Reborn As Noble

Meanwhile…

The moon hung high as Buddy thundered down the worn dirt road, talons pounding the earth in relentless rhythm.

"Buddy! Faster!!!" Javier shouted, leaning low, eyes locked forward.

"Don't stop! Don't rest until we find them!"

Buddy squawked, legs moving in a blur—mana still surging from the earlier buffs, wings flaring to balance each tight turn.

Inside Javier's mind—chaos.

Why…?

What was with that smile, Liana...?

That wasn't her.

That wasn't the girl who scolded me for skipping training… who pulled my ear when I stole cookies…

What happened?

Why didn't they tell me anything...?

He gritted his teeth.

Were they mad at me…?

Was it because I flirted too much again?

His grip tightened on the reins.

"Damn it!"

This is all because of me. I know it. It's my fault.

I should've talked to them sooner… I should've noticed.

Liana… Gloria…

"Where are you...?"

Javier arrived at the Armand border checkpoint, Buddy's claws skidding slightly as he pulled to a halt just before the heavy guard post.

Without hesitation, Javier leapt down from Buddy's back, his boots landing with a thud on the stone platform.

The stationed guards, clad in Armand-region light armor, immediately stood straight and saluted sharply.

"Young Master!"

Javier stepped forward, breath heavy, eyes sharp.

"Did Liana and Gloria pass through here?"

One of the guards nodded quickly.

"Yes, Young Master. They arrived several hours ago."

Javier's brows furrowed. "Did they say where they were going?"

The guard shook his head.

"We don't know the details, Young Master…"

He held out a clipboard with stamped forms.

"But the travel document and permit they submitted… listed their destination as the Elven Kingdom."

Javier clenched his fists.

The Elven Kingdom…?

He took a step back, exhaled.

"Alright. Thank you. Please process my travel documents. Fast."

The guard nodded and moved quickly toward the inner booth.

"Understood, Young Master. Just wait a moment while we prepare your clearance."

Javier stood by, eyes scanning the road ahead.

Inside Javier's mind—

From the Armand border to the first town in the Beastkin Kingdom…

Two to three hours by horse.

But with Buddy—one hour. Maybe less.

From that town to the next... and then to the capital… another two hours, give or take, if I push Buddy at full speed.

He narrowed his eyes, visualizing the map burned into his mind.

And from the Beastkin capital… to the Elven Kingdom border…

That's nearly a full day. Even with Buddy's speed.

Javier looked up, the night sky stretching wide above him.

Dark.

Silent.

The stars barely visible behind light clouds drifting across the moon.

This means…

Tonight… somewhere along that road…

He clenched his jaw.

They might have stopped. To rest. To sleep.

"…I can still catch up."

Then another thought struck him.

Liana and Gloria… headed to the Elven Kingdom.

But—

The Elven Kingdom is huge.

Too huge.

Forests. Mountains. Dozens of cities, hidden villages, border towns cloaked with mana illusions.

Which part are they going to?

He gritted his teeth.

"Damn."

When I get there… I'll have to use the scout drones. Spread a wide net. Scan all major mana signatures.

Then his mind paused.

A darker realization crept in.

But… what if they're minimizing their mana signal?

He froze.

They could easily do that. I already taught them how. Years ago.

Suppress your presence. Mask your flow. Avoid detection spells, artifacts, and drones.

It was standard training.

Training he himself had given them.

"Damn it…" he whispered, staring into the distant road.

They're not just traveling.

They're making sure I can't find them.

This is all my fault.

His jaw clenched as the wind rushed past him, Buddy dashing beneath him like thunder on the earth.

Damn you… Nakamura Junichi.

You should've stopped flirting.

You're not even an adult yet in this world…

He looked down at his own hands — hands that had wielded magic, led puppet knights, created weapons, overcome battlefields.

But failed at the most basic thing.

Being honest.

Being loyal.

Being a real man.

You wanted both of them…

Liana and Gloria.

You knew they were yours—your home, your heart.

And yet you took them for granted.

His throat tightened.

If they… stop trying to love you…

If they give up…

Then you won't just lose them.

You'll lose everything.

You'll lose the whole world.

Stop getting excited over meaningless things…

Over every girl who shows you a little attention…

Just because you were reborn in this world, Javier—

Just because it's new… doesn't mean everything is important.

He shut his eyes briefly as the wind whipped at his face.

Didn't you stop and look?

Really look?

Didn't you see who stood beside you the longest?

Which girls truly mattered?

His hands tightened around Buddy's reins.

Sure, there are plenty of beautiful girls in this world.

Sure, some are noble, exotic, strong, alluring.

But none of them…

None of them compare to Liana and Gloria.

Maybe only Francesca ranks higher in beauty—but come on!

He gritted his teeth.

You know it.

You've always known it.

Liana and Gloria… they're not just beautiful.

They're everything. Elegant. Loyal. Strong. Enduring.

They're the most beautiful women you've ever met.

In both worlds.

Ask yourself!

His teeth clenched.

Can you live without them?

Why did you train so hard? Why did you push your mana to the limit?

Why did you try to become the strongest in this world?

Wasn't it… for Liana?

Wasn't the reason you lost control before—because of Liana and Gloria?

His breath caught.

You remember it clearly, don't you?

The day those summoned heroes stabbed them.

The blood.

Their fading breath.

His vision shook—his grip trembling.

You killed them.

You destroyed them. Ripped them apart. Crushed every single enemy that stood in your way.

Because of Liana…

Because of Gloria…

They were the reason.

And now?

He swallowed hard, chest tightening.

You're losing them.

Not because someone took them…

But because you forgot what they meant.

Because you smiled too much at others… and forgot what their smile meant to you.

That smile…

Those smiles…

He lowered his head slightly as the night wind howled past.

They were the beginning.

The starting point… of you.

And now—

You're about to lose them.

Forever.

"No…"

His voice cracked in the wind.

"No… no…"

His chest heaved.

"NOOO!!!"

His shout echoed across the quiet road as Buddy charged forward under the moonlight, but Javier was no longer focused on direction.

He was panicking.

Completely.

Eyes wide, vision blurring, his hands trembling on the reins.

"Liana and Gloria are mine…!"

His voice shook violently.

"No man should marry them… except me!"

His breath caught, heart racing out of rhythm.

Tears slipped from his eyes.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, voice hoarse.

"I'm sorry… I won't do it again…"

His throat closed.

His eyes squeezed shut.

"Please…"

The word broke.

"Come back to me… Liana… Gloria…"

The wind swallowed his voice, but he kept speaking, kept begging.

"I'm sorry…"

"Really… really sorry."

The guilt. The fear. The regret.

All spilling out into the cold night as he chased what he should've never let drift away.

( End Of Chapter )