Slash.
Two orc heads rolled across the ground before coming to a stop in the dirt.
Edsel stepped forward without hesitation and crushed one of the heads beneath his boot. The skull caved in with a sickening crack, and slimy green blood splashed across the ground.
Around him, the soldiers stared in disbelief.
Some of them looked horrified.
Edsel simply laughed while cutting down the remaining orcs.
"W-what's going on?" Perez muttered, his eyes widening as he tried to understand the scene unfolding in front of him.
The soldiers were just as confused.
*****
A few hours earlier.
The carriage moved quickly along the narrow road. It had already been an hour since they left the Domitius territory, and all Edsel could see through the window was an endless sea of trees stretching into the distance.
According to Perez, the academy would take three days to reach. Their next stop was a nearby village called Cairo, a small settlement ruled by a local lord.
Edsel had heard rumors about the place.
They said the village had been suffering constant attacks from orcs. No matter how many soldiers were sent to defend it, the number of orcs only seemed to grow.
It sounded strange.
Still, Edsel didn't believe rumors so easily.
He folded his arms and glanced across the carriage.
Mia sat quietly beside him, her expression completely blank as she stared out the window.
Edsel looked away again.
This journey was going to be long… and unbearably boring.
'I should use this time to circulate my energy,' he thought.
"Young master!"
Edsel opened one eye and looked toward the window. A man with orange hair and several scars across his face was riding beside the carriage.
Perez.
"Yes?" Edsel replied calmly.
"We'll arrive at Cairo soon. Since we've been traveling for hours, it would be best to stop there and rest."
Perez gave him a reassuring smile.
"You don't need to worry like last time. If those monsters appear, we can handle them."
Edsel studied him for a moment.
All the soldiers under the Domitius family were sword mages, and they were far stronger than ordinary fighters. Perez especially stood out among them.
Edsel could tell immediately. He was at least a Seventh Circle sword mage.
"How strong do you think the orcs are?" Edsel asked.
Perez blinked in surprise at the sudden question.
"Well… they don't use magic. They rely mostly on raw strength. Their bodies are tough, so cutting them without mana or aura is difficult."
Edsel tilted his head slightly.
"If you had to measure them from a mage's perspective?"
Perez thought for a moment.
"Probably around the Fourth Circle. They're strong, but their attacks are slow."
Edsel nodded quietly.
He had never seen a real monster before. The thought of encountering one was unsettling… but at the same time, he felt curious.
If the orcs attacked during their stay, he would have to fight them anyway. And there was something he truly wanted to know. If he absorbed the life force of an orc…
Would it contain more death mana than that of an ordinary human?
He saved his remaining questions for later and immediately closed the window of the carriage.
"Report back to me when we arrive at the village. I will be meditating until then," Edsel said before pulling the curtain shut.
Perez scratched his head in confusion while riding his horse alongside the carriage. He had heard various rumors about the young master suddenly changing and even creating two more circles during his time at the estate. It was hard to believe such stories since the maids loved to exaggerate everything too much. He glanced at the closed curtain and sighed deeply while continuing to ride.
"I will have to keep a close eye on him during this journey," he muttered under his breath.
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Edsel kept on circulating his mana as usual. Sometimes he passed the time by reading novels that he had brought with him or even staring at the map of the North that was spread out on the seat beside him.
After a few more hours of traveling, Perez knocked on the door of the carriage.
"Young master, we have finally arrived at the village of Cairo!" Perez announced from outside.
"Finally," Edsel muttered while opening the curtain.
He looked out and saw the landscape and the road ahead. It was indeed a normal village, but there were only a few houses scattered around the area. The place looked much poorer than he had expected.
"My lord, do you want something to eat when we stop?" Mia asked while staring at him from across the carriage.
"I have something for you to do instead, Mia. I want you to go around and investigate this place. I feel like it would be better to know more about the people who live here and what has been happening recently," Edsel instructed.
"Yes, sir. I will do as you command," Mia responded while nodding.
The carriage continued moving through the narrow streets as soldiers followed closely behind. Villagers stopped what they were doing to stare at the passing carriage.
Many of them were beggars.
Children ran along the roadside, stretching out their hands and asking for coins.
The condition of the village was miserable.
The orcs must have caused serious damage here. Still, something about the situation felt strange. If the attacks had been happening for so long, other nobles should have helped the village by now.
Especially Duke Perrin.
Yet the place looked poorer than ever.
Edsel dismissed the thought and stepped down from the carriage.
Perez and several soldiers immediately began preparing a stable for the horses while others carried supplies toward a nearby warehouse.
Perez noticed Edsel standing nearby and walked over.
"Young master, we found a stable and a warehouse where we can store our things. Let's head to the pub over there."
He pointed toward an old wooden building at the end of the street.
"We can eat and rest there. I'm sure Miss Sharon will be happy to see us again."
"Sure."
Edsel didn't remember the place at all. Being a reincarnator meant he had no reason to care about memories from the original owner of the body.
The moment they stepped inside, a woman walked out to greet them.
"Welcome to Shelly Pub. How can I—oh, Perez!"
"Miss Sharon."
Perez gently took her hand and kissed the back of it.
"Long time no see."
"It has been a while," she said with a warm smile. "And you actually kept your promise to visit."
"Of course."
Perez looked around the room.
"Where is your daughter?"
"You mean Mary?" Sharon glanced toward the door. "She'll be back soon. I sent her out to run an errand."
"I see. That's good. I'm sure she must have grown taller by now—"
"Ahem."
Edsel cleared his throat loudly, cutting their conversation short. He had no interest in listening to their reunion.
"Sorry, young master," Perez said quickly before turning back to Sharon. "We'd like to rent rooms for the night. My master and the soldiers will be staying here."
"Of course. Let me show you the rooms."
Edsel glanced at Mia, who was carrying his luggage.
"Mia, come."
"Yes, sir."
They followed Sharon as she guided them toward the stairs.
Perez blinked in confusion.
"Wait… the maid is sleeping in your room?"
"Yes, of course," Edsel replied without turning around. "She's my personal maid. It's natural."
He continued walking upstairs. Perez and the other soldiers exchanged confused glances behind him.