I Refused To Be Reincarnated

"Ahem. This is my travel companion, Julius. He came all the way from the Belloria kingdom to learn alchemy at the academy!"

"Oh, I see. Nice to... meet you."

Asha\'s words struck Julius. He felt the contempt and suspicion laced in them as she scrutinised his body like a hawk.

"Honestly, considering your physique and... attire, I thought you were one of Arun\'s slaves or perhaps a squire."

"..."

His mouth hung open, and his answer died in his throat because... that\'s what he looked like. He was learning what it meant to be judged by his clothing for the first time, and he didn\'t enjoy the lesson at all.

Fortunately, the young lady turned to her fiancé, a bright smile stretching her lips.

"Arun, guess what?"

"I-I don\'t know?" Arun answered, sweat glistening on his forehead. He knew her! That smile, that tone! She was about to say something terrible, and he already shuddered imagining what.

"My father said I unlocked a talent for alchemy! We will study together! Yay!" she revealed, jumping happily with her head raised high in pride.

"N-No..."

Opposite to her excellent mood, Arun\'s plummeted, a tidal wave engulfing his young heart under a sea of despair.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times in a vain attempt to reply before shaking his head. Then, he walked towards Julius, his shoulders slumped and his gaze dull. He put his hand on his friend\'s shoulder and whispered, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"I don\'t want to become an alchemist anymore. Please, kill me instead and spare me from years of torture."

"Why? Don\'t you like your fiancée?" Julius asked, raising his hands in confusion and grimacing at the solemn demand. How could he kill him?

Arun shook his head with a complicated expression in response. He was too young to know about love. In fact, he had no interest in it yet. He didn\'t dislike the girl either, at least when they were alone. It\'s in public that problems emerged like ominous clouds veiling the sky.

"I can\'t breathe with her around. She follows me everywhere and threatens any girls who dare to speak with me. She is worse than my mom. Haaaa... Why must I suffer so much..." He said, his lamenting tone causing Julius to pat his shoulder to comfort him.

"Don\'t worry, we\'ll avoid her as much as possible."

"Humpf... I can hear you! Why do you want to speak with other girls when you already have me? Besides, I\'m much cooler than anyone else you could find! Anyway, let\'s travel together!" Asha said, her eyebrows and lips twitching in annoyance.

"NO! I promised Julius to travel with him! You have to stay in your carriage! You can follow us if you want to!"

Arun\'s genuine scream made Julius smile as tender memories resurfaced in his mind. Their shenanigans reassembled his big brother\'s and Theodore\'s bickering. However, his recollection ended abruptly as Asha pointed a finger at him.

"This poor boy? He can travel in my carriage while I join you in yours. Problem solved, right? In addition, how dare you call him a friend but let him walk with you dressed like a beggar? It\'s so embarrassing!"

She looked at Arun in reproach. It was unbecoming for a noble to be seen with someone dressed so poorly. If her fiancé considered Julius his friend, he should have fixed his attire before the boy ruined his reputation.

That\'s why she called for one of her three female guards, asking her to take Julius\' measurements. Then, she instructed another to sew something decent for him.

Arun felt a bit ashamed as he watched Asha help his friend look presentable. However, no one knew how to sew in his escort, and Julius was much taller than him, making it impossible for him to share his own clothes.

"Sigh. You can join me in my carriage, but Julius will stay with us, too. I can\'t chase him out after inviting him, right?" Arun compromised, knowing well that she wouldn\'t give up until he accepted.

"Yay! What are your knights cooking? I\'m starving." She asked, her eyes sparkling and her smile stretching to reach her ears.

The rest of the evening passed by uneventfully. The three youths ate the soup cooked by the knights while speaking and laughing before returning to their respective carriages to pass the night.

As Julius sat cross-legged to cultivate before sleeping, Arun couldn\'t help but say. "Sorry, Julius. I hope you won\'t be too annoyed by her presence."

"It\'s okay. She reminds me a bit of my big brother, and I think she is a great girl," Julius said, smiling.

"Hee? She is so clingy and annoying! Don\'t let her bamboozle you. She is a devil disguised in sheep\'s clothing. Last time I annoyed her, she made my life as chaotic as a potion gone wrong!" Arun answered, displeased at seeing his friend being misled by her.

"Hahaha, maybe, but she genuinely cares about you," he answered, remembering her vivid reactions and sparkling eyes each time she interacted with the boy.

Arun snorted in response. Unwilling to speak anymore after seeing how she got his friend to believe in her innocence so fast, he covered himself with the thick blanket.

\'You\'ll see once we reach a city. That is when the gates of hell will open, and you\'ll see her true face!\' He thought, an icy shiver running down his spine and tremors shaking his shoulders as he closed his eyes.

A few hours later, as the campfire crackled under the pale moon glow, painting a peaceful scenery, a jarring noise startled everyone awake.

BOOOOOOOM

"AHHHH! What is happening?!" Arun yelled, jumping to his feet and running to the carriage\'s door to see what caused such a commotion in the middle of the night.

Once outside, the night\'s chilly wind assaulted his skin, ruffling his hair, and the clangour of metal reverberated in his ears.

His heart hammered against his chest the next second and his pupils constricted at the sight of a massive magical beast swiping its razor-sharp claws at his knights. The flickering campfire reflected on its glinting fangs and armor-like carapace as the creature hissed, occasionally showing its forked tongue.

\'An armored lizard?!\' He thought, palling upon seeing the dangerous beast.

In a hurry and listening to his instinct, he checked on Asha\'s carriage, hoping she was safe, only to feel his chest tighten.

There was another lizard entangled in a deadly battle against her three guards!

\'H-how can I help?\' He thought, the fire casting ominous shadows on his face. Yet, despite his will to act, his legs trembled, menacing to buckle.

Fortunately, a firm hand grabbed his shoulder, and a comforting voice entered his ears, soothing his tense nerves.

"Your knights won\'t win this battle. You need to help them," Julius said, squinting at the armored duo.

They were both in the middle stage of the first tier, while the beast was in the late stage. However, despite the numerical advantage, they were outmatched. After all, with its three-meter-long body, incredible weight and natural weapons, the beast was too deadly compared to humans. And being in a weaker realm didn\'t help bridge the gap.

"I can\'t. I haven\'t learned any spells yet!" Arun screamed in a trembling voice. He had no experience fighting either or even facing death. So, his legs finally gave in as wild tremors shook his body.

"Sigh. Hide inside the carriage."

Without wasting a second, Julius dashed in. He would have preferred to hide his different power system but couldn\'t let them die for such a petty reason. Especially since Arun showed him only kindness.

As he approached the beast, a confident smirk stretched his lips. After losing to Smith, he had honed his battle skills as much as possible to cover for this weakness. After all, he had sworn never to taste defeat again!

"Argh!"

Sadly, when he was a few steps away, a sharp claw grazed Idiot Two\'s shoulder, leaving a deep gash dripping blood behind its passage.

Noticing the red liquid flying and the man losing balance, he rushed to him like the wind, snatched the man\'s weapon and screamed, "Lend me your sword and retreat!"