Reborn As Noble

As Javier was celebrating his victory, a shadow darted out from the treeline. One of the remaining snake-wolf hybrids lunged straight at him, its fangs bared and venom dripping.

"Oh, you sneaky little—" Javier barely had time to react. He quickly spun on his pekko, unsheathing his longsword. With a powerful swing, he sliced the monster cleanly in mid-air.

SLASH!

The snake-wolf blood sprayed everywhere, drenching Javier from head to toe.

"Ewwww!! Disgusting!! Blergh..." Javier gagged, shaking his head in horror. He wiped at his face with his sleeve, only to smear the sticky, redish-black goo further. "Ugh, gross, gross, gross! Why does it smell like rotten fish!?"

He looked down at his once-pristine shirt and pants, now completely soaked in monster blood. His pekko squawked, turning its head to give him what felt like a judgmental look.

"Don't look at me like that, buddy! It's not my fault!" Javier groaned, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Crap! These were my favorite clothes!"

The puppet knights stood silently, their polished armor untouched, as if mocking their creator's current state.

"You lot don't even bleed! Must be nice!" he muttered under his breath, kicking a piece of monster hide out of frustration.

Javier sighed, wiping some of the slime from his sword before stowing it away. "I'm gonna need a long bath after this… or maybe just burn these clothes."

He glanced around at the battlefield, his mood quickly shifting back to excitement. "Well, at least the loot better make up for this mess!" With that, he grinned, wiping his hands on his already ruined pants. "Back to work, buddy! We've got more treasure to find!"

Javier stretched his arms, yawning as he walked toward the mine entrance where his puppet knights had been tirelessly working. The flickering light of mana-powered lanterns illuminated the area, and a grin spread across his face as he saw the massive pile of ore gleaming under the light.

"Ohhhh!!! You all managed to mine all of this? Awesome!!!" He clapped his hands, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "You guys are the best! More ore means more puppet knights! Yeah!!"

The mountain of ore was an impressive mix of shining crystals, chunks of valuable metals, and even a few rare gems glinting in the pile. Javier's eyes sparkled as if he were a dragon hoarding its treasure.

He opened his magic storage, a shimmering portal of swirling light, and began transferring the mountain of ore with a satisfied smirk.

"In you go! And you! And you too!" he hummed as he worked, tossing everything into the storage with glee.

Nearby, the corpses of various monsters were stacked in neat piles, courtesy of his ever-efficient puppet knights. Javier glanced at them, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmmm... all these monster parts will fetch a good price—except for the goblins." He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "Nobody wants goblin parts anyway. Useless. Stinky. Waste of space."

With a wave of his hand, he ignored the goblin corpses and continued storing the rest. "Goodbye, nasty goblins! Hello, shiny profit!"

Finally, after loading the last of the loot, Javier let out a contented sigh, stretching his arms again. "Haaaa... I'm tired now. Hey, buddy, how about we call it a night?"

His pekko squawked in agreement, already making itself comfortable on the soft grass nearby.

"Alright, let's set up camp then." Javier turned to his puppet knights, pointing at the area around him. "You lot, form a perimeter. I'm not getting ambushed while I sleep!"

The knights silently moved into formation, their heavy footsteps echoing in the still night.

Javier plopped down beside his pekko, leaning against its warm, feathery body. He gazed at the stars overhead, a satisfied grin still on his face.

"Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we conquer more treasure. Ehehehe... life's good, buddy. Life's really good."

With that, he closed his eyes, letting the soothing sound of rustling leaves lull him to sleep.

After Javier fell asleep, still covered in monster blood and lying on the grass, his peaceful snores were drowned out by the occasional squawking of his pekko, nestled comfortably beside him. The puppet knights, having finished mining, ceased their labor and now stood vigilant, encircling the camp like silent sentinels, their glowing eyes scanning for any threats.

The quiet night was filled with the distant rustle of leaves and the occasional chirp of nocturnal creatures, but it brought no comfort to Liana, who rode tirelessly through the forest.

Her heart raced with worry, her mind consumed by thoughts of her missing young master. She didn't care about her own exhaustion, the chilling wind of the night, or the looming danger of monsters. All that mattered was finding Javier.

Liana adjusted her grip on the reins of her pekko, urging it forward. She had long given up on trying to guide it, trusting instead in the creature's instincts. The pekko's squawking and determined pace suggested it had picked up on something—something only it could sense.

Her confusion grew as her mount veered off the main path and onto a nearly hidden, overgrown trail shrouded in foliage.

"Why are we taking this road?" she muttered, furrowing her brows. She glanced around, recognizing none of the landmarks. The dense undergrowth and moss-covered stones hinted that this road hadn't been used in years.

Despite her unease, Liana trusted the pekko, leaning forward slightly to pat its neck. "You better know what you're doing. Let's hope this leads us to him."

The light from her magic crystal illuminated the eerie surroundings, revealing gnarled trees and thick vines. Occasionally, faint growls echoed in the distance, but her pekko pressed on, unbothered. Liana tightened her grip on her bow, her emerald eyes scanning the shadows for movement.

Her thoughts wandered as they traversed the mysterious road.

"Javier, you reckless fool..." she whispered under her breath. "Are you mad at me? Is that why you've done this? I don't care what it takes—I'll find you, even if it means searching every corner of this forest."

The pekko suddenly squawked, snapping her out of her thoughts. Ahead, the foliage seemed to thin out, revealing a faint glow in the distance. Liana narrowed her eyes, her body tense with anticipation.

"What is that?" she murmured, urging her pekko to move faster.

As they approached, the faint glow revealed itself to be a clearing where scattered lanterns and magical lights flickered. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the figures standing guard—Javier's puppet knights.

Liana's heart nearly stopped as she caught sight of Javier lying motionless on the grass, his clothes soaked in blood. For a moment, the world seemed to blur around her, panic gripping her chest.

"Young master!" she shouted, leaping off her pekko without hesitation.

She sprinted across the clearing, ignoring the imposing puppet knights that turned their glowing eyes toward her but made no move to stop her approach. Dropping to her knees beside Javier, she frantically checked his pulse, her trembling hands brushing his blood-streaked face.

"Please, no..." she whispered, her voice breaking.

A steady, calm heartbeat met her touch, and she nearly collapsed in relief. Her fingers pressed lightly against his neck as her sharp eyes scanned his body for injuries.

That relief quickly turned into fury when she realized the blood wasn't his.

"What... in the name... is this?!" she hissed, shaking him by the shoulders. "Young master! Wake up!"

Javier stirred, blinking groggily as if waking from a pleasant dream. His eyes lazily opened, meeting her frantic gaze.

"Oh... Liana?" he muttered, a sleepy grin forming on his lips. "You came all the way here for me? I'm touched."

"Don't you dare joke with me right now!" she snapped, shaking him harder. "Why are you covered in blood? What happened? Are you hurt?"

Javier blinked, then sat up, looking down at his stained clothes with a sheepish laugh. "Oh, this? Yeah, it's just monster blood. Got a little messy earlier, that's all."

Liana stared at him, her hands frozen mid-air. "Just... monster blood?"

"Yeah! I was hunting earlier. You wouldn't believe the number of monsters we fought! My puppet knights and Buddy over there—" he pointed to his sleeping pekko, "—did an amazing job. It was epic!"

Her eye twitched as her emotions swung violently between relief, anger, and exhaustion. She pressed her palms to her temples, breathing deeply to calm herself.

"You... reckless, irresponsible..." she muttered under her breath before glaring at him. "Do you have any idea how worried everyone was? How worried I was?!"

Javier's grin faded slightly, and he scratched the back of his head. "Uh... I guess I should've tell them or something."

"You think?!" she snapped, standing abruptly and glaring down at him.

Javier raised his hands in mock surrender, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips. "Come on, Liana. It's not that big a deal. I'm fine, see?"

"Not that big a deal?!" Liana leaned closer, her tone cold and sharp. "You've been missing for hours, it's the middle of the night, and you're out here playing adventurer while everyone back home is panicking!"

Javier winced, his usual confidence faltering under her scolding. "Uh... sorry?"

Liana crossed her arms, her piercing glare unwavering. "We are going back. Now."

"But Liana, there's still so much ore to mine, and—"

"NOW."

Javier sighed dramatically, muttering, "Fine, fine. You win."

As Liana turned away to prepare their departure, Javier whispered under his breath, "But I'm totally sneaking back here later."

"I heard that."

Javier gulped, realizing there was no escaping her wrath this time.

( End of Chapter )