*
A knight and an evil dragon.
In a way, it’s a common fairy tale story.
But life isn’t as beautiful as a fairy tale.
Sometimes it ends with a sad ending instead of a happy one.
“Drake, it’s hot today. Wear a hat when you go out.”
“Thank you! Mother!”
Born as the son of a peasant, Drake helped his father in the fields since he was young.
Wearing a straw hat tilted down against the sun that felt like it could melt him away, he worked under its relentless gaze.
He figured that as long as he could put food on the table each day, he was lucky.
Kind of like me, he originally had no connection to swordsmanship.
“Drake, you don’t have to follow me today.”
“No way! I want to hurry and earn my wage to buy something delicious for my siblings!”
The eldest son.
Drake was the firstborn, with two younger siblings beneath him.
“Drake bro! After you’re back, let’s have a sword fight!”
“Hmph, what’s fun about fighting with sticks! Big brother, today you have to play house with me!”
To his parents, he was a reliable firstborn.
To his siblings, he was the kindest big brother.
In the village, Drake was known as a friendly and fun companion.
“I’m off!”
“I’ll go with Drake! Honey.”
Stepping outside with his father to work in the fields, he helped with little hands like ferns.
He’d plant seeds following his father as he toiled with a hoe, or bring water to help the crops grow.
Drake mainly took care of the chores.
When autumn arrived and it was time to harvest, he felt joy like none other seeing baskets filled with fruits and vegetables.
Every lunch, he’d feel eager to see what snack was prepared, and when the sun set into the dark night, sparking constellations shone brightly in the sky.
Those were memories Drake could never take back, felt deep in his heart from Sprout Village.
“I’m back! Mother!”
“Drake. Wash your hands and prepare for dinner.”
The father-son duo returned home just before dinner.
Seeing Drake all covered in dirt, his mother frowned with worry.
It wasn’t unusual for Drake to be dirty.
He worked hard to help his impoverished family, even at a young age.
“Big brother! Today it’s my turn for you to read me a story!”
“Drake, tomorrow let’s go catch some stag beetles!”
As he washed his hands, his siblings eagerly welcomed him with excitement.
The golden color of ripened barley—a reflection of their parents’ hair color—each of them possessed similar blonde locks.
His siblings, bouncing in place, showed how thrilled they were while awaiting him.
“Let’s look for stag beetles near the sap-flowing trees, William!”
He smiled in response to them.
“Catherine, put the storybook by my pillow for me!”
Good-natured siblings. As the eldest, Drake played his role perfectly.
“いただきます!”
When night came, the family gathered around the dinner table.
Dinner was usually simple, made of oatmeal or bread, but it was always the food prepared by his mother, waiting for his return.
“Honey, is there something special today? Chicken in the oatmeal?”
“Eheh, a few days ago was our son’s birthday, wasn’t it? I didn’t get to celebrate it on time… so I’m doing it today.”
The night before the Black Cloud attacked the village,
Drake’s mother celebrated his birthday belatedly.
“Thank you! Mother!”
“Eat a lot, Drake!”
It was a warm family dinner like no other.
Who could have known it would be the last dinner together?
“Thanks to you, we get to eat something delicious! Yay!”
“Big brother, late but happy birthday!”
The bright smiles of his siblings, and their parents’ joyful gazes—they were imprinted and wouldn’t fade.
Even if he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to forget, it haunted him.
From that day on, oatmeal became a food he couldn’t touch again.
*
In the early morning, while everyone was asleep.
The shadows filled the sky, and the moon started to vanish.
The Black Cloud, leading other dragons to attack the village.
Drake guessed that this event was caused by the ‘prophecy’ he’d heard.
To burn the village down, to prevent the events of the future.
Thinking back to when the Black Cloud destroyed the Wizard Tower, it was probably the only reason.
─BOOM!
A sound that shook the heavens and earth. Like an earthquake, the ground trembled.
With flames unleashed by the dragons, the peaceful Sprout Village was engulfed in fire.
“Drake!! Wake up!!”
“Catherine, William! Let’s get out quickly!!”
Drake’s family rushed out as their house caught fire.
In their haste, they had no time to grab clothes or anything important, they could only flee.
Looking around, the village had turned to ashes in the blink of an eye.
Smoke billowed, people screamed and wept.
“Help me!! Save me!!”
“There’s still a child inside!! Let go of this!!”
“Mom… Momaa…”
It wasn’t for treasure, nor for some morbid joy.
The dragons thoroughly incinerated the village, as if mocking the cries of those pleading for their lives.
A massacre.
They were killing people indiscriminately—from children to the elderly.
As if nobody was meant to survive here.
“Oh, god…”
“…”
Looking up, he saw them spiraling in circles above.
Little Drake couldn’t fathom why dragons attacked the peaceful village.
The largest dragon, reflecting the moonlight in black, descended closer to the ground, taking on human form.
“I see a survivor has lingered. No one should be left alive here today.”
With long black hair down to his waist and deer antlers on his head,
The man in a black cloak slowly began to speak.
The Demon King of All Knowledge. The Black Cloud.
Like a large cloud moving through the night, the demon king faced Drake’s family.
As Drake’s body trembled, feeling a sensation freezing his blood, he couldn’t move a muscle.
“..Drake. Take your siblings and run.”
His father urged him to flee, looking out for them.
Even aware they had no chance against the enemy, he tried to buy time for his children. His hands clenched tightly around the hoe, shaking uncontrollably.
“How touching, a father’s love. A mere human stands against a dragon.”
The Black Cloud spoke, observing his father’s determination. In this world, dragons were practically invincible.
With scales that deflected magic and blades alike.
Unlike humans who couldn’t leave the ground, they soared through the sky.
They could even create flames from within, possessing an incredibly unique heart full of power.
“Hurry, don’t look back, just run.”
“Drake, remember to stay healthy.”
His parents gripped his shoulders, giving their last words.
Finally, he swallowed his sobs and took hold of his siblings’ hands.
“Mom, Dad… we’ll meet again for sure.”
That was the last moment he saw of his parents.
His parents dove into danger to ensure their children’s escape.
Yet they were regular peasants, not trained swordsmen or mages.
Unable to stop the Demon King of the Hero Church, they soon fell.
“..In honor of your father’s sacrifice, I’ll spare you.”
The dragon approached, its golden eyes glowing.
That was how, in a single night, he lost everything.
His incredibly kind parents.
His loyal siblings.
And even his friends from the village.
Like storm clouds suddenly darkening a sunny day, the Black Cloud swallowed them whole.
*
“..So that’s why you created your swordsmanship.”
I listened to Drake’s story with a heavy heart.
Though it’s said that most were entangled with the Demon King, who’d have thought such a thing happened.
Now I finally understood why Drake Sword Style was focused on slaying dragons.
‘Is that why you took me as your disciple, because I’m from Sprout Village?’
After all, the village had burned down and been rebuilt once.
The elderly couple who took me in during that time likely suffered too.
I arrived at Sprout Village at least 15 years after the Black Cloud’s attack.
“Indeed, an ordinary human can’t even injure a dragon, let alone the demon king.”
“No, it might’ve been thanks to my father that the village survived.”
It seemed the Black Cloud aimed to kill all villagers.
Possibly, he was swayed by the father’s sacrifice, or perhaps others could escape because of the time he bought them.
“Even so, I couldn’t save my parents. I couldn’t even save my siblings.”
With a voice laced with tears, he slammed his fist against the wall.
In stark contrast to his usual boisterous laughter, I bit my lower lip.
“..All that remains in my heart is a thirst for revenge, my disciple.”
“……”
A thirst for revenge.
Drake slammed his hand against his chest, pouring out his frustrations.
He couldn’t protect anyone. The driving force behind his sword swinging towards evil must have stemmed from this.
Afterward, he chased down the Black Cloud.
Hoping against hope that his parents might still be alive, he searched for information about his family.
Eventually, he crossed paths with the current sage, Azmodius, in his youth.
“I can’t even look my master in the face!”
But later, when the Black Cloud attempted to fulfill the ‘prophecy’ by destroying the Wizard Tower, he said,
“When the Black Cloud attacked the tower, I arrived too late!”
He arrived too late to save everyone. His innate deficiency in mana meant he couldn’t use magic to get there faster.
The only sage who survived, Azmodius.
Drake was also the sole survivor of his family.
He might’ve saved her, but he likely felt guilty she bore the same scars as he did.
“But master, it’s not your fault.”
A son of a peasant wielded a sword.
Through sheer effort, Drake reached the Grand Sword Master level, capable of killing a Demon King.
The real reason he took me as his disciple was that I reminded him of his younger self.
‘The Demon King of All Knowledge. The Black Cloud.’
According to Drake, who fought against him during the Demon God War,
The Black Cloud was an omnipotent demon king who could wield any weapon.
A wooden sword labeled with ‘Spring Summer Autumn Winter’ was his basis.
He could create any weapon from the wooden sword he held and handle any weapon skillfully.
“..Using the power of incompetence.”
Thinking about Saintess Pina Grancia, who struggled to utilize divine power,
He must’ve been able to nullify others’ talents.
A miracle.
Saintesses are beings that bring forth miracles.
Divine power is the manifestation of strong desires made flesh through reason.
It was a famous tale of how the first saintess resurrected dying people.
It’s something I learned during classes at the Academy.
‘What on earth is this prophecy?’
So that meant everything was planned from the start.
To incapacitate the hero from the prophecy, the Demon King of the Hero Church broke her down.
I clenched my teeth hard.
“..I understand for now. Luckily, it seems the sage has a heart.”
“Indeed. But I think I’m unworthy. My disciple.”
After sorting out my thoughts, I spoke to Drake.
Ultimately, to ensure a happy ending for Pina, these two had to connect.
“If you kill the Demon King Black Cloud… will you accept her heart?”
If he captures the Demon King Black Cloud, it might be a problem that gets resolved.
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