Twice Reborn Transmigrator

When I came to, I found myself staring at an unfamiliar wooden ceiling. Where was I? The last thing I remembered was passing out after killing the last hellhound. After that? Nothing. Leroy and Cally must have brought me here, wherever this was.

I took stock of my current condition. Other than a mild ache all over my body, I felt fine. Even my burnt skin no longer hurt, though it felt a little tender. Either I had been unconscious for a while, or a healer had tended to me. Perhaps both. Regardless, I had almost fully recovered.

Afterwards, I berated myself for acting like a rank amateur. In my arrogance, I grew careless and suffered unnecessary injuries as a result. During the fight, when I injured the first hellhound, I should have played it smart and retreated instead of going in for the kill. If I had, things wouldn't have gotten so bad. Instead, I gave the second hellhound the opening it needed to injure me.

It all worked out in the end, but not because of my efforts. If it hadn't been for Cally and her Ice magic, all three of us might have died fighting the hellhounds. Anger and shame burned through me. So much for being an experienced S-rank hunter. I acted like a fool and paid the price for it. Worst of all, the people around me almost suffered as a result of my mistake.

I wasn't as powerful as I used to be. Yes, I could punch above my weight class, but that only went so far. I needed to be more careful going forward. Impatience led to sloppiness, and sloppiness led to mistakes. As a hunter, or an adventurer in this case, mistakes resulted in lost lives.

After scolding myself for acting like an idiot, I sat up and looked around. It appeared that I was in an infirmary ward of some kind. It was a simple rectangular room, with a wooden floor and wooden walls, in addition to the wooden ceiling. Simple glowstone lamps filled the ward with dim yellow light. The smell of herbal medicine filled the air.

Two rows of beds lined the walls, though most of them remained empty. Besides myself, there were two other patients, both of whom were asleep. Windows ran along the wall behind my bed. It was dark out, meaning I had been unconscious for several hours at least. Was it the same day? The day after? Or the day after that? I couldn't tell.

I wore some kind of simple linen robe. It was thin and threadbare, but it was better than nothing. If nothing else, it wasn't burnt, which was more than I could say for my previous outfit. The rest of my gear was nowhere in sight. While I could do without most of it, I couldn't lose my enchanted sword. It was a gift from Mother.

Just as I considered getting up to look for someone who could give me answers, the door to the infirmary ward opened and Leroy walked in. He wore the same outfit as before, warm winter clothes meant to protect against the harsh cold of the Icefall region, minus the wooden mask. He looked disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes. I doubted he had gotten much rest.

When Leroy saw that I was awake, relief spread across his face and he rushed over to my side.

"Lor-Brandon!" He said when he noticed me. "You're awake! Thank the gods. You've been asleep for two days."

I nodded. That answered one of my questions.

"Where is this place?" I asked, gesturing to the room around us.

"The Icefall Adventurers Guild infirmary. Lady-I mean Cally and I brought you here after you killed the last hellhound." He wore a grim expression. "You were in terrible condition. I feared that you would die before we could get you to a safe place. However, Cally used her magic to heal the worst of your injuries."

I noted his slip of the tongue, but I ignored it for now. We would discuss Cally's true identity in a moment. We had more urgent matters to discuss.

"The hellhounds' bodies," I said, "Did you collect them before leaving the area?"

Leroy nodded.

"Pieces, yes. We showed them to the authorities. They'll have people look into the matter."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Hellhounds were the first sign of a demonic incursion. While it was possible for people to summon other kinds of demons and make deals with them, this didn't apply to hellhounds. They always refused the summons. The only beings that could control hellhounds were other demons. This meant that someone had summoned a demon to this realm, who then brought in the hellhounds.

Any demonic incursion, no matter how small, was always bad news. Summoning a single demon opened the way for others to arrive. After all, demons could summon other demons. In worst case scenarios, this resulted in thousands of demons rampaging across the land, bringing death and destruction in their wake. It was best to deal with a demonic incursion as soon as possible, before it grew out of control.

By proving that there were hellhounds in the area, we could let the local authorities handle the situation. In this case, the local authorities were House Icefall, the Church of the Sun, and the Icefall Adventurers Guild. They would hunt down any demons in the area, stopping this demonic incursion in its infancy, and deal with the idiots who summoned them.

Summoning demons was illegal, as well as a sin denounced by the Church of the Sun. It never ended well for the summoner. Of course, there was no shortage of idiots who kept trying. These could be divided into two broad categories. There were those that worshiped demons, and those that made deals to gain more power.

Regardless of their motivation, demon summoners always suffered the same fate: death, often at the hands of the very demons they summoned. However, each demon summoner believed that they were the exception. That was why they kept trying. This always led to failure. Sooner or later, every demon summoner suffered the consequences of their hubris.

Now, if the damage was just limited to the demon summoner, that wouldn't be so bad. However, once someone summoned a demon, it was here to stay. The only way to get rid of it was to either banish it back to the Infernal Lands or kill it. Well, the demon could leave of its volition, but none of them did. Why waste the opportunity to cause chaos and havoc?

"There are several people who want to speak with you, Brandon," Leroy said, pulling me out of my thoughts, "To hear your side of the story. House Icefall, in particular."

I nodded.

"Because Cally is actually Lady Calla Icefall, the heir to House Icefall."

Leroy blinked at me in surprise.

"How did you figure that out?" He asked.

I snorted.

"The Ice magic made it obvious."

Before coming here, I researched the Icefall region, including its rulers, House Icefall. It was ruled by Lord Theobald, the patriarch, and his spouse, Lady Nyla. They had two children: Lady Calla, the heir, and her younger brother, Lord Brody. The former was around Cally's age. That was the first clue to Cally's true identity.

The second was her magic. House Icefall shared several similarities with House Sturm. They wielded a rare kind of magic, Ice, which set them apart from other Houses. The scions of House Icefall were also known for their distinctive appearances: snow white hair. This was the third clue to Cally's true identity. Why else would she hide her face?

While it was possible that Cally wasn't related to House Icefall, I doubted it. No, the bigger question was why she hid her true identity and worked as an adventurer in the first place. I knew why I did it, but it was different for Cally.

In Murim, working as an adventurer didn't have any stigma attached to it. In fact, the Clans even encouraged it. Adventuring helped martial artists with their growth, while also providing them with a means to earn a living. However, it was different for wizards and the Houses. They viewed adventuring as a vulgar profession, fit for brutes and thugs.

If word got out that Cally worked as an adventurer, even for a brief stint, the rest of high society would ostracize her. As the heir to her House, she knew this. In that case, why would she take the risk? What did she hope to accomplish?

Maybe Cally became an adventurer for the thrill of it. However, I didn't think that was the case. While we hadn't known each other for long, she didn't seem like a thrill junkie to me. That meant she had another motive for becoming an adventurer.

I shook my head. There wasn't any point in speculating. If I wanted to find out the answer, I would have to ask Cally herself, assuming I got the opportunity. Given what happened, we might never see each other again. Our first, and only, job together ended in disaster. We survived by the skin of our teeth. I doubted that House Icefall would let her take such a risk again. As the heir, she was the future of her House. They might confine her for the foreseeable future.

"House Icefall is unhappy with us, I take it?" I asked.

Leroy grimaced, and nodded.

"From what I gathered, Lady Calla became an adventurer behind her family's back. Since she almost died on her first job, and we were her teammates, Lord Icefall blames us for what happened. Her father claims we tricked her into it."

I stared at him in disbelief.

"What kind of bullshit is that?" I asked. "She wanted to take that job just as much as we did! How is that our fault?"

Leroy shrugged with a helpless expression on his face.

"That was what Lord Icefall claimed. I never said it made sense."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out an exasperated sigh. What a hassle.

"However, since we contributed to the safety of the Icefall region by killing the hellhounds," Leroy continued, "Lord Icefall is willing to sweep all of this under the rug and forget it ever happened."

I scoffed.

"At least he has some conscience." I paused for a moment. "Honestly, this might all just be a ploy on Lord Icefall's part. By laying the blame on us, he can preserve his daughter's reputation. This would mitigate the worst of the damage, even if word got out that Lady Calla worked as an adventurer."

Leroy's expression twisted with anger.

"How dare he! You should reveal your true identity to him. Make him get on his knees and beg for forgiveness for even thinking about using you as a scapegoat!"

That was an option. In terms of status, House Sturm stood far above House Icefall. They were younger, weaker, and had less connections. If my parents wanted to, they could crush House Icefall with ease. That wasn't even taking their personal strength into account. Together, the two of them could raze Icefall City to the ground.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"There are two problems with revealing my identity." I said, holding up a single finger. "First, we don't know if Lord Icefall wants to use us as scapegoats. He might just be a father blinded by concern for his daughter." I held up another finger. "Second, Andre and your older brother might still be in the area. If I reveal my true identity, and they hear about it, we'll find ourselves in a world of trouble."

Leroy deflated.

"You're right," he said, "I forgot about them."

"Lord Icefall is angry with us, but it sounds like he won't actually do anything to us. While annoying, it's far better than letting Clan Leone find out about me."

Leroy nodded.

"You're right. Forgive me for my shortsightedness."

I smiled at him.

"There's nothing to forgive. Rather, it feels nice to have someone get angry on my behalf." My smile faded away and a frown took its place. "If anything, I'm the one who owes you an apology. If it hadn't been for me, we wouldn't have taken that job in the first place and almost died as a result."

Leroy gave me a baffled look.

"How is that your fault?" he asked. "You couldn't have known that there were hellhounds in the area."

I shook my head.

"Even so, I should have been prepared for the worst." I clenched my jaw. "My carelessness almost got us killed."

Leroy shook his head.

"I don't blame you for what happened, and neither does Cally. You have nothing to apologize for. It was an unfortunate and unforeseen situation." He chuckled. "Unless you blame yourself for not being able to fight off three hellhounds."

When I didn't respond right away, Leroy gave me an incredulous look.

"Wait, is that what you feel sorry about?"

After a moment, I nodded.

"If I had been stronger-"

Leroy held up a hand, interrupting me.

"I need you to stop speaking for a moment, or I won't be able to resist the urge to smack you. You may be my lord, but sometimes I find you insufferable."

I blinked at him in surprise.

"Brandon, we fought off three hellhounds and won," Leroy continued, speaking in a heated tone. "That is something that would take an entire team of Second Circle wizards or Second Star martial artists to accomplish. Not only that, but you fought two of them at the same time, allowing Cally and I to focus on the third one." He scoffed. "And you feel guilty for not being able to fight off all three of them? Even though you're just a First Star martial artist?"

"Well, I am different from most other First Star martial artists."

"Be that as it may, no one expects you to accomplish the impossible. Your circumstances are… Special, but you still have your limits. Those limits are higher than most other peoples', but they still exist. Don't feel guilty because you aren't some invincible hero. You are just as human as anyone else."

Leroy crossed his arms.

"Honestly, I'm a little offended." He continued. "It took all of my strength to hold off one hellhound, with Cally's help, even though I'm on the verge of forming my Second Star. Yet, here you are, complaining that you weren't strong enough to fight off all three. The sheer gall."

I stared at him for a moment, before I burst out into laughter.

"Thank you, Leroy," I said, "I needed that. Otherwise, I would've spent the next few days moping and wallowing in self-pity."

Leroy snorted, before smiling.

"Good. As someone who lives with you, I'd rather not witness all that."

I returned his smile with one of my own.

"Do me a favor. The next time something like this happens, give me another dressing down. Given my past, there are times when I need someone to keep me grounded."

"Gladly." Leroy said, with far more enthusiasm than I expected.

The two of us talked some more after that, until I started yawning. Leroy said his goodbyes and left. Afterwards, I laid down and went back to sleep.

The next morning, I found myself in the office of the guildmaster of the Icefall Adventurers Guild. It was located on the third floor, with windows that overlooked Icefall City's central area. Like the rest of the building, the office looked tough and sturdy. The floor, the walls, and the ceiling were all made of wood. Despite this, it had good soundproofing, since I didn't hear any sounds from outside the room at all.

The office was small, almost cramped. A monstrous wooden desk occupied a good third of the space, while shelves and other furniture occupied most of the rest. The hide of some kind of monster covered the floor. Unlit crude glowstone lamps hung from the walls. The smell of dried tobacco filled the office. It came from a little potpourri that sat on the desk.

There weren't any paintings or other works of art in the office. Nor did the shelves contain books. Instead, they held an odd assortment of items. Monster body parts, old and broken weapons, strange looking rocks, and so on. Given that the guildmaster used to be an adventurer, I assumed these were mementos from her adventuring days.

The guildmaster herself sat behind the monstrous desk. I sat before her, with Leroy by my side. My bodyguard donned the wooden mask once again.

The guildmaster's name was Charity Sinclair. She was tall, even taller than Leroy, with muscles to match. Honestly, she looked like she could crush a man's skull with her bare hands. She had tanned skin, short dark hair, and a smattering of freckles spread across her face. An eye patch covered her left eye. She wore a loose white shirt, which reminded me a little of a tank top, which left most of her muscular physique bare.

It took a considerable amount of willpower on my part not to ogle at Guildmaster Charity. Not because I found her ugly or repulsive. In fact, it was just the opposite. Guildmaster Charity fit my tastes. I was attracted to strong women, something I discovered back on Earth.

Caitlyn, Leroy's mother, also fit my tastes. However, she was like an aunt to me, so she didn't provoke a strong reaction in me. The same could not be said for Guildmaster Charity. A part of me wondered what it would feel like to run my hands along her muscles. However, I stopped that thought in its tracks and gave myself a mental slap, before yanking my mind back on track.

With my mana sense, I noted that Guildmaster Charity was a Fourth Star martial artist. With a body like hers, there was no way she was a wizard, even one that specialized in internal magic. I wondered if she had any ties to Clan Frostheart, the rulers of Murim in the Icefall region and the local Martial Art Alliance's representative.

I cursed myself for my ignorance. While I knew a lot about the House side of things, I knew far less about Murim. Even Leroy didn't know a lot, since the Icefall region was far from Sturm Manor. Instead of taking a job right away, I should've spent more time gathering information. Of course, if I had done that, Cally might have lost her life. Perhaps it worked out for the best, even if it left me at a disadvantage.

"So," Guildmaster Charity said, her voice husky, "The two of you, along with Lady Calla, somehow managed to kill three hellhounds. Is that what you're telling me?"

Leroy and I nodded. Under normal circumstances, a pair of beginner adventurers like us wouldn't meet someone like Guildmaster Charity. We simply weren't worth her attention. However, these weren't normal circumstances.

It was the day after my conversation with Leroy. After I woke up earlier this morning and ate some breakfast, the guildmaster called me to her office. Thankfully, Leroy acquired a new set of warm clothes for me, so I didn't have to meet the guildmaster in simple linen robes. He also gave me back all of my gear. It turned out that he took it for safekeeping.

When I received the summons, I expected to meet Lord Icefall. However, to my surprise, Guildmaster Charity was alone in her office. After Leroy and I arrived, she asked me for my account of what happened. I told her, though I kept certain details out. My affinity for Lightning, for example. If Guildmaster Charity had ties with Clan Frostheart, she was one of the last people I wanted to reveal my true identity to.

"You understand how ridiculous that sounds, correct?" the guildmaster said. "This is my third time hearing this story, but I still find it difficult to believe. Lady Calla is a First Circle wizard, and the two of you are First Star martial artists. The three of you should have been no match for three hellhounds."

It didn't surprise me that Guildmaster Charity knew that much about us. Marilyn, the receptionist who registered us, must have made a note somewhere when we signed up to become adventurers.

"Be that as it may, Guildmaster Charity," I said. "It's the truth. You must have sent people to investigate the scene. They should have verified what happened."

Guildmaster Charity nodded with a frown on her face.

"Yes," she said, "I sent a team to the area. From what they found, everything happened exactly as you said." She gave us a serious look. "However, this makes me even more suspicious of you. How do I know that you two aren't the ones who summoned those hellhounds in the first place? If you made a deal with them, that would explain how you defeated them so easily. This could all be some stupid scheme to build up your reputation. Killing a hellhound the day after you arrived in Icefall City? Even you have to admit that it seems strange."

I burst out into laughter.

"Guildmaster Charity," I said a few moments later, after I managed to calm myself down. "If you truly believed that we summoned those hellhounds, we wouldn't be having this conversation. At least not here. Besides, everyone knows that the only beings that can summon hellhounds are other demons." I returned her serious look with one of my own. "And who said it was easy to defeat those hellhounds? It took everything we had, and more than a little luck. One wrong move, and we would have all died."

Guildmaster Charity and I stared at one another for several moments, before she sighed.

"You're right." she said. "However, I needed to make sure. From your reaction, it's clear that you aren't a demon summoner. I've met a few in my time. All of them were insane, to one degree or another. You're far too put together to be one of them."

While I maintained a calm facade, on the inside I let out a sigh of relief. A part of me had been worried that she would accuse us of being demon summoners. If that happened, the Church of the Sun would have to investigate us. While I knew that they would declare us innocent, I was worried that my true identity would get revealed if that happened. I'm glad that we didn't have to go through all that.

"What happens now, Guildmaster Charity?" I asked. "Are we going to be punished?"

The guildmaster snorted.

"Of course not." She said. "At least I won't punish you." She shook her head. "No. Your actions merit the exact opposite. I'm going to reward you. In addition to the payout for completing the job and eliminating the pack of inferno beasts, I'm also going to pay you for killing the hellhounds. You may not know this, but the Adventurers Guild maintains an open bounty on demons."

I hadn't known that. This was a pleasant surprise.

"In addition to all that," Guildmaster Charity continued. "I'm giving you a promotion. Congratulations, you're both Bronze-ranked adventurers now."

Leroy and I both stared at her.

"What?!" Leroy said, speaking up for the first time since we entered the office. "Isn't that too soon? I thought we had to complete more jobs first. Besides, we're only First Star martial artists."

Guildmaster Charity gave us a mirthless smile.

"These are special circumstances," she said. "Besides, it's clear that the both of you are not ordinary First Star martial artists. If you can kill a trio of hellhounds, then you're more than capable of handling Bronze-ranked jobs."

I felt conflicted about this sudden promotion. On the one hand, it meant I wouldn't have to take a bunch of boring and easy jobs in order to grind up my rank. On the other hand, Leroy and I became adventurers just a few days ago. Becoming Bronze-ranked adventurers so soon was bound to attract unwanted attention.

"Do we have a choice in the matter?" I asked.

"No." Guildmaster Charity pulled a piece of paper out of her desk and held it out to us. "Here, take this to the receptionists downstairs. They'll handle the rest and make the necessary changes to your IDs."

I took the paper and skimmed it. It was a document authorizing everything the guildmaster told us. The payment for completing the job, killing the hellhounds, and our promotion to Bronze.

I sighed.

"Thank you, Guildmaster Charity."

She grinned at me.

"You two may go now."

Leroy and I nodded, before we stood up to leave. However, Guildmaster Charity held up a hand.

"Wait, I almost forgot. I have one more thing to tell you." She gave us both a hard look. "This should go without saying, but don't mention anything about Lady Calla being an adventurer. Run your mouths and I'll make you regret it."

Leroy and I shared a glance, before facing the guildmaster once again.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Guildmaster Charity." I said. "Leroy and I have never met Lady Calla Icefall. We teamed up with an adventurer named Cally. As far as we're concerned, they're two different people."

Guildmaster Charity snorted.

"Good. Keep it that way. Otherwise, I'll make it a point to find out who you are and expose your identity. The Adventurers Guild helps people like you as a courtesy, but we're not obligated to. Remember that."

I gave her a mirthless smile.

"Noted. Is that all?"

Guildmaster Charity nodded, before waving us off. With that, Leroy and I headed downstairs to talk with one of the receptionists. My intuition warned me that it was going to be interesting.