#77 Awakening (5)
But Sasha turned away from the gold, jewels, and magical items, letting go of greed.
She had come here for another reason.
Of course, she would take some of the other things too, but…
“Oh. There it is.”
Finding what she needed, Sasha smiled.
As expected, it was here.
She quickly walked over to the item she had been keeping an eye on.
Her sharp eyes inspected its condition like a hawk.
Like the other items in the vault, this one too was still in good shape despite a thousand years passing.
Satisfied, Sasha beckoned to Pavel.
“Pavel, come here. Sit down.”
She brought Pavel in front of the object she had found.
It looked like nothing more than a dried-out piece of wood.
“This is called a ‘Branch of Yggdrasil.’ For someone who handles mana, it’s one of the most valuable treasures.”
Yggdrasil—also called the World Tree.
In legends, it was said to hold up the world, and even one branch among its countless offshoots was this large.
Its straight trunk reached the ceiling and still spread its branches wide enough to touch the opposite wall.
Of course, the important thing wasn’t the outside.
“Just being near it increases vitality, and it adjusts your mana circuits so you can handle more mana without strain.”
Sasha explained excitedly.
“So if you make your mana hole here in front of it, it will help control your mana better.”
After hearing her, Pavel sat in front of the branch.
Sasha crouched in front of him.
“Now you just have to make a mana hole… Did you read the book I gave you before?”
“Yes.”
“Was it difficult? I told you to ask me if you had questions, but you never came to me, so I was worried.”
“It wasn’t that hard. I understood everything.”
“Really?”
Of course—our smart Pavel.
Sasha smiled brightly.
“Then do you want to try? Make a mana hole.”
“Yes.”
She thought about helping him, but Pavel immediately closed his eyes, placed his hands on his knees, and focused.
If she spoke or touched him now, she might break his concentration, so Sasha decided to wait quietly.
While waiting, she walked around the vault to see if there was anything else useful.
“This should be taken. And this too. Oh! So this was here.”
The more she looked and touched, the heavier her hands became.
Luckily, she found a ‘subspace pouch’ that could hold anything without changing weight or size.
Wearing the light pouch on her wrist, she kept looking around, slowly sinking into memories.
“Previous life? Reincarnation? What’s that?”
Tabarishi, who didn’t understand the idea of a previous life, wondered if it was a kind of magic.
“Well, I’m not really sure either.”
When Sasha answered weakly, Tabarishi looked at her quietly and then said—
“Then, if you are born again in this world and remember your previous life, come find me.”
“But you might not be there then.”
“Really? Then I’ll leave things behind in my place. Ah, I could make a vault and fill it with things that would help you after you’re reborn.”
“…”
“You can take anything inside without hesitation. It’s all for you—my legacy left for you—so don’t feel burdened.”
It was the first time anyone had said something like that to her.
Hearing those words gave Sasha a thrill from her fingertips to the top of her head.
‘I think it’s because of Tabarishi that I could live my life as Hirote so fiercely and passionately.’
She hadn’t remembered every previous life in her more than twenty reincarnations.
Sometimes she recalled them, like in this life, but sometimes she never remembered until death.
When she had only lived a few reincarnations, remembering past lives felt good—she thought it gave her an advantage over others.
But as reincarnations piled up, she realized—how terrible it was not to forget like others could.
Sometimes she chose death as soon as she remembered a previous life.
At those times, she truly didn’t want to live anymore. She just wanted the endless cycle to break.
Of course, there were many times when her mind wasn’t that desperate.
But even then, she never felt passion—no intense emotions, no strong will to live.
If not for the Arvan Count couple in this life—
And if not for Pavel, who made her want to protect him—
‘I wouldn’t be living so earnestly now.’
She wouldn’t be longing for life so desperately.
Taking a deep, trembling breath, Sasha came back to the present.
“…I made it.”
Pavel’s voice reached her, and she lifted her head.
When she turned, she saw Pavel slowly standing up, drenched in sweat.
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Whoosh!
Red flames suddenly flared over Pavel’s skin.
“Wow!”
Sasha gasped.
“I didn’t think you’d succeed on the first try, and so quickly…”
“It wasn’t that hard.”
To Sasha, Pavel looked like a child seeking praise, even though he spoke casually.
She swallowed a small laugh.
“It’s fire-attribute. Useful both in daily life and in combat. Congratulations, Pavel.”
“It’s thanks to you.”
He met her eyes.
“…Thank you.”
Sasha couldn’t help but smile.
“Hmm… Shall we go now?”
Having taken everything they needed, they started back.
She didn’t know how long it had been, but Andrei and Nikolai waiting outside must be very bored.
But when they reached the entrance—
Clang!
“Huh?”
They clearly heard the sounds of battle.
Sasha and Pavel hurried outside.
At the entrance, Andrei and Nikolai were surrounded by monsters, fighting desperately.
“Knights!”
Sasha called out in shock, but the two couldn’t even turn their heads.
“Get back, Madam!”
“Young master, take the Madam back inside! It’s dangerous!”
Slash—!
Screech!
They kept cutting down monsters, but they were still in danger.
Many monster corpses already lay on the ground, yet—
Rattle!
More monsters surrounded them than they had killed.
“Wait!”
Sasha was about to summon spirits, but Pavel ran ahead.
“I’ll do it.”
Passing her, Pavel drew his sword and swung without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Bright red flames blazed along the blade.
“That’s…”
It was a skill only someone with a fire-attribute mana hole could use.
Monsters hit by his flaming strikes died instantly.
With Pavel’s arrival, the situation turned in an instant.
Nikolai and Andrei, who had been fighting back-to-back, finally had breathing room.
The two knights looked at Pavel in surprise.
Screech!
The stench of burning flesh and the monsters’ screams filled the air.
“His application skills are good too.”
Sasha thought proudly, our Pavel is the kind of genius who learns one thing and masters ten.
Soon the fight was over.
“Young master, what was that just now?”
Nikolai stared, bewildered.
“I mean, your sword was… flames were… whoa!”
Rubbing his eyes, he looked again and yelped at the sight of the burning sword.
Smiling faintly, Pavel stayed quiet, so Sasha explained—
“We got it inside.”
“The sword?” Andrei asked.
Though polite, his eyes were full of curiosity and longing.
With his reputation as a training maniac, it was natural he’d be interested in a sword he’d never seen before.
Sasha looked at both of them.
Neither had any suspicious air, nor did she see any hint of jealousy.
Most of all, they were trustworthy—that’s why she had brought them to the vault’s entrance in the first place.
After thinking, Sasha said—
“What we got inside wasn’t a sword—it’s called a mana hole…”
She gave a short explanation.
“Do you want me to teach you too?”
“Yes.”
As knights eager to reach new heights, Andrei answered immediately.
Nikolai was more cautious.
“Can we learn it too?”
“Of course. But it will take longer.”
Unlike Pavel, they would have to start from gathering mana.
Still, if they worked hard, they could reach Sword Master level someday—
‘Though probably not until they’re middle-aged, like Sergei.’
But who knew? Maybe they had even greater talent than Sergei and could advance sooner.
Sasha promised to teach them how to make a mana hole.
“I’ll help too.”
Pavel, who had been silently watching, quickly joined in.
“As someone with experience, my advice will help.”
“That’s true.”
Sasha agreed.
But while she was thinking purely from the knights’ perspective, Pavel was thinking—
I can’t leave the three of them alone together.
Satisfied with his plan to “help” the knights, Pavel smiled.
Andrei stayed quiet, while Nikolai gave Pavel a sly grin.
Yep, watching other people’s romance is the most fun.
