Unauthorized Reincarnation

  Chapter 9: A Quest Before the Festival

  One year passed as swiftly as a breath, yet every moment carved itself into Lily’s bones.

  Her hands, once trembling and soft, now bore faint scars. Her stance, once uncertain, carried the weight of training under Fenra’s merciless drills and Shuyi’s calculated strategies. She had faced monsters, bandits, and nights of doubt—and emerged standing.

  Lily Miller was no longer the trembling girl who had whispered her name to a city of strangers. She stood now as an adventurer of rank, Level 23, blades strapped proudly at her side.

  Beside her walked Shuyi, sharper than ever. Through strategy and relentless practice, she had risen to Level 28, her bow steady, her spells precise. She had become Lily’s shield of reason, the pillar that held the party upright when emotion threatened to tip it over.

  Fenra, though bound to no “status bar,” had become no less formidable. The wolf-girl’s movements were honed, every strike carrying the instinct of a survivor and the precision of a warrior. Where Lily faltered, Fenra pressed forward. Where Shuyi calculated, Fenra pounced. The three had become something whole—a pact unshaken by trial.

  The streets of Luminas thrummed with life, banners unfurling from rooftops as the Festival of the Seven Gods approached. Lanterns painted the avenues in color, and prayers filled the air like whispers carried on wind. Yet even in the midst of joy, the Adventurers’ Guild roared louder still—quests pouring in, parties forming, glory waiting to be seized before the festival began.

  Inside the guild hall, Lily, Shuyi, and Fenra stepped through the double doors. Heads turned toward them—some in recognition, others in curiosity. They had earned a place here, if not yet reverence, then at least respect.

  And there—waiting near the quest board—stood a familiar figure.

  “Oi, look who it is!” Achilles grinned, his bronze armor catching the torchlight. He spread his arms as though greeting an old friend. “Lily Miller! Thought you’d fallen off the map, but look at you—grown sharper, stronger. You might even catch up to me someday.”

  Lily laughed softly, shaking her head. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  Behind him stood his eccentric team, as boisterous and unusual as ever. But among them, a new figure loomed—a tall man in plain travel gear, his face hidden behind a cold iron mask. He said nothing, merely adjusted the heavy baggage strapped to his back. A porter, yet his presence pressed on the air like a weight.

  Shuyi’s eyes narrowed. Fenra’s ears twitched. Neither spoke.

  Achilles clapped Lily on the shoulder, leaning closer. “We’re headed west, Castriel way. Rumors of a dungeon no sane adventurer would touch. That’s where the real challenge is.”

  Lily tilted her head. “West, huh? Dangerous choice. I’m heading north instead—to Cindralith. The monsters there are tougher, worth more experience. Luminas isn’t giving me much anymore.”

  Achilles barked a laugh, his grin unshaken. “Straight to the hardest path, huh? That’s the spirit. Just don’t die before we meet again.”

  Lily met his gaze firmly. “Same to you. We’ll both survive—and see who grows stronger.”

  For a fleeting moment, camaraderie and rivalry sparked between them. But then Lily’s eyes flicked toward the masked man, silent and still. Something about him set her pulse unsteady.

  The iron mask turned, just slightly. Enough for Shuyi to feel it—the heavy focus of eyes hidden beneath. Her breath caught, but then the man lowered his head, silent once more.

  The moment passed.

  Achilles gave a final nod. “Until next time, Chosen Soul.” With that, he and his party departed, the iron-masked porter following in their shadow.

  When the hall settled again, Shuyi broke the silence. “I don’t like him.”

  “Achilles?” Lily asked.

  “No,” Shuyi said flatly. “The masked one.”

  Fenra’s tail flicked sharply, her golden eyes lingering on the doors where he’d gone. “He smelled of blood.”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Lily pressed her lips together, unease stirring in her chest. But the guild attendant’s voice soon broke the thought.

  “Lily Miller. Shuyi. Fenra. Your request has been processed.”

  A parchment was set before them, stamped with the guild’s seal. Escort mission: Cindralith Frontier. The northern roads, plagued by beasts too strong for common merchants, needed protection.

  Lily’s fingers tightened around the paper. “This will do.”

  Shuyi nodded. “Stronger enemies, greater reward.”

  Fenra smirked faintly. “And a chance to test your training.”

  That evening, as they prepared to leave Luminas, Lily paused at the city gates. The Arcane Tower loomed in the distance, banners of the festival fluttering in golden light. For a moment, she saw her own reflection there—a memory of the girl who had once stood trembling in its shadow.

  She drew a steady breath.

  “I’m not her anymore,” she whispered to herself. “I’ll prove it.”

  The road north awaited, and with it, the beginning of a new trial.

  The quest before the festival had begun.

  Part 2

  The northern road to Cindralith was less a path and more a trial by fire.

  Caravans rattled along the uneven stone, their wheels creaking under crates of grain and ore. The merchants kept wary eyes on the shadows, hands never far from their daggers.

  They had reason to be cautious.

  The first beasts struck at noon—fang-lizards the size of hounds, their scales glistening like black glass. They leapt from the underbrush with shrieks that rattled the air.

  “Shuyi, left!” Lily called, blades flashing.

  Arrows whistled past her ear, each one burying itself with surgical precision. The lizards fell in pairs, writhing in the dust. Fenra darted between the wagons, twin swords carving arcs of silver as she gutted another cleanly.

  By dusk, the roads were littered with carcasses, and the merchants’ fear had given way to awe.

  “Not one wagon lost,” the lead trader marveled, voice shaking. “Saints preserve us—you’re no ordinary adventurers.”

  Fenra smirked, flicking blood from her blades. “Just three girls doing what we promised.”

  The merchants laughed uneasily, but gratitude shone in their eyes.

  The spires of Cindralith soon rose from the horizon—dark stone towers piercing the clouds, their battlements etched with runes. Unlike Luminas, with its golden glow, Cindralith exuded a harsher beauty: cold, practical, braced for war.

  As Lily and her team entered the gates, murmurs rippled through the crowd.

  “Those breastplates… the Burning Rose.”

  “Kardelis steel… aren’t those the Lady’s protégés?”

  Strangers’ eyes followed them with a mixture of respect and caution. Yet the whispers parted into guidance—gestures and pointed fingers leading them unerringly toward the Adventurers’ Guild.

  Inside, the guild hall smelled of iron and smoke. Adventurers of every stripe crowded the long tables, but conversation dimmed briefly as Lily’s party stepped through. The receptionist met them with a professional smile.

  “Escort mission complete?”

  Lily set the sealed parchment upon the counter. “Every wagon accounted for. No casualties.”

  A stamp, a signature, and the reward was theirs. The merchants pressed extra coins into Lily’s hands before departing, gratitude shining brighter than gold.

  That night, they found a tavern not far from the guild. Its rooms were small, but warm; the scent of stew and woodsmoke drifted from below.

  In their chamber, Lily and Shuyi sat cross-legged on their beds, palms raised. At their whispered command, shimmering blue screens flickered into existence.

  Lily exhaled, smiling faintly. “Not bad… still feels unreal sometimes.”

  Shuyi tilted her own screen forward.

  Her lips curved with pride. “A year ago, I was just surviving. Now… I feel like I could stand against anyone.”

  “Fancy numbers,” Fenra drawled from the corner.

  Both girls turned. Fenra was stripping down, tossing her leather gear aside until only her underclothes clung to her frame. She stretched lazily, then dropped onto one hand fingers pressing into the floor as she balanced upside down. Her body bent like a bow, muscles shifting with effortless control.

  “Show-off,” Lily muttered, though her eyes lingered.

  Shuyi adjusted her glasses, trying and failing not to stare. “Unbelievable… the control of her core…”

  Fenra smirked, balancing now on just two fingers. “You two rely on numbers. I rely on this.”

  Lily huffed, falling back onto her pillow. “Jealous.”

  Shuyi’s mouth tightened, but she didn’t deny it.

  For a moment, laughter filled the room—light, easy, carrying them into the night.

  Tomorrow would bring more quests, more trials. But for tonight, they rested.