I did as Gal suggested, immediately leaving to gather all the things from my home, which… wasn't a lot.
There was my sword, a practice sword, three sets of clothes, an extra pair of boots, gloves, a small knife for carving wood and skinning animals, a whetstone, my coin pouch, a small sewing kit, my diary, and a bag to carry everything.
I was by no means good at sewing, but my mother had taught me enough to fix my clothes.
I didn't really care at first, as it was simply a way to spend time with my mother once I reached her level in healing magic, but now that I thought about it, it was quite a useful skill to have.
I also decided to grab a piece of soap and a rag for cleaning.
Technically, I was able to stay clean by using detoxification magic on myself, but that only removed the odours from my body, and didn't do anything to the sweat and smells that had already soaked into my clothes.
Surprisingly, neither I nor Nina had smelled bad despite our training, but I was nearing the age where puberty started, and I did not want to imagine what putrid scent I would soon give off without proper bathing.
Of course, during my lessons with Nina, I had stressed the importance of hygiene to her as well.
Thankfully, she didn't want to smell bad either, so she took my tips seriously.
"So… I guess this is it," my father said, resting his hand on my head. "I always knew you would be heading off to better things… but I didn't expect it to be so soon."
"And travelling all alone… I know you're strong, and I can trust you, but… just be safe, okay?" my mother said, moving to give me a tight hug. "I know that the Sword God said not to see him until you're an adult, but you can come home anytime, okay?"
Home… yeah, this was my home, and I would definitely miss this place.
"Okay, Mom… I'll be safe," I said, hugging her back. "When I come back, I'll tell you two everything about my travels."
My parents… despite the oddities that came with reincarnating as a baby, there was no doubt that I loved both of them, just as I did my previous parents.
I truly viewed them as my mother and my father, and there were no complications with my past parents or internal confusion about 'replacing' them.
After all, my parents had divorced when I was young, and the partners they had found, I had come to view as my real parents, so it was easy to do the same with these two.
I did feel bad for taking over their 'actual' son, but I loved them for helping me grow, caring for me as a baby while the odd haze of an infant brain caused so much confusion, and comforting me while I was still coming to terms with this scary world.
Just the possibility of disease made me afraid I could die any day without having even taken my first steps.
And then, there were also the times I had nightmares about my death, and how my mother would hold me in her arms until I fell asleep.
Those nightmares eventually stopped once I reached my third year, and could instead focus on discovering the new world, studying the language, and practicing my magic and swordsmanship, but still… my mother was always there to give me loving care whenever I needed it.
And my father… while he was certainly more reserved, I could tell that he cared for me in his own way. Especially when it came to helping me grow.
I still remember how he and I played tag as an early training method, how he was always so proud of my accomplishments with the sword, and his amazed smile when I showed him my Longsword of Light for the first time.
I'll miss them. Definitely.
And while I didn't plan on coming back here for a while, if I ended up finding love on the way… I would definitely have her meet them.
They were my family, after all.
With our final hugs given, and our farewells exchanged, I then walked back outside to where Helios was waiting, the sides of his saddle loaded with the rest of the supplies that I had gotten from Gal.
In there was a pot, spices for cooking, a cloth tarp, rope, a bedroll, a small tent, a bag of horse feed, and probably some other supplies that I didn't immediately notice.
There was also a pack of food that was enough to feed me until the next town where I could resupply, but I planned to leave the jerky for emergencies, and hunt for most of my meals.
I would also need to replenish the horse feed each time I visited a village or town, so I had a feeling that I wouldn't be saving much of my funds…
Untying Helios' lead, I began walking to the edge of the Sword Sanctum.
I had done this many times before, such as when I went out for hunts or went to explore the surroundings with Nina, but this time… it felt different.
Having crossed the last fence, I was about to hop onto Helios' saddle and head out, but before I could… someone called out to me.
"Vincent!" Nina said as she ran towards me, sprinting at her top speed, before she quickly found herself standing in front of me.
I expected her to say something after that, but instead, she grabbed my collar, pulled me close… and pressed her lips against my own.
What?
I felt my mind blank in a mix of shock and confusion.
Sure, I knew her feelings for me had been growing, but this was… a step forward.
A big one.
The kiss was clumsy, just as you would expect a first one to be, and with our mouths remaining closed as they pressed against each other, it was more innocent than anything else.
After a few moments, she eventually let go of me, wiping her mouth with a dazed smile before her gaze flicked up to meet mine, her eyes narrowing as her lips spread into an accomplished smirk.
"I'll get to your level and see you soon, got that?" she said, crossing her arms. "Also… here. For your birthday."
She then handed me a small amulet of what seemed to be a sword, with a hole at the hilt for a string.
But the rough carving… it seemed to be made by an amateur.
Wait…
"Did you… make this yourself?" I asked, looking up at her.
"Of course!" she replied.
"I see… thank you, Nina. Truly," I said, smiling at her as I placed the amulet in my pocket.
I would have to wait until I found a proper string to wear it as a necklace.
Her cheeks gained a bit of colour as she nodded her head, seemingly satisfied with my reaction.
"Vincent… I love you," she then said, her eyes serious.
She didn't run away, and didn't even seem embarrassed.
First the sudden kiss, and then this…
What had made her suddenly so brazen?
"I'll come after you, and once I get to you, I'll become your woman. And while I'm here getting stronger, I'll learn everything that a woman needs to," she said, stepping closer as she leaned her head against my chest. "So… don't get with any woman, and wait for me… got it?"
I found myself a bit flustered, which was quite surprising, considering how she was but a girl, and I was… well, quite a bit older mentally.
To think I had internally promised to show my parents the woman I eventually came to love just a few minutes ago, when it seemed that she had already been right here the entire time.
"I got it," I said, causing her to raise her head. "And… I love you too."
I decided to kiss her forehead instead of her lips.
That kind of kiss… I wanted to wait until we could take things a bit more seriously, so this should be fine for the moment.
Because everything with this… it felt right, but also a bit odd.
It was hard to comprehend, considering that I grew up with her as a child, and I knew that in the story, she was meant to be with Jino in the future.
But then again, if I thought about her eventually getting with that guy… I felt quite sad.
Yeah… I loved her.
And I wanted to be with her.
But with my reincarnation and us growing up together, I just needed some time to think about it away from her, and thankfully, I'd be getting plenty of time and space for the foreseeable future.
So until then…
"So don't get with any other guy either, okay?" I said, sending her a wink as we separated.
"Hah! As if there's anyone else for me," she said, shaking her head. "Just be safe, okay, Vince?"
"I will," I replied.
We looked at each other in silence for a few moments before Nina suddenly turned around.
"Well, get going! I have training to do!" she shouted as she walked away.
Yeah… that was just like her.
Jumping up, I easily hooked my feet into the saddle, settling on the seat as I secured the reins.
"Well, Helios… let's get to it," I said, gently squeezing my leg as he began trotting forward.
And thus began my journey towards the Asura Kingdom.
— Nina Farion —
"Keep your feet steady, Nina," my father instructed as he deflected another attack. "Remember, our style hinges on ending things with one strike. If the first one doesn't work out, step back and try again. And to do that, you need to always be ready to move."
"Yes!" I shouted, the snow exploding beneath my feet as I separated from him, narrowing my eyes as I prepared for another attack.
The energy that I felt when I did it… Vince had explained to me how it was battle aura.
Of course, I knew what it was before.
After all, my father was the Sword God, and I had been introduced to swordsmanship by Timothy, a Sword Emperor, who was also my uncle.
But still, the two had never really explained it, saying that it was something I would eventually understand when I got better.
But Vince didn't.
He explained it as well as he could, telling me how it was an energy that enhanced my body and sword, and could be controlled with enough focus, as long as I didn't force it.
He always did that.
He always explained things in a way I could understand, never treating me like I was stupid, even if it took a long time.
He always took me seriously… I already miss him, and it's hardly been a couple of days since he left.
"What, are you thinking about your boyfriend again?" my father asked, a smirk of amusement appearing on his face. "Also, did you think no one would overhear your little 'parting gift'? To think you two kids could declare your love so strongly… haha!"
I simply raised my sword as I continued searching for an opening.
"Yes, Father. I love him, and he loves me," I replied calmly.
There was no fear in those words, and no embarrassment.
After all, it was simply a fact.
"Huh… I guess that didn't work," he said, raising an eyebrow in wonder. "What changed, Nina? You'd usually redden up like an apple at that."
Right… I guess that was something that changed within me recently.
I had always been sure of my feelings for Vince, but before, explaining them in front of my father felt… uncomfortable.
Not because it was necessarily embarrassing, although that was part of it.
It was more of the fact that I was worried about him being critical of my love, thinking it would get in the way of my swordsmanship.
But now, those worries… they were useless.
Because Vince, and my love for him… it just made me stronger.
"I stopped second-guessing myself. Or rather… I stopped caring about anyone else and what they thought, including you," I said. "The only thing I'm focusing on now is getting stronger so I can reach him."
I had always felt that way, but that feeling only grew on the day he left.
Sure, the ultimatum of needing to become a Sword Saint to chase after him helped, but most of all… it was knowing that he loved me too.
Vince had always cared for me. I knew that. It was why I fell in love with him in the first place.
But to hear him say it… to know it was the same love I felt for him, and not how someone cared about a friend or a sister… it was both relieving and motivating.
I unconsciously removed a hand from my sword, reaching up to my forehead, where he had kissed me before parting.
Perhaps I had been too fast in stealing his lips and sharing our first kiss, but it was the only adult thing I knew that I could do with him.
There were other things, as I had learned from some of the older girls in the dorm… but I wasn't ready for that, and I don't think Vince was either.
But still, despite us having shared our first real kiss with lips, the one he gave me on the forehead… it felt so much warmer.
Damn… I'm thinking like some romantic.
"You've grown up fast, kid… maybe a little too fast," my father said, shaking his head before he narrowed his eyes at me. "But snap out of it! You said you want to focus on training, right? If you don't, you might take too long to meet him."
I returned both hands to my sword, but still…
"Too long? What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well… Vincent is a handsome and talented guy, and while there aren't many girls his age here, that's different in the capital," he said, smirking. "If you don't hurry up, he might pick up a cute Asuran girl while he's over there. I've heard rumours that their second princess has grown up into quite the beauty."
I felt a searing heat crawl up my body.
A heat of anger.
I immediately launched forward, going faster than I had ever gone before as I unleashed a flurry of strikes.
"That's more like it!" my damn father replied happily.
Vince… you better not break your promise to wait for me.
If you do… I don't care if you're stronger, I'll absolutely make you regret it if you do.
—
Using some fire magic to rekindle the campfire flame, I leaned back against the tree as the faint crackling of firewood echoed through the forest.
As I had thought, while my elemental magic wasn't too useful in combat, it was quite useful for utility.
I was currently camping on the road to the nearest town, which was the edge of the Kingdom of Toile, a small Kingdom that controlled the land between the three Magic Nations to the east, the Sword Sanctum to the north, and the Wyrm's Whiskers mountains to the south, where the Kingdom of Asura lay beyond.
It wasn't my first time camping in this life, but it was my first time doing it alone, and this was also the furthest I had gone from home.
Although, with every day I would be going further than I had before, so that wasn't too important.
I would need another day to reach the town, and so, here I was… camping under the moonlight with my trusty companion.
"So I guess I'm not really alone, huh, Helios?" I asked.
Of course, being a horse, and an asleep one, at that… he didn't respond.
I lifted my gaze to look across the simple camp I had set up.
I had the cloth tarp hanging between the trees to cover Helios and me from any snow, the ground beneath us had been cleared of snow and dried with fire magic, and I had simply placed the bedroll and campfire on said ground.
While I had a small tent to sleep in, I didn't need it for now since there were no bugs up here in the cold Northern Territories, but I would likely need to use it once I got closer to the Asura Kingdom.
Although, it was winter, so maybe I would be fine for a while.
I then looked down to my lap, where Helios had decided to rest his head as he slept.
Wasn't that a surprise?
From my horse riding training, I had also learned how to care for them, so I knew that horses usually slept standing up, but needed around an hour of deep sleep a day, which requires them to lie down.
The only problem was that they only did it when they felt safe, like in a stable.
But to do this here with me… he must already have a lot of trust in me.
What a good companion I had.
Speaking of Helios, while today we had to take a couple of hour-long breaks, I was hoping that I could eventually push him to travel for a full day by using healing magic to restore his stamina and muscle pain… but I wanted to do it gradually so as not to shock him with a sudden change of pace.
But until then… I'd have some free time when we weren't riding.
Naturally, I would train during it, but there was only one problem… I didn't have anyone to spar with.
Training by myself was fine, but there was only so much you could do alone, and I doubted it would take up all of my free time, so… what else could I do?
I immediately thought about magic.
More specifically, healing magic.
Earlier today, during my last spar against Gal… he had destroyed my ribs with that knee.
Thankfully, the spar ended soon after, so I could heal it without a worry… but that wasn't always a guarantee.
Stopping in the middle of an intense fight to heal myself, and taking a hand off my sword to do so, was not something I would be able to do.
I pulled up my sleeve and brought out my small knife, slicing a shallow cut on my forearm as blood began to bead from the wound.
Okay… focus… focus on healing it without using my hand… bring the mana directly to the wound and generate its effects, all without it going through my hand…
I concentrated for a few moments in silence, calming my breathing as I did so, and eventually… it worked.
Slowly, the wound began to close.
Painfully slow, especially since it was such a shallow cut.
It would not be usable in combat in this state, but that wasn't important.
I now knew that it was possible.
So now I just needed to work on the speed and strength of the healing so that I could do it in the middle of combat without using my hand.
Thinking of magic, my mind then went to another topic of importance.
That being the 'protagonist' of this world's story as I knew it… Rudeus Greyrat.
A lot of my knowledge of the future hinged on his story, his perspective, and the actions that he took through his life.
Not to mention how the Fittoa teleportation disaster only happened during the same 'loop' as he was present in.
Needless to say, his existence was important, but the problem was… I didn't even know if he existed in the world I was in.
Orsted went through multiple loops where Rudeus did not appear, and where Zenith and Paul's first child ended up stillborn.
So… was this one of those loops, or was it the one I knew?
There was only one sure way to find out… and that was to confirm it in person.
Luckily, it wouldn't be too long of a detour, as I would just need to go east after passing the mountains to visit Roa.
From what I remembered, he should be two years younger than me, which meant that he was currently eight years old.
So, knowing that he went to tutor Eris at seven… he should be in the city by now.
That was… if my memory of the dates was correct.
Well… if I didn't end up seeing him, I'd just take a trip down to Buena Village, wherever it was on the map, and check in with the local lord.
With that addition to the trip in mind, I tilted my head up, resting it against my bundled clothes that would act as my pillow, and closed my eyes.
Unfortunately, the branches blocked my view of the night sky, but that was fine.
Soon… I would be in the Kingdom of Asura.
— End of Part I - Childhood —