If a swordsman and a wizard were to duel, who would win?
It was a question that had been debated for ages.
As evidenced by the Arena in Steel City, the question of “who is stronger” was a subject that excited everyone, regardless of age, gender, or race. Furthermore, the sword and magic were the primary tools used by countless legends throughout history. They were the inevitable focal points of any discussion regarding the “strongest.”
The conclusion of this long-standing debate was as follows:
“The most important factor is the conditions.”
Just as there are five realms for a swordsman, there are distinct realms for a wizard as well.
If their realms differ, the one in the higher realm will naturally emerge victorious. For a fair duel, one must assume their realms are equal. So, what happens when a swordsman and a wizard of the same realm face off?
Even then, conditions apply.
“It depends on whether the swordsman is above or below the level of a Sword Runner.”
This was the conclusion reached by scholars after centuries of study.
“If a mere apprentice who has just begun to learn magic duels a Sword Beginner, the apprentice wins by an overwhelming margin. The same applies to a Sword Walker. Even an experienced, veteran knight is helpless against a wizard if they haven’t yet sprouted ‘wings.'”
This phrase appeared ad nauseam in books regarding swords and magic. A swordsman below the level of a Sword Runner could never defeat a wizard.
“The ‘Path,’ the exclusive domain of a Sword Walker, grants a swordsman superhuman strength. However, the Path’s effects are limited to influencing the internal body and expanding one’s senses. Wizards, on the other hand, manipulate external mana to manifest phenomena. If a swordsman cannot interfere with a wizard’s magic, they are ultimately reduced to nothing more than fools waving blades.”
This was a widely accepted truth.
The Black Mage Jerry Selfit knew this fact well.
He had experienced it firsthand, proving those words through his own actions. Jerry Selfit, who had never participated in a war nor received formal combat training, had once killed a veteran knight on horseback in an instant. That majestic knight had been utterly helpless against his magic.
Swordsmen who remained at the level of Sword Walker could never be a match for a wizard. The only moment they could even be compared to a wizard was after they had climbed the high step to become a Sword Runner. Thus, Jerry Selfit could not believe the scene unfolding before him.
“What in the world…”
He couldn’t believe that the blade flashing in the darkness was cutting down every single one of his spells.
“What the hell are you?!”
* * *
When I entered the shack, the wizard staying there, Jerry Selfit, looked like an ordinary old man at first glance. He was draped in dirty rags, but he didn’t look pathetic. The ominous mana surging around him proved that the old man was indeed a wizard.
Instead of drawing Fang and killing Jerry Selfit in a surprise attack, I chose to face him head-on. That was how I had always done things, and how I intended to continue.
However, conversation was impossible.
The wizard was a man beyond common sense, a member of a breed that couldn’t be reasoned with.
I feel like I’ve been running into people I can’t talk to a lot lately.
Seol-yoon was like that, and so were the orcs I met in the mountains.
If Seol-yoon had read my thoughts, she probably would have given me a heavy smack on the back of the head. Regardless, the moment I sensed the ominous mana flickering around us, I drew my sword.
But then.
“…?”
The moment pitch-black mana flickered from Jerry Selfit’s body, a Path flashed before my eyes. It wasn’t my Path. A Path originating from Jerry Selfit’s body was heading toward me. Just before it could reach me, I swung my sword and cut it down.
“Uh—”
The old wizard’s face froze.
It was as if something that should never happen had just occurred.
“W-What…”
Jerry Selfit chanted an incantation and gestured into the air again. Every time he did, I saw multiple Paths branching out. I swung my sword and severed them one by one before the Paths could be completed.
By the time I had cut down four Paths, I realized what was happening.
「Oho. So this is where your talent shines.」
“…”
「To read the trajectories of magic… my young descendant.」
What I had just seen were the trajectories of the magic Jerry Selfit was trying to construct.
「What an incredibly sensitive Doubt. It must be a minuscule change, yet you read that momentary gap and destroyed it.」
It seemed that what I had done instinctively was a special talent.
「Of course, not just anyone can do it. Normally, it’s impossible to touch magic with a Sword Walker’s blade.」
“Then…”
「It is possible because what fills your body and sword is the Path of Steel.」
Liam grinned.
「The combination of your Doubt and the most solid Path in the world—one that never breaks no matter what it strikes—has given birth to such a sword.」
I looked at Jerry Selfit, whose eyes were wide with shock.
“What the hell are you?!”
The old wizard shouted at the top of his lungs, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. Instead of answering, I raised my sword and lunged. Standing awkwardly, Jerry Selfit hurriedly chanted a spell. Instead of directing his mana toward me, it began to envelop his own body.
“Why do you interfere with my noble path?!”
Pitch-black darkness surged around Jerry Selfit. Since direct magic didn’t work on me, he was planning to coat himself in magic and crush me.
Jerry Selfit’s body gradually grew larger. The small-statured old man donned the darkness like armor and transformed into a massive monster. Instead of approaching recklessly, I glared at him.
Doubt.
Jerry Selfit was now within my Path. Therefore, I could read the information regarding the changes occurring in the old man’s body.
It’s not just his visible size that’s grown; his physical strength has been enhanced. And it’s not just strength. His body has become as hard as the golem I fought earlier. It’s as if he’s donned the shell of another creature.
I stared intently at Jerry Selfit.
Like a wild beast.
* * *
Jerry Selfit, transformed into a giant monster, didn’t charge blindly. It seemed the darkness covering his body wasn’t meant to crush me directly, but rather served as armor for any potential situation. It didn’t matter. I was a swordsman; to win, I had to close the distance.
Staying apart was a disadvantage.
I had to get close.
I threw myself forward, charging without warning to give Jerry Selfit no time to react. At that moment, something strange happened. No matter how much I ran, the distance didn’t close. When I frowned and looked around, the small, cramped shack had somehow expanded into a vast plain.
Jerry Selfit, who had been within arm’s reach, was now far in the distance.
An illusion?
「It is not an illusion.」
“Then what?”
「It is similar to what the Orc Elder did before. If that orc bastard banished you to a spiritual world, this old wizard has temporarily changed this place into an environment similar to a spiritual world.」
“…”
「This is why one shouldn’t recklessly enter a wizard’s workshop. It seems this shack was a labyrinth for that old man.」
Jerry Selfit must have already made various magical preparations in this shack. The old wizard, standing far away, moved his lips and chanted a spell. I ran toward him before another spell could be completed. Once again, I saw a Path. I swung my sword and cut the faint Path before it could manifest. Jerry Selfit’s face contorted in rage.
The force with which I kicked off the ground was incredibly powerful.
Even a wild horse couldn’t run as fast as I did. The speed of my transformed body’s sprint was excessively vigorous. As the distance closed in an instant, the ground I was stepping on twisted violently, throwing my center of gravity forward.
“Hup.”
I almost fell as my balance broke. I hurriedly jumped low, spun once, and used an ukemi to land. At the same time, Jerry Selfit’s laughter echoed.
“You… you can only brush away magic directed at you.”
“…”
“I suppose that’s expected. You’re just a lowly Sword Walker, after all.”
Jerry Selfit’s red eyes glared at me.
“You cannot see magic applied to the environment around you. You can block the direct construction of magic, but you don’t even notice when magic is being cast elsewhere. Once I peeled back the layers, your talent turned out to be nothing special, you lowly swordsman.”
He was a clever wizard.
Jerry Selfit had instantly realized the principle behind my talent.
He was right.
I hadn’t been able to react to the magic Jerry Selfit used to twist the terrain just now. Far from reacting, I hadn’t seen anything at all. My sensitive Doubt only triggered sharply against magic aimed directly at me. My trick had been exposed.
“Now I see everything! I was surprised for a moment, but no longer! More than that, I’m curious. Are you a demonkin hybrid? Or perhaps a bastard with the blood of the Great Five Families? I’m starting to take an interest in your body.”
“…”
“Well, there’s no need to answer. Wizards are those who find the answers themselves.”
Jerry Selfit’s raspy laughter rang out.
“I will tear you apart, lay you out in the garden of that mansion, and then dismantle and analyze you piece by piece to find the secret of that talent. I’ll have some very enjoyable research to do for a while. Truly, very enjoyable…”
He was acting triumphant, as if he had already won.
I didn’t like that attitude.
Whether he knew my talent or not, the battle wasn’t over.
It was unpleasant to see him wagging his tongue just because he’d discovered one small fact. So, I decided to let the old wizard know one thing.
That nothing was over yet.
「This is why I hate magic-users.」
I glared at Jerry Selfit standing in the distance and took a deep breath.
I inhaled more than I usually did—so much that my chest swelled and my lungs felt like they would burst. My heartbeat began to accelerate. Over the fast-beating heart, the pulse of the second heart overlapped. As the Mana Heart throbbed, the Paths stretching out like blood vessels became even denser. My entire body heated up, and the world slowed down as if it had stopped.
Along with that, the Paths I had extended decreased in number. The Paths stretching here and there vanished one by one, and the three or four remaining Paths shrank until they became thin lines.
I slowly raised my head and looked at Jerry Selfit.
The moment our eyes met, I lunged like a beast.
“Do you think that will work again?!”
Jerry Selfit laughed leisurely.
But his leisure didn’t last long. My charge was faster than Jerry Selfit had expected. It was truly, unbelievably fast.
My body was launched like an arrow.
Jerry Selfit hurriedly chanted a spell. It wasn’t aimed at me, but at the ground—earth magic. The ground I stepped on twisted, shaking my body. Following that, sharp spikes erupted from the floor, piercing through the soles of my feet to the tops. A stinging pain flared. But I didn’t even flinch. Whether my skin was pierced, my muscles torn, or even my bones crushed, I stepped forward.
“What—”
Wildly.
Like a certain Orc Great Warrior who never ran away.
Thump— the sound of my footstep echoed.
Jerry Selfit frantically chanted a spell. The ground around him rumbled and moved, eventually becoming sharp spears that were launched at me. But not a single one could touch my body. Before my heavily swung sword, they all fell away helplessly.
“S-Stop!”
Jerry Selfit waved his hand, turning the floor into a swamp. Even that couldn’t stop me. Whether my body swayed or not, I charged forward like a fool. My foot sank deep into the swamp-like floor, and I fell. Even though I fell hard enough to break my nose, I rolled once and stood back up to run.
Spells poured out endlessly.
But no matter what interference there was, I didn’t stop.
At the end of my mindless charge, the distance between Jerry Selfit and me had closed. Now that we were completely close, Jerry Selfit no longer chanted spells.
“You… you beast-like…!”
Instead, trusting the magic enveloping his body, he reached out a monstrous hand toward me. It seemed he thought he could win with strength if he used his bizarre, magic-enhanced body.
That was a very stupid choice.
Since when did a wizard engage in close combat against a swordsman?
I smoothly swung my sword and cut through Jerry Selfit’s awkwardly extended arm. Then, moving my body gracefully, I used the blade to carve through his body as if I were cooking. Petel’s “Twilight.” A knight’s swordsmanship, focused on the fundamentals, unfolded.
Jerry Selfit’s arm flew into the air. I grabbed his other arm extended in the void, draped it over my shoulder, and threw him. Sword Wrestling. A grappling technique that could flip even a giant, provided one had the veteran skill to use an opponent’s strength against them and manipulate balance, was executed.
With a thud , Jerry Selfit’s body slammed into the floor.
The moment he was sprawled out from the intense impact, my blade pierced his throat.
“Keu… ack.”
A weak groan echoed, and the complexly twisted surroundings began to return to the original interior of the shack. The magic the old wizard had cast was vanishing. Jerry Selfit’s body also returned to that of a small, pathetic old man.
“You… human. Are you… even human? You…”
My reflection appeared in Jerry Selfit’s trembling eyes.
In those murky eyes, I looked less like a human and more like an orc. An orc warrior, baring fangs and holding a sword larger than anyone else’s—a brave and savage Orc Great Warrior who never ran away.
“This… cannot be. It cannot end… like this. I… must… live a noble life. I… deserve it…”
As the life faded from Jerry Selfit’s eyes, the old wizard coughed up blood and chanted one last spell. I hurriedly thrust my blade to completely end his life before the spell could be completed. But the magic’s completion was faster.
“I cannot… die… to a mere swordsman. I am… a wizard. I will not die. I will never… die…”
Pitch-black smoke rose from Jerry Selfit’s body. Along with it, an intense sense of foreboding surged. I instinctively sensed danger. Liam spoke.
「That damn magic-user is trying to take everyone with him as companions in death.」
“What do you mean?”
「Leave this place. It seems he’s sacrificing his own life to turn this entire area into a land of death. It’s the filthy trick those who dabble in forbidden magic pull.」
My eyes wavered at Liam’s words.
“If you say this entire area…”
「Your estate will be caught in it as well.」
Because I could read the flow of mana, I knew.
The magic Jerry Selfit completed as he died held a truly horrific power. Although there was the Orc Elder’s guardian stone, such an ominous force would surely affect my estate. And that was something I absolutely did not want. Such a thing must not happen.
“Is there no way?”
「Not at your current level.」
Liam looked at me coldly.
「Young descendant, do not be greedy. Just get out of here.」
“…”
「Tsk. These fucking magic-users. If you were at least a Sword Runner, I could have taught you how to cut through the darkness…」
As Liam’s lament continued, Jerry Selfit’s laughter was heard.
“Heh, hehehe… I… I will not die. I will… seep into this land forever… and drive everything to death. I… I shall be eternal.”
It seemed the old wizard had felt the anger rising in my heart.
Jerry Selfit laughed as if enjoying my agitation. Rage boiled over. My heart beat fast with fury. I wanted to kill that dying old wizard several more times. But doing so wouldn’t change anything.
The unresolved anger turned toward myself.
Because I was still lacking.
Because I was nothing more than a mere Sword Walker.
Because my sword wasn’t strong enough to brush away that wizard’s final struggle…
And then.
「Leave this place. At this rate…」
It was the moment complex emotions were flooding in.
「You’ll be caught in it too… Ah, no.」
“Pardon?”
「It’s fine. You don’t have to leave.」
Liam’s voice suddenly changed.
At the same time.
“I will defile this land—hic.”
Jerry Selfit’s head, which had been spewing annoying words, exploded like a watermelon. As blood erupted like a fountain, a cold silence fell over the shack. Jerry Selfit’s headless body slumped down powerlessly. The ominous energy that had filled the surroundings also vanished completely. Without a trace.
“…What is this?”
As I stood dazed by the inexplicable situation, Liam spoke.
「That orc bastard… he must have taken quite a liking to you.」
* * *
“It is time for the ritual. Why have you not come out yet, Shaman?”
The tent of the Orc Elder was located at the highest point of the orcs’ holy land, deep within the high mountain range. The Great Warrior guarding the Elder urged him, as he had not emerged from the tent. Soon, the great shaman and Orc Elder Sherdic walked slowly out from inside.
“I am out now! You arrogant fellow!”
“Everyone is waiting. Let us go. What on earth were you doing?”
At that question, Orc Shaman Sherdic chuckled.
“I was watching an interesting human I became friends with recently! A nasty insect had attached itself to my friend, so I secretly plucked it off. Puhehe.”
Laughing heartily, Orc Shaman Sherdic slowly looked up at the sky. In the pitch-black night sky, stars twinkled faintly. In Orc Shaman Sherdic’s eyes, the movement of the constellations was visible, as was the clear future foretold by the flow of the stars. Having glimpsed the future that would soon arrive, Orc Shaman Sherdic bared his fangs and laughed once more.
“Successor of Steel, please do not break and endure for a long time. The true darkness has not even arrived yet. Survive for a long time and show me an enjoyable struggle. Just as the many descendants of steel who disappeared from history long ago did…”
* * *
The touch-and-go crisis was resolved just like that.
The Black Mage Jerry Selfit was dead, and the nonsense he tried to pull right before his death failed miserably. There was a bit of lingering discomfort, but the result alone was good. I had eliminated the Black Mage who threatened my estate, and no damage had occurred to the land. It couldn’t be better.
Well.
“Did you… did you really kill my master?”
“Yes.”
“T-Thank you. Thank you so much. But…”
There were still problems left to solve, though.
“I… I have one favor to ask.”
Hailyn, the girl who had lived a tragic life after losing her master.
“Could I… possibly stay in this village? I have nowhere else to go.”
She requested to become a new neighbor.
“I… I’m good at washing dishes. I’m good at cleaning, too. There are many dishes I know how to cook.”
“…”
“A-Ah. And also—”
No, to be precise.
“I know how to use magic.”
A young wizard had requested to become a new neighbor.
