Chapter Six:
An Adventurer Caught in the Cross Fire
1
“I’M SORRY! I’M SO SORRY! THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! Please…please…I beg you, spare my daughter…”
When I raised my right hand, the irritating, sniveling woman at my feet finally stopped crying. In truth, it would have been all too easy for me to give in to my annoyance and simply lop off her head, but I resisted the impulse.
No, I can still make use of her.
“Raise your head.”
…How ugly.
The woman’s grim face was contorted with terror and streaked with tears. She was such an awful sight that I could hardly stand to look at her.
Humans lose so much of their value when they happen to be unattractive, don’t they?
“You’re doing very well. Come now, don’t put yourself down like that.”
“Ah…ahh…”
“Your daughter followed orders and flawlessly guided their entry into the building. The error is mine. There’s no need for you to feel responsible for this.”
“That cannot possibly be true…!”
I stood up and walked closer to the woman. Then, crouching down to draw my eyes level with hers, I gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
I don’t want to be doing this. But it needs to be done. The binds around this woman’s heart must be firm indeed. Ah…what is this unpleasant feeling crawling up my arm? Disgusting. I will have to remember to wash it later.
“The ‘Dark’ will bring disaster to our world. He must be destroyed. Please continue to assist me in this.”
“…Everything in me is yours, my master. My body and soul are devoted entirely to your service.”
The ecstatic look in the woman’s eyes confirmed to me that my decision was the correct one. I was done with the woman and backed away from her.
Their kingdom truly has the worst sort of good luck.
I have been plotting the downfall of that blasted Milestia and their accursed hegemonic regime for years and years now… Yet, at the moment I move to put my plan into action, I hear rumors of the discovery of a Dark element that make me doubt my ears. In the last great war, a single magic user with the Light element overturned the whole course of the fighting and allowed Milestia to claim the spoils it enjoys today. Given the nation’s history, I can hardly ignore this new manifestation of the opposite element, Dark. I know the terrible nature of Dark all too well, of course…
No, this power cannot be allowed to remain in their hands.
That is why I spread my intel to the other nations—ensuring, of course that nobody would ever discover that I was the source. Anything to extinguish the Dark. Milestia will move to eliminate the countries that despise it, that much is certain. I have made moves too, of course. There are many idiot nobles in this nation, and flattering them was an easy task.
The result of this flattery was the attack on the Aslan Magic Academy. At the very least, I wished to eliminate the Dark before he could develop. Or better yet, to kidnap him if possible. The latter would allow us to utilize him as one of our pawns. I know that I could talk him over.
It was a solid plan, so why did it result in spectacular failure? Where did I go wrong?
I set my mind to thinking.
Did the magic tool not activate? No, the odds of that are low. Hmm…ah, I suppose there was that one bit of intel about the boy being quite the skilled swordsman, for an aristocrat. I didn’t think much of that when I first heard it, but is it possible…? Did he drive them back with his non-magic strength alone? Did he defeat trained assassins? A child, in that magic supremacist nation…?
I cannot believe it could be so. Or rather…I don’t wish to.
…No. Maybe it was another student. This year, they accepted a student into their academy who is an incompetent by their standards, a boy who cannot even use elemental magic. Was it him? Or could it have been some third party that I cannot even imagine?
Hm…ah, I just don’t know.
There’s too little information.
…So what do I do now?
2
“RIGHT THEN, ALFRED. A QUESTION: HOW MUCH did you tell Father about the Sword Saint Festival?”
“Only the basic details. I informed him that the event would be taking place in the empire, that is all.”
“Good, that’s vital,” I replied. “He isn’t aware that people die in the intense fighting every year, then, I take it?”
Alfred said nothing.
“Mwa ha ha…speak of this to no one, Alfred. Worry not, I will leave written record that you are not to be held responsible should anything befall me there.”
With the whole Mia issue finally resolved, my head was full of thoughts of the Sword Saint Festival. The event was to be held in a few months’ time, and I was very much looking forward to it.
“That will not be necessary,” Alfred said.
“What?”
“My apologies, Master Luke. I must admit that I would like to see you compete in person. That is my wish…and so, on the off chance that anything does happen to you at the competition, I will take full responsibility.”
“Mwa ha…how bold you’ve gotten, Alfred. I don’t give a damn what you ‘wish’ to do. I will prioritize my own desires, and what I intend to do is leave a written record absolving you of blame. I will not be swayed.”
“…Yes, Master Luke. Thank you.”
I found out during my research into the Sword Saint Festival that the fights there were conducted using real swords. The competition did not necessarily condone murder, but the killing of competitors was shrugged off as an unfortunate consequence. In other words, the fights were completely genuine.
Mwa ha…I feel my blood boiling. It has been so long.
“First, I will acquire a real blade. I wish to choose for myself. Make preparations now; we leave at once.”
“Understood. I will ready the guards for a tr—”
“No. You will suffice.”
“Yes, Master Luke.”
All I’ve got right now are replicas meant for training, but after the attack at the academy, I really started feeling like I should get my own proper sword. I suppose the knights of our house have weapons, and Alfred gave me that dagger, of course—but I want to choose my own. Besides, I’ll need a real sword if I intend to start operating as an adventurer. As for clothes…I guess my academy uniform will do for the time being. Aslan uniforms are made to withstand intense magic duels, so I don’t figure I could find anything more functional even if I tried.
To be honest, I’m pretty excited. Like, really pumped. It’s probably because of how much trouble I’ve had lately, but getting to do this is a big relief. Almost relaxing, even. There is one massive problem though—if my father were to find out that participating in the Sword Saint Festival would put my life in danger, he’d never let me go.
That’s why I came up with this idea to get myself qualified as an adventurer. That’ll let me visit the empire not as an aristocrat but as a working adventurer, neatly sidestepping all the pomp and circumstance that being a noble would usually involve. The only thing that does concern me is the danger I’d be in if anyone at the event discovered my true identity…but I’d never make such a mistake.
“Mwa ha ha… Ah ha ha ha! It’s perfect!”
Alfred gave me a dubious look as I burst out into laughter, but I cared naught.
My preparations were already in place, and I had faith that everything would proceed smoothly.
Father will surely grant his permission for my participation in the Sword Saint Festival, so now…off to the blacksmith!
✦ ✦ ✦
“Man, sorry about this, Zack. I know y’said we could come along, but still… Hey, Ferris, you thank him too.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry ’bout it! I ain’t exactly doin’ much.”
That much is true, at least. And hey, it’s no skin off my back. When you’re an adventurer like me, you really start to realize how important makin’ connections is. These sorta favors always loop back around to help you in the end.
“But I mean, you’re introducing us to other folks ’n’ all…” Canis insisted. “I really don’t know how we could begin to thank you.”
“Seriously, don’t worry about it. More importantly, look…so, er, about the blacksmith we’re off to see today…”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Well, y’see, he’s good…seriously, skilled craftsman and all that…but he can be a bit tough to work with…”
“Oh. No worries. Okay. Good at dealing with people,” said Ferris.
Where does this little one’s confidence come from, eh? She’s usually got a vacant expression on her face and looks pretty unapproachable. Not to mention, she barely talks in the first place…and when she does, it’s all short and choppy.
N-nah, there must be something… I bet she’s got her ways of dealing with people. I’ll be there to step in if anything goes wrong, either way.
Before I knew it, we’d arrived at the blacksmith’s shop. The place was just as I remembered it, an unassuming house turned into a workshop.
“This is the place I was telling you ab—”
“I ain’t bendin’ to your damn authority!!”
There was a booming, angry cry from inside the shop that made those on the street outside stop in their tracks to look and see what was happening.
“Wh-what?!”
I didn’t understand it either but quickly stepped inside.
“Shut up. Don’t scream at me.”
The moment I saw him, all the nightmarish memories of that day came crawling back up from the abyss to ensnare my mind once again. I wanted to scream out at the top of my lungs in disbelief, “What the heck are you doing heeere?!”
But I didn’t. I felt my restraint in that moment was quite admirable, honestly.