“You are a genius.”
It was a phrase she had heard so often since childhood that she was sick of it.
“Cadet Seol-yoon, you are a genius.”
A genius—a talent bestowed by the heavens.
Indeed, that was another name for the girl, Seol-yoon.
“I heard the Central Plains of the Eastern Continent were overflowing with those gifted in martial arts, and it seems the rumors were true.”
In this unfamiliar continent, Seol-yoon’s other name allowed her black hair and black eyes to be seen as a mark of distinction rather than a defect. From the very first moment she held a sword, she knew: as long as she gripped this blade, she would be more special than anyone else.
“In time, everyone will know your name.”
She graduated at the top of her class from Temple, one of the Three Great Academies of the Iron Kingdom. She received recruitment offers from countless knight orders, and renowned swordsmen reached out, offering to become her master.
Yet, for some reason, none of it interested her.
Seol-yoon wanted to see a wider world. She was curious about how far she could reach with her own sword. She also wondered if the legends passed down in her hometown, located on the outskirts of the Eastern Continent, were actually true.
“Seol-yoon, they say that when one’s mastery of the sword reaches the heavens, they can ascend and leave for Paradise. In that Paradise, the ones you cherished are waiting for you, and it is filled with sweet happiness.”
Seol-yoon believed that to reach the heavens, it was wrong to rely on others or belong to an organization. To achieve ascension like the immortals of legend, one had to accomplish everything entirely on their own.
“Happiness.”
Seol-yoon was curious about the sweet happiness that supposedly existed in that legendary Paradise. Moreover, she wondered if her precious people were truly there—the family and neighbors who had given her love, the warm people she could no longer see. It was a preposterous legend, but Seol-yoon still believed in it.
That was why Seol-yoon came to the Arena.
“Fighter, what name will you use?”
“…Black Bride.”
In this place overflowing with blood and struggle, no one could stop the girl’s sword. Just as she was beginning to feel a slight boredom with the pit, a proposal laced with murky desire arrived.
“You want me to crush a novice who is a mere Sword Beginner? Thoroughly?”
“Yes. Surely it is possible for you.”
It was a proposal she found utterly unpleasant.
However, the Arena planners were, as expected, thorough.
“If you accept the proposal, we will gift you the Eastern Dragon Sword currently held in the Arena’s treasury. I heard it is an item of significant meaning to swordsmen from the East.”
It was an offer the girl could not refuse.
Therefore, having accepted the deal, the best Seol-yoon could do was to personally visit that poor gladiator and urge him to give up.
The small gladiator, Liam, looked just as frail as his nickname suggested.
“Give up on tomorrow’s match.”
Seol-yoon desperately hoped.
She hoped this novice swordsman would not show up for the match.
So that her sword would not have to ruthlessly break him.
‘Because if we meet with swords in hand, I cannot show mercy….’
Looking at the moon in the night sky, Seol-yoon hoped once more. But reality rarely flows the way one wishes.
* * *
In front of the Hall of Fame, I saw Tom smiling benevolently. After hearing my words, Tom stroked his chin and replied.
“A favor? What kind of favor?”
“I’m not sure if you’re aware, but tomorrow I have a promotion match where the color of my medal will change. It’s the match to rise from a Bronze Medal to a Silver Medal.”
Tom beamed at my words.
“Congratulations. You’ve seized a wonderful opportunity.”
I nodded and spoke.
“Yes. It is a good opportunity. Is it not a chance to engage in a better struggle and prove myself?”
“That’s right.”
“However, the promotion match ahead of me is truly cruel. I have to duel a gladiator far more powerful than myself. The great Goddess Lefri said that struggling against a mighty foe is the greatest glory, but as a mere weak human, I am afraid of tomorrow’s duel.”
At my words, Tom wore a look of pity.
“Oh, you’ve fallen victim to the Arena’s mischievous tricks. Rising fighters often face such harsh trials. That is truly unfortunate.”
“…….”
“May I offer you a piece of advice? Since you are a Young Master who appreciates the beauty of historical weapons and recognizes the greatness of Goddess Lefri, I do not wish to see you collapse in vain.”
“By all means.”
Tom spoke with a voice that sounded genuinely sorrowful.
“Sometimes, avoiding a struggle is also a wise thing to do. Goddess Lefri always said one must stand firm even when a massive wave crashes down, but we are not as great as she is. Sometimes, it is perfectly fine to hide until the wave passes.”
I bit my lip as if hesitating for a moment, then shook my head. Then, moving my facial muscles as much as possible, I put on a look of grim determination.
“I cannot do that. As a fighter who prays to Goddess Lefri, avoiding a struggle is unthinkable. I truly appreciate your advice, but I intend to face it.”
“…You are magnificent, truly.”
Tom let out an exclamation as if he were genuinely impressed.
After carefully observing his expression, I spoke.
“That is why there is something I wish to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“A struggle is an event where the outcome is never certain, is it not? I believe there is a chance a misfortune might occur in tomorrow’s duel and I might lose my life. I intend to fight with all my might without running away. Just as Goddess Lefri always said.”
I put on a smile while making my eyes look slightly sad.
So that Tom would feel sympathy for the boy I was portraying.
“I am not afraid of dying in a glorious struggle. For I shall go to Goddess Lefri. However, I find myself in need of a little courage. Therefore, if the caretaker would permit it, I wish to enjoy the glory one receives upon wearing a Silver Medal slightly in advance.”
“Enjoy it in advance?”
“I want the right to take one of the swords in the Hall of Fame as a souvenir now. So that tonight, I may receive the energy of a fighter who fought grandly in the past.”
I spoke with eyes that were brimming with tears, as if I were about to cry.
“If I survive, I will have earned the Silver Medal anyway, so there should be no problem. If I die, I thought the caretaker could simply retrieve the sword from my inn, so there would be no issue there either.”
“Ah….”
“If my proposal was too greedy, please just turn away and pretend you didn’t hear it. I only… I only did it because I needed a handful of courage.”
Caretaker Tom’s eyes welled up, seemingly moved by my words.
After a brief silence, Tom spoke.
“…Normally, normally this is something that can never be allowed.”
“…….”
“But as this caretaker, Tom, a man who has loved the Hall of Fame, I simply cannot turn my back on you, Young Master. I shall grant that request.”
“I-Is it really alright? If you get into trouble because of me—”
Tom shook his head.
“It’s fine. This old man might look pathetic, but I’m actually quite a well-known person. For someone as wonderful as you, I can gift this much courage anytime. Anytime at all.”
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
“Don’t mention it. Ah—it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a fine young man; I feel like I’m going to cry. Dear me, getting old just makes the tears come easier for no reason….”
Tom sniffled, his eyes red.
Amidst the warm exchange of emotions, Liam spoke.
「Even if your arms and legs get cut off, you’ll never starve. You could crawl into any tavern and put on a play, and you’d be a massive success.」
Well, as usual, I ignored him.
After a warm embrace with Tom, I chose one of the swords in the Hall of Fame and brought it back to the inn. A blade that Liam himself had picked out, which would be of great help to me immediately.
“…Master, but is this really going to help me?”
「Yes. For your current body and style, that is the most suitable. Don’t doubt it and just eat.」
I placed the blade into the fire and heated it thoroughly.
Watching the sword blade turn red from the heat, I recalled what Tom had told me.
— Since it is an old sword, let me teach you the proper way to store it. It would be sad if the edge were to be damaged. This is a storage method containing my personal know-how….
If Tom had seen this sight now, he might have screamed, foamed at the mouth, and had a seizure.
‘I’m sorry.’
After a brief apology, I pulled the sword out of the fire.
Then, before putting it in my mouth, I took one last look at the sword that was about to enter my stomach. My second sword was a dagger, exactly the size of my palm.
It was a blade more likely to be used by the assassins of the Free City than by swordsmen.
The name of this blade was intuitive.
「Fang」.
“ Huu .”
I squeezed my eyes shut and apologized to Caretaker Tom once more in my mind. After a short apology, I put the blade into my mouth and crunched down, swallowing it. As expected, an agonizing pain I could never get used to surged through me. Along with a stabbing pain that ran from my throat to my esophagus and stomach, my entire body burned hot.
“ Kehek, ku-hu-huk! ”
With violent coughing, a headache rushed in as if my eyes were about to pop out. Hot breath poured out like I was breathing fire. Simultaneously, memories erupted from the blade that had entered my stomach.
Memories of another person, not my own.
The memories of the former owner that the sword, Fang, had harbored.
『The Free City Crowde did not live up to its name. For the citizens, including myself, believed this city had lost its freedom long ago.』
『To reclaim that freedom, someone had to get blood on their hands.』
* * *
The time when the sun in the sky was sinking low, hanging a vermilion sunset, and darkness was settling behind the glow. The moon slowly revealed its face, and people finished their daily routines, chatting boisterously and clashing beer mugs.
And today, the place in the Steel City Ferma where beer mugs clashed most loudly and the chatter echoed most noisily was, as always, the Arena.
An amphitheater that never grew dark even when night arrived, always shining brightly. People filled the spectator seats of the grand circular arena in a state of excitement. Under the dazzling lights, a fighter with long black hair entered the sand-covered arena.
“Black Bride! Black Bride!”
The fighter, Black Bride.
Seol-yoon looked at the spectator seats with troubled eyes. She found those who sent cheers while hiding their murky desires disgusting. At the same time, she thought herself disgusting for standing here after all, anticipating the gift the Arena would provide.
‘Please, let him have given up.’
Seol-yoon hoped once more as she looked at the rising moon.
But the thing the girl hoped for did not happen.
“The opponent is the small gladiator, Liam!”
The iron gate on the opposite side opened, and a small boy wearing a helmet was seen walking out. Beyond the hazy dust, a long, thin blade held in the boy’s hand was visible. It was the weapon that was the symbol of that small gladiator: Needle.
‘Ah. How foolish.’
Unable to hide her distress, Seol-yoon slowly drew her beloved sword. The girl’s sword, catching the moonlight, shone with a chilling blue light. The moment the edge was revealed, a thick scent of blood wafted out. The sword, which had harmed countless humans until now, was anticipating the battle that was about to begin.
‘…I warned you enough. Yes, I did enough.’
The boy walked forward.
Seol-yoon steadied her breathing. With a thump , Seol-yoon’s Mana Heart beat, and the Path extending from her second heart sparkled, granting the girl’s slender body the strength of a superhuman.
And then….
“……?”
The girl felt that the gladiator Liam seemed different somehow.
‘What is it?’
His muscles, his stature, and the appearance of his lower face visible beneath the helmet were all the same.
What had changed?
Seol-yoon, focusing her gaze with narrowed eyes, soon met the boy’s eyes glimpsed through the helmet. The boy’s eyes were completely different from when she had seen him in front of the inn. It was as if he were a mere shell and the soul had been swapped.
‘Was his gaze always that sharp…?’
The boy’s eyes were cold as ice.
Like the assassins of the Free City who lived amidst blood and death.
At that moment, Seol-yoon saw another blade held in the boy’s hand opposite the one holding Needle. It was a dagger. Immediately after confirming the existence of the dagger, the boy’s image seemed to twist and distort in Seol-yoon’s eyes.
And for a brief moment, the boy became someone else in Seol-yoon’s vision. Not a helmet, but an assassin wearing a worn-out hood, living in the shadows.
A sickeningly intense scent of blood wafted from the boy.
‘What… is this…?’
She had never seen anything like this before.
While she was unable to hide her bewilderment, a powerful voice echoed out.
“The small gladiator Liam, and his opponent, the undefeated gladiator Black Bride!”
Seol-yoon felt a thick, spreading sense of foreboding.
“We shall now begin the duel between the fighters!”
It was a very powerful killing intent, unlike anything the girl had ever felt in her life.
“This sacred duel shall be dedicated to Goddess Lefri, the Guardian of Justice!”
And so, amidst an inexplicable sense of dread, the duel began.
