Chapter 17
“Brock, did you hear that?”
“What are you talking about?”
“That thief. He’s going to live with us and train magic now.”
“What?”
Benheim was a massive family. Not only the direct bloodline, but also branch families spread across the continent came to the main house to learn its unique magic.
Most branch family children who came to Benheim were between ten and fifteen years old. However, most of them packed up and returned home before adulthood.
The reason was simple. They lacked talent.
Only about twenty percent of branch family members were officially recognized and allowed to bear the Benheim emblem.
Even though they shared the Benheim name, they were constantly evaluated through strict tests every year. To be acknowledged as a true Benheim mage required passing a narrow gate, so branch mages trained desperately every single day.
Because of that, the hierarchy among branch families was very complicated. Even among branch members, ranking was strictly divided depending on how close they were to the direct line and how talented they were.
“The guy’s name was… Reagan, right?”
The blond boy who spoke, Brock Benheim, was eighteen years old this year. His branch family had only recently split from the main house, so they held some influence.
“So that Reagan guy is moving into the annex?”
“Yeah. I heard he reached 3rd tier this time.”
At the question, the messy-haired boy who brought the news nodded quickly. Brock frowned.
“3rd tier? How? As far as I know, he hasn’t even been in the family for a month.”
“Right. He only started learning mana a month ago.”
“Nonsense. That’s impossible. He must’ve been training magic before coming here.”
It was impossible.
A beginner who had only learned magic for a month reaching 3rd tier—no great mage in history could do that.
“No! It’s true! I overheard the servants. The head of the family gave him an elixir.”
“What? An elixir? Why?”
“I don’t know. Maybe the head just likes him?”
At those words, the group began to murmur louder.
Benheim’s artificial elixirs were among the best in the continent, except for those of the magic workshop Arkhamen. If the head personally gave it, it had to be an elixir. Brock’s face twisted.
“Unbelievable. Why would the head give an elixir to an outsider like that?”
“Maybe he has some secret background? Maybe he’s actually a hidden child of Benheim?”
The branch members listening grew curious about Reagan’s strange situation.
“If we get close to him, maybe some of that elixir will trickle down to us?”
“He probably hasn’t even used it yet. No one would just drink an elixir carelessly.”
Some of them looked excited, as if expecting benefits.
“Nonsense. That thief has no value.”
But Brock’s reaction was cold. In fact, it was hostile.
Even branch families were only slightly better off than outside mages, so they were still in a fragile position.
In such a situation, an outsider suddenly gaining the head’s favor naturally felt unfair.
Sensing Brock’s mood, the area went quiet. The boy who brought the news cautiously asked,
“Brock, you’re going to do the initiation, right?”
“Of course.”
The annex initiation was a tradition.
A way to beat up newcomers and show hierarchy. It was uncivilized, but most branch mages cared more about magic than noble manners.
“Brock, he’s here.”
“Good. Let’s see his face.”
Brock walked confidently toward the annex entrance.
There stood a well-built young man. Not bad-looking. Clean clothes made even his humble origin look decent.
“You’re Reagan or whatever?”
“Yes.”
“This annex is not an easy place. Someone like you won’t last a day here.”
“Hmm. Really?”
“Yeah. You won’t even survive the initiation. You know what that is, right? I’ll smash that smug face of yours.”
Brock showed open hostility, cracking his knuckles to intimidate him.
But Reagan did not react.
Instead, he blinked a few times while looking at Brock.
“What is it?”
Brock felt uneasy.
Reagan looked strangely calm. Beyond calm—there was even a faint sense of familiarity.
It was clearly their first meeting, yet he looked like he was seeing an old acquaintance again.
“What’s your name?”
Brock asked, confused.
“Why does that matter?”
“Just curious. You look familiar.”
“Nonsense. We’ve never met.”
“Yeah. Not yet.”
“Not yet?”
Reagan smiled instead of answering.
That smile somehow felt nostalgic.
Before regression, Renia’s resistance army was made up of people from all walks of life.
Royalty, nobles, commoners—none of that mattered inside Renia’s camp.
They were all warriors gathered to stop the Mage King’s plan. That shared purpose created a strange bond among them.
“Hey, why is someone like you next to Lady Renia?”
Of course, even if status didn’t matter, jealousy still existed.
“My name is Brock Benheim. I am a mage of Benheim and Lady Renia’s escort. These are my men.”
Brock was the leader of Renia’s escort mage unit in the resistance.
They were all at least 5th tier mages, and Brock himself was a 6th tier mage.
They were loyal to Renia to the point of risking their lives.
To them, I was an outsider who suddenly appeared. It was natural for them to doubt me.
“Guh… fine. He’s somewhat useful. Not bad for guarding Lady Renia.”
“That doesn’t sound convincing when you’re bleeding from your nose.”
“Shut up!”
In the end, I had to defeat them all at once before they acknowledged me.
“Remember this! Your sword exists to protect Lady Renia!”
Wiping his nosebleed, Brock said that to me.
A sword for protection.
I had never thought of it that way.
I brushed it off back then, but as the war dragged on and defeat became more likely, I was reminded of it again.
“Lady Renia! We’ll open a path!”
“Ahhh!”
The final battlefield where the Mage King himself appeared.
Brock and Renia’s escort unit were annihilated.
They threw away their lives like trash just to open a path for Renia’s escape.
That scene remained vividly in my memory.
Even knowing they would die, they gave their lives without hesitation.
It was not meaningless.
It was noble.
“Yeah. Nice to meet you, guys.”
So now, after returning to the past, meeting them again felt strange.
I smiled faintly and looked up. A group of slightly annoyed-looking Brock and his men stood in front of me. All familiar faces.
“You guys use magic, right?”
It was a simple question, but they seemed to take it as provocation.
“What did you say, you brat?!”
“Boss! This guy doesn’t know his place!”
I closed my eyes quietly while listening to their angry voices.
Their sacrifices were already buried deep in my heart.
No need to bring them up again.
“This life, I won’t lose you again.”
Then I should make sure they don’t die somewhere useless.
I opened my eyes and asked calmly.
“So that initiation you mentioned… it’s about putting the new guy in his place, right?”
I remembered mercenary initiations. Getting beaten badly, sleeping outside camp for days.
It would be similar here.
At least that’s what Cheryl said—this annex was like the wild.
“Good. Let’s do it.”
“What?”
Brock’s eyes widened in confusion as the newcomer himself suggested the initiation.
“What do you mean? Let’s make it a sparring match.”
“A sparring match? Are you serious?”
“Of course. You want to see my skills, right?”
“Well… yes.”
In the previous timeline, Brock challenged me to test my strength.
And it was the same now.
“Then I’ll show you. All of you, come at me together.”
The result would be no different from before.
“You arrogant bastard! I’ll fix your attitude!”
Brock’s face twisted. He raised his hand and cast magic.
Early 3rd tier. Not bad, but still inexperienced.
A few minutes later, Brock was lying on the ground, bleeding from his nose.
New order inside the annex was established quickly.
“Is that him?”
“The new guy?”
“I heard Brock lost.”
“It wasn’t just Brock. His whole group challenged him and got destroyed one by one.”
After witnessing Brock being defeated, no one dared to openly challenge me anymore.
Whispering behind my back was unavoidable, but I didn’t care.
What I needed now was to raise my level quickly, and that meant magic training came first.
“Not bad.”
Fortunately, the branch family library contained far higher-level magic books than the previous annex I stayed in. Perfect for someone who had just reached 3rd tier.
I stayed in the library all day, studying magic books and learning spells.
Five days after I arrived at the annex, Renia came to visit.
“I heard the rumor. You beat them up? Isn’t that a bit too rough?”
She looked worried at first when she heard I was living with branch members, but after hearing I had knocked out five people on my first day, she looked dumbfounded.
“Renia, aren’t you not supposed to meet me?”
“Not now. Father told me to get along with you.”
“Since when?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he just likes you.”
“…Hmm.”
She didn’t come just to see me.
Renia leaned closer with sparkling eyes. A strong citrus scent drifted over.
Then she whispered.
“Reagan, I actually like eavesdropping.”
“Oh. I know.”
“Huh?”
She frowned.
But what else could I do? I remembered a woman from the previous timeline who had placed listening spells like spiderwebs across the entire camp.
“Anyway. I overheard something. Father is taking you to the Hunting Festival.”
“The Hunting Festival?”
“Yes. It’s an event held every year in Benheim. A kind of test honoring the ancestors who used to hunt magical beasts. During the festival, artificial beasts are released into the forest, and people compete by hunting them.”
“They’re taking me there?”
“Yes. You’re a Benheim mage living with the branch family now, so you have to take the test. And this time, Lucen is also participating.”
“Lucen…”
“You don’t know them? They’re one of the Five Great Magic Houses like Benheim. This time they’re holding the festival together for exchange purposes.”
House of Lucen.
One of the Five Great Magic Families of the continent, just like Benheim.
By the time I was a mercenary in my past life, Lucen had already been destroyed by the Mage King. I still remembered a few of their mages who fought in the war.
“What kind of family is Lucen?”
“I’m not sure. I heard they were added to the Five Great Houses relatively recently. And their head of family changed recently too.”
“A new head?”
“Yes. The previous head stepped down.”
That helped connect the pieces.
The Hunting Festival. Lucen. A new head.
All of it matched what Renia had once told me in my previous life.
The Hunting Festival was a test and celebration honoring Benheim’s ancestor who hunted magical beasts.
In the previous timeline, Renia could not attend due to the cemetery attack.
“Renia, you’ll be participating too, right?”
“Of course. Why ask something obvious? I’m a direct bloodline.”
But this time, things were different. She would participate.
Stern also seemed to have no intention of canceling the festival.
Even after Markel’s identity as a dark mage was revealed just two weeks ago, the event would proceed.
Which meant…
A trap.
I nodded slightly.
“I understand.”
“You understand what?”
“Renia, you’re staying with me during the festival.”
Renia blinked.
“Is that a date invitation?”
“No.”
