Reborn As Noble

Chapter 56 Worry and Wonder ( 56 )

As Javier was celebrating his victory, a shadow darted out from the treeline. One of the remaining snake-wolf hybrids lunged straight at him, its fangs bared and venom dripping."Oh, you sneaky little—" Javier barely had time to react. He quickly spun on his pekko, unsheathing his longsword. With a powerful swing, he sliced the monster cleanly in mid-air.

SLASH!

The snake-wolf blood sprayed everywhere, drenching Javier from head to toe.

"Ewwww!! Disgusting!! Blergh..." Javier gagged, shaking his head in horror. He wiped at his face with his sleeve, only to smear the sticky, redish-black goo further. "Ugh, gross, gross, gross! Why does it smell like rotten fish!?"

He looked down at his once-pristine shirt and pants, now completely soaked in monster blood. His pekko squawked, turning its head to give him what felt like a judgmental look.

"Don't look at me like that, buddy! It's not my fault!" Javier groaned, throwing his hands up in frustration. "Crap! These were my favorite clothes!"

The puppet knights stood silently, their polished armor untouched, as if mocking their creator's current state.

"You lot don't even bleed! Must be nice!" he muttered under his breath, kicking a piece of monster hide out of frustration.

Javier sighed, wiping some of the slime from his sword before stowing it away. "I'm gonna need a long bath after this… or maybe just burn these clothes."

He glanced around at the battlefield, his mood quickly shifting back to excitement. "Well, at least the loot better make up for this mess!" With that, he grinned, wiping his hands on his already ruined pants. "Back to work, buddy! We've got more treasure to find!"

Javier stretched his arms, yawning as he walked toward the mine entrance where his puppet knights had been tirelessly working. The flickering light of mana-powered lanterns illuminated the area, and a grin spread across his face as he saw the massive pile of ore gleaming under the light.

"Ohhhh!!! You all managed to mine all of this? Awesome!!!" He clapped his hands, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "You guys are the best! More ore means more puppet knights! Yeah!!"

The mountain of ore was an impressive mix of shining crystals, chunks of valuable metals, and even a few rare gems glinting in the pile. Javier's eyes sparkled as if he were a dragon hoarding its treasure.

He opened his magic storage, a shimmering portal of swirling light, and began transferring the mountain of ore with a satisfied smirk.

"In you go! And you! And you too!" he hummed as he worked, tossing everything into the storage with glee.

Nearby, the corpses of various monsters were stacked in neat piles, courtesy of his ever-efficient puppet knights. Javier glanced at them, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmmm... all these monster parts will fetch a good price—except for the goblins." He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "Nobody wants goblin parts anyway. Useless. Stinky. Waste of space."

With a wave of his hand, he ignored the goblin corpses and continued storing the rest. "Goodbye, nasty goblins! Hello, shiny profit!"

Finally, after loading the last of the loot, Javier let out a contented sigh, stretching his arms again. "Haaaa... I'm tired now. Hey, buddy, how about we call it a night?"

His pekko squawked in agreement, already making itself comfortable on the soft grass nearby.

"Alright, let's set up camp then." Javier turned to his puppet knights, pointing at the area around him. "You lot, form a perimeter. I'm not getting ambushed while I sleep!"

The knights silently moved into formation, their heavy footsteps echoing in the still night.

Javier plopped down beside his pekko, leaning against its warm, feathery body. He gazed at the stars overhead, a satisfied grin still on his face.

"Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we conquer more treasure. Ehehehe... life's good, buddy. Life's really good."

With that, he closed his eyes, letting the soothing sound of rustling leaves lull him to sleep.

After Javier fell asleep, still covered in monster blood and lying on the grass, his peaceful snores were drowned out by the occasional squawking of his pekko, nestled comfortably beside him. The puppet knights, having finished mining, ceased their labor and now stood vigilant, encircling the camp like silent sentinels, their glowing eyes scanning for any threats.

The quiet night was filled with the distant rustle of leaves and the occasional chirp of nocturnal creatures, but it brought no comfort to Liana, who rode tirelessly through the forest.

Her heart raced with worry, her mind consumed by thoughts of her missing young master. She didn't care about her own exhaustion, the chilling wind of the night, or the looming danger of monsters. All that mattered was finding Javier.

Liana adjusted her grip on the reins of her pekko, urging it forward. She had long given up on trying to guide it, trusting instead in the creature's instincts. The pekko's squawking and determined pace suggested it had picked up on something—something only it could sense.

Her confusion grew as her mount veered off the main path and onto a nearly hidden, overgrown trail shrouded in foliage.

"Why are we taking this road?" she muttered, furrowing her brows. She glanced around, recognizing none of the landmarks. The dense undergrowth and moss-covered stones hinted that this road hadn't been used in years.

Despite her unease, Liana trusted the pekko, leaning forward slightly to pat its neck. "You better know what you're doing. Let's hope this leads us to him."

The light from her magic crystal illuminated the eerie surroundings, revealing gnarled trees and thick vines. Occasionally, faint growls echoed in the distance, but her pekko pressed on, unbothered. Liana tightened her grip on her bow, her emerald eyes scanning the shadows for movement.

Her thoughts wandered as they traversed the mysterious road.

"Javier, you reckless fool..." she whispered under her breath. "Are you mad at me? Is that why you've done this? I don't care what it takes—I'll find you, even if it means

"You... reckless, irresponsible..." she muttered under her breath before glaring at him. "Do you have any idea how worried everyone was? How worried I was?!"

Javier's grin faded slightly, and he scratched the back of his head. "Uh... I guess I should've tell them or something."

"You think?!" she snapped, standing abruptly and glaring down at him.

Javier raised his hands in mock surrender, an awkward chuckle escaping his lips. "Come on, Liana. It's not that big a deal. I'm fine, see?"

"Not that big a deal?!" Liana leaned closer, her tone cold and sharp. "You've been missing for hours, it's the middle of the night, and you're out here playing adventurer while everyone back home is panicking!"

Javier winced, his usual confidence faltering under her scolding. "Uh... sorry?"

Liana crossed her arms, her piercing glare unwavering. "We are going back. Now."

"But Liana, there's still so much ore to mine, and—"

"NOW."

Javier sighed dramatically, muttering, "Fine, fine. You win."

As Liana turned away to prepare their departure, Javier whispered under his breath, "But I'm totally sneaking back here later."

"I heard that."

Javier gulped, realizing there was no escaping her wrath this time.

( End of Chapter )