Reincarnated as the Last of my Kind, Volume 1

by Kiri Komori

  “Wow, look at all these horses!” Tina exclaimed as we approached the stables, her eyes shining with excitement.

  “Just don’t get lost; we have a lot of places to go today.”

  “I know!”

  As we stopped near the ranch, I got the feeling Judie was eyeing me funny. I explained that this wasn’t cheating—that we were looking for a younger brother or sister. Tina’s gonna need a horse sooner or later. Thankfully, Judie was smart and snorted as if to show she understood. Good girl.

  I called for the rancher and told him our business, after which he graciously offered Judie some water and hay.

  The horse we’d find would have to get along well with Judie and suit Tina too.

  “Oh, Sir Marcus. It’s been too long,” a familiar face greeted me.

  It was Goyu, the father of one of my subordinate knights from my time in De Marl, a young man called Ayuu. Goyu was apparently running the ranch.

  “Oh, Goyu? You moved to Fei Lu?”

  “Yes, my son injured his knee in a battle five years ago… The whole family resigned from the knighthood and we moved here to help our relatives with their ranch.”

  “Oh… So Ayuu injured his knee, huh…”

  I let Judie inside the ranch and tied her up. We were outsiders, after all, so I couldn’t let her roam freely. The area was fenced off, so the ranch’s horses couldn’t come here either.

  Goyu explained the process to me. I’d bring potential horses here and check if they got along with Judie first. Then I’d make sure they were a good match for Tina.

  Goyu used to run a ranch back in De Marl, and when they moved to Fei Lu, they took all their horses with them. Impressive.

  “Five years, eh…? Was it during the Jiera Defensive Campaign?”

  “No… It was a monster.”

  “I see…”

  A monster. Those showed up every now and then, and dispatching them was part of the knights’ duties.

  So that’s what happened to him…

  “It’s a good thing he came back. He’s a proud, lofty knight.”

  “…Thank you kindly. To have the former vice-captain of the Azure Knights speak so kindly of him… I’m sure my son will be overjoyed. Would you mind coming to visit him…?”

  “Oh, ah, first I need to get a horse. My daughter should be coming back any minute now…”

  “Your daughter? Oh dear! Should I help you look for her? Things have been getting dangerous around these parts as of late.”

  “Mm? What do you mean?”

  What he said set off alarm bells in my head. Perhaps it was my discarded knight’s intuition. “Things have been dangerous,” he said…

  “Oh, haven’t you heard? There have been slavers going around Fei Lu.”

  “Slavers?!”

  “Fei Lu’s been growing exponentially, so there aren’t enough knights to cover all our territory. There have been demi-humans touring the land too. That makes this place a perfect hunting ground for slavers.”

  “…Could you come help me look for her?” I asked, feeling a black emotion brewing in the pit of my stomach.

  “Yes, of course. Let me come along. This is my ranch after all.”

  “Thank you.”

  Tina’s eyes were red and the fringes of her golden hair were tinted red too. She looked unique enough to draw attention. And putting aside my parental bias, her facial features were fair. She was a pretty little girl. Slavers aside, a strange man might approach her with vile intentions.

  I told Judie I’d be back soon and walked outside the ranch’s outer fence with Goyu.

  “Heeeey, Tinaaaa! Can you hear me?! Come here!”

  She was a bright girl, so I assumed she wouldn’t go too far. And she was cautious, so she wouldn’t follow a stranger. But…

  “Mm?” Goyu hummed suspiciously, holding up a hand to block the sunlight.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “That man over there seems off,” he said, squinting at a figure not far from us. “First time I’ve seen him around here. Is he a customer…?”

  I was surprised he could see the man with the sun in his eyes. It was a young man. He had black hair and eyes and was scratching his head with a peeved expression. But he was waving his other hand as if signaling to us…

  This is fishy.

  “Excuse me, are you from around here?” he asked, approaching us. “Could I ask you for directions?”

  “No… Sorry, I’m looking for my daughter. She got lost while checking out the horses. We’re looking for her.”

  “Sorry, I haven’t seen any kids…” The man then gasped as if recalling something and pointed to the right. “Oh, actually, I saw a girl playing in the flower field over there.”

  The man had a flippant face and was dressed far too lightly to not live in the area. But he asked us for directions?

  I drew my sword with my left hand. Goyu looked shocked at my sudden movement.

  “Agh!” The man staggered a couple of steps back, his slender eyes wide with surprise.

  Interesting. A bit too late though.

  “Marcus, what are you doing?!” Goyu asked me.

  “Where are your friends?” I asked coldly.

  “H-Huh? Wh-What are you talking about?” the man stammered. “I just got lost and—”

  “No matter how bad you were with directions, no one would point at a sign that says ‘To the mountains’ and tell us there’s a flower field over there.”

  “…W-Well, I came down from the mountain, and like I told you, I’m a little lost, so…”

  “If you’re gonna lie, you could do a better job. You went mountain climbing when you’re dressed that light? The only mountain near Lei Fu is Mount Jiel. It’s the furthest edge of the continent, where the demi-humans used to live. There ain’t no flower fields up there. I can tell you that because I scaled this mountain once. So stop lying to my face and answer the question, you petty charlatan!”

  “Nngh!” The man swallowed nervously as I held my sword to his throat.

  He raised both hands in the air and took a step back. I carefully closed the distance, taking a cautious step forward. This way, I wouldn’t tear into his throat immediately…

  “You’re one of them, right? You’re working with those slavers. You stand around, waiting for concerned parents to pop up and point them in the wrong direction to buy time. Oh, yeah, I know all about people like you. Takes me back, really. You must be working for Zabudo. Am I right? I see that piece of shit is still pulling these operations. Really, they should have been beheaded by now…”

  “How…?!”

  “Oh, yeah. See, despite appearances, I’m a former knight. Happened to spend a few of my campaigns chasing your boss around. Always managed to find a way to avoid the gallows, that one…”

  “…Kuh…”

  The anger I felt back then bubbled up within me again. Zabudo was a fairly famous slaver in this region. Edesa Kura was the only country that still encouraged slavery, so Zabudo’s outfit was operating as their underling. Even I thought they’d have been better off washing their hands of this disgusting business if no one else was willing to deal with them anymore…

  But that was only part of why I felt so angry about this. I spent a lot of time as a young knight going after Zabudo. I was an up-and-coming knight. Since it meant going up against humans who were mostly untrained in combat, it was considered a beginner’s job. And it was nasty work too, so it was hoisted off on beginners like me.

  I took on that task to see if I could make it as a knight. And at the time, I lacked the skill to finish the job. But the war had escalated, and I didn’t have the leisure to chase Zabudo any longer.

  That was a stroke of good luck for them. And while I knew that, I had to opt-out of the pursuit. Part of it was because I was ordered to do so, but I couldn’t deny that I was hungry for glory and wanted to fight on the frontlines. Someone else would catch them, I told myself.

  “And that was a mistake.”
>
  The man glared at me wordlessly.

  “I should have caught that bastard and killed them while I was still charged to do so.”

  “Urgh… Agh…” The man before me started panting and sweating.

  Had I killed Zabudo back then, it wouldn’t have come back to bite me decades later. Tina wouldn’t have been in danger today.

  “F-Fine, I’ll talk!” The man gave in, overwhelmed by my anger and the sword held to his neck. “I’ll talk, so don’t kill me!”

  Oh, that’s no good. Was my bloodlust too strong…?

  This man was young. Probably a green underling. The role of distracting the pursuers was the easiest and safest one. He was likely a new hire for the slavers. I almost felt bad for him as he squatted down crying, his hands still desperately held up in the air. I wasn’t bent on killing this guy, but I looked at him with a cold, menacing smile nonetheless.

  “You better be honest, pal. If you’re not, I’ll start cutting things off, little by little. Starting with your legs.”

  “D-Don’t worry! I won’t lie!”

  “Sorry, Goyu, but could you call Fei Lu’s knights over? We need a few more hands on deck here.”

  “U-Understood!” Goyu said and ran off to get the knights.

  “Well?” I returned my glance to the man, smiling at him.

  The man brought his hands together and spilled the beans. By the time he finished, Ayuu, Goyu’s son, had shown up.

  “Marcus, sir!”

  “Hey, Ayuu. It’s been years. Good timing. Can you take care of him?”

  “Let me come with you,” Ayuu insisted.

  “No, having everyone come with me will be trouble. The slavers are planning a diversion in another ranch nearby too. Tell the knights the slavers should have reinforcements ‘near the sea. ’ Assuming they’re not dumb, they’ll know what to do.”

  “Ah…! Understood…”

  Ooh. You really are a citizen of Fei Lu by now, aren’t you? And you understood what a former knight like me was hinting at. It’d be a shame to see your talents go to waste…

  Back when Ayuu was part of the Crimson Knights, he would always do the running, but with his knee being permanently damaged, he couldn’t move as quickly as he used to. I felt it was a shame he wasn’t willing to work as a knight just because he was frustrated with his leg.

  Not that I doubted his injury, of course, but at least he wasn’t in my shoes. He still had all his limbs… He could at least work on training young knights for Fei Lu. In my case, De Marl’s knights insisted on inviting me to be an instructor at the knights’ academy, but I turned them down.

  I had to look after Tina. That was part of why I left De Marl and went back to Rofola. The other reason was that I wanted to take care of Ma and Pops, repay them for everything they did for me… But it was too late for that now. I hoped that my presence with them in their last few years on this planet meant something at least.

  “Now, then.”

  Sheathing my sword, I headed down the hill. There were a few ranches built close together in this area, and newcomers could easily get lost. This was especially true for people with children. People who visited the farms didn’t just come to look at the animals, but also to watch cows being milked.

  This meant there was a crowd in a large area that was easy to get lost in. And it was easy to get away with snatched children undetected, as there were plenty of barns and warehouses to hide them. It looked like a safe place, but it was actually a perfect hunting ground for slavers.

  They would take children and demi-humans abducted from across Fei Lu to the shore along the shortest route possible, loading them onto ships bound for Edesa Kura.

  It was a simple operation, really. The only countries situated along the shores of the human continent were Fei Lu and Edesa Kura. But that also meant exposing their route was terribly easy.

  I got off the road and headed in the direction of the sea. The scent of saltwater gradually became stronger. I entered a small forest, sheltered from the sea breeze, and there, I found a warehouse, hidden a short distance from the ranches.

  I crouched as I confirmed the road to the warehouse and my eyes widened in surprise.

  Seriously…?!

  “It’s this way. But you really are one amazing kid. Not everyone can use alchemy. You truly are a huge help. Medium-grade tonics are expensive.”

  “Oh, not at all! I’m just glad you called out to me before I sold it.”

  Walking on the road was a middle-aged lady with her reddish-brown hair tied up in a bun and none other than my little girl, Tina. The lady was dressed in an apron and pulled Tina by the arm, leading her to the warehouse. I loudly got to my feet, intentionally making noise to draw their attention.

  “Oh, there you are, Tina,” I said, feigning ignorance.

  “Oh, Dad! Where did you come from?”

  “Oh, is that your father? Good day, sir. I work at one of the ranches around here, and some of our cows got into a fight and were hurt this morning. This girl said she had some tonic on hand… My apologies. I shouldn’t have taken her without asking for permission!”

  She was quick to shift gears and come up with a story. Nothing like that amateur from earlier.

  “That right? Then why don’t you give her one, Tina?”

  “Huh…?” Tina looked taken aback for a second but came around to my suggestion. “All right…?”

  “Anyway, come on, we need to check out the horses. Could you show me the way back?”

  Confirming the lady let go of her hand, I wrapped my left arm around Tina.

  “Huh… Whoa!” Tina exclaimed as I picked her up.

  My right arm was a prosthetic and couldn’t hold a sword. I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t cut that old woman’s head off where she stood, but that wasn’t something I could do in front of Tina anyway.

  A child shouldn’t have to see that kind of bloodshed.

  Consider yourself lucky. You got away with your head again, old lady Zabudo.

  “Here you are, ma’am…”

  “Thank you, dearie. You’re a big help.”

  “Take care, you old bat,” I said coldly.

  “Yes. I could say the same to you, petulant child.” She regarded me with a thin smirk.

  She figured out I was the knight who hunted her down all those years.

  A real villain if ever there was one…

  I turned my back on her and walked off, heading down the road leading back to the ranches. Tina shuddered a bit as I carried her and asked if I knew that lady.

  “Yeah. She and I, we…we used to play tag. A long, long time ago.”

  “Tag?”

  “Yeah. You’d be surprised how fast she could run. She was pretty too. Well, back then, when she was younger… Used it to pull the wool over my eyes a time or two, I’ll admit. Eventually, I gave up on chasing her. Figured this woman might be a bit too much for me.”

  “…Mmmm?” she hummed, eyeing me suspiciously.

  Apparently, Tina had gotten the wrong idea about us, but… While I didn’t like her being suspicious of that, it was better than her knowing the truth. But Tina didn’t pursue the matter, so I simply chuckled.

  As I walked off with Tina, I hoisted her onto my shoulders. I imagined it’d probably be more comfortable than being carried, given I only had one arm.

  “Ugh… You’re too tall, so let me down!” she started to fuss.

  “Oh…? You’re bad with heights?”

  “I-I’m scared, so…I can walk on my own!”

  “Aww…” I let out a heartbroken moan.

  She doesn’t like it that much?!

  I let Tina back down on the ground. Just then, I noticed Fei Lu’s knights heading into the forest. The hag probably ran after she saw my face. Would Fei Lu’s knights successfully seize control of her route?

  That depends on how skilled this country’s knights are, I suppose… A smart commander would probably split up their forces to beat them to the punch.

&nbs
p; Still, I got the feeling that crafty crone would find a way out of that bind as well. She might have been old, but they didn’t call her the Queen of Slavers for nothing. It felt like an odd thing to be confident about, but I knew she’d find a way to shake them off.

  Just let death claim you already and leave us in peace… I thought bitterly.

  “Sir Marcus!” Goyu hurried over to us.

  “Oh, hey there, Goyu. Could you help me find a horse for my little girl? Tina, this here is Goyu. He works at the ranch.”

  “Huh?!” Goyu looked surprised at how calm I was, given what had happened not an hour ago. “Um…”

  “Hello there,” Tina greeted him. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Ah, yes! Hello to you too!” Goyu nodded precariously. “Let’s find you a good horse, shall we…? Come over here…”

  He calmed down once he saw my relaxed demeanor. It made sense he’d be confused. We were looking for Tina just now, so going from that to “Show her a horse” probably put him on the spot.

  He introduced us to an excellent male horse, which Judie seemed to gaze at with oddly coquettish eyes.

  Cut it out, girl. From his perspective, you’re an old hag.

  “This one feels right. How much for it?” I asked.

  “Well, it’s a military steed, so it’d be 52,000 colts…”

  “Ooh…”

  It’s expensive… But it’s an animal. And a young male, at that. It’s probably cheap for a military steed…

  We also needed to look for an inn and go shopping, so I didn’t want to squander too much time here. Haggling would take too long, and I had no way of knowing if I’d find a more compatible horse next time.

  “Deal,” I said, eventually deciding to go for it.

  “Thank you. I’ll go prepare the saddle and everything else it’ll need.”

  “Aren’t those usually sold separately?”

  “No, no, I’ll throw them in as a freebie. I couldn’t bring myself to be a greedy merchant when it comes to you, Sir Marcus.”

  “You say that, but be too generous, and you’ll end up in the red before you know it.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You looked after my son.”