, Rudeus. You better get used to him." Said Niklas.
"Hahaha, I guess I have, I'm not sure why but something about you just feels really familiar," Alex said with a massive grin on his face. I gulp, but I don't see any reason to turn him down. Rice balls for lunch, and I get to talk to Ferris. I really want to know how my family is living and what they have been up to. Also, in my mind being stuck inside doesn't feel right, like I'm back to being a neet. Almost painful, I have also started getting chubby. If I'm not careful I could end up being like in my first life a worthless nobody. I can't do that again; I still don't know what to do with this third chance at life, but I know what I can't do.
"Please take care of me, Alex" I bow to him.
"This will be great, work hard and you'll be a great hero one day" Alex stated. Hero. I wonder what that word means to him? The demon race uses it so much, but they treat it with such respect. Didn't I get called a hero once by Atofe wait also by Badigadi? I never paid much attention when they did.
The conversation continued, with Niklas asking Ferris about training and how she is finding the water god style. She seems excited with the same spark in her eyes that Eris gets. She must really like the sword. As this goes on, I glance down, and I see a bracelet on her wrist with an emblem on it. I didn't see it before because of the long sleeves. I recognize the emblem, of course, I would because it's the same one I wore for 50 years. It's the Dragon God's Armlet Orsted gave me. She kept it; I feel something stir deep inside me. Proud and happy. I point to it and ask what's that?
"Of this, it was a gift from my Great-grandfather. It's supposed to keep evil away and keep me safe." Maybe she doesn't know what it actually does, but still I'm glad she kept it.
"Can I see it?" she lifts her hand and lets me inspect it. It fills me with such relief that she has it, knowing that Hitogami can't mess with her is comforting.
"It's special, it keeps away an evil god. If you ever see someone in your dreams giving you advice don't listen to them, they will try and trick you." Alex started to say.
"Stop it, Alex, you are scaring him. Talking about such things to a child so young is irresponsible"
"Is it true? Is there such a thing as an evil god?" I need to test her; does she know or just doesn't want to tell me. I think it's very important to spread the word about Hitogami, could she already be corrupted. She sighs.
"Yes, it's true, but you shouldn't worry over things like that." Giving Alex an angry look. "I grew up with my family talking about this great war that was going to come soon, and the threat that this evil god posed. But I never saw it. So, I don't want you to worry about it." So that was it, my job with Orsted started to overshadow our family. My children felt the burden that I had left them. I feel bad, was this my fault for telling them. Should I have not told them what was going to happen? And keep them far away from Orsted.
"Ferris you must understand the importance of this war, I know you do," Alex said.
"Yes, I do but I just want to enjoy my life and not have to fight in a war to change the world, let me train with my sword and live my own life," she said back.
"You are skilled with a sword; we may need you to help us. Did you hear? They found another apostle. That makes four" I sit bolt upright; did I hear him right? There are four apostles no that can't be right. Maybe Alex is mistaken or that Hitogami abandoned one and has moved on to his next victim.
"Yeah, I heard, but as I said before I don't want to have anything to do with this fight" it seems like Ferris has really no desire to join in the battle with Hitogami. It's not like I expect all of my children to help out, but I hope she understands the danger of Hitogami. Well, she has the armlet she'll be fine. But I need to know about this apostle and if there is any truth behind it. What is the best way to ask, I can't be too careful otherwise they might suspect me of being an apostle? Childish innocence that could work.
"what's an apostle?" after giving a glance to Ferris. Alex replied
"it's the enemy, my son is fighting. His group is trying to bring peace to this world and these people are trying to stop them."
"But how do you know they are bad people?" I ask.
"It's very hard, previously there have only been 3 people but now Alek, my son has found a fourth. I do not know what it means but Orsted has confirmed it to be true." This is bad, very bad if Orsted has said that it's true then it must be. Has Hitogami found a way to see more than 3 futures, has he gotten more powerful since the last time? How can that be, how could this happen? No, it would go against his very nature. But if he had got so desperate, he stopped looking at his own future and only cared about creating apostles. Orsted said that would never happen as he needs to be in control. I have to be extra careful. Hopefully, Hitogami hasn't noticed that I've reincarnated or if he has, he isn't controlling me somehow.
Lunch wrapped up after that, it seems like no one was in the mood for eating after the talk.
"How about we take you on a tour of the training ground? Rudeus." Ferris took my hand; we walk to the other side of the hall. Waving goodbye to Alex and the rest and promising to come back tomorrow for training he headed out. The training area was beautiful but practical, it was a place focused on sword skills not arts or beauty like the castle. After that, I headed home, thank Ferris for everything. Walking home I had a big smile on my face even though a lot had happened I was happy to see my family doing so well for themselves, I asked Ferris about her brothers. She has two younger brothers one studying at the magic university and one is a merchant apprentice in the magic city Sharia. They both seem to be doing well for each other. The youngest wants to become an adventurer and travel the world. Following in my footsteps, thinking about it that way pride started to well up inside me.
