Reborn As Noble

Cedric exhaled softly, watching Marcellus pat invisible dust from his pristine coat with an overly serious expression. He shook his head and walked toward him.

”Marcellus.”

”What?”

Cedric crossed his arms, his voice calm but firm. ”Don’t forget, our mission is to monitor our men, making sure they secure the target without any problems. Father gave us clear orders. And if anything of interest appears, we’re to capture it if we can.”

Marcellus dug his pinky into his ear, pulling it out and flicking it away before mumbling in complaint. ”I know, I know...”

Cedric glanced at the girl, who was still burning with the white flame, her screams slowly fading into weak, guttural gasps. He turned back to Marcellus. ”You know... you should stop your skill now.”

”Hmm. I don’t think that girl will...” Marcellus began, but before he could continue, he narrowed his eyes toward Cedric. Both of them turned in perfect sync, their gazes locking onto the rooftop of a nearby building.

A figure sat there, draped in a dark robe, his face hidden behind a black, faceless mask. He sat perfectly still, his posture relaxed, his hands resting loosely at his sides. There was no urgency in his stance, no fury, no tension. Just calm, unhurried presence.

”Hmm... looks like someone’s coming to pick up his ’subordinate,’” Marcellus muttered, his voice low.

The figure tilted his head slightly, a soft, amused hum escaping from behind the mask. He raised both palms in a relaxed, open gesture, his voice smooth and unhurried.

”How impressive~ Truly, truly impressive~ To push my dear companion into her full form... and still remain standing without so much as a scratch? Garius’s sons are as remarkable as the rumors say.”

He waved his hand lazily, and the flame that burned the girl vanished slowly. The girl, now on all fours, glared at both Marcellus and Cedric, her aura flaring again. But one lazy, clear throat from the figure on the rooftop made her flinch. She glared up at him.

”I... I can still fight them!”

”Shh~ Shh~.” The figure raised one finger in a lazy motion before tilting his head, resting his chin on his knee. His voice was calm, almost bored. ”Don’t forget, the body isn’t ready for full power yet.”

His aura pressed down gently, making the girl kneel on the ground, her body trembling under the weight of his presence.

”You were supposed to be here to retrieve the ’girl,’ because you insisted on her. And yet... look at what a mess you’ve caused. Burning buildings, screaming civilians, drawing the attention of Armand’s princes... Tsk, tsk, tsk~”

The figure rested his cheek on his knee, his gaze lazily drifting between Marcellus and Cedric, who had both shifted into combat stances. He raised both palms in a slow, open gesture, a clear signal of non-aggression.

”I’m not here to fight~ I’m just here to take this brat away.”

Cedric raised his sword, aiming it toward him from a distance, a smirk playing on his lips. ”I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

”Ah... must be Garius’s order. Mm.” The figure nodded lazily, his voice carrying a hint of understanding. ”But I’m afraid I can’t comply. You have your command, and I have mine. And I don’t want to mess with my leader’s orders, or I’ll be in huge trouble.”

He stood slowly, patting the dust from his pants with unhurried movements. He glanced at the girl, who was still kneeling, trembling under his oppressive aura, before turning his gaze back to the brothers.

”I’ll take my leave now. And I’m bringing this brat with me.”

A ripple of dark energy shimmered behind him, the air distorting like heat haze as a portal began to form. He grabbed the girl by the collar, lifting her effortlessly as she let out a weak, pathetic whimper.

He glanced over his shoulder, his voice still lazy and calm.

”I do hope we meet again~ Under more... interesting circumstances~”

He turned, waving a hand over his shoulder as the portal swallowed them both, the distortion rippling once before vanishing, leaving the rooftop empty and silent.

They emerged on the other side of the portal in a desolate clearing, the air thick with the lingering scent of damp earth and decay. The sky above was a bruised purple, heavy with churning clouds. The girl was still squirming in his grip, thrashing and kicking as she struggled against his hold.

”Let me go! I can still fight them! With both of us there, those two would’ve been easy to defeat!”

The man’s aura flared, a cold, suffocating pressure that slammed into her like a physical weight. His gaze, hidden behind the faceless mask, bore into her with terrifying intensity. She flinched, her words dying in her throat as he threw her to the ground with casual disdain.

He dusted his hands slowly, his voice carrying a lazy, irritated edge.

”I was going to have a good day relaxing in the castle. But no~ our leader commanded me to come fetch you, and now my day is ruined. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to clean up your messes?”

He took a few steps forward, his boots crunching over the dead leaves before he stopped, glaring over his shoulder at her.

”And the reason I wanted to leave that place as soon as possible...” His voice dropped, becoming low and tense. ”It’s because I could feel it. The presence. The strong presence we all knew from long ago.”

The girl’s eyes widened, her voice trembling. ”W... what... what do you mean?”

The man shivered slightly, a rare crack in his calm demeanor.

”I could feel... Garius’s presence was coming toward the area.”

”R... really?”

”Y... yes... If we had stayed even a moment longer...” He paused, his fingers curling into a fist at his side, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper. ”None of us would have slipped away. Not me. Not you. We wouldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds against him. The moment his aura reached us, it would have been over. There would be no portal, no escape. Just... nothing.”

The girl stared at him, her body trembling as the weight of his words settled over her like a shroud.

Meanwhile.

Back at the ruined street.

Marcellus crossed his arms and glanced at Cedric.

”What are we going to tell Father about this, Cedric? Hmm?”

”H... How would I know? B... besides... I’m sure Father is currently monitoring us through the Sky Eyes feed.” Cedric rubbed the back of his neck, his earlier confidence replaced by a nervous tension.

Just as Marcellus was about to say something, both of them felt a presence approaching from a distance.

”Ah... here comes the ’hero,’” Marcellus drawled, his smirk widening as he tilted his head toward the sky. ”Fashionably late to the party, as always~”

A moment later, the ground shook as Buddy crashed down from the sky, his landing cratering the street in a cloud of dust and debris. Javier sat atop him, his body glowing with multiple buffs, mana swirling around him in visible currents. Buddy’s feathers shimmered with radiant energy, his eyes blazing with readiness for battle.

Javier’s gaze swept the area, sharp and alert.

”Where’s the enemy!?”

( End Of Chapter )