Chapter 01
It was a relationship that lasted just over a year.
Amid the flames of war that swept across the continent, even feelings that seemed impossible would often bloom.
“You… I heard you’re good with a sword.”
That was how I met Renia Erahan von Benheim.
“The wandering mercenary, Reagan. The enemy of mages. People call you the Sword God, don’t they?”
It seemed Renia Benheim had heard rumors about a mercenary known as the Sword God.
That mercenary… was me.
At the time, I was living as a mercenary on the battlefield.
I didn’t have any grand reason for joining the war.
I started with a single sword technique I learned in the marketplace, and discovered my talent.
Maybe because I was born with nothing, I learned quickly.
“Sword God.”
It was just a nickname I gained while swinging my sword to survive the war.
“Sword God? It’s nothing special.”
“What do you mean? You know it too, Mr. Reagan. In a time like this, someone at Sword Master level cannot remain unaffiliated.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Let me introduce myself, even if it’s a bit late. I am Renia Erahan von Benheim, heir to the Count Benheim family. Though… it doesn’t mean much now that my family has fallen.”
Renia, the last bloodline of Benheim, reached out her hand to me.
Her goal was to recruit me.
“I want to formally hire you, Mr. Reagan. I’ll pay you well. I still have money left after selling my family’s treasures.”
“What is a noble lady of Benheim doing on a battlefield like this?”
“Because I am a noble of Benheim, I have a reason. I intend to kill him. The Magic King who started this war and destroyed my family.”
The Magic King.
The one who threw the continent into war, and a being closest to godhood, having surpassed the 8th rank in a human body.
He destroyed several magic noble families and stole their secrets, standing just before reaching the 9th rank.
Renia Erahan von Benheim, the second daughter of the once-great Benheim family, had come to the battlefield to take revenge.
Her eyes were filled with intense anger.
Even I, who had lived on the edge of death as a mercenary, found it hard to face the emotions in her eyes.
“…Payment is upfront.”
“Of course.”
I had no interest in joining a child’s revenge, but the reward she offered was tempting.
For a mercenary who had lost his employer, the resistance she led was an attractive destination.
“Then… a handshake.”
“Do we really have to?”
“It’s important to me.”
Reluctantly, I took her hand.
It wasn’t soft like an ordinary woman’s hand. It was rough, full of calluses.
It showed how hard her life had been.
“Let’s work well together. Let’s end this war.”
“…Yeah.”
That was how I joined the resistance led by Renia Benheim.
The resistance was large, and its members were skilled.
Even I, who started as just a hired hand, began to feel a sense of belonging as time passed.
For a wandering mercenary, it was a rare feeling.
We traveled across the continent, fighting the Magic King’s forces.
The results were good.
At that time, the Imperial Family was still standing, so we were hopeful.
We believed the war would end soon.
But a year later, that hope was shattered.
The Imperial Family fell.
And we were defeated.
* * *
I ran through the dense forest.
Renia, injured in the leg, was in my arms. Her face was pale, and she held a pendant tightly.
The end of the long battle was cruel.
The resistance was destroyed.
“It’s all my fault… because I was not good enough…”
“Don’t blame yourself. This wasn’t something an individual could overcome.”
That was the truth.
Against the Magic King’s army, we were nothing.
We were outmatched in numbers, quality, and even supplies.
“First, we need to escape and plan ahead. If we reach the southern forest—”
While I was speaking, Renia quietly stepped away.
When I turned, she was standing alone with a bitter smile.
“I’ll stay here.”
“What?”
“This place is perfect. If I block the narrow path and fight, you can escape, Mr. Reagan.”
“…Are you planning to die?”
“We’ve already lost. The resistance is gone. Only the two of us remain. Then at least one of us should survive. And I don’t plan to die quietly. I will kill the Magic King. That is my last duty.”
She smiled desperately.
That smile irritated me.
So I decided.
“I’ll stay too.”
“…What?”
She looked shocked.
“I don’t have any money left to pay you.”
“It’s not about money.”
Even I knew.
My reason told me to run.
But emotions create actions.
“If you die, the continent is finished. Then it’s better to risk everything on this small chance.”
Renia laughed softly.
“That’s not like you.”
“I know. Maybe I’ve been influenced by someone this past year.”
“I will still pay you.”
“You just said you have no money.”
“Yes. So I’ll pay in another way.”
She came closer, took my hand, and placed it against her chest.
“Take me.”
“…Are you serious?”
“I don’t lie. And when a lady gathers courage, shouldn’t you accept it?”
She pointed to a small cabin nearby.
“That place looks good. We should have at least a day. It’s enough for our last night.”
We entered the cabin.
And there, we spent one final night together.
“Did you know?”
“What?”
“I was never meant to become the head of the family.”
She told me stories of her past.
Her childhood in Benheim, her family, the power struggles, and the rise of the Magic King.
We talked all night.
As dawn came, she took out the pendant.
“Please take this.”
“…Isn’t it important to you?”
“Yes. This is the last payment I can give you. It’s a family heirloom… the symbol of the Benheim head.”
“And you’re giving it to me?”
“You have me, so you have Benheim.”
She showed the pendant.
“This rune… no one has ever deciphered it.”
“Rebuild Benheim. And reveal this rune to the world.”
“I’m not a mage.”
“It’s okay. You have more talent than you think.”
I couldn’t laugh.
“…Sounds like you’re saying you won’t survive.”
“Then just accept it quietly.”
“…Sorry.”
“I’ll return it.”
“…I hope so.”
But that never happened.
The next day, Renia was pierced through the chest by the Magic King’s magic.
* * *
“Impressive… the last bloodline of Benheim.”
The Magic King admired her as she knelt, coughing blood.
I didn’t listen.
All I saw was her dying body.
She looked at me and smiled weakly.
As if telling me to run.
“…You brat.”
I drew my sword and charged.
“If I’m going to die anyway, I’ll take something from you.”
“Who are you?”
“…Just an employee.”
“Then run. I might spare you.”
“I told you to shut up!”
I attacked with everything I had.
The Magic King smiled.
“You are talented… but you cannot defeat me.”
He launched his magic.
I cut through it.
“…What?”
For the first time, he was surprised.
But it didn’t matter.
I couldn’t reach him.
I gave everything, but only left a scar on his face.
“…Pathetic.”
In the end, I collapsed beside Renia.
Everything faded.
The Magic King’s final magic crushed us both.
That was our end.
* * *
“…Right.”
I died.
I definitely died.
“Hey!”
A voice called out.
“Reagan! Move it! Do you want to starve?”
A familiar mercenary stood there.
The place was a camp.
My reflection showed a teenage boy.
“…I died… didn’t I?”
Then what is this?
A dream?
“No.”
I felt something cold on my chest.
The pendant.
Renia’s pendant.
The one with the final rune.
“…You brat.”
I don’t know what she intended.
But one thing is certain.
Her will was not wrong.
I returned to the past.
