I Can See the Sword’s Memories

Chapter 30: Sun Tail Mission(2)

The desert night was cold, but for warriors with trained bodies, it wasn’t a concern. 

Both my group and Jiure’s sat cross-legged on the cool ground of the training yard, facing each other.

“Do you like alcohol?” Jiure asked, rolling a wine bottle that glimmered with a deep violet hue toward me. The bottle stopped at my feet.

His shrug suggested indifference—drink it if you want, or don’t.

“There’s no food to go with it,” he added. “I’m not the type to carry extra things around.”

Flora and Theo received their own bottles. Leaning slightly to one side, I rested my elbow on my knee and placed my chin on my hand. 

Picking up the bottle, I examined it, the casual pose adding to the peculiar atmosphere.

I finally spoke. “What do you want to know?”

“Your Azure Wings, of course. I’ve always been curious about the Empire’s knightly order that hunts and kills reincarnators.”

“You’d have been better off asking Vice-Captain Kanok…”

“I tried, but he’s gone.”

Turning my head, I glanced toward the noisy pool area. Sure enough, Kanok was nowhere to be seen. Neither were the other vice-captains who had accompanied us.

If all the vice-captains had disappeared, it could only mean they had been called away for something important.

Nodding slightly, I tipped the bottle back. The sweet aroma of fruit filled my senses, followed by a refreshing forest-like coolness. The aftertaste was crisp and clean.

Jiure began asking questions about the Azure Wings. Did we truly hunt reincarnators? Were there exceptions? How far did our operations extend?

I couldn’t answer many of his questions. As a junior knight, my knowledge was limited, and there were rules against sharing sensitive information with outsiders.

The conversation flowed in a rhythm. A question, an answer, and then a drink from our bottles.

At one point, Jiure asked, “Saeorin, Theo, Flora. Can you distinguish between ordinary people and reincarnators?”

The three of us exchanged glances.

We had learned how to identify reincarnators during training. While we hadn’t tested the method in a real situation, it wasn’t particularly difficult.

I thought back to the reincarnators I’d encountered before. They all had an inexplicable aura about them—something distinct from ordinary people. Even their presence carried a peculiar weight.

If I saw one, I’d recognize it.

“Of course,” I replied, nodding as I touched my flushed cheek. The alcohol had warmed my face, likely tinting it with a reddish hue.

“Oh! That’s good to hear,” Jiure said enthusiastically. “In that case, would you mind helping me with something? I recently spotted someone suspicious. No matter how I look at them, they seem like a reincarnator. With Azure Wings knights like you here, you could confirm it for me.”

Standing up, Jiure gestured for us to follow.

The three of us exchanged silent looks. Without a senior knight present, was it right for us to leave on our own?

“But Vice-Captain Kanok isn’t here…” Flora hesitated.

Theo, however, was the first to rise. “Sounds good! Where are we going?” he exclaimed boldly.

I glanced at Theo. He was drunk. Alcohol dulls the senses, and Theo was clearly in no state to make rational decisions.

And me? My mind was sharp, and my senses heightened. I wasn’t drunk, meaning I could watch over my less capable companion.

I stood up as well.

“Saeorin? Theo?” Flora’s voice carried a note of concern.

The desert night was cool and still. Despite Flora’s hesitance, my simple words drew her to her feet.

“Flora, let’s go.”

“But…!”

“There’s a reincarnator, isn’t there?”

The presence of a reincarnator was reason enough. I suppressed the turbulent mana swirling within me, quietly murmuring to myself:

‘Hold still, White Dragon Sword.’

It wasn’t the right time—yet.

Reluctantly, Flora stood, and the three of us followed Jiure and his group over the annex’s wall.

Guards patrolling the palace noticed us, their gazes lingering briefly, but they didn’t intervene. Instead, they bowed lightly to Jiure as he passed.

It seemed the First Prince’s escapades were a familiar sight. Unless he caused a significant disturbance, the guards made no move to stop him.

Our group exited the palace grounds, emerging into Sun Tail’s vibrant night streets.

The city’s atmosphere had completely transformed. During the day, awnings shielded the streets from the blazing sun, but now, small glowing lanterns replaced them, casting a soft radiance along the roads.

The streets teemed with drunken revelers and performers, their mingling creating a curious heat that seemed to fill the air.

The atmosphere was thick, almost suffocating, and for a moment, I felt as if the city might pull me into its depths.

Keeping my hand on the hilt of my sword, I steadied my breathing and refocused.

Our destination wasn’t the bustling night streets but the city’s outskirts. After a short journey, we arrived at the back gate.

Beyond the gate stretched a long track leading into the distance. Flora explained that Sun Tail’s wealth came from its mana stones, and this railway likely served to transport the mined stones.

“Where’s the reincarnator?” I asked, scanning the area. By now, we should have seen some sign of the person Jiure spoke of.

“Almost there, so don’t rush. They usually appear a bit further into the mana stone mines,” Jiure replied, pointing ahead.

A cool breeze brushed against my face, gradually clearing the remnants of my earlier intoxication. With clarity returning, I began to regret my impulsive decision.

Still, there was no turning back now. We’d come this far, and Jiure didn’t seem to be lying.

“If they’re not there, we’re heading straight back,” I said firmly.

“Don’t worry. They’ve shown up every night without fail,” Jiure assured me.

“Then why haven’t you caught them yet?”

“That’s… complicated. You’ll understand when you see for yourself.”

Jiure signaled the guards at the gate, and preparations for departure began.

The transportation to the mines wasn’t by horse or camel but by a mana stone-powered cart.

The cart sped along the tracks at a remarkable pace, almost as fast as a galloping horse. 

I leaned against the cart’s edge, enjoying the refreshing breeze as my white hair shimmered faintly under the moonlight.

Eventually, we reached the mine. The sprawling site was eerily empty—a natural state during the nighttime closure when the workers rested.

“This is it. They usually appear further inside the mine,” Jiure explained.

I glanced into the mine’s depths, where light radiated softly from the peculiar stones embedded in the walls. They resembled the luminous stones I had seen in the imperial armory.

Our group followed the tracks deeper into the mine, where the air grew thick with mana.

“…The mana here is incredible,” Flora muttered in awe.

“It’s like walking underwater,” Theo added, marveling at the dense energy saturating the air.

When I moved my hand, faint blue currents of mana shimmered in response to the motion.

Jiure eventually stopped, gesturing for us to take cover behind a massive pillar. With a nod, I crouched with Flora and Theo, concealing ourselves from view.

“How long will we wait?” I whispered.

Jiure shrugged, indicating he wasn’t sure. Leaning against the wall, I rested my hand lightly on the hilt of the White Dragon Sword, ready for what might come.

Time dragged on, though I estimated about thirty minutes had passed based on the subsiding effects of my earlier drink.

Then, a faint movement caught my attention. A presence.

It wasn’t just me—Flora, Theo, and Jiure all stiffened, sensing it too.

“There they are…” Jiure murmured quietly.

Emerging from the shadows, a massive figure came into view, its form partially obscured by the glowing lights behind it.

The delay in recognizing its appearance was brief but disorienting.

The figure was half-human, with the other half covered in blue crystalline mana stones.

Its voice was grotesque, a guttural rasp. The creature surveyed its surroundings briefly before sitting down and gnawing on an exposed chunk of glowing blue stone embedded in the wall.

Crunch. Crack.

The sound of the mineral shattering echoed through the chamber, and with each bite, the blue crystals covering its body pulsed with light.

Jiure glanced at me and my companions, his gaze asking the obvious question: Isn’t this clearly a reincarnator?

I didn’t deliberate long. Stepping forward, I drew the White Dragon Sword.

Shrrk—!

The blade’s drawn motion left a shimmering white trail in its wake.

I advanced swiftly, my sword poised to strike the crystalline figure.

Just as the blade was about to connect—

Whoosh!

The figure vanished. My blade cut through empty air.