Chapter 64 Reika’s Past and Present
Chapter 64 Reika’s Past and Present
Thrown into another world, forced to fight monsters and face dangers unknown to her, Reika clung to the idea of returning home—at least on the outside. She spoke of it often, shared that goal with her companions. But deep down, almost subconsciously, she felt elated.
Here, in this strange and terrifying place, she wasn’t just someone’s daughter. She wasn’t bound by her parents expectations or schedules. For the first time, she could imagine a life of freedom.
Their first quest was to find the powerful magician Vitka—the only one rumored to know how to send them back. But Reika’s heart wasn’t in that mission. Not truly. She pursued it hoping to learn more magic, to become someone stronger… someone different.
But along the way, a painful truth began to dawn on her.
Maybe… she wasn’t the hero of this story.
“Ugh… mmh…” Reika sobbed, curled on the cold ground. Burns marked her body and face. Alessandra and Yumi lay nearby, battered and craying. The three had barely made it back using the special return stone—forced to abandon Iryoku in the dragon’s lair.
Her thoughts reeled, memories flashing painfully behind her eyes.
Fighting the monster at the ruined castle… that first time he appeared out of nowhere to save us…
Even after that, I kept telling myself I could do it. I fought those disgusting worm-creatures, and though I wavered, I managed…
Then we met Léon. I was instantly enchanted—he felt like a prince straight out of one of my novels. I thought, Finally, someone worthy of standing beside the heroine.
Her breath hitched.
But he turned out to be nothing more than a bandit… a kidnapper.
Iryoku saved me again. Just like before. Over and over.
She gritted her teeth, the tears coming harder.
I ignored my failures. I kept pushing forward like I was still the protagonist. Like this was my story.
And now… with death so close, with the dragon’s jaws almost closing in…
I did nothing.
He—he rose again. Even when he’s a pain, a brute, a bully… he stood up. He protected us. He fought when I couldn’t.
Reika gave a bitter, tearful chuckle, her voice raw with shame.
“...What kind of woman does this? I must be the worst...”
Later, after barely surviving a battle with the powerfull were-mammoth, a flicker of hope returned to Reika’s eyes.
A scorching beam of the dragon’s deadly breath incinerated the mammoth before it could escape.
Her breath caught.
“Is he… still fighting the dragon?”
That night, they slipped out of town under the cover of darkness, moving north.
“I will find you, Iryoku,” Reika said, her voice filled with quiet resolve.
But their path wasn’t easy. They were forced to change direction after the death tree knights followed them , then bandit sightings. While navigating a narrow pass, trouble found them instead.
A large, bald man stepped out from the trees, flanked by a group of dangerous-looking warriors. His muscular arms were crossed, and he wore a smug, mocking grin.
“Well, well, look what we’ve found,” the man said. “Took us a while, but here you are. Though… weren’t there four of you before? Where’s your guy?”
Reika, Yumi, and Alessandra instantly went on guard, weapons ready. Tension crackled in the air.
Then Reika’s eyes caught something—on the man’s arm was a tattoo: a cat wearing a cavalier’s hat.
That tattoo… she realized. It was the same one Léon had—the criminal who had deceived her, who tried to capture them, who they’d left behind to be torn apart by the giant mandrill monster.
Her hands clenched into fists.
“You killed people from our gang,” the bald man snarled. “Now you’ll see what happens when you mess with us.”
He raised both arms, revealing massive, metallic gauntlets lined with jagged spikes across the knuckles and forearms. The metal gleamed ominously.
“Heh… let’s see how you fare against someone actually strong.”
Reika instinctively stepped back. Alessandra moved in front, raising her shield as it began to hum with energy—her mace glowing faintly with Leben. Beside her, Yumi nocked an arrow, with magic pulsing.
Some of the surrounding warriors shifted uneasily, sensing the tide might not be as one-sided as they expected.
But the bald man just grinned wider. “You’re stronger than the reports said… Good. That’ll make this fun.”
His muscles bulged unnaturally, and raw power began to radiate from his body. His gauntlets lit up with energy, and the air around him crackled with force.
Reika’s breath caught in her throat—this wasn’t a fight they could win.
Destruction felt imminent.
With a sudden movement, she spread her arms and focused all her energy. “Fire Wall!” she shouted, slamming her palms together.
A towering blaze erupted between them and their enemies, halting the enemy’s advance.
“Run!” Reika yelled.
“Piercing Arrow!” Yumi released her shot. The arrow pierced through the firewall in a flash of light and flame, followed by the sound of steel clashing and rebounding repeatedly.
Reika didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go—now!”
They turned on their heels and sprinted southwest, vanishing into the darkened woods.
They didn’t stop running for a long time.
After what felt like hours of running, twisting through narrow paths and dense brush, the girls finally lost their pursuers.
“Ah… ah… why is this happening to us?” Yumi panted, her voice cracking with exhaustion.
Alessandra walked over and gently placed a hand on her back, steadying her. “This is the worst possible time for them to show up,” she muttered, frustration simmering beneath her calm tone. “We need to reach the Mountain—and find Iryoku. We can’t waste any more time.”
Reika stood a few steps away, her head bowed. Her fists trembled at her sides.
“This is my fault too,” she said quietly, tears welling up in her eyes and spilling down her cheeks. “If I hadn’t been such a dumb girl… those bandits wouldn’t be after us. We wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Alessandra turned to her.
“Stop,” she said, her voice firm but kind. “This is not your fault, Reika. Please… don’t keep blaming yourself.”
Reika blinked, her lip trembling.
“We’ve all made mistakes,” Alessandra continued. “What matters now is that we survive—and that we get him back.”
Reika wiped her eyes and nodded. “We can still make it.”
Yumi took a shaky breath… and nodded too.
No matter how hard they tried to stay on course, the girls were forced farther and farther south—hunted relentlessly by both the bandits and the Death Tree Knights. Their path finally led them into a deadly standoff just south of the capital city of Uruk.
On one side stood the Death Tree Knights, cold and armored. On the other, the bald bandit and his gang. Surrounding all of them, circling through the trees, was a massive pack of monstrous wolves with glowing red eyes and slavering jaws.
The three girls huddled together near a cliff’s edge, breathing heavily. Reika scanned the battlefield. Her heart pounded.
What would Iryoku do? she thought.
A low growl snapped her out of it.
“Grrrraah!!” A wolf monster lunged straight at them.
“Ahh!” Alessandra stepped forward without hesitation. She raised her shield and absorbed the creature’s pounce. With a powerful swing of her mace, she crushed its ribs with a sickening crunch.
The forest exploded into chaos.
Screams and howls filled the air as monsters, knights, and bandits all collided in a brutal melee. The girls fought back with all their might, but the enemy forces kept closing in. They began to retreat, trying to stay together, but wave after wave of monsters appeared—until they were separated.
The bald bandit suddenly lunged at them again. Alessandra gritted her teeth, raising her shield just in time. His massive, spiked gauntlet slammed into it with a deafening crash, enhanced by raw energy. Alessandra’s shield crackled with her own—but the force still drove her back several steps.
Reika, wide-eyed, raised her hand and fired a bolt of lightning. It struck the bandit’s side, staggering him just long enough for them to regroup.
Meanwhile, Yumi faced off against the advancing Death Tree Knights. Without hesitation, she fired three enchanted arrows in rapid succession, forcing them to halt.
Suddenly, a massive magical explosion tore through the battlefield. A giant wolf—twice the size of any they'd seen—landed in the center, a glowing blue horn jutting from its forehead. The impact sent both enemies and allies flying. The shockwave ripped trees from their roots and scattered the girls across the forest.
Reika looked around, heart pounding. “Let’s split up! We’ll meet with the princess later!” she shouted.
“Got it!” Yumi and Alessandra responded in unison before disappearing in different directions.
Reika sprinted through the trees until she reached a river. Without wasting time, she threw off her robe and dove into the current, letting it carry her away from the chaos.
The water was cold and fast. She paddled hard, but her limbs were already exhausted. The current grew stronger, dragging her under.
“I don’t want to die… damn it!” she gasped, struggling to breathe.
For a split second, she focused—summoning all the magic she had left. Her hands glowed faintly as she tried to manipulate the flow of water around her. The current began to stabilize, just enough to keep her from drowning.
“I’m… almost out of energy…” she muttered.
After what felt like forever, she drifted to the riverbank, collapsing onto the muddy edge—soaked, trembling, and alone.
She lay there, breathing heavily, staring up at the foreign sky of an unknown land.
Forcing herself to her feet, she pushed onward.
She arrived at a small village nestled between the southern hills. She kept a low profile, asking carefully worded questions about the surrounding area and the road to the north.
But her heart sank when she saw a small group of Death Tree Knights entering the town from the far gate.
Do they ever stop chasing us?! she thought bitterly, retreating into the shadows.
Forced to keep moving, Reika fled again—this time even farther south, nearly reaching the borderlands of the kingdom.
It was there, in a half-forgotten frontier town, that she stumbled into a dusty old tavern. Disguised under a worn hood and cloak, she sat quietly in a corner, listening—just as Iryoku once had.
Her ears perked up when she overheard a conversation from a nearby table.
“Did you hear? Zora’s Tower is opening applications again.”
“No way,” the other replied, taking a drink. “They’re looking for powerful magicians. Real talent. Even outsiders might have a shot this time. They say the tower holds knowledge on every branch of magic… They've got the resources—and they’ve even created new magical artifacts.”
Reika’s heart skipped a beat.
Zora’s Tower…