Chapter 2

Chapter 2 The Heavenly Blade Percival 1 The same day that a unique monster was born on the tenth floor of the Sazardon Labyrinth, a swordsman happened to drop by the Adventurers Guild in the town of Micaene. “Mr. Logan.” “Hmm? What is it?” “I see Lord Percival approaching.” “Really? Bring him in immediately.” “Understood.” Logan, the leader of Micaene’s Adventurers Guild, rose to greet his guest. The manager, Eador, invited the swordsman into the room. “Apologies for intruding.” “Lord Percival, what a pleasant surprise. Are you going into the labyrinth today?” “Yeah. I’m thinking of descending about midway through the nineties.” Logan could have asked how many people Percival was planning on bringing with him for a crazy venture like that, but he knew the answer already. Percival would be going alone. This swordsman planned to trek past the ninetieth floor by himself. “Is that so? Will you be using our transport service?” “No. Running is the best training of all, so I’ll be going down myself.” “You’re the same as always, I see. Ah, looks like we have tea. Want a cup?” “Thank you very much.” The manager had entered the room accompanied by a young female employee carrying a tray of refreshments. Logan was baffled as to how the manager could have prepared this in such a short time. After the tea was set on the table, the manager and the girl walked back out of the room. The manager closed the poorly fitted door without a sound on the way out. Logan watched as Percival brought the cup to his lips. There was nothing fancy about his movement, but it was beautiful all the same. His equipment wasn’t flashy, either, but anyone with an eye for quality would have been taken aback by it. This man was Percival Mercurius. He was the head of House Mercurius, a noble family of counsel. This meant his family had a high-enough social rank to be able to visit the king anytime they pleased and freely express their opinion. When the first king of Baldemost overthrew the wicked dragon Kaldan, he was accompanied by twenty-four heroes, all of whom were named royal knights upon the founding of the kingdom. To make up for that rank not being inheritable past the first generation, those twenty-four families were named noble families of counsel. Seventeen of those remained, and even among them, House Mercurius had a special reputation for military prowess. He’s the head of a noble family of counsel, yet he acts as an adventurer and explores labyrinths. He’s got an eccentric sense of curiosity, this one. But Logan did not dislike this young, eccentric noble. 2 Percival got his start as an adventurer at the young age of twelve, became an A-rank adventurer at fourteen, and participated in the subjugation of the Zolhard mountain bandits by fifteen, after which he became an S-rank adventurer for his distinguished service in the military. At age sixteen, he became the head of his house after his father’s death, but he rarely attended court and spent most of the year as a solitary swordsman delving into the labyrinths of every region. House Mercurius did not hold any territory. The number of noble families dependent on them was not small, however, and they received a large pension from the country every year. They also lived in an affluent district. For that reason, Percival was expected to serve the country in a prominent position, but instead, he obtained a role that existed in title alone and spent his days however he pleased. Normally, that kind of thing would not have been tolerated, but the king ordered him to be left to his own devices, telling people to let him do as he liked. There was a widespread rumor that the reason for this was because Percival had saved the king’s life when he was eighteen, subduing an assassin who had slipped in among a group of foreign envoys and had been aiming for the king’s life. Percival’s sword instructor had given him the nickname the Heavenly Blade, praising his skill by saying, “This boy’s prowess with the sword is unparalleled. His talent is a gift from heaven, so he shall be called the Heavenly Blade.” There were many adventurers who felt a resistance toward him because of his antisocial disposition and upper-class origins, but he wasn’t a bad person. He was very particular about his work, but he had never once broken a promise. He had never bothered or bad-mouthed anyone. Logan had a feeling he was the kind of person who had no interest in anything other than fighting tough enemies and becoming stronger and who felt fulfilled only after experiencing situations of mortal peril. The kind of person who had little interest in being a member of normal society. He’d won the Imperial Combat Tournament at nineteen but had not participated since. Logan had heard explanations for that before, but not from Percival himself. “Lord Percival, I’ve heard that you have not competed in the Imperial Combat Tournament since winning it. May I ask why?” “Sure. I fought against a sorcerer in the semifinals.” “So I’ve heard.” “The sorcerer was making use of support magic and various other distractions to prevent me from approaching and then suddenly used Summon Comet.” “Ha-ha-ha, that’s ridiculous. This sorcerer must have been incredible.” Summon Comet was the most powerful fire spell, capable of annihilating all in its range. It was enormously destructive but required a great deal of time to cast, and using it expended the majority of your mana. Pulling it out in a one-on-one battle during a combat tournament went against all common sense. “Even with Alestra’s Bracelet, I wasn’t able to hinder the attack. The ground shook, rubble came crashing all around us, and a cloud of dust shot up into the air. For a brief moment, it was difficult to do much of anything.” “What I can’t believe is that you were able to evade that kind of spell mostly unhurt.” “My opponent was not trying to hit me directly.” “Oh?” “I became convinced of that after looking into it afterward and giving it some thought. The activation point for Summon Comet is quite a distance from the caster. If he had used a spell with a closer activation point and attacked me directly, Alestra’s Bracelet would have erased it.” Alestra’s Bracelet was a treasure of House Mercurius. The founding king had received it from the goddess Pharah and had granted it to the first head of House Mercurius. It had the ability to absorb and nullify any magic. “But if the sorcerer had been aiming not for me but for the ground around me, that would have opened other options to him. Given the chaos, the barrage of rubble, his quick incantation speed, and the total unpredictability of that maneuver, I had no sense of what he was trying to do. It was impressive. He got the best of me, but I still could have responded with a counterattack.” That’s right. That shocking development had stolen the collective breath of the entire packed arena. It had been a truly unpredictable match. It had come to an abrupt end, though, as the judge announced Percival’s victory. His opponent was disqualified for breaking the rules. Killing your opponent in the combat tournament was forbidden. As such, performing an attack that seemed like it could deal lethal damage was against the rules. “It was a totally nonsensical decision. The deadliness of an attack is completely subjective. It depends on the opponent and their fighting style. I was using a sharp sword totally capable of killing, and besides, I was barely injured at the time.” Logan looked at Percival with interest as he expressed his dissatisfaction with his own victory. “Against someone with great speed in combat like me, finding the time to release a large-scale spell like Summon Comet should have been seen as nothing other than an incredible demonstration of my opponent’s skill. Based on my ability, reactions, and the item I possessed, he’d judged that he could use the aftermath of Summon Comet to create an advantageous situation for himself. He deserved the utmost praise for his combat sense.” Percival had finally found a battle that could get him excited. He had been wondering what kind of attack his opponent was going to use next, thinking that it would probably be strong enough to defeat him. That was how worthy a rival the sorcerer had been. “But despite that, they declared my victory. If they were going to call it for anyone, it should have been him. It was utterly inexplicable.” Logan didn’t ask Percival why he hadn’t opposed the judge’s decision if it had bothered him so much. That just wasn’t Percival’s style. “I put up with the absurdity and took part in the championship match the next day, but it turned out to be a battle devoid of meaning or joy. How a swordsman that weak made it all the way to the final was even more of a mystery to me than the judge’s decision in the previous round.” “This may be rude of me to say in front of one of the participants, but it was a brutal match.” “Ha-ha-ha. I agree wholeheartedly. Despite the way things turned out, though, the semifinal match against the sorcerer was a beneficial experience.” “Oh? Did you gain something from it?” “I did. Every fight since then, whether against humans or monsters, I always think about that fight in some way, wondering what would have happened next. If the match hadn’t ended there, he might have brought a planet down on me next…” It wasn’t until later that Logan realized that had been a rare joke from the Heavenly Blade. A little while after that conversation, Logan used his connections and obtained some information. First, the judge in the semifinal match was a personal martial arts instructor for a certain noble family, and for some reason, that family was obsessed with the idea of indebting Percival to them. The next bit of information had to do with the final. It was common knowledge that Percival’s opponent in the final had been the son of the king’s favorite concubine at the time, but what people didn’t know was that someone knowledgeable of the court had visited Percival in the waiting room and recommended that he throw the match. Of course, Percival never spoke of that. It had, however, infuriated him, and he’d expressed that anger by declaring he would never participate in the Imperial Combat Tournament again. That was Percival’s style. So that’s what happened. It’s a ridiculous story, but it is believable. The information upset Logan, and he respected Percival for resenting his own victory and considering it undeserved. 3 “This tea is great.” “Thanks, I’m glad you like it.” Logan recalled what Percival had said about the tea. Compared to what he must have been used to growing up in House Mercurius, the guild’s tea leaves surely barely even deserved to be called such. If that manager was able to brew tea good enough for a high-ranking noble to find it agreeable, then sure enough, he was no ordinary fellow. Much later, Logan realized what Percival had probably meant. He wasn’t talking about the tea specifically but rather the experience of sharing a cup with Logan at the guild. After spending some time enjoying the taste and fragrance of his drink in silence, Percival finished off his last sip and stood up right away. Logan rose, too. “Have a safe expedition.” “Thanks.” As an S-rank adventurer heading into the labyrinth alone, he knew the floor that most made sense for him to aim for was the fiftieth. However, this laconic noble was saying he was going to go to the ninetieth floor. He carried with him a number of treasures of House Mercurius, but even putting that aside, this famed swordsman’s strength was abnormal. Logan had no doubt he would see Percival again. 4 Holding an ax in each hand, the minotaur strode out of the boss room. It could now easily pass through the entryway that had given it so much trouble before. Outside the chamber, the stone corridor continued to the left and right. The minotaur walked to the left. Before long, the corridor split left and right again. This time, it chose the right path. After many more branching paths, the minotaur sensed something ahead of it. A set of eyes shone in the dimly lit labyrinth. The opponent charged at the minotaur. It was a gray wolf that seemed intent on attacking. The minotaur bent down and swung its left ax at the wolf’s head. But unexpectedly, the attack cut through only air. The wolf had quickly changed course a half step before the attack, brushing the minotaur’s right leg as it ran past. The minotaur immediately turned around to intercept the wolf on its way back but felt pain shooting up its right leg. It looked down to see a gash running from its knee to its ankle. Being wounded by this puny wolf made the minotaur’s vision swim red with rage. It swung its ax sideways in order to catch the wolf as it charged. But again, it was unable to connect. Instead of leaping at its prey, the wolf jumped onto the wall, then used a piece of rock jutting from it as a platform from which to aim for the minotaur’s throat. Against any ordinary opponent, this attack would have finished the fight, but the wolf miscalculated. The minotaur used its incredible reflexes to angle its chin downward, protecting its throat. The moment the wolf bit into the minotaur’s thick chin, the minotaur dropped its axes on the ground, grabbed the wolf’s head with both its hands, and charged toward the stone wall. “Yelp!” The wolf cried out in pain as it was smashed against the stone. The minotaur used a headbutt to pin the wolf against the wall once more. It easily pierced through the creature’s abdomen using its two horns, which had the appearance of steel. Paying no mind to the fluids spilling out of the wolf onto its body, the minotaur headbutted the beast again, and again, and again. Bash. Crunch. Squelch. Splorch. The wolf’s abdomen was ripped open, and its entrails sloshed out. The minotaur continued to headbutt. The wolf resisted by scratching and biting at the minotaur’s arms and chest, but it did not let up. The wolf finally stopped resisting and began to convulse. This, too, soon came to an end, and it ceased moving entirely. Even then, the minotaur continued to headbutt. Suddenly, the wolf’s corpse vanished, causing the minotaur to bang its head directly into the wall. It did not understand where its opponent had gone. Happening to look down, it noticed a small red potion and multiple silver coins. This was not what the minotaur wanted. Perplexed, it grew angry. The reward the minotaur wanted was the beast’s meat. Meat. Meat. I wanted to eat its meat. That meat belonged to me. Its hunger was only getting worse. The minotaur picked up its axes and advanced farther down the corridor of the labyrinth. 5 It found another one. A gray wolf, same as the last. This time, the minotaur was prepared for its agility and cunning. It held its left ax in front of its throat and its right ax toward the wolf, watching its movements carefully. The wolf ran at the minotaur with incredible speed and jumped to the left just before it made contact. At that moment, the minotaur quickly thrust with its right ax. The blade cut into the creature’s right cheek. Then, the minotaur instantly brought its left ax down onto the wolf’s neck. The beast’s head was severed from its neck, and its body fell to the stone floor. Meat. The minotaur’s eyes sparkled with joy. Just like before, though, the dead wolf’s body disappeared, leaving behind only a small blue potion and some silver coins. The minotaur’s face twisted with rage. What is happening?! My reward was taken from me again! This isn’t fair! Give me my meat! The minotaur crushed the blue potion underfoot and continued its advance down the corridor. It soon came across a third wolf. This time, the minotaur rushed at the creature instead of waiting for it. It feinted an attack with its left hand to guide the wolf to its right side and drove its right ax into the wolf’s muzzle. The beast was sliced in half. Meat. Meat. Give me meat. Don’t turn into those weird things. Give me your meat. It had been pleading in its mind from the moment it spotted its prey. This time, the wolf did not vanish. Instead, its corpse simply sank into the puddle of its own blood. The minotaur tore off some meat with its ax and lifted it to its mouth. It chewed thoroughly and swallowed, feeling an indescribable sense of satisfaction. Meat. Meat. It devoured the flesh greedily. When it had eaten about half of the kill, this corpse also disappeared, leaving behind some silver coins. The minotaur’s stomach was full. For some reason, though, its hunger had still not been sated. It collected its weapons and stood, then began stalking in search of its next target. The minotaur fought wolf after wolf after wolf. Though they were usually alone, occasionally, they fought in a pack. When the minotaur encountered packs of four or five, it struggled with their joint attacks and suffered many injuries. When the creatures died, they always left behind some mix of red potions, blue potions, and silver coins, after which, the corpses and even the bloodstains disappeared from existence. But if the minotaur killed while praying for the corpse to remain, the bodies took longer to disappear. It killed many wolves and ate their flesh. Even after it tired of eating, it continued fighting simply because it wanted to. As it fought, the minotaur grew stronger. 6 While prowling in search of its next enemy, the minotaur sensed a battle in the corridor ahead. Once it got closer, it found a human fighting a wolf. The human was alone. He wore leather armor and wielded a sword. Two wolves were lying in the corridor, covered in blood. They had likely been defeated by the human. The beasts had taken such a beating that they could not move. The human had run into a pack of three wolves and, having defeated two, was now fighting the last. But the swordsman was considerably injured. Multiple lacerations marred his face, and his clothes were soaked in blood. His left hand was hanging limp as if having lost its mobility. The wolf had been seriously injured as well, but it was still moving swiftly. It was holding a low position, leaping at the human and scraping at his flesh whenever it found an opportunity to strike. The swordsman noticed the minotaur. His eyes widened in astonishment. The human was hanging on by a thread against his current opponent, but now, a new, stronger monster was approaching, a terrifying monster that was definitely not supposed to be there. It was only natural the man would feel terror. But the minotaur had no intention of joining that fight. Defeating a weakened target would be pointless. It was more interested in watching the human’s technique as he battled the gray wolf. The human held his sword pointed toward his opponent at all times. When the wolf attacked with its claws or its fangs, the human would twist his wrist to change the angle of his sword and parry the attack. He was staving off the strikes with the minimum amount of movement possible. This was probably an effort to preserve stamina, but he was doing a great job of holding his posture. He ignored the attacks that were going to graze the edges of his body. His injuries steadily accumulated as a result, but he was able to completely prevent the wolf from landing direct blows to any vital areas. The minotaur did not possess the intelligence to analyze and fully understand the man’s movements, but as it still felt like it could learn something by observing, it watched the engagement attentively. The end of the conflict came suddenly. The swordsman’s body swayed, and not overlooking its chance, the wolf leaped at him. The minotaur realized this was a trap set by the human. Using his sword, the human flicked some pebbles at his opponent’s face. The beast hesitated for a second, and the human thrust his supposedly immobile left hand at the wolf’s throat. The bones in his hand made a crunching sound. The human then stabbed the wolf with the sword in his right hand and, with a tearing sound, ripped it open from its stomach to its groin. Having successfully fended off the attack, the swordsman fell faceup on the ground. The wolf, with its body collapsed on top of the human, was already dead. A red potion and some silver coins dropped onto the human’s stomach. He let go of his sword, picked up the red potion with his left hand, and drank it while still on his back, keeping his eyes on the minotaur the entire time. All of his injuries were quickly healed. Even his broken hand was fully restored. Using his sword as a crutch, the swordsman lifted himself up and then finished off the other two wolves that had been lying there on the verge of death. One of them dropped silver coins and a red potion, and the other dropped silver coins and a blue potion. The swordsman drank the two potions immediately. He recuperated even more fully from his injuries, and it looked like his energy had returned as well. Throughout all of this, the swordsman never once took his eyes off the minotaur. The minotaur, however, had lost all interest in the swordsman once the battle had ended. It was clear he was not at full form, and the minotaur did not feel he was strong enough to be worth killing. The swordsman then gathered all the silver coins the wolves had dropped. After that, he picked up his sword with his right hand, and while keeping a close eye on the massive monster, he retreated down the corridor. The human then disappeared into a cave, and shortly thereafter, the minotaur lost sense of his presence. Finding that strange, the minotaur followed him. Once it drew closer, what had seemed the entrance to a cave suddenly became a staircase heading upward. There were probably more fights waiting for it up there. But first it needed to rest. The minotaur turned around, went back to the room where it had been born, and slept.