“He is dead. Illness took him.”
Meken, the Vice-Captain of the Yellow Elephant Knights, felt a pang of regret upon hearing the boy’s words. He had lost the chance to trample upon the convictions and defile the honor of that stubborn, loyal Petel.
“Since he failed to appear for the honorary duel, the victory is mine.”
Well, it didn’t really matter.
Whether the man was alive or dead, he had accepted the honorary duel, and Meken was the victor. That gave him the right to drag the disease-ridden corpse back to the city and desecrate it. Meken could be satisfied with that much.
The important thing was to drag Petel’s name through the mud.
However.
“I will fight this honorary duel as his proxy.”
A mere boy stood in his way.
Initially taken aback, Meken soon noticed the light in the boy’s eyes. It was a straight, unwavering conviction that bore a striking resemblance to that of “Loyal Petel.” The moment he recognized that honorable gaze, Meken licked his lips.
“That might be entertaining, too.”
Fortunately, there was still a toy left to play with.
*
「A Sword Runner shapes the mana accumulated within their body into the form of wings. You know this much, I assume.」
For the past two days, I had swung my sword blindly. During those training sessions, where it felt like my arms might snap, Liam provided me with helpful advice.
「Those wings are similar to a bird’s, but they allow one to perform far more incredible feats. At a glance, the movements of a Sword Runner look like a wizard’s teleportation spell. There is a reason they are nicknamed the ghosts of the battlefield.」
“……”
「It will truly feel as though you are fighting a ghost.」
Fighting a ghost.
It was hard to grasp exactly what that meant.
So, I asked.
“Then how can I fight to win?”
「You must break his wings.」
Break the wings.
But how?
Liam looked at me.
「Fortunately, that man is a Sword Runner who only possesses a single pair of wings.」
“……”
「His use of the wings will be clumsy, and his body won’t have fully adapted to them yet. There is a method that works specifically against such types.」
Liam’s eyes flashed.
「In the first three exchanges, pour every ounce of your hardness into your strikes. In those moments, you must become true steel. Steel that can shatter the enemy who dares to attack you.」
Become steel.
It was an abstract command.
Yet, for some reason, I felt like I was beginning to understand Liam’s abstract words. The memories and lives that seeped into me with every swing of the sword, the clues embedded within the blades I had consumed…
They were providing me with the answers.
*
“The rules of an honorary duel are simple. The duel ends when one side declares surrender or becomes unable to fight. No one shall be held responsible even if a life is lost in the process. Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
I looked at the Sword Runner knight I was to face.
Before the duel began, he announced his name and affiliation. Meken, Vice-Captain of the Yellow Elephant Knights.
「A vice-captain of a knight order… He’s the biggest catch you’ve faced so far.」
It was as Liam said.
Being a vice-captain meant Meken held the second-highest position in his order. He was different from the swordsmen I had dueled until now.
“If I win this honorary duel, I will take the body of Sir Petel. Oh, and out of mercy, I’ll let you keep your life. However, I’ll cut off your arms and legs and feed them to the wild beasts. That should be enough to satisfy you, shouldn’t it?”
Meken spoke with a chilling gaze.
He would let me keep my life.
That wasn’t an act of mercy; it was a declaration that he didn’t even consider me a worthy opponent. It meant that the life of someone as insignificant and pathetic as me wasn’t even worth taking.
I wasn’t so stupid that I couldn’t grasp his meaning.
So, I stared straight back at Meken and spoke.
“In that case, if I win, I shall also show mercy and let you keep your life.”
Meken’s eyebrows twitched.
“Instead, I’ll take your arms and legs. To keep things fair.”
A smirk twisted Meken’s lips at my words.
“You say the most amusing things. Is it because you’re still young?”
“Perhaps.”
“I suppose a boy raised delicately in a backwater place like this might act that way.”
Suddenly, the air grew heavy.
“Since you’ve likely never seen a Sword Runner in your life.”
“……”
“I’ll assume you’re acting this way out of ignorance, little boy.”
Having said that, Meken turned abruptly. He walked toward the right edge of the temporary arena’s fence and stopped.
“Move to the left edge. The duel begins when the apprentice knight gives the signal.”
A strange atmosphere filled the modest arena. The silence that descended after Meken finished speaking was uncomfortable. The knights standing outside the fence seemed more tense than the two of us.
No, it wasn’t tension.
It was a look of pity directed at a weakling who was about to be executed.
No one believed I would win.
「Engrave my teachings deep into your mind.」
Well, I was used to this by now.
「All the swords you’ve eaten until now were unconventional blades, meant to pull your pathetic body up to the minimum standard required to be called a swordsman.」
“……”
「And this time, the sword of Petel you’ve consumed belongs to a man who lived with agonizing faithfulness to the basics—a man who lived by the book and knew nothing of trickery.」
I gripped Twilight, the sword that resembled Petel’s.
「That knight’s swordsmanship is boring, simple, and common. It’s the kind of sword one could learn in any city.」
As Liam said, Petel’s sword resembled the man himself.
Uncompromising, stubborn, and dull.
But because of that…
「Because of that, that sword will become a powerful weapon for you now.」
I liked this sword.
I liked this blade that chose to break rather than bend because it was so incredibly straight.
「Sir Petel’s sword is the hardest of all the swords you have eaten.」
Reaching the left edge, I steadied my breathing and turned around. Meken, at the right edge, was glaring at me with a relaxed expression.
The knight and the proxy warrior stood in their respective places.
The apprentice knight standing outside the fence checked the situation and raised his hand.
“Now then.”
I took a deep breath.
My second heart, the Mana Heart, vibrated, making the world I saw move in slow motion. My senses became extremely sharp, and the mana around me began to ripple.
With every hair on my body standing on end, the apprentice knight lowered his hand and shouted.
“Begin!”
At that signal, Liam spoke as well.
「Become steel, young descendant.」
With Liam’s heavy voice, the honorary duel began.
In the slow-moving world, I gripped Twilight tightly and glared at Meken in the distance. I didn’t even blink. Even a single speck of dust floating in the air was clear to see.
And then.
“You will regret this.”
In the slowed world, the knight’s wings fluttered.
“Greenhorn, from this moment on, you will realize that you were nothing but a frog in a well.”
Meken raised the sword in his hand. Then, he slowly swung it from top to bottom. It was an incomprehensible action.
Was he warming up?
Or was he suddenly practicing his forms?
It was neither.
“I will show you how vast the world truly is.”
The moment Meken’s sword descended from above his head to near his face, something bizarre happened. A sharp sting, like a bolt of lightning, struck the back of my neck.
Instinctively, I raised Twilight into a defensive stance.
And—
“Ugh…!”
Clang—!
The violent sound of metal clashing rang out. Immediately after the impact, a horrific shock traveled through the blade of Twilight into my body.
It felt as if my hand, wrist, and shoulder were being shattered and torn away from my torso. My stomach churned. My head spun as if I’d been struck by a sledgehammer.
While my hands trembled, I saw Meken’s face right in front of me, just past the blade of Twilight. It was impossible.
I hadn’t taken my eyes off him for a second, yet I hadn’t seen what happened. Meken, who had been standing far away swinging his sword in place, had somehow reached me in an instant…
It was impossible to believe, impossible to understand.
It was as if the middle process had been skipped, and only the conclusion had suddenly appeared.
As I gritted my teeth and forced strength into my arms, Meken smirked.
“Good instincts.”
He withdrew his sword, which had been pressing down on mine.
“But how long can those instincts last?”
The moment he withdrew his sword, Meken vanished like smoke. He reappeared at the right edge of the arena—exactly where he had been standing originally.
“Do you understand now why a Sword Runner is called a ghost of the battlefield? You greenhorn.”
That was my first experience with a Sword Runner.
“I’ll say it again. You will regret this. Bitterly.”
*
I had blocked the first attack—one that could neither be predicted nor seen.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
The first thing I did after blocking Meken’s strike was check one thing.
They’re still attached.
I checked to see if my fingers, hands, and arms were still properly attached to my body. The shock had been so immense that I’d hallucinated my entire body being blown to pieces. If not for my Heart of Steel, the match would have ended right there.
Was the gap between a Sword Walker and a Sword Runner truly this despairing? I gritted my teeth and steadied my breath. Then, I looked directly at Meken, who was watching me with a sneer.
I need to think fast.
I had to find an answer.
And for that, I needed doubt.
This was different from a Sword Walker, whose attacks could at least be seen. This wasn’t the realm of the sword; it was closer to the mystery wielded by wizards.
But whether it was mystery or sword, I couldn’t just stand there in awe.
There was no guarantee I could miraculously block the next attack. Meken’s sword might aim for my legs next, or my waist, or it might go straight for my throat.
This time, Liam gave no answer.
There had to be a reason. He never lied when it came to the sword, and he had stated with certainty that consuming Petel’s sword would open up a possibility.
Liam wasn’t a madman who enjoyed my suffering.
If so, the method to overcome this problem must lie within me. I recalled the brief exchange just now.
I had sensed a crisis like a lightning strike and reacted by defending with my sword.
Was that truly a coincidence?
No, there are no coincidences in this world.
Why was I able to sense the danger so clearly? Was it because the Caravan bloodline had some special ability to foresee the future, other than devouring swords?
Unlikely.
Deducing the answer wasn’t difficult.
Because I have entered the threshold of a Sword Walker.
It was “The Path.”
Without me even realizing it, the Path I had extended around my body had sensed the danger and alerted me.
Since I hadn’t become a complete Sword Walker yet, I couldn’t manifest the Path within my body to exert superhuman strength, but by consuming Twilight, I had reached a realm where I could spread the Path externally.
Then how did the Path sense that bizarre attack?
It had alerted me to the danger even though there was no physical contact. After doubting, I formed a conclusion.
Mana. It sensed the threatening fluctuation of mana.
I gripped Twilight, suppressing the trembling in my hands as much as possible.
The conclusion was clear.
The bizarre attack of the Sword Runner I just saw is preceded by a fluctuation in mana. If I can utilize that, I can react.
I still didn’t know what power the “wings” held or what kind of eccentricities Sword Runners could perform. But I had learned one thing.
Before Meken attacks, the mana fluctuates.
And as a Sword Walker, I can sense it.
Two simple truths.
Liam muttered as if he had read my thoughts.
「Excellent. As expected, that doubt is your most powerful talent.」
There was no time to bask in the praise.
Even knowing that didn’t change the situation.
Meken could unleash that bizarre attack as many times as he wanted. And from the feel of the clash just now, I knew I couldn’t defend against it indefinitely. A Sword Runner’s blade was far too heavy.
If we continued to clash, my body would break first.
So, what should I do?
Fortunately, I didn’t have to worry for long.
“Phew—”
Because my master had already clearly defined what I needed to do.
I recalled the words I had heard earlier.
In the first three exchanges, pour every ounce of your hardness into your strikes.
“Ha.”
I had missed the timing on the first attack, so I hadn’t been able to properly embody that hardness. Even so, Meken hadn’t been able to break through my defense. That meant the Caravan heart was incredibly sturdy, and at the same time, Meken wasn’t particularly powerful for a Sword Runner.
I took damage because I missed the timing at first. But a crisis is just another word for opportunity.
If I fought the same way while injured, it would lead directly to defeat caused by a stupid mistake. To win, I had to turn this into an opportunity.
Meken sneering at my clumsy defense, the pity in the eyes of the surrounding knights, the defeat everyone was already picturing in their minds… In such an atmosphere, it was only natural for a human to let down their guard.
Even a knight who fought strictly was human after all.
I raised Twilight.
And I recalled the earlier question and answer.
‘Then how can I fight to win?’
‘You must break his wings.’
Break the wings.
It was still a difficult phrase to grasp.
But fortunately, I had long since found the answer to Liam’s subsequent words. I opened my mouth and took a deep breath. A breath so deep it felt like my chest might burst.
Simultaneously, the Mana Heart beat with a thrill.
Thump—
“Try blocking this too.”
Meken raised his sword again.
Instead of glaring at Meken, I closed my eyes.
Then, surrendering my body to my heightened senses, I recalled Liam’s words.
Become steel, young descendant.
My heart beat so violently it felt like it would burst through my ribs. Along with it, not just my body, but the Twilight I held began to vibrate intensely. The blade trembled, and soon, a thin, blue path extended from the tip like a thread. A line.
The violent Path unique to the Caravan.
I felt the long, extended line quiver.
At that moment, the same sense of crisis I felt before washed over me.
The feeling of a lightning strike.
Along with that sensation, Petel’s memories surged through the blade.
『I didn’t think I had to win that honorary duel.』
『It wasn’t a duel for my pride or my fame.』
In an instant, my second heart throbbed powerfully.
And from deep within my chest, countless thin lines extended.
Like veins.
『It was a duel for you.』
『It wasn’t that I wanted to win. It was that I couldn’t afford to lose.』
『The me who wavered, compromised, bent, and bowed to survive in this cold and harsh world vanished from the world at that moment.』
.
.
.
『Because you told me so, I decided to truly become the Loyal Petel.』
The lines extending through my body were far thinner than those of ordinary Sword Walkers. The unique path of the Caravan—the Line. Countless lines began to fill my body densely, leaving no gaps.
『A stubborn knight who never compromises, never wavers, never bends, and always remains upright.』
They granted my body superhuman strength.
The blade swung at a speed that surprised even me. In the next moment, Meken appeared like a wizard’s teleportation. A downward strike.
My sword met Meken’s head-on.
Clang—!
A sound as intense as thunder echoed.
And…
“…What?!”
Meken’s relaxed expression crumbled.
『A protagonist for you, who doesn’t break, doesn’t bend, and is harder than anyone else.』
My blade did not give way.
Rather, it was Meken who was being pushed back.
I poured out my explosive power without reservation and smirked.
“Do you realize how vast the world is now?”
I threw his own words back at him.
His eyes were dyed with rage. But what could he do?
My attack wasn’t over yet.
I’m sorry, but…
“…?!”
No one can block the steel lines extended by a Caravan.
“This… I’ve never heard of such a—”
Twilight began to gnaw away at Meken’s blade, like insects devouring grain.
Sparks flew.
In the position where our swords were locked, I didn’t lose my focus. This was the best situation I could create with Petel’s orthodox swordsmanship. But I couldn’t be satisfied with just this.
Because I didn’t just have Petel’s sword.
There was a sword useful for this exact situation.
I subtly twisted the angle of my wrist holding the sword. Simultaneously, with just a small movement, the blade of Twilight whipped around and drove deep. Like it was sliding.
Meken hurriedly withdrew his sword, perhaps intending to retreat again with his bizarre movement. But I was just a fraction faster. Because I wasn’t swinging the sword, nor was I aiming directly for Meken’s body.
Zip— The tip of the sword slid through and pierced the point I was aiming for.
Like a needle threading a hole.
『As long as you can aim it, does it matter if you swing it or stab it?』
It was an unconventional attack I wouldn’t have thought of if I hadn’t experienced being countered by Seol-yoon in the Arena. An attack that involved twisting the wrist to slide into a stab while the swords were clashing.
“Phew—”
Immediately after that attack, Meken vanished like smoke again and appeared far away.
However.
“Gah… cough, hack.”
He was not in good shape.
I glared at Meken and spoke.
“I’ll return the words you said earlier.”
A pair of wings had sprouted on Meken’s back.
Of the pair, the left wing was broken.
Utterly crushed.
“You. You will regret this. Bitterly.”
