“Did those bastards collectively lose their minds?!”
As Hertlocker dashed at full speed on horseback, curses spilled from his mouth.
Having joined the royal army to participate in the great battle against the rebel army, he spotted a special unit sneaking away from the back.
For ten minutes he chased them, the pursuit still ongoing.
Of course, if they were just simple deserters, he wouldn’t be chasing them this desperately.
The issue was the destination ahead.
“Are they all trying to starve to death or what?!”
Before him lay an endless wheat field.
The kingdom’s largest granary, if attacked before harvest, it would surely lead to a grave winter with casualties.
Had they lost their minds?
There was no other way to think about it.
Entering the wheat field meant he couldn’t use flame magic, so he had to act before arriving.
“Go.”
As Hertlocker’s touch reached the horse’s neck, a massive amount of mana began to seep into the horse’s internal circuit.
In a moment, the horse accelerated and soon caught up right behind the special unit.
“Oh ho, you guys brought matches with you too?”
Just then, incantations for flame magic began to unfold here and there.
It looked like they were ready to sweep across the granary.
Dozens of special unit members were about to scatter and jump into the wheat field when…
*Grrrkk!*
*Ah?!*
In that instant, the necks of the galloping horses suddenly snapped, their heads smashing apart.
As if they collided with an invisible wall.
The wizards who got flung off the horses stood up with wails of despair, but—
“Huh?”
Before they could leave a last word, all their throats were sliced and they fell back down.
Before the field strewn with corpses, Hertlocker shook the blood off his sword.
“Ugh… wheat grown with blood isn’t tasty.”
The filthy blood had stained the wheat.
Still, he barely managed to prevent the field from burning.
Most likely, the maneuver against the suppression army was a decoy, and this was the real deal.
As Hertlocker tried to get back on his horse and return to the frontline—
“Southern… *zzzt*… Sight.”
A woman’s voice crackled over the communication line.
The communication had been problematic for a while.
It seemed some kind of interference was occurring, and he’d never seen one this wide-ranging before.
It must have been caused by the magic spell cast by a Majin.
“Damn. This is ominous.”
I was the bait.
A lure to draw out the Majin.
Schlus Hainkel had never said it, but he had realized it long ago.
The rebellion back in the kingdom was indeed a serious threat.
Unexpected warlords had almost made the entire kingdom lose its food for the winter.
But compared to the appearance of a Majin, it was a minuscule threat.
Thus, there were two options.
To focus on suppressing the rebellion here as per Schlus’s last orders, or to return to the institution and find out where the Majin appeared and proceed to support.
“I guess I have to leave.”
The answer was clear.
If the Majin hadn’t appeared here and communications were down, it was likely the Majin had emerged from the south and ensured the news didn’t reach the north.
Schlus Hainkel would surely handle it, but I could not avoid sending support.
“Let’s go. To the institution—”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
At that moment, a chilling sensation gripped Hertlocker from behind, forcing him into a combat stance as he turned around sharply.
An individual who shouldn’t be here.
Schlus Hainkel stood there calmly.
So this was the teleportation technique.
A spell that requires multiple magicians to pour in their mana just to work once, and now, he did it alone…
“Come with me, Hertlocker.”
“H-Huh?! What do you mean? The Majin is currently in the south—”
“How did you know the Traveler appeared in the south? More importantly, we have to go catch Alexia right away.”
Schlus had grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
What was this guy spouting?
If he was going, he should go alone. Why drag me into this?
“Go alone! Are you scared with the authority of two Majins?!”
“Who asked you to help me fight? I have something you need to deal with.”
“Something I need to deal with?”
Schlus’s steps halted.
Only then could Hertlocker stand tall and look directly into Schlus’s eyes.
Schlus Hainkel was as composed as always.
Yet now, Hertlocker could sense it.
The deep-seated tension and fear beneath the seemingly calm expression.
What could be so terrifying, despite his strength?
“Right. If I’m correct, the interference with communications isn’t from a spell.”
“I agree. It’s been spewing out nonsense for half a day; there’s no spell that could sustain that level of mana.”
“The one emitting a mana ripple is a relic that devoured legends. It’s likely one of those.”
A relic that devoured legends?
He vaguely recalled hearing about that.
Items that gained fame over an extended period and thus possessed special powers…
The sword Durandal that cuts through dimensions and the magic sword dwelling in Schlus’s right arm were typical examples of such relics.
So there was another one?
This was news to him.
“I can’t get near it.”
“Why not?”
“My eyesight is like this. If I get too close to weaken it, I’d quickly exhaust all my mana to the barrier. You, with your good sight, have to nullify it.”
“Is that all? If so, I can leave that to someone else and participate in taking down the Traveler—”
“It’s something only you can do, Hertlocker.”
Thud.
Schlus’s hand rested heavily on Hertlocker’s shoulder.
He always dragged him around, saying he couldn’t do it without him.
In the end, it always turned out to be something trivial that didn’t require him.
But this time, it felt different.
“So where’s the destination?”
“There. The snowy mountains.”
“I see. Well… uh…?”
“Relax your body.”
*Crack.*
The grip on Hertlocker’s shoulder suddenly tightened.
And with the other hand, Schlus tightly twisted the back of his collar.
A foreboding sensation washed over him.
“W-What are you doing? It feels like you’re going to slam me in!”
“Why was I asking you?”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”
“Your lung capacity is exceptionally good. Beyond human levels.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“I’ll catch up soon. First, go find that relic and nullify it.”
“N-No, this is—Ahhh!!!”
*Whoosh!*
With a deafening roar, Hertlocker’s body shot up into the sky in an instant.
Toward the towering snowy mountains.
Toward the heights where a human’s body couldn’t survive the altitude.
Toward the snowy mountains where an ancient shrine rested at the summit, Hertlocker soared through the air.
*
Southern Colony.
The Traveler’s pupils dilated as he glared at Trie.
“Judgment Day?!”
His old friend, Gawayn’s sword, was in his daughter’s hand.
With a long, slender blade and a crude hilt.
And the almost unique decoration, the ruby at the hilt’s end.
He absolutely couldn’t mistake it.
After all, Judgment Day was the sword he had custom-made for Gawayn back in the village by Whist Forest.
Crafted from the finest materials by the top-tier blacksmith, it was undoubtedly an exquisite sword.
However, if one were to ask whether Judgment Day was exceptionally outstanding, the Traveler would shake his head.
Judgment Day was fortunate to have found a good master.
The sword itself was just one among many high-grade swords, but the achievements Gawayn wielded with it transcended the limits of humanity.
Naturally, Gawayn and Judgment Day rose to fame together.
As a sword said to have special powers.
Or the legendary sword.
But surely Judgment Day must have been lost along with Gawayn’s disappearance; how could it be here now?
“That’s not it. It’s not Judgment Day.”
“Correct. It is indeed my father’s sword.”
“No, the essence is different.”
“…?”
Through Majin’s eyes, it was visible.
The shallow essence within the sword god.
That sword was surely Judgment Day, yet it wasn’t Judgment Day.
There was only one thing that could create such a contradictory situation.
“Vafe…!”
Vafe.
One of the swords sealed during the ancient war between Majins and humans.
Vafe transforms into a weapon that best suits its user.
In Schlus Hainkel’s case, it transformed into a shining sword of light, a magic sword.
Yet that Vafe was now in Trie’s hands, not Schlus’s.
‘The sword feels light.’
Meanwhile, Trie, holding Judgment Day, couldn’t help but admire it.
It was twice the size compared to what she usually held, yet it felt entirely weightless.
As if it had been in her grip forever, it fit perfectly without any awkwardness.
She instinctively knew.
This grip would mirror her father’s style.
The essence being thin and shallow didn’t matter at all.
Trie had finally found the sword that fit her throughout her life.
‘The momentum has changed.’
Trie’s stance began to alter little by little.
To an ordinary person, the change was so minute they wouldn’t notice.
As her toes twisted, the Traveler couldn’t help but smirk.
At some point, Trie’s stance had drifted far from the one he’d taught her.
A disobedient disciple.
The mischievous one that always transformed what he taught into her own flavor.
The knight’s posture and movements were wholly adopted by the Knight in front of her.
Like he was facing Gawayn in his prime.
‘Once again against Gawayn…’
Just one time.
The one who had even defeated the Traveler, he could face that lost swordsmanship again.
As the Traveler anticipated an honorable duel, something rapidly moved into his radar.
A furry mass swiftly caught Trie’s gaze with a mocking grin.
“Damn it! Gawayn’s daughter! Why do this at the last minute after doing so well?!”
“Heh. Who said I would fight alone?”
*Kyaah!*
Trie’s new model charged forward fast.
At the same time, from behind, a Subhuman rushed in with a beastly cry.
Holding a sword in an utterly awkward fashion, lacking elegance or poise.
Not just that.
Above them, the barrier spell unfurled in an instant.
Was everything up to this point just a stall?
Did Gawayn’s daughter not inherit any of his nobility?
The Traveler swung his sword while tearing up with blood.
