Reborn As Noble

“Buddy, eat.”

“Cuquawked!” Buddy squawked happily, but instead of going to the grill, he came stomping back from the forest, dragging a huge iron-plated box with his beak.

The heavy container screeched across the dirt as it scraped against roots and rocks.

Javier blinked.

“…Buddy?”

“Cuquawked!” (Look what I found!)

Javier handed him a plate of grilled meat without taking his eyes off the box.

“Here’s your meat… and what is that?”

He reached into his magic storage and summoned one of his mithril puppet knights. The knight stepped forward with a heavy thud, eyes glowing faintly.

“Open it.”

The puppet moved to the box, pried the latch open, and slowly lifted the lid.

Inside….

Gold coins. Jewels. Precious gems. Rare enchanted items.

Mimi and Delya leaned over in awe.

“Jackpot…” Delya whispered.

“Nyaaaa~!” Mimi’s tail stood straight. “Is that a treasure chest!?”

Javier stared into the open box, then turned to Buddy, who was now munching his grilled meat with zero interest in what he had just brought.

“Alright,” Javier muttered. “Since it’s property of Buddy, and I’m Buddy’s master…”

He reached down and began transferring everything into his magic storage.

“I’ll be keeping it.”

Buddy gave a soft “Cuquawked” of approval, still chewing, tail feathers flicking happily.

After finishing their meal, the group continued planting the mana devices, spacing them out every mile as Javier instructed.

By the time they placed the last one for the day, the sun was already low, casting long shadows over the forest floor.

Javier looked up at the sky.

“Hmm… time to find a place for the night. A spot near a stream would be good.”

They moved slowly through the forest until Javier found a quiet area beside a clear stream, the gentle sound of water flowing over rocks.

Once the location was settled, Javier began setting up camp.

This time, Delya and Mimi took charge of cooking. They worked together preparing the giant snake meat they had stored earlier, with Javier handing them containers of seasoning from his magic storage.

“Add only what I gave you. Don’t go making weird combinations,” he said plainly.

“Of course, Danna-sama~,” Delya smiled, holding the meat carefully.

“Nya~ leave it to me,” Mimi said as she ground some herbs.

Javier then reached into his magic storage and summoned twenty white puppet knights. They appeared one by one, standing tall and silent as they formed a protective circle around the camp.

“Ten with swords and shields, secure the inner line.”

The knight units moved without a sound, forming a semi-circle toward the forest.

“The other ten, spread out with magic crossbows. Keep watch from the trees.”

The ranged units leapt onto the surrounding higher ground, aiming their glowing crossbows toward the distant shadows.

With security in place and the smell of grilled snake meat filling the air, Javier sat down by the stream, exhaling softly.

After finishing the security setup, Javier took out his mana drone, placed it on the ground, and activated it with his remote control.

The drone floated quietly into the sky, humming softly as it began scanning for signal trails heading back toward the Armand Region.

Javier sat near the stream, one hand holding the remote while he placed a mana talkie earbuds into his ear.

He carefully adjusted the frequency.

“Hello? Liana? Gloria? You both there?”

No answer.

He adjusted again.

“Hello?”

Still no response.

Suddenly, a familiar voice came through clearly. Calm, deep, and full of quiet authority.

“Javier.”

“Ah! Esteemed Father!”

“Status of your mission.”

Javier straightened slightly, keeping his tone clear.

“The dark monsters driven by the miasma are extremely active at night. If it weren’t for my combat level exceeding that of normal soldiers, this mission would’ve already failed. Ordinary knights would’ve been overwhelmed.”

He looked toward the planted mana device in the distance.

“They won’t stop unless we use white-type skills. So I decided to start planting the devices we’ve been developing. They suppress dark mana in the area, preventing new monsters from spawning.”

A pause.

“Good job,” Garius replied. “Finish it faster. I have a strong hunch you’ll be busier than this very soon.”

“I will, Esteemed Father.”

Another brief silence.

Then Garius’s tone softened slightly.

“Oh, by the way, Javier.”

“Yes, Esteemed Father?”

“Your mother sends her regards.”

Javier blinked.

Then a small smile touched his lips.

“Tell her I’m doing fine.”

Javier was about to turn off the mana talkie when he suddenly heard another voice through the connection.

Soft. Sweet. Familiar.

“My honey bun~”

“…Mother…”

“Did you eat well? Did anything happen to you? Oh, my poor baby boy~ traveling so far from home…”

“…Mother.”

“Make sure to eat properly, alright? And don’t worry about Liana and Gloria. We’re protecting them here. No one will harm them while they’re still training.”

“Yes, Mother~”

“Good boy~”

He could almost imagine her smiling as she said it.

“Oh, my honey bun~ my precious little bun~ suffering out there all because your father decided to send you alone. How could he!?”

Javier sighed softly.

“…Mother, I’m fine.”

Francesca didn’t answer right away. Then her voice came back, gentler this time.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, alright?”

“I won’t.”

“Good. We’re waiting for you to come home.”

“…I’ll come back soon.”

“And honey bun~”

“Yes, Mother?”

“If you finish your mission, bring back some souvenir from the Beastkin Kingdom, okay?”

“Okay, Mother~”

“I want a real souvenir. Not a daughter-in-law.”

“…Gulp.”

There was a pause on the line.

“Honey bun~?”

“Y-yes, Mother?”

“I’m sure I just heard you gulp.”

“No no, just… clearing my throat.”

“Mmm~ you better not be hiding anything from your sweet mother~”

Javier stared blankly at the campfire.

Across from him, Mimi and Delya were happily grilling the last cuts of snake meat and humming.

He slowly looked away from them and sighed.

“…I’m doomed.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, Mother!!”

“Take care of yourself, honey bun~”

“Yes, Mother… I know~”

“Don’t you dare sleep in the forest like some common wanderer. You’re a noble son. You have status.”

“Err…”

There was a short silence.

“Honey bun?”

“Nothing, Mother! Nothing!”

“Hmmm~” Francesca’s voice sounded suspicious. “You’re not sleeping under a tree again, are you?”

“No, no! I have a camp. A very… noble camp.”

Buddy squawked in the background.

“Cuquawked!” (Lies.)

Francesca paused.

“…Was that Buddy just now?”

“Uhh…”

“…Yes, Mother.”

“Good. Be safe, honey bun.”

“I will.”

Then the line finally went silent.

Javier slowly pulled the mana talkie out of his ear and slumped down beside the campfire.

“…I’m so dead if she ever finds out where I’ve been sleeping.”

( End Of Chapter )

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