The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 148
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 148
I know Lyrnia Erahan von Benheim well.
I joined Renia’s Resistance to stand against the Archmage King. Counting just the years I’ve spent active with Renia, it’s nearly two.
I’ve fought in dozens of battles, faced hundreds of Black Mages, and destroyed thousands of Chimeras and Victor’s golems.
Of course, these accomplishments were achieved together with the entire Resistance. Yet in every battle that unfolded, I always stood alongside Renia on her front line. Reflecting on those years of shared hardship, in my past life, Renia and I only became intimate on that final night—but before that, we already knew each other through and through.
This meant I understood exactly why Renia had taken offense and what I needed to do to soothe her displeasure.
I had no need to follow the clumsy advice of women like Sheril, Saya, or Yusefin.
“Reagan, there’s something I need to say.”
“Now? With everything in the aftermath of battle?”
“It’s just that you seem to be treating Seila rather warmly. Didn’t you just say the day before yesterday that mercenaries shouldn’t develop romantic feelings for each other?”
“So… you’re saying it bothers you that I’m talking to that woman?”
“W-well, not exactly… but still… um…”
“Hmm?”
“Ugh, I don’t know! Just do whatever you want!”
In my past life, Renia would react this way whenever I spoke with another woman, especially Seila, a first-rate mercenary of the Resistance.
Back then, Renia had been sulking, and I did something I shouldn’t have to ease her heart.
“Seila, I need to talk to you about something.”
“What? Is it about tomorrow’s operation?”
“No, it’s about Renia. She seems quite upset today. Since she doesn’t seem to like me talking with you, I wondered if you two had a falling out.”
“…Reagan, did you really need to tell me that?”
“Huh?”
“You still haven’t figured it out? Everyone in the Resistance knows except you. You’re really hopeless.”
I had sought Seila’s advice, and she reacted as though exasperated.
At the time, I thought Renia and Seila must have had a poor relationship. But now, having returned after understanding Renia’s true feelings, things were different.
Renia must have been jealous. Of how warmly I treated a woman like Seila.
It’s similar now. Renia has taken offense at my carelessness. And it falls to me to soothe her. I have that obligation.
I’ve already received so much from Renia. The Benheim Sword I now hold, and even this second chance granted by my return—I’ve received everything from her.
Then it’s time to draw upon my past life’s experience, for Renia’s sake.
The way I had soothed her heart back then was…
Knock, knock.
I rapped on Renia’s door.
There was no response. Yet through my distinctive mana sense, I felt a faint presence of life within the room.
I sighed and spoke.
“Renia, it’s me.”
Just as I was about to knock again, the door suddenly swung open, and delicate features peeked out through the gap.
“…Hello.”
“Hey there, Renia. It’s been half a day.”
Renia places great importance on greetings.
I once asked her why. Her answer back then was probably…
“The world is difficult in so many ways, isn’t it? Tomorrow, we might not be able to meet with a smile. So I want to greet each other as much as possible.”
But seeing her act this way even during peaceful times, it seemed to be simply Renia’s personal nature.
I offered a wry smile as I looked at her. Judging by her sharply angled eyebrows that suggested displeasure, Renia appeared to be sulking.
However, observing the corners of her mouth curving upward with a hint of mischief, it seemed her mood had already softened somewhat simply because I had come to find her.
In truth, what Renia wanted was not my apology or consolation, but rather….
“Renia, congratulations on winning the Exchange Tournament.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“In that case, do you have time tonight?”
At my question, Renia nodded as if she had expected this, then answered.
“Allet mentioned that there’s supposed to be a departure ceremony and banquet for the Alliance Subjugation Force tonight, and he specifically insisted that I absolutely must attend without fail.”
Even as she said this, Renia’s eyes had already softened into a gentle curve.
I grinned and asked.
“Is Allet’s request really that important?”
“…Not really?”
“Then shall we go out for a bit tonight instead? It would probably be more enjoyable than a banquet full of empty formalities.”
“Hmm….”
Renia placed a finger on her chin as if contemplating. But that was merely a gesture of playing coy. In the end, following her true intentions, I pressed the invitation again.
“Please?”
“Hmm….”
Renia tilted her head slightly and continued speaking.
“Reagan.”
“What?”
“Is this a date proposal?”
During the Hunting Festival, when I had suggested we spend time together, Renia had asked this same question. I had denied it then, but now that we were husband and wife, there was no need to be coy about it.
“You could say that.”
“Then I’m fine with it.”
* * *
And so I left the Benheim Estate with Renia.
Unlike in the past, now that both Renia and I had reached the 6th Rank, we could easily slip over the wall and evade the family’s surveillance network and Steren’s watchful eye.
In fact, beyond simply sneaking out of the estate, I had committed another transgression.
“How did you even know about such fine liquor?”
At Renia’s question, I deliberately shook the bottle I held. It was the very same liquor I had tasted when I received Surtr’s Ash from Steren not long ago. There had been about half a bottle remaining in the Main House kitchen cabinet, and I had noticed it and quietly taken it.
“An outing should be accompanied by fine drink, shouldn’t it? I heard it was expensive.”
“That’s right. Father treasures that liquor immensely.”
“Hmm…. Should we put it back even now?”
“No. We’ve already done it.”
Renia laughed brightly as we walked along the forest path.
“We’ll be in serious trouble if we’re caught.”
That was true. We had skipped both the Alliance Subjugation Force’s inaugural ceremony and the banquet, and simply vanished from the estate together.
On top of that, we had stolen the family head’s treasured liquor. As for the fallout from this… well, tomorrow’s me would have to deal with it.
As I was consoling myself with such thoughts, Renia suddenly spoke.
“Still… Father and Allet would probably understand, wouldn’t they?”
“Why would they?”
“Because we’re newlyweds?”
“…I see.”
“Haha. Reagan, are you embarrassed? Why can’t you speak?”
Renia giggled, and I offered an awkward smile before tucking the wine bottle back into my robes.
“So, where are we going? To the village?”
“No, the Great Mage Alliance mages have likely already prepared lodgings in the outer villages. We’d draw unwanted attention if we showed up there.”
“That’s true. So where are we headed? Wait… we’re going into this desolate forest… Reagan, surely you’re not….”
I felt Renia’s piercing gaze boring into my back, but I paid it no mind and continued forward. As we pushed through the thicket and emerged into the basin, a vast lake revealed itself beneath the moonlight.
It was a lake situated near the Benheim Estate—Litera Lake, as it was called. In truth, this was my first time seeing it with my own eyes, though in my previous life, Renia had mentioned it countless times.
– How delightful it was to take boat rides there.
The reason that memory surfaced was because the clumsy boating I had done back then was meant to lift Renia’s spirits.
Renia’s Resistance always established camps near water sources. So in those deep nights when everyone slept, by the time I finished wielding my sword, Renia would invariably throw a tantrum, insisting on taking a boat ride.
Her stubbornness was unyielding. Eventually, whenever time permitted, I would enjoy boating with her while gazing at the stars scattered across the night sky.
“…So you want to take a boat ride here?”
Upon hearing my proposal, Renia’s eyes widened in surprise.
From her reaction, it seemed this version of Renia had no particular interest in boating.
“What is it, Renia? Don’t you enjoy boat rides?”
“I’ve never done it before. But….”
As Renia gazed at the moonlight dancing across the lake’s surface and the cascade of starlight pouring down, her lips curved upward.
“It seems like it would be fun.”
Of course it would be.
It was one of the few pastimes she truly cherished.
“I’m certain of it—you’ll come to love this boating experience.”
I pushed an abandoned boat from the dock and climbed aboard. Renia clumsily followed me into the vessel.
I worried she might suffer from seasickness as she had before, but fortunately, on this calm lake, she seemed perfectly fine.
“Wow….”
As I rowed, the boat glided smoothly across the water’s surface.
Renia gasped in wonder, her eyes fixed on the starlight reflected in the water, her face radiant with joy.
“It’s beautiful. The sky above and below are both night itself. It feels like we’re floating in the cosmos.”
“It’s a lake, after all.”
“Right. A lake.”
Renia stared in rapture for a long while before turning her gaze toward me.
“Reagan, you don’t seem like the type to enjoy boating. Where did you learn this?”
“I learned it to enjoy it with you.”
In my previous life, there were often no boats available, so I had to fell nearby trees and even construct rafts—a task that always fell to me.
I offered a bitter smile and retrieved the wine bottle I had brought. Since I hadn’t brought glasses, we had to pass the bottle back and forth to drink.
“This wine tastes good. It’s worth the price.”
“…I wouldn’t know much about that.”
“Not knowing the taste of wine… that’s because you’re still young, Reagan.”
It wasn’t something I should hear from someone younger than me, but….
‘Well, I suppose that’s fair.’
At least in my previous life, Renia was more mature than I was.
Meanwhile, Renia stretched out in the middle of the boat and gazed up at the sky.
“Reagan, I remember our wedding day. We sat facing each other like this and watched the night sky back then too.”
“We did.”
“Tonight’s sky seems just as beautiful as that day.”
It wasn’t quite as magnificent as the night of the lunar eclipse when stars fell like rain, but with the alcohol warming my senses, it was certainly worth admiring.
After some ten minutes of silence, when the wine bottle was nearly empty, I carefully opened my mouth.
“Renia, about what happened today….”
“It’s fine. Honestly, it wasn’t worth getting that upset over. I was just being stubborn.”
“Is that so….”
It seemed Renia wasn’t truly angry after all.
Truly, there was no woman more troublesome than her.
And how troublesome was my own situation, being so thoroughly bound to this troublesome woman.
As I pondered this, Renia withdrew her gaze from the night sky and looked directly at me.
“Besides… you showed me something this magnificent, didn’t you? That’s enough for me.”
Renia spoke with a bright smile, and feeling oddly embarrassed, I changed the subject.
“So Renia, about the Alliance Subjugation Force….”
“Reagan, you’re thinking of asking me the same question your father would, aren’t you?”
“Father?”
“Yes. Why am I joining the Alliance Subjugation Force? That as a direct heir, I should stay safely in the estate and protect the family. That’s what you were going to say, right?”
“….”
Renia had grasped exactly what I wanted to say.
In the Alliance Subjugation Force, we would face countless enemies. And most of them were Black Mages with hearts as dark as the Beast Face Society. Truthfully, I wished Renia would remain safe here in the estate. But that was….
“My own stubbornness.”
“Yes. It’s your stubbornness, Reagan. Just as I’m being stubborn now, you’re throwing a tantrum at me too.”
At her sharp words, I sighed.
She was right. Renia was not some delicate flower in a greenhouse. Rather, she was like a blade honed sharp, meant to be honed even sharper. Just as a sword is not made to rest in its sheath, neither was Renia.
“I’m sorry. I was being selfish.”
“Weren’t you thinking that way for my sake? I feel the same way.”
“….”
“Besides, if it’s so dangerous, were you planning to leave alone without me, your wife?”
“…It’s just something that needs to be done.”
“I need it too.”
Renia hesitated for a moment, uncharacteristically, before speaking.
“I need you, Reagan.”
“….”
I was left speechless, and to dispel the awkwardness, I drained the remaining wine in one gulp. This time, I didn’t fight off the intoxication.
Perhaps it was the alcohol. A pale mist drifted across the surface of the lake. From its center, Renia gazed at me intently and spoke.
“Reagan, do you remember the conversation we had long ago in Mist Valley?”
“Mist Valley?”
“Yes. We made a wager, remember? Whoever falls in love first wins.”
“…That’s right.”
Our gazes intertwined.
Her iris-blue eyes gleamed with a soft azure light as they caught the moonlight.
“I think… I’m the victor.”
“….”
I stared at Renia for a long moment, then exhaled deeply and shook my head.
“No. I’m the victor.”
“What?”
“From the moment we first met, I had already won.”
* * *
The next day at Benheim Estate.
A peculiar atmosphere hung over the Estate, where the Alliance Subjugation Force’s inaugural ceremony had just concluded.
The elite battle mages of the Great Mage Alliance, gathered to eradicate the Black Mages, emanated a palpable aura—a kind of martial tension that permeated the air.
Thus, the leadership of the Subjugation Force currently occupied the war room of the Rune Surveillance Unit in the Basement of the Tower, deliberating on the situation.
“Very well. Princess Yusephine Airid, what is the current situation in Iridia?”
As Steren posed the question, Yusephine Airid, her silver-white hair neatly bound, answered with measured composure.
“It’s the same as what I mentioned in my previous letter. The black plague is being contained, and the Black Mages remain hidden in lairs near the Estate.”
“That is fortunate news, at least.”
Steren nodded. Thus, the Alliance Subjugation Force’s first objective was the Iridia Estate. Accordingly, as he listened to Yusephine’s report, he was formulating the operations that lay ahead.
Creak—.
The door opened, and a gray-haired man entered.
It was Reagan von Benheim.
“…Reagan.”
Steren fixed Reagan with a sharp gaze and released a heavy sigh.
Reagan had departed the Estate yesterday alongside Renia, conspicuously absent from the Alliance Subjugation Force’s inaugural ceremony without permission.
He wished to reprimand him severely for such a grave breach of etiquette, and to inquire about the whereabouts of the wine bottle that had been in the cabinet….
‘But I cannot do so now.’
In a situation where mages from other families and towers were gathered, to rebuke his son-in-law would be to bring shame upon Benheim’s honor. Thus, Steren refrained from pressing further and changed the subject.
“…Very well. Reagan. Where is Renia? Did you come alone?”
“Renia is in her room.”
“This is a meeting to discuss the Alliance Subjugation Force’s next operations. Everyone must attend. Bring Renia here.”
Though Steren spoke with utmost reasonableness, Reagan offered a wry smile, as if in difficulty.
“That may prove rather challenging.”
“And why is that?”
“She says her back aches… She’s been bedridden all morning.”
“….”
Crack.
The fountain pen Steren had been holding snapped in two, and Yusephine, standing right before him, let out a startled hiccup.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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