Early dawn.
The Malidan Wall, quietly asleep in the darkness.
In the farthest corner, a faint light flickers like a match.
Antonio, standing in front of the forge, lights a cigarette before starting his day’s work.
He exhales bitterly, reminiscing about yesterday’s outburst with the border lord.
“I knew it wouldn’t work, but it’s more bitter than I thought.”
The divine embodiment of the sword.
The honor of forging, with his own hands, the one who could defeat Helmunth.
Antonio, unwilling to miss this opportunity, was pondering another approach.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?”
When his apprentices heard this, they were shocked and tried to dissuade him.
They said that giving a sword to a man who had never shown anything remarkable wouldn’t be enough to defeat Helmunth.
At that time, Antonio couldn’t offer a proper rebuttal.
It was, after all, an investment based purely on intuition.
‘But I want to try.’
However, Antonio was drawn to Isaac more intensely than ever.
Vision.
‘That guy has vision.’
Actions that seemed to assure a distant future, not just the present.
A deep contemplation of the sword, unlike others, coupled with an oddly violent ambition.
He didn’t know where it came from, but it was as if a ghost who couldn’t wield a sword in life was attached to him, desperate yet tenacious.
Of course, if sheer tenacity could defeat Helmunth, anyone could have done it-.
“Antonio.”
A secretive female voice in the dawn air.
“Miss?”
There stood Silbern, her spear slung over her shoulder.
“Are you going on duty?”
As Antonio extinguished his cigarette and asked, Silbern shook her head slightly.
“No, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Huh? Me?”
Hesitating for a moment, Silbern cautiously opened her mouth, wary of others overhearing.
“Why are you so obsessed with Isaac’s sword?”
“Huh.”
“He’s clearly growing, but even so, it’s not enough to warrant giving him Frostsilver to forge a sword.”
Indeed, Isaac had grown.
He now had a high win rate in sparring with dispatched nobles.
Unlike before, when he was near the bottom in physical training, he was now leading.
Many were impressed by his steep growth curve.
But if asked if he was exceptional enough to warrant Frostsilver, the answer was no.
“Haha.”
Regretting the discarded cigarette, Antonio swallowed.
“You could see it as a new challenge. The attitude he wants is something I’ve never made before.”
“……”
“And he’s challenging himself too. You might say it’s not fitting for his age, but I wanted to be a part of that challenge.”
A rather trivial reason.
Thinking it wasn’t a proper explanation, Silbern actually empathized with it.
She had similar thoughts herself, which was why she wanted to clarify them by asking Antonio.
“Antonio.”
Having made up her mind, Silbern handed over her spear.
“Use this.”
“Miss?”
Silbern’s spear.
A weapon forged using Frostsilver.
“I’m sorry to ask you to melt down the spear you made, but is it possible?”
“Miss, that’s a very dangerous statement. Even so-.”
“You’re the one who went and fought the border lord out of the blue, and you’re saying that?”
“……”
Antonio fell silent.
Hiding a smile in the dawn’s darkness, Silbern spoke.
“Please.”
Antonio sensed that the emotions in her voice weren’t entirely the same as his.
Unable to respond to the hidden affection, he could only accept the spear.
“Thank you.”
With that, Silbern turned and walked back the way she came.
‘What a strange feeling.’
Silbern honestly assessed her own state.
Despite giving away her precious spear, she felt more regretful that this was all she could do.
This is what affection is.
This is what unrequited love is.
“It’s fine.”
She smiled brightly and looked up at the sky.
Beyond the Malidan Wall, the rising sun peeked out, shining on her as if in praise.
“Even if we can’t walk together.”
Let’s be grateful that I could be of some help on the path you walk.
“It’s enough.”
Let’s be content that my secret affection is in the hand that moves forward.
“This is enough!”
As if responding to her cheerful shout, the wind brushed through her hair.
A refreshing day had begun.
“Sharen.”
“Sister?!”
Early morning.
Sharen was startled by Lianna, who had come to her room.
After learning that Lianna was staying in the servants’ quarters, Sharen had been worried about losing her room, and her shoulders stiffened.
“W-what is it?!”
But Sharen, who had been unnecessarily scared, didn’t notice as Lianna handed her a neatly folded envelope-like object.
“This is my opinion on Isaac’s sword.”
“Ah.”
Relieved that her room was safe, Sharen took it.
She considered opening it but decided to let it go.
“Sharen, I heard you’ll be active outside like the other reconnaissance teams.”
“Huh? Yeah. The giant assassinations are starting to pick up, so we’re fully transitioning to reconnaissance missions.”
“I see.”
A voice tinged with mixed feelings.
Lianna gently stroked Sharen’s head.
“Be careful, Sharen.”
“Huh, sister?”
“I’d like to go with you, but I’d stand out too much, so it’s probably not possible.”
“Right?”
“Please, protect Isaac for me.”
At Lianna’s request, Sharen’s eyes sparkled as she nodded.
“Of course! Don’t worry, sister!”
This was the first time Lianna had asked her for something, so Sharen answered excitedly.
Seeing this, Lianna felt a bit lighter.
‘Was she always this bright?’
She hadn’t noticed when they were at Helmunth.
She had just thought of her as a clueless, immature kid.
But seeing her so happy just from having her head patted.
“Sharen.”
Lianna decided to go a bit further.
“Yeah?”
“When you use Crimson Flame, the color of your sword fades, right?”
“Huh, how did you know?!”
Sharen’s sword often took on a rose-red hue, which was a big concern for her.
Helmunth’s swords were supposed to be a deep, rose-like red.
“Don’t get too caught up in that. That color will become your unique sword.”
“But, but father’s isn’t like this.”
“You’re not father.”
“Well… that’s true?”
“Don’t worry, just go with the flow. Helmunth’s sword isn’t about being trapped in something. It’s not about striving to become something.”
Helmunth is.
Not those who strive to be great.
But those who can’t help but be great.
It’s not about forcing something, but purely pouring your essence into the sword.
“Don’t be confined by molds. Father… that’s why he doesn’t acknowledge us.”
“……”
“Is it hard?”
Sharen shakes her head.
“No, I’ll do it! Thanks, sis!”
“Alright.”
Sharen, sighing as she grabs her sword.
It looked fine, but Lianna couldn’t help but repeat the nagging she’d done countless times.
“And. Don’t ever tell anyone about Isaac and me. Don’t slip up.”
“I got it. Both Isaac and sis think I’m such an idiot.”
‘Weirdly, I feel uneasy.’
“Nothing much today. They gave us an easy mission to rest after all the hard work we’ve been through.”
In front of the rear wall facing the kingdom.
While the front was fiercely battling, the rear was practically just an entrance, as good as new compared to the front.
“We’re just going to a nearby village to collect some taxes.”
Silbern says, puffing herself up.
Everyone tilts their heads at her words that even if the Great Horde comes, we must do what needs to be done.
“Why are we doing that?”
Sharen raises her hand and asks, and Silbern nods, saying it’s a good question.
“Actually, it’s not really about collecting taxes. At most, it’s just pocket change.”
Silbern laughs, resting her spear on her shoulder.
“The real purpose is a kind of patrol for reassurance. With all the commotion from the Great Horde lately, we’re here to reassure them that we’re guarding them, so they don’t need to worry.”
“Ah? That sounds annoying.”
“Don’t open your mouth when we get there. Captain’s orders.”
Sharen instantly loses her right to speak.
“Anyway. We’ll go around telling the village chiefs not to worry. I do have some symbolic presence in Caldias, after all.”
Having roamed the frontlines of the battlefield, this mission was practically a break.
“Let’s make today count.”
Silbern points to the tethered horses.
And so, Reconnaissance Unit 5 gets a day off from the intense battlefield they’ve been in.
While everyone is tying their belongings to the horses, Anna quietly approaches Silbern.
“By the way, miss, where’s the spear you usually use?”
“Huh? Uh, I left it. I thought I should get used to using a different spear.”
“Huh? Really? What’s up with that?”
“I don’t think I’ll need to swing a spear today.”
No matter how well Anna knows Silbern, she couldn’t have guessed that Silbern had melted down her own spear.
“I see.”
Thinking it’s nothing, she just lets it go.
The rest of the group is also mounting their horses and engaging in light chatter.
“Something like this happened at Helmunth too.”
Jonathan, mounted on his horse, says to Isaac with a smile.
“When bandits or monsters appeared in nearby villages, we’d go to deal with them.”
“Ah, right. That happened.”
Isaac’s expression darkens momentarily.
Meladik steps in to answer for him.
“At Helmunth, bandits wouldn’t dare come close, right?”
“I thought so too, but these guys were so ignorant they didn’t even know it was Helmunth’s territory.”
“Goodness, that’s why they live by banditry.”
It was an extremely aristocratic answer.
Well, everyone lives in different worlds.
Anyway.
So, they start moving towards the nearby villages.
*
The first place they headed to was Andes Village.
Actually, it was the village farthest from the wall.
The plan was to visit the farthest village first and then make their way back.
“……My back hurts.”
Isaac mutters, tapping his back on the horse.
He had no less than three swords hanging from his waist.
Two tachi and one falchion.
Since the tachi were for testing and easily breakable, he carried two, and the falchion was for when those broke.
“That’s a bit excessive to carry around.”
Anna’s awkward laugh makes Isaac smile wryly.
“Guess I’ll be carrying them like this until I get a proper sword.”
“Let’s hope Mr. Antonio works hard.”
“Still lighter than the Helmunth greatsword.”
“Really?”
Anna looks surprised, glancing at Jonathan and Sharen’s greatswords. She seemed like she wanted to try lifting them later.
Silbern, leading the way on her horse, coughs and interjects.
“Ahem, he’ll probably make it soon. Antonio is a great blacksmith.”
“But it’ll still take some time, right?”
“No! Don’t underestimate Antonio. He’ll definitely make something amazing.”
“…….”
Why she was so adamant, Silbern didn’t explain, just shrugging her shoulders.
As Reconnaissance Unit 5 enters Andes Village.
“……Get down.”
A pungent stench hits their noses, and Silbern quickly orders them to dismount.
The thick, layered smell of blood vibrates in the air, and the sky above the village is filled with the buzzing of countless flies.
The Malidan Wall itself didn’t have many casualties, but the stench of decaying corpses and writhing maggots was far worse than the battlefield.
Everyone grips their weapons as they step inside, only to find the piled-up corpses of the villagers.
“Not long ago.”
“Specific parts like eyes or hands were cut out.”
Isaac and Anna calmly assess the situation.
The others are either holding back rising anger or retching.
“Kick.”
A sound from behind makes them turn their heads.
The source of the sound is one of their group.
“Kick, kick.”
Naturally.
A memory of what a Helmunth knight once said comes to mind.
[He’s an unpleasant man.]
It wasn’t just because he was the youngest that he was bullied.
After all, Helmunth knights value chivalry.
[We often go to support nearby villages.]
“Kick, kick, kick.”
[But sometimes, unfortunately, villagers get caught up in it.]
“Kick, kick, ah, ugh! Cough! Cough!”
[And every time. Especially…… when there are many victims.]
“Ah! Huff! Ah, damn! Keheheh! Ahahahah!”
[He laughs, as if enjoying it.]
Isaac begins to doubt whether the man standing before him is really the naive knight he traveled with.
No, can he even be called human?
In this scene.
“Kehahah! Ugh! So, sorry-! Ahahahah!”
Even with his hands covering his mouth, the man is laughing uncontrollably.
It wasn’t even that he was trying to hold back his laughter.
He wasn’t trying to stop the laughter from bursting out.
It was a natural, bright smile.
He was hiding it, not trying to suppress it.
“Ugh, huff huff…… Poof! Keheheh!”
Even as he bends over, covering his face.
Jonathan’s chilling laughter doesn’t stop.
