Reborn As Noble

Elven Nation.

Road toward Beastkin Nation.

Buddy ran at a steady pace, leading the way as two pekko-drawn carriages followed behind. Warden Faelar rode on a wild pekko, keeping pace on the right side of the first carriage. Two elven male officers rode on two other wild pekkos, while Armand personnel flanked the carriages on both sides and brought up the rear, forming a protective formation.

Lyzia peeked out from the window, catching a glimpse of Javier riding ahead before sitting back. She raised her mana talkie and pressed the button.

Javier, riding at the front of the group, winced slightly as her voice came through the mana talkie nestled in his ear.

”Ugh! What now, Lyzia?”

Lyzia pouted, her voice carrying a hint of complaint. ”Why aren’t we riding in one of those flying iron things? It would be so much faster and more fun!”

Javier sighed, his voice tinged with annoyance. ”We can’t use that for this escort mission. Besides, Mother and Father gave strict orders not to use it for now. You should feel lucky I even let you come along. Because of your ’selfish’ request, Faelar and the other elven personnel, plus your maids, all have to tag along. All because a certain ’spoiled princess’ wanted to sightsee.”

”Mou! I’m not a spoiled princess!” Lyzia’s voice came through the talkie, sharp with indignation. ”I just thought it would be more fun! And I’m not selfish! I just wanted to spend more time with Celine!”

”Yeah, yeah,” Javier replied in a teasing tone. ”And Nyvorlas nearly had to come along too, despite being buried with work. If I hadn’t contacted your parents directly and personally guaranteed your safety along the way, I’m sure it wouldn’t have just been Faelar, your maids, and two officers. It would have been dozens.”

”Mou! Hmmph!” Lyzia’s voice came through, sharp with indignation. ”But Liana and Gloria can come back to their hometown without a full escort! Why can’t I?”

”That’s because the first time they came back, Armand was still just a noble house. And no one knew who Liana and Gloria were back then. The second time, they were with me. It’s different.”

”But they got to ride in those fly-fly things!” Lyzia protested, her voice rising with frustration.

”Because they’re both my future wives!” Javier snapped back, his patience wearing thin. ”Ugh! Stop complaining, or I’ll ditch you on the side of the road.”

Lyzia stuck her tongue out, voice shifted into a mocking, playful challenge. ”You wouldn’t dare~”

Javier exhaled sharply, shaking his head as he ignored her continued protests and focused on the road ahead.

While Celine sat across from Lyzia in the carriage, she rested her chin on her hand, a soft, dreamy smile on her lips as she gazed out the window. Her eyes were fixed on the brown wild pekko, who was running alongside the carriage with Faelar riding on his back. She waved gently at the pekko, her smile warm and affectionate.

The brown pekko narrowed its eyes, letting out a low, grumbling squawk.

”Cuquawked.” (Oi! There’s some creepy girl over there looking at me like I’m a piece of meat.)

The other two wild pekkos running on the left side of the first carriage burst into a series of sharp, seagull-like laughs.

”Cuquawked cuquawked!” (Hey hey, look! Brownie is complaining~!)

”Cuquawked!” (I’m not Brownie!)

”Cuquawked!” (Heh, right~ You already got your name~ So what’s your problem, Brownie?~)

The brown pekko let out another squawk, shaking his head as he continued running, while Celine’s smile only grew wider.

”Cuquawked!” (Just you wait until you both get weird names too!)

”Cuquawked~ Cuquawked~” (Haha~ Brownie is sulking~)

”Cuquawked~” (Don’t cry, Brownie~ That weird girl just took a liking to you, so what’s the problem?)

”Cuquawked!” (Ugh! So annoying!)

Javier, who had been listening to the pekko conversation from the front, glanced over his shoulder with an amused exhale.

”Oi, Cabbage, Broccoli. Focus on the road.”

”Cuquawked?” (Cabbage?)

”Cuquawked?” (Broccoli? Who?)

Javier pointed at them, a smirk on his lips.

”Who else? You two. Your feather colors remind me of cabbage and broccoli.”

The two pekko exchanged confused glances before squawking in protest.

”Cuquawked!” (Hey! That’s worse than Brownie!)

”Cuquawked!” (Yeah! At least Brownie sounds like a name! Cabbage and Broccoli are vegetables!)

While the brown pekko let out a satisfied, smug squawked.

The two pekkos let out a series of protesting squawks, their feathers ruffling in indignation.

”Cuquawked! Cuquawked!” (Hey! We demand proper names! Look at my feathers, they’re like green tea cake slices with white creamy frosting! That’s way more refined than Cabbage!)

”Cuquawked cuquawked!” (And me! Take a good look at my feathers! They’re not some pale yellow-green, they’re more like golden cheese, layered like a delicious flaky pastry! I deserve a name like that!)

They both turned their heads toward Buddy, squawking in unison.

”Cuquawked! Cuquawked!” (Prince! Your master is terrible at naming! Look at Silverwind! And King Giddie! They have proper, majestic names! Why do we get stuck with vegetables and food names?!)

Buddy let out a slow, smug squawk, his beak curling into a smirk.

”Cuquawked~” (Don’t ask me. I don’t know. Besides, those names aren’t permanent yet~)

He glanced at the brown pekko, his tone turning teasing.

”Cuquawked~” (But for you~ I think that witch over there will be your master soon~)

The brown pekko’s eyes widened, and he let out a sharp, flustered squawk.

”Cuquawked!” (What?! No way! I’m not being tamed by some weird foreign girl!)

Javier ignored the pekkos’ ongoing squawks of protest. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of sleek, mana-powered glasses. Slipping them on, he tapped the side frame, linking them directly to the mana satellite and Sky Eyes network.

A soft, blue holographic display flickered to life in front of his right eye.

Hmm... the road ahead looks clear. I’ve already informed and contacted the Beastkin Nation. I’m sure they’ve cleared the way for our convoy.

He shifted his focus, pulling up another feed.

Now, let’s check on the puppet knights I sent out as ’adventurers.’

Even though my puppet knights can handle everything, bandits, monster attacks, escort duties, not to mention the invisible battle drones deployed to escort various groups of ”fake adventurers” across the Human Nation, I still want to make sure everything is running smoothly.

He shifted the view, zooming into the Human Nation, where the civil war was raging. He watched as his puppet knights, disguised as adventurers, moved with calculated precision, guiding groups of refugees through treacherous forest paths. Invisible battle drones hovered above, diverting monsters and enemy patrols away from the escape routes, ensuring the civilians reached the designated safe zones.

Father said not to involve ourselves too deeply in the Human Nation’s problems. We can only escort them to safer regions, not bring them directly to Armand. It’s their war, their conflict to resolve. But still... seeing the civilians, the children... it’s hard to just stand by and do nothing. At least this way, we can minimize the casualties.

( End Of Chapter )