Chapter 121

That last joke helped the knights to relax. Some even laughed. It was never good to be too tense. At that moment, Dragus gave an obviously fake cough—and the knights promptly snapped back to attention. “…That’s all from me. Lieutenant Commander Dragus can take it from here,” I finished, turning to my second-in-command. “Understood… Everyone, commence the operation! Act swiftly! And may the spirits bless the Kingdom of Palettia!” “May the spirits bless the Kingdom of Palettia!” the knights shouted in unison. With that oath, they quickly dispersed into the forest. Watching them leave, Dragus breathed a deep sigh. “Very good, Commander Anisphia.” “I suppose neither of us are quite used to this yet, are we?” “Compared to you, all I have to be proud of are the accomplishments of age. If I can’t do this much, I wouldn’t deserve to hold my position,” he answered, pounding his chest with a clenched fist. His grin soon faded as he turned back to the forest, his eyes sharpening as if he were searching for invisible enemies. “I hope the men can handle this…,” he murmured. “They’ll be fine so long as they remember to be cautious. You trained them properly, didn’t you?” I pointed out. “Of course. Knights in your service have a duty to be nothing but the best.” “…I owe you, Dragus. Really. Thank you.” To be perfectly honest, I didn’t think myself capable of leading a squad of knights. I had nothing but gratitude for how he acted as my proxy with them. “No need to thank me,” he said with a shake of his head. “This is my role, my duty. So long as you continue to fulfill yours, Commander Anisphia, this is more than enough honor for me.” “I appreciate you saying that.” “Besides, I’m excited beyond my years right now,” he said, glancing at Garkie and Navre. It was an intense glance, but the two remained at my side in stoic silence. “I’ve been looking forward to this day—to seeing your new magical sword in action,” Dragus remarked. “They’re still prototypes. It will be some time before they’re really finished,” I pointed out. Yes, the purpose of this outing was to serve as a field test for my newly designed magical swords. Thanks to all the experience and know-how we had built up over the years, the swords’ development had proceeded without delay. At the same time, I had come up with the idea of conducting practical field tests, which would also help to address the monster movements Dragus was concerned about. This would allow us to both confirm the magical swords’ performance and thin out the local monster numbers. Two birds with one stone. However, there was a third reason, as well. “Garkie, Navre? Are you ready?” I called out to my two companions. Garkie had been standing in silence and looking sterner than usual, and he was the first to speak up. “…I’ve got butterflies in my stomach,” he said, as if wrestling with a headache. “Is that why you’re so glum?!” Navre said. “You can’t tell someone not to feel nervous!” Navre rested a hand on his forehead and let out a long exhale. “How can you be like that, Gark? This is an important operation, both for the lab and for the order. Remember?” “You’re telling me you’re not anxious?!” “…Look, I understand how you feel, but you’ve got to keep it together. Right now, the other knights are busy driving the monsters this way so we can do our part.” “I know…” Yes, the reason we had dispatched our knights into the forest wasn’t to defeat any nearby monsters, but rather to drive them all toward us. We had built two prototype swords, one each for Garkie and Navre, and instead of having them go out seeking monsters themselves, I figured it would be easier to just lure as many toward them as possible. “I’m sure we’ll be doing this sort of thing more often in the future to test other magical tools. Here’s hoping it goes well!” I said softly. “I’ll make sure it does,” Navre answered with a respectful bow. With an almost inaudible groan, Garkie wriggled around and slapped himself loudly on the cheeks. Then, once he was ready to go, his attitude underwent a complete reversal. “Damn it, I’m making a fool of myself again. I’m fine now.” “Don’t worry too much. I’m here if things don’t work out,” I said, hoping to reassure him. “…That won’t do,” he answered with a weak smile before turning to face me directly. “…I don’t want to be a burden anymore. And I don’t want you to ask me to stand back. I’m a knight in your service, Lady Anis. I want to hold my head up high.” …Ah. I breathed a thin sigh. Garkie was talking about the vampire encounter in Filwach Forest. I had asked them all to fall back. Believing I was the only one who could fight that foe, I wanted to protect everyone. But from Garkie’s perspective, that order was an insult to his role and responsibilities. “Gark isn’t just speaking for himself,” Navre added. “Navre…?” “You’re highly capable, Commander Anisphia, but no one can do everything on their own. That’s why we need to achieve concrete results today, so we can best serve you. Isn’t that right, Gark?” “Yeah.” The two of them exchanged casual grins. They were asking me not to hold them back, to let them perform their duties as knights under my wing. I wondered whether I could fully appreciate the depth of resolve it must have taken to say that so directly. I wasn’t sure—but not for a lack of confidence. If that was what they wanted, there was only one thing for me to do. “Garkie, Navre. I’ll be watching from here. Show me what you’re capable of.” “Yep. Keep your eyes peeled,” Garkie answered. “We’ll live up to your expectations,” Navre added. As if waiting for just that moment, a high-pitched whistle rang out, signaling that the knights had succeeded in luring the monsters. Neither Garkie nor Navre wasted a second before reaching for the swords sheathed at their waists. Garkie drew his weapon, a longsword, slightly wider than usual, with a thick reddish blade. With the magicite crystal embedded in the handguard, the sword gave off an almost rugged appearance. Navre’s, on the other hand, was slender, its arc-shaped blade bluish green in hue. Like Garkie’s, it had a magicite crystal embedded near the hilt. Both weapons were a perfect match for their wielders. The two adjusted their grips a few times and lowered into their battle stances, then turned to the forest. “Think you’re up to it, Gark?” Navre asked. “Of course! I’m ready to go!” Garkie said. “Then let’s give this a shot.” “You got it!” No sooner did they finish encouraging each other than a group of knights suddenly emerged from the forest, followed closely behind by a pack of monsters—gray wolves. With their wide habitat and ability to breed rapidly, gray wolves ranked among the most common monsters encountered in the Kingdom of Palettia. Their hides were said to be so tough that only the best weapons could inflict serious damage. The knights were running as fast as their feet could carry them, stopping occasionally only to slow the wolves with a quick feint. Just as they reached us, laboring for breath, they called out. “Sorry for the wait!” “It’s up to you now!” With that, Dragus bellowed his signal: “Master Navre! Master Gark! Begin!” “Right!” the two men shouted back. Navre stepped forward, passing the knights who had lured the monsters our way. Then, standing directly before the approaching pack of gray wolves, he swung his sword in a wide arc as if to cleave them all to one side. “…Mow them down.” The next instant, the wind picked up around us—coalescing into a blade that traced the path of his sword. It cut the wolves before they could get any closer. With each step, he swung again and again, sending out one wind blade after another. Navre struck a dazzling figure as he unleashed those airborne attacks, dropping the gray wolves one after the next, slicing them clean in half and sending limbs flying. In the blink of an eye, he had finished off the gray wolves and moved on to his next prey. He didn’t even pause to catch his breath. “…The artificial magicite in the Vent suits you well, Navre.” The Vent was my first prototype magical sword based on an artificial magicite crystal, one used to activate an Air Cutter technique—and it suited Navre perfectly. “It’s an extremely simple spell… But it feels much better in the hand than a Mana Blade!” Navre called out, spinning around to cut down a gray wolf that tried to lash out from behind. It was like he had eyes in the back of his head. There were two reasons we settled on an Air Cutter technique—because it was one of the simplest wind-type spells and because it provided a similar sensation to wielding a Mana Blade. Navre had always been adept at wind magic, so the Vent was a natural fit in his hands. Ever since he’d gotten hold of the new sword, his movements had been impossibly sharp and precise. Knowing him, he could probably perform fine with any weapon, but the Vent provided a vital supporting role, greatly bolstering his speed and spell activation time. On top of that, since it was based on the design of the Mana Blade, the user could freely adjust the size and power of its attacks. It was extremely useful, activated with a simple swing. Using it several times in rapid succession enabled keen long-range attacks. Even those who lacked an aptitude for wind magic could still manipulate those Air Cutter blades, at least to some extent. Though of course, it was much more deadly in the hands of a user with a talent for wind spells. In Navre’s hands, as he cut down wave after wave of gray wolves, the results were as clear as day. Since the blade itself unleashed its magical attacks, the user could focus their own magic on reading their surroundings, better enabling them to counter and respond to any oncoming threats. As a quick aside, I’d noticed Navre had taken a liking to the Vent ever since we had started testing it, taking care of it in his free time and asking me all sorts of questions about magical tools. “Are you planning on hogging all of them, Navre?!” Garkie shouted. “Hmph! Very well! They’re coming from both sides, so I’ll take the ones to the right!” “I’ll take the left, then!” Garkie replied, one step behind him. The two split up, turning in opposite directions, while at the same time, more knights rushed back, pursued by hordes of monsters. More gray wolves descended on Navre, while a killer bear looming as tall as two men stormed toward Garkie. “Gark! I’m counting on you! Looks like we’ll be eating bear hot pot tonight!” “That thing’s massive!” “Damn it, someone help!” A vaguely familiar-looking knight dashed past Garkie at full speed, the bear close behind. “Yes, yes. I’m on it.” Switching places with the departing knight, Garkie confronted the creature, which lashed out with its fierce claws in an effort to brush him out of its way. It was a blow that would have crushed any other fighter trying to take it head-on—yet Garkie promptly neutralized it, sending the bear’s foreleg hurtling through the air before it suddenly burst into flames. After the burning heap fell to the ground, the bear let out a piercing howl. It writhed in agony, which soon turned to fury, and the monster lunged forward with its remaining foreleg. “…Not like that…,” Garkie muttered under his breath, as if he’d forgotten the creature was there. “Like this. I can do it now, I think…” In the blink of an eye, he swung his sword overhead, sending the bear’s other foreleg flying. This time, the limb hit the ground without catching fire. The scent of burning flesh tickled my nostrils. The first severed limb was well-cooked, like freshly grilled meat. Garkie withdrew his sword, while the killer bear stood there stunned and enervated, as if unable to comprehend what had hit it. The next moment, the monster’s head slid away from its body, hitting the ground hard while its body collapsed behind it. Garkie showed not a shred of concern as the impact of the creature’s colossal body collapsing echoed all around. “…Yep, that’s the stuff.” He nodded in satisfaction. Before any of us could catch our breath, however, another band of knights dashed out from the forest. “Whoa! There he is! Just a little further! Run! Everyone, get out of here!” As the knights rushed past Garkie, the red blade clutched in his hands began to flicker, and its wielder took off toward a pack of gray wolves. He swung his weapon in an arc at the leading wolf as it closed in on the knights’ backs. He bathed the creature in flames and launched it away in two cleanly separated halves. Seeing the head of the pack so easily defeated, the other wolves stopped in their tracks. Garkie, however, took full advantage of that momentary lull to slip in and lay them all to waste. The second he stopped moving, the gray wolves collapsed one by one, each exploding in a burst of flames. Looking closely, I noticed that his weapon was glowing with a red-hot light, as if it had been pulled from a raging furnace. That must have been the source of the flickering I had caught sight of a moment ago. Garkie’s weapon was a prototype magical sword based on a natural magicite crystal, one designed exclusively for his own use. “…That’s the power of the Flamzell. Great work, Garkie.” A magical sword that could surround itself in roiling flame, built from the magicite crystal we had been entrusted with after meeting the demi-human in Filwach Forest. The weapon was every bit as potent, as Garkie had just aptly demonstrated. Its unique ability was to burn through its targets, and while it was based on the lessons learned from the Mana Blade, its destructive potential was leagues ahead. Given that the magicite crystal responded only to Garkie, Tomas had designed the sword’s length and weight to be a perfect match for him. In short, the Flamzell more than made up for what Garkie lacked in attack power. To be perfectly frank, even I was afraid to cross blades with him now. “Gark! Another monster will make contact in thirty seconds! It’s a big one!” Navre called out.