Heroes and Their Qualifications (10)
Climbing a certain mountain in the Dragon Kingdom, one can discover something peculiar. It’s a strange and mystical structure. A building that rises out of nowhere on the cliffside halfway up the mountain. At first glance, with its common quality red bricks and white walls that seem like they could easily be breached by the attack of a young wyvern, it’s hard to discern why such a dilapidated house was built in such a place. But upon closer inspection, one might notice something odd.
This is a useless building.
It’s located too high up the mountainside to be used as a dwelling. It could be a good space to hide something important, but it’s not worth risking the territorial wyverns for. It would be more effective to use the tunnels created by earth dragons.
After all, what could you possibly hide in such a rundown house?
It looks like it could collapse at any moment,
But if you touch the white walls, you’ll feel something unusual.
It’s solidity.
An incredible strength that contrasts with the crumbling texture.
If one is knowledgeable, they would realize immediately.
That it was made by earth dragons.
Skin that heals quickly and muscles that never sever. Walls made using the earth dragon, known for their tough strength that cannot be pierced by an ordinary spear. The implication was simple.
It rejects half-hearted intruders.
An earth dragon, whose skin even a mature wyvern would struggle to wound. Walls made from the skin of an earth dragon, which would be safe even in a wyvern’s territory. A building constructed with leather that takes a long time to tan could naturally only be made by someone of high status.
Moreover, the red bricks were also made from the bones of earth dragons.
If one realizes this, things that were not visible before will start to appear.
Windows embedded in the structure and the strangely luxurious scenery visible through them.
And the exterior that blends with nature and quickly loses one’s interest.
Only then might one understand the purpose of this building.
It is a house.
An old exterior that seems to lose interest immediately and an interior decorated with such extravagance. It’s like the house itself is saying to others that it’s abandoned and they need not pay it any mind.
Suspicious, yet not suspicious.
Any doubts will quickly subside.
After all, there wouldn’t be anything of value in a house located where no one lives.
Who would need to hide themselves in such a remote place?
No one would waste money to invest a fortune here.
That would be the logical assumption.
Therefore, it was natural for the house to be empty, with a dirty exterior covered in dust.
However, now, there were two figures inside the house.
“So.”
A knight and a girl.
The young knight maintaining silence.
And the girl with ashen hair.
The knight was sitting on the floor, looking up at the girl. At a glance, it seemed as if he was showing her respect, despite the likelihood that he was older.
The girl sent a cold glance his way.
Despite her youthful appearance, her face carried the weight of experience.
In truth, too many years had passed to simply call her a girl, but her appearance was such that anyone would think of her as one. Had it not been for the anger that had settled over the years, which now made her expression seem haughty, she would certainly have looked the part.
“Why haven’t you left today? Yesterday you were unwell, the day before the weather was bad, posing the threat of a counterattack, making it unwise to depart. The day before that, you stayed to tend to me… So what is the excuse this time?”
The girl looked at the knight with a hardened expression.
“…”
The knight sharpened his blade.
He seemed to be deliberately avoiding looking at the girl’s face as he carelessly sharpened his sword.
“If you say the sword is not yet perfect, how would you respond?”
“Are you taking this as a joke…? There’s not much time left.”
“I was told to make myself comfortable, so I am simply following orders.”
The girl’s face grew even sterner.
The girl, and beyond her, the Empire’s goals, had little time left. It meant there wasn’t much time left until a certain man opened all the letters.
They needed to find this man as soon as possible. Any delay could mean significant losses for the Empire.
“I hope you remember that your sister lives and eats thanks to the Empire. It’s not exactly a threat, but… And remember who it was that guided her to the knights of the North instead of letting her wander among the street thugs.”
“…”
Therefore, any means necessary had to be used.
The knight never had a choice to begin with. A knight must be loyal to his country. A knight who cannot follow orders is of no use. His only choice was to follow orders, even now.
“Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“When dawn breaks tomorrow, I will depart for certain. Considering his movements, tomorrow we will surely encounter him.”
The girl rolled her eyes and then narrowed them.
What nonsense is he spouting this time?
Her face seemed to say just that.
“And why do you think that?”
“It’s information obtained through surveillance. If I do not depart tomorrow, I am prepared to accept any punishment, so please delay the deadline just a bit. If it’s not me moving out, that quick-witted bastard will soon run away.”
You probably already realize you’ve been discovered,
Instead of saying this, the girl sighed and moved away from her spot.
He’s only slightly lacking in perceptiveness. Since his skill is certain, he’ll probably handle it well since he said so. There’s no point in adding anything; he won’t leave today anyway, and speaking would only be a waste of breath.
“Then the deadline is until tomorrow. If you do not depart by then…”
“Yes.”
With that thought, the girl, undisturbed by the knight’s interruption, disappeared beyond the door.
The knight wiped the smug expression off his face. He then brought the excessively sharpened sword to his left arm. The blade was so sharp that it cut through hair without any additional force, and from the rough skin, clear blood began to bead.
The knight roughly rubbed the blood to stop it and then looked at the sword.
It was in pristine condition.
It had gotten a bit dirty with his own blood, but it was still clean.
With such a sword, I am.
The knight closed his eyes quietly, thinking of what he must do tomorrow.
The room, now left with only the knight, was cold.
* * *
There’s a saying that a crisis is an opportunity.
I don’t believe in that saying.
A crisis is a crisis, why would it be an opportunity?
Of course, in a mediocre situation, a crisis can turn into an opportunity. Like in a company undergoing restructuring, if you do well, you might survive alone and get promoted. But that doesn’t mean facing a major earthquake or being at the site of a volcanic eruption is an opportunity.
That’s exactly the situation I was in.
Before me, in my opinion, is the most dangerous person.
This dangerous person wants to kill me. Maybe they’ll let me keep my life, but it seems unlikely.
“Is traveling supposed to be about going around killing people? Or is it that you’re finally showing your true colors?”
I took my stance. I’ve never really learned proper swordsmanship. The best I could do was movements I’d glimpsed and picked up here and there. Better than some mediocre highway robber, but woefully inadequate against him.
Nicola’s movements were concise.
Every exhale and inhale seemed to flow into one seamless motion.
It’s a different class.
Even if I’ve become weaker as a non-combatant, I’ve captured a demon lord’s subordinate, but is this my limit? Probably without Mind’s Eye, I’d struggle to even follow afterimages.
“Ah, well. Something like that.”
Nicola responded with a relaxed expression. Don’t you want to talk? Since I’m the target, there’s no need for conversation.
Indeed, I can’t avoid the fight.
I might somehow manage to win. I’ve become quite strong, and there’s a dragon sitting right beside me. Plus, I have the support of the Saintess… well, not right now, but instead, there’s the magic power from the Tower of Magic.
It’s a fight worth trying.
If he doesn’t have reinforcements, it’s genuinely worth going all out.
Using Mind’s Eye, I can compensate for my lack of dynamic vision. If I land a solid hit with the holy sword, I can seize the advantage in one fell swoop. And if that doesn’t work, I still have the cursed sword.
Of course, if I pour all my strength into it, I’ll have to pay with my health in kind…
But still, it’s better to regret winning than to regret losing after defeat.
If necessary, I’ll use everything I have.
To return home.
I’ll spare no resource at my disposal.
Whether it’s my health or my life, everything.
“Hey. You’re really going for it, huh.”
“Sorry about this.”
As if responding to Nicola’s words, I activated Mind’s Eye. Then, with the fastest speed possible, I grabbed the holy sword and infused it with power.
And then Nicola’s afterimage—wavered.
Boom!!!
A loud crash sent dust flying. It rose so thickly that I couldn’t see in front of me. Thankfully, it meant no follow-up attack came, but the taste of dirt that got into my mouth made my face contort.
“Ugh… this is not good…”
A strong impact was etched into my body.
At the same time, a strange sound echoed.
Clearly, it was the clash of swords. I was a bit late, but I definitely blocked it. My vision was whiting out, but not enough to knock me out. It was different from when I was attacked by a higher demon before; I’ve definitely improved.
But it wasn’t enough to stand against Nicola.
I’m sure I blocked it.
With my sword, I blocked his slashing attack with the holy sword. So why did the sound that rang out sound like a massive crash?
It’s not like I’m being hit by a dump truck.
“As expected, you can withstand a hit.”
A voice came from somewhere.
It was definitely Nicola.
The voice that spoke with surprise was laced with calmness.
Meaning he wasn’t surprised at all.
The monster.
Nicola was standing where we had been just moments ago, in front of the store. He seemed unable to see clearly yet, as he wasn’t moving, but he was staring intently at me.
I should still be okay.
With that thought, I looked for Valkvogel’s position.
It seemed she had been thrown farther than I had, as it was only when I managed to turn around that I spotted her.
There she was, collapsed on the street in the distance.
Unlike me, who hadn’t been embedded into a building, that’s where she ended up.
Even as a dragon, to be thrown that far by a human’s strike…
Or maybe…?
“…Are you there?”
Perhaps the dust had settled a bit, as Nicola started moving. He was approaching me.
Since I wasn’t immobilized to the point of being unable to move, I propped myself up against the wall and barely managed to stand, taking my stance.
As long as I’m not releasing the holy sword, the physical toll isn’t too severe. I’m still at a level where I can hold on.
“You’re strong, Flan.”
Nicola’s breathing was unstable. It was likely due to the contact with the holy sword. The holy sword, which is particularly effective against demons, also has a significant impact on humans. If the aftermath of the swords clashing for that brief moment was this severe, then a direct hit would surely…
I would definitely win.
So I took my stance.
To seize victory at the decisive moment.
And then,
“Cough… Huh, this is… unexpected.”
I spat out blood.
The ground was stained with a dull red.
The holy sword.
No, it’s different.
This is hemoptysis induced by the shock.
There’s no accompanying dizziness yet, so it must be that.
Still, the hemoptysis, which I hadn’t experienced in a long time, was enough to bring me to my knees.
For some reason, I also felt a slight dizziness in my head.
“Is this the end…? Even so, you did quite well.”
Nicola’s movement stopped.
He probably thought the contest was already decided.
But the real battle starts now.
“Hey, it’s not over yet.”
I forcibly endured the sensation of the world spinning. Using the holy sword as a support, I pushed my torso against the wall and stood up. I ignored the feeling of my eyes about to burst and held on.
I can win.
I can win.
I can do this.
I repeated this to myself as I stood up.
“…”
I barely looked up to see Nicola’s expression, which was no different from before.
Maybe it looked a little, just a little, sad.
Of course, it must be my imagination.
“From now on…!”
I shouted at Nicola.
Drawing out all my strength as if to scream.
I firmly gripped the holy sword and took my stance,
“Cough…”
My body, as if to say it could no longer bear it, spilled out blood once more.
