Once again, I couldn’t help but feel immensely grateful to have been reborn with the characteristics of a game character.
-Skill ‘Mountsmanship’ level has increased.
As the level of the Mountsmanship skill rose, my posture became more comfortable than before, changing into a much easier and more natural form.
‘Just riding it and holding on raises it quickly.’
Riding a horse wasn’t as easy as it looked.
There was the impact transmitted to the rear, keeping balance on a galloping horse, and so on.
I felt anew the greatness of modern objects like cars, bicycles, and motorcycles as I gritted my teeth, hoping not to fall off while riding.
As I continued riding hard, the Mountsmanship skill level increased, and my posture gradually improved.
“Is this really your first time riding? You’re already getting quite skilled.”
That was the soldier riding beside me, but I couldn’t respond.
Opening my mouth felt like biting my tongue.
To get to that point, my skill level still needed to rise more.
We rode hard for half a day straight.
We galloped so fiercely that I worried the horses would get exhausted and collapse first, but we managed to enter the Garrison just before that happened.
Originally, the plan was to arrive around tomorrow evening, but perhaps due to pushing too hard, we arrived a day early.
Covered in dust from the dirt road, the soldiers on horseback who guarded the area were wary of us, but as soon as they saw the Family emblem engraved on the carriage, they immediately saluted.
“Loyalty! Welcome to Sekran Territory.”
I felt the power of authority once again.
It was understandable, as there was a long line of others waiting to enter the castle as well.
Ignoring them, we hurried toward the direction where the Inn was.
When we arrived in front of the Inn, I was once again surprised by the spending power of the Nobles.
“I’m renting the entire place.”
One soldier entered and rented the entire Inn.
Of course, the Inn itself wasn’t particularly large or expensive.
It was a three-story building with a stable, ensuring sufficient rest for the horses.
Not long after that soldier entered, a few people came out.
Their expressions were somewhat uncomfortable, but after seeing the Family emblem on the carriage, they bowed their heads and passed by.
They muttered quietly, probably thinking no one could hear, but I heard them clearly.
“Ugh. What rotten luck.”
“Must be nice being Nobles.”
“Where are we supposed to sleep tonight?”
I tried my best to ignore their words.
It was pointless to sympathize.
My employer was a Noble, after all.
So we entered the Inn.
The Lord’s Son took the first room, and then the soldiers began deciding their order.
But I just brushed off the dust roughly and stepped outside.
‘Where should I try to sell some stuff?’
It was time to sell the goods loaded on the carriage.
Taking advantage of no one watching, I quickly put everything into my Inventory and hurried off.
The sun was still up, but evening would come soon.
If I delayed, the shops might close.
I held a helmet and a set of armor in my hands to haggle prices as I moved.
Fortunately, I found a Weapon Shop nearby and went inside.
***
After leaving the Weapon Shop, I placed my noticeably heavier pouch of money on my hand, tossing it up and down with a smile as I left the store.
By sorting out weapons and armor here, I’d earned 200 Gold.
“Alright, let’s spend big this time.”
Money is something you work painfully hard to earn, but when it comes to spending, you can burn through it in an instant.
And the thrill of splurging is indescribable.
I entered the next shop to feel that rush.
“Welcome.”
This shop wasn’t an ordinary store—it was a Magic Shop operated inside the Magic Tower.
Unlike the previous places I visited, this was a specialist shop selling magic items.
They have items like Magic Bags, potions, and Skill Books, which ordinary citizens wouldn’t even dream of handling.
Mercenaries often tried to buy potions cheaper here.
I spoke to the clerk at the counter.
“I’d like to see the magic books.”
“How many circles would you like to see?”
“Show me all of them for now.”
“Understood.”
He guided me into a room.
Inside were countless magic books, sorted by circle level.
I picked out the ones I needed one by one.
‘First, the basic [Search] skill is a must.’
Search skill is a magic that initially explores within a 500 meter radius, and as the skill level increases, the range expands.
Of course, the more the range grows, the more Mana it consumes.
‘Probably will combine with my passive.’
I currently had a passive-type Search skill.
This skill helped me discover things more easily when I wandered around various places trying to find something.
When combined, it would change from passive to skill type.
Naturally, the skill level would increase, and Mana consumption would rise, but that was no problem.
Or rather, I could just keep the skill as is and go around.
I was a ridiculously overpowered character with excellent Mana regeneration.
[Dig], which digs holes in the ground.
[Stone Edge], which causes stone pillars to rise from flat land.
[Fog], which creates mist.
[Darkness], which makes a certain area pitch-black.
[Shield], a basic defense magic.
[Dispel Magic], in preparation for meeting mages.
[Haste], which increases movement speed.
[Strength], to boost physical power.
And [Fireball], the signature magic of fire mages.
After selecting these, I asked the clerk beside me,
“How much is all this?”
“200 Gold.”
I had to stop there with regret.
I still needed to buy a Magic Bag.
Even though I had an Inventory, the reason I bought a Magic Bag was space limitations.
The Inventory was cleverly arranged like Tetris and filled to the brim with essential survival items.
Just a few easy-to-eat foods and tools filled it up, leaving no room for extras.
As proof, I had carried the loot from the raid on the carriage, so I wanted to prepare a Magic Bag to buy items more comfortably.
“Lastly, I’d like to see Magic Bags.”
“Right this way.”
He showed me various items.
There were backpacks, small boxes, and pouches lined up.
Some looked expensive just by appearance, with embedded jewels and unnecessarily flashy designs.
‘No one carrying those expensive things has any reason to.’
Who would buy flashy goods only to attract thieves like flies?
I wanted the simplest design.
“I want one that looks like an ordinary bag and has decent capacity.”
“This one’s good.”
The clerk picked up a rather dusty item tucked away in a corner.
He dusted it off and showed it to me.
“Wow… it’s really plain.”
The bag had no decorations at all.
So plain, I even doubted if it was truly a Magic Bag.
“It’s so plain that no one buys it, but I assure you it’s a Magic Bag.”
He demonstrated using other items nearby as proof.
“The capacity is 5 cubic meters. Since it’s an unpopular item, it’s negotiable. And since you’re buying a spellbook for 200 Gold, I can offer you an additional discount, so you can have it for 50 Gold.”
“I’ll take it.”
Without hesitation, I chose it.
An item with that capacity would normally cost twice as much, so getting it this cheaply was a no-brainer.
While paying, I asked if I could use jewels for payment.
He said he’d deduct the value of the jewels from the price, so I took out three jewels.
Fortunately, the jewels were worth at least 50 Gold, and after adding 200 Gold, the transaction was complete.
After receiving the bag and putting the magic books inside, the clerk brought me something.
“This is a service.”
To my surprise, it was three potions.
They were low-grade health potions, each worth 1 Gold.
“Thank you.”
I had been thinking about buying one or two anyway.
Even with high health regeneration, you never know when you might need them.
I carefully pretended to put them into the Magic Bag but actually kept them in the Inventory.
It’s easier and faster to use them there.
When I stepped outside, I saw the sky darkening.
“Better get moving.”
I hurried to fill the Magic Bag with food.
***
When I returned to the Inn, it was nearly late at night.
Contrary to my expectation that everyone would be asleep, the Lord’s Son was sitting right in the middle of the hall.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
I was surprised.
Now? Right after all the soldiers had gone to rest, he wanted to talk?
I cautiously followed the Lord’s Son to his room.
The Innkeeper hurried out, serving me a mug of ale and the Lord’s Son some tea before disappearing.
With no one else around, the Lord’s Son spoke.
“Aren’t you curious? About all this??”
I remained silent.
Honestly, I was curious—madly curious and wanted to ask.
But I held back, fearing I might be involved with them somehow.
Besides, I felt like it was better not to know.
“You look like you don’t want to know. It’s just me talking to myself, so don’t mind me.”
Surprisingly, he kept talking.
“I have a brother I respect very much. By my knowledge, he’s considered the best swordsman in our duchy. Not an exaggeration.”
I could see it in the Lord’s Son’s eyes.
How much he respected and loved him.
“My brother, who entered the Swordsmanship Academy, stood out from the start. That’s when it became clear. His talent wasn’t just normal—he had an incredible, innate gift for Swordsmanship.”
“When he first enrolled, he was in the lower ranks, but as he built up his Swordsmanship knowledge, within six months, he confidently took first place. Not only that, but his skills were so outstanding that even seniors a year ahead felt tense around him.”
“Over three years, his skills grew daily, and he graduated as the top student. The King, knowing this well, appointed him as Deputy Commander of the Royal Knights at the young age of seventeen.”
After saying this much, the Lord’s Son took a sip of tea.
A hint of sadness flickered in his eyes.
“It’s not that he neglected the family. When he had leave, he always came home and even taught me a little Swordsmanship. But it was a pity that his priority was always the Kingdom.”
His voice softened as he took another sip of tea, then suddenly changed.
Until now, his eyes had been those of a younger brother who respected and loved his elder.
Now, they started to darken with a hint of resentment.
“My brother, pure and honest, who cared only for the Kingdom and the King, got caught up in an incident.”
He paused briefly, then spoke with sharp eyes.
“A power struggle.”
The Lord’s Son’s eyes were filled entirely with rage.