“Then, Celestial Demon, what should I do?”
In the forest again, I asked the White Lily exactly what the training entailed.
But she was just standing there, arms crossed, deep in thought.
“Celestial Demon?”
“..Boy, just swing the sword once. That would be the most accurate way.”
“Excuse me? You’re not going to show me the moves or demonstrate first? What about going to get the inner circle…?”
Something felt off. If it was about reaching a martial arts level, wasn’t it supposed to be about gaining enlightenment through mental focus, or instantly getting stronger with potions or secret techniques?
“Shut up. The sword speaks with the sword. Since when did it start talking with the mouth?”
“..Got it.”
I felt puzzled and asked again, but she only furrowed her brows, looking even angrier.
─Srrrrrng.
The silver steel slid out of its sheath with a sound. The Holy Sword had returned to Kainel. The only weapon left for me was a common-grade item.
‘Will Shadow Slash work?’
A technique that cuts through shadows. I took the stance of Drake Style 1 and stomped the ground hard. I inhaled deeply and let my blood flow through my body─
“Stop. Boy.”
“..Huh? Why?”
Why the sudden halt? Is it because I’m putting in too much power? The Celestial Demon stepped closer with a disapproving look.
“..You have too many distractions, boy.”
“Me..?”
“Indeed. That brat’s swordsmanship isn’t filled with so many thoughts.”
It felt like they were putting down my Drake Master, but I listened. Too many distractions? That was a first for me. I always thought there needed to be preliminary moves and such…
“Again, boy.”
“…”
I’ve gained so much just from thinking, but my habit of not trusting anyone except the Saintess only made it worse. It’s a bad habit.
“To escape this forest requires the Mind Sword. You must be able to cut through the Demon King’s power with sheer will, boy.”
“Can’t I just swing the sword like Demon King Kill?”
“Wrong. Ah, where do I even start?”
Looking at me like I was wrong, the Celestial Demon turned away and sat on a distant rock. Then she pulled out a sword and tossed it between us.
“This isn’t a physical matter; it’s a matter of mindset. Boy.”
With a thunk, the steel plunged vertically into the ground.
“…”
“You’re thinking too much about the sword. While it’s an advantage over others, it won’t help you escape this place.”
“Is that.. so..”
Looking at it, I realized it was true. I was thinking way too much that I hadn’t even considered the Crown Prince route regarding our Saintess. I should have done anything for her.
The moment I found out Schartines was the second Saintess, I couldn’t keep my composure. I lowered my head, and my helmet rattled.
“Have you ever lost something due to overthinking? Boy.”
“..Honestly, yes.”
“Right, it’s a ridiculous story. Cough These days, a tormented swordsman. The martial arts leaders would love to hear it.”
The Celestial Demon finally seemed to understand as she smiled and approached the sword. Her black robe fluttered.
“You’re running away from something in your heart, boy.”
“..What do you mean?”
“It’s what people commonly call Heart Demon. For someone like you, who might not even know the term ‘entranced by nature,’ that has been lurking from the start, so let’s begin the training here.”
With a grip on the sword’s hilt, the Celestial Demon once again pressed the blade forcefully into the ground. Boom. The sound of the earth ringing could be heard.
“..I’ve also seen and learned many things in this world.”
“Have you learned something new, Celestial Demon?”
“This place is a chaotic mix of all sorts of human sights from various worlds, as if sewn together with thread and needle.”
That’s true. It wasn’t too long ago that Emperor Rock unified the four nations into the Grancia Empire.
“Right.”
It was no wonder Nex wanted to have his wedding in what used to be the Water Nation. The Emperor himself hailed from the Earth Nation and had an earth affinity.
“There are also some intriguing tales I’ve heard from that Drake fellow.”
“..No way.”
From her words, I had a hunch and looked back at the steel sword. The Celestial Demon was just watching me intently.
‘This looks familiar..?’
A sword buried more than halfway in the ground. That was a image I’d seen in numerous games before. It’s a blatantly physical form, though.
“‘Pulling a sword from a rock to become king,’ what a laughable fable. It doesn’t determine a person’s qualities in such a simplistic way, does it?”
“…”
That was indeed the case with Kainel. He wasn’t chosen as the Hero because he was kind or just; he was already a noble person.
“..That’s right, Celestial Demon.”
Although he was chosen as a hero, his standing in the Hero Church was poor. The lore says he was even looked down upon in the town where he lived.
“Do you understand a bit now, boy? What I am trying to say?”
“In the end, it’s the user of the sword that’s important, right?”
Meaning that the Holy Sword doesn’t decide the Hero from the start. I understood it clearly.
“Exactly, it’s a foolish tale, an allegory, and a transformation. You need to have the will to overcome this story, boy.”
“..Pulling this sword will be my trial, then, Celestial Demon.”
“Cough! Of course, you are Dennis’s disciple, the man blessed by that damned deity of wisdom. I miss that.”
So it’s not that pulling the sword turns you into a hero; rather, it’s that you’re already a hero, which then allows you to pull the sword. I walked towards the sword, the silver steel welcoming me.
‘..Wrong. It doesn’t even budge.’
Confidently, I grabbed the hilt and pulled, but the sword embedded deep in the earth gave no sign of movement. It’s not something that can simply be buried.
“Cough.. Why’s it like this? Is there something you can’t control, boy?”
“..Yes, a bit of advice, please.”
With the intention of ‘it won’t budge,’ I thrust the sword into the ground. Normal means were useless. Straining myself with all my strength, I called out for help from the Celestial Demon.
“It’s simple. Search for the Heart Demon within yourself, boy.”
“Exactly what does that mean..!?”
“Even if I tell you that, you won’t be able to overcome it. Not unless you enlighten yourself.”
Thus, I began my fruitless tug-of-war with the sword’s power. I thought I’d be learning martial arts techniques, but it felt like I was stuck in a claw machine.
*
Meanwhile, in the Academy’s Swordsmanship Training Hall, three figures had gathered.
“Hey there, Mardol.”
“…”
“Mardol, I’m sorry Kai is so oblivious. Just accept the greeting…”
The blonde-haired hero Kainel, the Flame Mage Ariel, and the Glass Knight were there. They let out sighs as soon as they met and began talking.
“..So, Mardol, have you found Licht?”
“No, not at all.”
“Professor Dennis is also looking for him, but he says there’s no progress…”
They were discussing the situation regarding the Black Knight, who was currently becoming the Demon King and had saved them.
“Damn Licht. If he just comes back alive…”
Kainel tossed his hair in frustration with uncharacteristic curse words. Despite that, the three were worried about him.
“Sir Helmet.. He isn’t… dead, is he?”
“Ariel, that’s harsh.”
“Ah.. Sorry, Mardol.”
Ariel’s worried expression was gloomy, but Pina stopped her. He was someone who must return alive.
‘Please don’t turn into a card like mom this time…’
Just imagining it was horrifying. Her past trauma re-emerged, making it hard to breathe. Cold sweat dripped inside her glass helmet, and her ears and tail drooped.
“Ugh..”
“Mardol, are you okay?!”
“I’m fine.. Ah.”
After pressing her hand against the chest plate and taking several deep breaths, she finally felt her negative thoughts settle. The hero couple looked on at her with concern.
“Mardol, maybe you should take a break?”
“I’m fine. So… Kainel..”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“Who’s the person Licht likes..?”
“Ah.”
The sudden question made the blonde-haired hero tilt his head. All he had asked of the Glass Knight while heading towards becoming the Demon King was that.
“..He said it was a person with beautiful white hair. Mardol.”
“That’s it?”
“Also, he mentioned the Nameless Saintess, a person who would be selected as a Saintess in the future…”
“..That’s not enough information. Kainel.”
“I don’t know much either. He’s a man of misfortune, so he said he had to protect her…might have been what Licht said. I think the Hero Church was targeting her too…”
“Sigh.. So you still don’t know.”
Pina sighed. She confessed she had learned earlier that she was of royal blood and even provoked her mother to get the Magic Hat moving.
‘A Nameless Saintess? No matter how much I search, nothing comes up.’
Just hearing it was distressing for her. She had already consulted two of the Ten Heroes and used all her power to uphold his last will.
But the replies coming back were quite unexpected.
“The Nameless Saintess, no such person exists in our <Library of Truth>. At least, it seems she wasn’t someone who existed in the past. Your Highness.”
“She’s someone unknown even in future foresight. I’m sorry, Pina.”
They had been searching through all of Gold’s contacts and the Imperial Elite. Even mentioning the future saint to Beatrice yielded nothing but repeated ignorance.
“I didn’t find anyone at least during my search, Kainel.”
“What? Mardol, I thought you could find her… What do we do about Licht?”
Pina’s face fell inside her glass helmet. White hair was something she possessed too. A glimpse of her white hair peeked out from her armor.
“..Licht. I’m worried.”
But no mention of a Saintess with wolf ears or wolf tails. Other than her white hair, she had no idea what she looked like. More information was needed.
‘If I was that kind of person from the beginning, there’s no way he’d tell me such a thing…’
It didn’t add up. There was no way he would say to protect myself. There wouldn’t be any future of her being chosen as a Saintess either.
If that were the case, the Sage, who could see the future, would have tipped her off.
“..A Third Saintess, huh. In the end.”
Her close sister was that vampire, the Saintess Schartines. The spot chosen by the God of Light isn’t for just anyone.
“…”
Would that man even know the sacrifice Licht made? He had never contacted anyone or sent a letter. Kainel explained this.
“Sir Helmet, so it was all because of him that you became strong from the start. I didn’t know…”
Pina reconfirmed that it was a relentless unrequited love. Unknowingly, her hand clenched into a fist.
‘At least after Licht disappeared, he should have come to us…’
She hated being asked to protect someone who didn’t help her in danger. He was someone she did not understand.
“..I don’t get it. Terrible.”
The wolf ears and tail inside her glass armor twitched in annoyance, but no one noticed.
