Athena's General Reincarnated in Another World

Sebastian Blake:

I'd been on edge for days—completely unraveling. Nothing made sense anymore.

Lady Sindra and Theodore Borir had left us in the dark about how they planned to handle the fallout. I didn't even know what their next move was. The only thing I knew for certain was that it was supposed to be big.

And then… everything collapsed.

Everyone was gone.

And now we learn there are more gods out there?

"A shame this ruined your birthday," one of my friends said. "We could've thrown you a little celebration before we depart with the royal envoys."

I'm so nervous I don't even care about my damn birthday. If anything, this is the worst gift possible.

"This isn't exactly the time for parties," I said. "Maybe I'll host something small after all of this blows over."

We kept talking—other topics, other curiosities. Everyone wanted to know what had been revealed. They asked me questions, speculated, gossiped.

But inside?

I was breaking.

I couldn't even drink the wine they kept serving me.

Eventually, they all wandered off somewhere else. I collapsed into a chair, exhaling hard.

"You alright, Sebastian? You're sweating," asked Alice.

"Of course, love," I said.

"Just call me Alice…" she muttered, bitterness in her voice.

"We're in the middle of a shitstorm, and that's what you're worried about?" I snapped.

Too late—
Some of that anger slipped into my voice.

"Enjoy your birthday alone," she said coldly, turning and walking away.

"Alice… wait, I'm sorry—" I called out.

But she was already gone.

Damn it.

I downed the rest of my glass in one gulp and stared out the window.

Winged horses flew above the mansion in patrol formation. Down below, the royal family's tigers roamed the grounds like silent guardians.

Where are you, Father?

With everything that happened, I'd barely seen him. He was constantly working behind closed doors.

Thanks to William screwing everything up and getting caught, even the use of flying mounts had been restricted. Luckily, he was tied to Duke Saul and had nothing directly linking him to my family.

I heard his father got arrested too. Unfairly. The poor man didn't even know about our conspiracy.

Torture him all they want, they won't get anything.

But it just made things look more random, more chaotic. More dangerous.

Still…

I could feel the rope tightening around my neck.

If William talked, it was over.

And I wasn't the only one feeling it—

Every noble who'd attended meetings at my estate must've been just as terrified.

But handing William over had been Lady Sindra's move.

And whatever they did to him… it worked.

Even under torture, he couldn't speak.

I heard he'd go mute.

Or black out.

Or start speaking in a strange language no one could understand—not even himself.

They tampered with him…

So much that he'd become useless as a witness.

"Something wrong?" a voice asked, approaching from behind.

It was Grand Duke John.

Of all the people…

He was the most dangerous. Known as The Executioner.

He was the one all commanders and generals answered to. The military grand duke in charge of handling everything related to this crisis across the kingdom.

Where Alice's father oversaw internal and trade matters, this man handled war.

"Nothing, my lord," I said, forcing a smile.

"I've already reviewed the entire list of knights who used to follow that William," said Grand Duke John calmly. "I've memorized their names, their families, their faces. Don't worry—they'll be found. Some of the bastards are hiding somewhere in the city. Now that the tower's been cleared, we'll start searching homes and businesses next. Give me a few days, and those rats will be singing like birds in my hand."

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His memory's insane...

I swallowed hard.

I didn't know if the other traitors had the same... "protection" that William had.

After we returned from the tower and the students gave their statements, some of those who came back simply vanished.

You didn't need to be a genius to realize the ones who disappeared were involved.

"Oh, stop harassing the boy, John," said another voice approaching.

It was Duke Ryan—my fiancée's father.

"He doesn't want to be dragged into unpleasant matters. This is supposed to be a celebration, remember? Work stays outside."

"Unlike you, Ryan," John replied dryly, "I stay active through my work—not just sitting behind a desk."

"Ouch. That was a low blow, cousin," Ryan chuckled. "Hey, I do fly around to check stockpiles myself, you know. Logistics doesn't handle itself. I don't have as many assistants as I'd like... I wish I had your memory. Maybe we should trade jobs sometime."

John sighed. "Fine, cousin... I'll avoid talking shop. For now."

He walked off, leaving me with Ryan.

I was still anxious, my throat dry.

Ryan stepped closer and gave my shoulder a light pat.

"I just saved you there, Sebastian," he said with a knowing grin. "John loves to talk about work—and in his line of work, that means torture reports, decapitations, and executions. The man's memory makes him a terrifying administrator. He doesn't even need assistants."

I tried to laugh. But my nerves wouldn't let go.

"I know I've said this before," Ryan continued, suddenly softer, "but I want to thank you again for protecting my daughter in that tower."

He paused. His voice carried more weight.

"She means the world to me. Thank you for protecting her—and my nephews."

"I-I was just doing my duty, sir," I replied, trying to sound modest. And calm.

Ryan picked a glass off a passing servant's tray and handed me another.

"You're part of the family, Sebastian. I expect great things from you. Soon you'll be formally part of the royal lineage, and we'll place you in a higher military role."

He sipped his wine, then added:

"This incident with the traitors... Thank the stars William was from Duke Saul's province. I know I shouldn't say this out loud, but I'm relieved they weren't trusted men from the capital. If they were, it would've damaged our image far more."

"True, sir..." I said, taking a drink—anything to hide the nerves in my voice.

"That's why I didn't allow them to question you too aggressively," he said. "We need to protect your image. And Elara's. You're a priority. You were injured while protecting the royal family in that tower. That's noble. It matters."

I silently thanked that William and I had no direct connection—aside from both being assigned to Elara's group. He was a distant noble from another duchy. That saved me.

"I want your honest opinion about the Evenhart boy," Ryan said suddenly, shifting the topic. "Reports say he's highly skilled in combat. How good is he, really?"

"Hm..." I exhaled, relieved by the change in topic.

"He's military-grade, easily. He's mastered his elemental affinity in a way I've never seen. Unlike Anastasia, who's a pure Emittor, he's got two classes. One of them is Transmitter. I saw him channel lightning into his body to boost his speed and strength to absurd levels. With that, he cut down orcs effortlessly—and he's also capable of ranged attacks. He's dangerous, sir."

He's definitely a far better mage than I am...

Ryan seemed to ponder my words for a moment.

"I'm glad to hear that. Who knows—maybe we'll recruit him someday," he said with a smile.

Then he paused, caught himself, and chuckled. "Ah—there I go again. Talking about work!"

He laughed lightly, and we continued walking toward a group of nobles gathered near the back of the hall.

Nathan Evenhart:

Syvis stepped between me and the old man.

"You know my grandpa?" she asked, glancing between us, curious.

"W-we do," Kinue and I said at the same time.

Wait—

So that old drunk is my grandfather too?

And Kinue's?

...It actually makes sense now. He probably approached us because he wanted to meet his descendants—me.

"Hey! If you're royalty, why were you always borrowing money from me?" I asked, scowling.

The old man burst into laughter with zero shame.

"Don't ever lend him money!" Syvis warned. "He used to borrow my allowance and never paid it back!"

"You don't need to say that in front of them, Syvis. I'll put you in time-out," he said, wagging a finger at her.

"That's not fair, Grandpa," she pouted, folding her arms with a grumble.

I glanced behind me. Queen Garnora had vanished.

That short conversation with her...

It clarified a lot.

The director and Thyra were once high nobles... but they'd been stripped of their status.

I always knew something serious happened with the Wolf Tribe—but I hadn't realized it was this serious.

What exactly happened in the beastkin kingdom...?

"Don't worry about Garnora," the old man said, noticing my distracted look.

"She's got her quirks, sure, but she's a good person... I think." He laughed again. "She just doesn't trust anyone. Not even her own guards. She lives alone in her palace."

"What? She lives alone?" Kinue blinked, surprised.

"I may have said too much..." he muttered, scratching his head like he'd made a mistake. "Come on, let's get back to the event."

The old man gave us a gentle push, herding us toward the main hall.

Once we re-entered the event area, we naturally split off—each returning to our respective seats.

The event resumed with military officials explaining the creatures and sharing tactical breakdowns, based on firsthand reports from the students. It was open to most of the noble class, and even Frederick was present.

However, there were some... alterations to the official story.

According to the new version, the monsters had emerged from dormant nests hidden within the academy tower. The idea was that such nests might exist in other places across the continent and could start awakening.

The word portal was never mentioned.

That part had been completely scrubbed.

Instead, they claimed the beasts would simply be added to the kingdom's bestiary like any other creature.

It was clear the military's PR unit had carefully crafted a public version of events—one that downplayed the threat and emphasized swift, controlled resolution.

During the presentations, the high-ranking nobles and select military officials were quietly summoned to a restricted chamber. No one questioned it. In noble events, it was common for access to certain rooms to be dictated by social tier.

I walked with my aunt and Chloe toward the designated area.

It was a spacious room lined with rows of chairs, and we took our seats.

The atmosphere was heavy—filled with generals, grand dukes, and recognizable figures from the academy.

At the far end of the room sat a long table.

Behind it?

The reigning monarchs of the three kingdoms.

"Well then, we've managed to rein in some of the chaos we created," said King Charles with a casual chuckle. "Now, let's dive deeper into what was actually discovered."

Queen Garnora stood from her chair just as a group of soldiers entered the hall. They carried something large and heavy—secured inside a reinforced metal case.

Every gaze in the room immediately shifted toward the object. Some nobles leaned forward, trying to catch a better look.

The box was carefully placed in front of the queen.

From her storage bracelet, Garnora retrieved an unusual key and inserted it into a hidden slot.
With a smooth click, the box unlocked.

"This is how documents of this security level are transported," she said firmly. "Only the monarchs hold keys capable of opening them."

A murmur rippled through the room.

From within the box, a thick stack of documents was pulled out.

An assistant began handing them out to everyone present. When I received mine, I glanced at Chloe's beside me and saw they were identical.

Inside was a detailed illustration—and a faded photo printed on rare, high-quality paper.

The structure shown was made of ancient stone, overgrown with moss and vines.

In the center, a staircase led up to a circular platform, with a large stone ring resting atop it.

Beneath the image, a clear caption read:

'Rainbow Bridge Portal.'

My heart skipped a beat.

I recognized it instantly.

The portal beneath the academy tower.

A Bifrost gateway!

The thought sent a shiver through me.

My eyes instinctively searched for Queen Garnora.

Even from across the room, she seemed to be watching me closely—measuring my reaction.

Her gaze lingered just a moment before she turned her attention back to the document in her hands.

"As written," she announced to the room, her voice cutting through the whispers. "This is a portal—a gateway that allows travel between worlds."