WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior: Volume 5 Page 4

  Lin frowned for a moment, her brow furrowing as she considered Kari’s words. I could almost see the way her thought process was going. She probably wanted to spend time with me, her “Darling,” but the idea of traveling around Nevaria with a person who didn’t fear her was likely appealing as well.

  “This princess… would like that,” Lin said at last. “Though now she is wondering if it wouldn’t be better for her to remain indoors.”

  “You can’t think like that,” Kari admonished her. “I’m sure people will begin to accept you once they get used to you. Let’s both do our best.”

  “Okay.” Lin didn’t seem as enthusiastic as Kari, who actually looked pretty determined, but she still managed to smile at the other girl.

  “In that case, I will see you both later,” I said.

  We gave our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Kari grabbed Lin’s arm and began pulling her along, chatting about something, though I was too far away to hear what she was saying. I watched them go. When they disappeared around a corner, I released a weary sigh and began traveling toward the library.

  The soft mattress underneath her normally would have brought Fay comfort, but all she felt as she sat on her bed was self-recrimination. After waking up, washing off, and eating breakfast, Fay had retired to her bedroom. There she sat. Her back was against the wall and her knees were drawn to her chest as she gazed into the distance with slightly vacant eyes.

  Why did I say those things?

  Her mind replayed what happened between her and Eryk the day before.

  “Why are you… even bothering with me? You don’t even like me, right? The one you love is Kari, so why are you bothering to train me? Why are you being so kind to me?”

  Fay could not believe she had said those words, which she knew could never be taken back.

  “Well, I wish you would stop. You keep… treating me so nicely that it hurts. I don’t think you even realize how much it hurts to have someone you love treat you with such kindness when you know they don’t love you back. Every sweet gesture you make, every kind word you say… they’re like a lance being driven into my heart, because I know that deep down, you aren’t doing this out of romantic feelings for me. It’s just who you are.”

  It wasn’t like they were completely untrue, but at the same time, Fay knew that Eryk had not deserved the scorn she’d given him. All he had wanted to do was help her. Maybe he didn’t have the same feelings for her that he did for Kari, but she at least knew that he cared for her. The fact that she’d gone off on him like that just proved how terrible of a person she was.

  It’s just like back then…

  Back then. Fay closed her eyes as she remembered the past, long before she had met Eryk, long before Grant Leucht had tried to force her into an arranged marriage. Years ago, when she was still young, Fay had been best friends with Kari. They had done everything together. She would even go so far as to say they had been like sisters. All that changed after Kari was injured by Demon Beasts that managed to come down from the mountains.

  Pain pierced her chest like a lance. She lowered her head between her knees and bit her lip, trying to stifle the sob that wanted to escape.

  Even after all this time, I’m still crying over what happened in the past. I’m so pathetic.

  As Fay was lamenting, a knock echoed from her door, startling her.

  “Lady Fay.” It was one of her servants, Bertrand. “I came to inform you that Eryk Veiger and Kari Astralia came over earlier today. I sent them away since I didn’t think you wanted to deal with them right now. I hope you will forgive me for not informing you of this sooner.”

  Kari and Eryk had come to visit her? Fay rubbed her chest as she looked at the door, wondering what they had come to see her for. She couldn’t think of anything. Neither of them was the type to rub salt into an open wound, so they must have wanted to speak with her for some reason, but she couldn’t fathom what they’d want to talk to her about, especially Eryk. After what she’d done yesterday, she wouldn’t be surprised if he never wanted to speak to her again.

  Thinking about Eryk made Fay think about all the times they had shared together, causing a sudden urge to well up inside of her.

  Climbing off the bed, Fay went over to her dresser and stripped off her pajama bottoms and shirt. Now wearing nothing but her loincloth and chest bindings, she began getting dressed. She put on her black shorts. Then she slid a shirt over her body. It was sleeveless and had a triangle-shaped cutout in the center of her chest. She put on her stockings and boots after that, and then she donned a blue vest, the ends of which trailed down to her ankles. After cinching it up with a belt and a leather strap just below her breasts, she slid on fingerless gloves.

  Now dressed, Fay went over to her door, opened it, and stepped out.

  Bertrand was standing outside her door. He paused when he saw her outfit.

  “Are you going out, Lady Fay?”

  “Just for a little while,” Fay responded.

  “Shall I have someone escort you?”

  “No, thank you. I would like to travel alone.”

  Bertrand bowed to her as Fay turned around and walked over to the stairs. She descended them, ending up in another hallway. As she traveled toward the entrance hall, an old man with a receding hairline, dark brown eyes, and many wrinkles lining his face stepped out from a side passage.

  “Oh. Lady Fay,” he greeted in surprise. “Are you heading out?”

  “Om,” Fay returned the man’s greeting with a courteous nod. “Yes, I am. There is a lot that I wish to think about, and I do not believe locking myself in my room will help.”

  “Understandable.” Om smiled at her like a grandfather looking at his granddaughter. “It is always nice to get some fresh air.”

  “Yes.”

  Fay didn’t stay chatting with this old man for long. After some initial pleasantries, she bid the man goodbye and was soon leaving the Valstine Family’s estate.

  Kari did her best to remain upbeat as she kept a hold of Lin’s arm and pulled her along. She refused to show how upset the stares everyone was giving Lin made her. That wasn’t going to help her new friend, her new little sister, who was already having trouble dealing with the tension and animosity hanging in the air.

  “This is called the City Square,” Kari said as they stood in a large plaza. A paved road spread across the square-shaped area that was enclosed by many tall buildings. In the very center of this plaza known as City Square was a large statue of a powerful-looking woman in full-body armor. The woman was holding a sword above her head like she was preparing to hack her enemies apart.

  “There are a lot of people,” Lin murmured as she gazed at the passersby, all of whom were giving them a wide berth. “None of them like this princess.”

  “They’ll warm up to you eventually.” Kari remained positive, projecting an aura of confidence that she didn’t fully feel. “Anyway, this place is a little different from the Market District that I showed you first. While the Market District caters mostly to people who are looking to buy specialty items like furniture and such, this district is home to a lot of clothing stores. I figured we’d follow Eryk’s advice and buy some clothes you can wear.”

  “This princess still does not understand the point of clothes, but she does realize that everyone else seems to be wearing them,” Lin said. Kari thought the way she spoke of herself in third person, referring to herself as “this princess,” was incredibly cute. She could see why Eryk had trouble dealing with this girl.

  Lin was just too adorable for words.

  “Follow me.” Kari began tugging on the girl’s arm as she walked toward the buildings. “I’m going to take you to a store that I buy a lot of my clothes from.”

  The store that Kari took Lin to was marked by a blue door. One story. Kind of small. It didn’t look like much on the outside. A sign in front of the door was marked by a shirt to signify what they sold.

  The door jingled as she opened it and let Lin precede her, which she did because Lin had that big snake tail. She didn’t want her friend’s tail getting jammed if the door closed on her. After Lin had fully entered, Kari walked in next.

  It was easy to tell at a glance that this shop specialized in selling premade clothing. There were a number of shelves and displays, all of which featured several articles of clothing: shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, vests, etc. There were multiple different styles on display. Kari was hoping that one of these styles would fit Lin.

  There were a number of people in the store when they arrived, but all of them froze up and stared the moment they entered. Kari tried to ignore those stares as she smiled at Lin and tugged on the girl’s arm again so they could get moving. Her destination was the back, where a young woman several years her senior was helping someone else get dressed.

  “I shall be with you in just a moment,” the woman said.

  “Okay,” Kari replied. “I’ll wait here.”

  At the sound of her voice, the woman stopped what she was doing and turned her head. Their eyes locked.

  “Princess Kari,” the woman said, preparing to move into a bow. She never did, though. She caught sight of Lin at that moment and her body froze.

  “Emeralda, I would like to introduce Lin,” Kari said with a gesture toward her dark-skinned companion. “She’s a Lamia from the Endless Desert who arrived here some time ago. I thought it would be nice to show her around, and I also want to get her some clothes since she does not have any of her own.”

  “Is… is that so?” The woman known as Emeralda recovered far more quickly than anyone else had done. “I see. You want new clothes for this… girl… hmm…” She walked up to Kari and Lin, studying the Lamia girl a lot more closely, which seemed to make Lin a tad nervous. However, Kari held the girl’s arm, both to keep her from running and to reassure her. “She’s very… exotic. I’ve never seen someone with skin color like this… and that tail… so she is what people call a Lamia, huh? Interesting.”

  “Do you think you can find some clothes that will look good on her?” asked Kari.

  “I will certainly do my best,” Emeralda said, her eyes lighting up a little more.

  “Somehow… this princess has a very bad feeling about this,” Lin muttered.

  Before Lin could say anything else, Emeralda began dragging her and Kari around the store, which was a bit awkward because her long tail got in the way of the other shoppers. However, Emeralda was no longer paying attention to them. This woman had a new subject to work with, and that subject was far different from anyone else she’d ever helped clothe before.

  Emeralda didn’t have Lin try anything on just yet. The first thing she did was grab several articles of clothing and hold them up to the Lamia as though sizing her up. Most of them were shirts and skirts. She also held up a few chemises, presumably to see how they would look on Lin. Throughout it all, Kari remained next to her new friend to help the girl bear with what was obviously a brand-new experience for the inexperienced Lamia.

  “Hmm…” Emeralda murmured as she set a slightly sheer-looking chemise back on a shelf. “Finding an outfit that fits a Lamia is surprisingly difficult. I feel like none of these really work. I mean, they aren’t terrible, but they aren’t really great either, especially given your skin tone.” The woman thought for a moment, and then her expression suddenly brightened. “I actually think we do have something for you! Come on!”

  “What?” Lin sounded startled as the woman grabbed her hand and pulled her along. “H-hey! Don’t just grab this princess as you please! Quit dragging her!”

  Despite Lin’s protests, Emeralda dragged her over to the back of the store, then she made her and Kari wait there while she wandered through a door. The two of them stood in somewhat awkward silence for several minutes. They could hear the woman rustling through fabric and muttering to herself through the open door. Several swear words rang out, and then…

  “Ah ha! Here it is!”

  Emeralda wore an ecstatic but somehow smug smile as she came out with several articles of clothing that appeared to make up an outfit. The clothing itself was all red and made of a fabric that appeared lighter and less thick than what Kari was used to. It didn’t look like wool or silk.

  “Here, let’s try this on,” Emeralda said.

  “Waaaa!”

  Lin released a shocked cry as Emeralda grabbed the dress she was wearing and flipped it off her. Now completely naked, the poor Lamia had no time to defend herself as the woman began clothing her. It happened before she could even put up a good defense. Before the girl even knew it, she was already dressed.

  “Wow…”

  Kari could not help but feel a sense of shock as she looked at Lin in her new outfit. Her shirt really wasn’t much. It resembled a strip of red cloth that traveled over her breasts, forming an X-pattern above her small chest before tying together in the back. It fit her well. However, Kari thought it was only possible because Lin’s breasts weren’t large like hers. This shirt—if it could really be called that—also left her belly completely exposed, revealing a splendidly flat and toned stomach that even she was slightly jealous of.

  There were two other articles of clothing that went with this outfit. The first article that Kari really focused on was the wrap around skirt. Tied at one end, dyed the same color of red as her shirt, the skirt looked more like a piece of cloth that was higher on her right where it tied together and lower on her left. That said, it did a good job of covering Lin’s private places, which was what they wanted. The other articles were the red armbands that covered her forearms. They were kept in place by a hole that her middle fingers went through and a cord near her elbows.

  “What do you think?” asked Emeralda with a satisfied smile. “This outfit is something my shop has had for a while, but I never could figure out what to do with it. I’m not even sure where it came from.”

  “I think it looks good,” Kari said. “Lin, what do you think?”

  Lin was looking down at herself, twisting her sinuous body this way and that, as though trying to study every aspect of her new clothing.

  “It does feel nice,” she admitted. “This princess almost feels like she’s not wearing anything, so it’s not uncomfortable.”

  “Why don’t you look in the mirror and tell me what you think?” Emeralda suggested.

  She directed Lin to a full body mirror, where the Lamia girl was able to fully observe herself. The way her eyes widened in astonishment was quite something. She looked like she was seeing herself for the first time ever.

  “So these are what clothes look like on this princess,” she muttered. “She must admit, they do fit her well.”

  “Don’t they?” Emeralda puffed out her chest in pride.

  “How much are they?” asked Kari.

  Emeralda stroked her chin for a moment as if seriously pondering that question. “Considering how little fabric is used in its construction and how no one else is willing to buy it, you’re honestly doing me a favor by letting me get rid of it, so… how about I just give you this set for free, but in exchange, I would like the two of you to come back and let me play dress up with Lin some more.”

  The moment Lin heard those words, she froze over, but Kari just nodded.

  “I think that is a fair deal.”

  “This princess does not want to be someone’s doll!”

  “Good!” Emeralda clapped her hands together as she completely ignored the Lamia’s complaint. “In that case, I will give you this outfit right now. The next time you two come in, I will try to have several new outfits prepared for her, which means I will need to take her measurements right now.”

  “Measurements?” Lin questioned, a tremor in her voice. She gulped when Emeralda brought a marked leather strip out of a front pouch in her dress.

  “Of course. I cannot design new clothing if I don’t have your measurements,” Emeralda said as she walked toward Lin, who turned around and tried to slither away. Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough.

  Her terrified screams echoed across the plaza.

  Chapter 3

  The Missing Fay

  Fay didn’t really think about where she was going. She walked through Nevaria without a care for where she was, simply letting her feet take her wherever they willed. People passed her by on both sides. However, she wasn’t paying any attention to them. Her mind was elsewhere.

  Eryk…

  She thought about Eryk, the boy she had fallen in love with. Their meeting could have been considered one of good fortune. Fay had been suffering from a spiritual malady that no one seemed capable of curing, and then, just as she was on the verge of losing hope, he found her and saved her.

  Turning a corner, Fay sidestepped a young boy as he ran along the road. He didn’t seem to be paying attention to where he was going as he laughed. Coming through several seconds later were a pair of adults, who were calling out the boy’s name. They must have been his parents.

  Fay couldn’t figure out when she had fallen in love with Eryk. It didn’t happen immediately after he saved her. She had been grateful, of course, but gratitude and love were not the same thing. Gratitude was gratitude. Love was love.

  It must have been… from watching him…

  Ever since they began training together, Fay had been watching Eryk.

  His work ethic impressed her. Eryk pushed himself harder than anyone she’d ever seen. Not only did he work hard, but he was a genuinely good person, who was willing to help her grow stronger so she could grasp her fate with her own hands. He trained her just as hard as he trained himself. Eryk never let her take her training easy, pushing her body and Spiritual Powers to the limit so she could grow stronger.

  She enjoyed their conversations together. Not every talk they had was related to training. There had been times during their training where they would eat lunch and talk about inane matters. Eryk would tell her about a book he’d read while working at the library or ask her questions about herself. He seemed genuinely interested in her as a person. Fay had been able to open up to him in ways she never had with anyone else. The feelings she began harboring went beyond respect; she also trusted him.