It was a flash of light, ephemeral yet consequential.
"..."
In the brief yet profound silence, the logs gathered by Yuder's power shattered into fragments. The monster that had been standing still behind them also split in two with a strange sound, sliding apart. Black bodily fluids gushed out, soaking the ground, and the dense forest that had been thriving let out a mournful cry.
Then, more trees than those broken by the emerging monster began to tremble and fell with a thud, one after another.
"Aaargh!"
Only then did the mages, who had barely regained their senses, scream. Yuder, without even thinking to dodge the fragments of branches brushing his cheeks, watched this overwhelming spectacle. Unlike when the monster appeared, everything was falling in the opposite direction from where the people were standing, so there was no fear of them getting hurt.
It took a while for the falling trees to finally stop and the dust to settle. Yuder felt a bright light hitting his face after the last tree had fallen, and he raised his hand to shield his eyes and looked up.
'The sun...'
The forest had been so dense that no light could penetrate it, but now a large clearing had formed in a semi-circle around where the monster had stood, and the blocked sunlight was pouring into that area. Everyone was speechless at the sight, too surreal to be the result of a single action.
Yuder turned his head in the neatly cut clearing, large enough to build several houses, and looked towards Kishiar. He was still tightly gripping the handle of the sheathed sword, quietly observing the spectacle he had created.
Yuder felt a tingling sensation throughout his body for the first time, even though he was not the one who had achieved this result. He wondered how Kishiar, who had released the power he had been suppressing all this time, must have felt. He felt a strange regret that he couldn't see the emotions reflected in the red eyes hidden under the hat.
"…Are you okay?"
When he quietly asked, Kishiar finally moved his head a little towards Yuder. The corner of his lips, which had been closed indifferently, slowly rose.
"It's refreshing now that the sun is out."
He had thought that he would naturally adjust and swing the sword, but he was worried that he might have exerted too much power because the result was too tremendous. It was a relief that he seemed okay.
"Wha, wha, what was that just now?"
While the two were looking at each other, the others who had been behind them rushed over and surrounded them. The Cavalry members looked at them with faces full of surprise and admiration, Prince Ejain with a stern expression, and the mages with faces stained with shock and fear, not knowing what to do, looked up at Kishiar.
"Is that also the power of an Awakener? Or perhaps…?"
"Swo, sword…"
"Swo…"
Facing the mages who couldn't dare to utter the word 'Swordmaster', a title held by only a few on this continent, Kishiar smiled.
"I am, a Cavalry member."
'Does he mean he used a sword but he won't reveal his identity yet?'
While the Cavalry members, who had noticed the somewhat ambiguous meaning of the answer, were secretly exchanging glances, the mages seemed to take his words at face value and finally showed a look of relief.
"Ah... Ah, yes. I've heard that among the Awakeners, there are those who possess power that appears like the aura of a Swordmaster."
"Right. There was a rumor about two years ago, wasn't there? A ten-year-old kid split a rock with a tree branch......"
"That's right. I remember that. I thought it was an exaggerated rumor at the time, but seeing today, it might not have been... Ha... ha..."
A smile slowly spread across the faces of the Cavalry members. It was a smile that could only be seen because they knew that the ten-year-old kid from back then was also in the Cavalry.
Yuder also thought of Jimmy, who would be training hard in the capital around this time.
'Jimmy is talented and strong, of course. But... he probably couldn't have achieved this result with a single move.'
There were a few more members who exhibited abilities similar to aura, including Jimmy. However, their inherent sword skills were not yet so impressive, so when they sparred using only pure swordsmanship without using their abilities, they would lose to Yuder.
But the perfect sword draw that Kishiar had just executed.
'...'
After joining the Cavalry, he had hardly seen Kishiar swing a sword, let alone touch one. Unlike divine power or magic, which can be maintained without use, swordsmanship dulls if not practiced. This was true for anyone, but the movement of Kishiar he had just seen was so brilliant and beautiful that it seemed to break such common sense.
Yuder recalled a memory of when Kishiar's hand had touched him, and he had fleetingly thought that it was the hand of a swordsman, which seemed to have done nothing harsh but was actually very firm. What kind of effort had he made in unseen places to maintain that hand, so that he could use it properly when a day like today came?
A chill ran down his neck again.
"Hey. The strange crack from earlier has disappeared!"
One of the mages, who was awkwardly putting away the magic tool he had drawn to attack the monster, suddenly shouted in surprise. Following his outcry, they all turned their heads and realized that the crack that had been floating near the monster had indeed disappeared.
"That's true."
"What happened?"
"We don't need to fight anymore. Let's go while we have the chance!"
"Yuder. What was there? We were in the back and couldn't see anything..."
Yuder briefly explained the crack to Gakane, who asked cautiously.
"Do you know about the crack that appears just before a monster emerges?"
"Um. I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it myself yet."
"Something similar was in front of us."
"Ah. So that's where those monsters came from?"
Gakane's gaze turned towards Kishiar, who had slaughtered the monster in one fell swoop. He seemed curious about the power Kishiar had shown, but he soon turned his gaze away, as it seemed inappropriate to speak out in the presence of Ejain and the mages.
"No. It had nothing to do with that. It was there before we arrived. The mages were discussing whether to ignore it or turn around."
"Can that happen...?"
"It didn't feel good just looking at it. It's gone now, so we'll have to check it out later."
The sense of how strange it was seemed to vaguely dawn on them, and the expressions of the members who were listening to Yuder's words hardened a little.
"We will now quicken our pace and get out of here before more monsters appear! Hurry up and follow!"
They hurriedly followed the mages who were moving ahead, avoiding the corpse of the monster. The party members, who had been retching due to the shock of the event, quietly followed with their faces lost in thought.
Yuder, sticking close behind Kishiar, sneakily glanced at the tip of the sheath of the divine sword, wrapped in his cloak. The sheath, which looked too far from practical use due to its excessive splendor, was covered in cloth to hide it from the eyes of others, but the divine sword was still a divine sword. He felt a more vivid presence from the sword, which had come out of the sheath for the first time in this life after Kishiar became its owner.
"Are you looking at the energy of the sword?"
"Ah... yes."
At Kishiar's question, he felt caught and answered in a small voice, and a low laugh flowed out from between the hat and the cloth. Yuder kept silent for a moment before bringing up the topic of the sword.
"It seems that no one has figured out what it is."
"To the eye, it's just a needlessly flashy cerEmunial sword."
Kishiar jokingly replied in a small voice, as if sharing a secret between the two of them.
"Do you plan to continue using only that?"
"Hmm... if possible, I plan to do so. Both I and this guy need a period of adaptation. Since the control was not as good as expected, I will have to adjust it for a while and take the lead often."
"You will have to explain to the other members."
"Yes. That will be necessary."
Saying so, Kishiar lightly touched the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist.
"By the way, it's been a long time since this guy's energy has spread out vividly enough to be seen. It seems too excited for the first time, so I need to calm it down."
"You talk as if it's alive."
He threw the answer without thinking. But when Kishiar's reply was slower than usual, a strange feeling came over him. Turning his head, Yuder met the red lips that were smiling with a slightly different color than before.
A chill ran down his fingertips.
"...You're joking, right?"
"Strictly speaking, it doesn't talk or move. In that sense, it's not alive."
"Then what is..."
"Ah! Another monster!"
Before he could ask what the meaning of that smile was, another scream erupted from the front. With a short laugh at Yuder's scowling face, Kishiar leisurely stepped forward again.
"From now on, it seems that many monsters will appear, so protect yourself and the weak and fight accordingly. Don't be ashamed to rely on your comrades. I will also move as a member of the party, so as I said before, I leave the overall command to the leaders."
His gaze fell on Kanna and Yuder and then fell away. As Kishiar, who had lightly drawn his sword, moved forward, noise came from another direction as if monsters were appearing. Most of them seemed to be the same type as the monster they had just killed, but occasionally different ones were seen.
"I... I'm finally going to... fight a real monster... What should I do... I'm not good at it yet......"
"Don't be afraid, Emun. Your power is darkness! First, bring the mages and protect them! You seem excessively frightened, it's not good to leave you there. Gakane, I'll need your help too."
"Understood."
"What should I do?"
"Your Highness... firstly, take your sword and guard the surroundings."
Kanna, tightly gripping the trembling wrist of Emun, issued commands without hesitation to him, Gakane, and even Prince Ejain. Yuder followed the Eldore siblings, who were rushing forward with excited faces, with long strides, quietly catching his breath.
"Hinn, Finn."
"Huh?"
"I know you're excited, but what's needed right now comes first."
"..."
"Help Gakane and Emun, move all the mages to the back, then join the fight. This is a good opportunity to improve your teleportation ability."
"...But I want to fight more right now?"
"You can't always do what you want. If you move quickly, even after you've moved all the mages to the back, there will still be monsters left."
"Okay. Got it..."
Though they were a bit disheartened, the Eldore siblings moved quickly as they always did, working together seamlessly. Yuder slipped between their gaps and stood behind Kishiar, who was facing the monsters that screamed so loud, it felt as if the surrounding forest would shake.
It was a flash of light, ephemeral yet consequential.
"..."
In the brief yet profound silence, the logs gathered by Yuder's power shattered into fragments. The monster that had been standing still behind them also split in two with a strange sound, sliding apart. Black bodily fluids gushed out, soaking the ground, and the dense forest that had been thriving let out a mournful cry.
Then, more trees than those broken by the emerging monster began to tremble and fell with a thud, one after another.
"Aaargh!"
Only then did the mages, who had barely regained their senses, scream. Yuder, without even thinking to dodge the fragments of branches brushing his cheeks, watched this overwhelming spectacle. Unlike when the monster appeared, everything was falling in the opposite direction from where the people were standing, so there was no fear of them getting hurt.
It took a while for the falling trees to finally stop and the dust to settle. Yuder felt a bright light hitting his face after the last tree had fallen, and he raised his hand to shield his eyes and looked up.
'The sun...'
The forest had been so dense that no light could penetrate it, but now a large clearing had formed in a semi-circle around where the monster had stood, and the blocked sunlight was pouring into that area. Everyone was speechless at the sight, too surreal to be the result of a single action.
Yuder turned his head in the neatly cut clearing, large enough to build several houses, and looked towards Kishiar. He was still tightly gripping the handle of the sheathed sword, quietly observing the spectacle he had created.
Yuder felt a tingling sensation throughout his body for the first time, even though he was not the one who had achieved this result. He wondered how Kishiar, who had released the power he had been suppressing all this time, must have felt. He felt a strange regret that he couldn't see the emotions reflected in the red eyes hidden under the hat.
"…Are you okay?"
When he quietly asked, Kishiar finally moved his head a little towards Yuder. The corner of his lips, which had been closed indifferently, slowly rose.
"It's refreshing now that the sun is out."
He had thought that he would naturally adjust and swing the sword, but he was worried that he might have exerted too much power because the result was too tremendous. It was a relief that he seemed okay.
"Wha, wha, what was that just now?"
While the two were looking at each other, the others who had been behind them rushed over and surrounded them. The Cavalry members looked at them with faces full of surprise and admiration, Prince Ejain with a stern expression, and the mages with faces stained with shock and fear, not knowing what to do, looked up at Kishiar.
"Is that also the power of an Awakener? Or perhaps…?"
"Swo, sword…"
"Swo…"
Facing the mages who couldn't dare to utter the word 'Swordmaster', a title held by only a few on this continent, Kishiar smiled.
"I am, a Cavalry member."
'Does he mean he used a sword but he won't reveal his identity yet?'
While the Cavalry members, who had noticed the somewhat ambiguous meaning of the answer, were secretly exchanging glances, the mages seemed to take his words at face value and finally showed a look of relief.
"Ah... Ah, yes. I've heard that among the Awakeners, there are those who possess power that appears like the aura of a Swordmaster."
"Right. There was a rumor about two years ago, wasn't there? A ten-year-old kid split a rock with a tree branch......"
"That's right. I remember that. I thought it was an exaggerated rumor at the time, but seeing today, it might not have been... Ha... ha..."
A smile slowly spread across the faces of the Cavalry members. It was a smile that could only be seen because they knew that the ten-year-old kid from back then was also in the Cavalry.
Yuder also thought of Jimmy, who would be training hard in the capital around this time.
'Jimmy is talented and strong, of course. But... he probably couldn't have achieved this result with a single move.'
There were a few more members who exhibited abilities similar to aura, including Jimmy. However, their inherent sword skills were not yet so impressive, so when they sparred using only pure swordsmanship without using their abilities, they would lose to Yuder.
But the perfect sword draw that Kishiar had just executed.
'...'
After joining the Cavalry, he had hardly seen Kishiar swing a sword, let alone touch one. Unlike divine power or magic, which can be maintained without use, swordsmanship dulls if not practiced. This was true for anyone, but the movement of Kishiar he had just seen was so brilliant and beautiful that it seemed to break such common sense.
Yuder recalled a memory of when Kishiar's hand had touched him, and he had fleetingly thought that it was the hand of a swordsman, which seemed to have done nothing harsh but was actually very firm. What kind of effort had he made in unseen places to maintain that hand, so that he could use it properly when a day like today came?
A chill ran down his neck again.
"Hey. The strange crack from earlier has disappeared!"
One of the mages, who was awkwardly putting away the magic tool he had drawn to attack the monster, suddenly shouted in surprise. Following his outcry, they all turned their heads and realized that the crack that had been floating near the monster had indeed disappeared.
"That's true."
"What happened?"
"We don't need to fight anymore. Let's go while we have the chance!"
"Yuder. What was there? We were in the back and couldn't see anything..."
Yuder briefly explained the crack to Gakane, who asked cautiously.
"Do you know about the crack that appears just before a monster emerges?"
"Um. I've heard of it, but I haven't seen it myself yet."
"Something similar was in front of us."
"Ah. So that's where those monsters came from?"
Gakane's gaze turned towards Kishiar, who had slaughtered the monster in one fell swoop. He seemed curious about the power Kishiar had shown, but he soon turned his gaze away, as it seemed inappropriate to speak out in the presence of Ejain and the mages.
"No. It had nothing to do with that. It was there before we arrived. The mages were discussing whether to ignore it or turn around."
"Can that happen...?"
"It didn't feel good just looking at it. It's gone now, so we'll have to check it out later."
The sense of how strange it was seemed to vaguely dawn on them, and the expressions of the members who were listening to Yuder's words hardened a little.
"We will now quicken our pace and get out of here before more monsters appear! Hurry up and follow!"
They hurriedly followed the mages who were moving ahead, avoiding the corpse of the monster. The party members, who had been retching due to the shock of the event, quietly followed with their faces lost in thought.
Yuder, sticking close behind Kishiar, sneakily glanced at the tip of the sheath of the divine sword, wrapped in his cloak. The sheath, which looked too far from practical use due to its excessive splendor, was covered in cloth to hide it from the eyes of others, but the divine sword was still a divine sword. He felt a more vivid presence from the sword, which had come out of the sheath for the first time in this life after Kishiar became its owner.
"Are you looking at the energy of the sword?"
"Ah... yes."
At Kishiar's question, he felt caught and answered in a small voice, and a low laugh flowed out from between the hat and the cloth. Yuder kept silent for a moment before bringing up the topic of the sword.
"It seems that no one has figured out what it is."
"To the eye, it's just a needlessly flashy cerEmunial sword."
Kishiar jokingly replied in a small voice, as if sharing a secret between the two of them.
"Do you plan to continue using only that?"
"Hmm... if possible, I plan to do so. Both I and this guy need a period of adaptation. Since the control was not as good as expected, I will have to adjust it for a while and take the lead often."
"You will have to explain to the other members."
"Yes. That will be necessary."
Saying so, Kishiar lightly touched the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist.
"By the way, it's been a long time since this guy's energy has spread out vividly enough to be seen. It seems too excited for the first time, so I need to calm it down."
"You talk as if it's alive."
He threw the answer without thinking. But when Kishiar's reply was slower than usual, a strange feeling came over him. Turning his head, Yuder met the red lips that were smiling with a slightly different color than before.
A chill ran down his fingertips.
"...You're joking, right?"
"Strictly speaking, it doesn't talk or move. In that sense, it's not alive."
"Then what is..."
"Ah! Another monster!"
Before he could ask what the meaning of that smile was, another scream erupted from the front. With a short laugh at Yuder's scowling face, Kishiar leisurely stepped forward again.
"From now on, it seems that many monsters will appear, so protect yourself and the weak and fight accordingly. Don't be ashamed to rely on your comrades. I will also move as a member of the party, so as I said before, I leave the overall command to the leaders."
His gaze fell on Kanna and Yuder and then fell away. As Kishiar, who had lightly drawn his sword, moved forward, noise came from another direction as if monsters were appearing. Most of them seemed to be the same type as the monster they had just killed, but occasionally different ones were seen.
"I... I'm finally going to... fight a real monster... What should I do... I'm not good at it yet......"
"Don't be afraid, Emun. Your power is darkness! First, bring the mages and protect them! You seem excessively frightened, it's not good to leave you there. Gakane, I'll need your help too."
"Understood."
"What should I do?"
"Your Highness... firstly, take your sword and guard the surroundings."
Kanna, tightly gripping the trembling wrist of Emun, issued commands without hesitation to him, Gakane, and even Prince Ejain. Yuder followed the Eldore siblings, who were rushing forward with excited faces, with long strides, quietly catching his breath.
"Hinn, Finn."
"Huh?"
"I know you're excited, but what's needed right now comes first."
"..."
"Help Gakane and Emun, move all the mages to the back, then join the fight. This is a good opportunity to improve your teleportation ability."
"...But I want to fight more right now?"
"You can't always do what you want. If you move quickly, even after you've moved all the mages to the back, there will still be monsters left."
"Okay. Got it..."
Though they were a bit disheartened, the Eldore siblings moved quickly as they always did, working together seamlessly. Yuder slipped between their gaps and stood behind Kishiar, who was facing the monsters that screamed so loud, it felt as if the surrounding forest would shake.
