I stepped onto the platform, looked at Hector and Charon, and gave them a thumbs-up for keeping their promise. Great job, you bastards.
The sullen punks turned away with identical expressions like they'd just bitten into a bug.
In contrast, Carzakh stood still, watching me with eyes full of unspoken emotion. He cleared his throat, composed himself, and spoke in a flat, measured tone. "The three hero disciples before you have completed the 61st Badniker Training Camp with exceptional results. Accordingly, they will each receive a small reward in coin and be officially awarded the hero title."
Oh? They're handing out money too? Now that's more like it.
Until now, I'd stayed within the family's territory and never needed money. But things would change from here on.
Once I left the main house, everything—lodging, meals, clothes, daily necessities—would cost money. Sure, the Iron-Blooded Lord had said I could go to the treasury if I ever needed funds, but I didn't want to rely on the family more than I had to. Even bearing the Badniker name, I intended to keep my ties minimal. I wanted the option to cut them off whenever I chose.
A knight approached from behind the platform, carrying a wooden box with both hands. I wasn't sure what mechanism it used, but the lid clicked open on its own as he reached us, revealing three identical metal plaques inside.
"These are Hero Badges," Carzakh explained. "Charon Woodjack, Hector Badniker, and Luan Badniker, I hope all three of you will perform well in the name of the Hero Society. Let's hear it for them!"
Applause spread across the banquet hall. There was cheering, but most of the clapping came from people with dazed, hollow expressions.
Mir clenched her fists and yelled, "I was right! He was alive!"
"A-a ghost?"
"It can't be!"
"What the hell is going on?"
As I glanced around, Carzakh continued as if reading from a script, "Hero Disciple Luan left the training camp midway due to unavoidable circumstances but returned three days before the final trial. He demonstrated a strong desire to finish the course, and we allowed him to rejoin. His performance in the final trial was remarkable. Truly commendable."
"Thank you." It didn't sound like much of a cover story, but I nodded and stepped down from the platform.
Almost immediately, familiar faces rushed toward me.
"Luan! You bastard!"
"I thought you were dead!"
"What the hell happened? Where were you?"
The warm welcome wasn't unpleasant, and I smiled. "Just like the instructor said. The forest is ridiculously vast, so I got a little lost."
"For four weeks?"
"Well, things happened," I said vaguely.
" Hah... You tough bastard!"
"Surviving four weeks in the Butterfly Forest? That's insane."
Unexpectedly, Charis looked especially happy for me. He had the build of a bear but was more affectionate than I thought.
Evan, Mir, and Pam joined in.
Even Charles congratulated me on my return. "I'm glad you are alive."
I nodded and looked around. A lot of people have made it through
Somehow, everything felt new.
For a moment, I remembered Charles staring at Mir's lifeless body in shock, Evan, who eventually vanished, and the sight of Junian and Luke collapsed in pools of blood.
"Mir! Stop eating only meat and have some vegetables for once! And why are you drinking alcohol when you're the size of a rat?" Charles nagged.
"Mind your own business! I'm fifteen, practically an adult in the giant race!" Mir shot back.
"We are the same age...?"
Charles gripped Mir's head as she scowled, while Evan awkwardly looked on.
Not far off, I spotted Junian smoking a cigarette under the moonlight.
Only now did it truly sink in that I had prevented a disaster. I seemed to be getting a bit emotional.
In any case, I clinked glasses with the others to celebrate my reunion with the hero disciples.
Of course, not everyone was thrilled about my return.
"How could such a guy be third..."
"Talk about absurd luck."
"You never know. Maybe he cheated."
"Let it go. After all, he will die as soon as he joins the Hero Society."
It wasn't a surprising reaction. I hadn't stood out at the training camp before I disappeared, and most had forgotten me after I went missing. Then I reappeared out of nowhere, securing third place, so their attitude was understandable.
Still, if anyone crossed the line, I was ready to beat them up. However, today was a day for celebration, and I felt a bit more generous.
I slipped away from the chattering hero disciples and started looking for something to eat. I'd had a little at the main house, but it wasn't nearly enough to satisfy my hunger.
Then I spotted a table piled high with steaks. Compared to the other tables, it was noticeably stocked.
The reason became clear when I saw who was sitting there.
I strode over and called out, "Is this sirloin?"
"It is lean beef ribs," Seren replied flatly.
"How is it cooked?" I asked.
"Rare," she spat.
"I prefer mine well-done."
"What do you want me to do about it?" she snapped.
"I'm just saying," I replied, sticking my fork into the steak. "It's been a while, but you're still as grumpy as ever."
Seren gave me a puzzled look before finally speaking. "I didn't expect you to be alive."
"I've come close to dying plenty of times, but it seems I've got a stubborn lifespan," I claimed.
"If you say so."
Her tone confirmed that she was the Seren I knew. But then what about earlier? Was I imagining things? Me, a Badniker?
Seren glanced at me, her eyes full of wonder despite her attempt to hide it. "You know, perhaps..."
She hesitated, and I watched her in confusion.
"Well..." She hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Never mind."
It seemed that she wasn't sure how to phrase the question. Even if she had suspicions, she couldn't exactly bring up topics like Demon King's Summoning Ritual and the priest to someone from the Badniker family.
Still, I could tell she had an inkling about why I had disappeared. She had no concrete proof, just a strong gut feeling.
Naturally, I had questions for Seren too.
"What was that earlier?" I asked casually.
"What do you mean?"
"We met briefly in the garden at dusk," I pointed out.
Seren looked at me as though I were a weirdo. "What are you talking about?"
I couldn't tell if she genuinely didn't remember or if she was pretending.
"It was definitely you," I insisted.
"You must've been mistaken."
"Do you think I would mistake someone who looks like you?" I retorted.
Perhaps my persistence convinced her, as Seren fell silent.
"What were you doing at that time?" I pressed.
"I changed clothes and took a nap in my room for a while— Wait, why the hell am I even explaining this to you?"
I didn't think she was lying. The Seren I knew wasn't good at hiding her true intentions. Still, I knew very little about her. I had witnessed her death before the regression, but Seren's true identity remained a mystery.
Should I bait her with information I had from before the regression? Maybe say something like, "I know your real name" and see how she reacted?
It doesn't feel right.
Oddly enough, I had a feeling that would backfire. We were both hiding things anyway. After all, both of us had things we were keeping hidden. What mattered was who Seren was at her core—and that, I did know. She was the type to sacrifice herself to save others. In this world, people like that were called heroes.
That thought made me feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" she asked, puzzled.
"If I hadn't barged in, you might've made the top three," I answered.
"Save it." Seren pointed to Charon and Hector. "Judging by their looks, you were behind their little stunt too, weren't you?"
As expected, her instincts were sharp. "That's right. I had to finish in the top three no matter what."
"Of course you did." Seren snorted, sipping her wine.
I studied her face for a moment. Did she say it was Laplace's New Book?
I was curious about the prophecy book the Goodspring family possessed. Seren had mentioned getting information about the future from it, and I wondered if it was true.
If it were up to me, I could easily verify the truth. On this continent, I was the only one who could determine the authenticity of prophecies, at least in part. I knew the future for the next ten years, though only in fragments.
The real issue is that it's with the Goodsprings, I thought.
That family wasn't as isolated as mine, but walking into their mansion with the Badniker name would be nearly impossible.
If I could become Seren's friend, I'd have a reason to step through their doors. However, it didn't seem like she was treated well there either.
The thought piqued my curiosity enough to ask, "What are you going to do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your next move. Are you heading back to your family?"
"The family? Ah—" Seren chuckled and stirred the glass in her hand. The deep red liquid rippled, forming a small whirlpool in the glass. "Well... if the alternative is going back there, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to stay here."
"So this is how marriage talks are revived?" I joked.
Seren let my nonsense slide. "I will stay here for a while before heading to the academy."
"The academy? What for?"
"Well, there are a few reasons," I said vaguely. "I have something to gain."
I suddenly remembered a conversation I'd had with Seren before the regression.
"So you came here to save complete strangers?" I had asked, narrowing my eyes.
"Among other things," she had said evasively. "There's also something to gain in the forest."
Seren knew the future, perhaps even more clearly than I did.
I had a glimpse of the future due to my previous life, but I hadn't known about the disaster that had struck the training camp. That meant Seren's path was worth paying attention to. The fact that her next stop was the Imperial Academy suggested something significant would unfold there.
I also need to gather information about the forsaken place, so it's a good idea.
The academy was located in the capital.
In truth, I had never been to the capital. One might wonder how it was possible for a noble to have never visited, but it wasn't unusual. After all, the Badnikers had little interaction with other families.
They say it's the safest place on the continent.
In crude terms, it was the heart of the empire. If the Dark Church had gained influence there, the situation was far worse than I'd imagined.
***
I was full and had drunk quite a bit.
I realized this was the first time I'd had a drink since my regression. Back in my scoundrel days, I liked drinking but hated drinking parties.
Looking back, it was probably due to my inferiority complex and lack of social standing. At those aristocratic drinking parties, there was always someone who became the target of ridicule, and that someone was me. Even among the worst of my peers, I was beyond help.
Now, half-drunk, I was heading back to my room when Kayan appeared out of nowhere.
"Master Luan, this way," Kayan said.
Perplexed, I followed him toward a building separate from the main house—the Small Iron Hall.
The place had such an imposing presence it sobered me up a little.
"The family head has decreed that while you're staying at the main house, you'll reside here," Kayan explained.
"A decree?" I muttered, rubbing my temples. "Bit much, isn't it?"
"You will get used to it."
I hummed in response. Refusing wasn't really an option, so I opened the Small Iron Hall's door and stepped inside.
"Master Luan, there is something I would like you to check for a moment. Is that okay?" Kayan asked.
"Check what? Will it take long?"
"Not at all," he replied.
"Fine, then."
In my experience, passing out drunk only led to regret the next morning. Might as well walk it off.
I followed Kayan to a room on the first floor. Unlike the other rooms, this one was secured with multiple locks.
Kayan unlocked a few locks before speaking. "Please, go in."
Inside, there was a large chest and a sizable leather sack.
"What is this?" I asked.
"Why not open it and see for yourself?" Kayan's tone carried a rare touch of mischief.
That caught me off guard. I didn't think this ever-serious man had that side to him.
A corpse inside, perhaps?
Still, I braced myself and opened the leather sack. It was stuffed with gold coins.
I rubbed my eyes and checked again. The gold coins were still there.
Wide awake now, I asked, "Kayan?"
"Yes, Master Luan?"
"What the hell is this?"
"It is your property, Master Luan," he replied matter-of-factly.
"My property?" I echoed.
"Have you forgotten the Jewel Beast's corpse?" another voice cut in.
It was Carzakh. Before I realized it, he was already leaning against the doorframe. "That's what it sold for."
The Sapphire Snake's corpse was valuable, but I still had doubts. "Wasn't there a church branch in the Jewel Mountains? They had to be after the Sapphire Snake too."
"The branch in the mountains?" Carzakh said. "Delac destroyed it. Unfortunately, he missed the priest."
"I see," I'd been wondering why he had been so busy. It turned out he'd been at the mountain range.
"How did he find the branch's location?" I asked. "I didn't tell him."
"I don't know a better demon hunter than Delac. If he captured even one church member in the mountains, it wouldn't be hard to wring every last detail from them."
"Fair point." It was hard to deny that after seeing Ainsburn in such a terrible state today.
Carzakh continued, "After he destroyed the church branch, he sent someone to retrieve the corpse."
"The family head left a message," Kayan added. "It had been a while since the Sapphire Snake died, so it had to be sold quickly. Left unattended, its value would drop by the minute. We were lucky it's winter. The Sapphire Snake is a monster that retains Cold Qi, which helped preserve it."
I nodded. "Not bad."
I had completely forgotten about the corpse, so this was a welcome surprise.
Before parting, the Iron-Blooded Lord had said, "You'll be receiving a gift soon."
It seemed this was what he meant.
"How much is all of this worth?" I asked.
"I haven't counted it exactly, but I'd guess somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 gold coins," Carzakh estimated.
"ΙIt's 5,700 gold coins," Kayan corrected. "And there's still more coming. The sale isn't finalized yet."
" Phew. This is a windfall," I said, grinning.
Then my mind froze. A memory surfaced—a conversation with Third Senior Brother.
" Youngest Disciple, how much is the currency in your world? You mentioned that you use gold and silver."
" Currency value? Hmm..."
"Wait, let me guess! One gold piece supports a family of four for a month, right?" Third Senior Brother had asked with oddly hopeful eyes.
" Not quite. It's enough for a single person to live decently, I guess."
" Ah, then one gold equals about two million won," he had muttered.
" Two million won...? Why are your world's units so absurd, Third Senior Brother?"
" Because of inflation."
"So people there carry around tens of thousands of coins all the time?"
" Exactly. For high-value deals, I'd need to hire hundreds of porters just to transport the money. And that's not even the worst part. Afterward, I'd have to count hundreds of millions of coins, one by one. Finalizing a major transaction could take months."
"That's insane," I had exclaimed.
I later learned that much of what he had said was a lie, but that wasn't the point. What mattered was that 5,700 gold coins meant I could live without working for at least 5,000 months.
What was I supposed to do with this?
Suddenly, I didn't feel like doing anything at all.