『A boy dreams of becoming a protagonist.』
『But not every boy is destined to be one.』
*
“Cough, hack .”
Meken couldn’t believe his eyes. Feeling as if his insides were being turned inside out, he stared wide-eyed at the boy who had stepped forward as Petel’s Proxy Warrior.
How can this be?
Was it exceptionally brilliant swordsmanship?
He could have understood that. Even back during his training days at the Academy, Meken had never been particularly gifted in the art of the sword. He had always been obsessed solely with ascending to higher realms.
In a pure sword fight without the use of mana, his basics were so poor that he couldn’t even guarantee a victory against the Academy’s trainees.
Furthermore, wasn’t this boy particularly close to that ignorant fool Petel? Close enough to step forward for a duel against a 「Sword Runner」 like himself just because the loyal Petel had croaked?
If he was the top disciple of Petel—a master of technique who had spent his life in ignorant effort, digging only into the basics—it was understandable that his swordsmanship would be exceptional.
The fact that he luckily blocked a few of Meken’s attacks? He could accept that too.
Meken had only recently reached the rank of 「Sword Runner」 and had not yet properly learned to control the flow of mana generated by his wings. A 「Sword Walker」 with good natural instincts and the ability to see 「The Path」 might somehow manage to block Meken’s sword a few times.
Yes, he could accept all of that.
Except for one thing.
How can he be so… hard?
Hardness.
The moment their blades clashed for the second time, Meken had the illusion that the boy had turned into Steel. A massive, incredibly hard slab of Steel that his own sword couldn’t even scratch.
From the heart to the mana paths extending from it, everything was excessively solid. It was impossible.
Is he a half-blood of another race? No, even for a half-blood, this defies common sense. Not even a descendant of the Demon Race could possess such a heart at the mere rank of Sword Walker.
Meken’s vision blurred and shook. His stomach churned, and a surge of nausea rose in his throat.
Meken knew what this phenomenon was.
Mana Shock.
A phenomenon that occurs when one’s mana is jolted and thrown into disarray after colliding with mana that is denser and more intense than one’s own. It was a feat usually only performed by old knights who had achieved true solidity through long years of training.
In other words, it was not something that should happen just because Meken, a 「Sword Runner」, had crossed swords with a boy who was a mere 「Sword Walker」.
“What… what kind of trick is this? This shouldn’t be possible.”
“……”
“Right. Gold coins. You must have spent a fortune to buy magic tools from the witches of the Sky Empire and hidden them. Or did you steal a treasure from the dwarves?”
Meken spoke with bloodshot eyes.
The boy’s answer came immediately.
“Think whatever you like.”
That indifferent response only served to infuriate Meken further.
At the same time, Meken saw the image of a certain old knight in the boy’s steadfast eyes. The commander of his own order, the 「Yellow Elephant」.
A monstrous 「Sword Runner」 with four pairs of wings, a judge who had emerged victorious in countless duels of honor, and an honorable sword who had achieved great feats in various wars.
The hardness he felt from the boy was comparable to the solidity that old knight had achieved in the twilight of his life. That was why Meken could not wrap his head around what was happening.
“Don’t think you can brush me off with those words.”
Gritting his teeth, Meken raised his sword and steadied his breathing, calming his surging mana. One of his wings was broken. But what did that matter?
He still had one wing left, and he wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.
Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t shake the creeping sense of anxiety.
In this moment, the advice given by the commander of the 「Yellow Elephant」—that unpleasant old man—echoed in Meken’s mind.
‘Meken, do not take pride in the fact that you manifested wings faster than others. I guarantee you, one day you will bitterly regret not hardening yourself before you grew those wings.’
Damn that “hardness.”
“I don’t need something like hardness, you old geezer! The most important thing is the realm! How high your realm is… that is everything to the sword!”
Meken gripped his sword and flared his remaining wing.
Despite his defiance, the voice in his ear would not stop.
‘When you meet an enemy harder than you, you will be miserably crushed and broken. Wings? Unripe wings are nothing more than sheets of paper, you fool.’
The 「Mana Heart」 pounded, 「The Path」 granted superhuman strength, and the single 「Wing」 unfurled. Meken could neither understand nor accept the commander’s words.
He intended to prove that he was right.
By utterly crushing this hard boy who reminded him of that old man.
*
「The secret hidden within a Sword Runner’s wings is exactly as the name suggests.」
Liam began his explanation only after Meken’s wing had been broken.
「Runner. A word meaning one who runs.」
「Just like the name, a Sword Runner’s wings allow everything to run.」
「To put it more simply, you could say they accelerate anything to extreme speeds.」
Acceleration.
The moment he heard that word, the secret behind Meken’s bizarre movements became clear. Acceleration achieved at an unnatural speed. That was what made sword strikes that felt like teleportation possible.
But then a question arose.
If it was possible to move with such common-sense-defying high-speed acceleration, why did he bother with a ‘preparatory motion’ instead of just cutting me down instantly?
If he hadn’t shown the motion of swinging his sword from top to bottom, I wouldn’t have been able to react at all, let alone feel a chill; my head would have been gone.
The questions didn’t end there.
If that level of acceleration was possible, why did he move at a normal speed once he was right in front of me? If he was fast enough to be invisible to the eye, he should have been able to bypass my defense and swing his sword from a different trajectory.
Furthermore, it was strange that he couldn’t react to the erratic thrusts I made while our swords were crossed.
There were too many suspicious points.
「I have a general idea of what you’re curious about, young descendant. The answer to those questions is simple.」
Liam answered the internal questions for me.
「It is because that fellow is a moron who only possesses a single pair of wings.」
A single pair of wings.
The fact that he was a novice 「Sword Runner」 was the answer.
「With one pair of wings, you can only accelerate one thing. It’s also impossible to maintain that acceleration for long. If you accelerate your body with one pair of wings, you cannot accelerate your mind. If that happens, you end up in a state where your body is incredibly fast, but your brain cannot keep up.」
Only then was the mystery solved.
「If the mind cannot keep up, one cannot perform techniques. The fighting style that fellow Meken showed is exactly the textbook method of rookie Sword Runners. Since he cannot accelerate multiple things at once, he performs a preparatory motion in advance, appears instantly to slaughter the enemy, and then retreats again.」
“……”
「Normally, a seasoned swordsman with outstanding skills would be able to accelerate their mind and suppress the opponent with techniques at close range, but…」
Liam glanced sideways at Meken.
「As you felt, that fellow’s swordsmanship is pathetic. To use a metaphor, he’s a combat novice with a muscular body but the brain of a brat.」
“……”
「I believe young people like you would call him a well-built small fry.」
A small fry, huh.
I couldn’t quite agree with that. That was something only a master like the great 「Swordmaster」 could say.
One wing is broken, but his momentum is still there.
I had poured quite a bit of physical strength into the previous clash. Especially since I wasn’t yet used to using the Line, even a single thrust left my body feeling drained.
「Well, it’s a pity. If you had completely broken both wings, it would have been a perfect victory.」
“…To be honest, breaking even one was a miracle.”
I glared at Meken while catching my breath, holding 「Twilight」.
「The real fight starts now. Do not lose your hardness and deal with him. The greatness of a Caravan shines brighter the longer a battle drags on.」
Meken’s remaining half-wing fluttered.
「As I always say, we get harder the more we are hammered.」
「Like Steel.」
Zing.
With those words, a chill ran down my spine.
It was starting again.
*
Meken did not possess superior swordsmanship. It meant that while his realm was high, he couldn’t skillfully utilize what he had.
Thus, Meken’s sword was threatening but predictable. If it were me, I would have used those wings much more effectively. I could think of dozens of ways off the top of my head.
Well, it was lucky for me.
However, having been wounded once, Meken did not charge in recklessly like before.
Why is he acting like that?
Meken just stood still, watching me, repeatedly performing the preparatory motion of swinging his sword through the air. Every time he did, 「The Path」 sent out danger signals. The sensation, like a clap of thunder, caused fatigue to gradually accumulate.
By the time I had felt that lightning-struck sensation about five times, I realized Meken’s intention.
He’s started fighting smart.
「The Path」 can predict a Sword Runner’s attack before the wings unfurl. It catches the unique mana wave. However, it cannot distinguish whether the attack will actually come or if it’s a feint. That was the difference in realm.
Meken swung his sword in place a few times as if practicing. I had no choice but to react with everything I had to every single one of his actions.
The sight of two men standing still, flailing their swords, would look ridiculous to others. But this was a battle of wits where death followed the moment one slipped up. And in this kind of psychological warfare, a 「Sword Runner」 held an overwhelming advantage.
“Whew, hah—”
As I repeatedly maintained my defensive stance, my stamina began to drain. Seeing my breath grow ragged, Meken’s eyes flashed. Another chill came, and this time, my reaction was slightly slower than before.
And this time, he actually lunged.
Clang—!
“Ugh.”
The sound of metal on metal rang out as the swords collided.
Amidst the flying sparks, my wrists trembled violently.
After a single clash, Meken retreated like a ghost once again.
Then, after repeating three or four more feints, he lunged at me again.
This time, it wasn’t the sword.
“Urgh.”
Pretending to swing his sword, he kicked me in the stomach with the tip of his plate-armored boot. For a moment, I thought my internal organs were all shattered and about to fly out of my mouth. Blood welled up in my throat.
It felt as if my stomach had exploded from the kick and my torso was going to break into pieces. As I was sent flying through the air, I bit my lip and forced myself to endure.
I couldn’t let my balance break. Putting all my strength into my core, I stood upright.
If I fell even once, Meken wouldn’t retreat; he would advance again and take my head. Clutching my breath, I leveled my sword forward again.
Meken advanced once more.
Unfurling his wing.
Clang—!
“Haa, ugh.”
“Ho-oh.”
Beyond the locked blades, I could see Meken’s eyes gleaming.
Twilight was being pushed back by Meken’s sword. It trembled uncontrollably.
“As I thought, it was a trick. You can’t maintain that hardness of yours indefinitely.”
“……”
“Yes, of course you can’t. That wasn’t the kind of hardness a brat like you could possess. Puhu, puhuhu.”
Meken’s eyes grew sharp like a predator’s.
“Now that your cards are on the table, there’s no need to fight like this anymore.”
At that moment, Meken’s half-wing flared. He no longer retreated. His longsword flew at me, imbued with fierce power.
“Hup!”
I blocked with all my might. But I couldn’t afford to feel relieved just because I had blocked it. Meken’s sword didn’t stop, incessantly hammering at my defense. There was no subtlety of swordsmanship in it.
He was simply pushing through with the superiority of speed and power.
“Do it! Do it again!”
“Haa—”
“Try it again, you piece of—”
“Hah—”
Clang— Clang— Clang—!
Violent metallic sounds echoed as several exchanges occurred in an instant.
Twilight, blocking Meken’s sword, moved according to Petel’s memories. Textbook knightly swordsmanship. Crude and simple, but as a sword that pursued hardness.
“You!”
Thud. Meken’s elbow and mine collided.
It was because we had closed into complete proximity from our clashing stance.
In that instant, Petel’s memories surged through the blade.
『A duel is not a glamorous fight like the ones in novels.』
Simultaneously, my body moved on its own.
With a sliding sound, my lead foot scraped the dirt floor and dug between Meken’s legs. Meken’s pupils shifted. In the next moment, my foot moved swiftly to trip his ankle, and Meken’s body lurched.
『My duels of honor were not for the sake of honor.』
『They were for you.』
『That is why I did whatever it took to win.』
My body moved of its own accord, rotating crudely. While our elbows were pressed together, our wrists became entangled. Using Meken’s weight and strength against him, I spun him around with his ankle still hooked.
『That was the only way to remain unbroken.』
Expert Sword Wrestling.
A grappling technique performed when in close quarters while holding a sword. A seasoned knight’s technique, tucked away in a corner of Petel’s memory, was unleashed.
“You—!”
However, the 「Wing」 Meken possessed was far too troublesome. As the half-wing flared, the distance between Meken and me widened instantly. But the distance wasn’t as great as before.
Because it’s only half, he’s reaching his limit.
Indeed, no bird can fly in the sky forever with only one wing. I grit my teeth, squeezed out my remaining stamina, and dashed toward Meken.
Meken’s wing was now almost at its end.
He would need time to unfurl even that half-wing again.
So, this was my only chance.
“You… son of a…”
Just then, a blue 「Path」 appeared before my eyes.
It was Meken’s path. Just because one’s realm rises doesn’t mean the fruits of previous labor disappear. Reaching the realm of 「Sword Runner」 meant he was a perfect 「Sword Walker」.
“I take back what I said about not taking your life. You die here.”
Countless 「Paths」 swallowed the world I was looking at. It was the same phenomenon I had experienced when I first saw Petel. A wave made of infinite 「Paths」 that could neither be avoided nor escaped.
Standing beyond that wave, Meken spat on the ground. The wings that had been spread behind his back were now both neatly folded. It meant that for this moment, he could be viewed as a 「Sword Walker」 rather than a 「Sword Runner」.
But was that really a good thing?
Meken might be an immature 「Sword Runner」, but he was likely a swordsman who had reached the absolute limit as a 「Sword Walker」. Perhaps a complete path was more threatening than incomplete wings.
I grit my teeth and gripped Twilight.
And then…
『To protect something, I had to become strong.』
Petel’s memory surged with maddening intensity in this moment.
『That is how my sword was forged.』
It was as if, for that moment, I had become Petel himself.
『There may be many swordsmen who have remained in the realm of Sword Walker longer than I.』
『But of this, I am proud.』
Dust rose into the air.
『In this Iron Kingdom, there is no swordsman who has struggled as desperately and as uglily at the edge of the Sword Walker realm as I have.』
『Therefore, of this one thing, I am certain.』
Toward the 「Path」 lunging through the dust.
My own new 「Path」 began to unfold.
『In a fight between fellow Sword Walkers, I do not lose. Never.』
