I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Upon hearing his father's tone, Arun's brow twitched in annoyance. As a tier four alchemist, he knew his father wouldn't use the word masterpiece to designate trash items. He would be lying if he said he didn't want to obtain the item for his friend, as it was planned.

"Give us the case. We don't want to stay here any longer." Arun said decisively.

"Oh? Did you forget you'll be assigned dorms tomorrow in the academy anyway?" Vikram's voice carried a tone of casual dismissal as he strode to the table, effortlessly replacing the blown-up chair with a fresh one. "What's the point of leaving now?"

As Vikram's words settled upon them, the four youths found his reasoning sound. It was true that they would leave tomorrow anyway, so why not stay one last night?

"Don't waste my time, Arun. You know why I had to do that," Vikram said with a hint of impatience, his smile widening as he reached for the wooden case. "Now come, let's discover my masterpiece.

As he lifted the wooden cover, a beautiful silver mist wafted out of the case.

The enchanting spectacle attracted everyone's attention. Despite not having decided if they should stay for the night, they curiously approached the case to see what treasures it contained.

Soon, a singularly striking gladius emerged, crafted from the fang of a serpentine creature of modest renown. This solitary fang, carefully selected for its size and integrity, formed the heart of the blade, its sleek curvature hinting at the lethality it once possessed in life.

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The hilt, fashioned from Marco's enigmatic beast core, cradled the fang with reverence. Its smooth surface bore the faint traces of ancient runes, imbued with a subtle energy. Though modest in appearance, the beast core hilt held a quiet power, a conduit for the wielder's intent and focus.

The gladius embodied both grace and effectiveness with its size. Its blade, measuring around 45 centimeters (18 inches), struck a perfect balance for close combat, offering agility without compromising power. Tapering elegantly from base to tip, the blade ensured swift maneuvers and formidable cutting capability.

Overall, the gladius possessed a compact yet commanding presence, perfectly suited for swift and decisive engagements. Its size spoke of practicality and versatility, embodying the essence of a weapon designed for both offense and defense in equal measure.

Julius' eyes widened in astonishment at the appearance of the elegant weapon, his mind racing with curiosity about Vikram's motives for showing it to them.

At the same time, Vikram smiled widely and threw the gladius towards Julius. "Take it. In exchange, forgive me for what happened earlier." After witnessing the boy's talent, he couldn't help but be interested in him. After all, it was the first time he ever heard a twelve-year-old boy had reached such heights in mana control.

Julius caught the gladius with a weird expression. What was Vikram's intentions? He found the situation strange. After all, he had been questioned only to be given a weapon in apology right after.

"Stop lying, old scammer!" Arun yelled, exposing Vikram's lies. "We prepared this sword as your reward for saving us so many times on the road."

Asha nodded at Arun's words, then made a hand sign at a maid before saying with sparkling eyes while Vikram scolded his son for exposing him. "My family also prepared a reward for you. It's nothing as extravagant as that sword, but I hope you'll still like it."

Next, she took a document out of the grey handbag Julius had gifted her and gave it to him with a smile. "This is a shop's deed in the capital of the Belloria Kingdom. I hope it'll help your brother with his dream."

Upon hearing her words, the extremely angry Adam couldn't help but calm down. He looked at her in shock. The girl was remarkably considerate and kind for her age.

'It's sad she already has a fiancé... If she didn't, I wouldn't mind if Julius tried to seduce her.' His opinion of Asha became extremely high after she gifted him the shop.

However, he forgot a detail. He would be dragged into shops almost daily if Julius truly ended with her.

Simultaneously, the maid returned, carrying a large bag over her shoulder before handing it to Julius.

"We also prepared a few sets of clothes for you. I took the liberty to ask for your house's coat of arms to be embroidered on them." Asha revealed the bag's contents, looking at Julius with her bright green eyes.

Julius couldn't help but stagger back after receiving such expansive gifts. "It's too much. I can't accept." He said, his face flustered. They really took him by surprise with their gifts.

He didn't feel they owed him any rewards for what happened on the roads. After all, they shortened his travel time by a few weeks thanks to their carriages. Moreover, he had been living and eating for free in their house for the past month. It was largely enough a reward, in his opinion.

Upon seeing Julius' reluctance to accept such expansive gifts, Vikram nodded in acknowledgement. He could tell that the boy wasn't simulating his reactions, and they were genuine, proving once more that he didn't stick with the couple to take advantage of their money or connections.

"Accept everything. You deserve them," Vikram insisted, his tone earnest as he pressed the gifts into Julius's hands. "If we don't reward you properly after you saved two noble heirs, why would people bother to help us in the future?" His gaze softened, reflecting genuine gratitude. "We also paid your enrollment fee for this year."

"What?" Julius asked in disbelief. After he worked for three weeks in this expensive city, he managed to save a little less than half a gold coin through his work at Khalid's workshop. That's why he understood fully how terrifying the sum of two hundred gold coins required for his inscription truly was.

"Humph, don't act like you've done us some grand favor. I would've earned those gold coins through my handbag venture anyway," Adam grumbled, displeased with Vikram's sudden shift in demeanor.